Rooting for Favre is Like Rooting for America

Why I Still Love Brett Favre

2009-06-19T20:55:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time...but I'm back! At least for this post. I think it is very important. It probably isn't but I don't care. I want to write about Brett Favre. Obviously, as this blog is called "Rooting 4 Favre...." I am a fan of Favre. But many Packers fans are turning away from him in this time of "disloyalty" by our #1 guy (or #4). Before I begin, I have to admit this was inspired by a paragraph written by my favorite writer and blogger Joe Posnanski. The paragraph is as follows...

So how about this: Brett Favre does indeed seem to be leaning toward playing for the Minnesota Vikings. I know that most people who study the situation believe Favre to be an attention hog … someone who desperately longs for the spotlight, which is why he keep retiring and unretiring, keeps saying he’s done with football and then keeps (very publicly) getting back in. I don’t know enough about Favre or the situation to disagree entirely: But I do think it’s at least possible that that guy is just splashing around for answers. I think it’s possible that he WANTS to retire, leave the stage with dignity, but he also WANTS to play and cannot even stand to think of a fall without pro football. And because he’s BRETT FAVRE it turns into these intolerable public free-for-alls.

And this got me thinking...Now I want to start by saying that I never turned my back on Brett. When he was in limbo about coming back after he retired (the first time) I supported him and I was pissed at the Packers organization for not wanting him on the team. I mean there was no reason to not let the guy keep playing the game he loves, for the team he loved, for the fans he loved...When he went to the Jets, I stayed true to him. I bought a Jets cap and wore it. But I was still a Packers fan. I learned from Lions fans that it IS possible to love a team and hate the management - I figured if they can do it, certainly I can! And of course it was disappointing to see him struggle in the later part of the season. I want him to stay retired now, just as I wanted it a year ago. But this time, it's different. He wants to come back and play for the VIKINGS. Of all teams, the one that, at my age, is my most hated team. I certainly will NOT go out and buy a Vikings cap! And I will not root for Favre if he plays for them. In fact, I probably will not watch a game of football because that's not the way I want to remember it. I don't want to sound like I agree with every little thing this guy says, but another quote from Posnanski sums up how I feel about Favre's return.

“Until they tear the uniform off my back.” Funny, we tend to admire people who say that, but we don’t REALLY admire people who stick around until someone comes to tear the uniform off their back. Think about Brett Favre. How many times have you thought in the last couple of years, “Damn, Brett, walk away already. Geez, this is getting embarrassing. You’re ruining your legacy.” And yet, isn’t this EXACTLY what made Brett Favre in the first place? His whole game was built around his passion for football, his love for competition, the fact that he really was an overgrown kid, the high school quarterback who never quite grew up. Well, why would that go away just because he got old? How can we blame Brett Favre for being Brett Favre?

Okay, so basically I love Favre and won't let anything get in the way of that. Now back to the original quote...

This quote really struck me because all along I've thought that the Favre drama was not entirely Favre's fault but a lot of it was brought on by him. The constant waffling and limited media interviews left me in shock. Most of the time I would think that the media would overanalyze a situation and exaggerate but then it would come true a day or two later and I just couldn't believe it. But I really started to think about things more after I read that quote.
Imagine this: July 2008. Media reports Brett Favre is considering a comeback. We hear nothing else until August when, suddenly, the Packers trade Favre to the Jets. Why? Who cares? The Packers got ripped off! Ted Thompson is an idiot! Why would he keep a guy who never started a game over a 3-time MVP/career TD leader/best QB ever? Doesn't make sense. Media can't make sense of it either. But they don't delve down into it. The story is set that the Packers just thought Favre was too old and didn't want him but Favre being Favre still wanted to play. So they traded him. That's it. Nothing about Favre wanting revenge at Thompson. Nobody knows Thompson and McCarthy basically pushed Favre out. None of that is known to the public....

...But it is. Why? Because the media forced us to endure an ENTIRE summer of Favre drama. Every day it was something new. It's like the reporters got million dollar bonuses for new information regarding Favre. They worked their asses off to get us the latest updates. Because they were infatuated with the player and person that is Brett Favre, they (the media) NEVER got sick of reporting. They were fascinated by the whole thing. Of course, as the public, we all got sick after about 30 seconds. But that wasn't Favre's fault. It's not his fault that the way he played gathered so much media attention and love that his every move is tracked more in depth than the government has tracked Osama bin Laden. Let's face it, if bin Laden was Favre, we'd have caught him September 12, 2001.

Why was it Favre's fault he was cricized for taking his time to decide his return year after year? The Packers didn't give him a timetable! I know me, and I know a lot of people are like me. If you have a paper due but the instructor didn't give you a due date, you DON'T DO IT until a deadline is set. So Favre, being like most of us would, took all the time they would give him.

Why was it Favre's fault that he was shunned by Thompson and the Packers organization? He was the greatest quarterback in franchise history! Certainly he should not have to battle for the starting spot. Was this not the same quarterback who led his team to overtime in the NFC Championship game the year before?

Why was it Favre's fault that he was criticized, as Joe Posnanski puts it, for wanting to play until we rip the jersey off his back? It's the same reason he's always played the game. He isn't trying to add to or destroy his legacy. He doesn't care. He just wants to have fun like the rest of us.

Why is it Favre's fault that Packers fans are now questioning if they can remain loyal as he ponders a return to the Vikings? I realize that he may want to "stick it" to Ted. But after a whole year? That just sounds un-Favre-ish. Maybe he does though, I'm not one to say. Even so, he's already come out and said that the Vikings are the only team that are interested. I don't know about anyone else, but if there was something I loved SO MUCH that being away from it is as hard as it seems it is for Favre, and I was offered a chance to stick with it even if let a few people down, I would probably choose to come back. I really can't blame him.

I can, however, blame the media. They have blown this entire situation so far out of proportion that I really have become more upset at them than at Ted Thompson - which says A LOT. The thing is, they have taken a man and an athlete that was one of the most lovable characters in the sport, and turned him into somebody that everybody loves to hate. All because they loved him so much to begin with! Doesn't make much sense to me why you would destroy the character and integrity of somebody who did absolutely nothing wrong -somebody who was held on a level above all others by many who follow the sport. And that, more than anything else angers me.

So go ahead Brett. Come back. Why not? You love the sport. You love the game. It really isn't your fault if fans choose to hate you because you don the purple and yellow. You can rest assured that you will always have at least one loyal fan who cares enough to write a meaningless blog post to nobody about how much I will forever love you...

N8Dogg's Week 3 Power Rankings

2008-09-19T11:11:00.002-05:00

2008 NFL Season
LW = Last Week

The Elite:
1. (1 - LW) Dallas Cowboys (2-0)
2. (2) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
3. (3) New York Giants (2-0)
4. (4) New England Patriots (2-0)
5. (6) Green Bay Packers (2-0)
6. (5) Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
7. (7) Tennessee Titans (2-0)
8. (9) Buffalo Bills (2-0)
9. (11) Carolina Panthers (2-0)
10. (14) Denver Broncos (2-0)
Not much changes up here. Dallas maintains first with a great win over Philly. They are tested again Sunday vs Green Bay so if they get out of this mess 3-0, they more than deserve the top spot. The Patriots are still 4th after another win. They play Miami so 2-1 is unlikely for the Pats, but week 4 comes a tough matchup with Indianapolis. The Eagles are still elite, when 2 top teams play, one has to lose. And besides Arizona and Baltimore, that does it for undefeated teams. Baltimore, of course, having played just one game is still untested, and how hard is it to beat Miami and San Francisco? That's why neither deserves elite status...

The Hopefuls:
11. (15) Indianapolis Colts (1-1)
12. (18) Arizona Cardinals (2-0)
13. (8) New Orleans Saints (1-1)
14. (10) Chicago Bears (1-1)
15. (17) Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
16. (12) San Diego Chargers (0-2)
17. (13) New York Jets (1-1)
18. (20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
19. (24) Washington Redskins (1-1)
20. (16) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
21. (19) Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
22. (23) Atlanta Falcons (1-1)
It's safe to say that Indianapolis is more than just a "hopeful," but i can only put 10 in the top 10. The game against Minnesota should be the turning point of their season and get them back up to the top 5. Is it safe to say that San Diego is the unluckiest team in the league? Is it even arguable? Ed Hochuli may have knocked out both the Chargers and himself from the playoffs with one call. But moving on...When I got to the 20's I tried to convince myself to extend the Wannabes section because all these teams suck, but I decided against it. Maybe I'll regret it later. Maybe it's the Hochuli call of my power ranking season. Ok, thats enough, I have to stop...

The Wannabes:
23. (30) San Francisco (1-1)
24. (22) Cleveland Browns (0-2)
25. (31) Oakland Raiders (1-1)
26. (21) Seattle Seahawks (0-2)
27. (25) Houston Texans (0-1)
28. (26) Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
29. (27) Miami Dolphins (0-2)
30. (28) Detroit Lions (0-2)
31. (29) Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)
32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-2)
Can the season get any worse for Seattle? So many receivers are injured that Hasselbeck is throwing to his linemen. I feel bad for the refs always having to announce which men report eligible... So that whole "preseason doesn't matter" thing? Well if you don't belive Robert Green, perhaps you can invite Rod Marinelli over for dinner. By the way, this year's Kitna-meter: 0 wins.

Steepest Climb: 7 - San Francisco (30 to 23)
Furthest Fall: 5 - New Orleans (8 to 13) and Seattle (21 to 26)

N8Dogg's Week 2 Power Rankings

2008-09-12T18:54:00.005-05:00

2008 NFL Season
LW = Last Week

The Elite:
1. (3 - LW) Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
2. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
3. (10) New York Giants (1-0)
4. (1) New England Patriots (1-0)
5. (9) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
6. (8) Green Bay Packers (1-0)
7. (13) Tennessee Titans (1-0)
8. (14) New Orleans Saints (1-0)
9. (19) Buffalo Bills (1-0)
10. (25) Chicago Bears (1-0)
Whew! What a wild week 1. Brady out. Merriman out. And only 2 of last week's top 5 remain on the throne. The Cowboys take over number one because they are healthy and completely dominated last week. The Steelers are now the team to beat in the AFC. The Giants finally pass the team they beat in the Super Bowl because, lets face it, without Brady the Patriots, well, they are beatable. They still have a GREAT team and just like how the Packers get by without Favre, the Pats can get by without Brady. The Eagles round out the top 5 meaning the teams to beat this year come from the NFC East, the Beast. The Packers sit at 6 after a convincing win. The Bills and Bears both make the top 10 due to a complete manhandling of elite teams in week 1.

The Hopefuls:
11. (17) Carolina Panthers (1-0)
12. (2) San Diego Chargers (0-1)
13. (18) New York Jets (1-0)
14. (22) Denver Broncos (1-0)
15. (5) Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
16. (4) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
17. (26) Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
18. (21) Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
19. (11) Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
20. (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
21. (7) Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
22. (15) Cleveland Browns (0-1)
This part is such a muddled mess. Carolina squeaks over San Diego because, hey, they beat them! Who knows who will stay here next week, it could be just as jumbled if not worse. The Colts are above the Jags even though last week I had them opposite. Jacksonville looked bad and Indy looked, well, not terrible at least. Any of these teams could fit in front or behind any other team in the middle here. So it's really just a crapshoot which teams I put where... almost.

The Wannabes:
23. (32) Atlanta Falcons (1-0)
24. (16) Washington Redskins (0-1)
25. (20) Houston Texans (0-1)
26. (24) Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
27. (29) Miami Dolphins (0-1)
28. (23) Detroit Lions (0-1)
29. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
30. (27) San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
31. (28) Oakland Raiders (0-1)
32. (31) St. Louis Rams (0-1)
A winning team in the Wannabes!? Yeah, the Falcons...does anyone really think they are for real? I mean they beat Detroit... Other than that, not many surprises here. All the bad teams lost. Go figure. Did you notice that Kansas City rose? (no) Would you have noticed if they had beat New England? (oh yes!) I mean, Miami rose too, but they almost beat the Bretts. I mean Jets...

Steepest Climb: 15 - Chicago (25 to 10)
Furthest Fall: 14 - Seattle (21 to 7)

N8Dogg's Week 1 Power Rankings

2008-09-05T16:38:00.004-05:00

2008 NFL Season
*week 1 rankings reflect those made on 9/3/2008 before any NFL games were played

The Elite:
1. New England (0-0)
2. San Diego (0-0)
3. Dallas (0-0)
4. Jacksonville (0-0)
5. Indianapolis (0-0)
6. Pittsburgh (0-0)
7. Seattle (0-0)
8. Green Bay (0-0)
9. Philadelphia (0-0)
10. NY Giants (0-0)
I always hate doing the rankings in the first 4 weeks or so. They get so jumbled and the final result is so different. But it's still fun so here they are! New England is still #1. If you go back and replay the Super Bowl over and over, the Pats would win the next 2,000 times. There is no way the Giants win that game again. Therefore, the Patriots are still the best. This s finally the year that Jacksonville overtakes Indy. Indy has a lot of injuries. They did last year too, but this year it bites them. Green Bay is still a playoff team. Brett Favre did a LOT last year, but he had way too much help for the Packers to not come out strong again.

The Hopefuls:
11. Minnesota (0-0)
12. Tampa Bay (0-0)
13. Tennessee (0-0)
14. New Orleans (0-0)
15. Cleveland (0-0)
16. Washington (0-0)
17. Carolina (0-0)
18. NY Jets (0-0)
19. Buffalo (0-0)
20. Houston (0-0)
21. Arizona (0-0)
22. Denver (0-0)
Usually the talent level of this section drops off around 16 or 17. But this is the beginning of the year, and any of these teams can find themselves in the elite this season. Some too will fall to the wannabes. I can too easily see Minnesota in the top 5 if AP stays healthy and they sort out trouble at QB. New Orleans is a team to watch as well as the Jets. Both have top NFL quarterbacks and both of those guys can and have performed greatly. I want to bring up Houston. They will (probably) take last in their division, but they are not a bad team. They can't beat Indy, Jacksonville and Tennessee, however.

The Wannabes:
23. Detroit (0-0)
24. Cincinnati (0-0)
25. Chicago (0-0)
26. Baltimore (0-0)
27. San Francisco (0-0)
28. Oakland (0-0)
29. Miami (0-0)
30. Kansas City (0-0)
31. St. Louis (0-0)
32. Atlanta (0-0)
This part is the hardest for me. I probably relied on last year too much when ranking these teams. Someone will step up and most of these teams should rise at least a bit by the end of the year. I noticed that a big problem for the wannabes is lack of quarterbacks. The top 10 has guys like Brady, Romo, Manning(x2), Hasselbeck, etc. You know, top tier QBs. But the bottom here finds guys like Orton, Flacco, O'Sullivan, Russell, Pennington, Croyle, Ryan, etc. You know, Guys who suck, or at least are unproven. Teams like Kansas City or Atlanta are in rebuilding years and a rise would be surprising if not improbable. One team to watch here is St. Louis. With a healthier team and a new contract for Steven Jackson, they might manage a few more than 3 wins!

I made picks but I won't have them posted for this week. Look for them coming in week 2!

On Pace: All-Star Break

2008-07-15T10:23:00.002-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
Boston* - 96-66
Tampa Bay* - 92-70
New York - 85-77
Toronto - 82-80
Baltimore - 79-83

Central
Chicago* - 94-68
Minnesota - 88-74
Detroit - 81-81
Cleveland - 76-86
Kansas City - 72-90

West
Los Angeles* - 92-70
Oakland - 90-72
Texas - 82-80
Seattle - 66-96

National League
East
Philadelphia* - 90-72
New York - 87-75
Florida - 82-80
Atlanta - 81-81
Washington - 61-101

Central
Chicago* - 98-64
St. Louis* - 88-74
Milwaukee - 86-76
Cincinnati - 75-87
Houston - 74-88
Pittsburgh - 74-88

West
Arizona* - 81-81
Los Angeles - 80-82
San Francisco - 69-93
Colorado - 66-96
San Diego - 64-98

* Denotes Playoff Teams
^Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
^^Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

Eric Gagne Reluctantly Changes His Walk Out Music

2008-06-23T22:28:00.004-05:00

For a while, Eric Gagne had used "Game Over" by Lil Flip as his walk out song when he came in to close. That was back when he was lights out with the Dodgers and every time he came in, the game was literally over. Now he is a washed up closer who can't save a game. Ever since May 21, Gagne has found himself sitting on the disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis while Salomon Torres steals his job. During this time, between May 21 and June 23, the Brewers have posted the best record in baseball (21-10) and Torres leads the National League in saves (11).

Usually, teams and stadiums allow each individual player to choose whatever song they want to be played (within reason) as a walk out or at-bat song. But the Brewers organization have taken executive action for Gagne's possible return on Friday. Instead of "Game Over" or any other song Gagne might plead for, Miller Park will play "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson.

"Rooting 4 Favre's" southern Mississippi reporter made it to Atlanta on Monday to cover the game and talk to Melvin and Gagne.

"Right now we are winning. Whether or not it is attributed to Gagne or even (Russell) Branyan's call-up, I'm not postive," said Doug Melvin, Brewers GM. "I'm concerned for the team. We have been performing well in Gagne's absense. We feel by playing this song, it will reassure the team that we are not going to take a bad performance by our pitchers."

Gagne had his own words to add.

"I don't deserve to choose my own song right now. It's very simple. It's embarrassing."

Indeed. Anyone who has to use Kelly Clarkson as their walk out music should be shunned by the fans. In fact, I believe Gagne is very close* to that point...or so he was last year and probably is again by most Brewers fans after blowing 8 of 18 saves. One thing is for sure: when Gagne doesn't pitch, teams tend to win more.**

*Warning! Link contains strong language

**Gagne did pitch a perfect 9th inning in Game 1 of the 2007 World Series. The Sox won 13-1. However, hee came in with the game tied at 6-6 in Game 2 of the 2007 ALCS. The Sox lost 13-6...

On Pace: 100 Games Remaining

2008-06-10T09:00:00.004-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(1-previous)Boston - 96-66 (+2)
(2)Tampa Bay - 90-72 (+0)
(4)New York - 85-77 (+4)
(3)Toronto - 83-79 (-3)
(5)Baltimore - 79-83 (+0)

Central
(1)Chicago - 93-69 (-5)
(2)Cleveland - 82-80 (+4)
(4)Detroit - 77-85 (+4)
(3)Minnesota - 76-86 (+0)
(5)Kansas City - 66-96 (+3)

West
(1)Oakland - 93-69 (+2)
(2)Los Angeles - 88-74 (-2)
(3)Texas - 78-84 (+0)
(4)Seattle - 61-101 (-1)

National League
East
(1)Philadelphia - 97-65 (-1)
(2)Atlanta - 85-77 (-3)
(3)Florida - 83-79 (-1)
(4)New York - 81-81 (+1)
(5)Washington - 64-98 (+3)

Central
(1)Chicago - 104-58 (+2)
(2)St. Louis - 91-71 (+0)
(3)Milwaukee - 81-81 (-1)
(6)Pittsburgh - 77-85 (+1)
(4)Houston - 75-87 (-4)
(5)Cincinnati - 74-88 (-2)

West
(1)Arizona - 86-76 (-3)
(2)Los Angeles - 77-85 (-5)
(3)San Francisco - 70-92 (-3)
(4)San Diego - 69-93 (+2)
(5)Colorado - 66-96 (+3)

Biggest Movers:
Up - New York (+4), Cleveland (+4), Detroit (+4)
Down - Chicago (-5), Loss Angeles (-5), Houston (-4)
No Change - Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota, Texas, St. Louis

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

On Pace: 35.1% Precincts Reporting

2008-06-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(2-previous)Boston - 94-70 (+2)
(1)Tampa Bay - 93-69 (+0)
(3)Toronto - 88-74 (+4)
(4)New York - 80-82 (-1)
(5)Baltimore - 75-87 (-2)

Central
(1)Chicago - 90-72 (-3)
(2)Cleveland - 80-82 (-3)
(3)Minnesota - 80-82 (+2)
(4)Detroit - 74-88 (+1)
(5)Kansas City - 65-97 (+0)

West
(1)Oakland - 90-72 (-5)
(2)Los Angeles - 87-75 (+0)
(3)Texas - 79-83 (+1)
(4)Seattle - 63-99 (+2)

National League
East
(2)Philadelphia - 95-67 (+5)
(1)Atlanta - 91-71 (-3)
(3)Florida - 85-77 (-3)
(4)New York - 83-79 (+2)
(5)Washington - 65-97 (-2)

Central
(1)Chicago - 104-58 (+3)
(2)St. Louis - 90-72 (-1)
(3)Houston - 80-82 (-5)
(5)Milwaukee - 79-83 (+6)
(6)Cincinnati - 77-85 (+5)
(4)Pittsburgh - 75-87 (+0)

West
(1)Arizona - 94-68 (-6)
(2)Los Angeles - 81-81 (-6)
(4)San Francisco - 67-95 (+4)
(5)San Diego - 63-99 (+5)
(3)Colorado - 60-102 (-7)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Milwaukee (+6)
Down - Colorado (-7)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

Nerds Have Ruined Baseball

2008-05-26T22:56:00.003-05:00

This post was written Ken Tremendous (a.k.a. Cousin Mose)who blogs on Fire Joe Morgan. Most of what he does is take other blog posts or articles and rips into every sentence to make a point. Usually that point is that the article sucks. A lot of the stuff comes from Joe Morgan, hence the blog title. Anyway, this excerpt comes from a post in which the guy lists 8 reasons why baseball sucks. One of the reasons is that it is filled with too many stats. I present to you now why baseball stats ruin baseball:

J-Mo: On-base percentages, opponent on-base plus slugging percentages, sabermetrics … Alan Greenspan might enjoy crunching the numbers, but for those of us who’d rather leave our brains at work, the cold-beverage-intake-to-bladder-outflow ratio makes a whole lot more sense.

Ken: Bra. Seriously, bra. Fuck these nerds. For serious. True story, bra -- I'm at the game yesterday. I'm wasted. Seriously, bra, I've had like eleven brews. I'm there with my boy Donnie -- awesome guy. Solid guy. The papers call him the "Laundry Room Rapist." So Donnie's like, "Bra, you want another one?" And I'm like, "Shitchyea, dude! I ain't driving!" And Donnie's all, "Bra, you are driving, remember?" And I was like, "Ohhhh shit!" And we high-five, right?

So basically everything was awesome. We were crushing it, bra. And then, this little fucking nerd in front of us is like, "Can you be careful? You're spilling beer on my daughter's head," and I'm like, "Whatever dude -- it's a ballgame. Shut up and enjoy the ride!" and he's like, "Just try to be more considerate," and then his little nerd son is like, "Daddy, look, Manny's up!" and his nerd dad is like, "Let's go Manny!" and his nerd son is like, "His batting average is down to .288" and that's when I just lost it, bra. Those fucking nerds and their numbers. So I pull my rod out -- you know, because I have to piss, right? -- and the guy is all, "Hey! You can't do that here!" and I'm like, "Sorry, nerdbra, the only statistic I care about is how many brewskis I've had and how much piss I've pissed" and the next thing you know security is dragging me out and they're all like, "You're banned for life" and I'm like, "Bra, what the hell?" and they're like "You pulled your penis out and urinated at your seat and there's vomit on your forearm, and also you can't smoke in the stadium, and your friend is wearing a shirt and shoes but no pants," and I'm like "He's Donald Ducking it, bra -- it's classic!" and they're like, "Get out of here and never come back."

And that's when I realized: nerds have ruined baseball.

The original post is here if you want to read it. The rest is very amusing!

On Pace: 2 Months Down (for the Red Sox and Athletics)

2008-05-26T15:40:00.003-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(2-previous)Tampa Bay - 93-69 (+2)
(1)Boston - 92-70 (+0)
(4)Toronto - 84-78 (+4)
(5)New York - 81-81 (+7)
(3)Baltimore - 77-85 (-4)

Central
(1)Chicago - 93-69 (+2)
(2)Cleveland - 83-79 (-6)
(3)Minnesota - 78-84 (+0)
(5)Detroit - 73-89 (+7)
(4)Kansas City - 65-97 (-9)

West
(1)Oakland - 95-67 (+4)
(2)Los Angeles - 87-75 (+1)
(3)Texas - 78-84 (+2)
(4)Seattle - 61-101 (-9)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 94-68 (+0)
(3)Philadelphia - 90-72 (+3)
(4)Florida - 88-74 (+3)
(2)New York - 81-81 (-6)
(5)Washington - 67-95 (+0)

Central
(1)Chicago - 101-61 (-2)
(2)St. Louis - 91-71 (+4)
(3)Houston - 85-77 (-2)
(4)Pittsburgh - 75-87 (-1)
(6)Milwaukee - 73-89 (+1)
(5)Cincinnati - 72-90 (-3)

West
(1)Arizona - 100-62 (-1)
(2)Los Angeles - 87-75 (+2)
(3)Colorado - 67-95 (+1)
(4)San Francisco - 63-99 (+4)
(5)San Diego - 58-104 (+1)

Biggest Movers:
Up - New York (+7), Detroit (+7)
Down - Seattle (-9), Kansas City (-9)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

Head-to-Head in Roto Terms

2008-05-19T17:12:00.005-05:00

I started this post to demonstrate one of the differences in a Head-to-Head style fantasy baseball play and Rotisserie. Also, to brag about how incredibly awesome my team actually is.

Current H2H Standings:
Yost's Yardbirds........51-16-3....-- GB
matts team..............33-26-11...14 GB
Fontana's Fielders......36-30-4....14.5 GB
Francisco for MVP.......34-31-5....16 GB
LONG GONE!..............33-34-3....18 GB
Kekambas................27-37-6....22.5 GB
reredrum s'laroc........25-41-4....25.5 GB
WILFREDO!!!.............21-45-4....29.5 GB

Anticipated Roto Standings (Max Points: 80):
Yost's Yardbirds........66.....-- PB
Fontana's Fielders......57.5...8.5 PB
matts team..............52.....14 PB
Francisco for MVP.......48.....18 PB
LONG GONE!..............42.....24 PB
Kekambas................38.....28 PB
reredrum s'laroc........37.5...28.5 PB
WILFREDO!!!.............19.....47 PB

As you can see, the only real winner from the Roto standings is Fontana's Fielders, who moves from 14.5 games back to 8.5 points back and moves up from 3rd to 2nd. Obviously the worse a team is, the harder they are hit by the switch to Roto. This is obviously a huge advantage to playing H2H because the poorer teams still have a chance. If this was Roto, WILFREDO!!! would stand basically zero chance at winning the league because it is damn near impossible to recover 47 points. It is, however, much easier to recover 7 games and move into 6th place. This guarantees a playoff spot, and if, for some reason, the players work together for 3 weeks, the last place team today can win the league. Likely, no. But possible.

On Pace: Going on 8 Weeks

2008-05-19T16:32:00.006-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(1-previous)Boston - 92-70 (-2)
(2)Tampa Bay - 91-71 (+2)
(5)Baltimore - 81-81 (+4)
(4)Toronto - 80-82 (+3)
(3)New York - 74-88 (-8)

Central
(1)Cleveland - 89-73 (-1)
(2)Chicago - 91-71 (+3)
(3)Minnesota - 78-84 (-2)
(5)Kansas City - 74-88 (+7)
(4)Detroit - 66-96 (-4)

West
(1)Oakland - 91-71 (-7)
(2)Los Angeles - 86-76 (+2)
(3)Texas - 76-86 (+6)
(4)Seattle - 70-92 (+2)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 94-68 (-3)
(3)New York - 87-75 (+0)
(4)Philadelphia - 87-75 (+1)
(2)Florida - 85-77 (-5)
(5)Washington - 67-95 (+5)

Central
(1)Chicago - 103-59 (+3)
(2)St. Louis - 87-75 (-5)
(3)Houston - 87-75 (-2)
(4)Pittsburgh - 76-86 (+1)
(6)Cincinnati - 75-87 (+7)
(5)Milwaukee - 72-90 (-1)

West
(1)Arizona - 101-61 (+3)
(2)Los Angeles - 85-77 (-2)
(3)Colorado - 66-96 (-1)
(4)San Francisco - 59-103 (-3)
(5)San Diego - 57-105 (-3)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Kansas City (+7), Cincinnati (+7)
Down - New York (-8), Oakland (-7)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

On-Pace - Mid-May

2008-05-13T23:10:00.002-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(1-previous)Boston - 94-68 (+2)
(3)Tampa Bay - 89-73 (+5)
(4)New York - 82-80 (-1)
(2)Toronto - 77-85 (-9)
(5)Baltimore - 77-85 (+0)

Central
(2)Cleveland - 90-72 (+9)
(1)Chicago - 88-76 (-2)
(3)Minnesota - 80-82 (+1)
(4)Detroit - 70-92 (-3)
(5)Kansas City - 67-95 (+0)

West
(1)Oakland - 98-64 (-1)
(2)Los Angeles - 84-78 (-3)
(4)Texas - 70-92 (+7)
(3)Seattle - 68-94 (-7)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 97-65 (-1)
(4)Florida - 90-72 (+13)
(3)New York - 87-75 (+3)
(2)Philadelphia - 86-76 (-2)
(5)Washington - 62-100 (-4)

Central
(1)Chicago - 100-62 (-2)
(2)St. Louis - 92-70 (-8)
(3)Houston - 89-73 (+5)
(5)Pittsburgh - 75-87 (+8)
(4)Milwaukee - 73-89 (-4)
(6)Cincinnati - 68-94 (+4)

West
(1)Arizona - 98-64 (-9)
(2)Los Angeles - 87-75 (-10)
(3)Colorado - 67-95 (+3)
(4)San Francisco - 62-100 (+1)
(5)San Diego - 60-102 (+2)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Florida (+13), Cleveland (+9), Pittsburgh (+8)
Down - Loss Angeles (-10), Toronto (-9), Arizona(-9)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

En Ritmo: Proyecciones de Temporada para Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(2-previous)Boston - 92-70 (+8)
(3)Toronto - 86-76 (+4)
(1)Tampa Bay - 84-78 (-8)
(5)New York - 83-79 (+5)
(4)Baltimore - 77-85 (-4)

Central
(1)Chicago - 90-72 (-9)
(2)Cleveland - 81-81 (-5)
(4)Minnesota - 79-83 (+7)
(3)Detroit - 73-89 (-1)
(5)Kansas City - 67-95 (+7)

West
(1)Oakland - 99-63 (-1)
(2)Los Angeles - 87-75 (-5)
(3)Seattle - 75-87 (-9)
(4)Texas - 63-99 (+6)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 98-64 (+3)
(3)Philadelphia - 88-74 (+1)
(2)New York - 84-78 (-5)
(4)Florida - 77-85 (-5)
(5)Washington - 66-96 (+7)

Central
(1)Chicago - 102-60 (-2)
(2)St. Louis - 98-64 (+0)
(4)Houston - 84-78 (+4)
(3)Milwaukee - 77-85 (-11)
(6)Pittsburgh - 67-95 (+8)
(5)Cincinnati - 64-98 (-11)

West
(1)Arizona - 107-55 (-7)
(2)Los Angeles - 97-65 (+7)
(3)Colorado - 64-98 (-1)
(5)San Francisco - 61-101 (+6)
(4)San Diego - 58-104 (+2)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Boston (+8), Pittsburgh (+8)
Down - Cincinnati (-11), Milwaukee (-11)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

On Pace: Season Projections based on April

2008-04-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(3)Tampa Bay - 92-70 (+8)
(2)Boston - 84-78 (-4)
(1)Toronto - 82-80 (-13)
(4)Baltimore - 81-81 (-2)
(5)New York - 78-84 (+3)

Central
(1)Chicago - 99-63 (-9)
(3)Cleveland - 86-76 (+16)
(5)Detroit - 74-88 (+22)
(2)Minnesota - 72-90 (-2)
(4)Kansas City - 60-102 (-8)

West
(1)Oakland - 100-62 (+5)
(2)Los Angeles - 92-70 (+2)
(3)Seattle - 84-78 (-3)
(4)Texas - 57-105 (-8)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 95-67 (-10)
(2)New York - 89-73 (-14)
(3)Philadelphia - 87-75 (+5)
(4)Florida - 82-80 (+9)
(5)Washington - 59-103 (+7)

Central
(1)Chicago - 104-58 (+4)
(2)St. Louis - 98-64 (-1)
(3)Milwaukee - 88-74 (-5)
(5)Houston - 80-82 (+13)
(4)Cincinnati - 75-87 (+3)
(6)Pittsburgh - 59-103 (+3)

West
(1)Arizona - 114-48 (-6)
(2)Los Angeles - 90-72 (+6)
(3)Colorado - 65-97 (-7)
(4)San Diego - 56-106 (-7)
(5)San Francisco - 55-107 (-2)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Detroit (+22), Cleveland (+16), Houston (+13)
Down - New York Mets (-14), Toronto (-13), Atlanta (-10)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

On Pace: Season Projections After 3 Weeks

2008-04-21T22:21:00.009-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
(Last Week - 1)Toronto - 95-67 (-8)
(4)Boston - 88-74 (+11)
(2)Tampa Bay - 84-78 (-14)
(3)Baltimore - 83-79 (-2)
(5)New York - 75-87 (+7)

Central
(1)Chicago - 108-54 (+2)
(3)Minnesota - 74-88 (-6)
(4)Cleveland - 70-92 (-3)
(2)Kansas City - 68-94 (-26)
(5)Detroit - 52-110 (+24)

West
(1)Oakland - 95-67 (+1)
(2)Los Angeles - 90-72 (+7)
(3)Seattle - 87-75 (+5)
(4)Texas - 65-97 (-7)

National League
East
(1)Atlanta - 105-57 (+8)
(2)New York - 103-59 (+8)
(3)Philadelphia - 82-80 (+5)
(4)Florida - 73-89 (+6)
(5)Washington - 52-110 (-6)

Central
(4)Chicago - 100-62 (+19)
(1)St. Louis - 99-63 (-2)
(2)Milwaukee - 93-69 (-5)
(3)Cincinnati - 72-90 (-11)
(6)Houston - 67-95 (-10)
(5)Pittsburgh - 56-106 (-23)

West
(1)Arizona - 120-42 (+2)
(2)Los Angeles - 84-78 (-4)
(4)Colorado - 72-90 (+15)
(3)San Diego - 63-99 (-11)
(5)San Francisco - 53-109 (+3)

Biggest Movers:
Up - Detroit (+24), Chicago (+19)
Down - Kansas City (-26), Pittsburgh (-23)

*Wins may not total 2430 (30*162/2) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

I Shook Hands With Johnny Depp!!!

2008-04-15T16:42:00.001-05:00

Ok this is totally non-sports related, but totally kick-ass!

Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are starring in a new movie, Public Enemies. They are filming in the downtown of my hometown which is awesome. So yesterday I went downtown to check out the set. I didn't realize they would be filming that day but I saw a crowd of people and went over. (***SPOILER ALERT***)They said they just shot a scene in which there was a gun shootout by the Walgreen Drug Store(***ok not so much, but now I have something to watch for!***).

I waited to see if they would continue filming but rumors spread that they were done for the night. It was cold, the sun was going down, and I was wearing shorts so I began to walk around to check out more of the set. I ended up stopping near our library, and watched people walk by with equipment used for filming and taking it back to the trailers. One lady came by and asked me if she could cross the street. I did not think so because I thought it was part of the set, but that the worst that could happen was that some very large security man would tackle her to the ground but it's ok because it's a film set so they have the best people to deal with her injuries.

She then informed me that if i walked about a half-block down the other direction Johnny Depp was shaking hands and actually shook hers. I was shocked because I never expected to see him since I just was there to see the set. I couldn't figure out where he was at because there were quite a few people lined up along the street blocking the way. Luckily I'm tall and there was a section of the crowd with about 30 or 40 cameras in the air. I knew he was going down the line so I found a thinner spot of people and caught a glimpse of him in his awesome hat and sunglasses, and even the most expensive coat I'd ever seen anyone wear.

As he walked by, I was positioned as such that I could only stick out my left hand to shake his. This turned out to be beneficial for me, however, because he went in right handed and that doesn't work. Therefore, he brought his left hand up as well and shook mine with BOTH hands! That was pretty exciting in itself.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera, a pen, or anything for him to autograph since it was unplanned, and I think I was too starstruck to say anything though if I did, apparantly he was responding. People seemed very well-behaved much to my surprise, however, it seems like a one time deal, like he won't do it again, because now that he has once, people will flock there the next time they film. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

As I mentioned, I did not have a camera, however many people did. A few were smart enough to upload their pictures to public photo sites so I could steal them and post them uncredited below:

Lady's and Gentlemen, Mr. Johnny Depp

Don't be afraid of the guy in shades, oh no

Before: The Exclusive Company

After: Walgreen Drugs

Before: New Moon Cafe

After: Skalsa Restaurant

The Sheboygan Press has a nice little video of the Depp appearance. I am not in it, but I am somewhere in that line of people!

On Pace: Season Projections After Two Weeks

2008-04-14T19:31:00.001-05:00

If all teams keep up their current pace, this is what the season will pan out to look like:

Current Standings

American League
East
Toronto - 103-59
Tampa Bay - 98-64
Baltimore - 85-77
Boston - 77-85
New York - 68-94

Central
Chicago - 106-56
Kansas City - 94-68
Minnesota - 80-82
Cleveland - 73-89
Detroit - 28-134

West
Oakland - 94-68
Los Angeles - 83-79
Seattle - 82-80
Texas - 72-90

National League
East
Atlanta - 97-65
New York - 95-67
Philadelphia - 77-85
Florida - 67-95
Washington - 58-104

Central
St. Louis - 101-61
Milwaukee - 98-64
Cincinnati - 83-79
Chicago - 81-81
Pittsburgh - 79-83
Houston - 77-85

West
Arizona - 118-44
Los Angeles - 86-76
San Diego - 74-88
Colorado - 57-105
San Francisco - 50-112

*Wins don't total 2430 (81*30) due to rounding
**Projections based on current record as well as Bill James' Pythagorean Expectation

Need 4 Speed - Fantasy Baseball Steals

2008-04-04T02:25:00.007-05:00

Stolen bases can be a weak category for many fantasy baseball managers. If you missed out on Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, etc, don't worry! There are still options available!

Juan Pierre(99.8% owned): DEAL THIS GUY! He's averaged 60 stolen bases in the last 3 seasons but his time as a regular starter is over. Find somebody who owned him the year before and trade him an an inflated rate. Then pick up one of the following 3 guys!

Carlos Gomez(16.5%): This guy is the definition of fast. He just might be the fastest guy in the AL. In A and AA from '05 to '06, he swiped 105 bases. Had an impressive debut going 2-3 with 2 runs and 2 stolen bases. Batting leadoff, he should have an OBP of .330 or higher and his manager is very aggressive. Gomez should total over 35 steals this year with a potential for 90 or more runs scored.

Cameron Maybin(21.7%): Stole 52 bases in 185 minor league games and slugged .559 in spring. I was shocked when they sent him down to start the season. But when he gets called up watch out! He will run often under Gonzalez in Florida.

Lastings Milledge(71.3%): Hurry, his time as a free agent in your league is limited. People are noticing the talent and taking action! Had 5 SB in spring in just 14 games; also batted .340 with 9 RBI and 10 runs. He is starting in centerfield and currently batting second. He went undrafted in many leagues and is one of the top candidates for a breakout season. Get him on your team before it's too late!

The N8Dogg Challenge - 30 Teams/30 Players

2008-04-03T12:43:00.003-05:00

I proposed a challenge to Joey D and he accepted so now we will both take it on. My challenge was since there are 30 baseball teams, construct a team of 29 players and a manager using just one player (or manager) from each team. The basic roster is C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, RF, CF, DH, then 6 bench spots (a backup catcher, and 5 IF/OF). The pitching consists of a 5 SP rotation, 1 CL, and a whopping 8 relievers. And one team must provide a manager instead of a player. Players can only play a position if they have played it currently or in the past (for instance, Ryan Braun, a left fielder, could technically be used at 3B since he played there in 2007), and minor leaguers can only be used if they have been called up once already, or are highly projected to be called up before September.
I will post my team hopefully by tomorrow, and I can't wait to see Joey D's as well!

Runs Accounted For Update

2008-04-03T12:40:00.004-05:00

We now officially have a formula for RAF!! It is (R+RBI)/2. You can read more about it here and I will do an Introduction rewrite tomorrow. This is uber-exciting so stay tuned for more RAF news!

How Good is Fukudome?

2008-04-01T23:36:00.002-05:00

13 G, 24 H, 51 AB, .417 AVG, 9 HR, 17 RBI, 12 R, 1.716 OPS

Not that good. Maybe this good though:

115 G, 102 H, 373 AB, .273 AVG, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 50 R, .806 OPS

Above are two lines from the same batter in the same season. Chris Shelton of the Detroit Tigers (at the time) hit a whopping 9 HRs in his first 13 games in 2006, only the 4th ever to do that, and first in the AL. However, at the end of the season, he only hit 7 more HRs in 102 more games, and dropped his average 144 points.

OK, so Fukudome really isn't as bad as Shelton, but he isn't the league MVP just because he hit one home run in one game. Shelton is a great reason why you should never judge a book by its cover.

I watched the game yesterday and I was pissed when he hit that homer. And I saw the crowd go berserk, which they had every right to do. However, Fukudome gave the crowd a curtain call. For what? HE DIDN'T WIN THEM THE GAME. Was it a welcome to the Cubs curtain call? I thought it was unnecessary by all means. It's ONE game, he's not the Cubs savior. At least not yet. So I want to let all Cubs fans know something right now. It's very important and I think they really need to know:

Watch out! Fukudome is good. He's great and you are very lucky to have him on your team. I would not be surprised to see him start in the All-Star game (over Corey Hart, of course). However, if there is one thing you can never do, it is take a player and lift him onto your shoulders and give him All-Star treatment until he absolutely deserves it. Do you think the Tigers fans thought Shelton was the answer to their prayers? You bet! But he sucked; absolutely sucked in 2006. And I'm not saying Fukudome will fall that low, but it is a terrible idea to judge somebody by how they play in one game. I have talked to MORE than one Cubs fan, and they all seem to disregard the option of holding off on the Fukudome obsession. I don't know how many Brewers fans were high on Bill Hall last year after his 35 HR season, even Ned Yost batted him cleanup to start the season. He ended up in the 8-hole and batted .254 with 14 HRs. The Cubs dished out a ton of cash for this guy so honestly I really hope he works for you(, just not when you play the Brewers!)

Fukudome is going to be great this season, but he won't put up a 3-run home run in the ninth when you are down 3 probably ever again. And if he does, let me know, I probably won't care though. Remember, Gagne threw 7 straight balls, then two BP fastballs anybody could have jacked. Once pitchers start facing this guy, they will learn how to pitch to him and he won't go 3-3 every game.

Bottom line: Cubs fans, don't get ahead of yourselves. It's always great to be able to expect a player to perform well. But what if he doesn't? I'm not saying he won't. I'm just saying it COULD happen. Something to think about and to look back on once he doesn't live up to your .300, 30, 100, 100 expectations. Which he by all means could...

On another note, I heard the Sara Bareilles' Love Song song today...THREE FREAKING TIMES in about 2 hours. Can that song be played any more? Doesn't she have any other stuff that sounds good. I feel bad for her because she seems like a great singer but this one song will get labeled as all she is and she might not make it further than this. Another one-hit wonder victim.

But who cares about that when Suppan takes on Lilly tomorrow at 1:20 CT. This should be an interesting matchup considering Suppan will NEVER return to 2006 form and Lilly is all 2007 plus more and is in no way going to have an off year, don't even think about it. Or at least all the "experts" say that. Whatever, I don't listen to them. I guess they say the Nationals are supposed to lose a game this season. HOGWASH!!

Oh, and Runs Accounted For is up and running. Full speed ahead. Check it out!!!

What's Next

2008-03-24T22:17:00.003-05:00

OK, so I'm finally back. And I don't have the last section of the Packers thing but trust me it would have been good...something about a Nickleback pun...anyways about the Packers you've probably all heard about Brett Favre and all. Yeah that sucks for the team and all but I really think he left them in good shape. I could go on and on on this topic, but I'm sure you can find any opinion on it you want anywhere else online. However, this does not mean the blog is done. I am still going to post random sports crap (or genius posts). Because it's almost BASEBALL SEASON! And since we can no longer root for Favre, we can root for the next best thing, Geoff Jenkins! Oh, what's that? Jenkins is apparently no longer on the Brewers. OK then, we will have to root for the team as a whole, because the next best thing to rooting for America is rooting for a team named after BEER!! Speaking of baseball, I have invented a new baseball stat that is still in the works, but after this season if all goes well, it could be HUGE! So I made a new blog and I will post the runs accounted for(RAF) of EVERY GAME for the Brewers, and with the help of Joey D, hopefully the Tigers too!
I think that shall be the extent of this post, expect to see a bit more on the blog, and CHECK OUT RAF!!!

N8Dogg's Week 13 Power Rankings

2007-11-29T13:13:00.000-06:00

The Elite:
1. New England(11-0)
2. Dallas(10-1)
3. Green Bay(10-1)
4. Indianapolis(9-2)
5. Jacksonville(8-3)
6. Pittsburgh(8-3)
7. Tampa Bay(7-4)
8. Cleveland(7-4)
9. Seattle(7-4)
10. San Diego(6-5)
No surprises here. Unless you're a Giants fan. But they took a pretty bad beating by Minnesota('s pass defense). Actually I didn't know they had one of those. San Diego leads their division, so they get the upper hand here in deserving the top 10. And even though the Cowboys are ahead of the Packers, don't expect me not to pick the Packers in the game tonight!

The Hopefuls:
11. New York Giants(7-4)
12. Tennessee(6-5)
13. Minnesota(5-6)
14. Detroit(6-5)
15. Philadelphia(5-6)
16. New Orleans(5-6)
17. Chicago(5-6)
18. Denver(5-6)
19. Washington(5-6)
20. Arizona(5-6)
21. Houston(5-6)
22. Cincinnati(4-7)
If you're a Lions fan thinking "Minnesota?", look at their remaining strengths of schedule. Peterson should be coming back for the Vikes and that means possibly finishing second in the division. They'll have to win Sunday first, though. And for Denver, everybody has been saying it all week, and you were so dumb it's worth repeating. WHY WOULD YOU KICK TO DEVIN HESTER? It's not like your kicker is Josh Brown. And for Cincy being up over Buffalo, Buffalo has lost 2 straight and their schedule is looking grim. Cincy somehow beat Tennessee last week and have yet to face St. Louis, San Fran, and Miami. So there are blue skies out there Bengals fans!

The Wannabes:
23. Buffalo(5-6)
24. Kansas City(4-7)
25. Carolina(4-7)
26. Baltimore(4-7)
27. Oakland(3-8)
28. Atlanta(3-8)
29. San Francisco(3-8)
30. NY Jets(2-9)
31. St. Louis(2-9)
32. Miami(0-11)
Again, no surprises. These teams are pitiful. Miami though, man. No wins, and in the same division as the team with no losses. Maybe they can squeak by the Jets this week. But even so, they'll have to pull some major upsets to finish with anything over a .100 win percentage.

The 2007/1996 Packers Connection - Part Dos

2007-11-29T12:23:00.000-06:00

TE:
(Donald Lee = Keith Jackson) Keith Jackson became Favre's #1 red-zone threat, scoring 10 touchdowns on 40 receptions in 96. Donald Lee is becoming that player, and more importantly, a reliable target for Favre with 39 receptions and 4 touchdowns in 11 games. (Jackson not to be confused with ESPN commentator, Keith Jackson)

(Bubba Franks = Mark Chmura) This is another unfair comparison. Mark Chmura was one of Favre' best buds on the team. But with Jackson emerging, he rarely utilized Chewy's ability. Franks was a very good tight end a few years ago. But last year he had many fans arguing that he shouldn't be on the team for dropping critical passes in the end zone. This year in his first 6 games, he has been more effective snatching 2 touchdowns on 14 catches. Since then he has been injured and the Pack has been 5-0. Franks' injury may be a blessing had he played like last year in any one of those 5 games.

DE:
(Aaron Kampman = Reggie White)
Kampman is very underrated; he leads the league in sacks. He continues to be the best defensive end since Reggie White. Nobody can match the play of Reggie White. He has his number retired by the team and he is the all-time sack leader of both the Packers and the Eagles. White was the best end the Packers had ever seen and possibly the best they will ever see.

(Cullen Jenkins = Sean Jones) Cullen Jenkins played so well in pre-season that he took the starting job from Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. KGB still comes in to play in fact he's fourth in the league in sacks. But Jenkins is coming in to his own and is great against both the run and the pass. Sean Jones is just another member of the 96 Packers intimidating defensive line, notching 5 sacks and 37 tackles that year.

DT:
(Corey Williams = Santana Dotson)
Santana Dotson was great on the inside of the line and put up 5.5 sacks in 96. Corey Williams is playing just as well as that, if not better. Which is surprising, because Dotson was really good. Williams has 7 sacks in 11 games so far. In his free time, Corey Williams likes to design weddings.

(Ryan Pickett = Gilbert Brown) Pickett weighs in at a whopping 322 pounds. Which is impressive, until you see Gilbert Brown. In his prime, Brown weighed 345 pounds. Brown became famous in Green Bay for stopping the run and eating at Burger King. Pickett is the run-stopping guy of 07. Nobody wants to run his way and get crushed.

LB:
(Brady Poppinga = George Koonce)
OK, so George Koonce was our best linebacker, and Brady Poppinga is kind of the weakest. But when Koonce made a play, the stadium erupted in "KOOOOOOOONCE." And I find it hard to believe there aren't too many Packers fans now that don't like saying "Poppinga." I mean, who doesn't?

(Nick Barnett = Brian Williams) This would be Nick Barnett and Brian Cox, had the aforementioned Koonce not made the switch to MLB one week before the season. Barnett is the teams best linebacker, with a certain someone rapidly approaching. Williams played so well in pre-season, he prompted the benching of Brian Cox. And it's not hard to see why; Williams was second on the team in tackles, behind Koonce. Make sure to catch Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News!

(AJ Hawk = Wayne Simmons)
AJ Hawk is very scary. Taken with the 5th pick of the 2005 draft, Hawk is on the fast road to becoming the Packers best linebacker. Imagine how the defense would look if it had another top LB paired with Barnett and Hawk. It would be like 1996 all over! Actually, I think the only difference between these two is skin color and jersey number.

Next time: Cornerbacks, Safeties, Kickers and Coaches

Plus: Week 13 Power Rankings

The 2007 Packers - How They Stack up to the 1996 Super Bowl Champs

2007-11-27T01:17:00.000-06:00

(Part 1 of 3)
The 2007 Green Bay Packers are rolling. They are off to their best start since 1962 and play Dallas this week for possession of the NFC lead. They may have the best record in 45 years, but the best Packers team since then was the Super Bowl Champion in 1996.

We're so used to ruling out this same Packers team after a 4-8 start last year. But since then they have won 14 of 15 games. Position-wise this is how they stack up to the 96 team:

QB:
(Brett Favre = Brett Favre)
OK...so I'm starting easy. At quarterback we have Brett Favre who, in 1996 was the QB as well. After William Henderson's retirement last season, Favre is the only remain ing player from the Super Bowl team on the 07 Packers. There is no doubt Favre was in his prime back in the mid-90s, winning 3 straight MVP awards and leading his team to 2 straight Super Bowls. But there's something about Favre this year. If Tom Brady wasn't playing better than anyone ever has right now, Favre would be front runner for MVP.

RB:
(Ryan Grant = Dorsey Levens)
One pleasant surprise for the Packers and their fans this year was the emergence of Ryan Grant. He's posted 467 yards in 5 starts including 3 100-yard games. In fact, many coaches and players are noticing a striking resemblance to that of Dorsey Levens, including Brett Favre. I guess I had no choice really to match the two up. If Brett Favre says it, it has to be true! Levens appears to be the far superior back. But the way Grant is running the ball, it is tough to say he won't be the future running back on the team.

(Brandon Jackson = Edgar Bennett)
Brandon Jackson has to be one of the biggest disappointments for the Packers this season. Drafted in the second round, he was supposed to compete with Vernand Morency (possibly the biggest disappointment) for the starting running back job. With Morency out all preseason, Jackson should have taken the job and ran with it (no pun intended). Nevertheless he has seen a few carries in the last few games. He's a rookie so he hopes to get better. However, he won't get to be as good as Edgar Bennett this year. But at least he has him for a coach.

FB:
(Korey Hall = William Henderson)
This is not a fair match up for William Henderson. Henderson was one of the best fullbacks the Packers ever had, so naturally, Korey Hall won't replace him. And he hasn't. A converted linebacker, Hall hasn't touched the ball once this year on the ground, though he does have 8 receptions. He is likely the main reason the running game never took off in the beginning of the season. Even so, he seems to be getting a little more comfortable since the Packers have posted 3 straight 100-yard rushing games (4 of the last 5).

WR:
(Donald Driver = Robert Brooks)
That about says it. Don't make me compare these two. Each is as good as the other. Robert Brooks does have a pretty sweet CD about Jumping in the Stands... so he gets the nod.

(Greg Jennings = Antonio Freeman)
Another very accurate comparison. Freeman was very very good, and Jennings is very very close to being there. The biggest thing they have in common is both having caught significant Brett Favre TD passes. Ironically, both against the same team. Freeman's came on a Monday night, while Jennings caught #421.

(James Jones = Don Beebe)
Don Beebe was awesome. How could you not love him? He was on the Bills when they couldn't buy a Super Bowl win and came to the Packers hoping for one and we actually got him a ring! James Jones is a rookie, but also plays that crucial 3rd receiver role just as well as Beebe did. Great hands, great speed (in fact, Beebe is considered one of the fastest football players ever). Receivers are obviously a huge role in why the 07 Packers are doing so well.

(Koren Robinson = Desmond Howard)
Yeah right. Robinson is mainly used as a receiver whereas Howard was only used as a kick returner. And the best one there was. Robinson could never match that. But he can match him in jersey number. And he sometimes returns kicks. And the pictures are freakishly similar. So I kept the comparison in.

Up Next: Part 2 - TE, DT, DE, and LB

After the Break

2007-11-26T22:04:00.000-06:00

Well Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I took an extended break. Not my fault, I was out of town a lot and lots of extra Thanksgiving hours at work. Anyways, I'll get started back up this week, starting with an eerie comparison of the 2007 Packers to the 1996 Super Bowl Packers.

By the way, it wasn't a complete break. I still made my picks and all. I went 13-3 week 11 and this week I am 10-5 pending the MNF game. So I guess I am still amazing even when I take a long Thanksgiving break!

Look for the Lions to Upset

2007-11-07T15:46:00.000-06:00

After a promising 13-0 week in pick'em 2 weeks ago, I went 10-4 this last week. That's still pretty good except 3 of the 5 yahoo experts picked 11 or 12 games right and one of the others got 10 as well. This week though I'm not seeing too many upsets happening. Actually none at all. OK, technically I see a few, potentially.

DETROIT @ ARIZONA
Hold on. Arizona is 3-5 and they are favored to beat Detroit (6-2)? Something isn't right.
Last Word: If you can call this an upset, DETROIT better beat Arizona.

DENVER @ KANSAS CITY
This game is off the boards, so I can't exactly tell you if I'm picking an upset. There's no way Kansas City should be favored to lose to Denver.
Last Word: Denver sucks, I said it before. KANSAS CITY in an upset.

JACKSONVILLE @ TENNESSEE
This game also is off the board. But I'd guess Tennessee would get the call since they are the home team with the better record coming off a win. But Jacksonville is tough, never consider them out of a game.
Last Word: TENNESSEE in my third and final upset.

CINCINNATI @ BALTIMORE
The rest of my picks you should figure out since I said I wasn't picking any more upsets. But I'll still talk about a few. Cincinnati is looking really bad. But Baltimore looked like crap against Pittsburgh.
Last Word: BALTIMORE only beats bad teams and looks terrible against good teams. Cincy is a bad team.

DALLAS @ NY GIANTS
This is a game a lot of people think will be an upset. Dallas is barely favored to win and I think they'll keep rolling.
Last Word: DALLAS. Do you think they'll want the Packers to be the NFC's best team?

CLEVELAND @ PITTSBURGH
This looks like it should be an obvious choice. Pittsburgh duh, Cleveland sucks. But wait, the Browns are somehow 5-3. Since when could they win?
Last Word: PITTSBURGH is fast approaching the ~~elite teams~~ Patriots and Colts. They should fly through this game.

PHILADELPHIA @ WASHINGTON
Here's another game I think could go either way. Ironically, it also involves 2 NFC East teams. But the Eagles are almost considering starting Kevin Kolb.
Last Word: If the Eagles want to give up on themselves, I'll follow suit and pick WASHINGTON.

Other games:
@GREEN BAY over Minnesota
@CAROLINA over Atlanta
BUFFALO over @Miami
@NEW ORLEANS over St. Louis
CHICAGO over @Oakland
INDIANAPOLIS over @San Diego
@SEATTLE over San Francisco
Last week: 10-4
Season: 95-35 (73%)

Whoops, I lied. In my fourth upset of the week, I'm NOT picking NEW ENGLAND to win. Listen, it may be the only week all season the Patriots don't win. Actually, now that I think about it, Belichick might contrive a way to get a win. So in reality, it kind of is an upset...

N8Dogg's Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

2007-11-07T12:19:00.000-06:00

The Elite:
1. (1) New England Patriots(9-0)
2. (2) Indianapolis Colts(7-1)
3. (3) Dallas Cowboys(7-1)
4. (4) Green Bay Packers(7-1)
5. (5) Pittsburgh Steelers(6-2)
6. (7) Tennessee Titans(6-2)
7. (6) New York Giants(6-2)
8. (10) Detroit Lions(6-2)
9. (12) Cleveland Browns(5-3)
10. (8) Jacksonville Jaguars(5-3)
If I had told you last year that at this point the Lions and the Browns would both be in the top 10, everyone would have laughed hysterically, followed by me saying "I was only joking, there's no way that could EVER happen." Well, both teams have the last laugh now (but Detroit has a tough second half schedule). As for the rest of the top 10, the Pats and Colts will probably never leave their positions the rest of the season. The Steelers however, won't be in 5th for long. They are almost back to the point where they should be in consideration for being equal to the Pats and Colts (this means watch out Patriots in week 14). Jacksonville is in 10th because nobody else fit the bill, and playing Tennessee this week, they should either be there or not, and we will find out.

The Hopefuls:
11. (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers(5-4)
12. (15) Washington Redskins(5-3)
13. (21) New Orleans Saints(4-4)
14. (9) San Diego Chargers(4-4)
15. (11) Seattle Seahawks(4-4)
16. (16) Kansas City Chiefs(4-4)
17. (17) Carolina Panthers(4-4)
18. (22) Houston Texans(4-5)
19. (24) Buffalo Bills(4-4)
20. (25) Minnesota Vikings(3-5)
21. (14) Baltimore Ravens(4-4)
22. (19) Arizona Cardinals(3-5)
New Orleans (who started 0-4) is going 12-4. They only play one winning team on out and just annihilated Jacksonville. Another 4-4 playoff contender is Buffalo. They started 1-4 but had a very tough schedule. Ironically, New Orleans and Buffalo play St. Louis and Miami this week. But Buffalo has New England after that. We'll see what they can do with a 4 game winning streak against the Pats (my guess: not much, but we'll see). Minnesota also scoots out of the bottom 10 with a win over San Diego, but face the Packers in Lambeau this week so they could be headed back down.

The Wannabes:
23. (20) Philadelphia Eagles(3-5)
24. (23) Chicago Bears(3-5)
25. (18) Denver Broncos(3-5)
26. (26) Cincinnati Bengals(2-6)
27. (27) Oakland Raiders (2-6)
28. (30) Atlanta Falcons(2-6)
29. (28) San Francisco(2-6)
30. (29) New York Jets(1-8)
31. (31) Miami Dolphins(0-8)
32. (32) Saint Louis Rams(0-8)
I feel bad for the Eagles. They were forced down here because of Buffalo and Minnesota. Maybe they deserve it though. Who knows, they play Washington this week. Denver makes a dive into the bottom 10. Because they suck. Only the Rams have a worse points for/against ratio (the Broncos were 4th worst before their beating in Detroit, just edging out San Fran this week). Then there's the Jets. Weren't they 10-6 last year? Didn't they make the playoffs? Didn't I pick them to win their division this year? Yes....yes....sadly, yes....

Biggest rise: New Orleans (21 to 13)
Biggest drop: Baltimore (14 to 21) and Denver (18 to 25)

Fantasy Hockey Story Time w/ N8Dogg

2007-11-05T13:02:00.000-06:00

Step aside from reality for a moment and gaze down the frozen road of fantasy hockey. Now I don't watch hockey, or know a whole lot about it. But I played last year and did pretty well, so I gave it another shot this year. I am in two leagues, one commissioned by my friend Matt, the other by my cousin Derrick.

Just because I don't know much about the sport, doesn't mean fantasy sports strategies and luck don't apply. This past weekend was a prime example as I managed an improbable comeback in one league, and got caught on the wrong side of luck in the other.

I'll talk about the unlucky one first so I can end on a high note! I am in 3rd place (out of 10) in the league run by Matt. I was matched up against the guy who was, and currently is, in 2nd. The whole week, my players were doing everything in their power to surge into 2nd place. The final line in the matchup gave me wins in goals, assists, and powerplay points (all by 5 each). By the end of Saturday, I had goalie categories locked up. I was up a comfortable 7-2, with sure losses in +/- and game-winning goals. On Sunday, I had 3 skaters to his 5 and no goalies to his 1. Not that I would have started my goalie(s) if i could have; I wouldn't have wanted to risk goals against average or save %. I felt my one shutout was pretty safe because those are fairly rare. And i was up 3 wins to 2 so even if he got the W, i would still win 6-2, and move into 2nd place. And that's when the bad luck took place. I didn't think it was all that bad, having him start Pascal Leclaire. Even when I saw he got a shutout on Sunday, I decided I'd be alright with a 5-2 victory. Then of course, I checked the final score when I woke up...I LOST!!! The shutout cost me more than I bargained for as I went on to lose GAA and SV%. Thanks to Ottawa and their shorthanded play, I lost shorthanded points in the last 4 hours on Sunday, giving me a final score of 3 categories to 5. It kept me in 3rd, fortunately, but I couldn't believe how rapidly the score changed from 7-2 to 3-5, and on the last day. I don't remember the last time I saw the score change so drastically so late in the week.

But then I went to check the matchup in Derrick's league. I'm in 6th place (out of 10). I moved up from 7th following a spectacular comeback on my part, including knowledge of the game's interior rules, that too many people fail to take note of. I was just quick enough to catch the fact that my goalies were about to fail the minimum games requirement. A lot of people don't know what that is, or if they do, forget it's there, because if you have 2 or more goalies, odds are you'll meet the requirements week in and week out. Basically, your goalies have to play a combined 3 games to have their stats count. This prevents someone from recording a shutout on Monday, and benching their goalies to preserve their win in GAA, SV%, and SO. I noticed that of the four games my goalies could have played in between Monday and Friday, I managed to start them the three games they didn't play. And I only had 2 more goalies with games on Saturday or Sunday. Meaning I would for sure lose goalie stats. It looked like a sure loss of probably 4-6. But then one of my players went on IR. I had to pick someone up for him, preferably a LW, since that's who went down. But instead, I dropped another player, and picked up the 2 remaining goalies who had a shot of possibly, perhaps, maybe playing Sunday. If even one of them played, I would maybe win a goalie category. For some strange reason, both of the goalies I started on Saturday actually played! And one of the guys I picked up for the Sunday spot start made an appearance. He didn't start, but the starter let 3 of 6 shots go by giving him playing time. Meaning I was going to meet the requirement!! Somehow, I managed to scrape up GAA and SV%, as well as an extra SHP (ironically from the same game that cost me the category in my other league) and GWG on the weekend to win 8-3! What a beautiful victory!

And what a great week in fantasy hockey! I'll keep you posted if I do anything else remarkable. (It's up to you to decide whether to expect lots of posts or very few)

Super Bowl XLI.V - It Deserves the Hype

2007-11-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

The greatest rivalries in sports. Red Sox vs Yankees. North Carolina vs Duke. Michigan vs Ohio State. Ali vs Frazier. Federer vs Nadal. Bradshaw vs Staubach. But undoubtedly the biggest sports rivalry in the current era is Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady. But this game is about more than a classic quarterback rivalry. It's about two of the best offensive units ever going head-to-head to virtually claim the home field for when they meet again in the playoffs. It's about two teams, neither of which can be stopped, each trying to put up a road block for the other, the winner almost surely to be the first undefeated team in 25 years. On one side of the field is Tony Dungy, the NFL's most beloved coach, facing off against Bill Belichick, the most reviled, controversial coach in the league. In the most anticipated regular season NFL game ever, the #1* Patriots match up versus the #2* Colts, to decide which is the better team(for at least the next 10 weeks). *according to most expert opinions

There is no way to calculate stats from 1-2 matchups in pro football. However, there have been 39 1-2 matchups in college due to the fact that college teams get ranked. The topped ranked team is 22-14-2. During the regular season, that number becomes 14-6-2. (In bowl games, the #1 team is 9-8, so whoever wins this match should watch out for revenge in the playoffs.) The road team is 8-8-1 at non-neutral sites. But if you are someone who considers the Colts the better team, when the #1 team hosts, they are 7-0. So statistically, the Patriots have a decent advantage.

However, we should all know by now that it doesn't matter who has the advantage. Anything can happen at any time. Here's what each team needs to do to win:

WHY THE PATRIOTS WILL WIN:
They are possibly the most prolific offense ever. And they have the defense to match as well. They've put up an average of over 41 points per game giving up less than 16 per. Against the Colts defense, they have to utilize Wes Welker to his maximum potential, if they aren't already. The Colts defense likes to always cover deep. While this doesn't take away the potential of the Randy Moss deep threat, it opens up the middle of the field for Welker. With a constant 3-receiver set, the Patriots will throw all day over the middle of the field, and successfully as well. Keep in mind Donte Stallworth is excellent on the short slant. They will also benefit from Marvin Harrison being out of the game. He is considered a "game-time decision" but hasn't practiced all week and has been told it would be smart to sit. Without Harrison, the Patriots will put Asante Samuel on Reggie Wayne. Samuel is the league's top shutdown corner and Wayne is the Colts top pass option. Even if Harrison plays, the Patriot secondary will be able to limit him and his lingering knee injury. The Colts will put up the points, but it will be no match for the Patriots.
Patriots 41, Colts 35

WHY THE COLTS WILL WIN:
Keep in mind the Colts won the Super Bowl last year. And they only got better in the off-season. They have a defense with the fewest passing yards allowed(165.4) and the second fewest points allowed (14.6) per game. They play a two-deep coverage defense to eliminate the big plays Brady likes to make. It will make Brady throw short, thus limiting the amount of points they can score. Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea are two of the leagues toughest safeties. They know what they have to do to win, and they will get it done. In last year's AFC Championship Game, Manning ran a no-huddle, hurry up attack the entire game. He will try and get that going again because a slow start in this game will mean they have to play catch up. And nobody wants to play catch up in this game. Early on, their main focus will be Joseph Addai and opening up play-action passing. The Colts will want to drain as much time as possible from every drive to keep the Patriots offense off the field. Though Harrison has not practiced this week, it may be a ploy to keep the Patriots off their game. They said he could have played last week and he should be good to go by game time. With Harrison, Wayne and Dallas Clark, the Colts have the same offensive weapons as the Patriots. However, they have an edge with, arguably, the games best quarterback. While you can argue that, you cannot argue that he is the better game manager than Brady. Manning is never out of a game. This may be the only time when running up the score might be useful to the Patriots. However, with the Colts defense refusing to give up the big plays, they won't be able to. That, and the game's not on FOX.
Colts 38, Patriots 31

WHY THE PATRIOTS AND COLTS WILL TIE:
They can't. Each team is too good offensively to go 15 minutes in overtime without scoring. It is impossible. But it would be AWESOME!!!

Final Say: It will be a shootout. Whoever has the ball last is going to win. On the same hand, whoever gets the ball first will score first and force the other to play catch up. Neither offense can be stopped, even by these two strong defenses. The two teams combined will score over 80 points. Ultimately though, the Patriots have faced the Chargers, Cowboys, and Redskins, all of whose defenses were thought to be strong enough to contain them. But the Patriots scored 38, 48, and 52 points against them. PATRIOTS will win. It's time to accept the fact that nobody can stop them.

Next Week:
Joel Zumaya finds out he's Dick Cheney's cousin
...and more!!

Hey, WTF, This Guy Stole My Wedding Idea

2007-11-02T01:49:00.000-05:00

Amy Knicker and Jeremy Thrall from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin got married last month on, well, a Saturday(OF COURSE!!). The entire wedding was Green Bay Packer themed! It was like a total dream come true for me, if in fact, I was the groom... Oh and take out a most of the redneck freakiness. I would be willing to bet this is something you will only find in Wisconsin, because we Wisconsinites are a little bit what you might call Packer MANIACS. Below are a few of the scarier pictures from the wedding, the rest you can find by visiting the link.

I don't know about you, but I find this whole idea of a Packer themed wedding a bit "Cheese"y. ;)

Carrie Underwood Breaks Up With Tony Romo on "Carnival Ride"

2007-11-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

I don't care who you ask, Carrie Underwood and Tony Romo were definitely dating. Even though in an Entertainment Weekly article, Carrie states,

"At one point it seemed like that's where it was headed, but point blank, he is about football."

And in the same article, Romo is quoted as saying,

"We're (just) friends."

If that isn't evidence enough that these two hooked up, perhaps these pictures will make it quite clear:

Alright, give it up. It's obvious you two were together, so just quit lying. On the other hand, maybe we can rely on Carrie's word as to whether she dated Romo or not. We can all agree that Carrie didn't have another boyfriend since her victory on "American Idol", right? So if she ever talks about an ex-boyfriend since "Idol", it would have to mean Romo, right? Good, glad we're on the same page!

In a recent interview with Great American Country TV, Carrie claims she doesn't keep in touch with her ex-boyfriends because,

"most of my exes are pre-'Idol'"

MOST??? That means at least one is post-"Idol", correct? Meaning Romo...since we already established that. Okay, so now we have hard evidence that they were together, but why aren't they now? Well according to Carrie,

"I don't know if it's that I'm not quite his type or whatever, but I don't think he's at the point in his life where he would be willing to sacrifice football. He hated so much that people thought that he was paying more attention to me and that was causing him to not do well.''

Alright, fair enough. He didn't like that people thought he was slacking in the football department. Well not so much thought, as knew... But who broke up with who? It may seem that Romo broke up with Carrie. WRONG. On her latest album "Carnival Ride," she co-wrote a track titled "All-American Girl." The second verse of the song has these lyrics:

"She was falling for the senior football star
Before you knew it he was dropping passes
Skipping practice just to spend more time with her
The coach said, hey son what is your problem
Tell me have you lost your mind
Daddy said you'll lose your free ride to college
Boy, you better tell her goodbye"

Hmm...well I think Carrie knew she was affecting Romo's play. Then ended up writing a song containing lyrics that prove to him that they weren't meant for each other. Even though the album didn't come out until late October, the two have reportedly been split up since summer, and she would have had to take the time to write the song beforehand. If they had been together, he would have surely wanted to know what she was writing. And once she showed it to him, that was it. He realized he wasn't going to score a huge contract with the Cowboys and he would forever be known as the quarterback who fumbled his team's season away, so the relationship was over.

It seems to be working out for the two, nonetheless. Carrie has been spotted with Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) and Romo seems to have worked out a 6 year, zillion dollar contract with the 'Boys. So good luck to them both!

As for Romo and his current love life, well lets just say his success is on the field....

*RANDOM TONY ROMO FUN FACT OF THE DAY: Tony Romo is the HEAD QUARTERback of Dallas. Whereas, Tony Roma's HEADQUARTERs in Dallas. Coincidence?

Coming Soon: I'll break down everything you need to know about the upcoming Patriots/Colts game.

Let Me Take This Time to Overhype the Upcoming #1 vs #2 Matchup

2007-10-31T22:17:00.001-05:00

Admit it, you were surprised I didn't mention the 8-0 Patriots vs. the 7-0 Colts in my Power Rankings. I was. I got done and said, "how did i manage that?" Well guess what? I'm gonna try again. I want to preview for you some of the upcoming NFL games and my picks, and I'm not even going to mention the Pats/Colts game after this paragraph. I'll save that for later...

So here are a few games worth mentioning that I may have picked different than you or the experts and my explanation as to why I think a certain team will win.

I'll start with GREEN BAY @ KANSAS CITY
Kansas City is doing very OK this season. They are 4-3 and tied for first in their division. But the Chargers are lighting up the board lately and the Chiefs should fall to 2nd soon enough. And if they do, they are in jeopardy of losing their wildcard to the likes of Baltimore, Jacksonville, or Tennessee. So in reality, the next few weeks are must-wins for the Chiefs. But...the Packers come in to town, led by a 28 38 year old Brett Favre. They are 6-1 and vying(I love that word) for the lead in the NFC. The only team Favre has never beaten is the Chiefs and he'll look to become just the 3rd active QB to defeat all 31 opponents(after Peyton Manning and Tom Brady).
Final Say: The Chiefs are tough to beat at home but the Packers look unstoppable. I've gotta go with my PACKERS on this one.

DENVER @ DETROIT
I like this game. Denver is really struggling and looking really bad. But they could have easily won last week. And they are still only 1 game back in their division. The Lions are looking good, honestly. But I thought the same thing right before they got crushed by Philly, and again by Washington. If there is another game that the Lions could implode in, it is this one. The Broncos on the other hand, have never won a game by more than an Elam field goal.
Final Say: Lions are at home coming off a solid road victory. LIONS (by more than a Hanson field goal).

CAROLINA @ TENNESSEE
Just wanted to throw this out there: Carolina is 0-3 at home and 4-0 on the road. But Tennessee is really good right now.
Final Say: TENNESSEE. Carolina can't expect to win everything on the road.

JACKSONVILLE @ NEW ORLEANS
This should be an interesting game. Jacksonville is 5-2 and the Saints are 3-4 but making a huge surge in the standings. It's really a tossup with the Saints being the favorites here.
Final Say: JACKSONVILLE comes marching in and wins. But it's close.

CINCINNATI @ BUFFALO
Which team is worse? Right now? Gosh I don't even know.
Final Say: Cincinnati's favored to win? Then I'm taking BUFFALO.

SEATTLE @ CLEVELAND
Cleveland is fun to watch. And Seattle is really doing poor lately. But they've had a bye to regenerate and Branch and Hackett should be back.
Final Say: Cleveland will make it a high scoring game, but Seattle should be able to throw all over them. SEATTLE in a shootout.

BALTIMORE @ PITTSBURGH
Baltimore is 4-3...against no winning teams. Pittsburgh is 5-2.
Final Say: PITTSBURGH. But it won't be as exciting as last weeks MNF.

Other Picks:
@TAMPA BAY over Arizona
SAN DIEGO over @Minnesota
SAN FRANCISCO over @Atlanta
WASHINGTON over @NY Jets
HOUSTON over @Oakland
DALLAS over @Philly
Last week: 13-0
Season: 85-31

I knew I could do it!

Tomorrow: INSIDE SCOOP - The REAL reason "RomoWood" split up

N8Dogg's Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

2007-10-31T22:08:00.000-05:00

The Elite:
1. (1) New England Patriots(8-0)
2. (2) Indianapolis Colts(7-0)
3. (3) Dallas Cowboys(6-1)
4. (5) Green Bay Packers(6-1)
5. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers(5-2)
6. (4) New York Giants(6-2)
7. (7) Tennessee Titans(5-2)
8. (8) Jacksonville Jaguars(5-2)
9. (12) San Diego Chargers(4-3)
10. (14) Detroit Lions(5-2)
About the most surprising thing here is the Lions at #10. Jon Kitna guaranteed 10 wins at the beginning of the season and everyone laughed. But they play the Packers twice in the second half and they can't seem to find a way to lose. As for the Chargers, they appear to be back. Three straight wins has them back in the top 10 and they should win at least 2 of their next 3 as well.

The Hopefuls:
11. (11) Seattle Seahawks(4-3)
12. (17) Cleveland Browns(4-3)
13. (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers(4-4)
14. (15) Baltimore Ravens(4-3)
15. (9) Washington Redskins(4-3)
16. (16) Kansas City Chiefs(4-3)
17. (10) Carolina Panthers(4-3)
18. (18) Denver Broncos(3-4)
19. (19) Arizona Cardinals(3-4)
20. (22) Philadelphia Eagles(3-4)
21. (25) New Orleans Saints(3-4)
22. (20) Houston Texans(3-5)
Washington and Carolina took a nose dive here. The Redskins looked to have it going their way but the Patriots put up a wall. Expect them to get going again right away as they play the 1-7 Jets. Carolina can't win at home. Good news for them as they go on the road this week. Bad news is they play the 5-2 Titans. Should be a good game. The Saints have resurged and are looking more like the team they were last year. Expect them to keep climbing. Meanwhile, after Houston's excellent 2-0 start, they've gone 1-5. It's apparent they still suck and are looking forward to losing at Oakland this coming week.

The Wannabes:
23. (21) Chicago Bears(3-5)
24. (26) Buffalo Bills(3-4)
25. (24) Minnesota Vikings(2-5)
26. (23) Cincinnati Bengals(2-5)
27. (27) Oakland Raiders(2-5)
28. (28) San Francisco 49ers(2-5)
29. (29) New York Jets(1-7)
30. (30) Atlanta Falcons(1-6)
31. (31) Miami Dolphins(0-8)
32. (32) Saint Louis Rams(0-8)
No big surprises here. Unless you count the Bears at 23. They should either be a "Hopeful" or the Texans should be a "Wannabe," but I could only choose one and since I hate the Bears, well yeah. Plus I had the Texans ahead of them last week, it wouldn't be fair to them to switch places. I can hear it now, "then explain why Minnesota and Cincy flip-flopped." Alright I will. Brad Childress named Adrian Peterson as the starter. Simple as that. They still suck, just not as bad as the Bengals. The most depressing thing about the "Wannabes" is that in the bottom 5, 2 of the teams play each other (49ers and Falcons) and the worst 2 teams have a bye this week meaning neither can climb out of the hole. Good news for San Fran, though. If they beat the Falcons they might edge their way out of the bottom 5!

Favre Really IS God...

2007-10-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

So not only did Brett Favre have another historic Monday Night game, and another comeback to add to his resume, but he also secured the final win in my NFL Pick'em league to make me 13-0 this week!
That's right, even though the "experts" unanimously picked teams like Chicago and Minnesota, I picked the same way I always do and somehow managed to pick the "upsets" that actually happened. Whether it was Detroit over Chicago, Philly over Minnesota, or New England over Washington, I picked them all!!!! Thanks to Brett Favre of course, since it seemed as if the Packers defense did everything in their power to let Denver score 6 in the last minute.
This puts me to 85 games correct on the season! (For reference, the highest scorer in Yahoo has 89) So go me! I am purely amazing!

Coming soon:
Week 9 NFL Power Rankings
Week 9 NFL Picks (So you can follow along as I am crowned champion of Yahoo)

The Red Sox Hate Beer

2007-10-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

The Boston Red Sox have just won their second World Series in ~~four~~ ninety years. They have won eight straight World Series games and swept both the Cardinals and Rockies.

Let's look back at the teams they've beaten.

To start, the 2004 Cardinals, who after an intense roller coaster ride in the NLCS headed to Boston to face the (un)cursed Red Sox, who pulled off the greatest comeback in sports history. In four games, the Red Sox continued their winning streak and won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.

More recently, the 2007 Rockies. Winning 21 of their final 22 games, the Rockies entered the World Series being the only team to sweep their competition in the playoffs. However the Red Sox pulled off another improbable comeback and took that momentum straight into the World Series and the streaking Rockies never won another game.

What connects the two series? It could be as simple as where they were played. For both series', the Red Sox had home field advantage, meaning when they won it all, they were on the road. Looking at those two stadiums, we have Busch Stadium and Coors Field.

Ladies and Gentleman, the truth is evident. The Red Sox hate beer. If you name your team's stadium after your local brewery, the Red Sox will make sure they meet you in the World Series, with home field advantage, and they will sweep you to the floor in front of your drunken home town fans. Try and stop them, you can't.

Just one team remains for the Red Sox to sweep away on their anti-beer World Series campaign - the Milwaukee Brewers. That's right. The next time the Red Sox make the World Series, they will be faced up with the Brewers. And game 4 will be in Miller Park. And the Red Sox will sweep their hopes and dreams away.

After that, who knows. Maybe we will have to wait 86 more years for the Red Sox to find another set of opponents to target. Until then, anyone who ventures within 50 miles of Boston with a beer in their hands not labeled "Sam Adams" shall be swept away to their home city and beaten with the bats of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez...

You have been warned.

***On a side note, thank you to Jacoby Ellsbury for stealing second base in Game 2 of the World Series, my free taco from Taco Bell was very delicious!!

Celtics Petiton to Broadcast Games on FOX

2007-10-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

As the Patriots wrapped up their 52-7 slaughter of the Redskins, (this is nothing new, google "Wounded Knee") I began to wonder how a team facing their toughest defense yet, managed to put up the most points in team history since 1984. Then about an hour later, on the same channel, pre-game for the Red Sox/Rockies World Series Game 4 began. As I looked back on the recent games broadcast on FOX, I noticed that not only was it the first time this season that the Patriots played on FOX, but also the historic comeback by the Red Sox over the Indians, as well, aired on FOX. And not only did the Patriots outscore their opponent by 45 points, but the Red Sox outscored the Indians and Rockies by 36 points in their 11 games on FOX. In fact in the Red Sox final 7 games, they outscored opponents 59-15, a difference of 44 points, nearly unheard of in baseball.

As this recent "trend" became apparent to me, I realized that the Red Sox and the Patriots are not Boston's only good teams in sports. Earlier this year, the Boston Celtics made a trades to bring in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Those two, combined with Paul Pierce, make one of the strongest offensive "Big Three's" in the NBA. I checked in with my insider in Boston and he indeed confirmed the fact that the Celtics want to broadcast on FOX.

According to the source, Celtics GM Danny Ainge reports,

"It is obvious that Boston sports teams are unbeatable when they play games on FOX. The Celtics organization is currently researching ways to broadcast more of our games on FOX. This team is good. We are really excited to finally win some games this season. What we are hoping is that by putting more games on FOX, we will crush the competition. I don't think we can make the Finals, to be honest, if we don't get outside help from FOX. There's no way the Red Sox would have came back over the Indians if those games were on TBS. I'll say it now, if we get the majority of our games broadcast on FOX, we will win 70 games this year. Anyway, we're really excited about this season. I can't emphasize that enough."

So there you have it. The Boston Celtics are doing everything in their power to broadcast games on FOX. Now I understand why you think your team is really good. But explain to me the comment about not thinking you can win the NBA Finals. I mean if you really have faith in your team, does it matter what channel your games are on?

According to Danny Ainge,

"Yes."

Getting Started

2007-10-29T00:24:00.000-05:00

Alright, I've never done this before but I have a few ideas so I'm gonna start with them and see where they fly. I guess I'm going to keep everything sports related, since my first few ideas all have to do with sports. I'll bring you my weekly NFL Power Rankings, maybe some news about my fantasy teams, and anything I can think up that will make you laugh. So come along for the ride as I explore the world of sports journalism!!!