He's Back

The Boston Celtics made some of the biggest moves in the off season picking up Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. The defending east champions picked up the modern day human highlight Vince Carter. King James's Cavs added the future hall of fame over the hill Shaq. But the biggest pick up of the off season was the physical therapy of Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas.

The season has started off very slowly for Arenas as he has played very tentatively turning the ball over far more often than Flip Saunders would like. While Arenas has shot a paltry 40% from the field and 72% from the free throw line on the new knee he seemed to be lacking the swagger that had him in the same category as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade before the injury. Had Arenas not been injured in 2007 he was a lock to be part of the most recent dream team in Bejing. The past two seasons have been injury marred for Gil but now and throughout most of the season he has looked like a shell of his old self until Friday night. 45 points and 13 assists while shooting 60% from the field might have been just the medicine Gil needed to remember who he is. The kid that couldn't get a scholarship offer from his hometown UCLA Bruins or USC Trojans. The kid that could barely play in the NCAA championship game due to a shoulder injury in the semis. The kid that was ignored until the 2nd round of the NBA draft. He is Agent Zero. He is one of the premiere talents in the NBA. He has come back from plenty of adversity in his life and now it's just one of those times when Gil will get his game back.

In the past Gil was always answering his critics with anger in his game that told them they had no idea what they were thinking when they didn't recruit him, when they failed to draft him. Now he is answering the biggest critic of all himself. Friday night with the 45 and 13 he has answered the critc as he can dominate again in the NBA. He is only 27.

In Washington Antoine Jamison is playing some of his best basketball of his career. Caron Butler is one of the best third options in the NBA. Brendon Haywood is playing the best basketball of his life averaging a double double while being the defensive anchor. The depth is quality with Mike Miller, a rising star in Nick Young, and role players Andray Blatche and DeShawn Stevenson combined with Flip Saunder defensive preachings this could be the year for the Wizards. Not only could they knock off one of the beasts of the east but making a run for the Eastern Conference Championship could be a reality if this game has awoken Ageny Zero.

Athlete of the Decade

Jim Thorpe must be rolling around in his graving laughing at the most recent popularity poll by sports writers. Tiger Woods, a golfer is the athlete of the decade. Tiger Woods no doubt is one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the links but to put him on a pedestal with real athletes such as Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps and Tom Brady is ridiculous. It's a sham to even think Tiger Woods is a greater athlete than Peyton Manning, Albert Pujols, or Kobe Bryant.

Golf is one man with state of the art equipment against the elements. It's a very tough sport no doubt but pales in comparison to a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning who for 60 minutes once a week must look into the eyes of 300 lb lineman and 250 lb muscle bound linebackers that are trying to knock them out of the game while trying to complete 10 yard outs where they must throw the ball on a line 30 yards to avoid having speeding defensive backs from intercepting the ball. By the way the athlete of the half century former professional baseball player, football player and Olympian Jim Thorpe was a defensive back so you know those guys are great athletes. All this while having 70,000 screaming fans heckling, jeering, and taunting them. If you scream or heckle in golf your kicked off the course or at the very least you have Tiger's kiwi goon Steve Williams threatening to kick your ass for taking a picture. If it snows during a football game, you play, if it rains, you play in golf those conditions stop play until the sun comes back out. Well not that extreme but you get the point.

So for all of the mental toughness needed by a golfer an NFL quarterback goes through calling plays, making snap decisions, all under the threat of bodily injury on every play. Tiger Woods is mentally tough but not even comparable to an NFL quarterback and then there is the physical aspect of football compared to golf. Walk 18 holes taking 65 - 80 breaks per round, forget about it! Lance Armstrong is pedaling his bike up and down mountains at high speeds trying not to go over a cliff, Roger Federer is doing wind sprints for 2-4 hours per match while having to hit and place a tennis ball in a defined area, Kobe Bryant is running up and down the court for two hours trying to stick a ball in the hoop with a 6'5" guy that can leap small buildings and chase down cheetahs than he has to turn around on every possession and defend that great athlete 80-100 nights per year.

The goofiest thing about naming Tiger Woods the athlete of the decade is there was no mention of one single hockey player. Hockey players actually make superb golfers as guys like Jeremy Roenick, Grant Fuhr and Brett Hull are regulars on the leader boards at celebrity golf matches. While not playing golf hockey players have to skate around on slippery ice at high speeds while controlling a puck and having to deal with 220lb guys on skates slamming into them for three hours a night. Not nearly as dramatic as football but they do have to listen to 20,000 jacked up fans yelling and screaming their lungs out while trying to concentrate.

Tiger Woods has elevated the game of golf probably more than any other individual in the decade has done for their respective sport. The problem is this is athlete of the decade and golfers are barely making the argument that they are athletes. There is never an argument about basketball, football, tennis or hockey players. They have to do what athletes do push themselves physically for hours every time they compete while the golfer walks 350 yards sometimes than takes a break. The game of golf is great as just about anyone can play the sport. Let's just try to remember what type of physical and mental specimen that makes up an athlete.

Last but not least think of the competition for the athletes. Tom Brady squares off with 6'7" 310 lb Mario Williams who can run 40 yards in just over 4 and a half seconds. Tiger is competing with a guy that can eat 4 bags of skittles in 4 and a half seconds and finish that off with a pack of camels. If all sports competitors are athletes than maybe Ernie McCracken should have received some votes because no one gets a bowling crowd riled up like the entertainer himself "Big Ern".

Tiger Shoes

So Tiger Woods has an extramarital affair, big deal! Serious the last time the public was so outraged over an extra marital affair President Clinton, the last president to erase the national debt and leave the country in better shape when he left than when he came into office. The country was so outraged the voting public put the executive mistake into office.

Now the world has gone mad berating Tiger Woods. Well think for one moment about how it would be to walk a day in Tiger Woods shoes. He's 33 years of age, he filthy rich, he's all over television and probably the only professional golfer that is mistaken as an athlete. He also has women throwing themselves at him day in and day out. How long would it take most men to break down. Tiger is not immortal he is human and with the beauties he has offering their pleasures his way non-stop how long can a guy say "no". Politicians have proven they cannot say "no" to the Jezebels of the world and most professional athletes have had their fair share of extramarital affairs. The women who marry these men in exchange for all the money, fame, and high life should expect this behavior. It's not ideal behavior but it is human.

It's unrealistic for most regular fellas to ever fanthom walking in Tiger's shoes so here is the test. Try walking through a Thai brothel with a pocketful of $5 bills. You have women giving you constant attention with as they show off their below the belt grips and request your manly attention in exchange for a meager Lincoln. You might be able to say no to a the first few beauties but eventually that five-spot just doesn't seem as important to you and can really help out the young Thai girl's lifestyle so you generously give out of the good of your heart and certainly do not want to hurt the girl's feelings so you appease her with your manly company.

So go visit a fine Thai, Caribbean, or other third world brothel where your dollar has a lot of power and see how long you can say "no". Remember Tiger has to go out in public so he has no choice but to run into the Jezebels of the world who aren't trying to get five spot from the King of Golf just a little fame.

So here's to Tiger Woods may he enjoy his time away from golf and may the rest of the PGA players learn to appreciate what Tiger has brought them in the form of their paychecks over the years.

Chucky's All Grown Up

Monday Night football it's more than a game. It's an institution! From the early days when Broadway Joe Namath the pride of Alabama graced the muddy fields of Cleveland's old Municipal Stadium in MNF's inaugural season through the many, many years of the Frank Gifford. Not since the great Gifford post season with Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, and Dennis Miller has MNF had such a colorful charachter as Chucky, the former side line madman with blond locks. Close your eyes and the story gets even better. I swear I am listening to Jack Burton. That's right, the Jack Burton; The fictitious Chinatown crime fighting trucker.

It's uncanny how Jon Gruden sounds like Jack Burton. Who? Not the question to ask the last time someone asked JB who he was he stuck a knife right between the toughest old bird in Chinatown with flames erupting from his eye sockets, David Lopan the king of the San Francisco Asian underworld.

We need to really appreciate what a great time Coach Gruden is going to grace us with this year. He's still a young guy barely over 40. He has won a Super Bowl. He is the last man to really make the Oakland Raiders a force since the devil started collecting on Al Davis's ass. Jon Gruden simply said, he's one heck of a head coach and someone should be sniffing around his whistle right after the regular season concludes.

Who is going to get their paws on Gruden in 2010? Well there are plenty of teams in need including two of his old employers the Buccaneers and the Raiders. Chances of the Bucs cutting their losses on their new hire, Mr. Whathisname who's pulling a Cam Cameron on the west coast of Florida. It might be too much for the Bucs to admit they needed to go in a different direction when it might have just been better for the Buc front office to admit they failed to get Gruden players in Tampa. The latter years of Jack Burton's voice over he had no quarterback. There was Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski, his Super Bowl winner, Brad Johnson, and Jeff Garcia, certainly not much to work with but Gruden found ways to make them winners. Then there is the Raiders, wouldn't that be a hoot to see Gruden back with Al.


The obvious would be right there in Cleveland. Gruden is an Ohio guy, he played his college ball for the mighty Flyers in Dayton. He won a Division III championship for the Flyers back in the mid-80's. I know I was there, kegs of beer, late nigh pizza desperately trying to find a last ditch effort for female companionship, and Jon Gruden winning a low level collegiate championship for the Dayton Flyers. Cleveland needs a proven winner. The front office on Lake Erie just east of the Cuyahoga River is ready to spend, is working diligently to get a winner and desperately licking their wounds chomping at the bit to get rid of Eric Mangini the "Jet Reject" football nerd who is posing as a NFL football coach. Want a winner Cleveland, fire Mangina and start courting Chucky now! He might not last because hot on your heels will be another midwestern football crazed community that is looking for a head coach.

Notre Dame, what's that the Golden Domers? Yes, Notre Dame. Recruiting will be involved and who better than a Super Bowl winning head coach to come in and take the country by storm. Pete Carroll never made the playffos during his stints in the Meadowlands and Foxboro before taking off for the golden talent filled cupboards in Southern California. It's a match made in heaven; Jon Gruden and Notre Dame. Notre Dame needs a winner and who else would you rather want then the man who sounds like the man who took down the Godfather of Chinatown. That's right when your in the Super Bowl, it's the fourth quarter, your team is up by 3, their driving, and they come up just short on third down and your facing a fourth down and inches and on the other side of the ball is a drooling Payton Manning. Then your gimpy aged quarterback asks, "do you think that play call is gonna work?" you tell that old QB just what Jack Burton would say, "Listen here son, the checks in the mail, you just be ready for the Disneyland commercials!"

Well, who's ready to ride the Porkchop Express? Notre Dame or Cleveland?

Major Football

Boise State has been very boisterous this week about calling out all the major football programs that they will play them in their house without expecting a return date. Why not? Boise State cannot get anyone to play a home and home so it's time to build a program Bowden style. Prior to Bobby Bowden at Florida State the independent Seminoles not only couldn't beat anyone but they were not playing anyone of a decent caliber. Than came the savior of Tallahassee football, Bobby Bowden fresh off the turnip truck from West Virginia. In Bowden's second year the Noles were winners of all but two games and in four years the Noles led by future professional wrestling strongman All-American nose tackle Ron Simmons FSU went undefeated during the regular season before getting shellacked by the Oklahoma Sooners on a New Year's Day Orange Bowl.

Well so far the Bowden plan is not working for the smurf turf Broncos. No one wants to play Boise State. The last big road game by Boise State against a top opponent without a home and home agreement was Georgia where the Bulldogs dealt the Broncos
a beat down to the tune of 48-13 between the hedges. So what is to fear? You get a high profile game at home. You get a non-conference test that will boost your strength of schedule which goes a long way in the BCS computer tallies. You get big time television coverage that is a recruiting tool for top talent. The downside is if you lose you become the laughing stock of major college football losing to a Boise State. Look at this season, Oregon was left for dead after being dominated by Boise on the smurfy fields of gridiron nightmares. Oregon just dominated USC but when the final BCS rankings come out prior to the bowl season how will they be able to top the presumably undefeated Broncos for a national title shot?

The solution is conference re-alignment. The obvious is to invite Boise State to the Pacific Ten Conference. Chances are that will not happen. So it's time for the Mountain West Conference to make the call. The Mountain West the old WAC conference needs a tenth team to get an even number of conference members. Utah has two BCS bowl wins in two opportunities one under Urban Meyer defeating the Pitt Panthers en route to an undefeated season in 2004 and than turning the stomach of Paul "Bear" Bryant ghost embarrassing the two touchdown favorite Crimson Tide in last year's Sugar Bowl in SEC country. Outside of the Utes in the Mountain West TCU under Gary Patterson is normally one of the top defenses in the country and routinely winning double digit games per year. In recent years they have big quality wins against the likes of Oklahoma and Boise State. This year BYU a former national championship title winner during the era of NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young got a huge win in Dallas this year against Oklahoma. Add Boise State into the mix who won their only BCS bowl game in one of the most exciting bowl games in the history of college football with the 2006 Fiesta Bowl with a barn burning victory over Oklahoma, a team that has been to four national title games in the past ten years including one national title and a very rich football history including the owners of the longest winning streak in college football.

Joining the Mountain West solves Boise's problem of playing top competition and it also gives the Mountain West some teeth to join the big boy club for an automatic bid to a BCS bowl with four teams that have top football programs.

TBD

To Be Defeated that is the name of college football. This time of year there are always a handful of teams that are undefeated and all the BCS critics come out of the woodwork. Well of the 7 Division I teams that are undefeated there might be one left standing at the end of the regular season.

Odds are the one undefeated will be Boise State. The smurfy football Broncos have just the schedule needed to go undefeated. The road block to a perfect regular season record will gets it's toughest battle tonight as the Broncos travel across country to Ruston, Louisiana to face fellow WAC team the 3-5 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. A dog with no bite is not exactly the most aggressive foe to face but the long trip, going on the road and facing a toothless opponent might be reason for the Broncos to beat themselves and overlook the team on the field. After all the game must be played and upsets happen. Chances of losing in Ruston are about as remote as Dick Cheyney getting the black vote in his futile run for King in 2012. As for Chris Petersen's undefeated smurf turf bunch going to the championship game that possibility took it's biggest hit in last year's December classic in San Diego when the Broncos were nipped by the Horned Frogs 17-16 in the Holiday Bowl.

Speaking of the Horned Frogs, they are the next non-BCS team that is still undefeated has one big battle against last year's unblemished Utes, who's only defeat this year was to a red hot Oregon team. Gary Patterson's squad will be looking for redemption this year against Utah as their 4th quarter collapse in "08 caused the lone star state's sole representative of the Mountain West representative to miss out on a BCS bowl invite. The Horned Frogs argument for a national title shot does have teeth. Quality wins against Clemson, BYU and potentially Utah will get the Horny Toads a big payday in January.

No team has a tougher road to an undefeated season than the Bearcats in River City. Cincinnati finishes up the regular season in Pittsburgh. Between now and traveling north to Three Rivers country the Bearcats get tough tests every week hosting West Virginia always a threat with an explosive offense and a staunch defense that can beat anyone on any given week. Earlier in the year the Mountaineers went down to Auburn in a driving rain storm and took the always tough Tigers to the wire and helped out with 5 turnovers that did West Virginia in. Any team with a running back with the explosiveness of a Noelle Devine is a threat. Before getting to West Virginia the road to an undefeated record starts with UCONN. Connecticut might not be as good as a year ago but they are more experienced and dangerous especially should Tony Pike not be ready to go and the turnover bug hit the Bearcats. Right before the Bearcats travel to Pitt they host the Illinois. The Bearcats should be favored to dismantle the Big Ten cellar dwellar but this could be the game of the season for Ron Turner's squad and his cast of talented underachievers who might decide to turn it on at Paul Brown Stadium. The biggest obstacle for the Bearcats should they remain undefeated heading into a showdown with Dave Pornstache's Pitt Panthers it will be to stay healthy. One thing for sure UCONN, West Virginia, and Illinois will all bring it physically to Cincinnati and come December health could be a major issue.

One team that will not go undefeated is Iowa. A trip to Columbus, Ohio on the second week of November will be too much for the Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes had their big stumble against Purdue on the road and there season will be highlighted by their last and only home game of the season against Iowa.

In the SEC the defending champion Florida Gators will have a hand in clearing up the defeated picture. Should the Gators go undefeated and their SEC west counterparts in Tuscaloosa, Alabama go undefeated one will get knocked off in Atlanta in the SEC title game. This you can bet on!

Naughty Naughty Lincecum

Here is to Tim Lincecum. Not that he is a poor role model for children but he is just another case of good publicity for marijuana. You know the old saying, "smoking marijuana causes one to lose motivation". I wonder what Timmy would do if he didn't smoke bud? Heck he might win a Cy Young award as the best pitcher in baseball. Wait a minute he did win a Cy Young this past year as the best pitcher in baseball and might do it two years in a row when the voting is finalized this year. Well maybe if Timmy didn't smoke weed he could be an All-Star and start in the All-Star game where the best players play. Wait again, he did start for the National League this past year in the all-star game.

Lincecum isn't the only good reason that substantiates the lies about marijuana. Michael Phelps could have been an Olympic athlete if he did not smoke bud. Well that cannot be substantiated by the Limbaugh the law is the law conservatives weiners. Mike not only was an Olympian but he really couldn't do much more as an Olympian. He won the maximum number of gold medals as a swimmer and the only thing marijuana might have done to Mike is kept him from winning a gold medal in the high jump. Heck Michael Phelps is considered one of the greatest Olympians and athletes of all-time. So obviously marijuana didn't prohibit him from doing anything.

If a study were done and the government would allow for the true results to be revealed I wouldn't be surprised if marijuana is the choice of top line athletes that want to let off a little steam. Drink a lot and get the beer gut, smoke tobacco and get a little winded and neither one of those attributes is good for an athlete.

Rush Sacked by Own Teammates

Normally I don't like to mix politics with sports as sports are pure and politics are a very dirty game that should not be mixed with anything other than those credents who want to play the game. But our own dirty fat man Rush Limbaugh has been unfairly treated by his own teammates, former NY Knick President Dave Checketts who with a group is trying to buy the St. Louis Rams and due to the left wing influence of multi-millioniare owner Jim Irsay of the Indianapolis Colts has decided to bench Rush and his money in their quest to buy the Rams.

The left wingers prohibited Rush baby from owning an NFL franchise. When the going gets tough Rush the tough get going so jump aboard the train of a billion oppressed souls my friend and put on the ear plugs and turn up the volume of "The Best of George W. Bush" self help tapes. It's time to pull yourself up by the bootstraps their young buckeroo! Crying and complaining will get you no where so after you are done complaining to your personal chef that the lobster was not as juicy this time wipe that butter off of your face and get a good grip on those bootstraps and pull yourself up and one day you can own an NFL franchise!" You better hear those words quick Rush because I am getting pretty motivated myself about putting in a bid for the Rams.

During the Rush Limbaugh show Rush baby cried foul as his teammates sacked the idea of him being an investor. I guess Rush's teammates were left wingers?

Limbaugh said on his radio show earlier Wednesday that he had been inundated with e-mails from listeners who supported him in the bid.

"This is not about the NFL, it's not about the St. Louis Rams, it's not about me," Limbaugh said. "This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democrat Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative.

"Therefore, this is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we're going to have."

Oh my goodness it's Otter all over again. How dare those modern day leftists Neidermeyers, Greggie and Dean Wormer oppress our Rush! It's an outrage and the bad mouthing of the United States of America and I am not about to sit here and let those NFL owners, along with Dave Checketts and the guys who want to buy the Rams bad mouth the United States of America! Hell no, take to the streets, burn down the country clubs in a modern day South Central LA to vehemently protest the left wingers in Rush's neighborhood!

Actually Rush baby most of the NFL owners who hold the vote on admitting you are not are not left wingers. No they are conservatives. They are the wealthy class but they also know they want to appease their audience and having a person of your character or lack of character that is above that game as you proved in your short stint on NFL Today Show. As a professional news guy you should know that you cannot say racist comments and get away with it unless you want to inspire division and hatred as your show does so well. As for Donovan McNabb being supported by the media to succeed because he was black per your expect professional sports opinion....well McNabb just happens to be one of the most successful playoff quarterbacks in today's game. He has taken the Eagles to a handful of NFC title games in his eight years at the helm in Philadelphia and one Super Bowl. He has yet to win a ring but is a winner and having Rush baby try to berate him on National television due to the color of his skin was absolutely deplorable and bad for the game and the image of the NFL.

Take a look at the NFL Rush baby, what is the percentage of players that are black? Quite a few that you lose count. I don't think the NFL wants to tarnish their image because of your comments and you Rush baby are responsible for what you say so quit trying to blame the left wingers for your actions. If you want to blame others for your actions than it might be time for you to jump in bed with all the minorities, the poor, and the welfare mothers that you condemn for blaming others for their actions and problems.

I have no problem with Rush owning an NFL franchise, he is entitled as anyone else but the league consists of owners who value their product and Limbaugh for his comments not his political affiliation would bring protests to the NFL and that is something that would devalue all the NFL franchises. So fact is Rush you are bad for business.

Fish No Fluke

Don't be against the Dolphins this year in any game where they are an underdog. Why? This team has a very potent running attack. Move over Adrian Petersen the two headed monster in Miami of Brown and Williams just got better by subtraction. It's already tough enough to defend the Dolphins NFL Wildcat offense with Williams, Brown and speedy receivers running around the end but the loss of Chad Pennington just made them better.

No offense to Pennington he is a superb NFL quarterback who led the Dolphins to a division championship in 2008 but when he went down with a season ending injury in comes Chad Henne and the Dolphins become a serious force to be reckoned with in the NFC East. Not that Henne is a great QB but his strong arm will start to stretch the field and make former first round draft selection Ted Ginn the type of receiver he was projected as when coming out after his junior season at Ohio State. Ginn can now use his world class speed to stretch the field and safeties must respect the long ball because Ginn can run past the corners and where Pennington could not get the ball down field Henne can.

Now that Ginn gets better fellow receivers will get better as the short passes will open up. No longer will the safeties be able to crowd the line of scrimmage not that they were all that effective against the Dolphins prior to Henne but now they will be almost non-existent when Henne is on the field. Even when Henne is not on the field the Dolphins can bring in running back /quarterback Pat White who can throw and run the ball effectively which is going to baffle opposing defenses for the remainder of the season. Bill Belicheck and his Patriots will have their hands full trying to compete with Miami with their young defense versus the plethora of problems the Dolphins offense now poses.

In week #2 the Dolphins proved they could compete with the elite teams as they nearly knocked off the NFL's superman Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts as they used a ball controlled offense to keep the Colt offense off the field for 45 of the 60 minutes of play, unfortunately the game ended in defeat for the Dolphins but don't expect that anymore.

The NFL is a better league now with the Miami Wildcat offense and now potent passing attack that has Miami on the verge of a high octane ball controlled offense with a serious deep threat. Anyone who took Miami to win more than 9 games this season can start counting their money!

All Dolphins Monday Night

Everyone seems to be on the Jets tonight. Let's make this short and sweet the Dolphins will win this game. Why?

In a game between QB's Mark Sanchez has been getting a lot of spotlight. He is actually no more experienced than Dolphin QB, the strong armed Chad Henne. The difference in the game will be the Dolphins running game which will take pressure off of Henne and the home field which will fuel the emotions in the Dolphins defense which will step it up showing the the rest of the league they are a well rounded football team and the defending AFC East champs.

Money is on the Jets. Put it on the Dolphins. Monday night home dogs are traditionally tough to beat outright.

Gators at Home in the Bayou

The Gators from Gainesville are the top ranked football team in what is deemed as the toughest, most athletic conference in college football. The men riding the rough and tough Gator football machine is the coach of the decade who has won two national championships with the University of Florida but also took the Falcons of Bowling Green to two straight bowl games at the turn of the decade and ran the table at Utah with an undefeated record in 2004 before turning turning down Notre Dame for football wins at Florida. No doubt the most productive coach of the decade if Florida is not the team of the decade.

In the animal world Gators are at home in the swamps and that is Bayou Country where one of the great US deals was made for land from the state of Louisiana for where the purchase was named for all the way across the world of college football encompassing Urban Meyers former school Utah into the Oregon Coast. And what a deal it was a couple of flu ridden blankets, limitless rot gut whiskey, guns, bullets, and probably a couple of bags of cocaine for which the white man might as well take credit for introducing to the red man. What a deal get the Indian liquored up, give him a gun and a little nose candy just to make him restless enough that he starts shooting something up giving the US blue coats reason to take more land forcibly. But for the moment back to Bayou country......Gators fair very well there and they will be squaring off against the Bayou Bengals. Now on a neutral field I would have to take the Bayou Bengal but the Bengal is fictional in Louisiana with the exception of a few zoos they are indigenous to Asia. But for a scrap in the state of Louisiana I would have to take the Gator to catch the Tiger off guard with an underwater attack crippling the big cat before the kill.

Fortunately this Saturday night in Baton Rouge in a place affectionately known as Death Valley where many mascots have shown up and perished in defeat to the Tigers there will be 90,000 plus crazy eyed Cajuns fresh off of two days of marinating themselves in Hurricane juices which is quite the social beverage on the cocktail circuits of Louisiana consisting of various rums, vodkas, and tidied up with some delicious nutritious fruit juices and topped off with the ever sweet cherry taste of grenadine. Oh it is quite the beverage one every college kid and person for that matter should indulge in while visiting the Cajun State. Even those brave Gator souls that will be making the trip to Baton Rouge this Saturday night because sometimes its just better to get a little bit liquored up around the enemy. Because the Florida Gators will be the enemy and the Tigers along with their non-hospitable fans will be making life an absolute madhouse where Tim Tebow will pick up on some bad habits un-conducive to his Bible toting ways. Your bible and the peace sign might work in the Philippines Timmy but there will be no peace for you till after the game is played when the Bayou Band of Miscreants is expecting to hand the top ranked Gators their first loss and elevate them a notch or two up the college rankings.

Obviously gibberish from liquor soaked fans causing mayhem and mythical Louisiana Tigers going to war with Alligators will have nothing to do with this battle on the gridiron. The biggest effect on this game between the chalk lines will be the other team that has a gripe about being the team of the decade. The Louisiana State Tigers have every right to put their name on team of the decade with two national championships themselves. Ironically, both teams won their national titles against the same two teams, Oklahoma and my beloved Buckeyes from Ohio. So we know the team not ranked #1 can play football.

Another factor on the side of the Tigers will be revenge. Nothing like a revenge game to get some of the best athletes in college football ultra motivated. Urban will need his best game plan if he is going to come out of Death Valley with a win. This will also be the biggest test for both teams. LSU is just off of a win between the hedges in Athens, Georgia against fellow SEC tough guy U, the Georgia Bulldogs while the biggest test to date for the Gators was in their house against rookie coach Lane Kiffin's Tennessee Volunteers in a re-building mode.

Timmy Heisman has a huge task that not even Superman is capable of overcoming. Timmy has been likened to Superman but he was hit so hard two weeks ago he is still coming out of his tizzy after being clobbered by a Kentucky lineman under the face guard right in the kisser and those guys in the Bourbon State are not kryptonite. The task to win in Death Valley is much greater. Timmy will have to tighten up his chin strap, jock strap, and any other strap he can tighten up because the noise alone on a Saturday night in Death Valley is enough to send Timmy back to goofyville. The players on the other side are certainly ornery and jacked up to send Timmy and the Gators out of their house with hurt feelings and wounds that will need to be licked.

Timmy is good though; Timmy is great too. Timmy will bring it to the Tigers but if he is going to come out with a win he will not be doing it running away like last year's blowout. This is enough reason to take offense to the 7.5 point spread the old men in Vegas have put on this game. Can you say slap in the face to a team at home that is also making an argument for team of the decade?

If LSU doesn't win this game it will be a SEC clash of the Titans classic that has the makings of being on ESPN Classic Instant Hits and these games are within a touchdown!

Fit, 40, and Undefeated

What can you say positive about Brett Favre that has not already been said? Not much so I guess that is why the youthful sportswriters of today have taken it upon themselves to try and blast Brett Favre for any shortcomings. Many of today's online writers have no clue that Brett Favre won a Super Bowl in January of 1997. Heck can you blame them not many of them were out of diapers back than and some probably were barely a swimmer out of their old man's sack.

Favre has always had one of the strongest arms in the league dating back nearly two decades when the blast from the past Jerry Glanville would bet opposing coaches that he had a freak of a quarterback in Atlanta that could throw the ball out of the stadium. And Favre would throw the ball out of the stadium and then Falcons coach would collect on his wagers. Well Jerry has long departed Atlanta for the greener outdoor pastures of Portland State and it seems appropriate since he traded Favre who has gone on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers, NY Jets, and now the Minnesota Vikings. But let's look back a little further and before Green Bay when the ignorance of sports writers doesn't realize they are criticizing the he-man of the NFL.

Favre while in college at Southern Mississippi he threw touchdown passes to almost-Jacko, Michael Jackson not of pop fame but a future Pro-Bowl receiver with the Cleveland Browns more than a decade ago. During those illustrious college days his unknown Eagles knocked off top ranked Florida State with future Packer Pro Bowler and current Packer coach Leroy Butler. Prior to beating Florida State in the hey day of Bobby Bowden football in Tallahassee Favre was in a near fatal auto accident where doctors suggested he would never play football again and might not walk again. Well months after the injury the strong armed he man is knocking off the top college team in the country at little known Southern Mississippi. So now the arm chair geniuses are saying its time for Favre to retire. Well I for one don't think and don't want Favre to retire. First of all he is better than 75% of the quarterbacks in the NFL. He still has a stronger arm than 90% of the QB's in the NFL. Now he is with one of the most talented teams in the NFL.

The first two weeks of the football season Adrian Petersen ran wild on the competition. The past two weeks top defenses in San Francisco and Green Bay have geared up to stop "All-Day Petersen" and they have successfully. So who comes to the rescue. The man that turns 40 on Saturday. Two even three years after sports writers have said they were tired of the Favre drama that they all created saying he should retire, saying he was selfish, well if winning is selfish than every NFL team should want a roster full of Brett Favres.

This guy although frequently with a head full of Pacific Northwest Greenery has not just jumped on the bandwagon. It's in black and white in the archives of "All Around Sports". Vikings are on their way to the Super Bowl, where Favre will make a bunch of former Viking Hall of Famers, teammates and front office people happy. Bud Grant will be the first to raise his Viking helmet load it up with beer and start passing the victory cup around starting out with Jim Marshall the wrong way running defensive end who Favre eclipsed this year for the most consecutive games played.

Now the next sportswriter that calls for Favre's retirement before you say anything, make sure you can carry the old man's wrinkled jock strap and that strap cause he will be as tough, football savvy and strong armed at 75 than you will be in your prime. Favre is He Man and when He speaketh football you shalt listen!

Winning to get laid off in Detroit

When it rains it pours. Right behind the unemployment rate and hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs in the state of Michigan the one silver lining was the Lions won a football game. Life can be oh so cruel and it's going to get a lot crueler come Wednesday morning if the home town Tigers cannot come through with a victory over their nemesis and ever present thorn in the side, Minnesota Twins.

Three years ago the gutty, gritty, young clean cut gang from just north of Iowa in the land of a thousand lakes put together a late season run and was able to catch the Detroit Tigers. Fortunately for Tigertown they never had to face the Twinkies in the playoffs and let someone else do their dirty work en route to a their first World Series appearance since Kirk Gibson won the World Series MVP while playing alongside legendary Detroit icons named Morris, Trammel, Whitacker, Parrish and the lovable, crusty old man affectionately known as Sparky.

This year the joke gets rubbed in a little deeper by the not so hospitable bunch of ball players in a hospitable state full of friendly Minnesotans. Why does it look so grim for Detroit. It starts with blowing a big lead and it doesn't end with not having Verlander on the mound for the one game playoff. It will get uglier with 60,000 hanky wavin' bleary eyed tailgating sports freaks who have been on a bender this weekend. A season ending sweep of the Kansas City Royals including their ace Zack Greinke while the Tigers were mired in mediocrity being able to only salvage a split at home against the Twins sandwiched by series 2-1 losses to the Chicago White Sox who seemed more into the spirit of the playoff race with nothing to gain.

The downfall of Detroit is upon us. One of the greatest sports cities in the United States. The city that hosted arguably the toughest team in the NBA Eastern Conference during the decade and winners of the 2004 NBA Championship along with the team of the decade on ice the Red Wings. The last Red Wing Stanley Cup championship seems like eons ago back in the spring of 2008 when they dispatched of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Soon after the Wings carried the cup around the results of George W. Herbert Bush's failed politics began to cite the Motor City right in the keester. Massive layoffs throttled the city. The big three, General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford have held on for dear life and GM was neutered by the government that realized more leadership into the ground while paying a guy $50 million big big ones in one of the countries most depressed cities was bad for business. For the laid off football in "08 offered no relief but did reflect the victories for the city in the post Wings championship era. No wins, the first NFL team to go defeated in a 16 game schedule. 2009 offered very little in terms of excitement for Detroit. More layoffs. Higher unemployment rates. A population on the move and foreigners coming in with huge coiffures of cash buying up houses at pennies on the dollar while the locals have resorts to sleeping on mom's couch which no longer has a house to shelter it as mom has been put on the street also. The Wings tried to fight back for the city and show some pride in "09 only to be dethroned by the Penguins at the Joe (Louis Arena) in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lions have been the one silver lining in the whole equation in "09. They showed the city how to scrap for a morsel of pride winning one game but will more than likely fall back into their losing ways.

Next up the Tigers. Where is Sparky? At least he would have something nonsensical to say whereby nothing would be nothing and the Motor City Bengals could at least just go out and play baseball. The Twins might not do what is necessary to win Tuesday night but it appears apparent ever depressing gloomy outlook is the Tigers will find a way to lose.

Hurricane Revenge

Last year the Sooners put the whoppin' on an inexperienced Miami Hurricane squad in Norman. This year will be much different. I am certainly not a rocket scientist and much more likened to a hermit with very little knowledge of the outside world but I do know there are a pack of brilliant old men in Las Vegas putting up numbers on where they think the public will put their money. These brilliant old codgers somehow have a sense that the big bad Crimson uniformed Okies is just going to ride into Miami on their rickety old horse drawn Boomer Schooner and come out better than a touchdown more than the Hurricanes.

I might not be nearly as brilliant as those old men but a few facts I am not sure if they have reviewed. First and foremost Boomer Schooners don't fare well in the face of Hurricane winds. They blow over, their wheels fall off, and the inhabitants look for cover in any place other than their dilapidated covered wagon. I saw the whippin' the Hurricanes took last week when they went into Blacksburg, Virginia. It was 31-7. The Canes looked horrible! If you can get over that horrible showing which young, athletic football players have a habit of doing they will be the ones pulling the ambush this week.

In the world of six degrees of separation Oklahoma lost to BYU in Dallas in week one losing their Heisman winning quarterback, Sam Bradford. Well this week the Sooners will be without their bushy haired QB again. So that doesn't bode well for the Sooners. As for the conquerers of the Sooners the apple pie gang in Provo, Utah the Brigham Young Cougars they tasted a vicious defeat just a week ago at the hands of a very athletic Florida State squad. In the same week the Sooners lost to BYU the Seminoles took it on the chin in Tallahassee against the Hurricanes. So based on silly logic the Sooners lost by one to BYU in their backyard of Dallas, BYU lost by 26 to Florida State just to the east of where the brilliant old men are putting up odds in Las Vegas and the Seminoles lost in their house to the Hurricanes by 4 so simple math would say the Canes are 31 points better than Oklahoma plus you can add another six points for the home field advantage. Problem is if you based your predictions on this nonsense your liable to be put in a rubber room before long or just get the bejeezies beaten out of you by your wife if you are pissing away the kiddies college fund betting against the old men just being plain stupid. Thus we come down to the old adage, "That is why they play the game".

Well here is the game. Oklahoma has beefed up their win total taking out teams that needed a paycheck to come to Norman to get their fannies whipped like an old man chained to the bed getting his money's worth at the hands of a young, seductive, leather clad dominatrix. Landshark stadium in Miami on a Saturday night is going to have a few of these lovely ladies discreetly sitting in the stands whooping it up but the real pain will be felt on the field and the lanky mustachioed freshman Landry Jones will be feeling it tonight as the Sooner offensive line put up very little resistance against BYU it's not going to get any easier against a very physical and exceptionally fast Cane defense. Look for a lot of sacks and even more running backs stuffed than hot pockets in an Oklahoma trailer park.

If Oklahoma is going to win the game their defense will need to come up HUGE. We normally don't use caps with such reckless abandon but the defense is going to need turnovers and scores off of turnovers to beat the Canes by better than a touchdown. On the flip side the Sooner defense is very capable of shutting out most teams in the country as they proved against Idaho State and Tulsa but neither of those teams had Jacory Harris or a legion of tall and speedy receivers.

My prediction here is the old men in Vegas putting out the lines were bound, gagged, tied, whipped and were forcibly having their nuts crushed by a pack of Oklahoma dominatrixes who demanded the absurd seven point spread. Come nightfall in South Florida their is going to be a game played on the field and there will be a lot of unhappy Okies losing their covered wagons in the face of the Hurricane that awaits.

Beware! Meat Eating Ducks enter Pond at Own Risk!

There is a reason a home duck is not getting respect from the Las Vegas lines makers. It's because they are not perceived to be as good as a high powered opponent coming in to their house. After all, what is to fear from a mild mannered toothless water bird?

This week the duck callers will be quacking louder than normal. The 8th ranked Cal Bears come into town fresh off of feasting on gophers in the land of a thousand lakes called Minnesota. Certainly an impressive win hanging 35 points on the Golden Gophers from the University of Minnesota but two touchdowns below their average of 7 touchdowns per game.

High powered? I would think so...... but now the competition is getting tougher for the Bears and the points will be like trying to take fresh kill from a pack of nasty vicious rabid meat eating Ducks with canines as sharp as the mythical black dog flying in from all angles for flesh ripping bites and occasionally taking the sea route to Pearl Harbor their sizable opponents. Hunt in numbers little ducklings take no guff from your victims if you really exist.

Big problem for Javid Best and the Bears this week. The Ducks do have teeth and they can play some defense as they showed limiting the smurf turf Broncos from Boise Idaho to a meager 19 points than shutting down the pride of the Mountain West the Utah Utes. Not impressed by the Utes well they did have the nations longest winning streak and were followed into Eugene by a sea of red clad believers, including young girls wearing eye black like war paints expecting victory. So the Ducks did indeed get a quality win after barely outlasting the putrid Boilermakers from Purdue University a week prior.

The Quack Attack this week is a 5 point underdog. Without the home field advantage where Ducks take to the air circling their opponents with bloodshot eyes like vultures looking to take advantage of the sleeping Bears. The Bears won't be sleeping though and this is expected to be a real slugfest. The big bad Bears against the feisty ducks with pirhannaesque teeth and these Ducks despite a rough start are primed to show the world how hard they bite. Don't laugh! Don't dis the Duck! Watch your back Mr. Best the yards will be tough to come by and and this game should come down to the final quarter. Last week the Bears were able to break a tie with the toothless Gophers in the fourth quarter with 7 minutes remaining and were able to tack on another 7 giving the illusion of dominance in what was otherwise a nail biter.

Do the math! The sharp toothed Eugene Duck will knaw on Bear skull for four quarters. If the Bears lumber out of Autzen Stadium on Saturday with a win they will know they have been in a fight. Take the Ducks and the points, they might just defend their home with an outright win on the Willamette River!

Rebs Try to Squeeze Life Out of the Gamecocks

Thursday nights brew ha ha between the Ole Miss Rebels and USC East has all the makings of a mano a mano battle like two Hell's Angels savagely battering each other with a broken beer bottles, tire irons, and the occasional dirt thrown into the eyes. One thing is for sure they are both coming out of this bloody and bruised minus a few teeth.

Ole Miss is making a rare visit to the land of the top five. Jevan Snead is the Rebel gridiron god on offense but Houston Nutt has his Rebs playing defense also giving up a mere 10 points a game. Staring the Reb defense square in the eye is Stephen Garcia. A stout young lad who isn't going to make any defense shiver or shake. Certainly not an aged yet very physical SEC referee who planted Garcia with a forearm shiver of his own last year in the LSU game. So what is to fear? Steve Spurrier? Well the ol' tired out bawl coach just doesn't have Danny "and his bible" Wuerffel calling plays and sharing the good word with his teammates in the Gamecock huddles. No they got the fat kid who couldn't juke a fifty year old man in stripes. Garcia is the anti-Bo Jackson. Bo runs over linebackers. Garcia eats turf! QB edge certainly goes to the Rebels unless Garcia gets knocked out and there is a future Tom Brady sitting on the bench. That mystery we don't know.

What the Gamecocks got going for them? Well an athletic defense but that goes for all SEC teams with the exception of those book worms in Nashville. One factor will be 80,000 plus bourbon breathed, bloodshot eyed fans in the stands of Williams Bryce Stadium in Columbia. You might not be able to get much more than a airplane bottle at the local South Carolina pub but the college youth of today between twittering and text messaging will find a way to cross into Georgia for jugs of the good stuff. Fans don't win games and they really don't ruffle the feathers of the opponents but this is a different opponent. It's Ole Miss a team not used to spending time in the top five and if the Gamecocks cannot overcome the four point underdog role than it could be a very dark, dismal hour for the savior of the cock program who has produced the periodic upset but hasn't delivered the type of success he enjoyed in Gainesville prior to his failed NFL sabbatical.

This game is going to come down to Thursday night magic. The Rebs haven't played anyone yet and are going on the road into the cocksnest. I'm not sure exactly what one of those are but it doesn't sound friendly. Houston Nutt shouldn't expect anything less than dirty bedsheets in his Columbia sleepover. The ol' bawl coach is going to have his team prepared and the Gamecock players come nightfall on Thursday should be as riled as a bunch of drunken Hell's Angels on speed forced to watch back to back episodes of "The View".

This gambling degenerate is not necessarily betting on the ol' bawl coach nor Ol' Miss, certainly not Stephen Garcia but I am betting on the old man in stripes. I bet that guy is just a tough old bird. The type of tough old bird that takes no guff. Bad mouth him in a bar with too many drinks and that old bird is going to make you see double. No Stephen Garcia isn't a panty boy, he just got a serving of tough old bird stew the type that no one wants to chew on unless you got a fetish for butt whippin'.

Although everyone wants a sure bet. Well here is your sure bet. Nothing is for sure when it comes to football but one thing is as sure; biker chicks love bloodied, toothless, greasy-jeaned Hell's Angels. It doesn't matter if the rube just got stomped he's still an Angel and toothless or not he is desirable for the skinny girl with railroad tracks up and down her arm who gets a thrill out of a Harley Growling down the highway as she clutches her man on a road to no where. It's no different for the dirty south college princess who goes ga ga over her football stud. Both teams are gonna fight hard and when the lights have completely dimmed at Williams-Bryce stadium on Thursday night there will be an orgy somewhere. Where exactly? Chances are if you follow a football player your on the right scent.

Pass Happy Patriots

One thing about the Patriots, they are good but can be beaten but they get better as the season goes along and are nearly unbeatable in the playoffs under Tom Brady. Under Brady the Patriots have only lost two playoff games in his career. The 2006 AFC Championship and the 2008 Super Bowl. So if you are going to beat the Patriots like the Jets just did, do it early because eventually once the offense gets jelling and Brady gets over the mental tentativeness of his ACL injury and the young defense starts to come together under the professor of defense Bill Belichek.

Right now at 1-1 the Patriots are in good shape. New England should be 0-2 and looking at a schedule with a lot of teams with short memories looking to exact some revenge on the Patriots minus guys like Harrison, Seymour, Bruschi, and Vrabel. Add in Jerrod Mayo and the Pats defense is not only inexperienced but short on top of the line talent. Although the former Patriots included two converted college defensive ends playing linebacker they were mentally tough and knew their roles. This Pats defense does not have that reputation. Although the one shining element of the Patriots 16-9 loss this past weekend in the Meadowlands to their division rival Jets the defense did perform admirably.

Eventually the Patriot offense is going to put it all together. They have talented receivers in veterans Joey Galloway, all-world Randy Moss, Mr. bubble screen and slant Wes Welker, along with tight end Ben Watson who took advantage of the receiver coverage in week one to catch two touchdowns in the final two minutes of week one to defeat the Buffalo Bills. The Pats have a very underrated rushing attack with Jaguar import Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, former first rounder Lawrence Maroney who needs to eventually get out of the doghouse and take back the #1 back position. The offensive line has been together for some time and is still young enough where they can adequately protect Brady but has been so focused on the passing game averaging 50 passes a game, yes that is right 50 passes a game!

Passing too much is exactly where the problem is going to lie with the Patriots offense which is expected to out score the opponents while the defense gets acquainted with each other. Time to go back to the fundamentals Coach B, time to start running the ball. Brady is no longer superman, he might say he is healthy but for anyone with an ACL injury the fear is in the back of the mind to not re-inure the knee thus the focus is not only playing the game but favoring the knee. Also teams that were shellacked by the Patriots in 2007 under Brady are looking for revenge and they will be pinning their ears back rushing Brady and taking some shots at Superman to see how many hits he can take before he starts to get "happy feet".

This Patriot team is reminiscent of the "greatest show on turf" glamorized by Kurt Warner, Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce and Ricky Proehl a the turn of the centurty with super back Marshall Faulk. Once the Rams became one dimensional with the pass teams started pinning back their ears going after Warner who was knocked silly and the team became just "another mediocre team on turf".

Transitioning to a more balanced attack where the Pats can utilize their depth at running back with Taylor, Morris and Maroney they are going to have to infuse a fullback into the offense for better blocking or depend on stretching the field with their receivers. Not to many teams have been successful in the NFL with the single back system.

So get the Patriots now they can be beaten. The Jets proved it after talking the talk all week. The Bills gave the game away to the Pats in week one. The Pats might have to be lucky this year to get into the playoffs and the victory over the Bills is the exact luck they will need because putting up record setting numbers is a thing of the past. Teams have adjusted and the Patriots aren't as good anymore. If the Patriots are going to win this year, the offensive line is going to have to remember how to run block, easier said than done. The running backs are going to have to break tackles at the line of scrimmage to take the rush off of Brady until he gets comfortable and ready to carve up offenses. Changes seem to be a theme these days and that includes the Patriots because if they don't the playoffs might just make another pass on the Patriots.

Right now the Patriots need to focus on each game. Otherwise Belichek might have a Jim Mora playoff blow up!

Minnesota vs. Cal Preview

The Cal Bears have had their way with Eastern Washington and Maryland with a combined score of 111-20. The high powered Bears have also done it in the comforts of home cooking in Berkley. This week the schedule gets tougher. Despite being a two touchdown favorite at Diamond Sports don't expect the Bears to substituting by the fourth quarter in Minneapolis this weekend.

The last time the Bears traveled east was to Maryland last year and as a two touchdown favorite against the Terps they lost by double digits. This is going to be another difficult trip for the Bears with an 11am start time in the Golden Gophers new TFC on campus stadium. It might take the Bears till halftime to wake up for this game and by than the Golden Gophers strong armed quarterback could very well have thrown a few touchdowns to the end zone to All-Big Ten receiver Eric Decker. So far this year the Gophers have yet to wow anyone with a unimpressive home opener against the Air Force 20-13 and it took overtime to knock off Greg Paulus and a much improved Syracuse team in the Carrier Dome. This week the Gophers are going to have to come out and smack the Bears right in the mouth and do it early because it will only be a matter of time before the Bears awaken from their jet lagged hibernation.

What the Gophers do have going for them is a new winning attitude under head coach Tim Brewster and experience at the skill positions where they can score with the Bears. Don't expect the Bears to hang 50 on the Gophers as the crowd is expected to be very raucous and looking for a signature win under quarterback Adam Decker who has the weapons at receiver and the running game to keep up with Cal. The lofty #8 ranking is the extra motivation the Gophers have to come out swinging combined with the jet lag this game has the makings of a classic upset if not the game will be closer than the 14 point spread.

Saturday Night Upset Alert

Saturday's upset alert. It's never easy to take an underdog in football let alone college football because it's habit for the public to take the favorite; it's easier to watch a team win. Fact is the underdogs cover more often than not. That is why sports book are so profitable.

This week's Hacksaw upset of the week is going to happen in Provo, Utah. Two weeks ago BYU rolled into Dallas, Texas and played a fundamentally sound game defeating Oklahoma on a last minute touchdown. Oklahoma played the entire second half without their Heisman winning starting quarterback Sam Bradford taking away some of the shock factor from the Cougars win. Two weeks ago on Labor Day night Florida State played an epic battle against in state rival the Miami Hurricanes. In the game it came down to a dropped Christian Ponder pass in the end zone that saved the Hurricane victory. That victory has propelled the Canes to the talk of the college football world. What if the final pass had been completed would we all be talking about the Seminoles?

Florida State played a horrible game this past week against Jacksonville State to eek out a victory at home thus inflating the 8 point spread in this weeks game at BetOnline. Don't expect the Noles to fly into Provo kiss the feet of the Cougars and leave with a loss.

There is a reason veterans coaches Bobby Bowden and defensive coordinator have spoken publicly and confidently about their teams defense. The players can flat out fly as they showed against Miami. Sure they gave up 30 plus points but this was the Canes they were playing and what we have seen from Miami, they can play, they can score, and they got a great quarterback leading the team. As good as the Canes are they were one dropped pass away from getting beat by Florida State. The Florida State offense is also just as talented as the defense. We would all be talking about Christian Ponder had his receiver held onto the ball on that final play against Miami rather than Jacory Harris.

Florida State will not be sleepwalking this week going on the road to play a top ten team.

The difference in this game will come down to team speed. The Noles can play physical defense but historically what gives the Cougars problems is teams with great team speed and the Noles have the speed. Bowden coached teams tend to come back with a vengeance coming off of bad games. They play tough on the road against top ten opponents. They are tough on non-conference teams outside the state of Florida. They have a burial ground outside of Doak Campbell Stadium with the turf off their conquered foes so they love to win these types of games on the road so the game should be close, certainly not an eight point difference.

In a match-up the quarterbacks are a draw, Christian Ponder outplayed Jacory Harris of Miami in their big game this year and is just as good as Max Hall. On defense the Noles have a decided speed advantage which will be the difference as FSU will take advantage with turnovers on the road to pull the upset.

Click here and take the points and the Noles in Provo at bet online.

Friday Nights in Fresno

As a Southern Californian and Californian there is a lot of beautiful places to see throughout the state. The southern California beaches are relaxing, chock full of beautiful bikini clad women with beach bars, sports bars, and people watching througout the southern part of the State. Head up the coast and you have the city by the Bay, San Francisco a one of a kind city that is exciting and creative. Continue to head up the coast and you have the mighty, ageless redwoods that everyone should see once in their life to believe. Head inland and there is Yosemite national forest, Lake Shasta, Big Bear, the Cascades, and even in the south you have Las Vegas the psuedo southern Californian Los Angeles suburb.

Lost in California is Fresno. Fresno is no place to hang out on a Friday night. Not much to see for Fresno and that goes for the people from Boise, Idaho; nothing to see keep it moving. Tonight in Fresno is the game of the season for a very tough Fresno State Bulldog team. If nothing else about Fresno despite not having the beauty enjoyed throughout the rest of California Fresno finds ways to get athletes and tonight Boise State will feel the wrath of Fresno. Fresno usually has to go on the road to play top ranked teams. Not tonight, the 10th ranked Boise State Broncos travel to Fresno as a 7 1/2 point favorite. Meanwhile, Pat Hill's Bulldogs who lost in overtime this past weekend at Wisconsin are not about to let a top ten team come into their dilapidated house and beat them.

In the biggest game of the year for Boise State they held on to beat an overrated Oregon Ducks football team under a first year head coach that looked confused and Oregon since than struggled to get past an inexperienced Purdue team. Fresno meanwhile went into Madison, Wisconsin and took the game to Wisconsin. Eventually, Wisconsin's big physical lineman took it to the Bulldogs yet Fresno still managed to get the game back into overtime late. Look for Fresno to come out swinging with a raucous house that will give the Bulldogs and early burst and carry them to not only winning the game outright.

Get your betting week off just right with Diamond Sports International and take the Bulldogs and the points!

Swagger

No team in the country had a more difficult opening four games. Their head coach was starting out on the hot seat after leading a once mighty and proud dynasty only 8 years removed from their last national championship. Randy Shannon won national titles for the University of Miami back in the eighties playing for one of the most dominant teams of the modern era that won national titles with three different head coaches during a ten year span. Sports writers were predicting Shannon would be gone after four games. Fortunately for Shannon the is swagger back in south Florida headed up by a pleasant surprise at quarterback in Jacory Harris.

The U opened up with a huge road win against long time state rival Florida State in a Sunshine State shootout for the ages. The road was supposed to get more difficult this week with a team that has had the Canes number in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech and their triple option offense. An rushing attack that hung almost 500 yards on the ground last year en route to putting 41 points on the U before Yellow Jacket head coach Paul Johnson called the dogs off leading by 31 heading into the fourth quarter.

The night started out with electricity as the Canes opened up their new Landshark Stadium with big bright yellow beer brand high above the stadium. It might as well have been Yellow Jacket yellow the way Tech ran through the Canes for the first seven minutes of the game with a twelve play, ball control, on the ground, grind it out drive that ended with a field goal. In a game that was going to be tough for the Canes a field goal was a victory with the confusion the Ramblin' Wreck offense bestowed upon Cane defenders.

Pressure was on the Cane offense and their young QB, Harris to get at least a few first downs to keep Tech's top rushing attack off the field and give the Miami defenders time to rest. Harris did not disappoint leading the Canes through the air storming through the Georgia Tech defense with the last forty yards via a precision pass to Laron Byrd for a 7-3 lead. From there the offense showed some swagger hustling off the field, and the defense showed some swagger in shutting down the Tech's ground game the rest of the night limiting the Yellow Jackets to a mere 35 more yards when the final gun sounded.

It was only a matter of time. Just when you think the Canes are dead they find a gem to run the offense and the athletes on defense do their thing and defense wins championships.

The Canes might not be ready to knock off an elite team but the prospects of heading into Blacksburg nine days from now and having a shot at remaining undefeated appear to be more of a reality than they were an illusion heading into the season. The battle against the Hokies will be a major battle for the inside track towards superiority in the coastal division of the ACC. The VA Tech game will also be the first test for the young swaggering Canes to prove themselves outside the state of Florida and for Jacory Harris to see how he does against an aggressive Hokie defense. One would think that the Canes and Harris have already proven themselves against top competition. Florida State might not have a great offense but one thing you can count on with the Seminoles is they always play great defense as the Noles can flat out fly to the ball. Georgia Tech on the other hand is a very talented team with a very physical defense that was outclassed by the Canes and an offense that often confuses opponents with their complex defense was stymied like no other team has done to a Paul Johnson Yellow Jacket team since he took over as head coach with his run dominated offense.

Miami gets the scouting edge against upcoming opponent, Va. Tech this Saturday as the Hokies take on Nebraska in what should be a very physical battle for the Hokies, who opened with Alabama before routing Marshall last week.

The brutal schedule has turned into a major plus for the Canes. They should jump up in the polls this week and will be exceptionally prepared to take on a tough Hokie team that in ways mirrors the Georgia Tech running attack with a very mobile QB but not quite as talented.

In a season where the U is going to have to prove themselves one game at a time, it's time to show up, play defense, fly to the ball, and execute on both sides of the ball to keep the Hokie on their hands in their seats. If the Canes come out and play like they did tonight they will return to Landshark Stadium and appear to have some very sharp teeth.

Who Needs the NFL in LA

Obviously the NFL would benefit by putting a team in the #2 media market but the hottest market in college football is not Gainesville or Austin but Los Angeles. In one of the most painful losses in the history of Ohio State football the USC Trojans came into Columbus weathered the storm for 58 minutes plus before walking off the field in the middle of a sea of scarlett with a hard fought 18-15 victory. This was probably the biggest road victory in recent years for the Trojans. Despite a lot of anti-Buckeye sentiment around the country with the Buckeyes recent 0-6 streak against top 5 teams at least the Buckeyes have been playing top five teams and it's been since 2004 that the Buckeyes have lost to a non-BCS bowl team and since 2004 of their nine losses in the last five seasons three of their opponents went on to win the national championship and eight have been top 10 teams. The Buckeyes record though has been a weak 3-8 against top ten teams. So the Buckeyes are still one of the premiere programs in college football.

The talent cupboard is more than full in downtown LA but across town there is a buzz in the air with Rick Neuheisel making good on his promise to have the Bruins of Westwood back on top of the college football world. As empty as The Ohio State Buckeyes might feel one of the elite teams of the SEC the Tennessee Volunteers has an equally empty feeling having lost a home and home against UCLA. The Bruins played in front of their own 110,000 plus hostile crowd and came out one better than the Trojans with a 19-15 victory where they didn't have to make an exciting last minute comeback. The world might not know it yet about the Bruins but at the very least in Westwood and many parts of Los Angeles people are believing in the Bruins and that has not happened since the Bob Toledo days when Cade McNown was calling plays for the Bruins.

The success of these Bruins under offensive gurus Norm Chow and Neuheisel has been the result of defense. A defense that held the Volunteers under former USC defensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to a menial 186 total yards of offense. In southern California where Pete Carrol has created a dynasty with great athletes the Bruins have tapped into the talent pipeline. When a team is trying to re-build like the Bruins bringing in good athletes you can build a defense with great speed. The Bruins are young and they will have bumps in the road but this Bruin team in their former quarterback's leadership should continue to improve and gain both experience and momentum throughout the year that when the time November 28th rolls around at the Los Angeles Colleseum they could be ready to start taking some of the glitter town glamour that can entice more blue chip recruits! If nothing else we could have one of the best crosstown rival games in LA since Aikman vs. Peete in the late 80's!

Buckeyes Must Win

The USC game is a must win for Ohio State. If the Buckeyes lose this one at home they will start to see the program continue down a path whereby it will be a long time before the Bucks compete for another national championship. Players don't want to play for a team that cannot win a big game and recruiting outside the state of Ohio is imperative for the future of Buckeye football.

Coach Tressel has been dependent upon in state football players at the Ohio State University. During the Tressel era only major players Will Smith, Michael Jenkins, Chris Gamble, and Santonio Holmes were not home stat bred players. All were receivers with the exception of Smith. The rest of them including current NFL players AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Will Allen, Mike Doss, Ted Ginn, Matt Wilhelm and the list goes on were home bred players. Great idea but with the downturn in the economy more and more families are leaving the rust belt for warmer southern climates. Hey if you can't live comfortably and be comfortably employed might as well head south and at least enjoy the weather. It's a scary trend for Big Ten football.

Unlike Ohio State, Pete Carroll just has to look out his back door for talent in Southern California where high school football is as talented and competitive as anywhere else in the country. It comes down to simple mathematics. With a population base in Southern California alone which is almost twice as great as the entire state of Ohio players are competing against more players and have to be far more competitive if they want to play so off season workouts are more intense, practices are more intense and the result on the football field is the proof.

This game will have huge ramifications on Ohio State Football. There used to be a day when a Buckeye recruiter could go into Southern California and recruit major star players away from USC but that has not happened since John Cooper got current Carolina linebacker Nail Diggs. The other football rich regions including Texas and Florida don't have much appeal to future Buckeye recruits since the Longhorns and Gators defeated the Buckeyes in their most recent match-ups although the Buckeyes did go into Austin back in 2006 to whip Texas. Right now the speed isn't there for the Buckeyes to compete for a national title something that is expected in Columbus and for that to happen a win over the Trojans is a must because Tressel will have to get his speed from somewhere and Southern California is a desirable region for speed.

If the Buckeyes cannot defeat the Trojans in the shoe than the problem might get bigger and uglier for the sweater vested head coach in Columbus because his biggest most hated rival has something the Bucks don't have. A victory over the Florida Gators in the past two years which at least gives Michigan and Rich Rodriguez a relentless recruiter something when he heads into speed country down in Florida.

Don't Be Sexist Let Her Compete

Well the gender news is out and Caster Semenya is a man. Well not exactly the total truth. Turns out she is a hermaphrodite. The third sex, the unknown sex, the sex that is well not exactly black and white but comes equipped with characteristics of both sex. The main issue is Semenya has high very high testosterone levels for a woman giving her a her a decided advantage in track and field.

This is a confusing story because the Track and Field association cannot strip her of her medals because she wasn't lying or trying to get anything over on them. On the flip side this is great news because we will not have to hear and read about all the stories about how women can compete with men in sports. Here you go sister, Caster is half a man if you can beat her you can than start working your way up to competing with men in sports. I say let Semenya run with the women. He/She cannot compete with the men and it's not quite fair to not allow her to compete at all.

There is some weird precedence to this issue. Michelle Wie wants to play with the men and in 2002 feminist Martha Burk made a big stink with Hootie Johnson to allow women into the all-male membership club. I think it is time for Ms. Burk to step up to the plate and welcome Mr./Miss Semenya to the world of women's track and field. For all of those years of women trying to penetrate the world of men's clubs, sports, etc. well now isn't this interesting. Are women going to roll out the red carpet for half of their own or will they turn into sexist piglettes?

Either way I am looking forward to this debacle! Caster might be the best thing for sports because he/she is a go between and gives women the opportunity to beat a half of man. This way they don't have to go all the way in competing with men like Michelle Wie is woefully trying to attempt these days.

Titan Kick-Off

The Steelers might be the defensing Super Bowl Champions and their first defense might be their toughest of the regular season. The Titans have a lot to prove after their second round home loss in the playoffs to their nemesis the Baltimore Ravens.

The Titans will be minus their big run stuffer Albert Haynesworth but don't expect the Titans to be any less physical. Since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach for the Titans in the late Steve McNair's second year in the league one thing is for sure. When you play the Titans you better be ready to get hit in the mouth. The Steelers might be known for smash mouth football but no other team has laid it on the opposition more consistently then the Titans.

One thing is for sure the Steelers are going to need to give a Super Bowl effort tonight to beat the Titans to avenge their regular season 34-14 beating. The Steelers defense might be able to get physical with their opposition on defense but they better be ready for Kevin Mawae and the rest of the Titans as they will be ready to take it to the Pittsburgh defense.

If the Titans do not win one thing for sure, the Steelers will not blow them out like they were blown out last year in Nashville. If you are putting money on the game it's not about star power with the Titans, it's the team and the team will make this game close if they don't win it outright.