No Free Candy here, just Links

Peja Stojakovic and his Gypsy Pirate Whore of a wife enjoyed Halloween at the Palms in 2006. Maybe this year he will dress as an NBA player who actually plays defense?

-A 2007-08 preview of every single NBA player. Can't wait for Bob Sura to posterize Shaq. [Free Darko]

-Did Grant Fuhr steal his 29 year old son's record collection? Or maybe he just thinks Brandon Boyd is hot? [PhoenixCoyotes.com]

-Nothing to do with sports, but sheepskin sandals sound like a great idea. [Bonsai Sheepskin]

-Your 2008 Bulter University hoops preview. For everyone who needs their daily dose of AJ Graves. [Construda]

-Free agent ceterfielder Mike Cameron is a stim junkie. [FanHouse]

-De Cort Shee-leeng (Curt Schilling, in non-Dominican) has a list of teams he would like to play for. Yes, we all have to care, it's the law. [38 Pitches]

Happy Halloween everyone!

Ladies and Gentlemen, You can put him on the Board

First the Texans, then POD for that stupid Chargers theme song that lost the playoff game for us.

That's right, interception numero uno for Eric Weddle. Sage Roselfels, thanks for the dying quail out of your own endzone. Somehow there's no picture of this on the Chargers website or Yahoo, so if anyone finds one, please send it so it can be posted. But Arnold in Bolts gear is ALMOST equally as awesome.

So Dean, if your daughter is Alyssa Milano, and she ever gets kidnapped, hunt the guy down and impale him with a lead pipe.

In celebration, here is a great, great video about the University of Utah's Pro Day, where NFL scouts work-out players. Just goes to show you that a lot of hard work goes in before guys take the field on Sundays, and not a lot separate those who make the cut and those who go back to working at Kroger's.



And Belichik, if you're listening, don't ever offer to pay for my drinks, 'cause I'll run up the tab like you run up the score.

ZING!!!! I'll be here all week.

And is it possible that everything is coming up Norv-alous?

Yay, my fantasy team won this week! What's the pot this year, anyways?

People I Love (Vol. 1)

Sorry Rockies, turns out it's Soxtober.

A lot of people thought Red Sox fans lost their identity when Boston finally won it all in 2004. That's bollocks. Yeah, it feels like we've been here before - but here is heaven.

OK, I know you're all sick of Red Sox posts, so if you can't rejoice in the sweet taste of a Boston victory, take solace in the fact that I won't be talking about the Olde Towne Team for a while .... at least until the hot stove heats up. When's that, next week?

SEC Couch Report

No, darlin, that's not what kind of pearl necklace I was talking about

I watch SEC football on the couch on Saturdays, that's just the way it is. Pretty sure it's some kind of subconscious way of re-connecting with me grandparents, as I fondly remember those weekends in Lilian, Alabama, watching the Alabama slug it out with Auburn in the Iron Bowl. If you're ever down that way, I highly suggest cruising accross the panhandle to Perdido Bay for some fresh oysters, fried catfish or grouper, and a hearty bowl of gumbo. The "Original" Oyster House and the Perdido Pass are both great.

When asked if he rooted for the Saints or Falcons, my grandfather replied, "Son, we don't need no pro-fesh-nal team. We got the Tide."

Some random kid fishing at Perdido Pass

This weekend CBS presented us with the Florida v. Georgia game played in Jacksonville, known archaically as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." Apparently three people have died from post-game partying at this event since 2004.

As for the acutual game, it appears that Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Mohammed Massoquoi are big, sexy beasts, and they helped lead the 'Dawgs to a 42-23 upset. For the third time this season the Red Sea has failed to part for Tebow, possibly leading some to downgrade his status from "All Powerful Diety" to merely an "Olympian Harbinger of Doom."

All in all, a great experience. If nothing else, it hopefully spoiled Gator-lover Erin Andrews' day. Either way, you KNOW this guy is pissed:

*Late addendum. Don't know how I forgot to include this touchdown celebration by Georgia (in which the entire team rushes the field), but watch the whole minute and a half and you will be rewarded with a slow motion butt-dance.

Sir Links-a-lot

-An artist in Scottsdale, AZ, builds miniature ballparks out of Jell-O. [Ump Bump]

-An interesting "Who do they play for now in the CFL?" list of ex-college stars. [Deuce of Davenport]

-Ricky Henderson's recipe for Bloody Marys. [Riding with Ricky]

-Big Ten Football's "Porn Name All-Stars." [The Extrapolator]


-Yes, it's almost time for Fantasy Hoops again. Point guard rankings are a good place to start. [Empty the Bench]

Something is burning, and it's not Jim Rome

Just an FYI, the Union Tribune has a Wildfires Blog, and it's a good resource regarding various issues if you have been affected by the fires, want to help or are just curious about what's going on.

And no, Deadspin commentors, this is not the result of Norv Turner "burning another team/city to the ground." Sick bastards.

Lots of people are screwed right now, and SD appreciates any good vibes and/or karma sent down this way. Peace out, and hopefully everyone can stay positive.

Local authorities struggle to contain the chaos and violence amongst bloodthirsty evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium.

Fall Classic

Since all of my picks for MLB playoffs have been wrong, I have decided to abstain from prognosticating for the World Series. I hope this doesn't mean I jinx my team. Oh God, it will won't it? Damn it! Rockies in 6.

Go Sox!

There's Only One Rock-tober!

The World Series starts tonight. I still can't believe the Red Sox pulled it off, but looks like my predictions were right (well, the ones I made all the way back on October 9th...I can only peer into the future so far people!) It's the Rockies' to lose. Should be interesting to see how cold it gets in Denver, how loud it gets in Fenway and how weird Papelbon can be.

I'll be rooting for the NL because the AL is full of fat, rich, lazy guys who don't even have to play a field position if they can hit well enough. In the NL, we make our fat, rich, lazy guys play left field, damn it!

A Call to the Nation

This is a contest, kind of. If anyone out there will be in attendance of a major event such as the Series, college football or anything else, we want your digital camera or crappy cell phone pictures of these people.

Pink Hatters, Band-wagoners, Weak Sauce Fans, whatever you want to call them. Any team, any stadium. The weirder, funnier and lamer, the better. I want to see these people choking on their lattes and garlic fries. Figuratively, of course.

Pretty much anything will be posted, and obviously you'll get a shout out, plus some brief (and HIGHLY coveted) blog-fame.

Just click on Dave H, and shoot it over. This might be fun.

Images of Sports Things that Happened Recently

UCLA upsets Cal. How did these guys lose to Notre Dame?


Everyone hearts Kobe!


PJ Carlissimo, still sporting the casual blazer look.


Mark Mangino and Kansas, undefeated and hungry for a BCS berth.


Brokeback Brady in his new Stetson ad.


Charlie Weis aka Mega Maid has reversed the Notre Dame football program from "Suck" to "Blow." These games are really fun to watch.


Auburn chokes one away at the end to LSU, despite the good karma generated by a kitten in this chick's brazier.

At Least They Keep It Interesting

Just like the Goonies, Red Sox never say die. Well, maybe Manny does, but the rest...not dead yet.

The end of an era

Nobody likes the Yankees (except their millions and millions of fans) but most people can agree Joe Torre is a classy guy. He must also be an adept ringleader, as he managed the Yankees to four world championships and a remarkable 12 straight playoff appearances in the circus that is Bronx baseball. Today he turned down the Yankees' insulting one-year, $2.5 million paycut offer, ending his tenure with the club. Good for you Joe, and good luck. You deserve more respect than that. And hey, anything to ruin Derek Jeter's day, right?

Ugh

Just what you want to hear from your prized slugger before a potential elimination game:

“We’re just going to go, play the game and move on. If it doesn’t happen, so who cares? It’s always next year. It’s not like the end of the world.”

- Manny Ramirez

The Perils of being a Wallflower

In baseball, players like to call the fans the tenth man. Its nice way of paying lip service to the people who bankroll their salaries, but most fans take it to heart. We like to think that even though we’re not on the field or in the locker room, the fact that we’re standing at key points in the game, wearing our lucky hats and chanting a player’s name, we’re contributing.

Just how little power fans actually have is never more apparent than when you’re watching your team collapse. You’re short stop seems to hit into double plays when the bases are empty and no amount of screaming at your TV screen will motivate him. Your manager keeps sticking with a black hole lineup when he’s got sparkplug players on the bench and all the emails and radio call-ins in the world won’t make him change his mind. You want to grab your lackluster left fielder, shake him by the shoulders and holler, “You make $14 million a year! Can you not find the time to look at tape and take batting practice to get your postseason average above .260?” But you can’t.

Because you’re not really part of the team. You own a replica jersey and a replica hat but you’re not on the field and you’re not on the locker room and you’re certainly not in the batting order. Maybe fans can push players to better heights at big moments, but ultimately it comes down to what the nine guys between the chalk lines are doing and this is both the best and worst part of following team.

(This is all generally speaking of course. Any similarities between situations described above and the current state of the Boston Red Sox is purely coincidental).

Playmaking 101

"Hey Beavis, look, I'm a Fart-ist. Get it? Hehehe."

Intereseting article by Frank DeFord today on NPR, about the lack of respect that sports in general receives from academia. Princeton athletic director Gary Walters argues that sport is onpar with traditional intellectual endeavors such as painting, dance and music. If an actor can major in acting, then why can't a football player major in football? And minor in weed smoking?

"Online courses are for bitches like Kobe"

You hear that, Ivy League Elitisits! Take your lofty, pointless intellectual persuits like "science" or "literature" and stuff all of it. I'm going to learn the Icky Shuffle drunk, in my socks on a hardwood floor. Now THAT'S brilliant.

Mr. Woods and his Shuffle revolutionized interperative dance in the 1980s.

Enter the Chambers Of Doom

Hell yes, now that the Chargers acquired Chris Chambers from the Dolphins, we have a real deep threat!

Here's what the Sun-Sentinel Dolphins blog thinks, as the Phish wave their tighty-whities in surrender after an 0-6 start.

Time to rewind the clock CC, just let the ghost of John Jefferson take over.

People I'm Very Disappointed In (Vol. I)

God's Team

At this point, the Red Sox and/or Indians haven't got a chance. God loves the Rockies too much. Matt Holliday is the second coming of Christ. And the Padres are officially the second best team in the NL.

That clever Peter King

Last week on HBO's Inside the NFL, pro football and Starbucks guru Peter King reported that Cowboys head coach Wade Phillps was quoted as saying, in effect, the Patriots Super Bowl victories were tainted by NE Coach (as he is known on Madden per Mr. Belichick's request not to be included in the game) and his "misinterpretation of the rules."

Now Wade's World has come out to say that he was misquoted, and goaded into making derrogatory statements about said Super Bowl team. First of all, trying to decipher the agendas of the New England Sports Media Sewing Circle can get quite complicated when extreme homerism comes into conflict with moral superiority, but that's a question for us to ask and Dan Shaughnessy to answer. Why PK is scrounging up material to blast Tom Moynihan and Co. when all he's done in recent weeks is continue to gush about them, who knows? But the conversation probably went something like this:

PK: So Wade, how great is Amtrak?

Wade: Huh?

PK: When Jerry Jones gets an unsighly wrinkle on his forehead that requires laser treatment, isn't that Norv Turner's fault?

Wade: What? Oh yeah, everything is Norv's fault.

PK: Patriot-gate.

Wade: That's not really a question. And I could probably hear you better without a bear claw in your mouth.

PK: OK, let me re-phrase. Yes or No?

Wade: Ummmm, if you're asking me if I want that Manny Delcarman bobblehead you're holding, the answer is no. Did they even give those away, or did you make it yourself?

PK: Can I print that?

Wade: I guess so.

PK: Cool. See you tonight at the indian casino for the Sheryl Crow concert, right?

Wade: F*ck ya. And pick me up a triple mocha latte. With some biz-natches!

PK: LOL, That's my dawg.

Wade: Did you just say LOL instead of acutally laughing?

PK: Yeah, all the kids are doing it.

Time to turn the sound down.

There's been a lot of hating on TBS' broadcast coverage of the MLB division series. These people have apparently forgotten the horror that is Fox.

Well, they'll be reminded this week, and for the rest of the month, as Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Scooter all return to mangle the LCS and World Series. Lo, how they will beg for the minor annoyance that is Craig Sager's wardrobe when compared to the migraine inducing repetition of commercials for new Fox shows that will cancelled before Christmas! Oh, how they will pray for the irritating lack of crowd noise after McCarver mispronounces the starting pitcher's name for the fifth time!

To paraphrase the great Joni Mitchell: You don't know what you've got 'til its been replaced by the broadcasting equivalent of getting hit by a truck driven by your worst enemy from high school again and again and again.

Round Two!

The Indians pulled through and now we can move on to the next round of the playoffs. Major League Baseball does their playoffs right, don’t you think? First round, best of five series, second round and finals, best of seven. I’ve heard MLB wants to change it to best of seven series for all three rounds, probably to recoup more ad revenue, but I really hope they don’t. The NBA and NHL playoffs go on for way too long.

Anyway, on to the picks!

National League
Rockies vs. Diamondbacks

The Rockies have been on a crazy tear lately and it would be cool to see them go all the way to the World Series, but I think the Diamondbacks are going to stop them

My prediction? Arizona in 6.

American League
Indians vs. Red Sox

I’ll admit that in the last round, when I picked the Angels to win, I was being somewhat superstitious. Or at least a little stitious. I felt like picking my team would jinx them. I thought the Sox had a chance against the Angels. I am still shocked at how the Angels didn’t even show up for that series, but I’d had a feeling the Sox could win it in four or five games.

The Indians, I’m not so sure about. They’re a young team with two great pitchers and a solid bullpen. They can beat you at small ball and they can beat you at American League ball. The Red Sox beat them in the regular season, but the Yankees were 6-0 against the Tribe in the regular season, so you can see how much that matters. The Sox are playing great now, probably the best baseball they’ve played all year. They have a chance. This should be a good series.

My prediction? Cleveland in 7.

Come on Cleveland!

The Cleveland Indians cannot dispose of the New York Yankees fast enough.

All the MLB division league series wrapped up quickly with sweeps (Arizona over Chicago, Colorado over Philadelphia, Boston over Anaheim (yeee!)) and Cleveland stood to take theirs just as quickly, going up two games to none over NY. But then, of course, the Bronx Bastards had to come back and take game three.

Cleveland needs to win this for two reasons: 1) The Red Sox have played them better this year, and (2) for non-selfish reasons, the city of Cleveland deserves it. That city hasn’t had a sports team win a championship since the Browns won the 1964 NFL championship, which no one even counts anymore because it was pre-Super Bowl. On Thursday at the ALDS opener, Cavaliers forward LeBron James, the face of their city and an Ohio native was prominently seen wearing a Yankees cap. The Indians were once so bad they were the obvious choice to play the horrendous ball club in Major League. Cleveland sports fans have suffered a lot of heartbreak over the years but they still come out in force to support their teams. The Indians need to beat the Yankees.

After which, they need to fall promptly to the Red Sox in the ALCS.

And so it begins...

Apologies to the Padres fans who contribute to this blog, but the playoffs are upon us and its time to get on with it.

Here are my predictions for how the Division Series will shape up:

American League

Red Sox v. Angels

The Red Sox tied for the best record in the American League. Josh Beckett has been Cy Young caliber all year and while Matsuzaka and Schilling stumbled after the All-Star break, they’ve shaped up down the stretch. The Sox defense is solid; Ortiz is leading the offense again; and even Mr. Listless, JD Drew has picked it up going into the playoffs.

The Angels stumbled into the playoffs. They had the advantage of a weak division that didn’t give them much of a run all season except the brief appearance of Seattle in August.

So why am I so worried?

The Angels run like crazy, which is always bad for the Sox. They have the superior manager, and they are an all around different team than the one the Sox faced early in the season and beat handily.

My prediction? Angels in 5. God, I hope I’m wrong.

Indians v. Yankees

Just a few weeks ago, I was telling people the Yankees were going to win the World Series this year. That could still happen, but I’m leaning that way less.

The Yankees have more playoff experience than any other team, their manager is proven, Rivera can still shut ‘em down, Jeter (how I loathe him!) is one of the most clutch players in the game, and none of these things have helped them in the past 4 years. Six years if you’re counting years since they won it all. Time and again, younger, fresher teams with better pitching have beaten the Yankees.

You don’t get much younger and fresher than the Cleveland Indians, and the Tribe boasts some powerful pitching as well. CC Sabathia may win the AL Cy Young, and Fausto Carmona has lived up to his expectations. The Indians did this year what they were supposed to do last year – let their youth and talent carry them to a heck of a lot of wins. (They actually tied the Sox for the best record in MLB, but since the Sox had won the season series, Sox got the benefits).

My prediction? Indians in 5. The Yankees will not go quietly into that dark night, but they will go.

National League

Cubs v. Diamondbacks

My NL-IQ is admittedly and regrettably lacking, but I’ll do the best I can here.

Nothing like a dugout punch-out between your starting pitcher and the catcher to jumpstart a season. The Cubs were languishing but seem to have picked it up not long after Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett duked it out. (At least that’s how I remember it. Again, the IQ here is low). They came from behind and handily took the NL Central away from the upstart Brewers.

The D-backs had a pretty nifty come-from-behind division win as well, though. The team started with few expectations and then rattled off a torrid mid-summer through the end of the season.

So who’s momentum will carry them further? Looking at their stats, the Cubs have more players batting over .300, their pitchers have better ERAs and more wins. Plus I think Chicago’s North Siders present a better 10th man than all of Phoenix.

My prediction? Cubs in 4.

Rockies v. Phillies

OK, I said we were moving forward, but let’s shed one more tear for the Padres. That game was one of the most heartbreaking I’ve ever seen, and I’m a Red Sox fan! San Diegans are lucky to have that mild disposition; in a lot of other cities, you’d have people lined up on the Coronado Bridge right now.

But on to the task at hand. The Phillies are kind of sneaking into this thing thanks to the Mets collapse, though they could have won the Wild Card if not for that. Jimmy Rollins had a great year, as did Chase Utley (eventually). Ryan Howard blasted a mammoth 47 homeruns. They have a hell of a lineup. Their pitching leaves something to be desired though. Ace Cole Hamels won 15 games with a 3.39 ERA, but after him, the ERAs climb into the 4s and the wins barely crack the double digits.

The Rockies came out of nowhere. Aside from Todd Helton, a lot of people probably couldn’t name one player. But they’re a strong hitting team, and while their pitchers' ERAs are high for a playoff team, a lot of that probably comes from pitching in Coors Field. The Rox got hot at just the right time, which may be why so many Wild Card teams have won the World Series in recent years.

My prediction? Rockies in 5. I’m not sure they’ll make it all the way to the World Series, but they are flying very hard right now. Sorry Phillies fans, you’ll always have ’80.

Link-O-Rama

-We now have a new world rock skipping record. It's 51, all natural, no asterisk. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

-Trojan fans are taking shots at Cal receiver DeSean Jackson for snubbing U$C. Bitter, party of two, your table's ready. [The Displaced Trojon]

-University of Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins of Boise State fame loves Newfoundland indie band Great Big Sea. [Blogging with Hawk]

-Check out Evander Holyfield's new "Real Deal" grill. Might be a good idea, but does it have the disgusting fat-catcher tray? [Engaget.com]

Peace out, happy Tuesday.

Shoot! Pass! Kick their a$$!

With scores like 22 –1, I’m not sure you can call it good hockey, but on weekends this fall at the Kroc Community Center, you can at least see some hockey in San Diego.



With the Gulls gone, fans of The Great Canadian Pastime have been left with nothing but the occasional Kings game on the Versus network to satiate their thirst - until now. For the next few months, San Diego State’s club hockey team is tearing up the ice on University Ave.

The home opener last weekend was a barnburner, as the Aztecs annihilated the hapless College of the Redlands in the aforementioned 22-1 game. You knew things were bad when Redlands first showed up and everyone had a different jersey on. It was a little like the Mighty Ducks’ first game against the Hawks. I don’t know if the Redland’s coach was there doing community service for a DUI bust, but he was wearing a Budweiser cap.

It’d be fun to see SDSU against a better-prepared team. The Aztecs had some good skaters, but their passing game left a little desired (of course, it was rendered unnecessary about seven minutes into the first period). Maybe cross-town rivals UCSD – they’re the next home opponent – will make for a more even match. Find out for yourself on Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door, or $3 with a valid SDSU student ID.

The (semi) Weekly Weddle

I have the power to crush your knee with one hand, but you are spared, Tony Gonazalez. For now.

Well, the Chargers sit at 1-3 after losing to the Chiefs 30-16 on Sunday, and the team is spiraling downward faster than a post-divorce Kirk Van Houten. Unfortunately for Bolts fans, Norv Turner is not just our "Weekend Dad," and things don't look to get much better as the Denver road game looms next.

After blitzing and covering receivers on 3rd downs, E-Dub has been lacking the extensive playing time he received in week one, and was only able to tally two tackles in the last contest. There is a growing sentiment that an increased "Weddle Factor," will lead to more wins, and at this point, it would be a hypothesis worth testing.

In other news, I wore the Weddle ebay jersey during the game, and although I felt that the karmic energy was flowing, somehow it did not get the job done. So it's 0-1 in the jersey, we'll see how it pans out over the course of a full season.

Either way, just a reminder to SD fans: now is NOT the time to stop taking your medication.

They Said it Better

No one to blame really. Rumors and Rants pretty much says everything I'd want to say.

Except, how crappy the TBS coverage was...talk about Awful Announcing. They basically only gave the Padres credit for Jake Peavy...when, for once, our hitting came through. And they called Heath Bell fat. I think I'll boycott their coverage for that one.

I'm depressed...

People I Hate (Vol. 2)