Showing posts with label Penn State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penn State. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2011

Friday Night Thoughts

Getting late on this Friday, here's what is happening.....

- The sad story of Bears WR Sam Hurd gets worse for Hurd as he was put on waivers by Chicago Friday. It's his own fault if all this drug talk is true but still not good for a player that was probably just hanging on anyway.
- The one-game suspension of Steelers LB James Harrison was upheld by the league. Harrison will sit out Monday night's game at San Francisco. Maybe he will learn at some point that he has to play by the NFL's rules, even though they aren't good rules.
- A bad week for Kobe Bryant continued when his wife filed for divorce. I would have thought she would have done that after his cheating in Colorado a few years back but she held on for this long. What worse thing could he have done?
- In baseball news, the Rockies signed former Twin Michael Cuddyer. A great signing of a player who can play almost anywhere on the diamond. Also helps that he can hit some and in that ballpark, he will definitely do that.
- Barry Bonds got his sentence Friday from the BALCO case, being sentenced to two years probation and 30 days house arrest. Doesn't seem like a huge punishment for perjury but at least it is something. Bonds may have slipped through the cracks with MLB and not the court system.
- Also in the courts, the two former Penn State officials charged with perjury can stand trial. It was nice to finally see Mike McQueary come out of the woodwork to make a statement about what he saw. Might have helped the kid out if he would have done something right away instead of calling his father up first.

That will do it for tonight, prediction Saturday comes in the morning....

It's Friday....

We have made it to Friday, a look at what's up....

- The Falcons got a solid hold on a playoff spot in the NFL with a dominating 41-14 win over the Jaguars Thursday night. One player that was invisible most of the season but has come alive in recent weeks is Roddy White. White had 10 catches and two touchdowns in the win as Atlanta improved to 9-5. I think that win clinched Atlanta's ticket to the playoffs. The Bears and Lions aren't going to catch them now.
- The Penn State story continues today as former athletic director Tim Curley and former vice president Gary Schultz are in court to fight perjury charges. A sad state of affairs in Happy Valley. Let's just hope it all gets figured out sooner than later.
- There are reports this morning that the Blue Jays made a bid of over $40 million on Yu Darvish and that was probably enough to win the bidding for the Japanese star pitcher. That would be a tall task for any AL East team to face Darvish and the 6'5" pitcher wouldn't even have to move to the United States.
- An interesting storyline is developing in Indianapolis with the Colts and Peyton Manning. Indy is assured of the No. 1 pick in the 2012 Draft and there is no doubt they will take Stanford QB Andrew Luck. Where does that leave Manning though? Does he stay and mentor the new kid? Does he ask for a trade to clear the path for Luck? I'm thinking Manning wants nothing to do with having a possible star on the roster with him and will ask out.
- It's a light morning so let's discuss four high school students being suspended for doing Tim Tebow's famous pose at school. If the kids are trying to be like Tebow, let them. It could be a lot worse.
- Last, I would like to talk about the new NFL TV deals a bit...I think we are heading towards Thursday Night games each week of the season for one and wouldn't be surprised if a weekly Saturday game is added. Saturday games showed up a lot on schedules in recent years in the final weeks of the season when college football was done. Why not do it again? Also, I like the switches possible to make the best games to another network if blocked by another great game. More viewers is more money for the NFL. Finally, all three Thanksgiving games on where people can watch them. The NFL can now control the whole holiday, a win-win for everyone.

That's the story for now, trivia later and more sports thoughts tonight....

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Time to open up Tuesday

A look at what is up this morning....

- There were thoughts that a preliminary hearing would expose us to some of the accusers of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky today but Sandusky decided to waive his hearing and move everything straight to trial. This is going to be a very long, painful case for the public to go through depending on how much we hear about it or don't want to hear about it. If he's guilty though, put him away for as long as possible.
- One thing that was thought to come out of the Penn State scandal was will the current recruits stay committed? Well, the Nittany Lions' top recruit has decided to go elsewhere as Tommy Schutt from the suburbs of Chicago changed his commitment to Ohio State over the weekend. Whoever takes over this program is going to have a TON of work to do to make it revelant in a good way again.
- In more positive college football news, the Mountain West Conference will ask for an automatic qualifier for the BCS for the 2012 and 2013 season. This is an obvious move to me as Boise State, which finished 7th in the BCS standings is not in one of those bowls while Michigan (13th), Clemson (15th) and West Virginia (23rd) are in. The conference champion route isn't working because if Alabama beats LSU, then the Crimson Tide will win the national title without even winning a conference title. Playoff, anyone?
- NFL-wise, the Seahawks destroyed the Rams on Monday night and are still in playoff contention with three weeks to play. Even though the 49ers have clinched the NFL West, Seattle and the Arizona Cardinals have each rallied to go to 6-7 on the year and are two games behind Detroit and Atlanta for the final playoff spot. Always good to keep hope up as long as possible and remember Seattle made the playoffs last season with a losing record and upset New Orleans in the playoffs.
- The firing train made a move to the NHL Monday with the firing of Los Angeles Kings coach Terry Murray. One problem with this....Murray led the Kings to the highest winning percentage of any coach in team history, back-to-back playoff appearances and because of a slow start, he gets fired? Come on now, give the guy some credit here but no time for waiting we all see.
- More hockey this morning as Sidney Crosby is out again with concussion-like symptoms. This is something that is truly scary and I think Crosby needs to take a good, hard look if he wants to continue playing or not. We've seen with a lot of the old-time NFL players what the damage can be from multiple concussions. Yes, Crosby is only 24 but this is something he should really consider.

That's all for now, more analysis tonight and trivia coming up in the midday.....

Friday, December 9, 2011

Friday night thoughts

Last look for the week at things before weekend games begin...

- That Chris Paul deal to the Lakers appears to be regaining some legs. The three teams involved in the trade (Lakers, Hornets and Rockets) are talking again about how to do this deal. Let's just hope it actually happens for everyone's sanity.
- Speaking of NBA, the meeting Dwight Howard and the New Jersey Nets had has been deemed illegal. The NBA should do something positive and slap the Nets with some penalty. Competitive balance is the key right? Well that means Howard can't go to New Jersey.
- The Oakland A's are cleaning house again with their trade of Trevor Cahill to Arizona Friday. This means the Diamondbacks a serious threat in the National League putting Cahill with Ian Kennedy. I guess the Marlins weren't the only team making big time moves.
- Now on a completely different scale and something of a positive nature for Penn State....well maybe not on this night but the four-time defending women's volleyball champions were defeated by UCLA. Reason I bring this up is just the fact they won 4 YEARS IN A ROW! Not the easiest thing to do when players graduate.
- Last thing, if you have time on Saturday....sit down and watch at least some of the Army-Navy game. One of the best games every year with the service academies. Just take 30 minutes out and take a look.

Saturday selections coming in the morning.....

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Saturday Selections

You have made it through the week, here's six college football predictions for you...

- Nebraska d. Penn State. Well, this is hard for me to predict but as I said earlier this week.....I don't think the Nittany Lions will be as focused as they need to be for a game like this. Cornhuskers 31-20.
- Auburn d. Georgia. Two ranked SEC teams, shocking huh? An afternoon in between the hedges and the Tigers are going to find a way to win on the road, 21-19.
- Wisconsin d. Minnesota. The Badgers have been rolling most of this season and I don't see any reason why they won't roll past the Gophers. Wisconsin 41-14.
- Stanford d. Oregon. The biggest matchup of the weekend with two Top 10 teams. Andrew Luck will welcome the Ducks and solidify his Heisman run with a 41-35 win.
- Oklahoma St. d. Texas Tech. The Cowboys have their destiny in their own hands to get to the BCS Title Game. This will be a close game but Okla. St. wins 38-34.
- Missouri d. Texas. This is the upset special....Texas has been running the ball very well in recent weeks but the Tigers should get their leading runner back. Missouri wins 27-20.

Fantasy Player of the Day: Kentucky F Anthony Davis
Davis scored 23 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes as the Wildcats won their season-opener 109-59 over Marist.

Matchup to Watch: Oregon at Stanford, 7 p.m. (CT), ABC
The fourth-ranked Cardinal host the seventh-ranked Ducks in a game that will decide the Pac-12 North and unless something changes, a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game and possibly a trip to the Rose Bowl.

This Date in History: Nov. 12, 1920
91 years ago, Kenesaw Mountain Landis was named the first baseball commissioner ever. Landis agreed to take the job for seven years at $50,000 a year but ended up doing the job for 24 years until his death in 1944. Landis will be best remembered for the lifetime bans given to the "Black Sox" who threw the 1919 World Series.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Fantasy Five-Pack Friday

The weekend is here, here are the five burning questions in my mind....

- How will this week's events affect Penn State's football team against Nebraska? This could go either way, the players say they are playing for Joe Paterno but how on earth can they focus after everything that has went down.
- Can Andrew Luck clinch the Heisman with a big performance against Oregon? Luck is going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft and can cement his Stanford legacy with a strong game Saturday night. If Luck plays anywhere near his normal self, just call off the ceremony and mail the trophy to Palo Alto.
- Is this going to be the weekend the NBA lockout ends? I know I've been saying that this is going to last a long time, my gut though is telling me the possibility of something happening is here. Let's wait and see if that actually happens though.
- How will basketball on an aircraft carrier look? The answer to that comes Friday night with North Carolina taking on Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego. Let's all hope for no wind to affect the ball or the ship and no rain.
- How many more free agents are the Marlins going to bring in? Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle. It's obvious now that a big splash is coming in Miami. Pujols isn't going to Miami but I can see Reyes going there. If this all blows up, a new stadium isn't going to help.
- Well, it seems I still can't predict anything as the Raiders opened Week 10 of the NFL season with a 24-17 win over the Chargers.

Fantasy Player of the Day: Oakland RB Michael Bush
Bush ran 30 times for 157 yards and a touchdown along with three catches for 85 yards as the Raiders went on the road for a 24-17 win.

Matchup to Watch: North Carolina vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m. (CT), ESPN
The top-ranked Tarheels begin the 2011-12 season with a game against the Spartans. Will be fun to see a game on an aircraft carrier.

This Date in History: Nov. 11, 1946
The New York Knickerbockers play their first game at Madison Square Garden. 65 years later, it is looked at a mecca for basketball still.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Steamrolling toward the weekend

Thursday and we have a LOT to discuss so let's get started....

- I've discussed Penn State the last two days and it gets worse each moment. Joe Paterno has been fired by the board of trustees and now the students are going nuts. Those students are going to learn a valuable life lesson when they get older. Read the grand jury report before you draw your own conclusions but after reading it myself, it's sick, disturbing and makes me ill. If any player wants to go there now after 15+ years of cover-ups, words can't explain why you would want to be associated with that.
- Now that Paterno has been fired, a new coach is needed in Happy Valley. Who would want this job though right now? You need to be a complete saint who has had nothing ever against you at this point. Why do I get this feeling we will hear Urban Meyer's name brought up? Yes he has been successful at Utah and Florida but I don't see him taking the job.
- On a much better note, let's discuss Toledo football. The Rockets have scored 126 points the last two weeks and given up the same number in going 1-1. Okay, if I'm the scoreboard operator, my fingers hurt and I want a raise. Next, love the offense but is the defense spending too much time at Tony Panko's and not enough on the practice field? Fix it, or the Glass Bowl will break.
- Sounds like the Florida...sorry Miami Marlins want to make a huge splash going into their new stadium. Jose Reyes took a tour Wednesday and Mark Buehrle has made a trip to visit his old manager as well. So if the Marlins sign Reyes, where does Hanley Ramirez go? 3rd base? 2nd base? Traded? I guess only time will tell on this but this may wake Ramirez up.
- The NBA lockout continues but at least the sides are talking, which I guess is good. Doesn't mean things are going to change but maybe if they talk, a deal can be done. I stick by my prediction of no basketball until sometime in the 2012-13 season.
- NFL Week 10 starts tonight with the Raiders traveling to San Diego to play the Chargers. Oakland is banged up in the running game with no Darren McFadden and the Chargers are coming off a shootout with the Packers. With that reasoning, I figure San Diego wins 27-10.

Fantasy Players of the Day: The Penn State Board of Trustees
Finally, a smart decision from State College, PA. Now the job of rebuilding and getting to the bottom of this whole mess can truly begin. Clean house and start new. Well done, you did what you had to do.

Matchup to Watch: Raiders at Chargers, 7:20 p.m. (CT), NFL Network
Thursday night football! Whee! Start your weekend early with this AFC West matchup.

This Date in History: Nov. 10, 1996
Dan Marino becomes the first quarterback to top 50,000 passing yards in a 37-13 win over the Colts. Marino's record has been broken by Brett Favre but Marino is still one of the top quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Midweek Report

We have made it to Wednesday, busy times in sports. Let's dive in...

- The Penn State situation seems to get worse and worse by the moment. I've watched a lot of coverage on this and it is going to have to be a clean sweep of everyone involved with the program since 1999. The ship is sinking in Happy Valley and the bottom of the ocean is a long way down.
- The Kansas City Royals appear to want to be competitive in 2012 I guess. Now GM Dayton Moore is discussing trading for Cubs P Carlos Zambrano. If the Cubs can get a prospect and will pay over $10 million of Big Z's 17 million contract for 2012, move him along with KC.
- I guess the Bengals didn't need Carson Palmer after all as rookie Andy Dalton has led Cincy to five straight wins and a 6-2 record going into Sunday's matchup with the Steelers. There are some great matchups this week in the NFL but we'll discuss that as the weekend approaches.
- The World Series of Poker finished Tuesday night with ESPN showing it live or almost live with a 15-minute delay. Is this the future of poker? I don't know if you can find enough people willing to sit for 6-7 hours straight waiting for that special hand to happen.
- Speaking of ESPN, the time has come to get rid of four of their people. When the folks in Bristol decide to help us from having to listen to Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless, the world will be a better place. The names from Berman and the "cool as the other side of the pillow" from Scott must leave. Cowherd and Bayless are just two loudmouths who would be great to have on a show together on ESPN5 at about 4AM.
- My predictions went 7-6 this week with a 1-1 mark on the upset specials. Ummm.....got some work to do there.

Fantasy Player of the Day: Red Wings F Johan Franzen
Franzen scored three times as Detroit took home a 5-2 win over Colorado. The Red Wings have now won two straight after losing six in a row.

Matchup to Watch: Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m. (CT), Versus
The sports schedule is light on a Wednesday with no NBA so enjoy the Flyers and Lightning get it on. Philly leads the NHL in goals scored this season while Tampa looks for their first five-game home winning streak since 2007-08.

This Date in History: Nov. 9, 1961
50 years ago today, the PGA ended their "caucasians only" rule. This opened the door for players like Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and eventually Tiger Woods.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's Tuesday again

The weekend is over officially for the NFL but we'll discuss that shortly....

- It's a very sad situation at Penn State right now with the school's athletic director and vice president both resigned as the underage sex scandal grows bigger. Things were covered up for sure and someone else is going to take the fall for this. Joe Pa will need to go now, a sad way to end a great career if it goes that way.
- It was a bad season for the Minnesota Twins and now GM Bill Smith has taken the fall with his firing Monday and former GM Terry Ryan returns. The Twinkies need the power of Mauer and Morneau to return if this team wants to compete in the AL Central because the teams keep getting better around them.
- We continue baseball with the Royals trading Melky Cabrera to San Fran for pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. This is a great trade for Kansas City, give them 2 more years and watch out. Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer and company are going to win the division by 2014. Too much talent to use or to trade to get better talent.
- Here's the latest on the NBA lockout, it's still happening...no one is talking productively and I'm going to predict this now. The lockout will extend into the 2012-13 season, this is too ugly to even get fixed in a year.
- Now back to the NFL, we finish Week 9 Monday and start Week 10 Thursday night. You get teams with 3 days rest playing each other, that could be interesting or just plain bad. You want Thursday games? Do it every week then. Look at Week 16, there will be games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. That is also for fantasy football players their championship week, get your Tums ready.
- Sad night in the world of sports as former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier passed away. Frazier gave boxing fans three of the best fights ever against Muhammad Ali. During the day Monday, it was reported that fans were offering parts of their livers to help Frazier with his liver cancer. There is probably a match in the sky right now between Frazier and Joe Louis.

Fantasy Player of the Day: Boston F Nathan Horton
Horton scored twice and had an assist as the Bruins got their third straight win with a 6-2 win against the Islanders.

Matchup to Watch: Northern Illinois at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. (CT), ESPN2
The Huskies racked up 63 points last week in their win over Toledo, now they travel down I-75 to Bowling Green. Can they get to 63 again? Probably not but not much else is on worthwhile.

This Date in History: Nov. 8, 1970
New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey kicks a NFL-record 63-yard field goal to give the Saints a 19-17 win over the Detroit Lions. Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand so Dempsey wore a special square shoe. No one has topped 63 yards since even though the record has been tied twice.