Archive for September, 2013

WATERCOOLER CHAT: BROWNS NOT OUT, GIANTS 0-4, NFL IN LONDON, MANNING BIONIC MAN, BEATING ZITI

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it’s been 2 weeks since the Cleveland Browns traded their much touted running back Trent Richardson to the Colts.  Everybody wrote them off, thinking that they were pretty much mailing in the season.  But then… they beat the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota.  And, this week, they played host to a red hot Cincinnati Bengals team.  Everybody thought that the Browns would get crushed, but people didn’t factor in that the Browns have a stellar defense that can shut down even the most potent offenses.  The Bengals couldn’t get anything going against Cleveland, and the Browns new quarterback Brian Hoyer is managing this team very well.  The Browns eeked out a win, not even allowing a touchdown, and are now 2-2.  Cleveland 17, Cincinnati 6.

And in Kansas City, the Chiefs were looking to stay undefeated against the New York Giants.  The Giants were shockingly 0-3 coming into the game, and everyone was expecting this team to turn it around.  The Giants are almost always playoff contenders, but something looks seriously wrong with them this season.  Could they go into KC and grab a win?  Also, some were wondering if the Chiefs were a legitimate team or just a lucky team.  The Chiefs showed the world that they are for real this season.  Their offense looks good, and their defense has some emerging stars that have given opposing offenses fits.  The Chiefs simply manhandled the Giants to remain undefeated.  The Giants now need to take a genuine look in the mirror or their season is all but over.
Sunday marked the first of two games that the NFL will play in London this season at Wembley stadium.  This is part of their marketing effort to gain a significant fan base overseas.  And it’s been rumored that the NFL would like to actually have a team based in London.  Football is easily the most popular sport in the U.S., but it’s not as popular in Europe.  Then again, the game between the winless Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings had a packed house full of screaming fans.  So maybe there is strong interest in American football overseas.  The game came down to the wire, but in the end, the Vikings were able to keep QB Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers from getting a game-tying touchdown.  The Steelers are now 0-4 for the first time since 1968.  Wow!!  Minnesota 34, Pittsburgh 27.
What  is going on with Peyton Manning? I can’t help but think of the bionic man (yes, I know that dates me) but he clearly got better, stronger, faster a year after his big neck injury. In a route of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Manning threw for four touchdowns and two special team scores. Manning now has 16 TD passes in the first month of the season.  Broncos 52, Eagles 20.
And, finally, the best part of the weekend is our fantasy team beating the hated Ziti Shooters. The Ziti has won the trophy two years in a row and our goal (other than winning the whole thing) is making sure we beat Ziti. This week we eked out a win by .4 points. Ahh….so satisfying!!!!
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WATERCOOLER CHAT: RIVERA RETIRES IN EMOTIONAL NIGHT, 49ERS BACK ON TRACK

BASEBALL

In an incredibly touching moment at Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera, the Yankees superstar relief pitcher, stepped off the mound for the last time. In an unprecedented move (traditionally the coach approaches the mound) in the Ninth inning Thursday night, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, came to the mound to tell Rivera he was done for the night. The crowd went wild as a tearful Rivera walked off to a standing ovation. It was truly an emotional night for players and fans alike.

 

FOOTBALL

In Thursday night football, the San Francisco 49ers get back on track and ran over the St. Louis Rams in a 35-11 victory. Colin Kaepernick threw for two touchdowns and their defense finally looked like they had jelled (and, of course, it’s the one week my team didn’t play them in our fantasy league). Frank Gore also had a terrific game going over 100 yards for the first time this season.

 

 

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: TIGERS IN, YANKS OUT OF POST SEASON, BUCS BENCH FREEMAN, TIGER STADIUM MAKES NOISE

BASEBALL

The Detroit Tigers have clinched their 3rd straight AL Central title.  This team always looks good headed into the post-season, and consistently poses a threat to reach the World Series.  Plus, they boast arguably the best player in the league in Miguel Cabrera.  However, Cabrera is nursing some injuries now, and if he goes down, the Tigers may go right along with him.  Elsewhere in baseball, the NY Yankees have been officially eliminated from the post-season.  Here’s an amazing stat:  This is only the 2nd time in 19 years that the Yankees have missed the playoffs.  That goes to show you just how powerful this team is.  Even without the Yanks though, we are headed toward a very exciting post-season filled with some young talent and exciting new faces (Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, A’s).  It’s going to be a blast!

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be in disarray.  They are 0-3, and many reports say that the team is not getting along with each other — namely the relationship between head coach Greg Schiano and quarterback Josh Freeman.  On Wednesday, Schiano publicly announced that he was benching Freeman in favor of rookie QB Mike Glennon from North Carolina State.  The Bucs grabbed Glennon early in the draft, and are hoping that he can turn the ship around.  In a press release from the Bucs front office, they said that this league is all about finding that franchise QB, and that they don’t think that Freeman is that guy.  Reports say that Freeman is looking to be traded after the benching, but most teams are pretty set at starting QB (save for the Jags).  It will be interesting to see what unfolds with him.

And in some fun news out of college football, the NCAA decided to take some time and research to determine college football’s loudest stadium.  Sure, every college football stadium can get pretty loud on a big play, but which one is truly the craziest.  The top 5 were as follows.  #5 Virginia Tech (Lane Stadium), #4 Wisconsin (Camp Randall), #3 Texas A&M (Kyle Field — especially with the huge military presence there), #2 Oregon (Autzen stadium — the scoring is so frequent, people go insane), and the #1 loudest stadium — LSU (Tiger Stadium).  Football is simply a religion there!

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: BURLESON OUT FOR EATING PIZZA, PAUL GEORGE GETS 90MILL, SHAQRAMENTO

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Detroit Lions are off to a good start this season, and some of that is definitely due to the solid play of their veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson.  He has been a favorite target of Matt Stafford’s and this team is a very tough aerial attack to stop.  Unfortunately, Burleson got into a car accident yesterday that resulted in a broken arm.  According to police, alcohol wasn’t involved, but it’s possible that the wreck was caused by Burleson trying to eat pizza while driving — also not a smart idea.  Burleson will be out for at least 4 weeks, likely more, but the Lions still have a lot of weapons at receiver.

BASKETBALL

And in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers definitely feel like they are contenders in the Eastern Conference, if not in the whole NBA.  They are a young team with a lot of talent, with an emerging superstar in Paul George.  And when you have an emerging superstar, you do everything in your power to lock him up, and make sure he doesn’t go to a bigger market team.  That’s why the Pacers have signed Paul George to the 5-year max deal until the 2018-2019 season.  The amount will likely be around $90million for 5 years.  It’s a risk, but George has shown that he is truly an excellent player.

Finally in the NBA, Shaq is now trying out another facet of his career — owner.  Yesterday, it was reported that Shaq bought an ownership stake in the Sacramento Kings.  He is now dubbing them “Shaqramento”.  Back in the early 00’s, the Kings were a bitter rival of the Lakers, and Shaq played some grueling playoff games against Chris Webber and the Kings.  But now, the Kings are a lowly team in need of a serious makeover.  They will be getting a new arena, and they are hoping to make that arena the coolest arena in sports throughout the world.  Shaq said it will be the first “cashless” arena, meaning that all transactions can take place on your phone.  The Kings want to make the kind of transformation that the Warriors made the past few years.  They are now thought of as a cool team, and are being marketed perfectly.  The Kings want this same kind of brand identity success.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: PEYTON IS THAT GOOD, PIRATES CLINCH POST SEASON SLOT, NBA NICKNAMES ON JERSEYS

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was Monday Night Football between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.  One must have assumed they scheduled this game for Monday night assuming that fans would tune in for Peyton Manning, because the Raiders don’t do much to excite (save for their new quarterback Terrelle Pryor).  The game went as expected, with Peyton and the high-powered Broncos offense pretty much obliterating the Raiders in the first half.  Then, in the second half, the same story continued, except we also got to see Raiders running back Darren McFadden toss a touchdown pass.   Outside of that, pretty lackluster game, but the Broncos look excellent!  Denver 37, Oakland 21

BASEBALL

And in baseball, we usually see the same top teams make the playoffs year after year with very few exceptions.  It’s hard to ever imagine a playoffs featuring the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates (teams that are pretty much in baseball no man’s land).  But Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates clinched a post-season birth for the first time since their most recent heyday in the early 1990s (when they had Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla).  Yes… they have pretty much irrelevant for that long.  Now, we get to see if the up-and-coming Pirates can make a deep run in the playoffs.  And you can guarantee that the Pirates stadium will be a very raucous crowd thrilled to have a good team again.  Plus, the Steelers aren’t very good this year, so the Pirates might be the saving grace in Pittsburgh.

BASKETBALL

Finally, the NBA continues to innovate with their marketing and merchandising efforts.  Apparently, the NBA is looking into having a few games next season where the players get to wear nickname jerseys.  A lot of the NBA stars have notable nicknames, but now the NBA may allow them to actually have them printed on the back of their jersey.  LeBron said he would wear “King James”, Dwayne Wade has a few to choose from, but said he will likely go with “Three” for his three NBA Championships.  But the one that is definitely the coolest:  Ray Allen.  Allen said he would go with “Shuttlesworth” — the name of the character he played in Spike Lee’s movie HE GOT GAME.  Mandy people remember that fictional character and seeing Alan on the court with that name would bring a lot of smiles to fans.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: PACKERS FUMBLE, TROUBLE IN SAN FRAN, GIANTS SHUT OUT

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was a big test for the Green Bay Packers as they headed into Cincinnati.  The Bengals have a strong team this year, with a much touted defense, and they would receive their own test trying to stop Aaron Rodgers and the red hot Packers offense.  The Packers even got a surprising boost this game, as their 4th round running back draft pick, Johnathan Franklin from UCLA, finally saw the field.  He gave them over 100 yards on the ground, and looked like quite the solid back.  It looked like the Packers were going to sneak out of there with a win, but in the end, the Packers went for it on 4th and inches WITH their running back Johnathan Franklin.  And… yeah… he fumbled.  It was recovered by Terrance Newman of the Bengals defense, and he ran it into the end zone for a game winning score.  The Bengals are now 2-1.  Cincy 34, Green Bay 30.

And in San Francisco, the Niners were looking to rebound after their brutal loss to the Seahawks against the Indianapolis Colts.  This was a reunion between Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, and his former coach from Stanford, Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh.  Everybody had the Niners penciled in for this one, but the Colts were introducing their newest addition:  running back Trent Richardson.  Richardson had a solid day, even scoring a touchdown on his first run as a Colt, but they got a spectacular game from their other running back Ahmad Bradshaw.  The Colts pretty much had their way with the Niners.  And after the game, Niners star linebacker Aldon Smith apologized to the media for his DUI, and that he will be seeking treatment.  The Niners said there is no time table for his return.  There is trouble in San Fran.  Indy 27, San Francisco 7.

Finally, there is seriously some issues with the New York Giants.  They started out the year with a crushing loss to the Cowboys.  Then, last week, they dropped a home game to the Broncos.  Everyone thought that they were just struggling with difficult opponents, and basically everyone picked them to go into Carolina and pull out a win.  But the Panthers were ready for them.  Cam Newton and the Panthers D put an absolute beat down on the G-Men.  They shut them out!!  This is typically an offense that scores rather easily, as they do have a number of strong offensive weapons.  But they couldn’t get anything going, and truly look like a terrible team right now.  It will be interesting to see what they do to improve next week.  Carolina 38, NY Giants 0.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: CHIEFS OVER EAGLES THURS NIGHT, MCGAHEE TO BROWNS, UT WANTS SABAN

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was a much anticipated Thursday night football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Chiefs were undefeated coming into the game, while the Eagles were coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Chargers.  In fact, the Eagles were on a 7-game home losing streak.  But the big story was former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s return to Philly.  He’s now coaching the undefeated Chiefs.  Yet, in a classy move, the Eagles fans gave him a standing ovation at the beginning of the game.

From there, the Chiefs pretty much controlled the game.  The Eagles may have a (somewhat) exciting offense on account of new head coach Chip Kelly, but their defense is absolutely atrocious.  They can’t stop anybody.  It was a slow, dull game, and it was all Chiefs.  But in the 4th quarter, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy broke away for a long TD, making it a one touchdown game.  Except, the Chiefs killed about 8 minutes off the clock, and the Eagles offense couldn’t do anything when they got the ball.

And elsewhere in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns moved on from Trent Richardson, and just one day after they shipped him to the Colts, they brought in his replacement; former Broncos and Ravens star Willis McGahee.  McGahee is one of those solid, durable running backs who can pick up that first down if necessary (not to say the Browns will be getting many of those).  The Browns basically are just stock piling draft picks hoping for a rebuild in 2014, but it will be interesting to see if they can give teams’ headaches for the remainder of the season.

Finally, in college football, the University of Texas is arguably the biggest athletic program in the country.  Their football team is usually a Top 10 team every year, if not higher.  But they have been out of the National Spotlight for the last 5 seasons.  That’s not acceptable.  And apparently, a source confirmed that their brass talked to Alabama’s Nick Saban about possibly taking over the team.  That would be a huge move.  College football is about winning, and winning is about money, and UT wants money.  However, Saban came out and said that he would “never” leave ‘Bama for UT.  So this one might be settled.  But, you never know what someone’s price is.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: TRENT TRADED TO COLTS, DEADLY COMBO OUT OF ROCKETS

FOOTBALL

Huge news out of the NFL yesterday.  It is very rare in the NFL that you see a trade, let alone a trade of a star, but after just a year with the Cleveland Browns, the Browns have decided to trade running back Trent Richardson.  Richardson showed all the promise in the world, especially coming off a superstar college career at Alabama.  He was supposed to be a key building block in Cleveland’s future.  But, with Cleveland reeling this season, and just having lost their starting QB (who is also pretty much a bust), they have decided to get the most value out of Trent Richardson that they could.

So who got the prize?  That would go to the Indianapolis Colts.  Cleveland traded Richardson to the Colts in exchange for their first round pick.  Nabbing Richardson instantly makes them a contender in the AFC, as their offense has already looked good under Andrew Luck.  Having a running back threat makes them very dangerous.

Cleveland, on the other hand, is basically waving a white flag, and telling their fans “The 2013 season is a wash”.  However, the Browns are stockpiling draft picks, and are loaded come the 2014 draft.  Having top round draft picks is where you can substantially build a winning team very quickly, and that’s exactly what they intend to do.  It’s likely that they won’t be moving on with Brandon Weeden as their starting QB either.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Houston Rockets have definitely reloaded these past 2 seasons, adding Jeremy Lin, James Harden, and now Dwight Howard.  Now, their former superstar Hakeem Olajuwon is commenting on how Jeremy Lin and Dwight Howard are going to be a “very deadly” combo.  Everybody thought that it would be “good” tandem, but Olajuwon is considered one of the best basketball player geniuses of all-time.  If he says it’s going to be deadly, especially since he trained Dwight Howard one-on-one for an entire summer, then they may far exceed expectations this season.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: MAYWEATHER JUDGE EXITING, RGIII QUESTIONS, SEAHAWKS ODDS ON FAVS

BOXING

After a backlash against the judge who said that the Mayweather/Canelo fight was a draw, it looks like that particular judge is taking a leave of absence.  Everybody who watched that fight saw that Mayweather dominated.  He was practically toying with Canelo.  But one judge did say the fight was a draw, and defended this by saying that some rounds looked very close, and she gave them to Canelo.  Sure, but the rounds in which Mayweather won, he won big.  It appears that not too many want this judge at ring side again, and she will likely be gradually exiting the sport.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, there is currently a lot of worry in Washington surrounding star quarterback Robert Griffin III.  He’s simply not playing well, and because he’s not 100%, his run game is completely limited.  Problem is… his run game is what makes him so dangerous.  There has been talk in Washington of possibly benching RG3 in favor of his back-up, Kirk Cousins, a traditional pocket-passing quarterback.  But before they do that, wide receiver Pierre Garcon has come to RG3’s defense, saying that the bulky knee brace Griffin is wearing is the cause for his impeded running game.  “It’s slowing him down”, Garcon says.  Either way, the Redskins host the Lions this Sunday, and desperately need the win to avoid going 0-3.

Finally, elsewhere in the NFL, it’s always bragging rights for a team to have the best Super Bowl odds in Vegas.  This means that the consensus of bettors everywhere think that your team is going to win the Super Bowl.  Denver wore this honor for most of the off-season, and into 2 weeks of the season.  However, after last weekend, their is a new odds king at the top of the standings:  The Seattle Seahawks.  Yep, after their destructive performance against the 49ers, the Seahawks are the consensus #1 pick to win the Super Bowl.  Their offense looks fantastic, their defense is playing at another level, and they make very few mistakes.  But, one injury can change everything.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: STEELERS O-2, RICHARD SHERMAN STIRRING POT, JAGS WANT TEBOW

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was Monday Night Football featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals.  The Steelers were reeling coming into this game, especially because they lost their starting center Maurkice Pouncey.  Losing your star center in football basically puts a huge hole in your offensive line, making it much easier for defenses to get to the quarterback or stop the run.  And that’s exactly what Cincy was able to do last night, making the Pittsburgh offense look anemic.  On the offensive side of the ball for the Bengals, they got a solid 2-touchdowns from their first round draft pick Giovanni Bernard.  This guy is lighting fast, and is going to be a huge factor for the Bengals going forward.  And can you believe it, the Steelers are now 0-2.  Cincy 20, Pittsburgh 10.

And in some leftover drama from the Sunday Night Football game between the Seahawks and Niners, it looks like Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman is stirring the pot again.  Sherman played his college football at Stanford, where 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh used to be his head coach.  Sherman said he doesn’t like Harbaugh because Harbaugh said a lot of negative things about him to NFL recruits.  That’s messing with someone’s livelihood. After the game, Sherman found Harbaugh in the crowd and said “Good game”, but Harbaugh snubbed him and didn’t say “Good game” back.  Sherman told the media, “I guess good sportsmanship doesn’t go both ways”.  The Niners and Seahawks rivalry is the best rivalry in sports right now.  The players hate each other, and the coaches hate each other.  Fun stuff.

Finally, in Jacksonville, they are doing whatever they can to entertain themselves, because the lowly Jaguars are not offering any entertainment.  The Jaguars are horrible this season, and have only scored one touchdown in 2 games.  They look truly awful.  So Monday, in the parking lot, a large group of Jaguars fans held a rally suggesting the signing of Tim Tebow.  Tebow is basically a God in the Jacksonville area, as his glory days were played out at the nearby University of Florida.  They would love to have him come to the team to give them a much needed spark.  Nobody really thinks Tebow is a great quarterback, but it’s a lot of fun trying to watch him be one.

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