Check it out on the right side! Next week's poll will be out Monday evening.
Let's Go State!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Steelers Preseason: Game 5
Steelers 19, Panthers 3
Really, not much to report about this one. The starters played minimally and the only touchdown was scored on an INT return with less than 2 minutes left. The first preseason under new coach Mike Tomlin finishes 4-1; which is exactly 4 more wins than last preseason. Normally, preseason results can be thrown away, but in the case of the new coach a good record such as 4-1 shows that he has everyone on the team, from the starters right down to the guys fighting for a spot on the practice squad, on the same page and buying into the new staff's philosophies. And that can only spell good news for the upcoming season.
Next: 10 days of anticipation for the opening game in the Mistake by the Lake. Lots of questions will be asked between now and then, but on September 9, we finally get to see what this new Steelers team is really all about.
P.S. For the official Top 25 college football rankings, I did not submit the original computer rankings you see below. I took those rankings and adjusted them so they weren't so bizarre. Basically, I compared to other predictions and if a team was glaringly high or low in my rankings, I moved them up or down a tad. There are still some teams in and out of the Top 25 that you would never see in any of the other polls, but it's a lot more believable now. I won't disclose the adjusted rankings now, we'll just wait until the combined Sports Fountain Head poll comes out.
Really, not much to report about this one. The starters played minimally and the only touchdown was scored on an INT return with less than 2 minutes left. The first preseason under new coach Mike Tomlin finishes 4-1; which is exactly 4 more wins than last preseason. Normally, preseason results can be thrown away, but in the case of the new coach a good record such as 4-1 shows that he has everyone on the team, from the starters right down to the guys fighting for a spot on the practice squad, on the same page and buying into the new staff's philosophies. And that can only spell good news for the upcoming season.
Next: 10 days of anticipation for the opening game in the Mistake by the Lake. Lots of questions will be asked between now and then, but on September 9, we finally get to see what this new Steelers team is really all about.
P.S. For the official Top 25 college football rankings, I did not submit the original computer rankings you see below. I took those rankings and adjusted them so they weren't so bizarre. Basically, I compared to other predictions and if a team was glaringly high or low in my rankings, I moved them up or down a tad. There are still some teams in and out of the Top 25 that you would never see in any of the other polls, but it's a lot more believable now. I won't disclose the adjusted rankings now, we'll just wait until the combined Sports Fountain Head poll comes out.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Sports Fountainhead Preseason Top 25
As brilliantly written in the previous post by Donati, College Football kicked off tonight and preseason rankings have been out for almost 2 weeks. Since he came out with an interesting view on the Top 25 using returning starters, the rest of the writers have decided to make their own Top 25 a la the AP and USA Today (Donati will be contributing to this one as well). Ours is quite simple: for every 1st place vote a team gets they earn 25 points, for every 2nd place 24, and so on decreasing by 1 point until 25th place gets 1. The teams will be sorted by total points and ranked accordingly. Since there are so few writers we may have some ties. They will be noted when released. We hope to have our preseason poll (I know there are games tonight but they don't matter much unless a good team gets upset) out by tomorrow evening. A new pole will be released each Monday or Tuesday of each week. We hope you enjoy!
College Football: Pre Season "Rankings"
The college football season starts tonight, and it's time to get excited. It kind of sucks for me this year, as at the moment I have no Penn State tickets and a broken TV, but hopefully these situations will remedy themselves as the season progresses. Anyways, the past few weeks have had the airwaves inundated with preseason predictions and rankings, essentially telling us what's going to happen before a down is played. This practice is quite silly for obvious reasons, and if everyone was right (which they never are) then it would take all the fun out of college football. The startling part about this year's predictions is that pretty much everyone is at a consensus already. USC is winning the national championship in everyone's mind, and the Top 25 polls for both the AP and Coaches are nearly identical. I never remember a preseason in which rankings and predictions were so cut and dry. So I decided to experiment and make my own rankings - using facts and no opinions or biases.
No team has played a down of football in 2007, so we don't know anything about them yet. The only things that we absolutely know about are: what the team did last year, and how many players are coming back. So I devised a simple formula: 2006 wins X (2007 returning starters [including punter and kicker]/24). This gives an indication of how many "wins" are still on the team from the season before. It has nothing about the quality of the players coming back, the quality of the players that left, or the quality of the players taking their places, not to mention nothing about strength of schedule. So it's crude. It is meant to be an illustration of exactly how silly preseason rankings are, given how little we know about the 2007 versions of these teams:
1 Wisconsin
2 USC
3 Boston College
4 West Virginia
5 Oklahoma
6 Oregon State
7 Louisville
8 Wake Forest
9 TCU
10 Hawaii
11 South Florida
12 Purdue
13 Virginia Tech
14 Houston
15 Boise State
16 Rutgers
17 LSU
18 Georgia Tech
19 Central Michigan
20 UCLA
21 California
22 Kentucky
23 South Carolina
24 Western Michigan
25 Texas A&M
Other rankings of note:
28 Michigan
29 Auburn
31 Ohio State
32 Texas
34 Penn State
51 Florida
I think anyone with two brains about college football should know that this is not how the season will turn out. There are many teams in the Top 25 that have no business there, and many out that should be. So on Saturday, sit back and relax, and ignore those silly rankings, because they mean nothing yet.
As the season progresses, we will find out more and more, and so people will be able to put more educated rankings. I will contribute my own, as the Donati Scientific Rankings (DSR) will debut on Tuesday. Remember, they will be based on what we know, not what we predict.
No team has played a down of football in 2007, so we don't know anything about them yet. The only things that we absolutely know about are: what the team did last year, and how many players are coming back. So I devised a simple formula: 2006 wins X (2007 returning starters [including punter and kicker]/24). This gives an indication of how many "wins" are still on the team from the season before. It has nothing about the quality of the players coming back, the quality of the players that left, or the quality of the players taking their places, not to mention nothing about strength of schedule. So it's crude. It is meant to be an illustration of exactly how silly preseason rankings are, given how little we know about the 2007 versions of these teams:
1 Wisconsin
2 USC
3 Boston College
4 West Virginia
5 Oklahoma
6 Oregon State
7 Louisville
8 Wake Forest
9 TCU
10 Hawaii
11 South Florida
12 Purdue
13 Virginia Tech
14 Houston
15 Boise State
16 Rutgers
17 LSU
18 Georgia Tech
19 Central Michigan
20 UCLA
21 California
22 Kentucky
23 South Carolina
24 Western Michigan
25 Texas A&M
Other rankings of note:
28 Michigan
29 Auburn
31 Ohio State
32 Texas
34 Penn State
51 Florida
I think anyone with two brains about college football should know that this is not how the season will turn out. There are many teams in the Top 25 that have no business there, and many out that should be. So on Saturday, sit back and relax, and ignore those silly rankings, because they mean nothing yet.
As the season progresses, we will find out more and more, and so people will be able to put more educated rankings. I will contribute my own, as the Donati Scientific Rankings (DSR) will debut on Tuesday. Remember, they will be based on what we know, not what we predict.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Random posting
In my new apartment, I get ESPN Classic so I decided to watch a little bit of the college football kickoff marathon they have going on. As I type, they are in the middle of the 2003 (I think 2003) National Title Game between Miami and Ohio State. All I have to say is that I actually feel bad for Miami and it's hard for me to say that because I strongly dislike both of them. However, the pass interference call against Miami when OSU had a 4th and 3 situation down by a touchdown was complete garbage. In fact, it was near perfect defense on the part of the Miami defender. His arm came in and hit Chris Gamble (OSU WR) right after the pass bounced off his hands. All in all, this is just a random posting as I beat a very dead horse but Miami was just robbed.
Want to submit your vote for the BCS?
Now you can! There is a new site called the BCS Fan Poll, where you get to vote each week for the Top 25. The site is for real, as it has a user agreement and a set of rules. Also, every person's vote is made public; the site will not allow you to vote your team up. You will start off as a probationary voter for 4 weeks. After that period you may apply for your votes to count. If approved you will be a part of the BCS Fan Poll. They have a very lofty goal of eventually being included in how the BCS determines contenders. If you want your opinion to be heard fairly, check it out.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
And with the first pick in the NFL Draft...
When your team gets the #1 pick in the NFL draft, you're usually excited (minus the fact that means your team probably just finished 2-14). You are excited because it means you can select absolutely any player that you want. However, that player doesn't always turn out how you would like. Let's take a trip down memory lane and see what the first overall picks have looked like in recent years...
*Next to the name its (position-college-nfl team that drafted them)
2007: JaMarcus Russell (QB-LSU-OAK)
Hasn't played a snap yet even in the preseason because of a holdout. Not a great sign as he's the only 1st rounder not to sign as of now. It is said though that he'll be signed by the end of the week.
2006: Mario Williams (DE-NCST-HOU)
Had a mediocre rookie season, tallying 4.5 sacks but the main focus of this draft is how Reggie Bush wasn't the #1 overall pick. Then again, Houston has already blown a 1st overall selection before.
2005: Alex Smith (QB-UTAH-SF)
Was a bit shaky his first year throwing 1 TD with 11 INTs but he started to turn it around in 2006 changing that 1-11 line to 16-16 along with a couple scores on the ground. Threw for over 2800 yards last year as well and seems like a pretty safe bet (if he stays healthy) to top 3000 this year.
2004: Eli Manning (QB-MISS-SD)
Immediately traded to the Giants for a ton of picks. Did help lead them to a division title in 2005 but the team hasn't really lived up to expectations. Though he has thrown 24 TDs in the last two seasons, he hasn't been what he was hyped up to be coming out of college.
2003: Carson Palmer (QB-USC-CIN)
This guy's arm is amazing. While he is not very mobile, in his second year as a starter in 2005, he threw 32 TDs and over 3800 yards. After blowing out his knee against the Steelers in the playoffs that year, he bounced back to start all of Cincinnati's games in 2006, throwing for over 4000 yards. It is still early but Carson has HOF potential.
2002: David Carr (QB-FRESNO-HOU)
Accomplished pretty much nothing as the franchise player in Houston. You cannot hold him entirely accountable because his offensive line was always beyond horrendous but he wore out his welcome and was finally cut this past March. He currently resides on the Carolina bench.
2001: Michael Vick (QB-VT-ATL)
When he was drafted, many people though he would be the best player of his era. He showed many flashes of brilliance and finally seemed to be building his reputation as a passer as well as a runner. Now, the next time he plays football, it will be out in the jail yard.
2000: Courtney Brown (DE-PSU-CLE)
Showed great promise during his rookie season but was never the same after getting injured during his second year. Things started to turn around for him in Denver during the 2005 season but he tore his ACL in the 2006 pre-season and has not played a down since. Courtney is basically all but retired at this point.
1999: Tim Couch (QB-UK-CLE)
As was the case with Carr, starting out with a brand new franchise is very difficult and Couch wasn't up to the task. Things aren't looking any better for him as he was just cut by the Jags a couple of weeks ago and now admitted to taking HGH (aka steroids) to help him 'recover' from an injury...sure.
1998: Peyton Manning (QB-TEN-IND)
Sure thing Hall of Famer and now a Super Bowl Champion. And to think they were considering to draft Ryan Leaf...
1997: Orlando Pace (OL-OSU-STL)
This 6'7" monster has been selected to the Pro Bowl the past 7 years. Arguably the best lineman in the game today.
1996: Keyshawn Johnson (WR-USC-NYJ)
He had some solid years and was always a dependable receiver but he was never a completely dominant (ala T.O., Marvin Harrison) type. His outspokenness did not make him many friends as well...especially when he went after my favorite NFL player of all time, Wayne Chrebet (sorry, had to stick that in there).
1995: Ki-Jana Carter (RB-PSU-CIN)
I will conclude with the last running back selected first overall. Came out of dear old State with plenty of promise but blew out his knee on the 3rd carry of his first ever pre-season game and was never able to become the big time back he was expected to be. Commonly referred to as one of the biggest first overall busts of all time though I feel that assessment is slightly unfair due to his injury.
So in the end, you can see how much of a mixed bag first overall picks have been in the past. When these players are drafted, they are as hyped up as can be and full of promise but that does not always pan out in the end. Every now and then you select great players such as Peyton and Palmer but this just goes to show how the first overall pick guarantees your franchise absolutely nothing.
*Next to the name its (position-college-nfl team that drafted them)
2007: JaMarcus Russell (QB-LSU-OAK)
Hasn't played a snap yet even in the preseason because of a holdout. Not a great sign as he's the only 1st rounder not to sign as of now. It is said though that he'll be signed by the end of the week.
2006: Mario Williams (DE-NCST-HOU)
Had a mediocre rookie season, tallying 4.5 sacks but the main focus of this draft is how Reggie Bush wasn't the #1 overall pick. Then again, Houston has already blown a 1st overall selection before.
2005: Alex Smith (QB-UTAH-SF)
Was a bit shaky his first year throwing 1 TD with 11 INTs but he started to turn it around in 2006 changing that 1-11 line to 16-16 along with a couple scores on the ground. Threw for over 2800 yards last year as well and seems like a pretty safe bet (if he stays healthy) to top 3000 this year.
2004: Eli Manning (QB-MISS-SD)
Immediately traded to the Giants for a ton of picks. Did help lead them to a division title in 2005 but the team hasn't really lived up to expectations. Though he has thrown 24 TDs in the last two seasons, he hasn't been what he was hyped up to be coming out of college.
2003: Carson Palmer (QB-USC-CIN)
This guy's arm is amazing. While he is not very mobile, in his second year as a starter in 2005, he threw 32 TDs and over 3800 yards. After blowing out his knee against the Steelers in the playoffs that year, he bounced back to start all of Cincinnati's games in 2006, throwing for over 4000 yards. It is still early but Carson has HOF potential.
2002: David Carr (QB-FRESNO-HOU)
Accomplished pretty much nothing as the franchise player in Houston. You cannot hold him entirely accountable because his offensive line was always beyond horrendous but he wore out his welcome and was finally cut this past March. He currently resides on the Carolina bench.
2001: Michael Vick (QB-VT-ATL)
When he was drafted, many people though he would be the best player of his era. He showed many flashes of brilliance and finally seemed to be building his reputation as a passer as well as a runner. Now, the next time he plays football, it will be out in the jail yard.
2000: Courtney Brown (DE-PSU-CLE)
Showed great promise during his rookie season but was never the same after getting injured during his second year. Things started to turn around for him in Denver during the 2005 season but he tore his ACL in the 2006 pre-season and has not played a down since. Courtney is basically all but retired at this point.
1999: Tim Couch (QB-UK-CLE)
As was the case with Carr, starting out with a brand new franchise is very difficult and Couch wasn't up to the task. Things aren't looking any better for him as he was just cut by the Jags a couple of weeks ago and now admitted to taking HGH (aka steroids) to help him 'recover' from an injury...sure.
1998: Peyton Manning (QB-TEN-IND)
Sure thing Hall of Famer and now a Super Bowl Champion. And to think they were considering to draft Ryan Leaf...
1997: Orlando Pace (OL-OSU-STL)
This 6'7" monster has been selected to the Pro Bowl the past 7 years. Arguably the best lineman in the game today.
1996: Keyshawn Johnson (WR-USC-NYJ)
He had some solid years and was always a dependable receiver but he was never a completely dominant (ala T.O., Marvin Harrison) type. His outspokenness did not make him many friends as well...especially when he went after my favorite NFL player of all time, Wayne Chrebet (sorry, had to stick that in there).
1995: Ki-Jana Carter (RB-PSU-CIN)
I will conclude with the last running back selected first overall. Came out of dear old State with plenty of promise but blew out his knee on the 3rd carry of his first ever pre-season game and was never able to become the big time back he was expected to be. Commonly referred to as one of the biggest first overall busts of all time though I feel that assessment is slightly unfair due to his injury.
So in the end, you can see how much of a mixed bag first overall picks have been in the past. When these players are drafted, they are as hyped up as can be and full of promise but that does not always pan out in the end. Every now and then you select great players such as Peyton and Palmer but this just goes to show how the first overall pick guarantees your franchise absolutely nothing.
Monday, August 27, 2007
ArmchairGM
I received a nice email today from people at the site ArmchairGM.com. They stated that they enjoyed this site and thought that I should join their sports web community as well. So I did. It's quite advanced and fun. A few of the other writers from Sports Fountainhead joined too. Check it out!
Steelers Preseason Game 4 of 5
Steelers 27, Eagles 13
If a preseason game could ever be described as "big", last night's would be it. After two sluggish efforts following the Hall of Fame game win against the Saints, Steelers fans were looking forward to seeing the most playing time from their starters, on the NBC national spotlight, against the cross state rival Eagles. For the most part, we did not disappoint.
Both starting units played the entire first half, and both looked sharp, as evidenced by a significant total yards advantage at halftime. The score was only 13-3 though, due to several mistakes: a Roethlisberger interception early on, Parker fumbling near the goal line, and rookie Sepulveda shanking a punt for only 14 yards, giving the Iggles prime field position (kudos to the D for holding them to 3 on that drive). Willie Reid also had his usual difficulty fielding punts.
All the mistakes, however, can almost be overlooked in a preseason game. In a way I'd rather see the Steelers get the bonehead plays out of the way when the scores don't count. This way, on September 9 in Cleveland and beyond, Parker will keep a tighter grip on the ball in the red zone, Ben will think twice before letting go of the ball in extreme pressure, and Sepulveda will just try to get off solid punts rather than try to set records and hit off the side of his foot. This is at least what I hope. We all know that Reid will continue to muff punts, he's about hopeless there.
The important thing is that everybody appeared to be playing to their full potential as a team. The team came out with a gameplan on both sides of the ball, and succeeded on both sides of the ball. They looked more like the 05 Steelers than the 06 Steelers. That is the most encouraging news you can have with a team that has so much to prove this year.
After Chaz Batch led a TD drive in the 3rd qtr to pump the lead to 20-6, the Eagles backups made a game of it in the second half. Jovon Johnson sealed the win, however, returning a fumble 78 yards to score with less than 2 minutes left in the game.
Next up: a trip to visit Bill Cowher in Carolina on Thursday, then what will surely be an endless 10 day wait until Opening Day!
If a preseason game could ever be described as "big", last night's would be it. After two sluggish efforts following the Hall of Fame game win against the Saints, Steelers fans were looking forward to seeing the most playing time from their starters, on the NBC national spotlight, against the cross state rival Eagles. For the most part, we did not disappoint.
Both starting units played the entire first half, and both looked sharp, as evidenced by a significant total yards advantage at halftime. The score was only 13-3 though, due to several mistakes: a Roethlisberger interception early on, Parker fumbling near the goal line, and rookie Sepulveda shanking a punt for only 14 yards, giving the Iggles prime field position (kudos to the D for holding them to 3 on that drive). Willie Reid also had his usual difficulty fielding punts.
All the mistakes, however, can almost be overlooked in a preseason game. In a way I'd rather see the Steelers get the bonehead plays out of the way when the scores don't count. This way, on September 9 in Cleveland and beyond, Parker will keep a tighter grip on the ball in the red zone, Ben will think twice before letting go of the ball in extreme pressure, and Sepulveda will just try to get off solid punts rather than try to set records and hit off the side of his foot. This is at least what I hope. We all know that Reid will continue to muff punts, he's about hopeless there.
The important thing is that everybody appeared to be playing to their full potential as a team. The team came out with a gameplan on both sides of the ball, and succeeded on both sides of the ball. They looked more like the 05 Steelers than the 06 Steelers. That is the most encouraging news you can have with a team that has so much to prove this year.
After Chaz Batch led a TD drive in the 3rd qtr to pump the lead to 20-6, the Eagles backups made a game of it in the second half. Jovon Johnson sealed the win, however, returning a fumble 78 yards to score with less than 2 minutes left in the game.
Next up: a trip to visit Bill Cowher in Carolina on Thursday, then what will surely be an endless 10 day wait until Opening Day!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
2007 NFL Predictions - Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans - The Oilers, oops, I mean Titans were quite the surprise last year behind Vince Young and his legs (Yes, legs, not arm. What arm?). They will also be a surprise this year. When they are one of the worst teams in the league. I really don't see how people can believe this team can compete. People think Vince Young is the 2nd coming of, um, well I don't know. Probably because no one has ever done what people think he will do this year. There is absolutely no way they improve their 8-8 record. They will be lucky if they win more than 5 games this year. Their offensive line is average. The WR corp consists of a group of people that no one has heard of yet (Brandon Jones, Paul Williams, Courtney Roby) and veterans past their prime (Eric Moulds, David Givens). Who will be the starting tailback with Travis Henry now in Denver? Chubby and slow LenDale White or castoff Chris Brown, who decided to return only recently? VY can't be expected to do everything himself. Henry and Drew Bennett (now with the Rams) played a large role in the Titans success last year. They're gone. The defense is young but average. They can't keep the team in games when Young makes mistakes, which he will do. Probably often this year when opposing D's shut down his feet and make him throw. It could be a long year in Tennessee. Go Volunteers?
Prediction: 4th, AFC South
Prediction: 4th, AFC South
2007 NFL Predictions - Houston Texans
Houston Texans - Exit David Carr. Enter Matt Schaub (I'm guessing the Falcons regret that trade now, no?). Exit Domanick Williams (formerly Davis). Enter Ahman Green. Exit some random d-linemen. Enter Amobi Okoye. Probably a push, talent wise. But I think this team will actually be a little better than the 2006 version that finished 6-10. Possibly only by a game, maybe 2. But that is a big improvement for a team that has never been to the playoffs, let alone finished above .500 (best season: 2004, 7-9, 3rd AFC South). This team should mirror the success of that team. Schaub has performed well in training camp and the preseason games and the defense is slightly better than last year. They still have a few questions, such as the offensive line and if it knows how to pass block, and if their lackluster RBs - headlined by Green - will perform. For some reason I have confidence in this team and believe they will beat each of the other AFC South teams once (yes, even the Colts).
Prediction - 3rd, AFC South
Prediction - 3rd, AFC South
2007 NFL Predictions - Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars - Persistently a 2nd tier AFC team, the Jaguars will remain there for at least another year. Their defense is very strong and dynamic plus they added a playmaking safety in Reggie Nelson. But they're offense is mediocre. Maurice Jones-Drew is electric and compliments the oft-injured Fred Taylor well. The QB situation is unsettled for the both the long- and short-term. Byron Leftwich will start the season but could end it on IR or the bench. Hey is an unrestricted free agent after this season. David Garrard is consistently inconsistent and Quinn Gray is unproven. The group of WRs is dull and drops a lot of balls, despite having 2 first round draft picks (Reggie Williams & Matt Jones) in the corp. Their most reliable target is Ernest Wilford. Yeah they need help. While strong defense will keep them in games, the weak offense will prevent them from winning more than 9 games.
Prediction - 2nd, AFC South
Prediction - 2nd, AFC South
2007 NFL Predictions - Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts - Super Bowl XLI Champions. Big deal. They won't repeat. You cannot forsake the defense every year and expect to win the Super Bowl every year. Don't get me wrong, they will EASILY win the AFC South (probably by at least 2 games). But when you lose Nick Harper (CB-Titans), Jason David (CB-Saints), Cato June (LB-Buccaneers), and Mike Doss (S-Vikings), among others, you're going to suffer. The Colts do not care about their defense (except for Dwight Freeney, who they broke the bank for). Their D was horrible last year before Anthony (Booger) McFarland (torn ACL, out for year) and Bob Sanders made a huge turn around in the playoffs. Besides Freeney and Sanders, the rest of the defense is young and relatively unproven. There is absolutely no way their D is better than last year. Also, the loss of Tarik Glenn is going to hurt initially. Luckily for them they addressed the LT position in the draft by selecting Tony Ugoh. But the original plan was for him to be Glenn's understudy for 2+ years. Now he is thrown into the fire from week 1 his rookie year. There will be growing pains. And Peyton "I think I'm a God" Manning will be sacked more (that brings a smile to my face). But the Colts will win their division but will not have a bye.
Prediction: 1st, AFC South
Prediction: 1st, AFC South
Goal: NL Wild Card/College Fantasy Football
The Phillies have been abysmal recently, dropping 4 in a row and 6 of 7. Their usually reliable offense has been only average (less than 4 runs/game). The pitching has been terrible, even for the Phillies. This became excruciatingly evident last night when Brett Myers blew the save, giving up 2 solo HRs in the top of the 9th. The Phils lost 4-3. The loss last night dropped Philadelphia 7 games behind the Mets in the NL East (tied with Atlanta for 2nd) and 4 games behind San Diego for the NL Wild Card. The Wild Card is the Phillies only hope now. They were within 3 games of the Mets less than 10 days ago and now find themselves in a hole that they can't get out of. Now they must hope the Padres, Dodgers, and Braves all struggle over the last 6 weeks of the season AND the Phillies must regain the form they had during the 3 weeks following the All-Star game. It is now Wild Card or Bust.
In other news, I recently found a new fantasy sport for me, College Fantasy Football. It's an interesting idea. Since Fantasy Football is so huge, and College Football is as well, why not combine them? So I joined 3 leagues on CBSSports.com and recently drafted. It's pretty much the same as NFL Fantasy Football except you draft entire positions for a team. I recently selected West Virginia Mountaineers RB with the 1st overall pick in 1 of my leagues. I guarantee myself Steve Slaton but also any other RB/FB that they may use. If any WVU RB scores, I get the points. I should also mention that CBS allows you to choose the pool of players you'd like to use. A lot of the leagues I saw chose 3 or 4 conferences while others selected all available. I prefer using all conferences because there are dominant fantasy players everywhere. In fact, I'm in a league that excluded the Big East and WAC so there was no chance for Darren McFadden, Steve Slaton, Pat White, Brian Brohm, Colt Brennan, etc. They are some of the top college fantasy producers! It's crazy to exclude them because they play in inferior conferences (which they both are). But the players are amazing (even if I do hate WVU)! But I am looking forward to the college season to start in less than a week and this will even add to my anxiety. Now the random CFB games I watch may mean something!
In other news, I recently found a new fantasy sport for me, College Fantasy Football. It's an interesting idea. Since Fantasy Football is so huge, and College Football is as well, why not combine them? So I joined 3 leagues on CBSSports.com and recently drafted. It's pretty much the same as NFL Fantasy Football except you draft entire positions for a team. I recently selected West Virginia Mountaineers RB with the 1st overall pick in 1 of my leagues. I guarantee myself Steve Slaton but also any other RB/FB that they may use. If any WVU RB scores, I get the points. I should also mention that CBS allows you to choose the pool of players you'd like to use. A lot of the leagues I saw chose 3 or 4 conferences while others selected all available. I prefer using all conferences because there are dominant fantasy players everywhere. In fact, I'm in a league that excluded the Big East and WAC so there was no chance for Darren McFadden, Steve Slaton, Pat White, Brian Brohm, Colt Brennan, etc. They are some of the top college fantasy producers! It's crazy to exclude them because they play in inferior conferences (which they both are). But the players are amazing (even if I do hate WVU)! But I am looking forward to the college season to start in less than a week and this will even add to my anxiety. Now the random CFB games I watch may mean something!
Hotspur suffer frustrating loss to Man U
When I umpired little league baseball a few years back, I felt that my main objective was to not affect who wins the game. Today's Premiership match certainly made me think of those days as the officials in the Tottenham v. Manchester United matchup blew 2 major calls. After losing both matches to Man U last year by a combined score of 5-0, my hopes weren't entirely high, especially since Tottenham hasn't won at Old Trafford (Man U's home field for those that don't know) since 1989. However, after watching today's game, I just have that feeling that my Spurs were robbed of at least a draw. The ref failed to call 2 hand balls in the penalty area, one of which was blatant and a certain goal if Man U defender Wes Brown didn't get his arm in the way. After that missed call, the momentum shifted dramatically as the Red Devils scored their only goal moments later on an incredible long shot from Nani. Nani by the way was incredibly frustrating to watch as he acted like he tore his ACL, MCL and lost 2 limbs at least twice (the game annoyed me so much I took a laundry break so he might have done it more) only to get up and trot around the pitch like nothing had ever happened. Later on in the second half, the second missed call happened off of a free kick. I will admit, it was a difficult call to make/see but hey, that's what those guys get paid to do.
At least the announcer on FSC felt that Manchester United lucked out for their first victory of the season concluding his broadcast by stating, "It's not about how you win the game, it's about whether or not you win the game."
At least the announcer on FSC felt that Manchester United lucked out for their first victory of the season concluding his broadcast by stating, "It's not about how you win the game, it's about whether or not you win the game."
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Pirates not so bad; ESPN analysts bumbling idiots
1) This just in: the Texas Rangers just dropped 30 runs on the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader tonight. You read that correctly, THIRTY. The first time that's happened....in a long ass time, in any of our lifetimes. They scored 20 runs...and then scored 10 MORE. That's ridiculous.
The Rangers lineup tonight? Glad you asked: Frank Catalanotto, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, your clean up hitter Marlon Byrd, Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz (not Jose), David Murphy (not Dale), Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Ramon Vazquez. Travis Metcalf was a sub and hit a grand slam. Point is, that lineup isn't exactly Murderer's Row, and their 55-70 record shows it. Which led me to believe one thing: The Orioles pitching staff is terrible. And so today, even though we are in last place, I am thankful that the Pirates staff, despite the poor record, has not allowed more than 13 runs in a game this year......yet. We are at Coors Field tonight.
But put your mouth around that number: THIRTY! The Rangers scored (or if you prefer, the Orioles allowed) as many letters as there are in Saltalamacchia's last name....twice. And then they scored two more!
2) Earlier this evening, I had SportsCenter on, and the fine folks from Bristol, CT have decided to forgo the upcoming college football season and tell everybody who's going to win every single big game and crown a national champion now, so nobody can get hurt, I guess. What they do is they take one week a day, and they have their "experts" discuss and each cast a vote on who wins. If there's a tie, the moderator Rece Davis makes the deciding vote. They then update the standings and the rankings.
So tonight, they were on Oct. 27, the day that Ohio State will come into Happy Valley to play Penn State. Here's a paraphrase of what each analyst said:
Analyst #1: Lou Holtz (retired coach, about JoePa's age but with half the brain cells, has no business being on ESPN): It's gonna be hell in Beaver Stadium. Those fans will be nuts! You remember what happened to OSU last time they played there! Penn State will be the underdog in this game, but they always play so much better at home, and they're almost unbeatable there!..............I'm picking Ohio State.
Analyst #2: Mark May (went to Pitt, that pretty much says it all): Ohio State lost a lot from last year, but they're still gonna be really good and give the Lions a lot of trouble! They have player X to run the ball, player Y to throw it, and Meningitis to tackle some ass, and of course don't forget the stunningly handsome Jim Tressel on the sidelines! This is gonna be a better team than people think.....I'm picking Penn State.
WHAT?!? Each idiot gave all the reasons in the world why one team would win....and then picked the other. For the record, Rece Davis, with no explanation at all, picked Ohio State....so start getting rid of those tickets now, Nittany Lion fans! You won't need them, the ESPN guys said so!
The point is....preseason predictions are utterly pointless. All these columnists and ex players and coaches give their "opinions" before anything happens on the playing field as if nothing different can possibly happen. They play the games on the field for a reason. Two years ago, PSU was unranked heading into the season. They wound up winning the Big Ten and finishing #3 in the country. Am I saying they will do the same this year? Not at all. I have no clue. Trying to forecast the outcome of sporting events is like trying to forecast the weather, only without the fundamental science principles to back it up. In other words, it's a waste of time.
The Rangers lineup tonight? Glad you asked: Frank Catalanotto, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, your clean up hitter Marlon Byrd, Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz (not Jose), David Murphy (not Dale), Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Ramon Vazquez. Travis Metcalf was a sub and hit a grand slam. Point is, that lineup isn't exactly Murderer's Row, and their 55-70 record shows it. Which led me to believe one thing: The Orioles pitching staff is terrible. And so today, even though we are in last place, I am thankful that the Pirates staff, despite the poor record, has not allowed more than 13 runs in a game this year......yet. We are at Coors Field tonight.
But put your mouth around that number: THIRTY! The Rangers scored (or if you prefer, the Orioles allowed) as many letters as there are in Saltalamacchia's last name....twice. And then they scored two more!
2) Earlier this evening, I had SportsCenter on, and the fine folks from Bristol, CT have decided to forgo the upcoming college football season and tell everybody who's going to win every single big game and crown a national champion now, so nobody can get hurt, I guess. What they do is they take one week a day, and they have their "experts" discuss and each cast a vote on who wins. If there's a tie, the moderator Rece Davis makes the deciding vote. They then update the standings and the rankings.
So tonight, they were on Oct. 27, the day that Ohio State will come into Happy Valley to play Penn State. Here's a paraphrase of what each analyst said:
Analyst #1: Lou Holtz (retired coach, about JoePa's age but with half the brain cells, has no business being on ESPN): It's gonna be hell in Beaver Stadium. Those fans will be nuts! You remember what happened to OSU last time they played there! Penn State will be the underdog in this game, but they always play so much better at home, and they're almost unbeatable there!..............I'm picking Ohio State.
Analyst #2: Mark May (went to Pitt, that pretty much says it all): Ohio State lost a lot from last year, but they're still gonna be really good and give the Lions a lot of trouble! They have player X to run the ball, player Y to throw it, and Meningitis to tackle some ass, and of course don't forget the stunningly handsome Jim Tressel on the sidelines! This is gonna be a better team than people think.....I'm picking Penn State.
WHAT?!? Each idiot gave all the reasons in the world why one team would win....and then picked the other. For the record, Rece Davis, with no explanation at all, picked Ohio State....so start getting rid of those tickets now, Nittany Lion fans! You won't need them, the ESPN guys said so!
The point is....preseason predictions are utterly pointless. All these columnists and ex players and coaches give their "opinions" before anything happens on the playing field as if nothing different can possibly happen. They play the games on the field for a reason. Two years ago, PSU was unranked heading into the season. They wound up winning the Big Ten and finishing #3 in the country. Am I saying they will do the same this year? Not at all. I have no clue. Trying to forecast the outcome of sporting events is like trying to forecast the weather, only without the fundamental science principles to back it up. In other words, it's a waste of time.
The Eddie Griffin Tragedy
I have a habit of quickly glancing over the many news headlines on the right side of ESPN’s home page. Today, one of those headlines read “Ex-Wolves player
I first heard about Eddie Griffin 8 years ago on a local
I didn’t hear much about him in the following 2 years outside of random stories of his off-court altercations that didn’t surprise me too much. His name came up again in 2004 when the Nets gambled by signing him to a deal. I remember talking to a few fellow-Nets fans about how this would either be a great steal or a terrible miscalculation. It was the latter extreme that played out as
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Out of Touch/Out of Reach
Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a while since I posted. I just moved to West Lafayette, IN with my fiancee and am finally settled in. I start work tomorrow. Anyway...
It's going to be tough for me to keep up with everything related to my teams. I'm now in the Mid-West. Keeping track of the Phillies/Flyers/Sixers were hard enough at Penn State since I didn't have Comcast (FSN-Pittsburgh? I don't give a tiny rats ass). The Dolphins are always hard to follow whether I'm in PA or IN. Now I won't even have Penn State stuff rammed down my throat. So I'm going to be relying even more on the internet and SportsCenter. It comes at a bad time since the Phillies are in the middle of a pennant race, and the Dolphins and PSU are preparing for kickoff. I'm out of touch. If anyone know how I can watch Phillies/Dolphins/Penn State games in Indiana let me know.
And out of reach. That would be what all my teams will be experiencing with their ultimate goals when their seasons end.
Phillies - probably will fall short of the wild card as a result of injuries/poor pitching
Penn State - solid, strong team but not elite; could win the Big 10...but won't
Dolphins - WILL surprise people this year by improving on last years record, possibly by 3 games...which still only gets them to 9-7; so no playoffs for a 6th straight year
Flyers - definitely will be improved (hard not to be), most likely squeeze into the playoffs between the 5-8 seeds; Lord Stanley's Cup will have to wait another year
Sixers - their 2nd half 'surge' this past year cost them a shot at Oden & Durant; solid draft but still a few years away from contending again; playoffs a long shot
Ugh. Doesn't look good. PSU football will be the only bright spot but even if they go 10-2 and play in a nice bowl game (Capital One, Outback again) it's not in the Big Easy or Pasadena. Bring on next summer...already?
It's going to be tough for me to keep up with everything related to my teams. I'm now in the Mid-West. Keeping track of the Phillies/Flyers/Sixers were hard enough at Penn State since I didn't have Comcast (FSN-Pittsburgh? I don't give a tiny rats ass). The Dolphins are always hard to follow whether I'm in PA or IN. Now I won't even have Penn State stuff rammed down my throat. So I'm going to be relying even more on the internet and SportsCenter. It comes at a bad time since the Phillies are in the middle of a pennant race, and the Dolphins and PSU are preparing for kickoff. I'm out of touch. If anyone know how I can watch Phillies/Dolphins/Penn State games in Indiana let me know.
And out of reach. That would be what all my teams will be experiencing with their ultimate goals when their seasons end.
Phillies - probably will fall short of the wild card as a result of injuries/poor pitching
Penn State - solid, strong team but not elite; could win the Big 10...but won't
Dolphins - WILL surprise people this year by improving on last years record, possibly by 3 games...which still only gets them to 9-7; so no playoffs for a 6th straight year
Flyers - definitely will be improved (hard not to be), most likely squeeze into the playoffs between the 5-8 seeds; Lord Stanley's Cup will have to wait another year
Sixers - their 2nd half 'surge' this past year cost them a shot at Oden & Durant; solid draft but still a few years away from contending again; playoffs a long shot
Ugh. Doesn't look good. PSU football will be the only bright spot but even if they go 10-2 and play in a nice bowl game (Capital One, Outback again) it's not in the Big Easy or Pasadena. Bring on next summer...already?
Monday, August 20, 2007
Best Commerical in a long time
I know most of you out there are familiar with the AT&T (or Cingular...who can keep track now anyways) commercials where two people are having a conversation and then the phone cuts out at a really awkward time. Well, whoever the person they have making their commercials came out with the best one yet. I'm not gonna spoil it all for you but it involves Roger Clemens and coming back to play baseball. Maybe I appreciate it a little more because I'm a Yankee fan but it's something you gotta check out nonetheless.
Check out the video on YouTube
Check out the video on YouTube
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Steelers 2007 Preseason: Game 3 of 5
Steelers 12, REDSKINS 10
Steelers improve to 2-1 on the preseason....first team played the entire first half, and it was a 7-3 Redskins lead at halftime.....Brett Kiesel did his best von Oelhoffen impression, rolling into Jason Campbell's leg and hurting his knee (luckily the injury doesn't appear to be too serious)....Steelers' only long drive of 1st half was two minute drill, which stalled inside the 10 yard line (led to the FG)....backup kicker Connor Hughes nailed 3 FG's in the 4th quarter to put the Steelers ahead.....Mark Brunell's last chance pass was intercepted and we win!
Mark Brunell kinda looks like the lead singer from Smashmouth...and their careers are going down the same path.
Steelers improve to 2-1 on the preseason....first team played the entire first half, and it was a 7-3 Redskins lead at halftime.....Brett Kiesel did his best von Oelhoffen impression, rolling into Jason Campbell's leg and hurting his knee (luckily the injury doesn't appear to be too serious)....Steelers' only long drive of 1st half was two minute drill, which stalled inside the 10 yard line (led to the FG)....backup kicker Connor Hughes nailed 3 FG's in the 4th quarter to put the Steelers ahead.....Mark Brunell's last chance pass was intercepted and we win!
Mark Brunell kinda looks like the lead singer from Smashmouth...and their careers are going down the same path.
- Around the turn of the century, Smashmouth was putting out Walking on the Sun and All-Star...#1 on the charts and wearing gold plated diapers. Today, they are down to playing post game concerts at PNC Park in front of a crowd that could care less about them and just wants to see more fireworks (see last post).
- Around the turn of the century, Mark Brunell was an All-Pro quarterback for the Jaguars, causing the Steelers all kinds of problems in the old AFC Central and flirting with the Super Bowl on a yearly basis. Today, he's trying to lead the Redskins down the field in the 4th quarter of a preseason game, with less than two minutes left, needing only a field goal to win...and failing, having his last pass intercepted by relatively unknown rookie William Gay.
Just remember in life to cherish the good moments as much as possible....because any day you could become like Mark Brunell/Smashmouth guy. Have you ever seen them in the same place?
Seriously though, it's time for the preseason to be over. Since they were in the Hall of Fame Game, the Steelers have 5 games this year, and it's just painful to watch. I feel obligated to watch, because I'm a fan...and I'm just itching for more football...but during the game I'm bored to tears. September 9 cannot come soon enough.
SkyBlast: Fireworks with an Attitude
I've been trying to avoid spending money on the Pirates until they get their act together with management and start spending the money that fans give them wisely. However, whenever I am able to get a free ticket I still enjoy going to PNC Park to catch a game. This happened Friday night, as a friend had an extra ticket and offered it to me. The Phillies were in town, so you know it was going to be a slugfest.
The Phillies won 11-8, with home runs from Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, and uh, someone else. The Pirates had their own share of dingers from Matt Kata, Ronny Paulino, and Jose Bautista. Normally reliable Tom Gorzelanny had a poor start, giving up 4 in the 5th to break open a tight game, Shane Youman gave up another 4 in the 6th, and despite the Buccos' best efforts it was pretty much over after that. Some personal notes....the Friday red jerseys look just as awful in person as on TV....the loudest cheers from the sellout crowd were for the Pierogi race and when the Smashmouth guy said he was a Steelers fan (see below).....basically Pittsburgh fans have become completely apathetic towards the Pirates. This is a significant achievement considering how crazy this city gets about the Steelers and even the Penguins when they're good. At no point during the evening did I see anyone in distress about losing....no cursing or booing or anything like that....it was like everyone was just patiently waiting for what I'm about to write about.
The game was secondary on this evening. The Pirates have gone to a minor league level of shameless promotions in recent years to put people in the seats. The promotion on this evening was "SkyBlast". It's actually a weekend long event, after each game Thursday-Saturday there would be a live concert following the game along with the fireworks show. Following the Pirates' mold of acquiring talent past their prime, Smashmouth was the scheduled band for Friday. I was upset because I missed Styx, Thursday night's band; but relieved I didn't have to endure the Povertyneck Hillbillies, Saturday night's band. But whatever. After the game, they wheeled a big stage out to the dirt area around 2nd base (wouldn't that tear up the dirt?) and after warming up the crowd by playing the SNL Cowbell skit on the Jumbotron, Smashmouth came out and played a couple songs. Then there would be fireworks for a little bit, Smashmouth would play another song, more fireworks, etc, until it was all capped off by a simultaneous "All Star"/fireworks grand finale. Smashmouth was as expected: vanilla songs from the late 90's. But the fireworks......OMG the fireworks. Western PA is a big place for fireworks, so I've seen quite a few shows in my lifetime. Many after Pirates games, just about every 4th of July, etc. These were by far and away the most incredible fireworks I had ever seen in my entire life. I can't really put them into words, but if they had invested the same amount of money into their baseball team, they may have been able to keep Barry Bonds 15 years ago. Just saying. So I left PNC that evening both in astoundment at the amazing fireworks, and depressed that this is what Pirates baseball had come to.
The Phillies won 11-8, with home runs from Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, and uh, someone else. The Pirates had their own share of dingers from Matt Kata, Ronny Paulino, and Jose Bautista. Normally reliable Tom Gorzelanny had a poor start, giving up 4 in the 5th to break open a tight game, Shane Youman gave up another 4 in the 6th, and despite the Buccos' best efforts it was pretty much over after that. Some personal notes....the Friday red jerseys look just as awful in person as on TV....the loudest cheers from the sellout crowd were for the Pierogi race and when the Smashmouth guy said he was a Steelers fan (see below).....basically Pittsburgh fans have become completely apathetic towards the Pirates. This is a significant achievement considering how crazy this city gets about the Steelers and even the Penguins when they're good. At no point during the evening did I see anyone in distress about losing....no cursing or booing or anything like that....it was like everyone was just patiently waiting for what I'm about to write about.
The game was secondary on this evening. The Pirates have gone to a minor league level of shameless promotions in recent years to put people in the seats. The promotion on this evening was "SkyBlast". It's actually a weekend long event, after each game Thursday-Saturday there would be a live concert following the game along with the fireworks show. Following the Pirates' mold of acquiring talent past their prime, Smashmouth was the scheduled band for Friday. I was upset because I missed Styx, Thursday night's band; but relieved I didn't have to endure the Povertyneck Hillbillies, Saturday night's band. But whatever. After the game, they wheeled a big stage out to the dirt area around 2nd base (wouldn't that tear up the dirt?) and after warming up the crowd by playing the SNL Cowbell skit on the Jumbotron, Smashmouth came out and played a couple songs. Then there would be fireworks for a little bit, Smashmouth would play another song, more fireworks, etc, until it was all capped off by a simultaneous "All Star"/fireworks grand finale. Smashmouth was as expected: vanilla songs from the late 90's. But the fireworks......OMG the fireworks. Western PA is a big place for fireworks, so I've seen quite a few shows in my lifetime. Many after Pirates games, just about every 4th of July, etc. These were by far and away the most incredible fireworks I had ever seen in my entire life. I can't really put them into words, but if they had invested the same amount of money into their baseball team, they may have been able to keep Barry Bonds 15 years ago. Just saying. So I left PNC that evening both in astoundment at the amazing fireworks, and depressed that this is what Pirates baseball had come to.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Another “-vic” in tennis? This one’s worth remembering.
In this era of tennis, it’s unfortunate that the obsession with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal tends to overshadow the successes of other up and coming players. Sure Federer and Nadal have earned their respect and adulation; now meet Novak Djokovic, the Serb who defeated both Federer and Nadal two weeks ago at the ATP Master Series Canada in Montreal.
What’s the case for Djokovic? First, he’s proven himself to be more than just the next one-dimensional player; his results have been impressive on all surfaces. Just take his grand slam results from this year so far: he made it to the 4th round at the Australian and the semis at the French and Wimbledon, losing only to either Federer or Nadal in all three slams. Also, Djokovic is only 20 years of age, which means he’s bound to get better with experience as long as he stays clear of the injury bug. But what’s most important for now is that he’s made it to the finals of all 3 hardcourt ATP Series tournaments this year, winning two of them.
Now, I’m not guaranteeing that Djokovic is the next Sampras or Federer. Just ask Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick or Marat Safin and you’ll know that potential and hype alone translate to very little. But with the US Open only two weeks away, Djokovic has set himself up to be a strong contender for the title.
What’s the case for Djokovic? First, he’s proven himself to be more than just the next one-dimensional player; his results have been impressive on all surfaces. Just take his grand slam results from this year so far: he made it to the 4th round at the Australian and the semis at the French and Wimbledon, losing only to either Federer or Nadal in all three slams. Also, Djokovic is only 20 years of age, which means he’s bound to get better with experience as long as he stays clear of the injury bug. But what’s most important for now is that he’s made it to the finals of all 3 hardcourt ATP Series tournaments this year, winning two of them.
Now, I’m not guaranteeing that Djokovic is the next Sampras or Federer. Just ask Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick or Marat Safin and you’ll know that potential and hype alone translate to very little. But with the US Open only two weeks away, Djokovic has set himself up to be a strong contender for the title.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Farewell Scooter
Today I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Yankee and baseball Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto. Though his playing days were certainly far, far before my time, he has always been one of the first players that come to mind when listing famous Yankees. While his career numbers were not jaw dropping by any stretch (though he did win the AL MVP in 1950 and participate in 5 All-Star games), the way he carried himself on and off the field as well as in the press box as an announcer commanded plenty of respect. My earliest memories of watching Yankee games consist of Phil Rizzuto shouting "Holy cow!" after a great play. Unfortunately, nobody will hear him speak those famous words again. George Steinbrenner put it best saying "I guess heaven needed a shortstop." Heaven could not have found a better person to put on their team.
Monday, August 13, 2007
I'm a bad blogger
I'm a bad blogger. Since deciding to form the Pittsburgh contribution to this Sports Fountainhead blog, I have slacked on my duties. My excuse is that the sports just aren't exciting enough during the summertime to write about frequently. But now its mid-August, and with football season starting up soon, baseball entering pennant races (except the Pirates, of course), and basketball and hockey starting up soon after that, the quiet time of the sports year will be winding down and we will have much more things to talk about. For now, I will give a quick summertime recap of what's been happening with the teams I care about.
Pirates - Careening towards a 15th consecutive losing season, which would place them one away from the Phillies' record of 16 (anything Philly can do, Pittsburgh can do better). Those of you who read the old site saw my post suggesting they have to lose a massive amount of games now in order to ever become a contender in the future may have noticed that since I posted that during the All Star break, they have gone 8-18, falling into last place in the NL Central. Our genius GM Dave Littlefield thought that we were buyers heading into the trade deadline, dealing for Cezar Izturis from the Cubs and Matt Morris for the Giants. Five years ago, those would have been two great acquisitions. Now, not so much. Morris becomes the highest paid player in Pirate HISTORY, and he's arguably the third best starter in our rotation. (But he's better than John VanBenschoten!!!! I'm better than John VanBenschoten. Never heard of John VanBenschoten? That's probably because you went to see him pitch and got hit in the head by an errant pitch of his.) As for Izturis, he just creates a logjam of infielders, and many questions about the future of Jack Wilson with the team.
Elsewhere in baseball, Giants juicer Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, blah blah blah. This meant that there were lots of Pirates highlights shown from the early 90's when Bonds was on the team, reminding us of how long it has been since we've had a winner. It really sucks to be a fan of this team. Unless your name is Greg Brown or Lanny Frattare. These men are the play by play guys for the team, and it is apparent they are instructed by management to be disgustingly optimistic. All you will hear them talk about is how we're better now that we swept the (last place) Giants over the weekend, and all the excitement about this weekend, when PNC Park will be sold out for "SkyBlast" an annual fest where bands like Styx and Smashmouth will be playing after the games, while fireworks shoot overhead. I hate the Pirates.
Steelers - We talkin bout PRACTICE. Training camp started on July 23rd, and since then the media, sick of dealing with the Pirates, have over-analyzed every single move that has been made during camp and the two pre-season games. Allen Iverson would not enjoy being on the Steelers. They beat the Saints 20-7 in Canton, looking very good in the process, and lost to the Packers 13-9 this past weekend, looking very sloppy in the process. For those of you not from Pittsburgh, people in this town get VERY upset about losses, even in preseason. But seriously guys, its preseason. That's why these games are played, so teams can get their mulligans out of the way before the real games start.
That said, I like what I see from new coach Mike Tomlin. He's working the players hard, and appears to be all business. He doesn't get overly worked up on the sidelines like Billy C, but that's okay. We'll see what happens 9/9 in Cleveland, but I think this guy has the team going in the right direction.
Of course, I must mention the biggest controversy going on in Pittsburgh right now: the mascot. The Steelers introduced their first ever mascot over the summer. Picture old coach Bill Cowher....Now picture him on steroids....Now picture him with yellow skin....now picture him in a steelworker's outfit. That's the mascot. Most people were a little shaken by the fact that the team that doesn't have mascots or cheerleaders or any of that nonsense was getting a mascot, but they were kind of letting it slide. Then they introduced the mascot's name: Steely McBeam. It is a horrendously ridiculous name, but you would think that someone set Heinz Field on fire the way that people have been reacting to it. Seriously, it's a MASCOT, just relax and have some fun with it.
I don't do your typical "season preview" because it really means nothing, however I see the Steel boys finishing no better than 12-4 and no worse than 8-8 this year, mainly because they have a third place schedule. Anything above or below would be surprising to me. With a record in that range, they should be contending for a wild card or even a division championship.
Penguins - Jordan Staal is 18 and likes to drink. Sidney Crosby is the new captain, just signed a ridiculous long term deal, and he just turned 20. Some very good summer acquisitions, including Darryl Sydor and Petr Sykora. Of the three Pittsburgh teams, the one I think has the most championship potential going into next year.
Penn State - Joe Paterno is still old, still has a broken leg, and still coaching. Lost Levi Brown, Posluszny and Tony Hunt to the draft but return just about everyone else. Preseason rankings have us in the 15-20 range, and about 4th in the Big Ten. I think we'll do better than that, because the schedule sets up favorably with home/road games, much like 2005. Michigan only difficult road game. I think a 10-2/11-1 season isn't out of the question. 11-1 won the national title last year for Florida. Tickets still ridiculously hard/expensive to find. Basketball still irrelevant.
That's all for now. I promise the posts will become more frequent after this, not just for the above teams but for anything I find intriguing to write about.
Pirates - Careening towards a 15th consecutive losing season, which would place them one away from the Phillies' record of 16 (anything Philly can do, Pittsburgh can do better). Those of you who read the old site saw my post suggesting they have to lose a massive amount of games now in order to ever become a contender in the future may have noticed that since I posted that during the All Star break, they have gone 8-18, falling into last place in the NL Central. Our genius GM Dave Littlefield thought that we were buyers heading into the trade deadline, dealing for Cezar Izturis from the Cubs and Matt Morris for the Giants. Five years ago, those would have been two great acquisitions. Now, not so much. Morris becomes the highest paid player in Pirate HISTORY, and he's arguably the third best starter in our rotation. (But he's better than John VanBenschoten!!!! I'm better than John VanBenschoten. Never heard of John VanBenschoten? That's probably because you went to see him pitch and got hit in the head by an errant pitch of his.) As for Izturis, he just creates a logjam of infielders, and many questions about the future of Jack Wilson with the team.
Elsewhere in baseball, Giants juicer Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, blah blah blah. This meant that there were lots of Pirates highlights shown from the early 90's when Bonds was on the team, reminding us of how long it has been since we've had a winner. It really sucks to be a fan of this team. Unless your name is Greg Brown or Lanny Frattare. These men are the play by play guys for the team, and it is apparent they are instructed by management to be disgustingly optimistic. All you will hear them talk about is how we're better now that we swept the (last place) Giants over the weekend, and all the excitement about this weekend, when PNC Park will be sold out for "SkyBlast" an annual fest where bands like Styx and Smashmouth will be playing after the games, while fireworks shoot overhead. I hate the Pirates.
Steelers - We talkin bout PRACTICE. Training camp started on July 23rd, and since then the media, sick of dealing with the Pirates, have over-analyzed every single move that has been made during camp and the two pre-season games. Allen Iverson would not enjoy being on the Steelers. They beat the Saints 20-7 in Canton, looking very good in the process, and lost to the Packers 13-9 this past weekend, looking very sloppy in the process. For those of you not from Pittsburgh, people in this town get VERY upset about losses, even in preseason. But seriously guys, its preseason. That's why these games are played, so teams can get their mulligans out of the way before the real games start.
That said, I like what I see from new coach Mike Tomlin. He's working the players hard, and appears to be all business. He doesn't get overly worked up on the sidelines like Billy C, but that's okay. We'll see what happens 9/9 in Cleveland, but I think this guy has the team going in the right direction.
Of course, I must mention the biggest controversy going on in Pittsburgh right now: the mascot. The Steelers introduced their first ever mascot over the summer. Picture old coach Bill Cowher....Now picture him on steroids....Now picture him with yellow skin....now picture him in a steelworker's outfit. That's the mascot. Most people were a little shaken by the fact that the team that doesn't have mascots or cheerleaders or any of that nonsense was getting a mascot, but they were kind of letting it slide. Then they introduced the mascot's name: Steely McBeam. It is a horrendously ridiculous name, but you would think that someone set Heinz Field on fire the way that people have been reacting to it. Seriously, it's a MASCOT, just relax and have some fun with it.
I don't do your typical "season preview" because it really means nothing, however I see the Steel boys finishing no better than 12-4 and no worse than 8-8 this year, mainly because they have a third place schedule. Anything above or below would be surprising to me. With a record in that range, they should be contending for a wild card or even a division championship.
Penguins - Jordan Staal is 18 and likes to drink. Sidney Crosby is the new captain, just signed a ridiculous long term deal, and he just turned 20. Some very good summer acquisitions, including Darryl Sydor and Petr Sykora. Of the three Pittsburgh teams, the one I think has the most championship potential going into next year.
Penn State - Joe Paterno is still old, still has a broken leg, and still coaching. Lost Levi Brown, Posluszny and Tony Hunt to the draft but return just about everyone else. Preseason rankings have us in the 15-20 range, and about 4th in the Big Ten. I think we'll do better than that, because the schedule sets up favorably with home/road games, much like 2005. Michigan only difficult road game. I think a 10-2/11-1 season isn't out of the question. 11-1 won the national title last year for Florida. Tickets still ridiculously hard/expensive to find. Basketball still irrelevant.
That's all for now. I promise the posts will become more frequent after this, not just for the above teams but for anything I find intriguing to write about.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Yankees continue to roll
First and foremost, I would like to thank the person that has clicked reload 100+ times on our blog page. Definitely makes me feel good that someone wants me to feel like there are many others out there that care about what I have to say about sports. Also, I would like to thank Tottenham for choking 1-0 on the road in their EPL opener Saturday morning.
Now to the main point. Back at the All-Star Break, the Yankees were 43-43, 9.5 back of Boston and 8.5 games away from the Wild Card lead. Fast forward a month and the Yankees are now 66-51, tied for the Wild Card lead and only 4 games behind Boston. Until this weekend, a lot of people were still a little bit skeptical about the Yankees, and rightfully so. Before traveling to Cleveland this weekend, they had only played 3 games since the break against teams above .500. However, after this weekend, it is safe to say that the Yanks are back and here to stay. While Cleveland has been slumping a bit, sweeping a division rival on the road (well, they were leading the Central at the beginning of the series) is no small task and the Yankees did it with ease. The even more impressive part is that they were only trailing in this series for 1 inning. If you are a Yankee fan, you especially have to love this series because of the solid outings you got from Phil Hughes, Mussina and Pettitte along with Joba Chamberlain pitching strong in relief.
Following this successful 5-1 road trip, the Bombers head home to take on Baltimore and Detroit. Maybe it is just me but I feel like this Yankee team could take it all. In the past, the Yankees have dominated from wire to wire before collapsing in the post-season (Florida, Anaheim, Boston, etc.) but this year, things just feel different. They have not dominated all year (being wrote off as dead by some as early as May) and seem to have a chip on their shoulders, something that I feel they have lacked in the past. It seems like they want to prove all the doubters out there. I sure hope they can.
Now to the main point. Back at the All-Star Break, the Yankees were 43-43, 9.5 back of Boston and 8.5 games away from the Wild Card lead. Fast forward a month and the Yankees are now 66-51, tied for the Wild Card lead and only 4 games behind Boston. Until this weekend, a lot of people were still a little bit skeptical about the Yankees, and rightfully so. Before traveling to Cleveland this weekend, they had only played 3 games since the break against teams above .500. However, after this weekend, it is safe to say that the Yanks are back and here to stay. While Cleveland has been slumping a bit, sweeping a division rival on the road (well, they were leading the Central at the beginning of the series) is no small task and the Yankees did it with ease. The even more impressive part is that they were only trailing in this series for 1 inning. If you are a Yankee fan, you especially have to love this series because of the solid outings you got from Phil Hughes, Mussina and Pettitte along with Joba Chamberlain pitching strong in relief.
Following this successful 5-1 road trip, the Bombers head home to take on Baltimore and Detroit. Maybe it is just me but I feel like this Yankee team could take it all. In the past, the Yankees have dominated from wire to wire before collapsing in the post-season (Florida, Anaheim, Boston, etc.) but this year, things just feel different. They have not dominated all year (being wrote off as dead by some as early as May) and seem to have a chip on their shoulders, something that I feel they have lacked in the past. It seems like they want to prove all the doubters out there. I sure hope they can.
Decisive game tonight
The Phillies and Braves will end their series tonight in Philadelphia as Buddy Carlyle faces off against ageless Jamie Moyer. Moyer has been on tear against NL East teams, a streak that hopefully will continue. This is a crucial game for both teams. If the Phils win they will again leapfrog over Atlanta into 2nd place in the East. If the Braves win they will put distance between themselves and Philadelphia, but also stay on pace with the Mets. The Mets have lost 3 straight. I think Ryan Howard will hit a HR tonight and the Phillies will hang on in the 9th to defeat the Braves 7-6. Hopefully I improve my predictions to 1-1 after that Marlins disaster on Thursday. GO PHILLIES!
Baseball Games I've Been To
Under construction.
- July 11, 2009 - Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates (RECAPS: Swing and a Long Drive/Phillies Nation, Crashburn Alley, The Fightins, ESPN)
Saturday, August 11, 2007
2007 NFL Predictions - Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns - Oh the AFC doormat. Doesn't it seem as if every year they are the worst team in the conference? It most likely averages out to that. Anyway, the Browns are headed in the right direction. But their key players are too young and unproven to warrant rating them any higher. Recent drafts have brought in a vast amount of potential (Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, Eric Wright, etc.) but they still lack plenty. The defensive line is a question mark and the secondary is a steady work in progress. If Brady Quinn turns out to be everything he thinks he is, this team will be on the way up. But possibly not for another 2-3 years. They need a stud RB in next years draft and luckily they may be bad enough to be in the Top 3 with a shot at taking Darren McFadden, Mike Hart, or Steve Slaton...oh, right, they sent their 2008 1st rounder to Dallas in the Quinn trade. Crap.
2007 NFL Predictions - Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers - The hiring of Mike Tomlin will prove to be the right move...but not this year. Pittsburgh will come to love Bill Cowher's successor, but it won't come without growing pains. While I believe Pittsburgh will actually perform better this year than last, anything short of a Super Bowl run in the Steel City is deemed a failure. They won't get that this year. Ben Roethlisberger - injury free! - will play much better this year and will single-handedly win them 1 or more games. But they are no match for the Bengals or Ravens again this year. Maybe next year.
Prediction - 3rd AFC North
Prediction - 3rd AFC North
2007 NFL Predictions - Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens - I wish I could call Cincinnati and Baltimore teams 1A and 1B. With the addition of Willis McGahee and stout drafting as usual, the Ravens are definitely in the position to repeat as Division Champions. However, I have a few concerns. Can Steve McNair stay healthy and continue to play at a high level? Will the loss of Adalius Thomas hurt more than people expect? Will Samari Rolle hold steady and play close to the Star Level of the rest of the defensive backfield?
Prediction - 2nd, AFC North, Wild Card
Prediction - 2nd, AFC North, Wild Card
2007 NFL Predictions - Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals - This is probably the toughest division to start with. The North is between 2 teams: Cincinnati and Baltimore (sorry PGHers). With Carson Palmer back to full strength for the entire year and a plethora of weapons at his disposal, the Bengals will challenge the Colts for best offense in the NFL. Oh, and their defense is steadily improving, even if it is with players that have character issues (see Brooks, Ahmad; Thurman, Odell; Nicholson, A.J.). Nicholson is no longer with the team.
Prediction - 1st, AFC North
Prediction - 1st, AFC North
English Premier League Kicks Off
The English Premier League will be kicking off in a mere 5 hours with my Tottenham Hotspur traveling to Sunderland for the season opener. This looks to be an exciting season at White Hart Lane as Tottenham made plenty of significant transfers over the summer, most notably bringing in Darren Bent from Charlton for a club record transfer fee of £16.5 million.
The one drawback to following the EPL sometimes is getting up to watch the games. While the game starts at 12:45pm in England, that means kickoff is at 7:45am here in Pennsylvania. Though I am what I consider a loyal fan, 7:45am might be a little rough for a Saturday, especially against a team that wasn't even in the EPL last year. At least I don't live out west...
The one drawback to following the EPL sometimes is getting up to watch the games. While the game starts at 12:45pm in England, that means kickoff is at 7:45am here in Pennsylvania. Though I am what I consider a loyal fan, 7:45am might be a little rough for a Saturday, especially against a team that wasn't even in the EPL last year. At least I don't live out west...
Friday, August 10, 2007
Phillies take Game 1 versus Braves
It was key to this whole series. They needed this win. And they got it. Cole Hamels pitched a flawless game, except for the first inning when Atlanta scored all 4 of their runs. After that only 2 batters he faced made it on base - one on a walk and another on Wes Helms' fielding error. The Phillies have taken game 1 of the crucial 3 game set. Tomorrow Adam Eaton faces Lance Cormier. Earlier I declared that the Phils would take games 1 & 3 but lose 2. We'll find out tomorrow night. Elsewhere, the Marlins got to Billy Wagner in the 9th tonight and scored 2 runs to pull ahead of the Mets. They hung on and, as a result, 1st through 3rd in the NL East is separated by a mere 3.5 games. And if the Padres - currently tied with the Reds after 9 - lose, the Phillies are tied for the wild card lead!
Stupid Suspensions
Upon hearing that Clemens was suspended 5 games for hitting Alex Rios in the back the other day, I wasn't terribly surprised but nonetheless irritated. Josh Towers (who hit A-Rod) and Jesse Litsch (who threw behind him) did not get ejected from their games, but you would have to be a complete fool to think that they were not throwing at Rodriguez. After Towers hit A-Rod on Tuesday, warnings were issued, and then Clemens preceded to drill Alex Rios in the back, as he should have. In baseball, its almost standard procedure to hit the opposing team's star player if they hit/throw at yours. As a result, Clemens got suspended 5 games. Rightful punishment? I think not. Apparently the umpires did not have enough foresight after the Litsch incident on Monday to issue warnings or at least say 'hey, if it looks like you're throwing at A-Rod, you're outta here' prior to Tuesday's game. Clemens was virtually forced to police the situation himself by throwing at Rios, sending a clear message to his former team to cut the crap. Since the umpires weren't working to protect and defend A-Rod, Clemens made sure to do so himself.
The Jays were downright petty by throwing at A-Rod for something that happened at the end of May. The incident I'm referring to of course is when he ran behind the Toronto 3B and yelled "mine," causing him to drop it. The Jays came into the Bronx a couple of weeks ago but they were too scared to do anything about it then, probably because they know they would have a difficult time getting out of the Stadium alive. Instead, the Jays waited to get back in their yard to act like immature little leaguers. The thing that really gets me too is how Joe Torre gets suspended for a game. I know it is common to do that in these situations but I feel its really stupid to suspend the manager when his pitcher is defending a teammate.
Basically my point is, common sense and logic should be used when dishing out suspensions. The reason Clemens got the suspension was because he threw at somebody after warnings were issued but Towers and Litsch are just as, if not more guilty. Either suspend them all, or don't suspend any of them. Kudos to Roger for sticking up for a teammate as he did.
The Jays were downright petty by throwing at A-Rod for something that happened at the end of May. The incident I'm referring to of course is when he ran behind the Toronto 3B and yelled "mine," causing him to drop it. The Jays came into the Bronx a couple of weeks ago but they were too scared to do anything about it then, probably because they know they would have a difficult time getting out of the Stadium alive. Instead, the Jays waited to get back in their yard to act like immature little leaguers. The thing that really gets me too is how Joe Torre gets suspended for a game. I know it is common to do that in these situations but I feel its really stupid to suspend the manager when his pitcher is defending a teammate.
Basically my point is, common sense and logic should be used when dishing out suspensions. The reason Clemens got the suspension was because he threw at somebody after warnings were issued but Towers and Litsch are just as, if not more guilty. Either suspend them all, or don't suspend any of them. Kudos to Roger for sticking up for a teammate as he did.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Blown Save: Me
So I was wrong. Instead of 7-3 Phillies, it was 4-2 Marlins. My bad. But I was right about Kyle Kendrick. He went 7 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 earned runs, and had 1 K and BB. But Brett Myers couldn't keep it together and he gets saddled with the loss. This is terrible for the teams motivation and morale heading into a huge series against the Braves.
Madden NFL 08 debuts on Tuesday
One of the best days of the year will soon be upon us: the annual Madden release day. Dubbed 'Maddenoliday' by EA Sports, it truly is a late summer version of Christmas. Even though Madden hasn't been amazing the past 2 years on the Next-Gen consoles (recent installments could not match the 04 and 05 releases for the PS2 and Xbox), 2007 was better than 2006, showing improvement. And if Madden 2008 improves as much as NCAA Football 2008 did...wow! I'm really excited for this.
N. Colorado punter guilty of assault
I know, I wasn't there or anything but from what I've read in the articles, he was unaccounted for during the time of the stabbing, his girlfriend had some pretty damning testimony and text messages pretty much would lead me to believe he did it. I mean seriously, who stabs a punter in the kicking leg and runs off? It just seems like common sense that it would be him. At least he was acquitted of attempted murder cause he definitely didn't try to kill him if he went for the leg.
Kendrick vs Marlins; Phillies soon to enter 'do or die' part of schedule
The Phillies take the field tonight at 7:05 looking to sweep the Marlins and move to eight games above .500 for the first time since the final day of the 2006 season. Kyle Kendrick takes the hill for the Phils and I must say I'm happy about that. Kendrick has been, to say the least, a pleasant surprise this season since his first start on June 13. Kendrick is 5-2 and his last start was strong: 7 innings, 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts...but a usually strong Phillies offense floundered and Kyle got the L. Kendrick's ERA is a respectable 3.88 and he has 25 Ks compared to 16 BBs. The Phillies offense is on a tear and they're facing Sergio Mitre who's ERA has been steadily rising since mid-June (2.29 on June 15 -> 3.67 August 8).
Prediction: Phillies 7, Marlins 3
It's important the the Phillies sweep the Marlins because they are about to enter an extremely important 3 weeks. The Braves come to Citizens Bank Park tomorrow and the 3-game series will play a crucial role in the NL East and Wild Card races. The Phillies get lucky and do not have to face John Smoltz. In contrast, the Phils send out their ace, Cole Hamels, in the first game. I think the Phillies will take 2 of 3 from the Braves, with Philadelphia losing the 2nd game (Adam Eaton gets the start...we're doomed). After the Braves series the Phillies head to Washington (when Shane Victorino returns) and then to Pittsburgh (when Michael Bourn may return). They should return to Philadelphia going AT LEST 4-2 on that mediocre road trip. Then comes 10 games that the Phillies must bring their A game: Dodgers (3 games), Padres (3), Mets (4). All at Citizens Bank Park. From the first game of the Braves series to the end of the Mets series I have the Phils amassing a 12-7 record, which wouldn't be too bad. If they finish off Florida tonight, take game 1 of their next series with Florida (last day of August), and go my predicted 12-7 in between the Phillies finish with a 18-10 mark in August and would be 74-60 heading into October...when Chase Utley returns! Wow, wouldn't that be something? I have faith.
Prediction: Phillies 7, Marlins 3
It's important the the Phillies sweep the Marlins because they are about to enter an extremely important 3 weeks. The Braves come to Citizens Bank Park tomorrow and the 3-game series will play a crucial role in the NL East and Wild Card races. The Phillies get lucky and do not have to face John Smoltz. In contrast, the Phils send out their ace, Cole Hamels, in the first game. I think the Phillies will take 2 of 3 from the Braves, with Philadelphia losing the 2nd game (Adam Eaton gets the start...we're doomed). After the Braves series the Phillies head to Washington (when Shane Victorino returns) and then to Pittsburgh (when Michael Bourn may return). They should return to Philadelphia going AT LEST 4-2 on that mediocre road trip. Then comes 10 games that the Phillies must bring their A game: Dodgers (3 games), Padres (3), Mets (4). All at Citizens Bank Park. From the first game of the Braves series to the end of the Mets series I have the Phils amassing a 12-7 record, which wouldn't be too bad. If they finish off Florida tonight, take game 1 of their next series with Florida (last day of August), and go my predicted 12-7 in between the Phillies finish with a 18-10 mark in August and would be 74-60 heading into October...when Chase Utley returns! Wow, wouldn't that be something? I have faith.
Sports Fountainhead 2.0
Hello faithful readers and welcome to the improved (hopefully) Sports Fountainhead! We realized that the old site was not too aesthetically pleasing and confusing to navigate. With this new version we hope to fix that! Look for new posts soon!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Retired Numbers/Wall of Fame
This "just because" page visually identifies my favorite teams retired numbers and/or wall of fame (or honor roll). The homage was created by me but all of the jerseys/hats are from Jersey Database.
Philadelphia Phillies retired numbers.
The Flyers will be next!
Philadelphia Phillies retired numbers.The Flyers will be next!
Basketball Games I've Been To
Though I haven't been to nearly as many basketball games as I have football games, this still is a nice list. Unfortunately it is devoid of any NBA experiences.
Syracuse went on to become the 2003 National Champions.
Lady Lions superstar Kelly Mazzante and me after the victory over Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 of the 2004 Women's NCAA Tournament (Hartford, CT).
Kelly and me at the Lady Lions game versus Liberty in College Park, Maryland for the first round of the 2005 Women's NCAA Tournament.
- January 11, 1997 - Villanova vs Miami (FL)
- February 1, 2003 - Syracuse vs Pittsburgh
Syracuse went on to become the 2003 National Champions.- December 7, 2003 - Lady Lions vs Texas
- January 22, 2004 - Lady Lions vs Minnesota
- January 24, 2004 - Syracuse vs Pittsburgh
- February 29, 2004 - Lady Lions vs Purdue
- March 27, 2004 - Lady Lions vs Notre Dame (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16)
Lady Lions superstar Kelly Mazzante and me after the victory over Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 of the 2004 Women's NCAA Tournament (Hartford, CT).- March 29, 2004 - Lady Lions vs Connecticut (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
- December 5, 2004 - Lady Lions vs North Carolina
- March 20, 2005 - Lady Lions vs Liberty (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Kelly and me at the Lady Lions game versus Liberty in College Park, Maryland for the first round of the 2005 Women's NCAA Tournament.Football Games I've Been To
Below is a list of NFL and NCAA football games that I have been to thus far in my life. I was lucky enough to attend Penn State so I amassed quite a few visits to Beaver Stadium in the fall of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. But there are also stops at Veterans Stadium (I'll finally get to Lincoln Financial Field this year) and Heinz Field.
1993-1994 FOOTBALL SEASON
- November 13, 1993 - Penn State vs Illinois
- November 14, 1993 - Dolphins @ Eagles
- September 24, 1994 - Penn State vs Rutgers
- November 18, 1995 - Penn State vs Michigan (Snow Bowl)
- August 25, 1996 - Penn State vs USC (Kickoff Classic @ The Meadowlands)
- October 27, 1996 - Eagles vs Panthers
- December 19, 1999 - Eagles vs Patriots
- October 8, 2000 - Eagles vs Redskins
- January 28, 2001 - Giants vs Ravens (Super Bowl XXXV)
- October 27, 2001 - Penn State vs Ohio State (Joe Paterno's 324th Career Victory)
- September 14, 2002 - Penn State vs Nebraska
- August 30, 2003 - Penn State vs Temple
- September 6, 2003 - Penn State vs Boston College
- September 20, 2003 - Penn State vs Kent State
- October 4, 2003 - Penn State vs Wisconsin
- November 1, 2003 - Penn State vs Ohio State
- November 15, 2003 - Penn State vs Indiana
- September 4, 2004 - Penn State vs Akron
- September 18, 2004 - Penn State vs Central Florida
- October 9, 2004 - Penn State vs Purdue
- October 23, 2004 - Penn State vs Iowa
- November 6, 2004 - Penn State vs Northwestern
- November 20, 2004 - Penn State vs Michigan State
- September 3, 2005 - Penn State vs South Florida
- September 10, 2005 - Penn State vs Cincinnati
- September 17, 2005 - Penn State vs Central Michigan
- September 24, 2005 - Pittsburgh vs Youngstown State
- October 1, 2005 - Penn State vs Minnesota
- October 8, 2005 - Penn State vs Ohio State
- October 29, 2005 - Penn State vs Purdue
- November 5, 2005 - Penn State vs Wisconsin
- January 3, 2006 - Penn State vs Florida State (Orange Bowl)
2006-2007 FOOTBALL SEASON
- September 2, 2006 - Penn State vs Akron
- September 7, 2006 - Dolphins @ Steelers
- September 16, 2006 - Penn State vs Youngstown State
- September 30, 2006 - Penn State vs Northwestern
- October 14, 2006 - Penn State vs Michigan
- October 21, 2006 - Penn State vs Illinois
- November 11, 2006 - Penn State vs Temple
- November 18, 2006 - Penn State vs Michigan State
- October 7, 2007 - Steelers vs Seahawks
- October 20, 2007 - Penn State @ Indiana
2008-2009 FOOTBALL SEASON
- October 4, 2008 - Penn State @ Purdue
2009-2010 FOOTBALL SEASON
- September 12, 2009 - Penn State vs Syracuse
- September 20, 2009 - Eagles vs Saints
- November 7, 2009 - Penn State vs Ohio State
Contact Information
Email: SportsFountainhead@gmail.com
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Sports Fountainhead Gear
UPDATED: 3/23/2009
Bloggers
- J Mays - Site founder and primary contributor. Penn State alum.
- E - Contributor. Penn State alum.
- Steely McDonati - Contributor. Penn State alum.
- TAS - Contributor. Penn State alum.
- JRAFF - Contributor. Duquesne & Kutztown alum.
- A - Contributor. Michigan alum.
Sports Fountainhead History
- June 7th, 2007 - Site created as www.sportsfountainhead.com. My ambitious sports site lasted a whole two months until I figured out I can't compete with ESPN. For two months my correspondents emailed me their posts and I uploaded them to the main site. After two months I decided having a direct link did not matter. This lead me to...
- August 9th, 2007 - Move to Google's Blogger platform. It provided exactly what I needed: the ability to update the site from any computer and for the other writers to post at their own pace. We have been on Blogger ever since.
- September 25th, 2007 - The influx of new writers - Steely McDonati & TAS - in August lead to fast-paced posting. We reached 100 posts on Blogger within two months. The 100th post was written by TAS and it was a Pac-10 college football breakdown.
- November 30th, 2007 - Just two months later my crew had reached 250 posts. This time I made a special not of the milestone and ccreated a post highlighting my favorite pieces we had written.
- June 24th, 2008 - Less than a full year after porting our content to Blogger we reached the 500 post milestone. This time around I thanked you, the readers, and highlighted what was to come for the fall.
- December 18th, 2009 - I hope the site reaches 1,000 posts by this day (which also happens to be my 25th birthday).