I had a lot of family stuff going on so I forgot to make my picks this week. But since I dont want to have an inactive week, I am going to take the Cowboys tonight, regardless of their line. Now bare with me while I go look it up.....
Dallas -7 @ Washington:
Last Week: 2-1
Season: 27-16-1
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Raleigh's Bets NFL Week 16
I'm doing something I normally wouldn't do this week. I may bet on a Jets game. I don't care if Peyton Manning doesn't play in the 2nd half. They should have an insurmountable lead by then.
Houston @ Miami (-1.5)
Detroit (+14) @ San Francisco
New York Jets @ Indianapolis (-3.5)
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 23-22
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 12-9
Houston @ Miami (-1.5)
Detroit (+14) @ San Francisco
New York Jets @ Indianapolis (-3.5)
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 23-22
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 12-9
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 15
There were two games I liked this week that Bob already took so I'm going to try to pick some different ones.
Miami @ Tennesssee (-5)
Green Bay (+2.5) @ Pittsburgh
Minnesota @ Carolina (+9)
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 21-21
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 10-8
Miami @ Tennesssee (-5)
Green Bay (+2.5) @ Pittsburgh
Minnesota @ Carolina (+9)
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 21-21
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 10-8
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Bobs NFL Picks: Week 15
Back on the right track last week and looking to keep it up this week. There are a few tricky lines this, starting with tonight's game, but I fell pretty decent overall. Lets do this.
Indianpolis -3 @ Jacksonville: Im trying not to overthink this line. It seems to easy, and it very well may be. I was expecting something closer to 7, so only giving 3 is very low. I know Jacksonville is fighting for a playoff spot, but Indy is trying to remain unbeaten. Jacksonville doesn't have any stellar wins this season and I just cant imagine them having one tonight either.
Seattle -6.5 vs. Tampa Bay: Seattle is not very good, but they have won the games they were supposed to win. Tampa Bay stinks and is already looking to next season.
Cleveland +2 @ Kansas City: I would not highly recommend taking the Browns, but I happen to like them in this game. They impressed the hell out of me by beating Pittsburgh last week (probably more of an indictment on Pitt) and they have covered the few times I picked against them this season. I think Cleveland will ride in confident and well rested after last Thursdays game.
Last Week: 2-1
Season: 25-14-1
Indianpolis -3 @ Jacksonville: Im trying not to overthink this line. It seems to easy, and it very well may be. I was expecting something closer to 7, so only giving 3 is very low. I know Jacksonville is fighting for a playoff spot, but Indy is trying to remain unbeaten. Jacksonville doesn't have any stellar wins this season and I just cant imagine them having one tonight either.
Seattle -6.5 vs. Tampa Bay: Seattle is not very good, but they have won the games they were supposed to win. Tampa Bay stinks and is already looking to next season.
Cleveland +2 @ Kansas City: I would not highly recommend taking the Browns, but I happen to like them in this game. They impressed the hell out of me by beating Pittsburgh last week (probably more of an indictment on Pitt) and they have covered the few times I picked against them this season. I think Cleveland will ride in confident and well rested after last Thursdays game.
Last Week: 2-1
Season: 25-14-1
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Expanding the NCAA Tournament Field
Recently I have seen some articles about expanding the NCAA Tournament field to as many as 96 teams. Let me start with saying that I think the NCAA Tournament is the perfect sporting event and I was against the Play-in Game when it was instituted. No matter what there are going to be bubbles burst on Selection Sunday. If the field gets expanded to 96 teams all that it will mean is that instead of teams 66,67 and 68 griping about not making the tournament it will be teams 97, 98 and 99. I just thought it was a weird thing to do to accommodate one more bubble team. I've since come around a little primarily because of how much the city of Dayton gets in to it. Guess what the attendance was for last year's play in game was....for Morehead State vs. Alabama State...have your guess...it was 11,346. That's insane to me. Granted, I would have went if I lived in or around Dayton but still. It's cool that the city embraces it.
If the NCAA Tournament wants to expand again the maximum I would do is add three more play in games so each region has one. That day would turn in to a holiday in the Dayton area. You could have ESPN broadcast all four games in one day. Break it in to 2 sessions that Tuesday and have it be an all day event. It would make the low seeded teams feel like more part of the tournament since it would go from a random Tuesday night game that people forget is on to an all-day broadcast. Plus it would give 8 teams who never get shown on TV another ESPN game (other than their conference tournament championship game that they would have to have won). That has to be a better tournament experience than getting blown out by 50 to a #1 seed and having your game switched off at the half. I'd prefer they leave the whole thing alone but if they have to expand it, anything more than these extra three play in games would be a mistake.
If the NCAA Tournament wants to expand again the maximum I would do is add three more play in games so each region has one. That day would turn in to a holiday in the Dayton area. You could have ESPN broadcast all four games in one day. Break it in to 2 sessions that Tuesday and have it be an all day event. It would make the low seeded teams feel like more part of the tournament since it would go from a random Tuesday night game that people forget is on to an all-day broadcast. Plus it would give 8 teams who never get shown on TV another ESPN game (other than their conference tournament championship game that they would have to have won). That has to be a better tournament experience than getting blown out by 50 to a #1 seed and having your game switched off at the half. I'd prefer they leave the whole thing alone but if they have to expand it, anything more than these extra three play in games would be a mistake.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 14
Buffalo @ Kansas City(+2.5)
Green Bay(-4.5) @ Chicago
Washington(1.5) @ Oakland
Last Week: 1-2
Overall: 19-20
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 8-7
Green Bay(-4.5) @ Chicago
Washington(1.5) @ Oakland
Last Week: 1-2
Overall: 19-20
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 8-7
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Bobs NFL Picks Week 14
Here are my NFL picks for this week.
Miami +3 @ Jacksonville
San Diego +3 @ Dallas
Kansas City +1 vs. Buffalo
Last Week: 1-2
Season: 23-13-1
Miami +3 @ Jacksonville
San Diego +3 @ Dallas
Kansas City +1 vs. Buffalo
Last Week: 1-2
Season: 23-13-1
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
It's All About the Trades
Since I only seem to post when a significant trade goes down, it looks like it's my turn to actually post something here again. With rumors of a mega-trade going down between the Yanks, D-Backs, and Tigers, I thought I'd post a few thoughts. First the actual trade:
Yanks get: Curtis Granderson
Diamondbacks get: Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson
Tigers get: Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, and Austin Jackson
For unfair reasons I'm going to call this a four-way trade by adding the move that sent Brian Bruney from the Yanks to the Nationals simply because I think that particular roster move speaks to some of the greater concerns I have with this trade as a whole.
First Granderson:
Curtis Granderson is considered to be one of the best young"ish" players in baseball right now and a superior defensive outfielder. Given the expected holes in the Yanks outfield (with expected departures of Matsui, Damon or both) this makes sense. He is only 28 (going on 29) so he should roughly be around his peak. He hit a career high 30 HRs last year but drove in only 71 runs, scored 91, and hit only .249 with a OPS of .780 which, err, is not very good and represent significant declines from the previous two years - not, it should be noted, years in which he should be regressing. He will be taking over the CF position which, while definitely an upgrade at the position, still disappoints me as a Yankee fan since I've always enjoyed watching Melky in center and I was quite happy with the Cabrera/Gardner platoon. LF is a much more pressing position for the Yanks right now and I don't think they plan to move the before-mentioned platoon over to leftfield. More likely, I think they'll make a big push for Holliday now, particularly since Granderson has insane range in the OF and he can pick up a bit of the slack for Holliday defensively. Given how Holliday struggled in the AL last year, I'm not sure how I would feel about his potential addition. If you asked me 2 years ago how I'd feel about Holliday in pinstripes, euphoria would have been a close approximation. While I was living in Colorado, I would frequently razz my Rockie friends about how awesome Holliday was going to be as a Yankee when his CO contract expired. But I loved Holliday then and the man hit perhaps the most impressive live HR I've ever seen in my life (of course it was against the Yanks). Anyway, Granderson is obviously a very good player and it's possible he bounces back substantially in the next few seasons, particularly in this Yankee lineup (though it should be mentioned that the Tigers did not have a bad lineup either). However, though I've made this mistake before, arguing, for example, against a proposed Yankees Johan Santana trade that I thought gave up too many cheap young prospects, let me wade into these dangerous waters again and lay out while I am against the trade, despite its potential upsides (for example, a substantial Granderson bounce-back).
For whatever reasons, Austin Jackson's star has faded, though there does not seem to be a lot of statistical or even anecdotal data to explain why. Nevertheless, the man was still the Yankees #1 rated organizational prospect so he obviously retains some important trade value. I mean, his minor league stats are not mind-blowing or anything, but scouts seem to envision some pretty impressive development from him and, for purposes of evaluating his worth on the open-market, we will take these scout evaluations at face value. Now getting Granderson for Jackson would be a no-brainer, and the Tigers (or anyone else for that matter) would be foolish to even consider such a deal. But with the trade of Bruney to the Nationals, and the addition of Kennedy and Coke in this 3 team deal, I can't help but think that the Yankees have substantially weakened their bullpen in the process. To make matters worse, I am holding the Yankees at their word that they intend to move Hughes into the starting rotation. This leaves an enormous hole in a bullpen that, towards the end of the season, was considered one of baseball's best. Add another year to Mariano Rivera's age, and it's hard to tell what kind of devastated bullpen we could be looking at in 2010 (Jeez, 2010 already! Where did the decade go?). I mean, Kennedy would have been an obvious replacement for Hughes in the bullpen (or a backup solution in the rotation if the Hughes experiment failed) and now that safety net has been traded away. It seems like a curious decision to devastate our bullpen in a move that, in my expectation, marginally improves one position and fails to address holes in another (LF). Again, this might be a pre-cursor to an additional Holliday/Bay signing, but that has yet to be determined. Regardless, while the baseball masses absolutely HATE IT, I personally prefer when the Yankees sign free agents instead of giving up players AND money in trades. I mean, it's not my money - so what do I care if the Yankees throw millions of dollars around in the open market to plug up holes, real or imagined, in the Yankee lineup. But giving up talented prospects? That gives me pause. Don't misunderstand me. A lot of my disappointment in this trade is tied up in my belief that Granderson won't return to "form" offensively (though I continue to believe he'll be a force defensively). Obviously, I can be severely misguided in that assumption. Likewise, I can be severely misinformed as to the potential of Jackson and Kennedy. So far, Kennedy hasn't exactly set the AL on fire.
Anyway, as a Yankee fan, I hope to be wrong. God knows I have been before and one could have imagined an extra WS Championship or two if the Yankees pulled the trigger on earlier prospect-laden deals I opposed that would have brought in players like Johan Santana. But Cashman is a pretty wise GM and he's done right by us before. Let's hope he still has the magic.
Yanks get: Curtis Granderson
Diamondbacks get: Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson
Tigers get: Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, and Austin Jackson
For unfair reasons I'm going to call this a four-way trade by adding the move that sent Brian Bruney from the Yanks to the Nationals simply because I think that particular roster move speaks to some of the greater concerns I have with this trade as a whole.
First Granderson:
Curtis Granderson is considered to be one of the best young"ish" players in baseball right now and a superior defensive outfielder. Given the expected holes in the Yanks outfield (with expected departures of Matsui, Damon or both) this makes sense. He is only 28 (going on 29) so he should roughly be around his peak. He hit a career high 30 HRs last year but drove in only 71 runs, scored 91, and hit only .249 with a OPS of .780 which, err, is not very good and represent significant declines from the previous two years - not, it should be noted, years in which he should be regressing. He will be taking over the CF position which, while definitely an upgrade at the position, still disappoints me as a Yankee fan since I've always enjoyed watching Melky in center and I was quite happy with the Cabrera/Gardner platoon. LF is a much more pressing position for the Yanks right now and I don't think they plan to move the before-mentioned platoon over to leftfield. More likely, I think they'll make a big push for Holliday now, particularly since Granderson has insane range in the OF and he can pick up a bit of the slack for Holliday defensively. Given how Holliday struggled in the AL last year, I'm not sure how I would feel about his potential addition. If you asked me 2 years ago how I'd feel about Holliday in pinstripes, euphoria would have been a close approximation. While I was living in Colorado, I would frequently razz my Rockie friends about how awesome Holliday was going to be as a Yankee when his CO contract expired. But I loved Holliday then and the man hit perhaps the most impressive live HR I've ever seen in my life (of course it was against the Yanks). Anyway, Granderson is obviously a very good player and it's possible he bounces back substantially in the next few seasons, particularly in this Yankee lineup (though it should be mentioned that the Tigers did not have a bad lineup either). However, though I've made this mistake before, arguing, for example, against a proposed Yankees Johan Santana trade that I thought gave up too many cheap young prospects, let me wade into these dangerous waters again and lay out while I am against the trade, despite its potential upsides (for example, a substantial Granderson bounce-back).
For whatever reasons, Austin Jackson's star has faded, though there does not seem to be a lot of statistical or even anecdotal data to explain why. Nevertheless, the man was still the Yankees #1 rated organizational prospect so he obviously retains some important trade value. I mean, his minor league stats are not mind-blowing or anything, but scouts seem to envision some pretty impressive development from him and, for purposes of evaluating his worth on the open-market, we will take these scout evaluations at face value. Now getting Granderson for Jackson would be a no-brainer, and the Tigers (or anyone else for that matter) would be foolish to even consider such a deal. But with the trade of Bruney to the Nationals, and the addition of Kennedy and Coke in this 3 team deal, I can't help but think that the Yankees have substantially weakened their bullpen in the process. To make matters worse, I am holding the Yankees at their word that they intend to move Hughes into the starting rotation. This leaves an enormous hole in a bullpen that, towards the end of the season, was considered one of baseball's best. Add another year to Mariano Rivera's age, and it's hard to tell what kind of devastated bullpen we could be looking at in 2010 (Jeez, 2010 already! Where did the decade go?). I mean, Kennedy would have been an obvious replacement for Hughes in the bullpen (or a backup solution in the rotation if the Hughes experiment failed) and now that safety net has been traded away. It seems like a curious decision to devastate our bullpen in a move that, in my expectation, marginally improves one position and fails to address holes in another (LF). Again, this might be a pre-cursor to an additional Holliday/Bay signing, but that has yet to be determined. Regardless, while the baseball masses absolutely HATE IT, I personally prefer when the Yankees sign free agents instead of giving up players AND money in trades. I mean, it's not my money - so what do I care if the Yankees throw millions of dollars around in the open market to plug up holes, real or imagined, in the Yankee lineup. But giving up talented prospects? That gives me pause. Don't misunderstand me. A lot of my disappointment in this trade is tied up in my belief that Granderson won't return to "form" offensively (though I continue to believe he'll be a force defensively). Obviously, I can be severely misguided in that assumption. Likewise, I can be severely misinformed as to the potential of Jackson and Kennedy. So far, Kennedy hasn't exactly set the AL on fire.
Anyway, as a Yankee fan, I hope to be wrong. God knows I have been before and one could have imagined an extra WS Championship or two if the Yankees pulled the trigger on earlier prospect-laden deals I opposed that would have brought in players like Johan Santana. But Cashman is a pretty wise GM and he's done right by us before. Let's hope he still has the magic.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Raleigh's Best Bets NFL Week 13
Back to .500!
Houston @ Jacksonville(+2.5)
Tennessee(+6.5) @ Indianapolis
Minnesota(-3.5) @ Arizona
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 18-18
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 7-5
Houston @ Jacksonville(+2.5)
Tennessee(+6.5) @ Indianapolis
Minnesota(-3.5) @ Arizona
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 18-18
First Half: 11-13
Second Half: 7-5
Bobs NFL Picks: Week 13
I'm looking to keep the momentum going after a good bounce back week last week, but I'm not loving the lines this week either with the exception of 1. But I came up with 3, because as we all know, 3 is the magic number.
Denver -6 @ Chiefs: Denver is coming off a huge and impressive Thanksgiving win and I think they will ride the wave through KC. I know its a tough place to play, but the Chiefs are 1-4 at home this year and are playing for nothing.
Houston -2 @ Jacksonville: Its strange that Jacksonville has a better record than the Texans this year but playing Indy twice in 3 weeks will really F up your momentum. I expect the Texans to get back to .500 this week.
San Diego -13.5 @ Cleveland: Cleveland really screwed me two weeks ago against Detroit, but I haven't learned my lesson. If the line were a .5 point higher I wouldn't have taken it but San Diego is supremely more talented and they should be able to win this game by 2 TD's+.
Last week: 2-0-1
Season: 22-11-1
Denver -6 @ Chiefs: Denver is coming off a huge and impressive Thanksgiving win and I think they will ride the wave through KC. I know its a tough place to play, but the Chiefs are 1-4 at home this year and are playing for nothing.
Houston -2 @ Jacksonville: Its strange that Jacksonville has a better record than the Texans this year but playing Indy twice in 3 weeks will really F up your momentum. I expect the Texans to get back to .500 this week.
San Diego -13.5 @ Cleveland: Cleveland really screwed me two weeks ago against Detroit, but I haven't learned my lesson. If the line were a .5 point higher I wouldn't have taken it but San Diego is supremely more talented and they should be able to win this game by 2 TD's+.
Last week: 2-0-1
Season: 22-11-1
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights: Finale Picks
Tonight, at 9:00 is the finale of the The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights live and free on Spike. Although this was, by far, the worst season ever I will fulfill my blogger duties and give you my picks for this evenings bouts.
Roy Nelson over Brendan Schaub: I cannot stand Nelson, nor do I think he is that good, but the fact is that his experience and more importantly his size make him hard to finish. I like Nelson by TKO in round 2.
Houston Alexander over Kimbo Slice: It would be hard to argue that Kimbo impressed anyone this season. After seeing his highlight reel knockouts on Youtube, everyone expected a fierce brawler when he stepped in to the octagon. Unfortunately, we all found out that he is an inexperienced 35 year old with knockout power and very little else. Alexander is coming off 3 straight 1st round losses, but I expect him to bounce back tonight.
Marcus Jones over Matt Mitrione: The dumbest feud ever will come to a head tonight. This fight could go either way, because Marcus has shown he has a soft chin and Mitrione has power, but I think Marcus will try and take Mitrione down and finish him on the ground.
James McSweeney over Darrill Schoonover: I think McSweeney's speed will play a factor as he wins this fight and then I'll be happy to never have to look at either of these guys again.
Justin Wren over Jon Madsen: I really like what I saw out of Wren in his fight versus Roy, who was much bigger than Madsen.
Jon Jones over Matt Hamill: Bones is coming off 3 straight wins against solid opponents and really has developed into a solid all around fighter. Great skills in and out of the clinch will make tough work for Hamill, who really hasn't beaten anyone near Bones caliber.
Frank Edgar over Matt Veach
Brian Stann over Rodney Wallace
Roy Nelson over Brendan Schaub: I cannot stand Nelson, nor do I think he is that good, but the fact is that his experience and more importantly his size make him hard to finish. I like Nelson by TKO in round 2.
Houston Alexander over Kimbo Slice: It would be hard to argue that Kimbo impressed anyone this season. After seeing his highlight reel knockouts on Youtube, everyone expected a fierce brawler when he stepped in to the octagon. Unfortunately, we all found out that he is an inexperienced 35 year old with knockout power and very little else. Alexander is coming off 3 straight 1st round losses, but I expect him to bounce back tonight.
Marcus Jones over Matt Mitrione: The dumbest feud ever will come to a head tonight. This fight could go either way, because Marcus has shown he has a soft chin and Mitrione has power, but I think Marcus will try and take Mitrione down and finish him on the ground.
James McSweeney over Darrill Schoonover: I think McSweeney's speed will play a factor as he wins this fight and then I'll be happy to never have to look at either of these guys again.
Justin Wren over Jon Madsen: I really like what I saw out of Wren in his fight versus Roy, who was much bigger than Madsen.
Jon Jones over Matt Hamill: Bones is coming off 3 straight wins against solid opponents and really has developed into a solid all around fighter. Great skills in and out of the clinch will make tough work for Hamill, who really hasn't beaten anyone near Bones caliber.
Frank Edgar over Matt Veach
Brian Stann over Rodney Wallace
Sorry about this but...
This is a little more self-serving than I like to get on this blog but it's St. John's/Duke today and I can't stand Duke.
Raleigh's Best Bets NCAAFB Week 13
Ouch. Another 1-2 Week. I'm running out of time to get over .500. I'm only going to try and take the big games this week.
Florida vs Alabama(+5.5)
I think Florida is going to win this game. I'm a believer in "storybook endings" in sports. The story is supposed to be Tim Tebow winning the SEC, National Championship and another Heisman and go out as a top 5 college player of all time. Having said that, I do not think this will be a shootout. I hate predicting actual scores but if I had to I think we are looking at Florida winning 13-10 type of game. 5.5 is too many points for what alot of people are considering the real National Championship.
Georgia Tech vs Clemson(PK)
Both teams are coming off bad losses to SEC teams. That seemed to take some juice out of this game especially on a day where the SEC and Big 12 Champs will be decided. Georgia Tech won the first meeting 30-27. I remember it vividly since I took Georgia Tech -5 and watched them give up 27 unanswered points to Clemson and losing my bet. This is going to be tight game and Clemson's defense is better at the takeaway than Georgia Tech and that could be the difference.
Texas(-14) vs Nebraska
I'm looking forward to this game tonight so I kind of hope I'm wrong here but I don't like Nebraska's chances playing this game in Dallas. I can't explain it but I just have a feeling that Texas is going to light them up. Not to the extent Texas lit up Colorado last time Texas played for the Big 12 title in 2005. I think the score was 151-3 if I remember correctly (actually it was 70-3).
Last Week: 1-2
Overall:16-19-1
Florida vs Alabama(+5.5)
I think Florida is going to win this game. I'm a believer in "storybook endings" in sports. The story is supposed to be Tim Tebow winning the SEC, National Championship and another Heisman and go out as a top 5 college player of all time. Having said that, I do not think this will be a shootout. I hate predicting actual scores but if I had to I think we are looking at Florida winning 13-10 type of game. 5.5 is too many points for what alot of people are considering the real National Championship.
Georgia Tech vs Clemson(PK)
Both teams are coming off bad losses to SEC teams. That seemed to take some juice out of this game especially on a day where the SEC and Big 12 Champs will be decided. Georgia Tech won the first meeting 30-27. I remember it vividly since I took Georgia Tech -5 and watched them give up 27 unanswered points to Clemson and losing my bet. This is going to be tight game and Clemson's defense is better at the takeaway than Georgia Tech and that could be the difference.
Texas(-14) vs Nebraska
I'm looking forward to this game tonight so I kind of hope I'm wrong here but I don't like Nebraska's chances playing this game in Dallas. I can't explain it but I just have a feeling that Texas is going to light them up. Not to the extent Texas lit up Colorado last time Texas played for the Big 12 title in 2005. I think the score was 151-3 if I remember correctly (actually it was 70-3).
Last Week: 1-2
Overall:16-19-1
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights: Final Episode
All season long, we, The Ultimate Fighter fans, have had to endure lackluster fight after lackluster fight. You'd wait all episode just to watch some amateur step into the octagon and put on the weakest MMA display possible and then have to wait an entire to weak to see it all over again. I'm not sure, but maybe Dana White took all this into account when he scheduled a 2 hour, 4 fight, finale. The odds are with a finale like that, it would have to be entertaining.
The episode starts off with the drama of who is going to fight James McSweeney. As much as everyone on the planet wanted to see Kimbo step in for Mitrione, he told Dana that he couldn't live with fighting at less than 100%. I think the world was shocked that the meanest, nastiest dude on the planet decides not to fight because he doesn't want to get a cortisone shot for his arthritis. Of all ailments, that is one that can be dealt with for a fight. Mitrione on the other hand, decides he is ready to fight. He says that he was cleared by the doctor, but Rashad and everyone else knows that it never had anything to do with the doctor. Mitrione fighting excites McSweeney, who seems to hate meathead.
Now for the biggest overreaction in TV history. Scott Junk finds out that during his fight with Mitrione he sustained an injury to his retina that may force him to never fight again. He discloses this to his team and Marcus Jones for whatever reason in the universe, decides to freak out on Mitrione for inflicting the damage. On the verge of tears, Marcus needs to be restrained from going after Mitrione because he wants to seek vengeance. The levels of absurdity for this are off the charts. It doesn't take an MMA enthusiast to realize that there are risks when stepping into the octagon to fight. And now with Marcus overreacting, he becomes just another idiot on the show. Instead of TUF Heavyweights, this season should've been called TUF:The Hardest Guys to Root for on the Planet.
With 4 fights, I wont spend too much time dissecting them. In the first fight, Mitrione starts off tentative with McSweeney but manages to land a few heavy punches while McSweeney lands a few leg kicks. They trade for a couple of minutes until Mitrione ends up on his back. He tries an ankle lock to no avail and then, like the amateur he is, he tries standing up while his head is in McSweeney's grasp. He ends up in a guillotine choke, and within a split second, Mitrione got his hand out and couldn't wait to tap.
In the second fight, Marcus "overreacting" Jones took on Darrill "titties" Schoonover. This fight was over before it even started. Schoonover is on his back in 15 seconds, and Marcus gets him in the crucifix position and then imposes his will. "Imposes his will" has to be the funniest way to describe a fight. It sounds so brutal and final. And in this case it was. The first chance Schoonover gets to stand up, he inexplicably tries to shoot on Marcus. Marcus gets in full mount, throws some bombs, and the fight is over. This is Schoonovers first MMA loss. That is hard to believe on so many levels.
The semifinal fights are announced and they are Roy Nelson vs. James McSweeney and Brendan Schaub vs. Marcus Jones. After the announcements, Rashad and Rampage tangle in their weekly face off confrontation. As usual, this entails both guys repeating themselves about 25 times before someone breaks them up. Yawn.
I am so happy for the Roy Nelson/James McSweeney fight because it gave us the opportunity to hear the assistant coach Trevor utter the following pre-fight words to McSweeney.
"The past has gone, the future will come.
The most important part is the present. It is a gift that is why they call it the present.
When you were in your room getting your hands wrapped up tight,
you are ready for this bag ass fight.
You fell much lighter, are you ready to be the ultimate fighter?
Keep your focus, this isn't hocus pocus."
Now that we have heard the queerest fight prep-talk ever, onto the fight.
McSweeney comes out looking great against Nelson. He is fast and accurate, landing several jabs and ducking out of Nelsons counters. He gets him in a choke and Roy slips out of it. He starts gaining confidence after a few big punches and decides to taunt Roy midway through the first round and Roy lands a heavy right and then takes McSweeney down. He traps his arm, and unable to escape all the weight and fat in the world, McSweeney has to lay helpless as Nelson starts landing punches until the fight is stopped. He taunted a bit too early I guess.
After another Rashad/Rampage clash where Rampage tells Rashad to "make me act like a bitch" it is time for the final fight of the episode. The fight between Marcus and Brendan starts with Marcus immediately taking Schaub to the mat. Marcus actually ends up in full mount, but doesn't capitalize. To be honest, I thought Schaub would never get out because Marcus is such a big guy. But surprisingly, Scahaub gets to his feet and starts teeing off. He knocks Marcus down with a huge shot and then lands several punches that get Rosenthal to step in and stop the fight.
So its all set for the finale this Saturday. Roy Nelson versus Brendan Schaub, with Nelson as a big favorite. Stay tuned for predictions.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Storming the Court - as inspired by Duke @ Wisconsin 12/02/09
I was watching Duke and Wisconsin last night rooting against Duke like I normally do. I happily watched the final seconds tick away as Wisconsin sealed the win. All of a sudden I got really, really irritated as I watched Wisconsin fans storm the court. Nothing against Duke. They've been one of the top 5 programs in the country for awhile now and I believe they have more wins than anyone else in college basketball in this decade. But Wisconsin has been Big Ten Champ three times and won the Big Ten Tournament two times this decade along with making the NCAA Tournament every year in the 2000's. I'm not even going back the extra year when they made the Final Four. They are 28th Best Program of All-Time according to the ESPN/Sagarin ratings All-Time ratings. And finally, not to mention, they were only 5 POINT UNDERDOGS in the game!
Don't get me wrong either, I love watching people storm the court. I love the way it looks and as a fan of college sports I know how much fun it must be and it makes me wish I was back in college, parlaying that court-storming in to a night of celebratory bar-hopping. Maybe it's just me but storming the court should be saved for the most special wins in a program's history. Those rare occasions where a team consistently in the Top 25 goes to play a smaller school at their place and gets upset or a one-bid conference tournament winner. Those are the ones I like to see. I'll even go as far as to say that a Power 6 conference should never storm the court against your own or another Power 6 conference. I think it disrespects the program and the conference.
I understand the Wisconsin fans were just having fun and were excited by the win but to me it said, "Hey Duke, you are substantially better than us. Thank you for the opportunity to play you at our place so we could witness this amazing win for our program." To me, that's sad because Wisconsin should be thought of as better than that.
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