Lets Make a Deal

So we slacked last week and didn't do picks for the holiday weekend. We are coming back strong with money-making(In Nevada) picks this week. If you are not profitable off these, well, then you at least got to enjoy this pic of Terrell Owens celebrating with his new friends after last nights big win.





Falcons (+3) at Rams
I’m talking about the battle of the juggernauts right here. You have the Birds of Pray (thank you Live for that magnificent reference) who need an act of God to make anything out of this season and you have Rams who can’t catch a break (Bulger went down again last week – will be out this week). The Rams also have a guy name Richie Incognito, a center, on IR. Does this mean anything? Probably not, I just like his name. The Rams are favored by 3, which means Vegas, said “screw it, they are the home team, standard -3”. Your guess is as good as theirs.

AB-Rams
Squarre - Falcons
Eastwood - Falcons

Bills (-6) at Redskins
The Bills have been getting straight drilled the last couple of weeks. One of the games was against the Pats and Satan AKA Bill Belichick decided to beat up on them like they were the small kid in school (I am thinking ole billy got was on the rough end of a swirly back in junior high). The Redskins are coming off a horrible week with Sean Taylor’s passing. So it is almost impossible to predict how they will play. They will either play really well or really bad. Marshawn Lynch is out for the Bills. The Redskins are favored by 6, but this past week will probably mitigate that.

AB- Redskins
Squarre - Redskins
Eastwood - Redskins

Lions (-3.5) at Vikings
These 2 teams are going in opposite directions. The Vikings have won 2 in a row and the Lions are on a 3 game skid. Worst news for the Lions is that Purple Jesus is back in effect for the Vikes. This should only make them better. They don’t have to play ADP too hard either since Chester Taylor has done well in his absence. Vegas is still calling it close though, only giving the road Lions 3 ½ points.

AB - Lions
Squarre - Vikings
Eastwood - Vikings

Texans (+3.5) at Titans
The Titans fate lies in Albert Haynesworth’s playing status. The last three games, the infamous face stomper has not played due to injury and the Titans have lost each game. Their defense has been completely porous against the likes of the Jags, Broncos, and Bengals. But Haynesworth has been practicing this week and might play this Sunday. The entire prediction of this game lies on this decision by Jeff Fisher. Keep a close eye on Haynesworth’s situation. Meanwhile, the Texans have beaten New Orleans, Carolina, and Oakland on the road but have lost to Atlanta, Jacksonville, San Diego, and Cleveland. Which pretty much means they should lose to a good team on the road. But if Haynesworth isn’t healthy, the Titans aren’t really good.

AB - Texans
Squarre - Titans
Eastwood - Texans

Jaguars (+6.5) at Colts
Injuries have decimated an extremely good Colts team, and although they played well in Atlanta, they didn’t look dominant against a clearly inferior team. Atlanta actually had several chances to keep it close, but a smack down tackle by safety Antoine Bethea on Falcons rookie wide receiver Laurent Robinson secured the victory for the Colts. For some reason the Colts also released Simeon Rice this week after he signed a one year deal. This is a very odd player decision given the Colts lack of depth on the defensive line. The Jaguars come to Indy on a three game winning streak and are playing well at the right time of the year. At 8-3, if the Jags can pull of the upset, they will be tied with the Colts at the top of the AFC South.

AB - Jags
Squarre - Colts
Eastwood - Jags

Jets (+1.5) at Dolphins
Wow, a classic game in Miami this week (if this were 1968) as the 2-9 Jets take on the 0-11 Dolphins. Are all the Jet players just going to go down to Miami and get completely shitfaced? I mean, they’re 2-9 for chrissakes. If I were on the Jets, I’d go to South Beach, go a little Lawrence Taylor by getting some coke and some hookers, and send a few “presents” to my Dolphin friends (not to mention sampling the goods before sending them over). So the real question here is how many pictures of Jet players will we see on Monday with panties on their heads? Oh and Ricky Williams rules.

AB - Dolphins
Squarre - Jets
Eastwood - Jets

Chargers (-6) at Chiefs
The Chiefs once had a decent chance at making the playoffs at 4-3. Now….they’re 4-7 after losses to Green Bay, Denver, Indy, and the effing Raiders. The wheels have officially fallen off for Herm Edwards team. Nobody loses to the Raiders at home! Well, except the Dolphins, but they lose to everybody. The Chargers continue to personify Norv Turner’s personality, which means they act like they have had a frontal lobotomy on the road. In their last four games, the Chargers have lost to Minnesota, beaten the Colts, lost to Jacksonville, and beaten Baltimore. Both wins were at home, both losses on the road. In fact, their only road win of the year was a shellacking of Denver 41-3 in week 5. So this game will be a test of who sucks less. Hopefully, Norv will let LDT carry the ball….a lot.

AB - Chiefs
Squarre - Chargers
Eastwood - Chargers

Broncos(-3.5) at Raiders
A yawner of a game in my eyes, but it can still make you some money in Sin City. Oakland had lost 6 in a row before last week’s victory over the Chiefs. Denver is only 3-6 since a 2-0 start and gave away the game last week against Da Bears. It is hard to pick either team, but I have to go with the lesser of 2 evils and take the Broncos.

AB - Broncos
Squarre - Broncos
Eastwood - Broncos

Giants(-2) at Bears
Eli Manning is coming off a 4 interception performance (3 of which were returned for TDs) in last week’s loss to the Vikings. Brandon Jacobs will be back this week for the Giants. The Bears will be without Cedric Benson, who is out for the year, but will have Adrian Peterson starting in his place. This Adrian Peterson is out of Georgia Southern and has what I consider to be the best run I have ever seen in any football game while in college. If the Giants don’t kick to Devin Hester look for them to win and cover.

AB - Bears
Squarre - Giants
Eastwood - Bears


Bengals(+ 7) at Steelers
Pittsburgh is coming off a 3-0 victory in horrible conditions last week and a loss the previous week to a terrible Jets team. Look for them to rebound against a Cincy team that gives up a lot of points and a lot of yards. Take Big Ben and the Steelers.

AB - Steelers
Squarre - Steelers
Eastwood - Bengals

Pats(-20) at Ravens
Another huge number for New England this week, but so far it hasn’t matter as they have covered 9 times in 11 games. After last week’s squeaker against Philly look for the Pats to come out strong this week. Apparent GT head coach candidate Rick Neuheisel’s offense can’t score and the defense won’t stop Tom Brady. Take the Pats to cover.

AB - Pats
Squarre - Pats
Eastwood - Pats

Games No One Cares About

Seahawks (+3) at Eagles
AJ Feely playing again for the Eagles. Should look good until the end of the game. That nasty Pass D for the Eagles should give Baldy fits.

AB - Eagles
Squarre - Seahawks
Eastwood - Eagles

Niners (+3) at Panthers
The Niners are horrible, but the Panters might play someone named Matt Moore. I don't know him

AB - Panthers
Squarre - Panthers
Eastwood - Panthers

Bucs (+3.5) at Saints
The NFC South is terrible, no one wants to win it. One of these 2 teams will though.

AB - Bucs
Squarre - Bucs
Eastwood - Saints

Browns (+1) at Cardinals
Cardinals losing a close one after looking good for 2 weeks. Browns just pull games out.

AB - Browns
Squarre - Cardinals
Eastwood - Browns

The Worst Top 50 List of All Time

Okay so according to EA Sports and NCAA March Madness 08 the following is the list of the top 50 collegiate players of all time. There are so many things wrong with this list it is hard to even know where to start. I guess the 1st huge is issue is the fact that Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, David Thompson, Bill Russell, and Patrick Ewing aren't even on the list. How is Pistol Pete only at 44 and the Big O is only 30? MJ at 1? Cover boy Kevin Durant at 2? Chris Bosh at 8? Steve Nash at 6? Mike Dunleavy as the greatest college player ever at Duke? Ed O'Bannon the best ever from UCLA? I could go on and on, but this post would be the length of War and Peace.

It may have been possible to do worse than this, but it would have taken some effort.

1. Michael Jordan -- UNC -- 96 2. Kevin Durant -- Texas -- 94 3. Earvin Johnson -- Michigan St. -- 94 4. Clyde Drexler -- Houston -- 92 5. Larry Bird -- Indiana State -- 92 6. Steve Nash -- Santa Clara -- 91 7. Kenny Anderson -- GT -- 89 8. Chris Bosh -- GT -- 89 9. Richard Hamilton -- UConn -- 89 10. Jamal Mashburn -- Kentucky -- 89 11. Jason Terry -- Arizona -- 89 12. Reggie Williams -- Georgetown -- 89 13. Ray Allen -- UConn -- 88 14. Carmelo Anthony -- Syracuse -- 88 15. Butch Beard -- Louisville -- 88 16. Travis Best -- Georgia Tech -- 88 17. Mike Bibby -- Arizona -- 88 18. Junior Bridgeman -- Louisville -- 88 19. Caron Butler -- UConn -- 88 20. Mike Dunleavy -- Duke -- 88 21. Ben Gordon -- Connecticut -- 88 22. Chris Jackson -- LSU -- 88 23. Kevin Jackson -- California -- 88 24. Jason Kidd -- California -- 88 25. Christian Laettner -- Duke -- 88

26. Randy Livingston -- LSU -- 88 27. Kenyon Martin -- Cincinnati -- 88 28. Rashad McCants -- UNC -- 88 29. Laron Profit -- Maryland -- 88 30. Oscar Robertson -- Cincinnati -- 88 31. Jerry Stackhouse -- UNC -- 88 32. Charlie Tyra -- Louisville -- 88 33. John Wallace -- Syracuse -- 88 34. Derek Anderson -- Kentucky -- 87 35. Keith Bogans -- Kentucky -- 87 36. Sean Elliott -- Arizona -- 87 37. Brian Evans -- Indiana -- 87 38. Art Heyman -- Duke -- 87 39. Larry Johnson -- UNLV -- 87 40. DeMarr Johnson -- Cincinnati -- 87 41. Pete Maravich -- LSU -- 87 42. Stephon Marbury -- GT -- 87 43. Ron Mercer -- Kentucky -- 87 44. Andrew Miller -- Utah -- 87 45. Chris Mills -- Arizona -- 87 46. Joakim Noah -- Florida -- 87 47. Ed O'Bannon -- UCLA -- 87 48. Glen Rice -- Michigan -- 87 49. Cliff Robertson -- UNC -- 87 50. Dennis Scott -- GT -- 87

Third Person Thursday courtesy of Ronaldinho

Surf's up Ronaldinho! Maybe it means something different in Europe or Brazil, (Hang ten?, who knows).

Ronaldinho AKA The Buck Tooth Assasin is one of the best soccer players in the world. He has won FIFA world player of the year twice and the European footballer of the year award.

He plays for FC Barcelona or Barca, and it looks like he wants to stay there evident by this week's third person quote:

Not Chelsea or Milan. I want to stay with Barcelona - that is my wish, that is the wish of Ronaldinho - Ronaldinho

Very classy, as far as third person quotes go.







He is so talented he can blog without looking at his computer. Damn you Ronaldinho, damn you.

Super Mario Gets A Start

Mario West got his first career NBA start last night for the Atlanta Hawks in their 96-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He started in place of Marvin Williams, who was out with a hip strain. Mario was given the task of guarding Buck's star Michael Redd. Coach Woodson was pleased with his play on the defensive end. He said, "I thought Mario and Joe really set the tone trying to get after their perimeter players early."

In a season high 15 minutes of action he also scored 4 points, pulled down 3 offensive rebounds, and had 1 steal. Not bad for a former Georgia Tech walk on from Douglas County.

AJC Story

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

AP Story - Washington Post

Hoops World

Canadian Press

Unknown Hawk Gets Start

Box Score

Hot Athlete Wednesday courtesy of Allison Stokke

This is Allison Stokke. She is a champion high school pole vaulter and has since received a scholarship to Cal(Don't see her on the 2007 roster though).

She also does not want any media/internet attention.

Well don't worry Mr. Stokke. I don't think the vast readership that makes up the Peter Pan Complex army will cause any more damage to Allison's private life.

Ugly Chick Tuesday courtesy of WNBA fans

The WNBA hasn't provided much enjoyment or material (not "that" material) for us lately, until now.

We now have these 2 WNBA fans (and that guy in the lower right hand corner who looks to be a beaten man - "Put your Gary Glitter wig on bitch!").

It looks like they are fans of the Sacromento Monarchs or maybe the Washington Mystics. I can't read it under their beads/$10 courtside passes. No one cares anyways.

I am impressed with the fanny pack though. If you got to go fanny pack, you might as well bedazzle it.

Stereotype Confirmation Monday courtesy of the Miss Puerto Rico pageant

Confirmed - Beauty pageants are full of conniving whores.

Well, not this one. Definitnely one or more of her competitors though.

Miss Puerto Rico (see pic) took pepper spray to the face and other areas.

Either way Ingrid couldn't be stopped, being more driven than Mark Mangino looking for that last chicken wing that fell down his pants, she still won the contest.

Dear Chan,

Adios.

Press conference at 2:00 pm today per 790 The Zone. It goes without saying that those at CanChan.com are quite happy right now.


Sincerely,
Peter Pan Complex

Let's Make A Deal - Thanksgiving Day

Quickly, we'll run down today's games. Today would be wonderful for a teaser with very high lines. Consider this a little Thanksgiving day special from the oddsmakers. Enjoy your holiday.

Packers (-3) at Lions
This is an extremely important game for the Lions. At 6-4, God’s Team is fighting for a playoff spot and lost a critical game last week to the Giants. However, this is the first time I can remember actually wanting to watch this game since the days of Barry Sanders. As a kid, this was always the best game of the day with Madden handing out turkey legs and generally just being a fat ass. But now that God’s Team has done their time in Purgatory, they have some hope here. The Packers may be the best NFC team in the league. That’s not saying much for the NFC. Brett Favre will probably roll up the passing yards on a weak Lions defense that ranks 29th in the league. John Kitna better be ready to fling it for 500 yards or the Lions have no chance. But on Thanksgiving day, this will be the premier game. Enjoy watching it while stuffing your face and listening to grandpa snore.

• AB - Packers
• Eastwood - Packers
• Squarre - Packers
• P-Mizz - Packers

Jets (+14.5) at Cowboys
Dallas could also be the best team in the NFC and they have been on a roll since losing to the Pissed Off Patriots. Somehow the Jets surprised a flat Steelers team (as well as everyone on Earth) last week with a 19-16 win at home. That improves their record to 2-8. Somehow I get the feeling this week won’t be a repeat of that performance. On the road on Thanksgiving in Dallas doesn’t bode well for the Green Machine.

• AB - Cowboys
• Eastwood - Jets
• Squarre - Cowboys
• P-Mizz - Cowboys

Colts (-12) at Falcons
I’m not sure what school of coaching Bobby Petrino went to, but to insert Byron Leftwich into the starting lineup last week was absurd. This is a guy who is completely immobile, probably more so than Peyton, he just came off ankle surgery, and you throw him right into the game against a division rival? When the Atlanta fans are chanting for Joey Harrington, you know you’re bad. The Colts have struggled recently with injuries to key players, but this game shouldn’t be close. Peyton will roll over the Falcons secondary even if he only has somebody like me to throw to.

• AB - Colts
• Eastwood - Colts
• Squarre - Colts
• P-Mizz - Colts

Super Mario 11 Games In

Those of you that have visited the Complex before know that we supported the Hawks keeping Mario West in the preseason (see Super Mario and The Light Bulb Has Come On).

He has seen action in 8 of the Hawks 11 games so far this season. He has provided a lot of defensive energy and last night against the Spurs even scored 5 points. When Coach Mike Woodson was asked who the toughest guy in the NBA on 790 the Zone a couple of weeks ago he said MARIO WEST. Woodson said he has never seen anybody with a motor like West in all his years in the NBA.

After fouling out of Monday nights game against San Antonio, Mario left to standing ovation after sparking a run to get the Hawks within 10 (after being down by more than 20). Greg Popovich noted that Mario changed the game a little bit.

Tonights line against the Miami Heat - 6 minutes, 2 rebounds, 1 assist.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving the picture is from the Hawks Thanksgiving dinner for kids on November 19th.

New 2008 Titleist Irons - ZM Forged

Check out the following pictures of the new Titleist ZM Forged Irons courtesy of GolfWRX. They look a lot like the the 695 MB's, but with a "Z" shape on the muscle. The site also reports that Titleist's 2008 iron lineup will feature 3 other new iron sets, including: a cavity blended/combo set (ZC - see 2 iron below)and 2 in the Advanced Player series - AP1 Cast Game Improvement and the AP2 Forged.

Click the pictures for larger images

The View From Section 16 - 5 Games In

Due to the long break until the December 18th, here is a special 5 games in version of The View From Section 16.

After a 2-1 trip to St. Thomas the Jackets now sit at 3-2 for the year going into the Thanksgiving break. The team has a lot to improve on become a competitive ACC team, but it is way to early to call this a lost season like some message board posters have already done. Notre Dame is not a bad team and is currently projected to be a tournament team by Joe Lunardi. Here at the Complex we predicted 5 out of conference losses and that is still attainable with improved play. Many fans try way to hard to equate basketball to football and it just doesn't work.

As an example - Lets take at look at last year's co-ACC champion Virginia Cavaliers. They started off the year strong with a win against Arizona and were 6-1 going into the San Juan Shootout. However, when they got to San Juan the wheels seemed to fall off. They lost their 1st game by 11 to Applachian State and lost their 2nd by 24 to a Utah team that went 11-19. They did win the final game of the tournament by 7 over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The team then won 2 more, but after that lost 3 in a row to sit at 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. The team then turned it around to finish 21-11 overall and 10-5 in conference. In no way does this mean that this Georgia Tech team is as good as last year's Cavalier's that were led by Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. However, it does go to show that a season is not over after a couple of lackluster early season performances.

A Few Thoughts:

• Talk that this team is at the same place pg wise, that the team was 2 years ago with Zam Frederick is ridiculous. With a healthy Mo Miller and Matt Causey the team has a fairly solid pg duo.
  
• De'Andre Bell is not a pg. He might provide some match up problems in the post and be able to defend, but with any pressure he struggles. The offense starts at 35 feet and leads to the standing around that many have complained about.
  
• Defense needs to improve, both on the interior and on the perimeter. There have been way to many
  
• Rebounding needs to improve. The team seems to like to try to rebound on athletic ability rather than boxing out - if this doesn't change it will be a long year on the boards. A healthy Peacock and the return of Dickey will help in this area.
  
• Anthony Morrow's mid-range game could be very big for the team this year. This new aspect to his game makes him much more difficult to defend. He also looks to have regained his confidence after a difficult junior year.
  
• Morrow has also looked much better coming off screens. In the past he tended to not hit them hard, but so far this year he has rubbed them much tighter.
  
• Lewis Clinch seems to be working his way out of his early season funk. He still isn't playing up to the level he was pre-suspension last year, but he did show some glimpses in the Virgin Islands.
  
• If the team can get Morrow and Clinch going at the same time they become a dangerous offensive team. In the loss to Winthrop Morrow went 3-17 and Clinch made no shots down the stretch. This turned the offensive into the stand around and watch offense that we have seen the last couple of years.
  
• Gani Lawal needs a lot of improvement on the boards and the defensive end. I don't see his playing time increasing without improvement in these areas.
  
• Jeremis Smith is playing very hard. He is by far the best player Tech has on the glass. His passing to Aminu in the post has been a huge plus thus far.

The team now has 8 days before a trip to Bloomington to play the Number 8 Indiana Hoosiers featuring freshman Eric Gordon, who is averaging 28 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 4.3 apg through his first 3 collegiate games. If the Jackets want to compete in this game they will need to improve some of the current weaknesses and play a much more complete game.

Mike Tyson Can Read?

According to ESPN.com Mike Tyson spent his 1 day in jail in Phoenix eating sloppy joes and reading "American Gangster." Tyson, who had to wear pink socks and underwear while in jail, really accomplished something in reading this "epic." Who knew he could even read?

I prefer to remember a pre-tattooed Mike from his days in Mike Tyson's Punchout. On another note - remember the time he changed his name to Malik Abdul Aziz when he "converted" to Islam while in prison.

Hot Athlete Wednesday courtesy of Milene Domingues

Never heard of her? Probably. Most Americans probably don't even know who Ronaldo is(also her ex-husband). She is a Brazilian soccer player. She is supposed to be one of the best female soccer players playing in Europe. She is also the most expensive.















Interesting fact: She holds the world record for ball juggling.

Douchebag Tuesday courtesy of Kid Rock

Kid Rock to random wig-wearing escort:

Button-up or T-shirt?

T-shirt or wife-beater?

Wife-beater or shirtless with crucifix?

Thats what I thought, Shirtless with crucifix it is. Eh, what the hell, lets add the snakeskin jacket.

Stereotype Confirmation Monday - High Life Hunting

Hunters like to drink Miller High Life. If this appeals to you and you would like to own this, go here (According to this guy, its a "must have for can collectors!").

According to this, Hunting-themed beer packaging is the key to profitability.

"Green camouflage background and blaze orange graphics is sure to enhance your display area and appeal to the outdoorsman all season long."

So what do I know.

ACC Basketball Roundup, 11/16

Two teams off the mainland today in tournament action, plus FSU taking on UAB in Daytona.


Georgia Tech 82, Charlotte 77
While listening to this game on the radio at work today, I was scared that the Jackets wouldn't be able to hold on, but, alas, they came out on top. Anthony Morrow as huge again in scoring 19, and the Jackets shot 52% from the field and 74% from the line. Charlotte made 11 threes that kept them in the game, led by Leemire Goldwire and Anjuan Wilderness with 17 apiece. Next up: Winthrop (11/18, Paradise Jam semi-finals).


Miami 69, VCU 63
A big win for the Hurricanes over a solid Rams club. Eric Maynor, the national hero after the Duke game in the NCAA tournament last year, led VCU with 27, but Jack McClinton countered with 23. Neither team shot well from the floor, but Miami was 27 of 32 from the line, which was the difference in this one. Next up: Providence (11/18, Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship).


Florida State 78, UAB 70
Isaiah Swann continues his hot shooting with 28 points on 9 of 15 field goals, including 6 threes. Indiana transfer Robert Vaden led the Blazers with 17. Next up: Cleveland State (11/17).

Lets Make a Deal - Week 11

In what has become a very mediocre season for the NFL, several teams still have a chance to make the playoffs as they hover around the .500 mark. Our picks have come back to Earth as well. Strange how our records against the spread are similar to most teams records overall in the NFL. This week, the only exciting news is the return of Ricky Williams to the NFL. But he probably won't even play. He'll just stare glassy-eyed over the field and ask where the nachos are. On to the picks for this week (for your enjoyment only, not for the profit of Bodog)...

Cardinals (+3) at Bengals
Both teams come off of their best wins of the season last week, with Cincinnati defeating Buffalo and the Cardinals beating the Lions. Vegas says the teams are even, with Cincy only getting the 3 points for being at home. I’ll go with the teams’ trends ATS, where the Cardinals are 7-2 in their last 9 road games, and the Bengals are 6-13-1 in their last 20 home games. Take the Cards against an up and down Bengals team.

• AB - Cardinals
• Eastwood - Cardinals
• Squarre - Cardinals
• P-Mizz - Cardinals

Panthers (+9.5) at Packers
The Packers are on a roll, while Carolina comes off a home loss to the Falcons. Some interesting numbers at work here, as the Packers are 7-1-1 ATS this year, while the Panthers are 4-1 ATS on the road. However, the Packers quarterbacking situation is pathetic. Vinny Testaverde or David Carr? May as well line up Steve Smith or DeShaun Foster in the single wing and hope for the best. It’s going to be cold in Green Bay, so go with the Pack, even against a huge number.

• AB - Packers
• Eastwood - Packers
• Squarre - Packers
• P-Mizz - Packers

Browns (-3) at Ravens

Cleveland surprised me in their result against the Steelers last week, but that included a special teams touchdown. The Ravens still haven’t shown up against Shayne Graham and the Bengals yet. Kyle Boller will be leading Baltimore this weekend, who are 1-8 ATS this year. Go with the Browns, and the over as well, as they are 8-0-1 against the over all season.

• AB - Browns
• Eastwood - Browns
• Squarre - Ravens
• P-Mizz - Browns

Chiefs (+14.5) at Colts
Who knows about these Colts? After getting run off the field by New England in the second half, they lay a huge egg at San Diego. You know Peyton won’t throw 6 picks again, but they also lost their main cog on defense in Dwight Freeney. KC will be without Larry Johnson again, and Brody Croyle is their starting quarterback, so maybe Indy’s defense won’t matter. 14.5 is a HUGE number, but KC is only 1-7 ATS in their last 8 against Indy. I think the Colts are out for revenge this week, and will cover the two touchdowns plus.

• AB - Chiefs
• Eastwood - Chiefs
• Squarre - Colts
• P-Mizz - Colts

Dolphins (+10) at Eagles
Remember that kid in high school who wore sweatsuits everyday (before Jay-Z made them fashionable), ate by himself at lunch, and got picked last in every sport in P.E. while getting hit first in dodge ball? Girls never noticed these kids and eventually you’d hear them talking to themselves about how stupid and stuck up everyone else was. Then they’d get so desperate, they’d buy a blow up doll and bring it to Dungeons & Dragons parties as their date along with their 29 sided die. Well that’s the Miami Dolphins right now. They are 0-9, have lost their starting RB, traded their best WR, and their All-Pro LB is still out with “lightheadedness.” So how desperate have the Dolphins become? They’ve decided to start John Beck at QB this week over Cleo Lemon. The Dolphins have officially started talking to themselves. And what blow up doll will they be bringing to the D&D party? A Ricky Williams doll, complete with lifelike beard and removable bong! Meanwhile the Eagles are trying to make the playoffs and seem to have some life after beating Washington last week. I’m thinking the Dolphins are getting pegged first in dodge ball again this week.

• AB - Eagles
• Eastwood - Eagles
• Squarre - Eagles
• P-Mizz - Dolphins

Patriots (-16) at Bills
Way to go Don Shula. After the Pissed Off Patriots subsided their anger two weeks ago while taking a knee to end the game against the Colts rather than mercilessly running up the score with a field goal, you have to come out and say the Pats should get an asterisk if they go undefeated. Just for that, they ARE going undefeated, then they will challenge you and Nick Buoniconti to a Mega Super Bowl of undefeated teams and score 4,374 points on your old, wrinkled asses. Tom Brady might start painting his face like John Randle for chrissakes (what’s unbelievable is I couldn’t find a better picture of the John Randle face paint than a picture of a John Randle lithograph…who the hell makes these things anyway?). Meanwhile, the Bills are 5-4 and second in the AFC East. However, they have given up 166 points and only scored 143 for the season. It doesn’t bode well for the Bills that they play in the same division as the Rejuvenated Pissed Off Patriots, are second in that division, and have given up more points than they’ve scored. Oh, and the Pats are coming off a bye week. Be afraid Buffalo, be very afraid.

• AB - Patriots
• Eastwood - Patriots
• Squarre - Patriots
• P-Mizz - Patriots

Saints (+1) at Texans
Sometimes you think you know a team, you pick them to destroy a terrible Rams team, and they go and make you look like an idiot. That would be the New Orleans Saints. After winning four in a row and looking like the favorite in the NFC South, they give the Rams their first victory of the season. So is this the team that lost four in a row or won four in a row? The Texans however bring back several key players from injuries this week. Otherwise this game is about as bland as women’s golf.

• AB - Saints
• Eastwood - Saints
• Squarre - Saints
• P-Mizz - Saints

Raiders (+5) at Vikings
I can’t emphasize this fact enough: the Vikings QB is Tarvaris Jackson and his backups are Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger. Purple Jesus is out this week with a freak knee injury (torn LCL), so Chester Taylor has to step up the running game or the Vikings may get shut out for the second week in a row. The Raiders continue to be terrible at 2-7, but because of their inept offense, their punter is the league leader in net average punting yards! Hooray for Shane Lechler! More good news for the Raiders…Daunte Culpepper is back! But the Raiders are 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed. Too bad Purple Jesus is out, because he probably could have broken his single game rushing record this week.

• AB - Raiders
• Eastwood - Raiders
• Squarre - Raiders
• P-Mizz - Raiders

Steelers (-9.5) at Jets
J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets …suck. If you just had to pick the winner, there wouldn’t be much of a question in this one. The Steelers are good and the Jets are bad. Are the Steelers 9.5 points better? Probably. Will they win by this much? I will go with yes again. Look for a 2+ touchdown victory for the Steelers.

• AB - Steelers
• Eastwood - Steelers
• Squarre - Steelers
• P-Mizz - Steelers

Chargers (+3) at Jaguars
Both teams are coming off big wins. After a slow start the Chargers have won 4 of 5. LT hasn’t gone over 100 yards rushing since his big 198 yard 4 TD performance against the Oakland in week 6. The Chargers have to make the long trip across the country to Jacksonville and David Garrard will be back. All that being said the Chargers are hot. Look for them to win outright.

• AB - Jaguars
• Eastwood - Chargers
• Squarre - Chargers
• P-Mizz - Chargers

Buccaneers (-3) at Falcons
Two weeks ago you couldn’t have paid me to pick the Falcons. I still don’t think they are good, but then again neither is anybody in their division. It is hard to have much faith in any team in the division as a road favorite. Also add to this, that despite the 3-6 record overall, the Falcons are 6-3 against the spread. One big question for the Falcons is who will get the start at QB. The AJC is reporting the Leftwich may be back in after 3 straight days of practice. Those of you in Atlanta won’t see the game, but take the Falcons and the points.

• AB - Falcons
• Eastwood - Falcons
• Squarre - Falcons
• P-Mizz - Falcons

Redskins (+10.5) at Cowboys
10.5 is a big number, especially in a rivalry game. The Cowboys are obviously the better team and will likely win the game – but will it be by this much? The Redskins have struggled against the spread of late, going 0-4-1 in their last 5. In the same time frame the Cowboys are 4-1 against the spread (and overall). Look for the Cowboys to win, but not to cover.

• AB - Redskins
• Eastwood - Cowboys
• Squarre - Redskins
• P-Mizz - Cowboys

Giants (-2.5) at Lions
Both teams are coming off losses last week. The Giants probably lost to the best team in the NFC though in the Cowboys. The Lions lost to the perpetually disappointing Cardinals. The Giants have beat 2 teams (Redskins, Eagles) that have killed the Lions. Detroit really hasn’t beaten anyone despite having a good record. Look for the Giants to come back strong this week.

• AB - Lions
• Eastwood - Giants
• Squarre - Giants
• P-Mizz - Giants

Rams (-3) at 49ers
I thought the Falcons were bad. These Niners are terrible. They were severely overrated to start the year, and that was just them being picked middle of the road. They have 2 wins, of course one of those is against the Rams. Haven’t forgot about the Rams. I know they only have one win (last week against the hot Saints), but they finally have Bulger back. With their big 3 all playing, I like their chances against San Fran.

• AB - Rams
• Eastwood - Rams
• Squarre - 49ers
• P-Mizz - 49ers

Bears (+5.5) at Seahawks
Do you bet on Grossman (when you are in Nevada) ever? No you don’t. He is only playing because their first option (the great Brian Griese) is hurt. Griese has been throwing an average of 40 times a game. Grossman is throwing at least 2 picks and losing at least one fumble if has to throw many times, which he will because Seattle will score early, even if Branch is out. Alexander will probably be out for the Hawks, but look for them to still play well at home.

• AB - Bears
• Eastwood - Seahawks
• Squarre - Seahawks
• P-Mizz - Bears

Titans (+2) at Broncos
The AFC West is all over the place. No one wants to take control of that division. The Broncos are continuing with their schizophrenic ways. They have looked good at times (beating the Steelers, beating the Chiefs last week) and have looked awful in losses to the Lions and Chargers. The Titans have looked decent all season with the exception of a big loss last week to the Jags at home. Whichever team can run the ball well and put less pressure on their QB should win the game.

• AB - Broncos
• Eastwood - Titans
• Squarre - Titans
• P-Mizz - Titans

Records ATS

• P-Mizz: 21-19-1
• Eastwood: 20-20-1
• AB: 19-21-1
• Squarre: 19-21-1

Feminist Friday

So...I'm totally psyched to write this post today. My topic (to be revealed in a few) is something that has bugged me for YEARS and now I finally have the chance to discuss it in an open forum for all of our loyal readers (Hi Megan! Hi Erin!)!

I'll just get to it: I hate it when people use the words "gay" and "fag" in a derogatory way. My students use it ALL THE TIME and I always say, "please don't use that word that way." They don't get it, though, and (I'm pretty sure) they never will. In fact, I'm almost certain that I am 100% alone here. My friends use it, but they're not homophobic. I have an ex-boyfriend who used to state pretty vehemently that he didn't want to get married b/c his gay best friend couldn't legally get married (his opinion has since changed; now he is looking for marriage! it's all he wants!). My brothers (Hi Phil! Hi Park!) use it, and I'm sure they're not afraid of the man-on-man lady-on-lady love. They do, however, use it more frequently when I say "hey, could you not use that word that way?" Pure sibling love (ewww, that sounds wrong).

What really, really bugs me, though, is how it's so not ok to use the n****** word (quick side-note: in my 8th grade gifted class we made radio-plays. My group's was about a run-away-slave, and somehow I played the role of the master. At one point in the play I had to say the n****** word, and the first time I did it I was so timid about it that my teacher totally got mad at me and said that if I wasn't going to do it right then I couldn't do it at all. So I did it. And I still feel bad about it....anywho!), but it's totally cool to use "gay" and "fag"! What gives! AND! AND! What about bitch? Although the use of bitch is much more prevalent than it may have once been (I didn't really cuss until I was 20 years old, so what do I know, although I did call my lil' bro a "little shit" once when I got back from GHP), it's still not 100% ok to use it. I'm pretty sure that if my students used it, they'd get the proverbial bitch slapped out of them by their teachers and administrators...but fag and gay are ok? I just don't get it. Why are they more mainstream than other slanderous words? Why did Dog the Bounty Hunter get in HUGE trouble for using the n* word, but it's ok to throw around gay terminology like nobody's business. Is it just me? Why, world, why?

Failed Prediction Friday courtesy of Randy McMichael

So the Rams are not good. Randy McMichael knew this(coming off a 33-6 loss to Seattle). Yet he still went ahead and guaranteed a victory against the Browns even though they hadn't won a game all year.

“We have nothing else to say - we are going to win the football game,”

Don't know if it motivated the Browns (doesn't look like the needed it), but they beat the Rams 27-20

It wasn't all Randy's fault though. He did his part, with a game changing two catches for 39 yards.

ACC Basketball Roundup, 11/15

NC State 66, William & Mary 47
J.J. Hickson makes a splash in his collegiate debut, scoring 31 on 12 of 12 shooting. The freshman also grabbed 7 rebounds. Brandon Costner started the year with a double double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Next up: New Orleans (11/18).

Clemson 84, Mississippi State 82
Shameless Gunner Terrance Oglesby scored 17 points in 19 minutes, including 3 of 7 from 3 point land, as the Tigers held off an upstart Bulldog squad. Jamont Gordon scored 23 for Miss State. Next up: Old Dominion (11/18).

Miami 85, Marist 61
In Puerto Rico, Miami jumped out to an 18 point half time lead and never looked back in dismantling the Jared Jordan-less Red Foxes. Anthony King led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, and every player for the Hurricanes scored at least 4. Next up: VCU (11/16).

Maryland 73, Northeastern 71 (OT)
The Terps needed overtime, even shooting 46 free throws, to hold off Northeastern. James Gist scored 27, Bambale Osby recorded a double double with 16 and 13, and Greivis Vasquez had 10 assists. Again, the bench was nonexistant, with all 5 starters playing at least 32 minutes, and Vasquez playing 43. Next up: UCLA (11/19).

Beer Tap in Your Table

Stats, a new sports bar in Downtown Atlanta near Phillips Arena, has on table beer taps for its guests. This obviously means you won't have to wait for more beer when you run out. The beer is priced by the ounce and costs between $.25 and $.37 per ounce. 16 different kinds of beer are available through the tap. The table has a limit of 180 ounces before a server has to check on the table to restart the meter. According to the AJC this is the first system of its kind in the United States. The technology is produced by Atlanta based The Table Tap (not to be confused with Table Tap, which just sits on your table) and cost Stats $110,000.00 to have installed.

AJC Story

Mike Lowell to the Braves?

There is a rumor (Also see: Boston TV Report)floating around that Mike Lowell has been offered a 4 year contract in the range of $55-60 million by the Braves, Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees. He was offered only a 3 year $36 million extension by the Red Sox. Three of those teams don't surprise me - but the Braves?

My thoughts on the situation: Lowell's agent is likely putting the rumor out there to try to get a 4th year from the Red Sox. The Braves do have some extra money available this offseason, which may be why the agent or whoever decided to throw them out there - despite the fact the move makes no sense. The Braves are solid at the corner infield spots with Chipper and Tex.

The only way I could see there being any truth is if Tex/Boras has told the Braves he won't re-sign and they are looking to trade him. Then you move Chipper to 1st and play Lowell at 3rd or vice versa. I am skeptical that is the case though, especially since it doesn't really make sense to give a 34 year old Lowell a 4 year deal for that kind of money.

Third Person Thursday courtesy of Chazz Johnson

Chad Johnson (Here looking like a cross between Bobby Brown and Simon Phoenix) is legend for his td celebrations.

Well, he also likes to bring it when it comes to refering to himself like he is one of his friends:

Everything I've done has always been positive, it's always been fun," said Johnson. "It's never been a "me, me, me" thing. It's how Chad plays the game. We knew that before Chad got here. I've been playing it the same way the past four years. I celebrate. I have fun with it. It is a dirty business. And to get the business side of it off my mind, I go out and have fun with it like I'm a little kid. That's all it is. It's the NFL. But I'm playing like it's the back yard. And I'm wrong because I'm not the norm?"

Thank you Chad Johnson for keeping the front tuck alive.

Hot Athlete Wednesday courtesy of Tanith Belbin

Is ice dancing really a sport? Are ice dancers athletes? I don't really care. This is just an excuse to post a couple of pics of Tanith Belbin. We might be bending the rules a bit, but she is well deserving.














In her uniform.

Drunk on a Scooter in Dawsonville

So this isn't sports related but it is funny. In Dawsonville, Georgia a man was arrested for DUI while driving his scooter (like the ones they have in grocery stores for old people) on the wrong side of road. The man, who has cerebral palsy, uses the scooter as a wheelchair and blew a .125. My thoughts on the issue - who is a drunk guy in wheelchair going to hurt?

Based on the picture I found, which is not related to this story, it must be common to get drunk on these things.

WSB Channel 2 Story

Changes to the FedEx Cup

The PGA Tour came out with changes to the FedEx Cup today. The first 3 events will be played in succession beginning August 21st. Then there will be a 1 week break with absolutely no golf on the PGA Tour. The following week (September 21st) the Ryder Cup will be held at Valhalla. The only other "change" is that a portion of the prize money will be paid directly to the players rather than put into the player's retirement account.

The tour's press release says the first year worked "well enough" and therefore no major changes were made. I think that statement is questionable at best. This year your 2 biggest stars in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson skipped an event, as did Ernie Els and British Open Champion Padraig Harrington. This change will help those that will play in the Ryder Cup, but I don't see where it will do anything about players skipping events.

I just don't think Tim Finchem and the rest of the Tour leadership did enough. According to Jason Sobel at ESPN.com 37.5% of fans thought there needed to major overhaul and 44.2% thought there needed to be minor changes. I don't think what has been done would even qualify as a minor change, from my eyes it looks like a "no change."

The Tour does note the posibility of a revision in the point system, but this will not be finalized until February - after the season has already begun. Hopefully this change will take place and give more players a chance to challenge for the championship. However, none of the changes made or the proposed changes address the major problem with the schedule. I don't see Tiger or Phil being anymore likely to play 5 of 6 weeks than they were to play 4 in a row this year.

Maybe next year.

Ugly Chick Tuesday courtesy of Oscar De La Hoya

There are no words. Kinky is cool and all, but never let someone convince you to do this. Especially if you are a celebrity and especially if your job is punching people in the face. I guess Oscar threw that out the window a long time ago (I think John Secada pulled a Milli Vanili for him here).

But who knows, he wasn't thinking clearly after a few of those shirly temples and a few nice words from this classy lady.

Either way, he makes for a decent tranny, but an ugly chick.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/12

Lots of action for a Monday night, let's see if any new faces stood out besides Chris Bosh in an ESPN commercial with Mike Breen wearing his jersey.

Duke 86, New Mexico State 61
Most exciting thing about this one was the rediscovery of Martin Iti, one time big recruit for Charlotte, who disappeared for a few years, and is now, obviously an Aggie. Duke jumped out to a 21 point first half lead, with Jon Scheyer scoring 22. Next up: Princeton, 11/19.

Boston College 68, Florida Atlantic 62
The Eagles trailed in the first half, but rallied behind 21 from Tyrese Rice. Rice also had 9 assists against 5 turnovers. Shamari Spears added 18 points and 8 rebounds in his season debut. Next up: Mercer, 11/18.

South Carolina 103, The Citadel 42
Is this a new breed of Gamecock? Four players scored in double figures, led by Brandis Raley-Ross with 13. Devan Downey and Zam Frederick combined for 18 assists. Next up: Southern Cal, 11/17.

Clemson 91, Furman 46
Clemson destroys the Paladins, with James Mays, Cliff Hammonds, KC Rivers, and Demontez Stitt all scoring double figures. Terrance Oglesby only managed to put up 8 shots in 14 minutes, which is disappointing for our new Shameless Gunner. Next up: at Mississippi State, 11/15.

LSU 72, Southeastern Louisiana 62
Juco transfer Marcus Thornton scores 27 to lead the Bengal Tigers, and freshman Anthony Randolph added 19. Tasmin Mitchell only scored 6, which could be a damaging trend for LSU. Next up: McNeese State, 11/14.

Florida State 92, Georgia Southern 67
Ralph Mims started in place of Toney Douglas in this one, but Douglas came off the bench to score 18. Isaiah Swann led all scorers with 25, and freshman Julian Vaughn scored12 off the bench. Next up: UAB, 11/16.

Maryland 70, Hampton 64
No doubt Gary was not happy with this performance, as the Terps were outscored in the second half. James Gist had a double double in his season debut with 16 and 12, and Greivis Vasquez scored 21, but was only 6 for 15 from the field and had 8 turnovers. Maryland's starters played 151 of the possible 200 minutes, and would have played more if not for Landon Milbourne's foul trouble. Next up: Northeastern, 11/15.

Timberlake Open Bringing SexyBack to the Fall Series

Justin Timberlake will join the Fall Series next year. Some may remember that in the spring Timberlake said he would like to play in a PGA Tour event. Fortunately we won't have to watch a 6 handicapper playing on TV. Timberlake's role will be as a tournament host, a la Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

His event will be what was this year the Frys.com Open (not to be confused with the Fry's Electronics Open). It will take place from October 13-19, 2008 in Las Vegas. The name of the event is even ridiculous in these day of multiple corporate sponsors, as it will be called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which leads me to wonder what was wrong with simply the Las Vegas Invitational?

The tournament will have Timberlake and a concert. Problem is that it still won't have any of the top players. I am guessing the teenage girl demographic is not going to help ratings on the Golf Channel for the tournament.

I have nothing against Timberlake, but this makes post-FedEx even less relevant in my eyes. This leads me to believe even more in my hypothesis that the Fall Series could be gone soon - if Tim Finchem and the tour brass don't make some changes to the FedEx Cup and/or the current Fall Series.

Stereotype Confirmation Monday

People who love the Tennessee Volunteers love hunting.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/11

Today we salute our veterans, and check in on some southeast college basketball.


Georgia Tech 99, Tennessee State 85
The Jackets trailed 39-35 at the half before exploding for 64 second half points. Alade Aminu scored 27 on 13 of 15 shooting, and Anthony Morrow scored 31 on 12 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 7 from three. Finally showing the offensive fire power everyone knew this team has by shooting 62% from the field. Next up: Charlotte, at Paradise Jam, 11/16.


Virginia 90, Vermont 72
Playing without Tunji Soroye, who is out after having his knee scoped, Sean Singletary and Adrian Joseph each scored 19 points to lead the Cavs. Joseph made 5 of 8 from the bonus sphere. Next up: Howard, 11/14.


Florida 93, Tennessee Tech 65
Extremely balanced scoring for Florida, as Marreesse Speights, and freshmen Nick Calathes, Chandler Parsons, Adam Allen, and Jai Lucas, each scored over 13 points. Calathes added 8 assists, while Parsons had 6. Next up: North Carolina Central, 11/14.


Maryland 79, North Florida 50
Without two starters in James Gist and Landon Milbourne, the Terps got off to a slow start, but turned it on in the second half to top the Osprey. Greivis Vasquez scored 18, and Bambale Osby and Eric Hayes added 15 for Maryland. Next up: Hampton, 11/12.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/10

Four more teams tipped off last night, let's see how they did against the challenging teams they have scheduled.

Vanderbilt 81, Austin Peay 67
In an actually challenging game, Vandy took control early and maintained a constant lead throughout. Shan Foster rebounded from a shaky outing in the exhibition to hit seven 3's on his way to 21 points. Alex Gordon added 19, and Australian freshman A.J. Ogilvy scored 18. Next up: at Toledo, 11/13.

Boston College 67, New Hampshire 57
A great sign for BC, as two freshmen, Rakim Sanders and Biko Harris, scored 22 and 19 respectively, as Tyrese Rice and Shamari Spears did not play. They were suspended one game for playing in a non-sanctioned event over the summer. Next up: Florida Atlantic, 11/12.

Ole Miss 97, Mississippi Valley State 63
Freshman from Atlanta Trevor Gaskins made seven of ten 3's attempted, scoring 21 points in just 20 minutes of action. David Huertas added 12 in this dominating performance. Next up: South Alabama, 11/13.

Mississippi State 75, Louisiana Tech 45
Not even the Mailman could help the Techsters in this one, as Jamont Gordon scored 21 to lead the Bulldogs of Miss State. Charles Rhodes added 17, and guard Barry Stewart recorded a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Next up: Clemson, 11/15.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/9

The first big night of the season, with 13 of the 24 teams in the ACC and SEC tipping off.

UNC Greensboro 83, Georgia Tech 74
One of those that you feel like you got punched in the stomach after hearing about. When I turned on the radio in the second half, and heard an 11 point game, I figured the Jackets were struggling. I never figured they'd be on the losing end of that. Anthony Morrow led the Jackets with 23, and two freshmen, Mo Miller and Gani Lawal, joined him in double figures. Next up: at Tennessee State, 11/11.

South Carolina 92, South Carolina State 67
Devan Downey led the Cocks with 24, while Zam Frederick added 14 in the dominating performance. Next up: The Citadel, 11/12.

Duke 121, North Carolina Central 56
The Devils dominated, making 16 three pointers. Three freshmen led Duke in scoring, with Taylor King having 20, Nolan Smith 16, and Kyle Singler 15. Next up: New Mexico State, 11/12 (7:00, ESPN2).

Tennessee 80, Temple 63
Tennessee jumped out to a 15 point half time lead, and never looked back. JaJuan Smith scored 15, and Ramar Smith added 14. Next up: Arkansas-Monticello, 11/14.

Florida State 81, Nicholls State 58
The backcourt trio of Jason Rich, Isaiah Swann, and Toney Douglas combined for 42 points to lead the Noles. Freshman post Julian Vaughn cracked the starting line up, and scored 8. Next up: Georgia Southern, 11/12.

Alabama 84, Troy 72
Stud Richard Hendrix put up 22 points and 23 rebounds to lead Bama. As a team, the Tide outrebounded the Trojans 61 to 35. Next up: at Mercer, 11/13.

Virginia Tech 69, Elon 64
The Hokies were led by freshman Jeff Allen's 19 points and 10 rebounds, as they were able to overcome poor foul shooting (58.8%) to defeat the former Fightin' Christians. Next up: Eastern Washington in Great Alaska Shootout, 11/22.

Florida 75, North Dakota State 65
Nick Calathes scored 21 points in his collegiate debut for Florida. It could be a long year in Gainesville. Next up: Tennessee Tech, 11/11.

Wake Forest 85, Fairfield 60
James Johnson begins his college career with a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Deacs blew out the Stags. Wake made 14 three pointers, including 5 from Harvey Hale. Next up: North Carolina Central, 11/19.

Arkansas 67, Wofford 45
The Razorbacks were able to pull away in the second half by holding the Terriers to only 19 points on 28% shooting in the second half. Next up: College of Charleston, in Puerto Rico, 11/15.

Tulane 77, Auburn 62
Not a good night in New Orleans for the Tigers, as they shot only 39% from the field and 48% from the line in a disheartening loss. Next up: Kennesaw State, 11/13.

Miami 104, Florida Southern 61
Miami beats up on Division II Florida Southern. Hope they're happy with themselves. Next up: Marist, in Puerto Rico, 11/15.

Georgia 107, Jacksonville State 65
The freshmen led Georgia in this one, with Jeremy Price scoring 18, Chris Barnes 14, and Jeremy Jacob 13. Freshman Zac Swansey had 10 assists as well. Next up: Grambling, 11/14.

The View From Section 16 - UNC Greensboro 11/9/07

The view from Section 16 was not very good last night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets lost to the Spartans of UNC Greensboro 84-73. It was the Jackets first loss to open the season since 1993 and first home loss to open the season since 1980.

UNC Greensboro
The Spartans were led by 6'6" Kyle Hines and his 25 points and 9 rebound, 18 of those points came in the 1st half. Last year Hines was the Southern Conference player of the year, an honorable mention AP All-American, Mid-Major All-American according to College Insider.com and CollegeHoopsNet.com, CNN-SI All-Mid major second team, a USBWA All-District selection, and a NABC All-District second-team selection. His preseason honors this year include: presesaon 1st Team Mid-Major All American by CollegeHoops.net, media pick for Southern Conference player of the year, and coach's pick for all conference team. The Spartans as a team were picked to win the North Division of the Southern Conference. All this to say, they were not a bad team. However, a school from the ACC should be able to handle a Southern Conference team at home.

Game Recap
At the half Tech was up 43-39 after a back and forth first half. In the second half UNCG thoroughly out played and basically dominated the Jackets. The Spartans took the lead at the 16:46 mark and never relinquished it. With just under 10 minutes to go they had stretched the lead to double figures and with 6:19 took their biggest lead of 14. Matt Causey entered the game at that point, after being on the bench since about the 13 minute mark after his third foul. With Causey's energy on the defensive end and the better sets they seem to run with him in the game, the team made a dent in the lead. However, they could never get it below 7 and only a last second three by Anthony Morrow was the only thing that made the final margin less than 10.

Thoughts and Observations
There really aren't a lot of positives in a game like this. You can only hope that it serves as a wake up call for both the players and the coaching staff.

• Morrow played well in the 1st half and showed a much more developed mid range game.
  
• The team gets into better half court sets and rhythm with Causey at that point.
• Mo Miller will be a good ACC point guard. He played a pretty good 1st half, but at this point he doesn't have the point guard skills of Causey.
  
• Causey was at worst Tech's 2nd best perimeter defender behind D'Andre Bell. He forced UNCG into a 5 second call and brought great energy.
  
• Causey only played 10 minutes and I assume this was due to his knee. If it was not due to his knee I believe he earned more playing time and likely the starting position.
  
• From the stands I was not sure why Bell was in the game for an extended time at the point. He will bring good defensive energy, but the offense started way too high and really struggled with him in the game.
  
• The team continues to struggle on inbounds plays. I remember at least 2 turnovers last night as a result.
  
• Tech's big men were dominated on the interior by Hines. Obviously he is a good player, but this type of performance does not bode well for a match up with Tyler Hansbrough. Zach Peacock was out and his return should help the team in this area.
  
• Hines could play in the ACC and be successful.
  
• Gani Lawal is scary at the free throw line. He made 2 of 3, but one was bank and the miss wasn't close.
  
• Lewis Clinch probably had what will be his worst shooting game of the year. He finished with only 5 points on 2 of 13 shooting.
  
• The team gave up way to many easy baskets in transition, especially when they tried to apply full court pressure. The deep man continually allowed a UNCG player to slip behind him.
  
• The team allowed a lot of open jumpers in the 2nd half. This could have been at least part to an effort to help on Hines, but is another area the team definitely needs to work on.
  
• Tech won the battle on the boards by a slim margin, but it was not due to boxing out.
  
• Why would anyone ever schedule a game at 6:00 pm on Friday in Atlanta?
  
• It was embarrassing watching the UNCG fans behind the bench turn and watch Tech fans make a mass exit with 1:30 to go.
  
• There is no need for Tech fans to act like the season is over at this point. This was a game the Jackets should have won, but it doesn't mean the season is over. The team has a lot to work on, but fortunately they are only 1 game in and have time to correct mistakes.

Next up for the Jackets is a visit to Tennessee State on Sunday 11/11/07. There are no more home games until a December 18th game against preseason #4 Kansas.

Feminist Friday

Ha! So earlier today I was writing this blog post in my head and realized that it might be a good idea to, I don't know, write it down. I typed up a few sentences (I got distracted) and emailed it to myself. A few minutes ago when I was attempting to get the document (my computer only has Word 2003, not 2007 like my fancy computer at work, so I couldn't get my precious sentences!), I noticed this ad in my gmail: Are-You-Ugly.com - Try the Ugly Blog Quiz. Take the Ugly Quiz, Free! Naturally, I took the quiz, only to get annoyed at the end because I couldn't access my results without filling out a survey. Now I'll never truly know if I'm ugly!

Anywho! I was perusing cnn.com the other day (I read it pretty religiously) and came across an article (which I cannot find now) about how putting on a few lbs. is actually not so bad. So I know the body image discussion is so overdone, but what's a girl (or boy) to think? Turns out that being a chubster is ok! I mean, it sucks that the fashion industry, the magazine industry, and the entertainment industry throw their anorexulimia ridden bodies and impossible diets in our faces ALL the time, and it's really no wonder that we (ladies and gentlemen) are a little obsessed with our bodies and how they look. Hell, I ate a Snickers bar yesterday afternoon, but that doesn't mean I don't look at myself in the mirror and wonder if my butt looks a little bigger. So! Moral of the story: Although we can read articles about how being a little overweight is ok (but geez, there is so much conflicting stuff out there), a lot more needs to be done before my 8th-grade female students aren't constantly obsessed with their appearances.

Let's Make A Deal- Week 10

After the game of the century last week, in which Bill Belichick did not dress like the Unabomber, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that it is all over. The Dark Side prevailed, which was good, because that saves us from a week of Peyton images where he is imitating Shannon Sharpe imitating the Broncos mascot. I love people who look like horses.

Again, this is all for entertainment, pride, and bragging rights purposes only.

Falcons (+4) at Panthers
Last time these two met, DeAngelo Hall managed to talk his way into a fine and suspension, as the Panthers prevailed in the Dome. He did manage to shut down Steve Smith, though, who has not been himself since he injured his hip. David Carr remains the starter for the Panthers, who are looking for their first win in Charlotte this year. Even though the Panthers are desperate for a win, look for the Falcons, who are playing with much more confidence and running the ball better, to come out on top. Go ahead and take the 4 because they’re giving it to you.

• AB- Falcons
• Eastwood- Panthers
• Squarre- Panthers
• P-Mizz- Falcons

Bills (-3) at Dolphins
The Dolphins may be the worst team in the NFL since the late 80’s Falcons or the late 70’s Buccaneers. Buffalo has looked much better in recent weeks, with Marshawn Lynch and the rejuvenated Lee Evans being two threats on offense, and J.P. Losman playing better after returning from injury. This would be a great teaser play, because I don’t see the Dolphins winning outright. Maybe they should give the Dolphins an asterisk because of Nick Saban, how about that Shula?

• AB- Bills
• Eastwood- Bills
• Squarre- Bills
• P-Mizz- Bills

Browns (+9.5) at Steelers
The Browns may be much improved since a week 1 thrashing by the Steelers, but they’re not that much improved. Pittsburgh should be able to do whatever they want on offense, as Cleveland was abused by the Seahawks last week. The Browns will be able to move the ball somewhat against Pittsburgh, but not enough to stay within the 10. The Steelers are playing some of the best ball in the NFL, but of course you wouldn’t know it because they don’t have Manning, Brady, or Favre, and don’t get any coverage on ESPN.

• AB- Browns
• Eastwood- Browns
• Squarre- Browns
• P-Mizz- Steelers

Vikings (+6) at Packers

The Vikings, led by the Purple God himself, All Day Peterson, come to Lambeau to take on the 7-1 Packers. The Minnesota defense shut down the Chargers last week, but the Packers offense seems to be more potent. Brett Favre is playing his best football since 1998, and he is finding reliable receivers in Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Donald Lee. The lack of a running attack could hurt the Packers down the road, but not this week. The strength of the Vikings defense is its ability to stop the run, and that won't hurt Green Bay this week.

• AB- Packers
• Eastwood- Packers
• Squarre- Packers
• P-Mizz- Packers

Jaguars (+4) at Titans
Two pretty good teams battle in this one in an important game. With both teams in the same division as the Colts a wildcard is probably the only way to make the playoffs. It looks like Vegas think these teams are pretty even, with the Titans being favored due to home field. Vince Young has struggled of late, but continues to win games. A few weeks ago I may have taken the Jags, but they have lost 2 of 3 and haven’t covered in either loss.

• AB- Titans
• Eastwood- Jaguars
• Squarre- Titans
• P-Mizz- Titans

Broncos (+3) at Chiefs
There was a question earlier in the week about whether Jay Cutler would start due to his injured left leg. Fortunately for the Broncos the leg isn’t broken and Cutler is likely to start; unfortunately they are playing some bad football. They have lost 5 of 6 games and have been within a TD only once. The other losses were by 9, 37, 38, and 18. Cutler says the team is embarrassed, but if a team isn’t good and without Jason Elam they might be challenging the Dolphins for the worst record in the league. Larry Johnson is out for the Chiefs, but their strong defense has a great chance to rebound after last week’s performance against the Packers.

• AB- Chiefs
• Eastwood- Chiefs
• Squarre- Chiefs
• P-Mizz- Broncos

Eagles (+3) at Redskins
Which Eagles team will show up? The consistency definitely hasn’t been there all year. After being humiliated by the Patriots, the Redskins bounced back for an overtime victory last week at the Jets. This game is a little scary because of the unknown. The Skins beat the Eagles 20-12 in week and I think it is likely to happen again this week.

• AB- Eagles
• Eastwood- Eagles
• Squarre- Redskins
• P-Mizz- Eagles

Rams (+11.5) at Saints
Oh, where have you gone Marshall Faulk? The line is pretty big in this one, but the Rams are bad and this week Leonard Little is out. The Saints are looking for their 5th win in a row. One potential positive for the Rams is the fact that Reggie Bush has missed some practice this week, but he is still projected to play. Look for the Saints to put up a lot of points and the Rams to continue to struggle.

• AB- Saints
• Eastwood-Saints
• Squarre- Saints
• P-Mizz- Saints

Lions (+1) at Cardinals
Everyone is jumping on the Cardinals bandwagon this week. I’m not sure considering they’ve lost three in a row. Even Michael Silver’s headline on Yahoo wonders if Arizona will make the playoffs. The only way this team makes the playoffs Michael, is if Leinart stops hanging out with Nick Lachey. And you know Lachey’s not gonna let that happen. Plus, God’s Team is rolling right now. They throttled the Broncos last week 44-7. So I’m not sure how they are underdogs in this game.

• AB- Lions
• Eastwood-Lions
• Squarre- Lions
• P-Mizz- Lions

Colts (-3.5) at Chargers
Both teams come off of big defeats, the Chargers at the hands of the Purple God and the Colts at the hands of the Pissed Off Patriots. Actually, the Colts won in the minds of gamblers everywhere as the didn’t allow the Pats to cover the six point spread. Well they cheated to do that by piping in crowd noise and making Brady’s boys deaf, but who cares? This is America’s team right now. But I have a feeling Peyton’s next commercial will be for the Skip Doctor. The Chargers continue to underachieve and Norv Turner continues to suck at coaching. He just allowed Purple Jesus to tear off 296 yards against him (if you haven’t heard, that’s a new single game rushing record). Hey Norv, how about you put 9 in the box and force Tarvaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger to throw the ball? Did it occur to you that Tarvaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger are the QBs for the Vikings? The Colts might be hungover from the Epic Spectacular last week, but it won’t last long.

• AB- Colts
• Eastwood- Colts
• Squarre- Colts
• P-Mizz- Colts

49ers (+10) at Seahawks
Was anyone’s career more affected by the loss of Steve Hutchinson than Shaun Alexander? His career has taken a nosedive since the Seahawks let Hutch walk. But Alexander is likely not playing this week and Maurice Morris will step into the lineup. The 49ers just lost the Falcons. Read that sentence again. Ok, now that the news has sunken in, how bad are the 49ers? There is nothing really redeeming to say about either of these teams, but 10 points is a lot to cover. Good luck with that Mike Holmgren.

• AB- 49ers
• Eastwood- Seahawks
• Squarre- 49ers
• P-Mizz- 49ers

Bengals (+4) at Ravens
The Ravens D is not what it used to be. They have given up a lot of points this year to the teams who can score(Browns, Bengals, and Steelers). Chad Johnson practiced Wed, but then sat out Thursdays with a neck. Either way the Bengals are scoring a ton of points. They also like to give up a ton. I am setting the over-under at a 1000. In other news Chris Henry got in an altercation with a parking attendant .

• AB- Ravens
• Eastwood-Bengals
• Squarre-Ravens
• P-Mizz- Ravens

Bears (-3.5) at Raiders
What happened to the Bears D? They have given up at least 34 points in 3 games this year. But the Raiders suck like always, they have lost 4 games in a row in which they failed to score at least 20 points in any of them,(only reaching 17 once). Their only wins this year have come against the Dolphins and the Browns. Look for their streak to continue.

• AB- Raiders
• Eastwood-Bears
• Squarre-Bears
• P-Mizz-Bears

Cowboys (-1) at Giants
This game might as well be a push as far as Vegas is concerned with the spread being +1 home Giants. Both teams are looking good. Cowboys have only lost to the juggernaut that is the Pats, and the Giants have won 6 in a row. Although they didn’t look that great last week only beating the Dolphins by 3 and causing many gamblers to take out a second mortage.

• AB- Cowboys
• Eastwood- Cowboys
• Squarre- Cowboys
• P-Mizz- Cowboys

Failed Prediction Friday courtesy of Gilbert Arenas

Agent Zero had a pair or a huge gun when he made our featured failed prediction on his blog last week.

"So listen here. On November 2nd, we're going to go into that building, we're opening up Boston. Right now I'm telling the Boston fans: You guys are going to lose. It's not going to be a victory for Boston. You might as well just cheer for me, because Boston isn't winning in Boston for the season opener. I'm sorry."

Well Gilbert was sorry, but not to the Boston fans. He was 5-20 from the floor, 0-5 from 3, and the Wiz lost by 20 to the Celtics. They pretty much got smoked.

Weekend Preview 11/9-11/11

Movie

Movies
Lions for Lambs
Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, and Meryl Streep star in a movie that Fox News, you know, "fair and balanced," says could end their careers due to its extreme leftism. As they say, its a "Ticking TOM Bomb," get it? The tagline is also very creative and fresh: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." As a bleeding heart liberal, this is sad. I'll pass.

Fred Claus
Does Vince Vaughn have a gambling problem? Why would he subject himself to this film? Looks like a decent cast, but I'm always wary of Christmas films, ever since Christmas Slay.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (out in Atlanta this week)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Sidney Lumet directing. It's about 2 brothers robbing their parents. Sounds messed up, but good.

Music
Big night on Austin City Limits, as Arcade Fire performs. This is two solid weeks in a row for ACL, which is really one of the most underrated programs on television, and constantly fuels my desire to move to Austin.

Saturday Night Live this week has a musical flavor, as Jon Bon Jovi, yes JBJ himself, will be the host, and the Foo Fighters will be the musical guest. (Re-run from 10/13).

College Football
Arkansas at #24 Tennessee
Can the Vols horrible run defense shut down the nation's best player?

Illinois at #1 Ohio State
Can the Fightin' Zooks take down the Bucks?

#18 Auburn at #10 Georgia
The South's longest continual rivalry continues, with the road team being the dominant force in the series year in and year out.

Florida State at #11 Virginia Tech
We'll see if the Noles really are back this week.

NBA (Friday night)
Hawks at Celtics
The young Hawks get a huge road test, as their initial tough gauntlet continues.

Suns at Heat
The Suns should rebound against an aging Heat squad.

College Basketball
The season kicks off tonight with 10 of the top 25 in action, and 13 ACC and SEC teams in action. Check back tomorrow for summaries of the blow outs.

NFL
Lots of divisional match ups this weekend.

Dallas at NY Giants
This should be a good test for both teams. The Cowboys will need to protect Romo against a tough front four for the Giants.

Buffalo at Miami
Do the Dolphins scratch into the win column? Ms. Cleo Lemon says no.

Jacksonville at Tennessee
Take the under, even if it's 10.

Cincinnati at Baltimore
Can even Steve McNair pass against the vaunted Bengals secondary?

Really Bad Golf Is Funny

handicapped - A Documentary About Bad Golf

Who would have thought a documentary about bad golfers could be funny? Well this one looks like it could be - check the trailer out.

What is this documentary about?
Albert J. Doermaet, who founded a $400 million porta potty company, hosts and puts up the money for his own big money golf tournament each year. Just to give you a little taste about what this man is all about, according to the tournament website one of his favorite quotes is: ""Your s#@* is my BREAD and BUTTER!"

The 2006 version of the tournament was taped by film crews and some hack walked away with $250,000 at the end of the day. The only rule is that only bad golfers need apply (22 handicap or worse). Unfortunately those of you out there who meet the criteria won't be able to play until 2008 because the gracious host just had back surgery. There is good news though - the pot goes up to $300,000 next year. Maybe Charles will apply.

Look for the movie at festivals beginning in 2008.

Third Person Thursday courtesy of Stephon Marbury

I don't know what this picture is from, but my guess is that Starbury is getting ready for his interview with Mark Cuban on "Stars on Stars with Stephon Marbury" (a gem where Cubes talks about his 'naked dance').

This quote (although also one hell of a gem) is not from that interview: "I went into this year trying to do something, to put myself in a situation where we can win, OK? To help the team win games. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. So, what do I do now, as far as the way I play? I go back to playing like Stephon Marbury, aka Starbury. I haven't been Starbury this year. I've been some other dude this year."-- Knicks G Stephon Marbury

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/6-11/7

In the first two nights of real basketball action, let's see how the teams involved fared.

Real Games:
Kentucky 67, Central Arkansas 40

In Clyde Gillispie's debut as the head man, Joe Crawford came off the bench to score 20, while the UK defense held the Bears to 20% shooting. Next up: Gardner-Webb, 11/7.

Gardner-Webb 84, Kentucky 68
The honeymoon for Billy Clyde may be over after this one. ESPN got lucky, as their bracket for this made-for-TV tournament was almost entirely blown up by Morgan State, a MEAC school, who barely lost to Connecticut. Looks like parity has really taken over this year. Back to GW. The school was picked 8th pre-season in the Atlantic Sun, and will be leaving the league for the even lower level Big South next season. Good times in Lexington. Next up: Liberty, 11/21.

Fake Games:
Clemson 79, Augusta State 66
We have a new shameless gunner in the ACC, and his name is Terrance Oglesby. The sharpshooter out of Tennessee took 16 shots, 14 of them threes, in 17 minutes of action. Good gracious. Starting line up: K.C. Rivers, James Mays, Trevor Booker, Cliff Hammonds, and freshman Demontez Stitt. Next up: Furman, 11/12.

LSU 72, Global Sports 68
In a dying breed game, so that Jim Calhoun can't pay AAU coaches to help his recruiting anymore, the Tigers were led by Terry Martin's 17 points. Good win for LSU, considering Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple combined for 5 points. Next up: Southeast Louisiana, 11/12.

Miami 82, Barry 50
Pre-season second team conference selection Jack McClinton started where he left off last season by making 6 threes to lead the Canes. Starting line up for Miami was McClinton, Jimmy Graham, Brian Asbury, Anthony King, and Lance Hurdle. Next up: Florida Southern, 11/9.

Arkansas 96, Campbellsville 56
Patrick Beverly scored 20 points, as four others joined him in double figures, as the nationally ranked Hogs rolled. Next up: Wofford, 11/9.

Florida State 87, Valdosta 66
A great sign for FSU as freshman post Julian Vaughn had 15 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the floor, and 7 of 9 from the line. His production will be huge for them to be successful this year. Isaiah Swann led four others in double figures with 21. Starting line up: Swann, Jason Rich, Toney Douglas, Uche Echefu, and Ryan Reid. Next up: Nicholls State, 11/9.

Mississippi State 100, Oklahoma City 69
The Bulldogs showed OKC that NAIA and SEC should never be used in the same sentence. Jamont Gordon scored 20 as MSU shot over 50% from the floor in the win. Next up: Louisiana Tech, 11/10.

NC State 76, UNC Pembroke 41
J.J. Hickson moved into the starting line up in place of Ben McCauley and scored 11 points in 20 minutes on 5 of 5 shooting. Joining Hickson in the first five were Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells, Gavin Grant, and Farnold Degand. Next up: William & Mary, 11/15.

Maryland 75, Concordia 42
Everyone gets in for the Terps tonight, as they roll by 33 over Concordia. Most importantly, they will play their opener Friday without two starters in Landon Milbourne and James Gist. Starting line up: Milbourne, Gist, Bambale Osby, Greivis Vasquez, and Eric Hayes. Next up: North Florida, 11/9.

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #12

Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils return 4 starters from last year's squad, led by last year's leading scorer and 2nd leading rebounder DeMarcus Nelson. The team lost only perimeter wandering PF Josh McRoberts. The very strong recruiting class should more than make up for the loss of McRoberts. One of the biggest problems this year for Coach Mike Krzyzewski could be finding enough minutes to go around at the wing positions.

Key Losses: The only loss of note for the Blue Devils is McRoberts, who left early for the NBA. The loss of the 6'11" McRoberts will hurt, but more so because of the size he brought to the table than his scoring (18% of scoring, 20% of rebounding, 26% of assists).

New Additions: Duke adds 3 top 25 recruits and McDonald's All-Americans. The most highly touted is 6'8" Kyle Singler out of Oregon. The preseason ACC freshman of the year is expected to step in and fill the void left by McRoberts. If the exhibitions (23 pts & 27 pts) are any indication it would appear that he is more assertive offensively than McRoberts ever was. 6'2" guard Nolan Smith, the son of the late former Louisville star Derek Smith, should also make some noise. As should 6'6" sharp shooting wing Taylor King.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Greg Paulus (6'1", Jr.)
  
• SG- Gerald Henderson (6'4", So.) or Jon Scheyer (6'5", So.)
  
• G- DeMarcus Nelson (6'4", Sr.)
  
• F- Kyle Singler (6'8", Fr.)
  
• F- Lance Thomas(6'8", So.)

Key Reserves:

• G- Nolan Smith (6'2", Fr.)
  
• SG/SF- Martynas Pocius (6'5", Jr.)
  
• SG/SF- Taylor King (6'6", Fr.)
  
• F- David McClure(6'6", Jr.)
  
• C- Brian Zoubek (7'1", So.)

Outlook: Last year broke a streak of 10 straight years that Duke won either the conference regular season or tournament title. This year's team should be better than last year's and should finish near the top of the conference. Just like every year, this Duke team has an abundance of talent (i.e. McDonald's All-Americans). This team is especially strong at the wing positions - many expect Henderson to have a break out year, Nelson was last year's leading scorer, Scheyer was the 3rd leading scorer, and Pocius, Smith, King, and even Singler add more depth. The question marks are in the middle and at the point. This team will not be very big, unless Zoubek can step up. Obviously, this could lead to trouble with teams with quality big men. In addition, Paulus needs to bring more consistency than he showed last year.

Duke goes to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational from November 19th-21st. They will play Princeton in the opening round then potentially Arizona State, Illinois, LSU, and Preseason #11/12 Marquette. Wisconsin comes to Durham on November 27 for an ACC/Big 10 Challenge match up. On December 1st, the Blue Devils will play a very good Davidson team in Charlotte. Michigan visits Durham on December 8th. Finally on December 20th, they will battle top 25 Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden in the Aeropostale Classic. Overall Duke plays a pretty strong out of conference schedule. However, they do not play 1 true road game against a quality opponent, which obviously bodes well for any team. The Blue Devils will finish with a better conference record than they did last year and garner a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction: 11-5 Finish, T-2 in ACC; 24-6 Overall.

ACC Preview #11 - Maryland
ACC Preview #10 - Boston College
ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

Hot Athlete Wednesday courtesy of Ana Ivanovic

Tennis is providing us with a hot athlete yet again, and she's not just a pretty face like Kournikova. Inanovic has won 10 titles, is ranked number 4 on the WTA, and just turned 20. Hopefully she doesn't retire at 22 or test positive for the nose candy.
















Obligatory Action Shot. If you can't get enough of Ana or Serbia, then click here (video half way down, can't beat that music either).

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #11

Maryland Terrapins

After losing three core seniors in Ekene Ibekwe, D.J. Strawberry, and Mike Jones, Maryland will rely on senior big man James Gist and sophomore guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes to lead the charges and play the majority of the minutes. Five freshmen join the Terrapin squad that is looking to head back to the NCAA tournament again this season after missing the two before last year. This group will not be as talented on the defensive end as last season, but will look to play classic Maryland pressure defense and get out in transition with two strong guards and an athletic big man.

Key Losses: Maryland loses a huge chunk in the three mentioned above. Strawberry was a two year starter and major contributor all four years in College Park, while Ibekwe started more games than that. Jones was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school, and was a starter the last season and a half at Maryland. Also graduating were tough big man Will Bowers and little used Parrish Brown (55% of scoring, 47% of rebounding, 39% of assists).

New Additions: Five versatile freshmen come to College Park, and each will be looked to add depth at all positions. Two come from national power Montrose Christian, guard Adrian Bowie and post Shane Walker, joining Vasquez. Also entering will be posts Braxton Dupree and Dino Gregory, and wing Cliff Tucker.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Greivis Vasquez (6'5", So.)
• SG- Eric Hayes (6'4", So.)
• SF- Landon Milbourne (6'7", So.)
• PF- Bambale Osby (6'8", Sr.)
• C- James Gist (6'9", Sr.)

Key Reserves:

• SG- Adrian Bowie (6'2", Fr.)
• SF- Cliff Tucker (6'6", Fr.)
• PF- Jerome Burney (6'9", R-Fr.)
• C- Braxton Dupree (6'8", Fr.)
• PF- Dino Gregory (6'7", Fr.)

Outlook: Maryland looks to have a strong starting four, with two play making guards who can also score and two very active big men inside. The key will be if they can get any scoring punch at the wing forward spot, and if the freshmen can make an impact. Milbourne doesn't have to be a world beater in that spot, but at least needs to be a threat so that defenses cannot key on Vasquez and Hayes as much. Either Bowie or Tucker also needs to provide solid depth that the Terps are definitely lacking. Thankfully, Gary Williams runs a version of the flex that doesn't reply upon lots of one on one play. If the depth can be solid and provide enough rest for the starters, and if Gist and Osby can stay out of foul trouble, this team will be very solid.

The opening schedule will tell a lot about Maryland. Beginning the season in the College Basketball Experience tournament will give the Terps a shot at UCLA and, probably, Missouri early in the year. Additionally, games against Illinois and VCU will be good tests. The rest of the schedule is relatively weak.

Prediction: 10-6 finish, T-4 in ACC; 24-7 Overall.

ACC Preview #10 - Boston College
ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

2007-2008 SEC Basketball Schedule Overview

A few interesting facts about the 2007-2008 SEC Basketball Schedule:

Most Common Opponent: Clemson (4 Times)
Most Conference Against: Tie- ACC, Big East, Southland (13 Times each)
Games Against Power Conferences: 46 (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 10)
Best Opponent: North Carolina (vs. Kentucky)
Worst Opponent: Arkansas-Monticello(vs. Tennessee)

Opponents in Each Conference:
America East (2): Stony Brook, Vermont
ACC (13): Clemson (4), Florida State, Georgia Tech (2), Miami (2), North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest (2)
Atlantic 10 (8): George Washington (2), LaSalle, UMass, Temple (2), Xavier (2)
Atlantic Sun (11): Belmont, Campbell, East Tennessee State, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw, Lipscomb, Mercer (2), North Florida, Stetson
Big 12 (9): Baylor (2), Missouri (2), Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (2)
Big East (13): UConn, DePaul (2), Georgetown, Louisville, Providence (2), Rutgers, St. John's, Villanova (2), West Virginia (2)
Big Sky (0):
Big South (8): Charleston Southern (2), High Point, Liberty, UNC Asheville (2), Radford, Winthrop
Big Ten (7): Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State (2), Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big West (2): UC-Irvine (2)
Colonial (1): Towson
Conference USA (10): UAB, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, Rice, Southern Miss (2), Tulane (3)
Division II (3): Arkansas-Monticello, Augusta State, Chaminade
Independents (6): Chicago State, UNC-Central, Presbyterian (3), UT Pan American
Horizon League (1): Valparaiso
Ivy (0):
MAAC (1): Iona
MAC (2): Miami, Toledo
MEAC (5): Delaware State (2), Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State
Missouri Valley (4): Missouri State (2), Southern Illinois, Wichita State
Mountain West (1): New Mexico
Northeast (0):
Ohio Valley (8): Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Murray State, Tennessee Martin (2), Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech (2)
Pac 10 (4): Arizona State, Oregon State, Southern Cal, Washington
Patriot (1): Lafayette
Southern (8): Appalachian State, Chattanooga, The Citadel, College of Charleston, Elon, Georgia Southern, Wofford (2)
Southland (13): Central Arkansas, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State (2), Northwestern State (2), Southeast Louisiana (3), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2), UT San Antonio
SWAC (9): Alabama A&M (2), Alabama State, Grambling, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern (2)
Summit (2): North Dakota State, Oral Roberts
Sun Belt (11): Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe (2), Middle Tennessee State, South Alabama (3), Troy (2), Western Kentucky
West Coast (4): Gonzaga (2), Loyola Marymount, San Diego
WAC (2): Louisiana Tech, Utah State

Using the RPI numbers from last year, I determined the strength of each team's schdule. Some notes: "Expected" opponents in tournaments were used; Any team not in Division I last season was given an RPI rating of 330; Of course some teams from last year will be better, others worse, for the ranking.

Most of the conference has pretty impressive schedules. Vanderbilt and Arkansas both play very competitive, balanced schedules. Each school plays a good variety of high majors and competitive mid-majors.

Kentucky and Alabama play the most teams in the top 50 of the RPI from last year, with Kentucky taking on UNC, Indiana, Louisville, and Memphis. Alabama will play Georgetown, Texas A&M, and Clemson. Kentucky also has many schools on the lower end of the RPI in their schedule, thus lowering their overall ranking.

Georgia and Ole Miss do not necessarily challenge themselves, though the Dogs do have Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, and Wisconsin, and the Rebels play Clemson.

The most surprising fact was Florida. The defending national champions have the second weakest schedule in the league, with the only challenges coming from Florida State and Ohio State, with the remainder of the schedule exceptionally weak.

And then there is Auburn. The average of their opponents is over 200 on the RPI, which is inexcusable. The Tigers were looking toward a breakthrough season with experienced players returning, but if they even go 8-8 in the league, they will be hard pressed to make the tournament. The best out of conference opponents are Xavier and West Virginia, not exactly world beaters.

School	Top 50	51-100	101-200	201-300	300+	Avg.
Arkansas	1	4	5	2	1	142.9
Vanderbilt	1	5	6	1	2	145.7
Alabama	5	1	2	6	0	152.5
Mississippi State	2	2	5	2	1	154.6
Kentucky	4	1	4	5	1	159.7
Tennessee	3	3	2	4	2	162.9
South Carolina	3	2	4	3	2	166.6
LSU	2	3	3	5	1	169.5
Georgia	1	2	5	2	2	178.4
Ole Miss	1	2	5	4	2	178.5
Florida	2	1	5	3	3	196.4
Auburn	1	3	2	3	4	206.8

Ugly Chick Tuesday courtesy of Mae Young

We are going with a woman wrestler again in the post today, because women's wrestling is cool.

For one, the longevity of their careers is unparralled as evidenced by Lillian Ellison and Mae Young (see left photo). Also, they might age on the outside, but not on the in (it seems Mae never went through menopause).

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/5

The season officially began tonight, with Memphis defeating Tennessee-Martin and Richmond beating Maine. Kentucky tips off tomorrow night in the first game for either the ACC or SEC.

All games are exhibitions...

Alabama 99, North Alabama 71
After only being up one at the half, the Tide exploded for 56 in the second half. Richard Hendrix scored 18 to lead four players in double figures. Starting line up: Hendrix, Demetrius Jemison, Mykal Riley, Rico Pickett, Alonzo Gee. Next up: Troy, 11/9.

Tennessee 124, Lincoln Memorial 61
Again playing without Duke Crews, the Vols roll over the Railsplitters. Ryan Childress led 7 players in double figures with 19. Starting line up: Childress, Brian Williams, JaJuan Smith, Chris Lofton, Jordan Howell. Next up: Temple, 11/9.

Florida 101, Lynn 65
The shell of the defending national champions were led by Marreesse Speights' 18 points. Five others reached double digits, including Jai Lucas. Starting line up: Speights, Lucas, Dan Werner, Walter Hodge, Nick Calathes. Next up: North Dakota State, 11/9.

South Carolina 99, Guilford 63
Cincinnati transfer Devan Downey scored 27 for the Gamecocks. True freshman Mike Holmes added a double double with 19 and 10. Everyone's favorite former Yellow Jacket, (Sha)Zam Frederick, scored 10. Hooray. Next up: South Carolina State, 11/9.

Wake Forest 104, Mars Hill 70
High flying L.D. Williams scored 18 for the Deacons, while freshman James Johnson lived up to expectations with 17 and 12. Four other Deacs scored in double figures. Starting line up: Johnson, Williams, Harvey Hale, Ishmael Smith, Jamie Skeen. Next up: Fairfield, 11/9.

Vanderbilt 80, Tusculum 79
A.J. Ogilvy and Alex Gordon scored 17 a piece to lead the Commodores in a close match up. The Tigers, after already losing to Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, out rebounded Vanderbilt 44 to 35. Starting line up: Ogilvy, Gordon, Ross Neltner, Shan Foster, Jermaine Beal. Next up: Austin Peay, 11/10.

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #10

Boston College Eagles

After losing ACC player of the year and NBA first round pick Jared Dudley, this will be a season of transition in Chestnut Hill. Coach Al Skinner always seems to do more with less, instilling a tough, defensive minded team that is patient running its version of the flex offense. Tyrese Rice returns after finishing sixth in the league in scoring at 17.8 ppg last season.

Key Losses: Losing the do it all forward in Dudley, along with fellow four year starter Sean Marshall, leaves big holes on the perimeter for the Eagles to fill. Additionally, first round pick Sean Williams was dismissed in the middle of last season for smoking the dope. Guard Marquez Haynes decided to transfer after averaging 18 minutes per game last season off the bench (51% of scoring, 44% of rebounding, 47% of assists).

New Additions: The Eagles welcome in a five man recruiting class that will be needed to fill in on the perimeter immediately. Guards Biko Paris and Rakim Sanders, along with wing Corey Raji, will compete for spots on the wing alongside returning point guard Rice. Posts Josh Southern and Cortney Dunn will add depth to an already loaded front court.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Tyrese Rice (6'1", Jr.)
• SG- Rakim Sanders (6'5", Fr.)
• SF- Shamari Spears (6'6", So.)
• PF- Tyler Roche (6'7", So.)
• C- Tyrelle Blair (6'11", Sr.)

Key Reserves:

• PF/C- John Oates (6'10", Sr.)
• SG- Daye Kaba (6'4", So.)
• SF- Corey Raji (6'5", Fr.)
• PG- Biko Paris (6'1", Fr.)
• C- Josh Southern (6'10", Fr.)

Outlook: The gaping holes on the perimeter may be this team's undoing, but they will certainly be strong in the post and at the point. Rice has the potential to be a top three point guard in the league, along with Lawson and Singletary, but has to hold up during the season. An injury to him would be devastating. If Roche and the freshmen can be reliable shooters to go along with Rice and the strong inside game, BC will be a threat night in and night out in the conference.

The out of conference slate is pretty soft, except for games against Kansas and UMass at home, and traveling to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.

Prediction: 8-8 finish, T-6 in ACC; 19-10 Overall.

ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

Pour a sip for my Moolah

Lillian Ellison, aka "The Famous Moolah," aka "Lucious Left Foot," aka "Cooler than a Polar Bear's Toe Nails" passed away yesterday at the age of 84.

Of her many accomplishments in wrestling, the three that stand out the most are: being the first woman inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame, adopting and training a midget wrestler named "Diamond Lil," and living past the age of 40.

Other highlights include wrestling in a "Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match," winning a match on her 80th birthday, and making an appeance on the cartoon "Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling."

New Georgia Tech Basketball Uniforms

For those of you who did not make it to the Carson-Newman exhibition game last Friday here are a few pictures of the new uniforms. The first is freshman Gani Lawal and the second also features Lawal, along with Lewis Clinch and Anthony Morrow. They are courtesy of a poster from Stingtalk (http://www.stingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23026). Click pictures to enlarge.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/2-11/4

All games are Exhibitions:

Georgia Tech 126, Carson-Newman 86
Lewis Clinch leads the Jackets with 21, followed by Anthony Morrow and Brad Sheehan with 18 a piece. Freshman Gani Lawal chipped in 12. Starting line up: Clinch, Morrow, Alade Aminu, Jeremis Smith, and freshman Maurice Miller.

Georgia 90, Clayton State 56
Sundiata Gaines, Billy Humphrey, and freshman Troy Brewer scored in double figures to lead the Bulldogs over the Lakers. The big story was the freshmen, including post Jeremy Price, Zac Swansey, Jeremy Jacob, and Chris Barnes. Starting line up: Gaines, Humphrey, Jacob, Terrance Woodbury, and Rashaad Singleton.

North Carolina 114, Shaw 62
Tyler Hansbrough leads five Tar Heels in double digits with 23 points. Also scoring in double figures were Deon Thompson (17), Wayne Ellington (12), Ty Lawson (11), and Alex Stepheson (10). Starting line up: Hansbrough, Thompson, Ellington, Lawson, and Marcus Ginyard.

Ole Miss 110, Delta State 65
Florida transfer David Huertas scored 18 points to lead six Rebels in double figures, including two freshmen from Atlanta, Trevor Gaskins and Zach Graham. Starting line up: Huertas, Eniel Polynice, Chris Warren, Dwayne Curtis, and Jeremy Parnell.

Duke 105, Barton 44
Freshmen Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith lead all scorers with 27 and 18, respectively. Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, and Demarcus Nelson also scored in double figures as the Devils rolled. Starting line up: Singler, Henderson, Nelson, Lance Thomas, and Greg Paulus.

Arkansas 117, West Florida 43
In Coach John Pelphrey's debut in Fayetteville, sophomore Michael Washington had a double-double with 22 points and 1o rebounds to lead the Hogs. Patrick Beverly had 17 points, and three others reached double digits as well. Startling line up: Beverly, Sonny Weems, Gary Ervin, Steven Hill, and Charles Thomas.

Mississippi State 71, University of the Cumberlands 60
The Bulldogs were led by the inside combo of Jarvis Varnado and Charles Rhodes, who combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds in the win. Starting line up: Rhodes, Varnado, Jamont Gordon, Ben Hansbrough, and Barry Stewart.

Tennessee 106, California (Pa.) 46
Missing starters Duke Crews and Wayne Chism, the Vols rolled behind 15 from Iowa transfer Tyler Smith. Six other players also scored in double figures for the preseason SEC pick Vols. Starting line up: T. Smith, Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, Ramar Smith, and Brian Williams.

Boston College 70, Carleton 47
The Eagles were able to overcome a horrible night for their star Tyrese Rice, who shot 1 for 8, in their win. Freshmen Biko Paris and Rakim Sanders, along with Shamari Spears and Tyler Roche, were in double figures. Starting line up: Rice, Sanders, Spears, Roche, and Tyrelle Blair.

Kentucky 82, Seattle 63
Heralded freshman/attention-grabber Pat Patterson scored 17 points to lead the Cats. Also in double figures were Joe Crawford, Jodie Meeks, and Mark Coury. Starting line up: Patterson, Meeks, Coury, Ramel Bradley, and Ramon Harris.

Virginia 124, Carson-Newman 65
Carson-Newman takes on its second ACC opponent in three days, and the Hoos destroy them like they should. Forwards Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane led six Cavs in double figures with 22 and 19 respectively. Starting line up: Joseph, Diane, Tunji Soroye, Sean Singletary, and Jeff Jones.

The View From Section 16 - Tech Basketball Recap

This will be the 1st Georgia Tech basketball game recap of the season, coming to you straight from Section 16 at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Opponent: Carson-Newman (exhibition)

The Jackets welcomed the D-II Carson-Newman to AMC. The starts tonight were: Mo Miller, Lewis Clinch, Anthony Morrow, Jeremis Smith, and Alade Aminu. After his knee is completely healed, Matt Causey should be the starter at PG. Zach Peacock did not play due to a stress reaction in his foot. Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back in throttling Carson-Newman 126-86. In a game like this it is hard to take a away. Tech was clearly much bigger, more athletic, and simply better than this D-II opponent.

Positives -

Despite limited action due to his knee (13 minutes) Causey dished out 9 assists.

Clinch picked up where he left off before his academic problems last year, leading the team with 21 points in 20 minutes of action. His loss last year really hurt the team because he brings a completely different scoring ability than anyone on that team or this team.

Morrow shot the ball well and also picked up 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He looked much more confident than he ever did last year following his injury.

Gani Lawal played pretty well. He was active on both ends of the court, picked up 5 blocks, and had a very efficient 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting.

Brad Sheehan had 18 points and 6 rebounds. While a lot had to do with the opponent and the fact he got a lot more minutes than he will all season, he did play pretty well.

While I think Causey will start, Miller showed he will be a valuable back up and will get a lot of minutes. He picked 4 assists and scored 9, while looking pretty comfortable running the team.

Rebounding - Tech won the battle on the boards 66-42. Yes, I know they had a huge size and talent advantage, but good nonetheless.

Good team effort and energy.

Negatives -

A lot of turnovers - 23 to be exact. Many of these were the result of lazy passes that seemed at least in part to be the result of the blow out.

Like last year a little trouble getting the ball in bound in the back court. It wasn't a huge problem, but probably needs to be addressed before playing better, more athletic teams

Lawal was 2-8 from the foul line. The Jackets have struggled from the line in the past, in large part because Jeremis Smith's struggles - who was 3-4 tonight.

Mouhammad Faye doesn't look any stronger. I know some guys can have wirey strength, but he is not one of them. Even the guys from Carson-Newman were able to force him off the ball, which doesn't bode particularly well for ACC play.

Three point shooting wasn't particularly good tonight at only 5-25. However, this is an area that I am not at all worried about.

2nd half defense was a little suspect. A little slow stepping out to contest the three and just a little laziness in general. Probably due in large part to the 74-36 halftime lead, but still not something you want to let slip in to the teams habits.

Overall, a good game for the Jackets. It will be interesting to see how they stack up against a D-I team next Friday against UNC-Greensboro.

Let's Make a Deal - Week 9

This week the NFL takes a week off to play the Super Bowl about three months early. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Patriots are playing the Colts this week! ESPN is excited! The fans are excited! Bridget Moynahan is excited! But the other teams playing this week…not so excited. Last week, maybe it was beginner’s luck, but each of us were over .500 vs. the spread. The Squarre was an astounding 11-2 against the spread. That’s a lot of profit in Las Vegas, Nevada. This week, we do our best to make some more cash. And we’re going to have to because all this traveling to Vegas is going to be expensive.






Cardinals (+3.5) at Buccaneers

Arizona comes off a bye, while Tampa comes off a tough, one point loss to Jacksonville. The Bucs defense held Jacksonville's offense to only 233 yards total. However, it is hard to pass up the power of the bye. It will be a battle between a strong Cardinals offense and a strong Bucs defense. The game really is a toss up, with Vegas saying Tampa is only +.5 better than Arizona on a neutral field.

• AB - Bucs
• Eastwood - Bucs
• Squarre - Bucs
• P-Mizz - Cardinals

Panthers (+4) at Titans
Another tough game between two seemingly evenly matched teams. Neither of these teams have a lot to brag about offensively, but do possess stout defenses. I'm very skeptical of what Carolina can do with the ball, especially having an injured Steve Smith and David Carr at quarterback. They only scored 7 against Indy last week. Tennessee has Vince Young back another week, and they are in Nashville, where they played the Colts to within 2 earlier this year.

• AB - Titans
• Eastwood - Titans
• Squarre - Panthers
• P-Mizz - Titans

Bengals (-1) at Bills
The most disappointing team in the league against a team that is somewhat a surprise. The Bengals haven't been able to close out close games, and have been dominated in losses to New England and Pittsburgh, while the Bills have struggled mightily with injuries, and turn to JP Losman again this week. Look for he and Lee Evans to have a big day against a horrendous Cincy secondary, and this game will be a close one. Take the road dog.

• AB - Bengals
• Eastwood - Bengals
• Squarre – Bengals
• P-Mizz - Bengals

Broncos (+3) at Lions
This is definitely a case of which team will show up. Both these teams have played games well(Lions) or at least tight(Broncos), but they have also gotten blown out a few times. Travis Henry practiced on Thursday, so he should play this week. Still I am going to have to go with the at home Lions who are a little healthier. Although John Kitna looks like he has let himself go (see above photo).

• AB - Lions
• Eastwood - Lions
• Squarre - Broncos
• P-Mizz - Broncos

Packers (+2.5) at Chiefs
Both teams are playing well right now. KC has picked it up after a slow start relying on their strong D. Deshawn Wynn is out for the season for Green Bay, but Ryan Grant played well for the Pack against the Broncos last Monday. Vegas is pretty much throwing their arms up in the air giving Green Bay 2.5 at the great home field advantage that is Arrowhead.

• AB - Packers
• Eastwood - Chiefs
• Squarre - Packers
• P-Mizz - Packers

Jaguars (-3.5) at Saints
The Saints are finally starting to play better after a horrendous start. No one was caught off guard like last year. Playing "better" included a wins against the Falcons and Niners so we can't say the Saints have turned the corner yet. The Jags have won all their games with the exception of a tight first week loss to the Titans, and getting smacked around by the Colts 2 weeks ago, buts the Colts and the Pats don't really play in the same leagues as everyone else.

• AB - Saints
• Eastwood - Jags
• Squarre - Jags
• P-Mizz - Jags

Chargers (-7) at Vikings
The Chargers are playing like the Chargers should with 3 wins in a row and the Vikings are 2-5. Those 2 wins have come against the mighty Falcons and the Bears (who they just barely beat by 3). They play an actual team in week 1 and they would be 1-6. The Chargers are scoring a ton of points lately and that trend looks to continue this at Minnesota.

• AB - Chargers
• Eastwood - Chargers
• Squarre - Chargers
• P-Mizz - Vikings

49ers (+3) at Falcons
The 49ers aren't good, but the Falcons are awful. The Falcons are 4-3 against the spread, while the 49ers are only 2-4-1. That being said, I don't know how the Falcons are favored in any game. Joey Harrington is back in at QB, but does it really matter who plays for this awful team? This game is just begging you take to 49ers and I think you should give in.

• AB – 49ers
• Eastwood – 49ers
• Squarre – 49ers
• P-Mizz - Falcons

Redskins (-3.5) at Jets
Granted the game is in New York, but this spread seems small. Kellen Clemens is in and Chad Pennington is out at QB for the Jets. Laveranues Coles (42 rec., 473 yds, 6 TD) may not play following his concussion, which obviously hurts the Jets and their ability to score. Coles has 6 of the 12 offensive TDs for the Jets on the year. Neither team is good against the spread, but I have to go with the Skins in this one.

• AB - Redskins
• Eastwood - Redskins
• Squarre - Redskins
• P-Mizz - Redskins

Seahawks (+1.5) at Browns
Two 4-3 teams battle in Cleveland, but obviously that isn't the important thing. The Browns are 5-2 against the spread and the Seahawks are only 3-4. The Seahawks are coming off back to back wins and a bye (1-1 ATS) and Cleveland has lost 2 of 3 (2-1 ATS). Look for the Seahawks to pull to .500 on the road and win outright.

• AB - Browns
• Eastwood - Browns
• Squarre - Seahawks
• P-Mizz - Seahawks

Texans (+3) at Raiders
Houston goes on the road this week to battle the Black Hole in Oakland. While both teams have lost three in a row, the Texans’ recent schedule has been particularly brutal, with trips to Jacksonville and San Diego included. But the news gets worse for Houston, as QB Matt Schaub will not start and will be replaced by Sage Rosenfels, who has the greatest name in the NFL. It seems bleak when that’s the only hope you have. Oakland is near the top of the league in interceptions (10) and passing yards allowed per game (178.7). That seems to help the Raiders chances this week because the Texans can’t run the ball (only 80.5 rushing yards per game). Either way, this game will be ugly. Save the Tivo space for the Epic Spectacular in Indy.

• AB - Raiders
• Eastwood - Raiders
• Squarre - Texans
• P-Mizz - Raiders

Patriots (-6) at Colts
In what will easily be the highest rated game of the season (possibly higher than the Super Bowl), the Epic Spectacular finally arrives. With all that sneering going on, NFL fans have forgotten that the Colts are unbeaten too. Isn’t it weird that the defending Super Bowl champs are flying under the radar? But the juggernaut known as the Pissed Off Patriots have been destroying opponents to the tune of scoring 41 points a game, included the obscene 52-7 drubbing against Washington last week. But shhhh, the Colts have been scoring 32 points a game and their passing defense is #1 in the league. Will that matter against the juggernaut? Brady is having a historic season, and the Colts must pressure him to slow him down. The Colts paltry pass rush may not be up to the task.

• AB - Pats
• Eastwood - Pats
• Squarre - Colts
• P-Mizz - Pats

Cowboys (-3) at Eagles
The Cowboys come off a bye week and head to Philly where they will be quickly pelted with batteries. Another week goes by and Tony Romo has another girlfriend. Instant celebrity must be nice. The ‘Boys have only lost once (to the Pissed Off Pats), but the Eagles are surging at the right time. They looked completely done a few weeks ago, but after playing well against the Vikings last week, this game looks much better on paper. It also looks like the only other watchable game of the weekend. The Eagles defense is allowing about 17 points per game which is in the top third of the league. But slowing down Dreamboat Romo and his offensive powerhouse will prove difficult.

• AB - Cowboys
• Eastwood - Cowboys
• Squarre - Eagles
• P-Mizz - Cowboys

Ravens (+9) at Steelers
This week must have been designed by the NFL to focus all attention on the Epic Spectacular in Indy. It seems like every other game (outside of the Cowboys-Eagles) will be boring as hell. The Ravens are bad offensively because they can’t pass the ball (216.7 passing yards per game). But Steve McNair claims he’s ready to tear up the league again after sitting out a few weeks with injuries. No wonder this team can’t pass the ball. This isn’t 2001. Steve McNair and Kyle Boller are both well past their prime. The Steelers however continue to do what they do every year. Play fairly well, and beat someone decent in the playoffs. This game may be much closer than Vegas is giving it because McNair only gets hooked up to the Juvenation Machine once a year. Both teams have excellent defenses, ranking 1st and 2nd in yards per game. No one will score points. It’ll be an awesome game to take a nap to.

• AB - Ravens
• Eastwood - Ravens
• Squarre – Ravens
• P-Mizz - Ravens

Records ATS

• Squarre: 11-2
• P-Mizz: 10-3
• AB: 7-6
• Eastwood: 7-6

Feminist Friday

Seeing as how this is my very first post ever, it should probably be a very anti-man, fem-nazi, scathing entry to set the tone for future Feminist Friday postings (ha! That was so alliterative!). Today, however, I'm not feeling it. I could write about this and how Britney et al. have made us all stupid and WHY DO WE CARE SO MUCH GAH, or I could write about how women are still f'ed in the workplace, but I really want to write about the woman in Iowa who took an ad out in the newspaper to sell her breast milk. I first heard about it on the radio this morning and was surprised that the morning show folks (who are mainly men) were so blasé about it: Breast milk for sale? Eh, whatevs! Let's play a trivia game instead!

Maybe I should (but I'm not) be all "fuck yeah! sell that breast milk, girl!," but it really just grosses me out. It's like...selling blood...that no one can or really should use...or, for that matter, WANT TO BUY. I mean, it's not sterilized, it hasn't been tested, and lord knows what she's got floating around in that milk. Not to mention that these women are donating their copious, ridiculous amounts of breast milk to Africa to feed skinny babies! And she wants $200? She says she hasn't received any offers, but there was one prank caller. Ha!

Weekend Preview

Movies

American Gangster

A movie with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe!?! How can you go wrong? The ONLY thing I hope is that the performances don't remind me too much of Denzel in Training Day and Crowe in L.A. Confidential. Other than that concern this movie is going to have a great opening weekend, probably finishing first.

Bee Movie

Seriously, this Movie is going to suck. The only way you can watch this movie is if you take your kids; even still, you should "go to the bathroom" and slip into American Gangster just for a glimpse of what you aren't getting at Bee Movie. Do you want to go see a movie about a bee who sues humankind for stealing honey? I will be glad that the epic Bee Movie commercials will stop. Has anyone else felt like there has been a bombardment of Jerry Seinfield on NBC?

Martian Child

Plot synopsis courtesy of Imdb: John Cusack stars as David Gordon, a recently widowed science fiction writer who forms an unlikely friendship with a young boy named Dennis . Dennis is a shy and reticent kid who claims to be from Mars and awaits the time when his fellow aliens will come back to Earth to retrieve him. Sounds sappy as hell. Pass on this one.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Sidney Lumet directing. It's about 2 brothers robbing their parents. Sounds messed up, but good.

Music

Wilco on Austin City Limits (Sat. at Midnight) - One of the best bands in the world takes the stage for live performance. If your face hasn't been melted by Nels Cline's guitar solos, you haven't lived. Wilco is touring in support of their latest album, Sky Blue Sky.

College Football

Wisconsin at Ohio State - Can Wisconsin take out #1 Ohio State? God I hope so. A Big Ten team in the BCS title game would ruin all the fun.

Michigan at Michigan State

Arizona State at Oregon

South Carolina at Arkansas

Florida State at Boston College

NBA (Friday night)

Wizards at Celtics (Gilbert Arenas predicts Wiz are going to stomp the Celts)

Lakers at Suns (Phoenix possible Kobe destination)

Knicks at Cavaliers (Isiah's debut after sexual harassment suit)

Mavs at Hawks

NFL (Rivalry Weekend)

Pats at Colts - I didn't realize THEY were playing!

Cowboys at Eagles

Packers at Chiefs - Wow, the rivalry from Super Bowl I. The only person who cares is the old whore who tried to imbezzle Bart Starr's money.

PGA Tour

The last event of the Fall Series has finally arrived and still no one cares. They are playing the Walt Disney World Classic or, as it is known in this time of corporate sponsors, The Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by WalMart. There are a few relatively big names here this week, but only because they can take their kids to Disney World. It is on all weekend long on the Golf Channel and XM Radio channel 146.

Failed Prediction Friday courtesy of Peter King

Last week, Peter King drank a little too much of the happy juice that his boy Griese likes to partake in, and made the following prediction:

I may regret saying this. In fact, I probably will. But Brian Griese has some confident receivers in the huddle right now in the wake of his heroic last-minute save of the Bears' season at Philadelphia last week. I can see him going off for 340 and three touchdowns against the Lions.

And to no one's surprise, Peter King did regret it. Here is the actual line for Griese againtst the Lions:

208 yards, 1 TD, 4 ints.

Thank you, Peter King. I'm sure this won't be your last appearance.

Miserable Night on the Flats

I was looking forward to the Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech game coming into tonight. I mean, Thursday night games in Atlanta are always great. Big Boi from Outkast was playing halftime, and I thought GT had a chance. Boy was I wrong.

The game got off to a great start, when 6 seconds into the game GT had to call a timeout before even running a play. Even if your first few plays aren't scripted you would think you could figure out something to run. I guess there was a glimmer of hope when GT took the lead 3-0, but things only got worse from there. GT threw 5 interceptions, had 1 fumble, missed a wide open James Johnson who could have crawled into the endzone, the defensive backs gave 10 yard cushions on 3rd and 4, and we were crushed. The one thing on offense that was actually working was James Dwyer, and for some reason after a few good carries he was inexplicably not in the game.

On top of that the speaker set up for the halftime show was horrible. I did not hear one word come from Big Boi's mouth.

The only positive the whole night was the fact that traffic wasn't bad since everyone left early. Fortunately, the 1st preseason basketball game is tomorrow night.

Third Person Thursday courtesy of Michael Vick

I love self aggrandizing athletes just as much as the next guy. That's why every Thursday, we're going to post quotes from athletes speaking in the third person.

We begin with the king of the third person: Michael Vick. He hasn't spoken to the media since his apology for dog fighting. But you know how Mike does it! He rocked the third person while apologizing!

"I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player," Vick said. "I take full responsibility for my actions … I am totally responsible."

And how does Michael Vick go about bettering Michael Vick? By gettin' high, dog! (I'm a punster, I know)

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #9

North Carolina Tar Heels

The Coaches' Preseason Poll #1 and reigning ACC Champions (ACC Tournament and tied for regular season) hope to fulfill extremely high expections this season as they return several key starters from a team that went to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament last year. Although they lost forward Bradon Wright to the NBA, Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough decided to remain in school for his junior season. With amazing depth at all positions and several All-American candidates, nothing short of an NCAA title this season will satisfy the Carolina faithful. What's scary is that UNC only has one senior with any meaningful playing time and all of this year's team could return next year.

Key Losses: Wright was the biggest loss in terms of scoring and potential. The lanky forward was chosen #8 overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. The Tar Heels will miss Wright's 14.7 points a game and 6.2 rebounds, as he finished 2nd on the team in both categories last season behind Hansbrough. In terms of leadership, North Carolina lost senior Reyshawn Terry to eligibility although he was drafted #44 overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft. While averaging nearly 10 points a game and 5.4 rebounds, Terry seemed to have a knack for athletic defensive plays that would always stir his team and the crowd into a frenzy. Not to mention he was a snazzy dancer. UNC also lost key reserve and fellow snazzy dancer Wes Miller to graduation (warning on the vid: there are loudly screaming female Wes Miller fans). Miller, while only scoring 2.5 points a game, provided valuable minutes in order to rest Ty Lawson and Bobby Frasor. Plus, Miller was capable of knocking down clutch threes at any time.
(31% of scoring, 29% of rebounding, 21% of assists).

New Additions: Although not likely a key player, forward Will Graves becomes active after a redshirt season. He has the potential to play multiple positions and has the size (6'6", 245 lbs) to provide rebounding help from the wing.

Projected Lineup:
PG - Ty Lawson (5'11", So.)
SG - Wayne Ellington (6'4", So.)
SF - Marcus Ginyard (6'5", Jr.)
PF - Deon Thompson (6'8", So.)
C - Tyler Hansbrough (6'9", Jr.)
Note: this lineup depends on how Coach Roy Williams utilizes Alex Stepheson and Thompson. Williams could go with a more defensive lineup with Hansbrough at PF and Stepheson at C.

Key Reserves:
PF/C - Alex Stepheson (6'9", So.)
PG/SG - Bobby Frasor (6'3", Jr.)
SG/SF - Danny Green (6'5", Jr.)
PG - Quentin Thomas (6'3", Sr.)

Outlook: As long as Ole' Roy keeps convincing McDonald's All-Americans to come to Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels will continue to compete for ACC and NCAA titles. This team is absolutely loaded with depth and athleticism. This makes the team very flexible so that they can play any style. With Preseason Wooden Award candidates Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, this team should make a deep run into March. What's scary is that UNC only has one senior with any meaningful playing time and all of this year's starters could potentially return next season. Will they be playing for back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007-2008? UNC will be very difficult to defend with guards Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Ginyard, and Danny Green providing scoring from outside and inside the arc. But the key to Carolina's season will likely be the development of Stepheson and Thompson. If they are able to take away the constant double teams Hansbrough will see this year, Carolina should be favored to win it all this year. The Tar Heels have early season tests at Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and then play at Kentucky a few days later. Responding with wins at both schools will ready them for their run for the title.

Prediction: 14-2 Finish, 1st in ACC; 29-2 Overall.

ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

Ashley Olsen Likes Bicycles

In quasi-sports related news: Apparently Ashley Olsen and Lance Armstrong were enjoying each other's company in New York. According to this story, this one, and numerous others she was seen sitting in his lap, making out and nuzzling. Who knew the 36 year old Armstrong had a thing for 21 year olds? Maybe he had the countdown to 21 just like these guys. I will leave the extensive analysis of this one to the celebrity blogs. All I have to say is congratulations and good work Lance.

By the way A-Rod, if you really wants a picture of Lance Armstrong you can find your own on Google.

Website of the week - Mint.com

Mint.com is a site that aggregates your financial transactions and then analyzes it. Think of it as a Quicken or Microsoft Money online. I see three huge advantages of Mint.com

1.) Easily connects to your existing bank/credit card accounts. This makes set up very fast and easy. No need to break out your account number or routing number. Mint.com seems to have deals with financial institutions to link in securely to their servers

2.) Mint.com analyzes your spending. Much like Microsoft Money (I haven't used Quicken), there are charts that show how much of a dumb ass you really are by spending way too much money on alcohol and eating out. Taking this a step further, Mint.com suggests where you can save money.

3.) It's free

Besides the advantages, a feature i personally really like is the e-mail once a week letting me what I have spent and when my bills are do. This sames me from logging into my bank/credit card accounts to see the status of my finances.

The biggest concern is privacy (see this http://www.nobosh.com/Article/Mint.com-%2D-Is-it-Safe%3F/712/). Do you really want to give all your financial information to Mint.com? Mint.com is collecting and storing all your banking information. They say they know nothing about you (Name, Address, SSN) just about bank accounts. See the statement by Aaron Patzer the Founder & CEO, Mint.com below.

I would highly recommend Mint.com, but to many the thought of one place storing your financial information may be too great to use/try the service.

From: Aaron on the comments off TechCrunch

"To all those who are concerned over Mint.com security, a few points:
1) You’re anonymous on Mint.com
2) Our security is independently verified
3) Email & text-message alerts help identify fraud immediately…and being proactive is the best measure.

I’ll make a bold statement: You’re safer on Mint then with online banking. On Mint, you’re completely anonymous. We never ask for a name, address, or SSN - just an email. We know about your finances…but not about you. We’re also independently verified by Verisign, TrustE, and several outside agencies.

We also have serious physical security. Our servers are in a secure, unmarked facility. To get in, you need to pass 3 biometric scanners, 4 locked doors, and several guards. We have our own cage so we’re physically separated from all other companies. Cameras monitor our servers and power supplies 24/7. The servers themselves have additional locks. The hard drives are encrypted. It’s like Mission Impossible (except without the electrified floors…maybe one day).

Perhaps more interestingly, 90% of all fraud actually occurs offline, not online (e.g. someone swipes your card at a restaurant or from your mail). Because Mint sends proactive alerts for low-balance or unusually high spending, you’ll know right away. It’s better than logging into 4-5 different banks every day, or waiting 30 days for a paper statement before finding that something went wrong.

Aaron Patzer
Founder & CEO, Mint.com"

UGA Storming the Field

How does UGA storming the field after their 1st touchdown against Florida reflect on the program and Mark Richt? I know there are some mixed feelings on this one. Many Georgia Tech fans over at the Hive are more than ticked. Richt is being called things such as classless, a loser, and a jerk. Fans on some SEC boards weren't happy about the action either, but the condemnation seems to be much less severe. At the AJC, rivals SEC coaches have weighed in on the tactic as well. The responses are mixed, but the majority seem to say it is probably not something they would do, but they don't seem to have a huge problem with the move.

This article condemns Richt, but my take is different. Even as a Georgia Tech fan, I find Richt hard to dislike and on the 2 occasions I have met I have been quite impressed. I can't say that I think his move would be right in all situations. But with a team that has lost 15 of 17 to an opponent that hasn't always had better talent, I do at least understand his thinking. The team has looked tight in the past against Florida and they most definitely did not on Saturday night. Plain and simple - the ploy worked and I don't have a problem with it.

Edited to add: I now feel like my argument is validated because Jason Whitlock disagrees with me.