I’m a Gator and I respect Florida State.
No, not for its three national titles; no, not for its remarkable 24 consecutive seasons bowling; no, not for head coach Bobby Bowden’s class-act demeanor on and off the field. No, not for any of these reasons.
I respect Florida State for wearing number 95 decals in honor of Miami Hurricanes’ defensive tackle Brian Pata, who was found dead of a gunshot wound outside his apartment Tuesday.
by Trevor Freeman
Someday girl I don’t know when we’re gonna get to that place..Where we really want to go and we’ll walk in the sun…But till then tramps like us…baby we were born to run…
-Bruce Springsteen
If luck truly is when practice meets opportunity then this weekend the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers seized their moment. In the land of Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Tony Soprano……in the land that inspired one of the truly great websites of all-time (www.njguido.com) college football’s best Cinderella story is being written. For a win over Louisville and losses by Auburn, Texas and California has elevated The State University of New Jersey close to a place that Mr. George Mason currently resides. David is once again tapping on the door of Goliath.
Louisville vs. Rutgers
This is the sexiest game on the schedule this week. Two unbeaten Big East teams with completely different styles of play clash on a Thursday night in New Jersey. Ray Rice is one the most talented football players in the country at any position. Throw in the all-conference fullback Brian Leonard, and you have best rushing tandem in the Big East. Louisville’s defense will have its hands full, but Brian Brohm, Mario Urrutia, and their offense should man-handle the Rutgers defensive squad. This one will be hard-fought throughout, but the Cardinals cash their ticket to an inevitable BCS snub.
Louiville-27
Rutgers-21
Arkansas vs. Tennessee
The “Dirty South” just got a little nastier. Expect emotions to run high when these two SEC teams mix it up in the best college football matchup on Saturday. Arkansas is having its best season in years on the legs of Darren McFadden, a homegrown running back coming off a career high 219 yard performance last week. Both teams have questions at quarterback, with Casey Dick replacing an ineffective Mitch Mustain and Jonathan Crompton starting for injured Tennessee starter Erik Ainge. The Vols have off-the-field issues as well with three suspensions this week. But can the Razorbacks continue their unlikely run through the SEC West? All signs point to the pigs.
Arkansas-17
Tennessee-10
He’s a walking contradiction, half hero half villain, glaring like a samurai behind ice-cold eyes. He’s a warrior and a whiner, heart and talent, attitude and arrogance. He defends his teammates with righteous zeal. He belittles them with distant apathy.
He hits and he hits.
He is Gary Sheffield.
Who is Gary Sheffield?
Last week, my picks got crushed for the most part. I did get the big one right–Indy over New England. However, last week showed that the Falcons are way too inconsistent to win the NFC South, the Bears aren’t the all-powerful force they have been made out to be, and that the Rams and Vikings may have peaked earlier in the year. I was wrong on all counts. This week, we’ll learn something huge–which team has the power in the NFC. In a conference that lacks consistently good teams, the two best will face off. The Giants and Bears battle for conference supremacy, while the Seahawks and Rams play for the NFC West lead. It’s all about the NFC as we head down the stretch of the 2006 NFL season.
Joe Pa Takes One for the Team
I’ll admit that I am not in any way a Joe Paterno. I think that, like Bobby Bowden, his best coaching days are far behind him and he is holding the Penn State football program hostage. However, whenever a 79 year old guy takes a tumble like this, has surgery the next day and still plans on being on the sideline this weekend you have to give him due credit.
Paterno’s injuries were a broken shin bone and torn knee ligaments.
Mountain Climbers
I’ve been on the West Virginia band wagon since last season. I picked them to play Ohio State in the BCS Championship game but Louisville brought all of that to a screeching halt Thursday night with their 44-34 win over the Mountaineers.
Anyone who followed baseball this year knows the story of Jeffrey Charles Weaver. After going 3-10 with a 6.29 E.R.A. with the Los Angeles/Orange County Angels of Anaheim/Pasadena/Tustin/Southern California region, and being replaced in the rotation by his little brother Jered, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards’ struggling, injury-depleted pitching staff needed help, and while acquiring Weaver seemed like it would help less than having A-Rod on your postseason roster, it was better than nothing.
Maybe a little change of scenery would do Weaver good. Maybe being traded to a contender would give him a little fire on the mound; a little more motivation. After his fourth start as a Cardinal, the hope for a turnaround was dwindling along with the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. His line after that loss to the Atlanta Braves read as follows: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 1 K.
Sure it looked bleak for a while, but who doubts Weaver now?
Things are back to normal as we picked a combined 66% last week. Vin and Trevor went 10-4, RJ went 9-5 and Ryan went 8-6. The top expert on the web got 11 right so chances are if you went with Vin or Trevor’s picks last week, you won your office pool. If you want to see how we stack up against all the experts, check out a very nifty expert picks compilation spreadsheet by our buddy Tokar.
The featured games this week are Kansas City @ Miami, San Diego @ Cincinnati, St. Louis @ Seattle, and Chicago @ NY Giants. You can download the podcast directly (running time 38 mins) or subscribe to the feed.
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This week’s pickem winner was MDFAN and his picks are below.
The Yankees shocking expulsion from Baseball’s October proceedings left their devoted legion of fans falling perilously into negativity, trapped in feelings ranging from disillusionment to anger.
People react to disappointment in different ways, their methods of coping best reflecting their personalities. Some people disavow their devotion, while others find their loyalty reinforced in defeat. Some people react calmly, while others write a nonsensical stream of conscience sports column named after a Carlos Santana jam. Whatever the survival method, we all eventually get led back to a mutual point of origin:
Hope for the future, appreciation for the past, and a constant yearning to continually move forward.
How exactly should the Yankees correct the error of their ways?
At the dawning of yet another cold winter catharsis, here are one fan’s humble suggestions.
With the college football regular season ending in four weeks, I thought it was time for a column about the key matchups that will form the Bowl Championship Series Bowl games and the National Championship. There are a total of 10 matchups that will undoubtedly decide conference championships and at-large berths as well as teams vying for a national championship. Get ready!