Sunday Morning Headlines

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A Conversation Between Allen Iverson and Jim Mora

A little Sunday morning humor...

The Year Nobody won the Heisman.....

Will the real Heisman Trophy Candidate please stand up? Here we are ......almost at the half way point of the season, and no one....has set themselves apart from the competition. As I speak, I just watched Kentucky QB Andre Woodson throw another interception as Kentucky is losing to LSU. Michigan running back, Mike Hart had 102 yards and 2 TD's today against Purdue......but sat out the 2nd half with a bruised right ankle. Arkansas tailback, Darren McFadden, may still be the odds on favorite, but his team is struggling in the SEC West. Which brings us out west.....There is that talented QB out of Oregon (Dennis Dixon), and the gunslinger out of Hawaii, Colt Brennan. Some time within the next couple of weeks, somebody has to step up......and be heard......better yet.....just be seen.....hopefully by Heisman voters.

Andre Woodson

Darren McFadden

A Tale of two Cities

It's about time to say goodbye to another pretender.....the woeful Arizona Diamondbacks. We knew coming into this series, the D-backs couldn't hit, but their pitching was suppose to keep them competitive. However, last nights 11th inning meltdown by the bullpen, exhausted any hope the snakes had at winning this years' NL pennant. Meanwhile, Colorado continues on that "Rocky Mountain High"........going home to Denver with a 2-0 lead and a chance to close this thing out at Coors Field. Get ready for a Boston-Colorado World Series .....(the first for the Rockies in their 15 year existence).

Good Job Kev

I like your blog. Keep it coming.

The NBA ......commeth.....

Just to get your NBA vibes working....Hey, break out those Atlanta Hawks....they're 2-0!!! oh...it's preseason?....Never mind

Gotta go to class.....guys....at some time!!

Dogs suspend 3 key basketball players ajc.com:

Georgia Head basketball coach Dennis Felton just can't catch a break. First, he inherits a program devastated by the Jim Herrick era. Then one of his cornerstone recruits, Louis Williams , decides to fore-go college and go straight to the NBA via the Philadelphia 76ers. Now in his 5th season.....a season with NCAA post season aspirations......his players.....'eh .....can't seem to find the right building that's conducting their class. Seems, Mike Mercer (starting guard), Takais Brown ( leading scorer), and (backup center) Albert Jackson were cited for violating the athletics department's class-attendance and academic-appointment policy. For the upcoming 2007-8 season, Mercer has been suspended for 15 games, Brown 9 games, and Jackson 6 games. To make matters worse, Mercer is coming off a torn ACL in his right knee. The suspensions don't start until he is medically cleared to play, so it's quite possible he could miss the majority of the season........Guys......you live.....on campus....There are buses.....ALL buildings have numbers that indicate the correct addresses. GO TO CLASS!! Here are the culprits........

Mercer, Brown, and Jackson..........

Fall's in the Air & Weekend Predictions

With night time temperature dipping into the low 40's around here.....fall is definitely in the air. Last weeks predictions were a little off. We ended up going 3-5, so this week , we'll do a little more research and pray a lot. Anyway here's this weeks College Football picks:

South Carolina (-7) at North Carolina

This border war does not have the same tradition as say a Florida-Georgia, or an Ohio State-Michigan......but.....it's a border war just the same. UNC is coming of an emotional win against Miami, while USC destroyed an over-rated Kentucky team. The 'Cocks have had an extra couple of days to prepare since they had the Thursday game last week. That's about all Spurrier needs: USC 27, UNC 14.

Alabama (-6) at Ole Miss

The tide lead Houston 23-0 before holding on to win....at home. Nothing impressive about this team. Look for the Rebels to eke out a tight game.......Ole Miss 24, Alabama 20.

Tennessee (-7) at Mississippi State

Go figure Tennessee. In their first 4 games, the Vols could not run...could not stop the run....their pass defense was awful....they couldn't tackle.......Special teams play was poor.....then along comes a bye week and #12 Georgia.....and the Vols smack the dawgs all over the field, 35-14! If they carry that same intensity into Starksville, the game won't even be close......but.....this is the SEC .....and it is just another war on the road. Still......Tennessee has too much talent for a game Bulldog bunch...Tenn 30, Miss St. 14.

Wisconsin (+7) at Penn State

Don't piss off 82 year olds......Jopa has been in the news this week because of this alleged road rage stuff. We thought the Badgers were over-rated last week and it showed in their loss to the Illini. Look for this Penn State team to rally around its coach and come out busting ass. Wisconsin's defense will keep it respectable but the Nitany Lions win and cover....Penn St. 23 , Wisconsin 10.

Missouri (+10) at Oklahoma

Yep......the nations #11th ranked team is a double digit underdog.....but they're play at the #6 Sooners . Bob Stoops is a master at getting his players fired up. They would love to hang 40 or 50 on the Tigers......but Mizzoo is a much better team this year. Oklahoma will win...but not cover. Oklahoma 31, Missouri 24.

Doesn't anyone Have a Sense of Humor any More?

The good folks in Lubbock, Texas are not too pleased with an aspiring artist who happens to attend Texas Tech. Seems Scott Klingle of the Theta Chi Fraternity had a great idea for a fundraiser......He drew up t-shirts that , on one side , said, "Vick 'em" , and on the other side had a football player wearing the #7, dangling a dog on a leash. A clear reference to an up coming opponent.... as in Texas A&M. Forgive me if I don't share the same sentiment as 90% of America.......ENOUGH.........Already! It's a damned .....dog! A dog......I've had dogs for pets.....great......but at the end of the day ....a dog is a dog. He will eat his own vomit.....his own bowel movements....He is what he is .....a dog. No more ...no less. Texas Tech went so far as to suspend the Fraternity. Such are the times we live in.......Here's a view of that "doggone" t-shirt:

Michael Conley: Keep the Ball on a String

I thought I was pretty good with one ball (in my youth) but check out my man Michael!!!

EBAUMSWORLD - Funny Pictures, Hilarious Videos, Flash Games and Jokes

Check out the Kansas City Royals marketing scheme.....

EBAUMSWORLD - Funny Pictures, Hilarious Videos, Flash Games and Jokes

Damned Yankees

And then there were none.....As in no New York teams left in Baseball's post season. While New Yorkers grieve, the rest of the country is letting out a huge sigh of relief and thanking the baseball Gods for answering our season long prayers of excluding the Big Apple from yet another Fall Classic. I could swear that last night on TBS's telecast, Skip Carey was sporting pompoms with Yankee pin stripes, the way he was rooting for them to make a come back. They would have sold their soul for a game 5. The Only person I feel bad for is .....Joe Torre. Torre is the consummate professional, who has managed the Yankees to 4 World Series Championships in this 12 year reign. Ted Turner, upon firing Torre, once said, "I would hire him again if I hadn't just fired him." Here's a look at the history of all Yankee managers...............http://www.baseball-almanac.com/mgrtmny.shtml

Pal Joey

Poor Joey.........the Falcons just lost to the Tennessee Titans. Joey threw another interception that resulted in another touchdown....his 3rd of the season.... going the other way. You are what you are. Have you ever looked in the mirror and said....."This is who I am .....and this is all I'm going to be."? He is what he is ......no more.....no less. He was lifted in the 4th quarter for another also ran in Byron Leftwich......who was ......just a bit high.....on all of his throws. At any rate .....the ATL finds another way to lose.....20-13.

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Pete Carroll.......Man of Mystery?

Many are calling it the biggest upset in College Football this year. Depending upon which poll you subscribe to, USC was either #1 (coaches poll) or #2 (AP writers poll). But.....yesterday they got beat by Stanford. Yes .....that Stanford. The Stanford that was a 41 point underdog! The Stanford that was playing the Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Stanford that was 1-3, having given up 45 points to UCLA, 55 points to Oregon, and 41 points to Arizona State. The Stanford that was out gained 459-235 in total net yards yesterday. Yes.......that Stanford beat USC 24-23 in a historic game that leaves sports enthusiasts scratching their heads searching for answers. The answer lies at the top. Pete Carroll's act is finally catching up with his program. No one questions the talent and speed of USC, but a total lack a a disciplined system has manifested its way into theses Trojans. Carroll's "I'm just one of the guys" personality has worked for several years, but those teams had proven leaders and stability within the players and coaches. It's gut-wrench time for Carroll and his staff. A program......this good for so long......and this talented and deep....does not lose ...........at home..........to Stanford.

Carroll's Career Coaching Stats:

NCAA: 69-12

Bowl Games: 4-2

BCS Games 4-1

NFL Regular Season 33-31

NFL Postseason 1-2

Weekend Predictions

We were all over the USC - Kentucky game last night. If you took my pick and bet the 'Cocks to cover, you've got a few more duckies this morning. Now that we're on a mini roll, lets see what we can muster up for Saturday's games. We will limit this to 5 games..... so here goes:

Georgia Tech (-3) at Maryland
Scary game.....Schizophrenic Tech vs. the up and down Terps. Both are coming off emotional upsets against ranked teams. Tech knocked of Clemson and Maryland beat Rutgers. History tells us Tech can rarely put great back to back games together and Maryland puzzles everybody. Tech does play defense and they have more athletes. Take the bees and the 31/2..... Georgia Tech 30, Maryland 24.

Clemson (-51/2) hosting Va Tech
Easy pick. Clemson, coming off a loss, will be very focused and very physical. Where is the Beamer defense we've all come to adore?
Clemson 31, Va Tech 21.

Florida (+71/2) at LSU) Sure have heard a lot this week about how well the Tigers play ......at night....and at home. The AP poll has elevated the Tigers to a no. 1 status. Not good.....LSU is now the hunted........... They respond better when they're in an "us, against the world" mentality. Florida, coming off the loss, at home, to Auburn, have had their share of off the field trouble this week, thanks to safety Tony Joiner's early morning towing arrest. That said, Urban Meyer will have a scheme or two for this Tiger defense. And......................7 1/2 ????? LSU will win but not cover, LSU 19, Florida 14.

Georgia at Tennessee................Don't know why we're touching this game. The line started out with the Vols a 2 point favorite. As of today the dawgs were a 1 point favorite. Go figure. Georgia has owned Tennessee in Knoxville and the Vols have owned the dawgs in Athens. Tennessee is coming off a bye week and UGA is fresh off a win against Ole Miss. Usually, you like the team coming off the bye....but in this case, you have a young Dawg squad that is getting better by playing and getting experience. This will probably be a pick-em game by kick-off.
Georgia 31, Tennessee 27.

Ohio State (-7) at Purdue
The 'Eyes are quietly strolling under the proverbial radar. Ranked 4th and getting no respect. Purdue is undefeated, but this is where the Boilers exit the stage reserved for the big boys.

Ohio State 35, Purdue 17.

Gamecocks get no Love........

Great match-up tonight deep down in the SEC. Kentucky meets South Carolina in a game that....dare I say....is for sole possession of 1st place in the SEC East. The 'cats (ranked 8th) take on the 11th ranked Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Interesting facts: Steve Spurrier is 14-o versus Kentucky.

Last meeting: USC won 24-17 in Lexington.

Carolina leads the all-time series 11-6-1.

Whats bazaar is South Carolina is ranked 11th in the AP writers poll, but 18th in the coaches poll. Could it be that the "ole ball coach" has alienated some of his peers? It's rare to have a 7 position difference between the polls. At any rate, the Cocks are a 31/2 point favorite in a game that won't have all that offense every body's been talking about. Sure, Andre Woodson is having a career year, but check out the level of competition he has faced: Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, and Florida Atlantic are controlled scrimmages. Louisville's defense sucks.......see Middle Tenn St. Which gives Woodson one quality win, the 42-29 defeat of Arkansas in which the 'Cats trailed 29-21 before scoring 21 unanswered points in the last 8 minutes of the game. USC's defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix is great at devising schemes aimed at stopping potent offensive teams. The Gamecocks are relying on red shirt freshman Chris Smelley to lead Spurriers' offense. His numbers weren't great last week against an aggressive Mississippi State defense, but he did not make mistakes.....mental or physical. I like the 'Cocks to cover.....USC 26-21.

PLAYOFFS????.....PLAYOFFS!!!!!

We'll start with the last game of the evening. Great start for the D'backs as Webb out dueled Zambrano. I have different take than most baseball pundits. Everybody's killing Lou Pinella for pulling Zambie after only 85 pitches. I've seen Zambrano implode late in games this year. It came without warning signs....bang!!!.....the bear has jumped on his back and he's given up 2 or 3 runs in a heartbeat. The true culprits last night was the batting line-up which prides itself of scoring runs. The Cubs first 4 hitters (Soriano, Jones, Lee, and Ramirez) were a combined 1 for 16, with 6 strikeouts and 9 runners left on base. The Cubbies stranded 16 in all. In Looking at Soriano's career post season stats, it's a little alarming if you're a Cub fan: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_postseason.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=150093&statType=1





If we have learned anything this year.....it's, don't ever, ever, count the Fighting Phils out. Having said that ..... the Rockies have made a statement here. "We can friggin hit!!! & Y'all can't stop us."
-- COLORADO - 030 000 010 -- 4
PHILADELPHIA - 000 020 000 -- 2

The ALDP game with the Sox and the Angels was all Boston. This will probably by the only sweep of the early round. California is beat up and short handed without Gary Matthews, Jr. They managed only 4 hits (all singles) on a night when Josh Beckett was just awesome!

So....You want to live in New York?

Can't believe the Mets are going to re-sign Tom Glavin. Here is his box score from yesterdays' historic melt down. 0.1 innings ....7 earned runs.........5 hits... 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. The New York media is killing this guy. New Yorkers have never really embraced Tommy, many thinking that deep down......he's still a Brave. Glavin, at 41 is at a cross roads in his career. His family still resides in the ATL. At his age, he is still a gifted lefty. But I don't think......he thinks he needs all the drama NY dishes out. He will either take a home team discount with the Braves, or likely retire all together with his 300+ wins and future hall of fame credentials. At any rate , Tom thanks for being a class act through it all.

Oktoberfest.......Weekend update...& More....

Wow..........is it October already? What a weekend of upsets in major college football. We had a feeling about this Friday night, when West Virginia fell to South Florida. Makes Auburn's loss to the Bulls not all that much of an upset. Which brings us to a sensational Saturday of "Davids slaying Goliaths". Florida...........gone! Oklahoma......gone! Texas........gone! Clemson........gone! Rutgers...........gone! Notable struggles included USC squeaking by an improved Husky squad; Wisconsin barely beating Michigan State; and Va Tech narrowly defeating North Carolina. The most entertaining game was Cal-Oregon. The 'bears snapped a 7 game losing streak at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. If any conference has a chance to produce an undefeated team, the Pac-10 just might. There is no conference title game, and with some breaks, either USC or Cal could go through unscathed. We're still not sold on Kentucky. But the next few weeks could make us buyers. Notre Dame..........can you say 0-8? Could get just that bad.

Obscure stats of Saturday.........

LSU only led Tulane (yes that Tulane) 10-9 at halftime.

Against Ole Miss, Georgia had the single most yards rushing (328) of Mark Richt's reign.

Colorado's Kevin Eberhart's game winning field goal over Oklahoma was a career best 45 yards.

USC out gained Washington 460-190.....But tried to even things up with 16 penalties resulting in 161 yards.

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