Author: JVill

Silver- Black…and Young?

Please bear with me all you baseball fans in full time spring training mode. Take your eyes off of those brackets for just a second you college hoop nuts. NBA and NHL fans that can’t wait for some springtime playoff action give me your undivided attention. I’m a member of all the above groups, except for the baseball thing, but one sport always supersedes the others in my humble opinion. I live in an NFL world and there is always something to get excited about, even this deep into the off-season. What’s got my football heart pumping a bit faster this year you might ask…or might not? From this little spiel’s title you don’t need a six on the Wonderlic test to figure it out; Vince Young starring as an Oakland Raider is what consumes my slightly insane mind.

College Basketball

Why I Can Never Pick Duke

The NCAA Tourney is once again rolling along and that means college hoop fans worldwide are currently suffering from a bit of bracket fever. For the past twenty years I’ve fallen victim to this seasonal disease and every March I’ve tried my best to predict the tournament’s ultimate champion. Over that twenty-year span I would guess the Duke Blue Devils would be a solid pick to win it all almost every year, but they were never the last team standing in my bracket. My Dukie hatred runs so deep that even when money and pride are involved I can’t scribble that four-letter word in the final bracket box.

MLB General

Why Bonds Deserves a Hall Call

Post author By JVill
Post date March 9, 2006
4 Comments on Why Bonds Deserves a Hall Call

Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance William’s new book Game of Shadows has seemingly put to rest any debate of whether baseball superstar Barry Bonds ever knowingly took steroids. If only half of the details in the book are absolute fact, it is still some very damning stuff. Even the late, great attorney Johnnie Cochran would have a futile time building a defense for Bonds; no failed test, he’s naturally the best! The truth is now out, no matter how many denials we hear from Barry, and the aftermath remains. Does Barry Bonds belong in the baseball Hall of Fame? I’m here to tell you why he does.

NFL General

A Real Life Horror Story

The story you are about to read is not a fictional tale. It was not woven in the macabre mind of horror legend Stephen King. It is not some make believe conspiracy theory that has Fox Mulder traveling the globe. This event could very well happen in the next two years. Sports fans please take a seat because this could be the most horrific news you read in your entire lifetime. The 2008 NFL season is in jeopardy and there is a serious chance for a lockout (gasp!), which means no football until the conflict is resolved.

NBA General

The NBA Gets "Lost"

The NBA All-Star game is here again, so you know what that means? Its midseason awards time! As an avid reader of the popular sports websites out there, which I’m sure most you aspiring writers are, I have been beaten over the head with award prognostications. Nash or Kobe for league MVP; Chris Paul for Rookie of the Year, and Sam Cassell for Biggest Pair which he is so fond of telling us. Been there and read that. I’m up for something different, so in the tradition of ESPN’s Page 2 let me mix in a little pop culture with our sports. What would happen if the NBA got Lost?

Oakland Raiders

You Can Call Me Al’s Disciple

Post author By JVill
Post date February 14, 2006
3 Comments on You Can Call Me Al’s Disciple

When Oakland Raider’s owner Al Davis tabbed Art Shell, the same Art Shell Davis fired eleven years ago, his new head coach, I could only muster a roll of the eyes. This hiring reeked of a desperate old man reaching back into his past to try and save the future. Then I watched the venerable Mr. Davis speak at his press conference and once again I found myself drinking the Silver & Black kool-aid.

NFL General

Genius Analysis; Big plays beat out multiple mistakes.

Post author By JVill
Post date February 6, 2006
No Comments on Genius Analysis; Big plays beat out multiple mistakes.

That is the extent of my expert analysis, but for a Super Bowl that was XL sized those few words sum up the entire game. The Pittsburgh Steelers made a few huge plays and the Seattle Seahawks made too many tiny mistakes.

NFL General

Raiders- Broncos- and Chiefs…Oh My!

Post author By JVill
Post date August 24, 2004
8 Comments on Raiders- Broncos- and Chiefs…Oh My!

Three teams with a vile hatred for each other once again resume their on going battle for AFC West supremacy. Denver and Kansas City both head into the 2004 NFL season trying to shake the nightmare of countless Peyton Manning TD passes; I think Brandon Stokley just scored again. While Oakland is still trying to fathom that Rick Mirer was their starting quarterback for half the season. All three teams have a legitimate shot to snatch the AFC Western crown in the upcoming season and below are my predictions. Don’t worry San Diego fans I didn’t forget about your beloved Chargers. I threw in a blurb about the `Bolts since they do have a shot at the division, well technically anyway.

NFL General

The Beast of the AFC East

The New England Patriots are kings of the NFL world right now. All of the remaining teams are mere peasants fighting for any scrap of land to claim as their own. This is the glory that comes with two Super Bowl trophies in three years and a current sixteen game winning streak. Who can topple the mighty Pats? I don’t believe anyone in the AFC East is capable, so once again I see New England winning their division. That may be only the first of their many conquests in 2004. Take a look below to see how I think the AFC East will take shape in the new NFL year.

All Other Sports

Is ‘Melo Still Confident in his Golden Guarantee?

Post author By JVill
Post date August 5, 2004
No Comments on Is ‘Melo Still Confident in his Golden Guarantee?

Since the inception of the original Dream Team in 1992, a gold medal has always been a given for the men’s U.S. Olympic basketball team. Allen Iverson shows up late for practice and Team USA brings home the gold in basketball, some things in life are always certain. Well times are sure changing my friends. The 2004 version of the Dream Team has made winning a gold medal look like a pipe dream. There is still time, but only if they can overcome a few glaring shortcomings.