Archive for October, 2015

Pats Embarrass Dolphins, Austin Rivers In Hot Water, Mattingly To Dodgers

Screen Shot 2015-10-30 at 8.08.41 AMHope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

FOOTBALL

In the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots, the Dolphins were red hot coming into the game under their new interim coach Dan Campbell.  Everyone was excited to see how they would use their new attitude against their mighty division foe.  Unfortunately for the Dolphins,  Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick is an expert at embarrassing teams in the NFC East, and Thursday night was no different.  The Patriots crushed the Dolphins.  Tom Brady seemed unstoppable and is playing better now than he was 5 years ago.  The Patriots remain unbeaten.  New England 36, Miami 7.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Austin Rivers (son of head coach Doc Rivers) is in hot water with the league.  In a Tuesday night game against the Sacramento Kings, Rivers lost his temper and flung a seat cushion into the stands.  The seat cushion hit a woman in the face, and now Rivers will have to pay a $25,000 fine.  Rivers has been a hot head since coming into the league, but this is the year the Clippers really need him to step up.  In order to do this, Rivers will have to control his misbehavior.  Here is a clip of the cushion throw.

BASEBALL

With a travel day for the World Series, all eyes were on a new management hire.  The Miami Marlins are hoping to become a fan favorite for sports entertainment in the Miami area.  Ever since they changed the name, the logo,and moved to a new stadium, however, they have been pretty awful.  The Marlins have some new life now as they hired recently released Don Mattingly from the Dodgers.

 

Share
No comments

Royals Grab Game 2 With Solid Cueto, NBA Roundup, Kill Retires, Watkins Calls Fans Losers

BASEBALL

Game 2 of the World Series between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals.

Johnny Cueto The Royals needed extra innings to win Game 1, and were hoping not to sweat out Game 2.  The Mets had their ace Jacob deGrom on the mound, but the Royals had Johnny Cueto — the solid pitcher they brought in from Cincinnati for this exact reason.  Given the high pressure situation, Cueto was outstanding.  He only gave up 2-hits, and the Royals bats gave him the offensive support he needed. With the Royals up 2-0, the series now heads back to New York for the next 3 games.   Kansas City 7, NY Mets 1.

BASKETBALL

Kobe BryantIn the NBA, most of the teams tipped off their season Wednesday night. Oklahoma City Thunder new head coach Billy Donovan (formerly at Florida) guided the Thunder to an impressive win over the rebuilt San Antonio Spurs.  The new-look Denver Nuggets rolled over a loaded Houston Rockets team in Houston to start the season.  In Portland, even though the Blazers lost their star player LaMarcus Aldridge this off-season, they opened up with a bang, crushing the New Orleans Pelicans.  Then, late night, Kobe Bryant was back with the Lakers and set a record for playing 20 seasons for the same team.  Bryant had 24 points, but the Lakers fell in the end to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  OKC 112, San Antonio 106 — Denver 105, Houston 85 — Portland 112, New Orleans 94 — Minnesota 112, LA Lakers 111.

FOOTBALL

In college football, University of Minnesota coach Jerry Kill has had some serious health problems in the past that have caused him to miss games. On Wednesday it was reported that Kill is suffering more seizures and decided to immediately retire from Minnesota and the game of football.  He will now focus on his health, but will be sorely missed by the University.  Here is video of his emotional farewell:

Buffalo Bills receiver Sammy Watkins fell into the trap of social media when he responded to a posted photo of him and his daughter at Disney World on his bye week. His fans questioned him missing games due to his injuries. Watkins responded by calling his fans “losers”. He also told them to “continue working y’all little jobs for the rest of y’all lives.”   Not a smart move as Watkins now looks like the bad guy.

Share
No comments

Royals Win Game 1, Volquez Loses Father, Bulls Beat Cavs, Mallett Gone

BASEBALL

Eric Hosmer In a 5 hour World Series matchup (tied for the longest in World Series history), the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals battled it out in a dramatic first game. The game was close, but the Royals managed to tie it up in the 9th, sending the game to extra innings. In the 14th inning, the Royals loaded the bases, and Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in the winning run. KC 5, NY Mets 4.

The Royals starting pitcher, Edinson Volquez sadly learned that his father died in the Dominican Republic just after the game was over.  Volquez’s wife made the decision not to tell him about his father until after the game was over, although due to social media, anyone following the game heard the news as it was widely reported in the early innings. As pitcher Danny Duffy said, “He knows that everyone in this clubhouse has his back. It’s terrible, terrible news. It really puts this game in perspective. Whenever Volquez decides to come back, when he’s comfortable, — he needs to be with his family right now — but when he comes back, everybody in here will be ready for a hug.”

BASKETBALL

It was opening night in the NBA.  LeBron and the Cavs were back in action taking on the Chicago Bulls.  The perennial issues for the Bulls is they can never beat LeBron.  First the Heat were their issue, and now the Cavs have made it almost impossible for them to ascend out of the East.  The Bulls came out strong, however, and held on for the win.  The Cavs are the favorites to win, but they are dealing with some injuries — namely their star point guard Kyrie Irving.  They need him back if they want to get back to the Finals.  Chicago 97, Cleveland 95.

FOOTBALL

 

In the NFL, the Houston Texans are going nowhere.  They lost their star running back, Arian Foster, for the season on Sunday, and are now looking for answers.  One thing is for sure, however,  they do not want QB Ryan Mallett as part of their organization’s future.  The Texans gave Mallett ample chances to win the starting job over Brian Hoyer.  Mallett was terrible, but more notably he was lazy.  He missed practices, and as I pointed out earlier this week, he missed the team flight to Miami on Sunday. The Texans are fed up and have released Mallett and brought back their former back-up T.J. Yates.

Share
No comments

Ravens Down 1-6, World Series Tickets For $1 Mill, NBA Season Debut

FOOTBALL

Screen Shot 2015-10-27 at 7.54.21 AMThe 1-5 Baltimore Ravens desperately needed a win Monday night in their matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The game came down to the wire but thanks to a few unfortunate plays including a blocked field goal and a missed extra point, the Cardinals pulled out the win dropping the Ravens to an embarrassing 1-6 on the season. Arizona 26, Baltimore 18.

BASEBALL

The World Series between the NY Mets and the KC Royals begins Tuesday night in Kansas City then returns to Citi Field for game 3 Friday. Tickets are hot items in NY but one fan went a bit too far by trying to sell his tickets on StubHub for $1 million each.

 

BASKETBALL

The NBA tips off its 70th season Tuesday night. Many fun story lines to follow: Will the Golden State Warriors repeat their winning season, will Lebron James continue to wow the crowds, and will this be Kobe Bryant’s last stand? Should be a fun ride!

Share
No comments

Gruden’s Code Red, Jags Over Bills In Livestream, Dolphins Overpower Texans, Univ Miami Fires Coach, Royals And Mets World Series

FOOTBALL

A few highlights from the Sunday NFL games:

Jack Nicholson After a disappointing loss last week to the New York Jets, Washington Redskins’ coach Jay Gruden channeled Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” and ordered a “code red” for the game on Sunday against Tampa Bay. The Redskins got into a hole early and had to fight to overcome a 24-0 deficit. QB Kirk Cousins never got rattled and threw for 3 TD’s and one running TD to beat the Bucks 31-30.

In the first-ever NFL livestream, the Jacksonville Jaguars blew a huge lead but pulled out the win against the Buffalo Bills in London. The only way to watch the game was on Yahoo. It remains to be seen if we’ll see more games in this format.  Jaguars 34, Bills 31.

In the most lopsided game of the day, the Miami Dolphins destroyed the Houston Texans. In the first 16 minutes of the game, Dolphins’ QB Ryan Tannehill threw for four scores to lead the team to a 35-0 blowout before the first half was even over. Interim coach Dan Campbell remained stoic throughout the game and humbled by the fans chanting his name at the end.  Even though the Dolphins finally look like a playoff bound team, there were bad omens before the game for the Texans when former starting QB Ryan Mallet missed the team’s chartered flight and had to grab a commercial flight to catch up with the team. Dolphins 44- Texans 26.

In the biggest news out of the college football ranks, the University of Miami fired head coach Al Goldin after the team’s worst loss in school history with their 58-0 trouncing by Clemson. Tight ends coach Larry Scott will take over as interim head coach.

BASEBALL

The Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays to win the ALCS and will now play the New York Mets in the World Series. The first game is Tuesday night in KC.

Share
No comments

Seahawks Overpower 49ers, Friday Night ALCS Game

FOOTBALL

Colin Kaepernick The Seattle Seahawks’ defense overpowered the San Francisco 49ers in Thursday night’s matchup. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was sacked 6 times and couldn’t get any momentum going. Win the win, the Seahawks avoid a completely disastrous start to their season and finally have their first road win in 4 games. Seahawks 20- 49ers 3.

BASEBALL

In game 6 of the ALCS, the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City Friday night. The Royals are up 3-2 in the best of seven series and will play the final two games in front of their home crowd (a great advantage in the playoffs).

 

Share
No comments

Jays Force Game 6, Mets Win NLCS Heading To World Series, Hoke Shots At Harbaugh

BASEBALL

First up it was Game 5 of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Blue Jays were expected to dominate this series, but now are fighting for their lives on the brink of elimination.  Fortunately for the Jays, they have a very raucous home crowd that wasn’t going to allow the Royals to celebrate on their home field.  The Blue Jays pulled out to a commanding lead and forced a Game 6 back in Kansas City.  Toronto 7, Kansas City 1.

back to the future 2Then, in the NLCS, the New York Mets were going for a sweep of the Chicago Cubs.  But Wednesday was “Back To The Future” day, and the Cubs had hope.  What does this mean?  In the movie “Back To The Future 2”, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels to October 21, 2015.   The film predicts that the Cubs would win the World Series that year (the newspaper cover McFly looks at says Cubs sweep series).  Unfortunately for the Cubs, it was just a movie, as the Mets incredible pitching continued.  The Mets looked unstoppable and crushed the Cubs. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Daniel Murphy hit another home-run which is 6 playoff games in a row with a home-run.  Mets are now heading back to the  World Series for the first time since 2000!!!!!!  NY Mets 8, Chicago Cubs 3.

Finally, in some sports gossip, former Michigan coach Brady Hoke is taking shots at new golden boy Jim Harbaugh.  Harbaugh lost the game to rival Michigan State when the punter fumbled the ball, and Michigan State picked it up and ran for the game winning touchdown as time expired.  Hoke said that there was no way HE would have called for a punt.  He said he would have put their defense to the test and ran a play.   Of course, Hoke isn’t in good favor with Michigan, and this was his way of rubbing it in.

Share
No comments

Crazy Mets Win Over Cubs, Royals Demolish Blue Jays

BASEBALL

Lucas Duda It was a crazy NLCS game 3 in Chicago with the NY Mets coming off an impressive  2-0 at home and facing a Cubs team that desperately needed a win. Some of the highlights were the Mets’ Daniel Murphy hitting his 5th homer in 5 post season games, Lucas Duda’s (nicknamed The Big Lebowski) sacrifice bunt, and a Mets’ run (and huge play) brought back because the ball got lost in the Wrigley Field ivy. But the craziest play of the whole night was in the 6th inning when the Mets’ Michael Conforto struck out but the catcher fumbled the ball so Conforto ran to first base allowing Yoenis Cespedes to score the winning run for the Mets. In 33 out of 34 times when a baseball team has been up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, that team has gone on to win. The Mets have never swept a best-of-seven post season series but based on the wackiness of game 3, you never know what will happen. Game 4 is Wednesday night in Chicago.  Mets 5, Cubs 2.

In the ALCS, the Kansas City Royals demolished the Toronto Blue Jays in a big 14-2 win to put them up 3-1. The Blue Jays have never recovered from a 3-1 deficit in post-season history. Game 5 is Wednesday afternoon.

Share
No comments

Colts Worst Play, Manziel’s Spat With Girlfriend, Toronto Wins One, Louisville Escort Parties

FOOTBALL

 In the NFL, all anyone was talking about on Monday was the atrocious special teams play the Indianapolis Colts tried to run against New England.  You have to see it for yourself:

Some are calling it the worst play in NFL history.  It seemed clear they were going to get destroyed, so why did they snap the ball?  Indy Head coach Chuck Pagano, whose job was on the line going into this game, said he stands by the play.  Not exactly the best move when both the GM and the owner want to fire you.

In other NFL news, the police released footage of Johnny Manziel’s spat with his girlfriend.  They were in such a heated argument that the police had to intervene.  Apparently there was no physical violence, but Manziel threw the girlfriend’s phone out the window.

BASEBALL

The ALCS was back in action. The Toronto Blue Jays needed a win to stay alive in this series against the Kansas City Royals.  The game was a slug fest, with both teams hitting with ease.  In the end, Toronto’s bats were just a little stronger, and they got what they needed to grab a win.  They now trail 2-1 in the series, and hope to build off this momentum.  Toronto 11, Kansas City 8.

BASKETBALL

Breaking Cardinal RulesTrending in the news is the story of sex parties at Louisville for basketball recruits. Katina Powell, who describes herself as the “Louisville escort” alleged in her recently published book, “Breaking Carinal Rules”, former director of basketball operations, Andre McGee paid her to provide escorts and strippers for players and recruits. The big question is whether or not coach Rick Pitino knew about these on-campus sex parties.

 

Share
No comments

Royals And Mets Up 2-0, Mighty Murphy 5th Post Season HR, AZ Loss, Dolphins And Panthers Win, Brady Unbeatable

BASEBALL

The league championships are in full swing, and these series have been quite lopsided. The Kansas City Royals pulled out to a 2-0 series lead at home, and will hope to continue playing great baseball when the series heads back to Toronto.

Noah SyndergaardIn the National League, Mets fans have a lot to cheer about as their pitchers look un-hittable. In Sunday night’s matchup against the Cubs, the Mets jumped out to an early lead thanks to rookie pitcher Noah Syndergaard (whom they call Thor, yes the Superhero Thor), and the mighty swing of Daniel Murphy. Murphy has hit 4 home-runs in 4 games. Mets are now up 2-0 on the Chicago Cubs, with the series headed back to Chicago for the next 3 games (if necessary).

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was another wild weekend.  The Arizona Cardinals traveled to Pittsburgh on Sunday, and their “dominate” defense was shredded by an aging, hobbling Michael Vick.   Arizona couldn’t get much going on offense either, and they suffered a loss on the road.  Pittsburgh 25, Arizona 13.

In Tennessee, the Titans played host to a down and out Miami Dolphins.  The Dolphins fired their coach before their bye week, and this game was their chance to show they were a new team.  They did just that.  Their defense looked fantastic, and caused fits for Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.  And they got their running game going again behind Lamar Miller.  The Dolphins crushed the Titans, and will look to continue this “new look” next week.  Miami 38, Tennessee 10.
Then, in Seattle, the Seahawks were on their home turf — one of the most difficult places to play in the NFL.  They desperately needed a win to avoid heading into week seven 2-4, but they had to beat the undefeated Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers also wanted to prove they were a strong team.  The game was close, but the Panthers got the last score and stole a win on the road.  Carolina 27, Seattle 23.
And finally, the deflatgate “revenge game” between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.  Everyone knew Brady would bring his “A” game (although when has Brady not brought his “A” game?). Brady hasn’t had a bad game since early last season.   He certainly did not disappoint and threw for  312 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The Colts’ QB, Andrew Luck The Pats are still undefeated, and look unbeatable.  New England 34, Indianapolis 27.
Share
No comments

Next Page »