Friday, December 12, 2008

Yankees Tossing Out Offers!


The Yankees are apparently offering AJ Burnett $80 million for 5 years, which is above what the Braves biggest offer has been thus far. This is obviously newsworthy in it of itself; however, there may be a deeper indication that this offer expresses. ie. Either that the Derek Lowe sweepstakes are getting away from the Yankees or that the Yankees have realized that Derek Lowe is 35 and not worth $64-68 million!



Personally, I would rather sign Oliver Perez and Ben Sheets that either of these 2, but hey, that is why Cashman makes the big bucks. Then again, he has screwed up almost every pitching decision he has made over the last number of years (some of the big ones are Wright, Randy Johnson, Hawkins, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes over Johan, the list goes on). Maybe I should take over for Cashman!

Yaros

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Yankees Need To Forget About Manny!

There are rumors all over the place that the Yankees are still looking into possibly acquiring Manny Ramirez. Here is the problem with that idea. The guy is a cancer to any clubhouse. That pisses off Joe Girardi - a man with a short fuse who does not get along with his team as it is. Then Manny gets into an argument with Girardi over something absurd and gets benched for a period of time. That leads to more chaos and less of a focus on winning.

The biggest issue with Manny is that he doesn't get it! He doesn't realize that his antics effect play on the field. He is so talented that his own success is not hindered when he causes a raucous in the clubhouse; however, other players, who actually need to focus when hitting, lose their concentration when asked their opinion on the stupidity Manny is up to.

The bottom line is that Manny is a hall of fame talent and that he will be an effective piece of a playoff team - but that team should not be the Yankees! The manager is not mellow enough and there is way too much press coverage and scrutiny for Manny to wear the pinstripes!

Yaros

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Angels Attention Shifts from Mark Texeira to Sabbthia

The Angels have offered the same type of contract to Sabbthia as the Yankees did at the beginning of FA. Why would they wait till now to offer a contract to Sabbthia? Possibly, because the Angels are unwilling to meet Texeira's 10 year contract demand. The Angels do not want to miss out on Sabbathia because they are waiting on Texeira's contract demand to lower. However, a new story from Danny Knobler of CBSSportsline has said that the Angels have long - term concerns about Tex's knee. THe Angels are most likely unwilling to give that ten year contract to Tex for that solitary reason. Right now, they will continue to focus on Sabbthia until Tex's agent Scott Boras is willing to do a 6 year deal. Look for something to get done fast with Sabbathia, since it was a year ago today that the Angels offered Torii Hunter a contract, with a 48 hour deadline. Hunter signed the night before Thanksgiving.

Nate Davis Proves Once Again this Year Why Teams Should Not Have Passed on Him

The quarterback, who brought half a dozen scouts and a party like no other to Ball State, who had experienced mediocrity for many seasons, was never widely recruited because of learning disabilties. As he has been now recruited by many NFL teams, this is just one thing that has changed for Nate Davis and the Ball State Cardinals.

A panda worn by Jake Erdley, a telecommunications major from Brownsburg, Ind.,has always been looked at as a non - threatening creature as were the Cardinals themselves. But change has now come and it was evident by the biggest party ever on the Cardinal's home field. This would have never happened ten years ago when the Cardinals were suffering through many seasons of mediocrity, but has happened in part by another guy that people in college football thought would never make it.His name MiQuale Lewis. As did many of the Ball State players, he suffered his tough times in the previous years. But now through perseverence, this 5'6 back is close to setting the school's all - time single season rushing record.

Lewis is just one example of perseverence this year. The whole team has had to cope with the loss of their their star reciever Dante Love. They could have given away the season because without their playmaker because how could they really make it through the season without such a great player? Well, this team has actually come more together since that injury took place. They have played this season for Dante Love and no one is a greater example of that than Nate Davis.

A man who is supposed to be uneducated has stepped in for Ball State and has become a leader for Ball State. Nate Davis never has given up on a play this year. His elusiveness has allowed him this year to convert on many third downs for his team. This guy you'd think would make a lot of mistakes in big moments. However, Ball State is tied for third in fewest turnovers and rarely makes mental mistakes out on the field. His suddenly developed smarts have led to Ball State to their greatest season ever and could lead himself to a first round paycheck in this year's upcoming NFL Draft.

The Lowdown in New York with Yaros

By the way, I think New Jersey sports are part of New York!

NOTE: This is my first entry for SportsTalkSoup! I will be writing for this blog every Wednesday. Looking forward!

Here is post #1!

The New Jersey Nets can compete with a great team for a while, but then, their lack of talent (mostly defensively) and tremendous lack of experience shows and they get destroyed later in games.



The guide to playing the Nets season properly:

The bottom line is that they will not do anything even if they make the playoffs.

The old core (namely Jason Collins - one of the worst offensive players the league has seen since the advent of the leather sneaker, Jason Kidd - traded away in a brilliant way, Richard Jefferson - traded away in a ? way [all depends on what Yi becomes] and Vince Carter - who will be traded at some point for some good talent [because the Nets' front office is a group of brilliant, very convincing group of gentlemen]) is almost out of town and the new group of players needs to be developed.

The obvious hope is that the new core (as of now includes Yi, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez) develops simultaneously into a group of stars that will lead to a championship when role players are sprinkled in.

Aside from trading VC, what else could the Nets do to begin the process of developing the new core? First, they already made move number 1, they began to start Brook Lopez.



A side note on Lopez - he is very talented offensively. He has a fairly consistent mid range jumper and has numerous moves around the basket. He is not particularly good defensively, but technique and added strength should improve that. The one area that can not be improved, and is not very good, is Lopez's athleticism. He just doesn't have the ups that other players have. It manifests itself most on rebounds and defense. None the less, Lopez could become a 18 point 8 board guy in the next couple of years due to his basketball (as opposed to athletic) talent.

Step 2: would be finding a place on the far end of the bench for Bobby Simmons. First of all, the guy is not very good at anything. He is not a good defender, he is a very streaky outside shooter, he can't dribble and he definitely can't pass! I don't know why he plays, let alone starts?!

Who should start in his place? Well, considering that Yi is really an outside shooter with a very narrow body, I think Sean Williams could easily start as the power forward. One quick thing about Mr. Williams - what Lopez lacks in the athleticism, SW has! Therefore, Sean Williams can guard almost anyone. Moving Yi down to SF offensively would not hurt the Nets on defense because Williams could take either player.

Step 3: is to take useless players with no superior skills out of the rotation. There are guys the Nets are playing off the bench who are throw ins on trades all the time and are relatively useless. Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes should simply not be playing any role. In fact, as bad as he is, I would play Simmons prior to them. Ryan Anderson has some potential. He is a big who can shoot the 3 exceptionally well. He creates match up problems for other teams.

The one thing that makes this machine go, and I have mentioned this in the past, is Devin Harris. His penetration and quickness open holes for other guys and without him the offense looks pathetic. Harris needs to improve his shot (which is already better than Jason Kidd's), but he is creative and gets to the line fabulously (top 2 in the league in FTA).

The Nets need to be versatile. Sean Williams really helps them remain that way because of his defensive abilities. If you think about the offensive liability that he is (remember that he is a heck of a lot better than Jason Collins on offense), recall that the rest of the Nets starting lineup is offensive minded. Harris and Carter are the most prolific scoring back court in the NBA and Brook Lopez and Yi are both offensive players at heart.

The Nets need to start focusing on preparing the new core for a better future and sacrifice the now (not like the Knicks who are relying on picking up a guy in free agency) to have a fabulous future (not as far into the future as you may think). The Eastern Conference is very top heavy with a few good teams and 4 or 5 wide open playoff spots. The Nets could be successful in the mediocre Eastern Conference quite quickly - as long as they take the proper (above) approach.

Hey, I should be the new GM!

Yaros

Steven Yaros is the founder and chief blogger for talkingNYsports.com

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Saturday Mornining Shootaround

Hey guys welcome to my new Saturday Morning Shootaround segment. My name is Austin. I am a huge college basketball fan. I am unbiased towards all teams however I am a huge Duke Blue Devil fan. Hopefully throughout the 2008-2009 NCAAM season I can bring you some information you will enjoy about the current weeks games. Without any more delay, here is the key matchups for Opening Weekend (Nov 22nd-Nov 23rd).

Top 25 teams in action on Saturday Nov 22

#3 Louisville 0-0 vs Morehead St 0-3
Prediction 96-60 Louisville

When you talk Louisville basketball this year, the first thing that has to come to mind is 5 star recruit Samardo Samuels. At 6'8'' this big man at only 18 should develop very nicely this year. Samuels, by many recruiting agencies, was ranked #1 this past year. Look for Samuels to get off to a hot start here vs Morehead. Also you can't forgot why Louisville is ranked #3 to kick off the year. Junior PG Egdar Sosa can be a game changer when playing at his best. However, last year he regressed from his outstanding freshman season. Also, Earl Clrak forms the trio of this years team look for him to step up after C David Padgetts graduation to a double double guy. Morehead is led by a solid post game all 3 of their top scorers are big men. However, in this game, the likes of Maze Stallworth and Leon Buchannan just stand no chance against Louisville's strong big men.

#6 Pitt 2-0 vs Indiana (PA) 2-0
Prediction 87-55 PITT

Pitt led by Sam Young and Dejuan Blair are another talented Big East team. Pitt is known as a school who was had great sucess without having any real stars. This year that could change. Dejuan Blair proved as a freshman that he could play with the Big Boys. He will continue to do this. Blair could be a darkhorse POTY canidate. Indiana a D-III doesn't have much of a chance in this one even if they played Syracuse to a 77-67 score last week in preseason.

#10 Purdue 3-0 vs Coppin State 1-0
Prediction 82-62 Purdue

Purdue last year had a coming out party last year. Look for it to continue this year. Led by G E'Tuan Moore the Boilermakers have a real shot at winning the Big 10 this year. Look for Purdue's balanced attack and solid defense to carry them over Coppin State and their guard heavy attack. Last weekend, they beat Wilmington 94-73 having 4 G as their top scorers.

#14 Oklahoma 3-0 vs Gardner Webb 0-2
Prediction 100-67 Oklahoma

Led by Sophomore F Blake Griffin Oklahoma already has a big win on their resume after beating Stephen Curry's Davidson Wildcats 82-78. Griffin in 3 games so far this year is dominating having 3 double double's and averaging 23 PPG and 19.3 RPG. With performances like these, the Sooners will be hard to stop with G Willie Warren and F Taylor Griffin backing up the Blake. Gardner who lost 85-84 on Tuesday night plays in a 3 guard set and all 3 can score. Anyways, Griffin and the Sooners win big.

#17 Marquette 2-0 vs Milwaukee 3-1
109-75 Marquette

Marquette has some pretty solid talent. G Dominic James, G Jerel McNeal, and G Wesley Matthews led this team. All 3 should play at the pro level. Marquette is a contender in the Big East and should be a serious threat come tournament time. Look for these guards to overwhelm Milwaukee but G Avery Smith and company should keep it close early.

#18 Georgetown 1-0 vs Drexel 1-0

Georgetown lost their best player last year in C Roy Hibbert to the NBA; however, a more talented C has come to take his place. Greg Monroe was highly regarded much like Samuels to be the top recruit in the country. Monroe brings an atheletic power player to this team almost the opposite of Roy Hibbert's finesse style. With G Jessie Sapp and G Chris Wright also returning, the Hoyas should be making another run in March.

Upset Special for Week 1:

Washington over #24 Kansas

Washington has been an intriguing team over the past few years. They certainly have underacheived. This year look for F Jon Brockamn to turn into what people thought he would be coming in. Washington has many talented players and should be able to beat the Defending National Champs.

Games to Watch For:
Monday November 24

9:30 PM ESPN U
#1 North Carolina vs Chaminade
The top ranked Tar Heels head to Maui and kick off the invitational vs host Chaminade

5:30 PM ESPN 2
Indiana vs #9 Notre Dame
Also in Maui, we get to see how bad Indiana will be or how good Luke Harangody and Notre Dame are. I got money on the first Tom Crean you get a mess down in Bloomington.

7:30 PM ESPN 2
Syracuse vs #19 Florida
Can Billy Donovan and the Gators beat Syracuse? This is a great early season test for both teams.

Potential Matchups (they're are some real good ones, but the only problem is that they all are potentially good matchups)

#8 Texas vs #9 Notre Dame
This could be a semifinal in maui winner and winner would move on to play North Carolina. Maui is a place to watch this week. There could be some really good games.

#1 North Carolina vs #8/9 Texas/Notre Dame
Again, Maui is the place to be for early season top action.

Thank you for reading this season opening article. Hopefully, you'll stay tuned for the many more to come this year. I will be appearing occasionally on Vito's podcast as well as the NCAAM insider. Any ? E-mail them to me @ indycolts2113@aol.com They could be answered on the show or in a future article.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Another team is clearing space for a spectacular 2010 FA class

In one 24-hour period, the New York Knicks have officially made themselves real players for the NBA's best free-agent class in a generation, and can now realistically make a run not only at LeBron James, but perhaps multiple free agents in the summer of 2010.

Today, clearing Crawford's $10 million from the table was not enough for Donnie Walsh's day of shedding salaries. Not only did Donnie Walsh shed Crawford's long contract in his first major player transaction as president of the Knicks, but he also shed Zach Randolph's long contract.

Randolph was traded to the Clippers, while Crawford was dealt to the Golden State Warriors. The three players going to the Knicks - Al Harrignton, Cuttino Mobley, and Tim Thomas - all have contracts coming off the table in time for the highly anticipated 2010 FA class that could include the likes of Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade.

Harrington's mobility and versatility made Donnie Walsh - the man who originally drafted him in 1998 - and Mike D'Antonio very attracted to Harrington, who had become disgruntled with the Warriors. As Donnie Walsh and D'Antonio saw, he will help them win games immediately with his multi - positional skills, while also helping Walsh's future plans of financial flexibility.

The other team involved in this deal, the Warriors, saw Crawford as a versatile guard, who can function well in Don Nelson's system with and without Monta Ellis. It's something to remember that Crawford is coming off a career best 20.6 points per game average last year, so this deal meshes with Walsh's plan to shed salary. This trade was not a trade made based on impacting the team's ability to win games.

Randolph had also adapted well to D'Antonio's system, but just became another part in Walsh's plan to shed salary when he was dealt to the Clippers for Tim Thomas, who shined with D'Antonio in the playoffs with the Suns, hitting a big three against the Lakers in the 2006 first round matchup, propelling them past the first round and eventually into the Western Conference Finals. However, no one was dealt to the Knicks today because of the talents that they could bring to the Knicks.

Although the Knicks have begun the process of sheding long term contracts and the process of acquiring contracts that will expire before the 2010 season, what players would even be on the roster to surround Lebron and to more importantly, attract Lebron to the Big Apple? Donnie Walsh might have to ask himself before that time if he has built a team who can compete for the championship. Because I don't believe that Lebron James or any other free agent would consider a team led by Gallinari, Chandler and guards Nate Robinson and Chris Duhon -- even if it is in the media capital of the world.

Latest Hot Stove Chat

Here's a video with the latest on C.C. Sabbathia, Manny Ramirez, and the hitters showing the most interest from teams. You can see this chat weekly on SNY.tv

Friday, November 14, 2008

Yankees throw out first pitch to C.C Sabbathia on Opening Day of the MLB FA period

The Yankees have once again taken the approach that they can obtain whatever they want. With a new ball park opening up next year, the Yankees could also have a new ace starting the season off. This guy, C.C. sabbathia, is the guy this offseason that the Yankees will set the price tag very high for other teams to match. The Yankees intend to surpass the contract of 137.5 million given to Johan Santana last offseason by offering Sabbathia a contract in the range of 140 - 142 million. This looks to not be the Yankee's last offer for Sabbathia either. They know that they might have to increase their initial offer to lure him from his hometown of LA. With all the money being offered to Sabbathia and with an economy on the downfall, the Yankees still look to pursue other FA starting pitchers whether or not they do sign Sabbathia.If they can sign C.C., Derek Lowe, and A.J. burnett they will do it and not even think about the money being thrown to these players for one moment.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Chauncey Heading Back Home to Denver, while Big Star in Last Year of Contract is Heading Detroit's Way

Allen Iverson is a piston, but that's only one major asset heading Detroit's way right now. Others could come in the 2010 offseason.

Chauncey Billups and Antonio Mcdyess are heading to Denver in this deal involving AI. Nuggets solve a huge problem in this trade - gaining a top - flight point guard who will be able to faciliate to Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith.This is the third move that the Nuggets have made to reduce payroll. They also traded Camby to the Clippers this past offseason for merely a swap of second round picks in last year's draft and decided not to re - sign Linas Kleiza. Antonio McDyess is also involved in this deal most likely to shed more salary as he is expected to be bought out. As stated, Iverson is in the last year of his contract and is an aging superstar who has been on a team the last couple of years who could not even get out of the first round. Because of this, Iverson will be very eager to prove that it was no fluke that he made it to the finals in 2001.

With Iverson's contract expiring at the end of the season, the Pistons have built a payroll that could add on some salary and potentially two big free agents from the free agent class in 2010 that could include: Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobli, T- Mac, Yao, Steve Nash, dirk, and Michael Redd. Joe Dumars finally has responded to the comment he made this past summer when he said no one was safe. This could possibly be the first move in the aggressive makeover of the Pistons, with Ronald Stuckey as the long - term cornerstone of the Piston's backcourt.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Around The Sports World

In The NFL:

NY Jets 26
Buffalo 17
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Detroit 23
Chicago 27
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Jacksonville 19
Cincinnati 21
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Baltimore 37
Cleveland 27
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Tampa Bay 30
Kansas City 27
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Houston 21
Minnesota 28
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Arizona 34
St. Louis 13
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Green Bay 16
Tennessee 19
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Miami 26
Denver 17
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Dallas 14
NY Giants 35
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Atlanta 24
Oakland 0
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Philadelphia 26
Seattle 7
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Dont forget to watch Monday Night Football with Pittsburgh (5-2) vs. Washington (6-2) Watch this two great teams with Super Bowl aspirations. In my opinion, I believe the Washington Redskins will pull it in to get the win which could make them (7-2). We'll just have to watch and see.
___________________________________________
In The NBA:

Milwaukee 94
New York 86
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Minnesota 85
Oaklahoma City 88

Don't Forget to watch 6 matchups that will take place tomorrow anywhere between the times of 7:30 PM Est. and 10:30 PM Est.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Aound the Sports World With Brett

In the NFL:

The Houston Texans had a great start against the Detroit Lions, but they finished sloppy. However, thier great start made up for their lousy finish. The Texans started off with a three-touchdown lead and kept the lead to win it 28-21. Calvin Johnson came out in the 4th quarter with a 96 yard touchdown. The Lions are currently keeping up their lossing streak with a record of 0-6.

The Tennessee Titans remain the NFL's only unbeaten team with a record of 6-0. Today, they faced the Kanas Chiefs with a final score of 31-10. The Chiefs currently have a record of 1-5. To avoid being shut out, the Kanas Chiefs scored 10 points at the last minute in the 4th quarter. "Your run game is a development of the way your team plays," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "The backs got a lot of extra yards on their own after contact."

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Countdown to College Football Saturday

Sam reporting for Saturday, October 11th, 2008:

Top 25 Teams:

#5 Texas at #1 Oklahoma
Prediction: Oklahoma
The title of the best conference in college football is slowly shifting to the Big 12, and the conference has a chance to flex its guns today with the cream of its crop going head to head. Oklahoma is the best team in the nation right now and they look unstoppable when they’re rolling on all cylinders. Look for Oklahoma’s offense to control the tempo of the game and keep Colt McCoy on the sidelines. Oklahoma is by far the more talented team in this match up, but if Texas can play lights out defense and have Colt McCoy do what he has been doing, they have a chance of winning this game.

#17 Oklahoma State at #3 Missouri
Prediction: Missouri
There will be a battle of two very talented offenses going head to head in this matchup. Chase Daniel and the Tigers will look to show they are a National Championship contender by playing a very good and overlooked Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys coach, Mike Gundy, has done a great job grooming his young quarterback Zac Robinson into the next great passer from the Big 12 and their offense is just as explosive as the other great offenses in that conference. This should be another Big 12 high scoring shootout.

#4 LSU at #11 Florida
Prediction: LSU
Tune into this game for the latest installment of the LSU- Florida, SEC powerhouse teams, rivalry. Although it is hard to believe the higher ranked LSU Tigers are the underdogs in this matchup. LSU has a very balanced offensive attack with redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee at quarterback and the talented tail back Charles Scott in the backfield. Oh, and did I mention their defense, led by Ricky Jean-Francois is, as my friend would say, is “sick nasty.” With all of that said, Florida still has the Heiman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at the helm of their offense, and they should keep this game close. I just can’t see Florida winning this game, with the uncertainty of Percy Harvins ankle and the “sick nastiness” of LSU’s defense.

#6 Penn State at Wisconsin
Prediction: Penn State
Watch out all of you Penn State fans, your Nittany Lions are on upset alert. Camp Randall Stadium is a very tough environment to play in and you better believe the Wisconsin fans and players are going to be bitter over their heart breaking loss to Ohio State last week. Look for Wisconsin to keep this game close, but with Evan Royster leading the charge, I believe that Penn State will prevail.

Nebraska at #7 Texas Tech
Prediction: Texas Tech
If you don’t know who Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree are, I suggest you come out of your cave and just catch a glimpse of the magic these guys make on the football field. You can also go to their own personal website, passorcatch2008.com, to see their campaign videos for the Heisman Trophy this year. In all seriousness though, this is one of the best quarterback/wide receiver tandems to come through college football in a long time. The Red Raiders should be able to handily take care of a Nebraska team that is still trying to rebuild its program, under rookie head coach Bo Pelini, and return it to its former glory.

Arizona State at #8 USC
Prediction: USC
I, along with just about every other college football fan, was extremely shocked at USC’s loss to Oregon State two weeks ago. I don’t see how a team with that much talent could ever lose, especially after a strong win over Ohio State, but they did. They were able to redeem themselves last week with a win over Oregon, but they still have a lot of work to do if they plan on getting to the National Championship game, and this would be another step towards doing so. With guys like Maualuga, Cushing, and Mays on their defense, the Trojans should be able to contain Rudy Carpenter and the Sun Devils offense. The Trojan offense, led by Mark Sanchez and Joe McKnight, can hold its own against a mediocre Arizona State defense.

New Mexico at #9 BYU
Prediction: BYU
At #9 in the rankings you see BYU, one of the most underrated teams in the nation. Max Hall and the Cougars have been rolling on all cylinders since day one of the season. I really hope this team goes undefeated and gets to play in a BCS Bowl Game and show Amer ica how good this team really is. I really don’t see BYU having any problems handling this decent New Mexico team.

Tennessee at #10 Georgia
Prediction: Georgia
This should be a pretty interesting SEC East matchup, which could have conference championship implications. Look for this to be a matchup of the running backs, with Knowshon Moreno for the Bulldogs and Arian Foster for the Vols. Georgia will be looking to rebound after a tough loss to Alabama, and beat an underachieving Volunteer football team.

Purdue at #12 Ohio State
Prediction: Ohio State
I’m not sure which team is more disappointing, Purdue who has severely underachieved this year or Ohio State who has contin uously shown that they can’t keep up with the best teams from the power conferences. Either way, it should provide viewers with an interesting matchup, as well as getting to watch one of the best running backs in the nation in Chris “Beanie” Wells. Although, the two players I want to keep my eyes on the most in this game, are the quarterbacks for each team. Curtis Painter of Purdue is a great passer and is being looked at as one of the better college quarterback prospects, while the young Terrelle Pryor is still developing into an extraordinary talent who can beat you in the air or on the ground. Ohio State should win this game and maybe show that they deserve to get another shot at a National Championship.

#13 Vanderbilt at Mississippi State
Prediction: Vanderbilt

#14 Utah at Wyoming
Prediction: Utah
#15 Boise State at Southern Miss
Prediction: Boise State

Colorado at #16 Kansas
Prediction: Colorado

Arkansas at #20 Auburn
Prediction: Auburn

Notre Dame at #22 North Carolina
Prediction: North Carolina

#2320Michigan State at Northwestern
Prediction: Michigan State

#25 Ball State at Western Kentucky
Prediction: Ball State


Other Games to Watch:

Minnesota at Illinois
Prediction: Illinois

South Carolina at Kentucky
Prediction:20South Carolina

TCU at Colorado State
Prediction: TCU

Arizona at Stanford
Prediction: Stanford

Kansas State at Texas A&M
Prediction: Texas A&M

Tulsa at Southern Methodist
Prediction: Tulsa

UCLA at Oregon
Prediction: Oregon

Friday, October 10, 2008

MLB Playoff Daily

MLB Playoff news and notes from October 9th, 2008
1. Philadelphia, which led the National League with 214 home runs in 2008, banged its way to victory against one of baseball's stingiest pitchers in Derek Lowe, who allowed only 14 home runs during the regular seasonin 211 innings.

2. Pat Burrell and Chase Utley both hit a home run each in the sixth inning to lead the Phils to a game one victory in support of Cole Hamels, who only allowed two runs in seven innings, including one in the first off of a Manny Ramirez double.

3. To start the sixth inning, Shane Victorino reached on an error on one of Derek Lowe's induced groudball to start the game, 14 of which were for outs.

4. A home run in almost any other park, Ramirez's shot stayed in play and became a double, while the two balls hit by Chase Utley and Pat Burrell in the sixth inning for HR's would've been doubles in Dodger Stadium.

5. Since the League Championship Series moved to a seven-game format in 1985, teams that have taken 1-0 leads have won 29 of the 46 series combined between the two leagues. In the NL alone, 16 of the 23 teams that have gone on to win game one in the NLCS, have gone on to win the series.

On tap for Saturday Night's edition of SportsTalkSoup

This is the brand new SportsTalkSoup weekly edition show where we talk about college football, the MLB playoffs, the NHL, and anything that has happened the past week or on Saturday during the day.We also give you highlights for the first time on the show of all the MLB playoff action, and the top 25 games in the day of college football. We will be joined by Chris Wassel from the NHL Arena Podcast and the Fantasy Hockey Hour. He will be along to give you a preview of the NHL season, including his stanley cup picks. He will also be giving highlights of all the NHL action of the day in the NHL and we give you any major headlines from the first couple games in the NHL so far. All this and more on SportsTalkSoup with your host The Godfather. Catch it on blogtalkradio.com at 1130pm est.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Chris Wassel from the NHL Arena Podcast is on our next show!

Chris Wassel from the NHL Arena Podcast will be on our show next saturday. Time of the show will be given at a later date this week. You can also catch Chris Wassel on Fantasy Hockey Hour every Sunday at 4pm est.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Around The Sport's World With Brett

I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. I am Brett Karwowicz. I am the switchboard man for the Godfather. On some occasions of the show, the Godfather lets me do a short segment in the beginning of the show called, “Around the Sport’s World with Brett in 1 minute.” Well, every Sunday, on this site, I will update my part of Around the Sports World for all of you to see. It will consist of a few stories for every category of sports that took place on the weekend.

In The NFL:
The Colts Have Comeback to Rally Back to Life: With 3:36 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter, linebacker Gary Brackett recovered a 68 yard fumble return for a touchdown. With under 5 minutes left in the game, the Colts came back after being down by 17 points. The result was the largest comeback in the final five minutes to win in regulation in NFL history.

The Giants Show that They are Under No Pressure Without Burress: ‘‘That's because the Giants proved how good they could be without wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who was finishing a two-week suspension for unspecified rules violations. They were cool, efficient and as explosive as they've been during their 4-0 start. They also appeared to be a team that could operate just fine without Burress, their most important offensive player during their drive to the Super Bowl title.” (www.espn.com)


In MLB:
This is The Worst-ever Cub’s Failure: It hasn’t been since 2003 since the Chicago Cubs won a playoff game. The Los Angeles Dodgers just eliminated them in three games. The first two were embarrassments for the Cubs. So now the Dodgers advance to the NLCS.

The Philadelphia Phillies are ready for anything in the NL championship series. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Sunday, "I think we can hold our own with them. Actually, I think we can beat anybody in the National League, really."

Rockies' 1B has surgery on lower back: Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton had surgery on his lower back and is expected to be ready for spring training. Helton had played in at least 144 games in each of the previous 10 seasons.


In NASCAR:
Tony Stewart Celebrates in Victory Lane After Winning the Talladega 500: A huge wreck, caused by Carl Edwards, sent a few drivers home for the day. But, Stewart managed to put it together and get to the front of the pack to bring him and his team a victory.

MLB Playoff Daily

MLB Playoff News and Notes from October 4th, 2008

1. Of the 17 teams to fall behind 0-2 in an NLDS, the Brewers are the fourth to force a Game 4, joining the 1995 Rockies, 2004 Dodgers and '06 Padres. None of those teams forced a fifth game.

2.The middle-of-the-order trio of Chase Utley, Howard and Pat Burrell went 3-for-11 with one RBI on Saturday. They are 4-for-28 with eight strikeouts in the first three games.

3.Dave Bush and the Milwaukee bullpen kept the playoffs alive for the Brewers, with Bush allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings and four relievers combining for shutout ball the rest of the way.

4. J.J. Hardy had three hits, including an RBI single in the two-run first, after which Milwaukee never trailed.

5. Victorino's interference into Craig Counsell on a routine double play hit by pedro feliz caused the Phils a run in the top of the ninth inning, in which Ryan Howard would have scored.

6.This obstruction was off of rule 2.0 from the Major League in which it says if a runner, batter, or batter - runner is out, then, all players must return to their previous base.

7. Alfonso Soriano was 0-for-5, bringing him to 3-for-28 in his two postseason series in Chicago. Ramirez was 0-for-3, making him a light-running 2-for-32 in the playoffs since the Cubs climbed within one victory of meeting Torre's Yankees in the 2003 World Series.

8. Derek Lee remained RBI - less as a member of the Cubs during the postseason even after hitting for two doubles in the Cub's loss last night.

9. The Cubs now have lost nine consecutive playoff games—a low in their century-long history of lows.

10. The Cubs become the ninth team in the last 14 seasons to lead their league in victories and not advance past the first round.

Show tonight at 1030pm est.

We will talk about the MLB playoff games,we will see if Tampa gets it done in U.S Cellular Field against a team who's been good in elimination games against the Tigers and Twins previously. Also, we talk about the Red Sox and see if Beckett can close it out at Fenway Park. All this and more can all be listened to on SportsTalkSoup only on blogtalkradio.com. Guests for the show will be listed later today.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Upcoming show - Saturday, October 4th

We will be having our second consecutive week of a college football scoreboard show called SportsTalkSoup's College Football Scoreboard Show on saturday, october 4th at midnight est. If you missed last show, we had renowned college football sports writer named steve memargee from rivals.com. So, you know that we will try and land a writer from another renowned site for our show on saturday night on blogtalkradio.com. Also, for the last 30 minutes of the show we will have the host of the NHL Arena Podcast show on to talk to him about the upcoming NHL season. Catch all this and more on SportsTalkSoup's College Football Scoreboard Show on Saturday night at midnight est. only on blogtalkradio.com.