It won't be long before they're number 1! Also, props to Southern Illinois for making it to number 23. They are a good team. Returning starters:
Darren Collison, G
Josh Shipp, G/F
Lorenzo Mata, C
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, F
Looking Good!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Second to None
ESPN and USA Today came out with their top 25 poll in college basketball. Check out where we rank:
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Jonathan Papelbon is Not Intimidating
As he walks out to the music of "Wild Thing," Jonathan Papelbon looks to stare down hitters with his "evil eyes."
Jonathan Papelbon, you are not intimidating. You are just a bitch.
Jonathan Papelbon, you are not intimidating.
Hitters are not intimidated by his wicked stare, or the puff of breath he blows out through that hole in his face. He is not scary. Big deal, he can throw a 98 mph fastball. So can many other big league pitchers. He would never make it as a starter, despite popular belief. He is not a "wild thing," nor is he even worth the money he gets paid to look like an ass.
Jonathan Papelbon, you are not intimidating. You are just a bitch.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Buc Luck
Buc Luck(n): The type of luck distributed among the Buccaneers team, players and fans. Generally bad in nature, there have been a few rare examples of "good" Buc Luck (see: 2003 Super Bowl Champions)
I have become convinced that there is something out there that wants to cause as much pain to the Buccaneers faithful as possible. I can't say it's a curse, rather, unexplainable bad luck. Thus,
I've coined the term "Buc Luck," because it seems that the Bucs always have a run in with this "Buc Luck," but it always seems to be on the bad side of things. Things have only taken a turn for the worse this season, where the "Buc Luck" is overwhelming, making it seem as if the Bucs had no bad luck, they would have no luck at all.
It all started before the season ever started, when it was announced that Mike Alstott, Buc extraordinaire, team leader, etc., would miss the entire season due to a neck injury. To make matters worse, he might not ever play in the NFL again.
Things didn't get much better for the Bucs, following the news that their leading rusher, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, coming off the heels of a Week 4 victory against Carolina. His injury is so severe, there is speculation that he may never walk again. He wasn't the only injury of the game. Luke Petitgout, the New York Giants import, also suffered a season ending knee injury.
The very next week, with the running game already hurting, the Bucs lost backup running back Michael Pittman for six long weeks, because of torn ligaments in his ankle. He is expected to return this season, but nothing is concrete.
As if things couldn't get worse, in Week 7 the Bucs lost Mark Jones, their very productive kick returner, for the season with a knee injury. Going into Week 7, Jones was ranked 5th in the NFL in punt return average (11.9 yards per return), and 7th in the NFL in kickoff return average(30.3). He was the only player in the NFL through the first six weeks to rank in the top 10 in both categories. He is the man I was sure would score the first ever touchdown on a kickoff return in Bucs history.
In Week 7, 7 players were inactive for the Bucs, and now troubling is how Michael Clayton's MRI will turn out. In Week 7, he went down awkwardly, having to leave the game in the first quarter. Getting out of this season, let's focus on some other examples of "Buc Luck."
It all started with the Bucs inaugural season in 1976. That year, the Bucs were perfect. A perfect 0-14 that is. Ultimately the laughing stock of the league, the Buccaneers were basically invisible at the beginning of the season. When they arrived at the Astrodome for the opening game against the Houston Oilers, they were refused entry by the security services. "The Buccaneers?" the guard asked. "Are they a college team or something?" They weren't invisible by the end of the season, ending with a big goose-egg in the win column. It's not as if they were horrible. Three times they came within a touchdown of winning. That's just the "Buc Luck" for you. This team's place in history is complete. They are the last team to go winless for an entire season. Despite their success in SuperBowl XXXVII, the losing team will probably always be more famous, as the Bucs are looked at as a failing team.
I have become convinced that there is something out there that wants to cause as much pain to the Buccaneers faithful as possible. I can't say it's a curse, rather, unexplainable bad luck. Thus,
I've coined the term "Buc Luck," because it seems that the Bucs always have a run in with this "Buc Luck," but it always seems to be on the bad side of things. Things have only taken a turn for the worse this season, where the "Buc Luck" is overwhelming, making it seem as if the Bucs had no bad luck, they would have no luck at all.
It all started before the season ever started, when it was announced that Mike Alstott, Buc extraordinaire, team leader, etc., would miss the entire season due to a neck injury. To make matters worse, he might not ever play in the NFL again.
Things didn't get much better for the Bucs, following the news that their leading rusher, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, coming off the heels of a Week 4 victory against Carolina. His injury is so severe, there is speculation that he may never walk again. He wasn't the only injury of the game. Luke Petitgout, the New York Giants import, also suffered a season ending knee injury.
The very next week, with the running game already hurting, the Bucs lost backup running back Michael Pittman for six long weeks, because of torn ligaments in his ankle. He is expected to return this season, but nothing is concrete.
As if things couldn't get worse, in Week 7 the Bucs lost Mark Jones, their very productive kick returner, for the season with a knee injury. Going into Week 7, Jones was ranked 5th in the NFL in punt return average (11.9 yards per return), and 7th in the NFL in kickoff return average(30.3). He was the only player in the NFL through the first six weeks to rank in the top 10 in both categories. He is the man I was sure would score the first ever touchdown on a kickoff return in Bucs history.
In Week 7, 7 players were inactive for the Bucs, and now troubling is how Michael Clayton's MRI will turn out. In Week 7, he went down awkwardly, having to leave the game in the first quarter. Getting out of this season, let's focus on some other examples of "Buc Luck."
It all started with the Bucs inaugural season in 1976. That year, the Bucs were perfect. A perfect 0-14 that is. Ultimately the laughing stock of the league, the Buccaneers were basically invisible at the beginning of the season. When they arrived at the Astrodome for the opening game against the Houston Oilers, they were refused entry by the security services. "The Buccaneers?" the guard asked. "Are they a college team or something?" They weren't invisible by the end of the season, ending with a big goose-egg in the win column. It's not as if they were horrible. Three times they came within a touchdown of winning. That's just the "Buc Luck" for you. This team's place in history is complete. They are the last team to go winless for an entire season. Despite their success in SuperBowl XXXVII, the losing team will probably always be more famous, as the Bucs are looked at as a failing team.
In 1983, the Bucs dark years began. It was the first of 14 straight losing seasons, 13 in which they would lose 10 games or more. The Bucs of course were the laughing stock in the league, as every team that faced them knew that victory was eventual.
The SuperBowl curse came around in 2003, as we all saw the defending Super Bowl champs fall to a 7-9 record. 2004 didn't provide much healing, as the Bucs went even deeper into the cellar, falling to 5-11. A brief glimpse of hope came through in 2005, before the Bucs stumbled to a 4-12 record in 2006.
Among the miscues of the 2006 season, things became really hard following Week 3. In a game against Carolin
a, quarterback Chris Simms took a brutal shot from a Carolina defender, rupturing his spleen. He played the rest of the game, but following the game was immediately rushed to the emergency room where his spleen was removed. The poor guy lost his season, and possibly his job as QB for the Bucs. Because of losing Simms, the Bucs were stuck with 3rd String quarterback, rookie Bruce Gradkowski. In short, he sucked.
My only hope is that this tainted "Buc Luck" will disappear, or at least deliver us some good luck. This season was going well, but the injuries are piling up. I can only hope for the best, staying away from a losing season, and avoiding losing coach Jon Gruden. I can only leave you with this, a sign of the good "Buc Luck" that has embraced the Buccaneers over the years. Hopefully we'll get some this year too.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
The Night I Cried Myself to Sleep
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
The Yankees season wasn't supposed to end with such heartbreak. It was supposed to be 27 in 07. Not an early exit to the season.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season that started off so badly, where the Yankees posted a 21-29 record at the All Star break. They were 14 1/2 games out of first place. Everyone aside from the Yankees and their fans counted them out.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season where the Yankees came storming back, posting a 73-39 record in the second half, the best in the majors. This was a season that saw the emergence of young stars, where the "Big 3" of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy made their debuts. This was a season where 9 Yankee pitchers made their starts for the first time. This was a season that saw the return of Yankee product Andy Pettite, and Yankee favorite Roger Clemens out of retirement. This was a season that boasted milestones for many players. Roger Clemens won his 350th career game. Mike Mussina won his 250th career game. Andy Pettite won his 200th career game. Chase Wright, Matt DeSalvo, Tyler Clippard, Kei Igawa, Edwar Ramirez, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain all recorded their first major league victories. Hideki Matsui hit his 100th career homerun. Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th career homerun. Shelley Duncan hit his 1st career homerun. Johnny Damon hit his 2000th career hit.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season that boasted career best numbers for Alex Rodriguez, who obliterated opposing pitching with his MVP caliber numbers. He batted .314 with 54 homeruns, 156 RBI's, scored 143 runs, and had a slugging percentage of .645, the previous four stats all leading the major leagues. Jorge Posada, a career .277 hitter, exploded by hitting .338, a career best at the age of 36. In fact, he boasted the best numbers by a Yankee catcher since Yogi Berra.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season full of turn-arounds, comebacks, and the never-give-up attitude. After such a poor start and an incredible turn around, they were supposed to win it all. Is the Cy Young Award type season from Chien-Ming Wang a waste? Is a career best season by Jorge Posada a waste? Is the MVP season of A-Rod a waste? Is this the last time that we will ever see Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Bobby Abreu, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettite in pinstripes? I hope not.
That's why you can see it was so easy for me to cry last night. This season, this team, so full of potential, and yet they don't make it very far in October, where it matters the most. Everything seemed so sure coming into the playoffs, but nothing is certain, especially in October. I'm not ready for this season to be over. I'm not ready to see a Yankees uniform without a black armband around the left arm (for the death of Cory Lidle), and I'm not ready to see a Yankees uniform without that armband and the number 10 sitting on top of it (for the death of Phil Rizzuto). I get emotional, and the thought of the season being over, so many people possibly never wearing pinstripes again, it just sobers me up. Everything is just to hard to digest still, after about 12 hours of this pain. My heart and my mind stay with the Yankees, but the wounds are still too raw. I can only hope for the best in 2008, with all the young talent and seasoned veterans the Yankees roster will produce.
Here's to a great season! Go Yankees!
The Yankees season wasn't supposed to end with such heartbreak. It was supposed to be 27 in 07. Not an early exit to the season.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season that started off so badly, where the Yankees posted a 21-29 record at the All Star break. They were 14 1/2 games out of first place. Everyone aside from the Yankees and their fans counted them out.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season where the Yankees came storming back, posting a 73-39 record in the second half, the best in the majors. This was a season that saw the emergence of young stars, where the "Big 3" of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy made their debuts. This was a season where 9 Yankee pitchers made their starts for the first time. This was a season that saw the return of Yankee product Andy Pettite, and Yankee favorite Roger Clemens out of retirement. This was a season that boasted milestones for many players. Roger Clemens won his 350th career game. Mike Mussina won his 250th career game. Andy Pettite won his 200th career game. Chase Wright, Matt DeSalvo, Tyler Clippard, Kei Igawa, Edwar Ramirez, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain all recorded their first major league victories. Hideki Matsui hit his 100th career homerun. Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th career homerun. Shelley Duncan hit his 1st career homerun. Johnny Damon hit his 2000th career hit.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season that boasted career best numbers for Alex Rodriguez, who obliterated opposing pitching with his MVP caliber numbers. He batted .314 with 54 homeruns, 156 RBI's, scored 143 runs, and had a slugging percentage of .645, the previous four stats all leading the major leagues. Jorge Posada, a career .277 hitter, exploded by hitting .338, a career best at the age of 36. In fact, he boasted the best numbers by a Yankee catcher since Yogi Berra.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This was a season full of turn-arounds, comebacks, and the never-give-up attitude. After such a poor start and an incredible turn around, they were supposed to win it all. Is the Cy Young Award type season from Chien-Ming Wang a waste? Is a career best season by Jorge Posada a waste? Is the MVP season of A-Rod a waste? Is this the last time that we will ever see Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Bobby Abreu, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettite in pinstripes? I hope not.
That's why you can see it was so easy for me to cry last night. This season, this team, so full of potential, and yet they don't make it very far in October, where it matters the most. Everything seemed so sure coming into the playoffs, but nothing is certain, especially in October. I'm not ready for this season to be over. I'm not ready to see a Yankees uniform without a black armband around the left arm (for the death of Cory Lidle), and I'm not ready to see a Yankees uniform without that armband and the number 10 sitting on top of it (for the death of Phil Rizzuto). I get emotional, and the thought of the season being over, so many people possibly never wearing pinstripes again, it just sobers me up. Everything is just to hard to digest still, after about 12 hours of this pain. My heart and my mind stay with the Yankees, but the wounds are still too raw. I can only hope for the best in 2008, with all the young talent and seasoned veterans the Yankees roster will produce.
Here's to a great season! Go Yankees!
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