Oxford, MS. It's a Saturday morning, sun barely up in the sky and what is this you see? Thousands of students anxiously awaiting in the stadiums parking lots, firing up their grills, throwing the pig skin, chanting fight songs, drinking some beers; just waiting for that special moment. The moment some fans have been waiting for since the last whistle blew ending their disappointing last season. That moment the stadium gates open and you rush through the tunnel and there it is, fresh cut grass, wind swirling through the stadium, freshly painted sidelines and logo on the 50 yard line and seats filling up with thousands of crazed fans. It's opening day for college football.
There may be nothing bigger then opening day in college football. This day can make or break your season, let you show off your improved skills as a team, or even play spoiler to a powerhouses chance of winning a national championship and this years opening day did not let people down.
For many top 25 teams opening week usually means easy win because their opponent is some small school that has virtually no chance of winning. Schools such as Jacksonville State, North Dakota State, or Utah University. The only thing is, someone forgot to tell these schools that they weren't supposed to actually win the game. These schools pulled off the impossible, some more impossible then others, yet they all played spoiler to a major conference contenders chance at a shot for a championship.
Jacksonville State, is located in Alabama, and is part of the OVC(Ohio Valley Conference) took a trip to Oxford for one thing, to win. After the third quarter a win looked like anything but possible for Jacksonville State as they found themselves down 31-13, but whatever Jacksonville State's coach, Jack Crowe, said to the team on the sidelines worked. Jacksonville State outscored the Rebels 21-3 in the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime. The Gamecocks tied the game on the last play of the game with a last ditch effort by quarterback Coty Blanchard's toss to the back of the endzone on 4th and 15. Wide receiver Kevyn Cooper came down with the ball leaving a stadium of 55,768 fans silent. Yet that wasn't enough for qb Blanchard and his Gamecocks. The Gamecocks scored in the 2nd overtime leaving them down by 1 on the road to a SEC team that knew they couldn't lose this game. This left coach Crowe with a tough decision, go for the win or keep on playing. Coach Crowe couldn't feel better about the decision he made. The Gamecocks went for two and scored on a crazy, razzle-dazzle shovel pass that ended up in the hands of of Middleton, running back for Jacksonville State, and the Gamcocks did it. They pulled off the impossible and a sub-division team beat a FBS team. As the famous saying goes, this is why we play the game and that is what the little school from Jacksonville did, they played the game and came out winners.
South Dakota State beat University of Kansas and Utah beat number 15 ranked Pitt. 2 other notable upsets to kickoff the year.
Coach Tom
September 6, 2010
April 5, 2010
Cubs Season Outlook
Coming off of a disappointing 83-78 season, the Cubs look ready to bounce back under lightened expectations.
The biggest off season acquisition will never hit the field for Chicago this year. His job is to make sure the Cubs lineup hits whenever they take the field. Hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillio comes from Texas where he worked with hitters for 14 years. He turned out 17 Silver Sluggers during that stint and consistently produced top of the league lineups. Jaramillio has already tweaked several Cubs' stances with Ryan Theriot seeming to benefit the most early on. If Rudy can fix left fielder Alfonso Soriano and get him back to what he once was, the Cubs can expect a lot more production than last year.
Also look for a youth insurgence this season. Outfielder and 2006 first-round draft pick, Tyler Colvin, made the squad this spring with an outstanding Spring Training when he hit .468. He is a left-handed bat with speed that the Cubs have longed for. It is also only a matter of time before 20-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro bumps Theriot over to second and starts saving the Cubs runs. My peer hit .429 this Spring and solidified his status as a top prospect. Theriot does a solid job on the balls he gets to but has limited range, especially compared to Castro. Castro-Theriot-Lee sure would sound good coming from Pat Hughes' mouth this summer.
Geovany Soto dropped a Pussycat Doll this offseason (ok it was only 40 pounds, but close) and is expected to perform at his 2008 Rookie of the Year level.
Pitching wise the bullpen features three rookies, including setup man Esmailin Caridad. The diminutive Dominican throws gas and will compliment Carlos Marmol who enters his first full season at the position he was made for, closer.
Expect the Cubs to thrive on solid pitching and an improved offense this year as they go down to the wire with the Cards for the NL Central crown.
Projected Finish: 91-71, NL Wild Card winner
The biggest off season acquisition will never hit the field for Chicago this year. His job is to make sure the Cubs lineup hits whenever they take the field. Hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillio comes from Texas where he worked with hitters for 14 years. He turned out 17 Silver Sluggers during that stint and consistently produced top of the league lineups. Jaramillio has already tweaked several Cubs' stances with Ryan Theriot seeming to benefit the most early on. If Rudy can fix left fielder Alfonso Soriano and get him back to what he once was, the Cubs can expect a lot more production than last year.
Also look for a youth insurgence this season. Outfielder and 2006 first-round draft pick, Tyler Colvin, made the squad this spring with an outstanding Spring Training when he hit .468. He is a left-handed bat with speed that the Cubs have longed for. It is also only a matter of time before 20-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro bumps Theriot over to second and starts saving the Cubs runs. My peer hit .429 this Spring and solidified his status as a top prospect. Theriot does a solid job on the balls he gets to but has limited range, especially compared to Castro. Castro-Theriot-Lee sure would sound good coming from Pat Hughes' mouth this summer.
Geovany Soto dropped a Pussycat Doll this offseason (ok it was only 40 pounds, but close) and is expected to perform at his 2008 Rookie of the Year level.
Pitching wise the bullpen features three rookies, including setup man Esmailin Caridad. The diminutive Dominican throws gas and will compliment Carlos Marmol who enters his first full season at the position he was made for, closer.
Expect the Cubs to thrive on solid pitching and an improved offense this year as they go down to the wire with the Cards for the NL Central crown.
Projected Finish: 91-71, NL Wild Card winner
February 2, 2010
Case for Rent-a-Bosh
Fresh off five straight road wins the Chicago Bulls are a refreshing 23-22. With Derrick Rose continuing his rise to NBA stardom, Da Bulls are poised to make another postseason appearance. But the Bulls are no one man show. Joakim "Big Goofy" Noah has become a top of the line rebounder. Luol Deng is back to his 18 points a game self. And young players Tyrus Thomas and Taj Gibson both show potential to be solid NBA forwards-albeit completely different brands of forward. The best things for the Bulls are their depth and youth. They should take advantage of this by trading for Chris Bosh. A soon to be free agent, Bosh is unlikely to resign with the Raptors. While they are 26-22, the Raps only offer Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu as his best side kicks. Let's be honest, Toronto is not high on most NBA stars list of dream locations, so there is little hope Toronto could resign him and another top line free agent this offseason. Therefore they would best be served trading Bosh. Thanks to espn.com's NBA Trade Machine I can verify that a Brad Miller, Janero Pargo and 1st round pick for Chris Bosh trade would pass the NBA front office. While the Bulls would run the risk of not being able to resign Bosh this offseason, they could only benefit from this trade. If he leaves, the Bulls atleast make a deeper playoff run, ESPN's Chris Hollinger projects an 8 win increase over the rest of the season for the Bulls if they pull this off, and improve their attraction for free agents as a result. If he stays, the Bulls would still have enough cap space to sign Dwayne Wade and it would be tough for him to deny playing with Bosh and Rose in his home town. Come on Bulls, let's do this!
TBG
TBG
January 15, 2010
Sundiata Gaines
In case you did not stay up to check out the Cavs-Jazz finish, let me fill you in. Rookie Sundiata Gaines, a formr NBA Developmental League as well as Italian League player, hit a game-winning 3 at the buzzer. Years of watching minor league basketball players showed me how many incredible players there are in the United States. Gaines, who finished with 9 points in 9 minutes on 3-3 shooting, represents the hundreds of minor league ballers I saw play. Many of them deserved an NBA shot that they never got. Marshall Phillips in particular will always stand out for me when I think of everything that is right with sports. He always took time to talk to the fans,my father and I among them, after games. He also had an outstanding all-around game complimented by non-stop hustle. NBA teams could really benefit by taping more hungery, talented players from the minor leagues when they need a spark. As any baseball fan can tell you, a call-up can really ignite a fire under a team. Way to represent the hungry underdog Sundiata.
TBG
TBG
January 5, 2010
The Arguement for Boise State
Coming into the bowl season I was not alone with my belief that TCU was the second best team in the nation. However, because they have that pesty Christian University after Texas rather than a simple University of in front they were barred from serious National Championship consideration. Undefeated Boise State didn't even bother asking for an invite considering they were only a measly 13-0 including a win over PAC-10 champ Oregon. The two non-BCS conference powerhouses were matched up against each other in an effort by the BCS to hide their real potential. Rather than let one of them potentially exploit a Florida or Cincinnati team, both BCS teams, they were forced to face each other. After all, a win over a non-BCS team means nothing right? So whoever wins still has no legitimate argument for being the National Champ. Time to cut the crap. Here's the real picture.
1. Boise State is the second 14-0 team in NCAA D-I history. The only other team was the 2002 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Boise State beat an outstanding TCU team that trounced Utah, BYU and Virginia and beat Clemson on the road. TCU averaged 40.7 points and were held to 10 by Boise.
2. This game was not bad. If you only consider 42-35 games good that is your fault, not mine. This offensive age has produced a bunch of fantasy playing stat-obsessed losers who could not recognize a great defense if the Steel Curtain was playing. Yes, sometimes a great defense beats great offense. Boise State QB Kellen Moore came in as the #1 rated QB in the land and TCU's Andy Dalton was #4. Get it straight, these defenses were the story of the game.
3. Everyone out their backing the Big 12 and Texas, listen up. The Big 12 is 4-3 in bowls. The number 2 team in the Big 12, Oklahoma St. lost 21-7 to an Ole Miss team that went 4-4 in SEC play. Mizzou got housed by Nazy 35-13 and Texas A&M got smacked 44-20 by Georgia who also went 4-4 in SEC play. Texas Tech and Iowa State's wins over two 6-7 Big Ten teams count for little. A solid Nebraska team crushed Arizona 33-0 and Oklahoma, who would be in the National Championship game if Sam Bradford had remained healthy all year, won 31-27 over a very good Stanford squad. Two impressive wins to three embarrassing defeats for the Big 12.
4. The Mountain West on the other hand, a non-BCS conference, has come up big in the bowl season. TCU's top two conference foes both won. BYU 44-20 over near PAC-10 champ Oregon State. Utah won 37-27 over Cal. But most importantly, the conference showed their depth with their lower teams winning as well. Wyoming won in double OT over Fresno State. Air Force won 47-20 over a Houston team that beat Oklahoma State and averaged 44 points per game this year. The depth shown by the conference only validates TCU's undefeated regular season and boosts Boise State's claim at a split National Championship.
5. After Alabama wins the National Semifinal there will be two undefeateds left in the nation. But yet again, since the BCS is strictly about keeping the money inside the selective few's hands, there will be no justice. This topic infuriates me to no end because even in the place where politics are supposed to be barred they find a way to ruin the purity of college sports. Yeah I know, they aren't so pure, but a story like Boise State is and they deserve a shot to pull the ultimate George Mason for the little guys out there.
TBG
1. Boise State is the second 14-0 team in NCAA D-I history. The only other team was the 2002 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Boise State beat an outstanding TCU team that trounced Utah, BYU and Virginia and beat Clemson on the road. TCU averaged 40.7 points and were held to 10 by Boise.
2. This game was not bad. If you only consider 42-35 games good that is your fault, not mine. This offensive age has produced a bunch of fantasy playing stat-obsessed losers who could not recognize a great defense if the Steel Curtain was playing. Yes, sometimes a great defense beats great offense. Boise State QB Kellen Moore came in as the #1 rated QB in the land and TCU's Andy Dalton was #4. Get it straight, these defenses were the story of the game.
3. Everyone out their backing the Big 12 and Texas, listen up. The Big 12 is 4-3 in bowls. The number 2 team in the Big 12, Oklahoma St. lost 21-7 to an Ole Miss team that went 4-4 in SEC play. Mizzou got housed by Nazy 35-13 and Texas A&M got smacked 44-20 by Georgia who also went 4-4 in SEC play. Texas Tech and Iowa State's wins over two 6-7 Big Ten teams count for little. A solid Nebraska team crushed Arizona 33-0 and Oklahoma, who would be in the National Championship game if Sam Bradford had remained healthy all year, won 31-27 over a very good Stanford squad. Two impressive wins to three embarrassing defeats for the Big 12.
4. The Mountain West on the other hand, a non-BCS conference, has come up big in the bowl season. TCU's top two conference foes both won. BYU 44-20 over near PAC-10 champ Oregon State. Utah won 37-27 over Cal. But most importantly, the conference showed their depth with their lower teams winning as well. Wyoming won in double OT over Fresno State. Air Force won 47-20 over a Houston team that beat Oklahoma State and averaged 44 points per game this year. The depth shown by the conference only validates TCU's undefeated regular season and boosts Boise State's claim at a split National Championship.
5. After Alabama wins the National Semifinal there will be two undefeateds left in the nation. But yet again, since the BCS is strictly about keeping the money inside the selective few's hands, there will be no justice. This topic infuriates me to no end because even in the place where politics are supposed to be barred they find a way to ruin the purity of college sports. Yeah I know, they aren't so pure, but a story like Boise State is and they deserve a shot to pull the ultimate George Mason for the little guys out there.
TBG
December 26, 2009
10 Notes, Facts and Thoughts
Christmas went well at TBG's house and I hope you can say the same. I received a glorious Oklahoma City Thunder blanket and fell asleep under its warmth last night. The sports scene was rather weak yesterday with the best game being the 5th and final NBA game between the Blazers and Nuggets. It's been a little since a long post so here we go...
1. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will take place. Maybe not on March 13 as it has been tentatively scheduled but it will happen. Money is Mayweather's motivator and Pacquiao knows a win over Pretty Boy Floyd would validate his status as an all-time great boxer. Too much to gain for both fighters to lose out on this bout.
2. Gerald Wallace is the most underrated player in the NBA. The former Sacramento Kings bench-warmer is scoring 18.1 PPG and grabbing an absurd 12.1 boards per. The former expansion draftee plays for a team some people still haven't even heard of but is proof that if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around we do hear it thanks to today's technology (Sportscenter highlights and espn.com statistics page).
3. The Bulls will make the playoffs this year. The East flat out sucks this year and once the Bulls fire coach Vinny Del Negro they will hit their stride as long as they hire a competent replacement.
4. My beloved Thunder will not make it out of the West in the playoffs this year. UNLESS one of the current top eight teams endure a major injury or the Thunder pull off a huge trade for a veteran low post presence.
5. I am sticking with my Super Bowl prediction of Ravens over Packers. Both teams are going to make a Wild Card spot. The Packers have hit their stride recently and should be 10-4 if not for a great throw by Roethlisberger. While the secondary will be in question for the rest of the season for the Pack look for the pass rush to help cover the coverage weaknesses. Meanwhile, in Baltimore this has been a black and blue season. An 8-6 record through an extremely tough schedule is something to be proud of. The Ravens will be the most battle tested team in the playoffs this year.
6. Chris Johnson currently has 519 more rushing yards than Steven Jackson, the number 2 rusher in the NFL this year. Take a minute to think about that. That is absurd. With only 128 yards to go to 2,000 Johnson and the Titans will make sure he gets his against the Seahawks next weekend. The only question is how will Johnson play next year. The last two 2,000 yard club member, Jamal Lewis and Terrell Davis were never the same backs after their historic seasons. A smaller runner more in the mold of Eric Dickerson perhaps Johnson will be able to continue to thrive like Dickerson did.
7. Drew Brees is my MVP. Without that guy, they'd be done. No way the Saints are 13-1 with an average QB. In fact, I don't see them as a playoff team. Brees elevated his name into the Manning, Brady, Favre level this year and needs to be rewarded.
8. The Colts will waltz to 16-0 after they dismantle the Jets at home tomorrow and crush the lowly Bills on the road. However, the Colts were exposed last week by the Jags. A team with a solid run game and a better defense (Cinncy or Baltimore?) could take the Colts down and will before the Super Bowl.
9. The 2006 Rose Bowl was the game of the decade. Easily. The best football game I have ever watched was loaded with talent and showcased the single best performance I have ever seen. Vince Young owned that game and will forever attempt to live up to that level of play in the NFL.
10. VY will never dominate that way in the NFL but will become a very solid NFL starter by continuing to do what he has always done: win.
TBG
1. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will take place. Maybe not on March 13 as it has been tentatively scheduled but it will happen. Money is Mayweather's motivator and Pacquiao knows a win over Pretty Boy Floyd would validate his status as an all-time great boxer. Too much to gain for both fighters to lose out on this bout.
2. Gerald Wallace is the most underrated player in the NBA. The former Sacramento Kings bench-warmer is scoring 18.1 PPG and grabbing an absurd 12.1 boards per. The former expansion draftee plays for a team some people still haven't even heard of but is proof that if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around we do hear it thanks to today's technology (Sportscenter highlights and espn.com statistics page).
3. The Bulls will make the playoffs this year. The East flat out sucks this year and once the Bulls fire coach Vinny Del Negro they will hit their stride as long as they hire a competent replacement.
4. My beloved Thunder will not make it out of the West in the playoffs this year. UNLESS one of the current top eight teams endure a major injury or the Thunder pull off a huge trade for a veteran low post presence.
5. I am sticking with my Super Bowl prediction of Ravens over Packers. Both teams are going to make a Wild Card spot. The Packers have hit their stride recently and should be 10-4 if not for a great throw by Roethlisberger. While the secondary will be in question for the rest of the season for the Pack look for the pass rush to help cover the coverage weaknesses. Meanwhile, in Baltimore this has been a black and blue season. An 8-6 record through an extremely tough schedule is something to be proud of. The Ravens will be the most battle tested team in the playoffs this year.
6. Chris Johnson currently has 519 more rushing yards than Steven Jackson, the number 2 rusher in the NFL this year. Take a minute to think about that. That is absurd. With only 128 yards to go to 2,000 Johnson and the Titans will make sure he gets his against the Seahawks next weekend. The only question is how will Johnson play next year. The last two 2,000 yard club member, Jamal Lewis and Terrell Davis were never the same backs after their historic seasons. A smaller runner more in the mold of Eric Dickerson perhaps Johnson will be able to continue to thrive like Dickerson did.
7. Drew Brees is my MVP. Without that guy, they'd be done. No way the Saints are 13-1 with an average QB. In fact, I don't see them as a playoff team. Brees elevated his name into the Manning, Brady, Favre level this year and needs to be rewarded.
8. The Colts will waltz to 16-0 after they dismantle the Jets at home tomorrow and crush the lowly Bills on the road. However, the Colts were exposed last week by the Jags. A team with a solid run game and a better defense (Cinncy or Baltimore?) could take the Colts down and will before the Super Bowl.
9. The 2006 Rose Bowl was the game of the decade. Easily. The best football game I have ever watched was loaded with talent and showcased the single best performance I have ever seen. Vince Young owned that game and will forever attempt to live up to that level of play in the NFL.
10. VY will never dominate that way in the NFL but will become a very solid NFL starter by continuing to do what he has always done: win.
TBG
December 21, 2009
Second Worst Call Ever
In case you were watching the abomination of a game tonight's MNF game was, you might have caught the dumbest decision of the year. Jim Zorn clearly wants to be fired and I guarantee he will be out after this week. On fourth and 4 with 3 seconds left in a 24-0 first half the Racists decided to go for a fake field goal. The swinging gate, never used for any kind of notable success in the history of football, failed miserably and only added to the national embarrassment the Skins faced. The call was utterly unexplainable. The element of surprise was negated by a Giants timeout call after the first shift. It was flat out dumb and will surely mark the end of the Zorn era in Washington.
In case you were wondering about the title, the worst call of all time remains, as it always will, Marty Mornhingweg's decision to kick in overtime as the Lions head coach.
TBG
In case you were wondering about the title, the worst call of all time remains, as it always will, Marty Mornhingweg's decision to kick in overtime as the Lions head coach.
TBG
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