after the first half of the sweet 16, here's where the poop on boozer staff stands:
1st: d.r.w. (38 of 52)
2nd: k.c.r. (37 of 52)
3rd: k.l. (36 of 52)
i'm hanging tough, though - especially because d.r.w has memphis in his finals. let's go no. 3 seeds!
Showing posts with label college sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college sports. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
day 1 bracket update
after day 1, here's where the poop on boozer staff stands:
1st: k.l. (15 of 16)
2nd: k.c.r. (13 of 16)
3rd: d.r.w. (12 of 16)
i think k.c.r. and d.r.w. are just celebrating that memphis didn't choke and ruin their final four!
1st: k.l. (15 of 16)
2nd: k.c.r. (13 of 16)
3rd: d.r.w. (12 of 16)
i think k.c.r. and d.r.w. are just celebrating that memphis didn't choke and ruin their final four!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
poop on ranked mid-major teams
poop on butler.
the 16th/17th-ranked bulldogs lost to cleveland state in the horizon league championship tuesday night, losing 57-54 as the vikings rained threes in indianapolis. awesome, right? everyone loves an underdog!
nope.
by losing, butler handed cleveland state its first berth in the ncaa tournament since 1986. again, awesome, right? this is what makes march MAD!
nope.
see, here's the thing. butler was going to make the dance regardless of last night's result. but now, we have to deal with TWO horizon league teams in the tournament.
yes, the last time they were there, the vikings upset the 3rd-seeded hoosiers and generated some serious excitement. but would you really rather watch cleveland state instead of teams like maryland or arizona? these squads are in danger of not making the tournament if random upsets like this continue to happen in mid-major conference tournaments.
so poop on you, butler bulldogs, for ruining the dreams of fans of ACTUALLY exciting teams in the REAL basketball conferences. while all 16,000 cleveland state students are undoubtedly quite excited about their berth, i'm sure that the crowd of 29,000 (and 240,000 alumni!) at college park is raving mad.
the 16th/17th-ranked bulldogs lost to cleveland state in the horizon league championship tuesday night, losing 57-54 as the vikings rained threes in indianapolis. awesome, right? everyone loves an underdog!
nope.
by losing, butler handed cleveland state its first berth in the ncaa tournament since 1986. again, awesome, right? this is what makes march MAD!
nope.
see, here's the thing. butler was going to make the dance regardless of last night's result. but now, we have to deal with TWO horizon league teams in the tournament.
yes, the last time they were there, the vikings upset the 3rd-seeded hoosiers and generated some serious excitement. but would you really rather watch cleveland state instead of teams like maryland or arizona? these squads are in danger of not making the tournament if random upsets like this continue to happen in mid-major conference tournaments.
so poop on you, butler bulldogs, for ruining the dreams of fans of ACTUALLY exciting teams in the REAL basketball conferences. while all 16,000 cleveland state students are undoubtedly quite excited about their berth, i'm sure that the crowd of 29,000 (and 240,000 alumni!) at college park is raving mad.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
GUEST POST: poop on the top line!
since we here at poop on boozer have been slow with the posts recently - hey, come on, we have to earn our rent, too! - here's a guest post from the one and only r.e. to keep you entertained.
yeah, i know he writes a lot. give him a break - it's tough being a tar heels fan in 2009.
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As an avid follower of both emerging technologies and most major American sports, usually my life only gets better when the two worlds collide. Just think – hasn’t TiVo changed the way you watch sports (read: instant replay)? How much better is watching football on a 42-inch HD set compared to your old 32-inch CRT? How much more intense is March when you can see individual beads of sweat fling off Stephen Curry’s hand as he buries a three to down Georgetown? Sports, in part, is about the drama created through amazing athleticism, and as technology improves, so does our ability to both appreciate the art of the game, and to become immersed in the event as if we were truly taking part.
It therefore came as such a surprise to my roommate, Poop on Boozer beat writer K.L. (I’d say the one-and-only, but I don’t want Facebook to make a liar out of me), to hear me verbally abusing the television set because of a technological advance, not due to the lack of one of my many likely ill-fated technological pipe dreams (don’t you also want to smell Stephen Curry’s sweat?). For those of you who tuned in to the predictably… well, predictable BC / Maryland game on ESPN2 tonight, you probably already know what my beef is, because you’ve been thinking the same thing for the last two hours: for what possible reason do I need to read comments from viewers who likely know less about basketball than I do?
My apologies – let’s take a step back. As part of its ongoing effort to widen its appeal across audiences and across platforms, ESPN is piloting an updated version of “Interactive Tuesdays.” Yes, I can already hear you groaning, and rightfully so. To put it short, “Interactive Tuesdays” is a broad expansion of tools like the SportsNation poll (which, let’s face it, is completely and shamelessly biased based on users’ geographic location) from the web straight to your TV. Individuals (who require no more certification than a free ESPN.com account) can submit comments via ESPN.com (search “Interactive,” as if embedded searches ever work) or text message (to 43776) to discuss the featured game of the day. This is nothing new; ESPN.com has held similar chats with experts as well as allowed users to comment on news articles in the past in an effort to build an online community. What is new, however, is that now a selection of these comments (obviously filtered by someone in the Bristol mailroom) are displayed in a new scrolling “Top Line” (all rights reserved, R.E., 2009) above the actual action you tuned in to watch.
Now, you tell me: why, exactly, should I care what users like “Sheydel” ("Maryland has to take better shots…") or “asimpso1” ("MARYLAND is SOOOOO bad!!!! Hahahahahaa") have to say, even if they’re right (Maryland did need to take better shots, and, let’s be honest – how many more times can Maryland jump out to a commanding lead only to buckle under the – wait, what pressure?)? Find yourself speechless? I hope so. As it is, half of the ‘insights’ and ‘analysis’ provided by the broadcasters literally came out of my mouth 30 seconds earlier (and likely several other times throughout the game), and I doubt that these other guys have anything else of any value to add. At least when Dicky V talks about some Duke kid in a diaper, he doesn’t get in the way of Danny Green sticking it to Greg what’s-his-face-I-don’t-remember-because-he-got-benched-his-senior-year.
To give ESPN some credit, at least they’re trying something different and attempting to enhance the fan experience. It even makes sense from a business perspective – this program increases awareness of additional features on the website, which drives traffic (and thus ad revenue), increases attachment to the brand, and so on. However, let me suggest that they make some other more basic improvements instead. Like, for instance, the indiscernible lack of HD coverage on nationally-broadcast weeknight games. I understand that Maryland doesn’t hold the same national prowess as it did in the early 2000s, and that they are fresh off a seemingly 98-point loss to the Blue Babies, but why on Earth was this game left in standard definition while the other ACC game (Miami vs. NC State) did get the special treatment, even though it was broadcast on ESPNU, which only .0034% of the country actually gets? Think, ESPN, please; if you’re going to cut off the top of my screen with useless comments, at least give me some 1080p coverage instead of those grey ESPN logos on the left and right.
On a day that clearly could have gone better for Terps everywhere, hopefully Gary Williams can take solace in knowing that user “neal990” ("I think Gary Williams got fired at halftime, that explains this collapse") has a short memory (as much as it pains me to throw in a Duke highlight, hopefully it only gives credence and a level of balance in this otherwise biased post), and won’t be among the masses calling for his head at season’s end.
So, ESPN, there you have it – Poop on the Top Line (all rights still reserved).
Whoops... looks like I owe myself a benjamin.
yeah, i know he writes a lot. give him a break - it's tough being a tar heels fan in 2009.
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As an avid follower of both emerging technologies and most major American sports, usually my life only gets better when the two worlds collide. Just think – hasn’t TiVo changed the way you watch sports (read: instant replay)? How much better is watching football on a 42-inch HD set compared to your old 32-inch CRT? How much more intense is March when you can see individual beads of sweat fling off Stephen Curry’s hand as he buries a three to down Georgetown? Sports, in part, is about the drama created through amazing athleticism, and as technology improves, so does our ability to both appreciate the art of the game, and to become immersed in the event as if we were truly taking part.
It therefore came as such a surprise to my roommate, Poop on Boozer beat writer K.L. (I’d say the one-and-only, but I don’t want Facebook to make a liar out of me), to hear me verbally abusing the television set because of a technological advance, not due to the lack of one of my many likely ill-fated technological pipe dreams (don’t you also want to smell Stephen Curry’s sweat?). For those of you who tuned in to the predictably… well, predictable BC / Maryland game on ESPN2 tonight, you probably already know what my beef is, because you’ve been thinking the same thing for the last two hours: for what possible reason do I need to read comments from viewers who likely know less about basketball than I do?
My apologies – let’s take a step back. As part of its ongoing effort to widen its appeal across audiences and across platforms, ESPN is piloting an updated version of “Interactive Tuesdays.” Yes, I can already hear you groaning, and rightfully so. To put it short, “Interactive Tuesdays” is a broad expansion of tools like the SportsNation poll (which, let’s face it, is completely and shamelessly biased based on users’ geographic location) from the web straight to your TV. Individuals (who require no more certification than a free ESPN.com account) can submit comments via ESPN.com (search “Interactive,” as if embedded searches ever work) or text message (to 43776) to discuss the featured game of the day. This is nothing new; ESPN.com has held similar chats with experts as well as allowed users to comment on news articles in the past in an effort to build an online community. What is new, however, is that now a selection of these comments (obviously filtered by someone in the Bristol mailroom) are displayed in a new scrolling “Top Line” (all rights reserved, R.E., 2009) above the actual action you tuned in to watch.
Now, you tell me: why, exactly, should I care what users like “Sheydel” ("Maryland has to take better shots…") or “asimpso1” ("MARYLAND is SOOOOO bad!!!! Hahahahahaa") have to say, even if they’re right (Maryland did need to take better shots, and, let’s be honest – how many more times can Maryland jump out to a commanding lead only to buckle under the – wait, what pressure?)? Find yourself speechless? I hope so. As it is, half of the ‘insights’ and ‘analysis’ provided by the broadcasters literally came out of my mouth 30 seconds earlier (and likely several other times throughout the game), and I doubt that these other guys have anything else of any value to add. At least when Dicky V talks about some Duke kid in a diaper, he doesn’t get in the way of Danny Green sticking it to Greg what’s-his-face-I-don’t-remember-because-he-got-benched-his-senior-year.
To give ESPN some credit, at least they’re trying something different and attempting to enhance the fan experience. It even makes sense from a business perspective – this program increases awareness of additional features on the website, which drives traffic (and thus ad revenue), increases attachment to the brand, and so on. However, let me suggest that they make some other more basic improvements instead. Like, for instance, the indiscernible lack of HD coverage on nationally-broadcast weeknight games. I understand that Maryland doesn’t hold the same national prowess as it did in the early 2000s, and that they are fresh off a seemingly 98-point loss to the Blue Babies, but why on Earth was this game left in standard definition while the other ACC game (Miami vs. NC State) did get the special treatment, even though it was broadcast on ESPNU, which only .0034% of the country actually gets? Think, ESPN, please; if you’re going to cut off the top of my screen with useless comments, at least give me some 1080p coverage instead of those grey ESPN logos on the left and right.
On a day that clearly could have gone better for Terps everywhere, hopefully Gary Williams can take solace in knowing that user “neal990” ("I think Gary Williams got fired at halftime, that explains this collapse") has a short memory (as much as it pains me to throw in a Duke highlight, hopefully it only gives credence and a level of balance in this otherwise biased post), and won’t be among the masses calling for his head at season’s end.
So, ESPN, there you have it – Poop on the Top Line (all rights still reserved).
Whoops... looks like I owe myself a benjamin.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
wednesday night sports digest
muller is at it again. the luxembourgish tennis star is ripping it up down under, into the third round at the australian open and on pace for another matchup with federer, the man who downed muller in the 2008 u.s. open quarterfinals en route to his 13th grand slam title. but if muller is going to have a shot at a rematch, he's going to have to take care of the powerful young juan martin del potro, the no. 8 seed who is sure to match muller's strong serve with some groundstroke blasts of his own.
in sports, retirement is always temporary. just ask 43-year-old claude lemieux, who is back on the ice in an NHL uniform in an attempt for yet another run at lord stanley's cup. and what better team to come back with than the sharks, who are guaranteed to have at least a share of the overall league lead heading into the all-star break? and this has to be good news from san jose's perspective. signing an old dude for the stretch run? this has all the makings of a p.j. brown / boston celtics kind of fairytale.
apparently, it's really hard to be no. 1. as i write, wake forest is trailing virginia tech by 10 in the second half. okay, the hokies are a good team, and they have done very well against top-ranked teams in recent history. but come on! this is a wake team that just beat clemson this past weekend! the only undefeated team in division I currently looks as helpless as can be. if jeff teague and co. can't turn this around, the blue devils stand to move into the top spot when the new rankings are released. will duke be able to avoid becoming the third acc team this season to fall from the mighty perch? or will they be denied that chance by getting owned by the terps on saturday? one can only hope for the latter.
in sports, retirement is always temporary. just ask 43-year-old claude lemieux, who is back on the ice in an NHL uniform in an attempt for yet another run at lord stanley's cup. and what better team to come back with than the sharks, who are guaranteed to have at least a share of the overall league lead heading into the all-star break? and this has to be good news from san jose's perspective. signing an old dude for the stretch run? this has all the makings of a p.j. brown / boston celtics kind of fairytale.
apparently, it's really hard to be no. 1. as i write, wake forest is trailing virginia tech by 10 in the second half. okay, the hokies are a good team, and they have done very well against top-ranked teams in recent history. but come on! this is a wake team that just beat clemson this past weekend! the only undefeated team in division I currently looks as helpless as can be. if jeff teague and co. can't turn this around, the blue devils stand to move into the top spot when the new rankings are released. will duke be able to avoid becoming the third acc team this season to fall from the mighty perch? or will they be denied that chance by getting owned by the terps on saturday? one can only hope for the latter.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
best and worst sports memories
good and bad are really two sides of the same coin, and i think you will find that some of my sweetest memories are strongly related to some of my worst. that's what keeps us coming back to sports, though, right?
BEST MEMORIES:
-2002 ncaa tournament. jay williams choked, maryland rocked everyone - including kansas and indiana in the final two games - to take home its first-ever men's basketball national title. amazing. (and let's not forget the women's title in 2006.)
-2002 nlcs. after edging past the braves, the giants embarrass the cardinals in five games to clinch a spot in the world series. bonds is homer-ific, benito santiago is rocking the house, and robb nen is a closer extraordinaire. life is good.
-2005 u.s. open. gilles muller, a native of luxembourg, rocks the tennis world by upsetting andy roddick in the first round. yes, he loses in the second round, but at least it's to a half-luxembourger in robbie ginepri.
-2008 u.s. open. muller is back again, and this time he's even better, making a run all the way to the quarters before falling to eventual champion roger federer. what a beast.
-san jose sharks, any recent regular season. 2008-09 is a prime example, but the sharks have been the team to reckon with over the past few seasons. sure, they're not the red wings, but the sharks have been able to pair solid goaltending with serious offensive firepower for years now.
-dallas mavericks, most recent regular seasons. the jason-kidd-for-devin-harris-and-the-kitchen-sink-trade aside, the mavericks have been one of the better teams in the nba in the 2000s, including a run to the finals in 2006 and the best record in the league in 2006-07. no matter what your allegiances, you can't tell me you don't enjoy watching terry, nowitzki, and howard light up defenses - and, for howard, the occasional joint - night after night.
WORST MEMORIES:
-maryland, any season since 2002. gary williams has never been known for his recruiting, but especially since he got his title and waved goodbye to steve blake, juan dixon, chris wilcox, and co., he's thrown in the towel when it comes to getting good players to campus - and keeping them there. sure, maryland's likely to throw up a good upset every season, but without a big man and with serious academic issues, the terps no longer are a threat for the acc title like they were in the early part of the decade.
-2002 world series. in game 6, dusty baker hands russ ortiz the game ball in the 7th inning, and then all hell breaks loose. the rally monkey kicks ass, troy glaus gets the big hit off the injured robb nen, and those almost engraved rings are tossed out and emblazoned with halos instead. i don't eat dinner for two nights in a row.
-2003 nlds. you never want to end your season because you don't pinch-run for j.t. snow. especially when this is the last time you will make the playoffs for the rest of the decade.
-2008 tour de france. after several luxembourgers make runs at the yellow jersey, frank schleck establishes a solid lead heading into the final days of the race. but, of course, carlos sastre steals it away at the very end, denying schleck (and luxembourg) its well-deserved glory. no 'roids reported yet, but just you wait.
-san jose sharks, any recent postseason. i just can't explain it, but the sharks can't finish when it comes to the big-time. year after year, they lose to teams that have been playing worse than them. but after their four-overtime loss to dallas to exit stanley cup contention last season and todd mclellan's arrival in san jose, the sharks look like they may finally have what it takes to translate regular-season success into postseason glory. but that's what i thought last year, too.
-2006 nba finals. with a chance to go up 3-0 in the series, dirk (of all people!) misses a free throw, and the mavericks collapse. dwayne wade becomes a star, shaq gets another ring, and dallas blows its best chance to win a title.
-2007 western conference quarterfinals. you know how you ruin an amazing regular season? by losing to the eighth-seeded warriors in the first round.
BEST MEMORIES:
-2002 ncaa tournament. jay williams choked, maryland rocked everyone - including kansas and indiana in the final two games - to take home its first-ever men's basketball national title. amazing. (and let's not forget the women's title in 2006.)
-2002 nlcs. after edging past the braves, the giants embarrass the cardinals in five games to clinch a spot in the world series. bonds is homer-ific, benito santiago is rocking the house, and robb nen is a closer extraordinaire. life is good.
-2005 u.s. open. gilles muller, a native of luxembourg, rocks the tennis world by upsetting andy roddick in the first round. yes, he loses in the second round, but at least it's to a half-luxembourger in robbie ginepri.
-2008 u.s. open. muller is back again, and this time he's even better, making a run all the way to the quarters before falling to eventual champion roger federer. what a beast.
-san jose sharks, any recent regular season. 2008-09 is a prime example, but the sharks have been the team to reckon with over the past few seasons. sure, they're not the red wings, but the sharks have been able to pair solid goaltending with serious offensive firepower for years now.
-dallas mavericks, most recent regular seasons. the jason-kidd-for-devin-harris-and-the-kitchen-sink-trade aside, the mavericks have been one of the better teams in the nba in the 2000s, including a run to the finals in 2006 and the best record in the league in 2006-07. no matter what your allegiances, you can't tell me you don't enjoy watching terry, nowitzki, and howard light up defenses - and, for howard, the occasional joint - night after night.
WORST MEMORIES:
-maryland, any season since 2002. gary williams has never been known for his recruiting, but especially since he got his title and waved goodbye to steve blake, juan dixon, chris wilcox, and co., he's thrown in the towel when it comes to getting good players to campus - and keeping them there. sure, maryland's likely to throw up a good upset every season, but without a big man and with serious academic issues, the terps no longer are a threat for the acc title like they were in the early part of the decade.
-2002 world series. in game 6, dusty baker hands russ ortiz the game ball in the 7th inning, and then all hell breaks loose. the rally monkey kicks ass, troy glaus gets the big hit off the injured robb nen, and those almost engraved rings are tossed out and emblazoned with halos instead. i don't eat dinner for two nights in a row.
-2003 nlds. you never want to end your season because you don't pinch-run for j.t. snow. especially when this is the last time you will make the playoffs for the rest of the decade.
-2008 tour de france. after several luxembourgers make runs at the yellow jersey, frank schleck establishes a solid lead heading into the final days of the race. but, of course, carlos sastre steals it away at the very end, denying schleck (and luxembourg) its well-deserved glory. no 'roids reported yet, but just you wait.
-san jose sharks, any recent postseason. i just can't explain it, but the sharks can't finish when it comes to the big-time. year after year, they lose to teams that have been playing worse than them. but after their four-overtime loss to dallas to exit stanley cup contention last season and todd mclellan's arrival in san jose, the sharks look like they may finally have what it takes to translate regular-season success into postseason glory. but that's what i thought last year, too.
-2006 nba finals. with a chance to go up 3-0 in the series, dirk (of all people!) misses a free throw, and the mavericks collapse. dwayne wade becomes a star, shaq gets another ring, and dallas blows its best chance to win a title.
-2007 western conference quarterfinals. you know how you ruin an amazing regular season? by losing to the eighth-seeded warriors in the first round.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
tuesday night sports digest
time to stop saying "the U," guys. okay, i realize that the university of miami was a great football team back in the day. hell, i loved watching ken dorsey lead comeback after comeback, and i enjoyed the complete demolition the hurricanes defense inflicted on all their opponents. but in case santana moss and co. haven't noticed, miami now sucks. i mean, 4-4 in the acc? while the 'canes still have some great individual talent, miami is no longer the university to beat.
overreaction of the decade. remember when todd bertuzzi almost killed steve moore? remember how he cried a little, and then he continued playing for top NHL teams? well, apparently, almost paralyzing a person is much less offensive than making a casual (although admittedly very offensive) comment about your ex-girlfriends and the players now dating them. i may be missing something, but did sean avery cross some special line? T.O. says worse stuff every day, and he keeps getting jobs in the big D. so why did the stars decide to eat several million dollars and cut avery? could it just be because he isn't all that good? either way, this only adds to what continues to be an embarrassing season for co-GM brett hull. (but the sharks are lookin' good, eh?)
more on the mitchell report. what report, you say? yeah, i know the mitchell report was forever ago, but tom verducci had a good SI piece on the lasting effects of bud selig's decision to crack down on drugs in baseball. check it out if you haven't read it yet.
how good is the big east? the verdict is still out. while this week's rankings certainly favor big east squads, the orange showed that those teams are far from invincible. the real question remains: can anyone beat the tar heels? well, i think someone might have to smack hansbrough in the face again before that becomes a real possibility.
overreaction of the decade. remember when todd bertuzzi almost killed steve moore? remember how he cried a little, and then he continued playing for top NHL teams? well, apparently, almost paralyzing a person is much less offensive than making a casual (although admittedly very offensive) comment about your ex-girlfriends and the players now dating them. i may be missing something, but did sean avery cross some special line? T.O. says worse stuff every day, and he keeps getting jobs in the big D. so why did the stars decide to eat several million dollars and cut avery? could it just be because he isn't all that good? either way, this only adds to what continues to be an embarrassing season for co-GM brett hull. (but the sharks are lookin' good, eh?)
more on the mitchell report. what report, you say? yeah, i know the mitchell report was forever ago, but tom verducci had a good SI piece on the lasting effects of bud selig's decision to crack down on drugs in baseball. check it out if you haven't read it yet.
how good is the big east? the verdict is still out. while this week's rankings certainly favor big east squads, the orange showed that those teams are far from invincible. the real question remains: can anyone beat the tar heels? well, i think someone might have to smack hansbrough in the face again before that becomes a real possibility.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
turkey day sports digest
thanksgiving football: pretty boring. okay, i didn't expect any better when i saw that the lions and the hawks would be taking the field. but 25+ point spreads... really? does anyone else have more fun watching tony romo grimace? personally, i'd rather just see him sing journey with mr. belding.
your college basketball player to watch is greg monroe. the georgetown freshman is one of the most impressive big men i've seen in a while, and it's not just because he is a human highlight reel. for one thing, he plays great defense. not only is he a beast around the glass; his hands are also active at the top of the key, and he's a danger to strip the ball from any opponent. then, he's always ready to spark a fast break - or to fill the lane and finish himself. and it's a pleasure to watch a big man who can actually make free throws. the big east is as tough as any division in college basketball, and monroe is going to have to be a key piece of the puzzle if the hoyas are going to make a run at the title - or even just the top four spots.
iverson misses practice... again. but i don't see what the big deal is. i mean, we're talking about practice!?
happy thanksgiving, all.
your college basketball player to watch is greg monroe. the georgetown freshman is one of the most impressive big men i've seen in a while, and it's not just because he is a human highlight reel. for one thing, he plays great defense. not only is he a beast around the glass; his hands are also active at the top of the key, and he's a danger to strip the ball from any opponent. then, he's always ready to spark a fast break - or to fill the lane and finish himself. and it's a pleasure to watch a big man who can actually make free throws. the big east is as tough as any division in college basketball, and monroe is going to have to be a key piece of the puzzle if the hoyas are going to make a run at the title - or even just the top four spots.
iverson misses practice... again. but i don't see what the big deal is. i mean, we're talking about practice!?
happy thanksgiving, all.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
sunday night sports digest
that dirk is such a maverick! this one reaches back a few weeks, but it's worth pointing out for those of you who missed it back then. ever imagine what it would be like to have sarah palin as president? let's just say that nowitzki has a prominent role in the oval office. click on the picture frame behind palin's desk...
dangerous waters. we're just a few weeks into the NHL season, and san jose is running away with the pacific division. i should be excited, no? well, given the sharks' recent run as regular-season dominators and postseason underwhelmers, even an 80-win season wouldn't be enough assurance come springtime. one thing's for sure: todd mclellan is not coaching like a rookie.
unbeaten, but still boring. after sneaking past the bears on the road, the titans are 9-0, more than halfway to a perfect regular season. but there isn't a hint of the drama that surrounded the pats as they made their run last year. why? because tennessee just isn't that good. kerry collins at QB and a running game that produced just 20 net yards against chicago? let's just say the titans' destiny isn't exactly etched into stone quite yet.
psu really smells like poo, poo, poo. as if penn state didn't already have things hard enough playing in the unimpressive big ten, they went and crapped the bed against iowa to thoroughly eliminate any chance of making the bcs championship game. (note to self: i should probably avoid making absolute statements this year when it comes to college football. oh well.) so can we expect bama-red raiders come january? eh... not so fast. each will have a pretty significant hurdle in its championship game, and alabama didn't exactly look stellar against LSU. teams that have faded from the national spotlight (USC, anyone?) may still have a shot at getting back into the big game.
JJ is within reach. after grabbing the pole in phoenix, jimmie johnson is poised to take his third straight sprint cup title. what are you doing reading this?! flip over to ABC to check out the action! and no, you don't have to live south of the mason-dixon line to appreciate JJ's talent.
dangerous waters. we're just a few weeks into the NHL season, and san jose is running away with the pacific division. i should be excited, no? well, given the sharks' recent run as regular-season dominators and postseason underwhelmers, even an 80-win season wouldn't be enough assurance come springtime. one thing's for sure: todd mclellan is not coaching like a rookie.
unbeaten, but still boring. after sneaking past the bears on the road, the titans are 9-0, more than halfway to a perfect regular season. but there isn't a hint of the drama that surrounded the pats as they made their run last year. why? because tennessee just isn't that good. kerry collins at QB and a running game that produced just 20 net yards against chicago? let's just say the titans' destiny isn't exactly etched into stone quite yet.
psu really smells like poo, poo, poo. as if penn state didn't already have things hard enough playing in the unimpressive big ten, they went and crapped the bed against iowa to thoroughly eliminate any chance of making the bcs championship game. (note to self: i should probably avoid making absolute statements this year when it comes to college football. oh well.) so can we expect bama-red raiders come january? eh... not so fast. each will have a pretty significant hurdle in its championship game, and alabama didn't exactly look stellar against LSU. teams that have faded from the national spotlight (USC, anyone?) may still have a shot at getting back into the big game.
JJ is within reach. after grabbing the pole in phoenix, jimmie johnson is poised to take his third straight sprint cup title. what are you doing reading this?! flip over to ABC to check out the action! and no, you don't have to live south of the mason-dixon line to appreciate JJ's talent.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
why do people keep hiring ty willingham?
apparently, ty willingham's job is not so secure.
no shit, sherlock.
the real question is, why do teams keep hiring him in the first place? okay, he won one pac-10 title with stanford, taking them to to rose bowl in 1999, and he had 10 wins in his first season with the fighting irish. but he hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and has been to one bowl game since then, a loss with notre dame in the insight bowl.
maybe he's just a nice guy. or maybe the fact that he could take a piss-poor team like stanford and turn the cardinal into a contender speaks to his strength as a coach. but if we go by the record, this guy is a capital-L loser. Loser.
guess investment banks aren't the only ones having a hard time getting rid of the deadweight.
no shit, sherlock.
the real question is, why do teams keep hiring him in the first place? okay, he won one pac-10 title with stanford, taking them to to rose bowl in 1999, and he had 10 wins in his first season with the fighting irish. but he hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and has been to one bowl game since then, a loss with notre dame in the insight bowl.
maybe he's just a nice guy. or maybe the fact that he could take a piss-poor team like stanford and turn the cardinal into a contender speaks to his strength as a coach. but if we go by the record, this guy is a capital-L loser. Loser.
guess investment banks aren't the only ones having a hard time getting rid of the deadweight.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
sunday night sports digest
what a weekend in sports.
nick saban apparently is the man. when Forbes asked whether saban was worth his salary, i scoffed and thought to myself, he's good, but he's not that good. clearly, i had no idea what i was talking about. although some of the credit for alabama's dominating win over georgia has to go to mark richt's inept squad, saban has turned the crimson tide around in his very short tenure. it's hard to call anything in the talent-rich SEC, but alabama's got as good a chance as any to launch itself into a BCS bowl.
lance in france - again. he's baaaaaaaack. is there anything this man can't do? and this time, he's riding for more than just victory and pride, as he's hoping to use the tour de france as a spotlight to further his fight against cancer. who says you need two testicles to be great?
NL ballers. were you the smartest kid in your high school class before that transfer student came and displaced you as valedictorian? well, now you know how national league hitters and pitchers probably will feel in a few weeks. if justice is done, cc "half-man, half-'mazing" sabathia and manny "masher" ramirez will pick up cy young and MVP honors, respectively. sabathia pitched a complete game on three days' rest to propel the brewers into the playoffs, while ramirez has the dodgers' offense looking like his former team. forget tradition - these guys are the best in the league.
when it comes to the east, NFC stands for "national football champions." with the 'skins dropping the 'boys in a rivalry showdown, the NFC east officially declared itself up for grabs, with only the idle giants remaining undefeated. pending the outcome of sunday night football, the division could stand at 12-3 after the first four weeks of the season. can you pick the winner in this race?
monday night TV. in my house, monday nights are Heroes nights. but with the ravens and the steelers facing off on MNF and the white sox trying to keep their season alive against the disappointing tigers, is there any reason sports shouldn't take precedence?
thank god for TiVo.
nick saban apparently is the man. when Forbes asked whether saban was worth his salary, i scoffed and thought to myself, he's good, but he's not that good. clearly, i had no idea what i was talking about. although some of the credit for alabama's dominating win over georgia has to go to mark richt's inept squad, saban has turned the crimson tide around in his very short tenure. it's hard to call anything in the talent-rich SEC, but alabama's got as good a chance as any to launch itself into a BCS bowl.
lance in france - again. he's baaaaaaaack. is there anything this man can't do? and this time, he's riding for more than just victory and pride, as he's hoping to use the tour de france as a spotlight to further his fight against cancer. who says you need two testicles to be great?
NL ballers. were you the smartest kid in your high school class before that transfer student came and displaced you as valedictorian? well, now you know how national league hitters and pitchers probably will feel in a few weeks. if justice is done, cc "half-man, half-'mazing" sabathia and manny "masher" ramirez will pick up cy young and MVP honors, respectively. sabathia pitched a complete game on three days' rest to propel the brewers into the playoffs, while ramirez has the dodgers' offense looking like his former team. forget tradition - these guys are the best in the league.
when it comes to the east, NFC stands for "national football champions." with the 'skins dropping the 'boys in a rivalry showdown, the NFC east officially declared itself up for grabs, with only the idle giants remaining undefeated. pending the outcome of sunday night football, the division could stand at 12-3 after the first four weeks of the season. can you pick the winner in this race?
monday night TV. in my house, monday nights are Heroes nights. but with the ravens and the steelers facing off on MNF and the white sox trying to keep their season alive against the disappointing tigers, is there any reason sports shouldn't take precedence?
thank god for TiVo.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
is the pac-10 severely overrated?
yes.
okay, USC is far and away the best team in the country, as it proved by thoroughly demolishing no. 5 ohio state last night in a highly anticipated matchup that turned out to be a snooze. and QB mark sanchez is proving that it doesn't really matter who you are; if you're calling the plays for the trojans, you will probably be a heisman candidate.
but things get uglier from there.
no. 23 cal kicked the day off by getting dominated by the unranked terrapins, representing a resurgent acc conference. don't let the final 35-27 score and QB kevin riley's 423 yards fool you. the golden bears managed just six points through three quarters, looking even worse than they did last year against oregon state.
the day didn't get too much brighter for the west coast's dime. UCLA suffered its worst loss in almost 80 years, getting routed 59-0 by the non-bcs BYU cougars. stanford was as vanilla as usual against texas christian, losing 31-14. washington state and washington made the evergreen state proud by dropping to 0-3 against baylor and oklahoma, respectively. the beavers got destroyed by hawaii, and arizona lost to new mexico.
and it's not like the ranked teams did much better. other than cal's slumbering stumble, no. 15 arizona state was bounced by UNLV in double-overtime. only oregon managed to salvage some of the day for the pac-10 by coming from two touchdowns down against purdue to win in the extra period.
so, if you take pete carroll out of the equation, we're looking at a conference that has four ranked teams and claims to be able to go toe-to-toe with conferences like the SEC and the big 12 but flounders against unimpressive competition. why does anyone respect the pac-10, again?
more importantly, is there any way USC won't go undefeated en route to yet another bcs title game? with all nine of their remaining contests featuring pac-10 opponents, the trojans certainly aren't a team to bet against.
okay, USC is far and away the best team in the country, as it proved by thoroughly demolishing no. 5 ohio state last night in a highly anticipated matchup that turned out to be a snooze. and QB mark sanchez is proving that it doesn't really matter who you are; if you're calling the plays for the trojans, you will probably be a heisman candidate.
but things get uglier from there.
no. 23 cal kicked the day off by getting dominated by the unranked terrapins, representing a resurgent acc conference. don't let the final 35-27 score and QB kevin riley's 423 yards fool you. the golden bears managed just six points through three quarters, looking even worse than they did last year against oregon state.
the day didn't get too much brighter for the west coast's dime. UCLA suffered its worst loss in almost 80 years, getting routed 59-0 by the non-bcs BYU cougars. stanford was as vanilla as usual against texas christian, losing 31-14. washington state and washington made the evergreen state proud by dropping to 0-3 against baylor and oklahoma, respectively. the beavers got destroyed by hawaii, and arizona lost to new mexico.
and it's not like the ranked teams did much better. other than cal's slumbering stumble, no. 15 arizona state was bounced by UNLV in double-overtime. only oregon managed to salvage some of the day for the pac-10 by coming from two touchdowns down against purdue to win in the extra period.
so, if you take pete carroll out of the equation, we're looking at a conference that has four ranked teams and claims to be able to go toe-to-toe with conferences like the SEC and the big 12 but flounders against unimpressive competition. why does anyone respect the pac-10, again?
more importantly, is there any way USC won't go undefeated en route to yet another bcs title game? with all nine of their remaining contests featuring pac-10 opponents, the trojans certainly aren't a team to bet against.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
poop picks: ivy league/FCS football
we here at poop on boozer pride ourselves on staying abreast of sports and on voicing our totally non-expert opinions on everything. but, we're also not afraid to step aside and let more knowledgeable people contribute when their expertise greatly exceeds ours.
know anything about FCS football? do you even know what FCS stands for? well, for the answers to all your questions about the ivy league and what used to be division I-AA football, check out the "poop picks" from our experts below.
-------------------------------------------------
MALCOM GLENN, president and former football beat writer, The Harvard Crimson
IVY LEAGUE ORDER OF FINISH: Harvard, Brown, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Columbia. Save for a relatively green secondary (which also happens to include a preseason All-American from last season), who have the defending champs lost? The graduation of Brad Bagdis on the defensive line is met with the return of the Bryant brothers, Brenton and Desmond. The quest for the title begins and ends in Cambridge.
IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chris Pizzotti, QB, Harvard. The guy has never lost a game he’s been able to start and finish. Barring injury, he only gets better the longer he plays, and in his fifth year in a Crimson uniform, he’ll finally get the accolades already warranted by the numbers.
IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Matthew Hanson, DB, Harvard. Head coach Tim Murphy will be looking for a guy to push some of the action in the direction of veteran cornerback Andrew Berry, and Hanson may be the most physically equipped to do that. Plus, he’s from Colorado.
IVY LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR: Phil Estes, Brown. A team many believed over-performed last year will do the same this year, as the other shoe finally drops on Yale coach Jack Siedlecki, paving the way for a surprising second-place showing from Estes’ Bears.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD: Mike McLeod, RB, Yale. Like Tom Brady a year ago, a foot injury in his final game and a swarming performance from an underdog defense ruined what could have been an undefeated season for the favored team’s best player. And like Brady this year, McLeod will return more motivated than ever to erase memories of last year’s conclusion. (EDITOR'S NOTE: malcom was totally unaware of brady's upcoming major knee injury when he made this analogy.)
FCS TITLE GAME: Massachusetts over Appalachian State. Losing to LSU is nothing to feel bad about, but when the Tigers’ starting quarterback is a former Ivy Leaguer, it stands to plant seeds of doubt in last year’s champion. Appalachian State will make a run at a fourth straight crown, but Massachusetts will avenge its championship loss from two years ago.
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PABLO TORRE, reporter and talking head, Sports Illustrated
IVY LEAGUE ORDER OF FINISH: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn, Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia. It's Harvard because ever since I've been following Ivy League football (e.g. since 2002), it's been Harvard. (Hooray, homerism!) I was also going to write some sentence about how I'm going to Harvard-Yale this year and want to celebrate an Ivy League title, but any causality between record and alcoholism at The Game is patently farcical.
IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cheng Ho, RB, Harvard. Mike McLeod is the easy choice. Cheng Ho is the Asian choice. I'm allowed to say that because of my ethnicity. (I also value Chris Pizzotti's 11-1 record as a starter.)
IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Zach Wodka, OL, Dartmouth. To be completely honest, I don't know anything substantive about any impact freshmen in the Ivy League this year. I am 100% positive that Malcom does, though. (EDITOR'S NOTE: we're not sure how zach's last name is pronounced, but we are now more convinced than ever that pablo does not only write about alcoholism; he lives it.)
IVY LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR: Tim Murphy, Harvard. Does he still have braces? That doesn't affect my choice, I'm just wondering.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD: Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State. A loss to LSU takes the wind out of his sails of invincibility (dear god, that's a terrible metaphor), but we'll be hearing about him come NFL draft season. Also, I recently interviewed him and he was very nice, but also said that he "never" drank moonshine. Hopefully the Wonderlic doesn't have a lie-detector component, Armanti.
FCS TITLE GAME: Appalachian State over North Dakota. App State picks up its fourth straight FCS title, easy. I went to the title game last year where the Mountaineers beat Delaware and Ravens starter Joe Flacco. We might look back at that game five years from now and marvel at the two QBs who played in that game. And by "we," I mean "I."
know anything about FCS football? do you even know what FCS stands for? well, for the answers to all your questions about the ivy league and what used to be division I-AA football, check out the "poop picks" from our experts below.
-------------------------------------------------
MALCOM GLENN, president and former football beat writer, The Harvard Crimson
IVY LEAGUE ORDER OF FINISH: Harvard, Brown, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Columbia. Save for a relatively green secondary (which also happens to include a preseason All-American from last season), who have the defending champs lost? The graduation of Brad Bagdis on the defensive line is met with the return of the Bryant brothers, Brenton and Desmond. The quest for the title begins and ends in Cambridge.
IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chris Pizzotti, QB, Harvard. The guy has never lost a game he’s been able to start and finish. Barring injury, he only gets better the longer he plays, and in his fifth year in a Crimson uniform, he’ll finally get the accolades already warranted by the numbers.
IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Matthew Hanson, DB, Harvard. Head coach Tim Murphy will be looking for a guy to push some of the action in the direction of veteran cornerback Andrew Berry, and Hanson may be the most physically equipped to do that. Plus, he’s from Colorado.
IVY LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR: Phil Estes, Brown. A team many believed over-performed last year will do the same this year, as the other shoe finally drops on Yale coach Jack Siedlecki, paving the way for a surprising second-place showing from Estes’ Bears.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD: Mike McLeod, RB, Yale. Like Tom Brady a year ago, a foot injury in his final game and a swarming performance from an underdog defense ruined what could have been an undefeated season for the favored team’s best player. And like Brady this year, McLeod will return more motivated than ever to erase memories of last year’s conclusion. (EDITOR'S NOTE: malcom was totally unaware of brady's upcoming major knee injury when he made this analogy.)
FCS TITLE GAME: Massachusetts over Appalachian State. Losing to LSU is nothing to feel bad about, but when the Tigers’ starting quarterback is a former Ivy Leaguer, it stands to plant seeds of doubt in last year’s champion. Appalachian State will make a run at a fourth straight crown, but Massachusetts will avenge its championship loss from two years ago.
-------------------------------------------------
PABLO TORRE, reporter and talking head, Sports Illustrated
IVY LEAGUE ORDER OF FINISH: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn, Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia. It's Harvard because ever since I've been following Ivy League football (e.g. since 2002), it's been Harvard. (Hooray, homerism!) I was also going to write some sentence about how I'm going to Harvard-Yale this year and want to celebrate an Ivy League title, but any causality between record and alcoholism at The Game is patently farcical.
IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cheng Ho, RB, Harvard. Mike McLeod is the easy choice. Cheng Ho is the Asian choice. I'm allowed to say that because of my ethnicity. (I also value Chris Pizzotti's 11-1 record as a starter.)
IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Zach Wodka, OL, Dartmouth. To be completely honest, I don't know anything substantive about any impact freshmen in the Ivy League this year. I am 100% positive that Malcom does, though. (EDITOR'S NOTE: we're not sure how zach's last name is pronounced, but we are now more convinced than ever that pablo does not only write about alcoholism; he lives it.)
IVY LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR: Tim Murphy, Harvard. Does he still have braces? That doesn't affect my choice, I'm just wondering.
WALTER PAYTON AWARD: Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State. A loss to LSU takes the wind out of his sails of invincibility (dear god, that's a terrible metaphor), but we'll be hearing about him come NFL draft season. Also, I recently interviewed him and he was very nice, but also said that he "never" drank moonshine. Hopefully the Wonderlic doesn't have a lie-detector component, Armanti.
FCS TITLE GAME: Appalachian State over North Dakota. App State picks up its fourth straight FCS title, easy. I went to the title game last year where the Mountaineers beat Delaware and Ravens starter Joe Flacco. We might look back at that game five years from now and marvel at the two QBs who played in that game. And by "we," I mean "I."
Friday, August 22, 2008
uhhh.... good luck, bears
word from the cal camp: kevin riley will start at quarterback, beating out fifth-year senior nate longshore for the job.
now, i'm sure jeff tedford knows what he's doing. but are berkeley fans really ready to embrace a signal-caller who was responsible for cal's Biggest Shenanigan of 2007?
oh yeah. only one man stood between cal and a no. 1 national ranking, and that man was kevin riley.
don't remember? see for yourself:
now, i'm sure jeff tedford knows what he's doing. but are berkeley fans really ready to embrace a signal-caller who was responsible for cal's Biggest Shenanigan of 2007?
oh yeah. only one man stood between cal and a no. 1 national ranking, and that man was kevin riley.
don't remember? see for yourself:
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