Running Off At The Electronic Mouth, No. V

For the fifth time, here’s a list of topics that I probably should have written about in separate blog posts, but never did.

Saaaad eyes. Turn the other way ...

Charlie Weis, college dropout

In college, have you/did you ever get the feeling that it wasn’t worth studying for an exam? You know that cumulative final in statistics is tomorrow, but it doesn’t make a difference. Either way, you know you are going to fail that class. You could get 100 and it won’t change a thing. That ‘F’ is coming like tomorrow’s sunrise. Go out. Get drunk. Sleep in. Walk with confidence into that exam session and just wing it for all you’re worth. Guess your ass off. Bubble in all answers as “C.” What have you got to lose? It doesn’t matter. You’ve already failed.

Yeah, that’s how I think Charlie Weis is viewing the rest of this Notre Dame season. Just winging it.

Lawler’s law: More Iranian jokes

In the NBA, especially in Los Angeles, there will never be another Chick Hearn. But Ralph Lawler, who is the long-time announcer for the hapless Clippers, is pretty good in his own right. His “BINGOOOOO!” calls on 3-pointers are well-known throughout So. Cal.

So I wondered why he wasn’t on the call for last night’s upset win over the Denver Nuggets. Now, at the bottom of the following link, we have the answer.

Personally, that transcript is pretty funny. I understand that FOX Sports had to cover its ass, but that really shouldn’t warrant a suspension. Although I have never liked the term “back-door pass.”

Courtney Lee doesn’t deserve this

You Need To See “The Blind Side”

If there is a leisure activity I enjoy more than watching sports, it’s watching movies. I guess that’s not such a good quaility since both largely consist of me sitting on my ass. But I have cerebral palsy, so I’m basically sitting on my ass while walking.

If a movie looks good, I’ll see it. Maybe it could get an Oscar nomination. If it looks bad, I’ll see it. I want to see if it’s so bad that it’ll make me laugh. That’s pretty much the reason why I’ll probably end up seeing “Twilight: New Moon” this weekend.

Last weekend, I saw five films in two days:

“2012″: As I said: “I want to see if it’s so bad that it’ll make me laugh.” I think I broke a rib while howling in this one.

“The Box”: Better than I expected, but it gets way too supernatural in the second half. Frank Langella is still tremendous.

“The Fourth Kind”: You’ve seen the trailer, right? OK, then you don’t need to pay to see the movie because you’ve already seen all of the best sequences.

“Paranormal Activity”: Pretty good, but all the hype made me think that this would be the scariest film ever. Not close. But it will force you to sleep now on with your feet under the covers.

“Where The Wild Things Are”: Took me a while, but it was definitely worth seeing. It’s just a lot of fun.

Michael Oher can crush up to 30 vampires

If you combine a true sports story into a movie, I am all over it. That’s one of the reasons why I saw “The Blind Side” this morning, one day after it’s national release. I have not read the best-selling book on which the movie is based, although I have been repeatedly told with vigor to do so. Considering that these are the stories I like to hear and write about most, I know I really should get on to reading that book.

Those who have read it will probably be disappointed in the film. Not for what it has, but for what it has to leave out. But that’s one of the drawbacks of the medium. You can fit only so much into 121 minutes, so there are some stories from the book that I’m sure are brushed over or completely left out.

Still, this is one of the best movies of the year. It’s extremely touching and poignant with a story that doesn’t seem possible unless it was indeed true. The adaptation of that story to the screen is very smooth. With the Oscars now including 10 films for Best Picture, I feel like this should be considered, if not in the top 10. Sandra Bullock plays the mother with an iron will, a heart of gold and the maternal instincts of a lion, Leigh Anne Tuohy. While the Southern accent is a little overwhelming at times, Bullock is perfect in this role. She’s on point in every shot. it’s probably her best performance since “Crash” and her best acting in a lead since … well, maybe ever. She is that strong.

Dolphins-Panthers Fantasy Recap: Sticky Icky Ricky Smokes Carolina

This smoke has real bits of panther in it

Remember when Ricky Williams used to be just a joke? With all of his weed and living in Grass Valley, California and such? His career, much like a hippie with a full bowl, showed no signs of going anywhere.

He apparently put down the pot (or at least found around those pesky league drug exams) and returned in 2007 for just one game before getting injured after a full season away.

He’s been a serviceable sidekick to Ronnie Brown since 2008, but after Brown was lost for the season last week, many expected Ricky’s fantasy value to drastically increase. He was already a top-20 running back in a run-heavy offense. With maybe 10-12 more touches per game without Brown, he was looking at top-10. Tonight, he certainly made his case for No. 1 in week 11.

Williams had his best fantasy outing since 2002. Of course, guess who was facing him in his fantasy league tonight? Two thumbs toward this kid! 138 totals yards and three touchdowns??? I need another drink.

Williams’ touches didn’t outrageously spike. He had 24 total touches. He had 22 last week. Lex Hilliard and Lousaka Polite chipped in with six and four touches, respectively. Going forward, this is the workload to expect from Williams. The production is obviously a bit of a fluke. He was fortunate to be going against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL and caught just the seventh touchdown of his career (again, I was soooooooooo lucky to face him THIS WEEK!). Despite his somewhat difficult schedule for the rest of  the season, 100-yard games should be norm, considering the opportunities he’ll receive.

Other notes from Thursday’s game …

Week 10 in Fantasy Football: A Very Sh!tty Week

Shizzle!

Michael Turner has a high ankle sprain! Crap!

Ronnie Brown has multiple foot injuries! Excrement!

Brian Westbrook may be out for the season after suffering another concussion! Bile!

Yes, it was a feces-like day for fantasy owners in week 10. But more than those injuries, Maurice Jones-Drew robbing you (and himself) of six points, or Bill Belichick’s-gutsy-but-understandable fourth-down play call, this highlight analysis by Dan Marino tops the pile.

I love it.

But in the last couple of months, we’ve had announcers draw scrutiny for a joke about tacos and, of course, running from the cops (because you can never see it enough). And yet, I’ve heard very little about this, which I would consider the worst offense of the three. Maybe it’s because no one cares to watch studio halftime shows. Maybe it was just a slight slip. It doesn’t matter that much to me, but when two announcers have been pretty much forced to apologize for a joke, shouldn’t another announcer, even if he is an NFL Hall of Famer, have to do the same when he drops one of the seven dirty words on live TV, even if was just an accident?

Panthers 28, Falcons 19

A Couple Lower-Profile NFL Midseason Awards

We’re about to embark in week 10 of the NFL season … but we’re not there yet! So in my mind, it’s still the midseason.

And instead of letting you know who I think is the NFL MVP (as long as the Colts stay undefeated, it’s Peyton Manning), Rookie of the Year (Percy Harvin. I’m probably going to be wrong on that one) or fantasy’s MVP (Some like Aaron Rodgers, but I’ d say Matt Schaub because he has very comparable stats and was drafted at least a few rounds later. Oh, and I have Schaub on my team, so yeah, I’m slightly biased there).

You’ve already heard all that. There’s no reason for me to pile on.

But there were two categories that didn’t seem to get the press they deserved and while I’m not exactly NFL.com, I would like to point them out.

BEST HIT

Quick Fantasy Reaction From Bears-49ers

That's how his fantasy owners looked like on Thursday

I’ve been trying to find a way, but hey, here’s a good way to make my periodic posts on the week’s NFL action shorter: Play one game each day. That would really help me out. I can do one game per day during the week. Then on Sunday, we’d only have about 10 games? Cake.

Maybe more bye weeks would help as well.

Here’s what I took away from Thursday’s game:

Quick Fantasy Reactions From Week 9 in the NFL

I just traded for him. That season-ending schdule is too good to miss out on

With nine weeks in the books, it’s really time to start working the phones (or the AIMs, Facebook messaging, Twitters, etc.). With only two teams left to serve their bye, depth isn’t as important any more. If you have a surplus in one area, do what you can to get rid of it and make good use of it in another area. Those extra quality players can’t help you much when they are sitting on your bench.

But also, if you know that you are going to make your league’s playoffs, start planning for the season’s last few weeks. When you are making trades, you need to put some importance on the players’ schedule in weeks 14-17. Yesterday, I made a deal in my league, trading Jay Cutler and the Giants’ Steve Smith for Kurt Warner and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. On the surface, it may look like I gave up too much when you consider what a disappointment Housh has been this season. But look at Warner’s late-season schedule. You can’t pass that up.

That pun is unintended.

Check out this link for all of your remaining strength of schedule needs. It does make a difference.

Lastly, make sure you know when your league’s trade deadline is. For my league, it’s Friday, so I really needed to get that deal done now. There are some leagues that have a deadline in a few weeks. There are some others that don’t have a deadline at all, which I think is totally unfair and can lead to late-season fire-selling among eliminated teams. Next year, make the right move. Please get a deadline in there.

From my customary seat at local sports bar, here is what I saw this past Sunday.

Falcons 31, Redskins 17

Wrapping Up The Yankees’ 27th Title With Some Reflection

Champions! Chris Rose is ready to get catch Derek Jeter's dating table scraps

I told you I would be back.

I didn’t think it would be almost 24 hours later, but it was a long night. And then an early morning.

I had a good time celebrating with my father at a local sports bar. Last night and today has been one of those times when I don’t think there are enough editions of SportsCenter. Every replay makes this championship feel brand new again. But in the live moment, I didn’t know what to feel as a Yankees fan.

Running Blog for Game 6 of the 2009 World Series

Pedro Martinez

Andy Pettitte

Which old goat will get it done tonight in Game 6?

Running Blog for Game 5 of the 2009 World Series

Can Cliff Lee do it again?

In the past couple of days, I’ve seen about two innings combined in the games 3 and 4 of the World Series. As a Yankees fan, I find this somewhat inexcusable, but I had no choice.

I got back from my trip to San Antonio late last night. During game 3, I was too busy watching Manu Ginobili slaughter a bat and “celebrating” Halloween. I got to see the first inning of game 4 before I had to get on my departure flight. But I have no regrets. It was a tremendous trip.

Now that I am back home in Long Beach, Calif., I thought I’d post another running blog. Thanks for following along!!

4:49 p.m. Nothing makes me feels more patriotic than hearing the Star-Spangled Banner sung by Alanis Morissette.

4:50 p.m. So much for my Phillies in 6 prediction. But as far as tonight goes, I feel very confident in saying that this series will go at least six games. With the Phillies in a must-win situation in front of their home fans and with Cliff Lee on the mound, I see Philadelphia winning this one easily.

4:51 p.m. A.J. Burnett has good numbers in his career on three days rest, but he hasn’t done that this season. And I just feel that this is the type of game that the Yankees will have that “Whatever” attitude.

4:56 p.m. Plus it doesn’t help that the Yankees are sending out a lineup with Jose Molina and Brett Gardner. And Nick Swisher is batting fifth.

4:59 p.m. We are underway with a fastball low from Lee to Jeter.

Running Blog for Game 2 of the 2009 World Series

So I was able to leave my friend’s house a little earlier than I expected today, so now I am back home and locked in for game 2.

Two things I am wishing for tonight: A Yankees win (if I can be unbiased for a second) and the WordPress server to not crash, like it did last night around 8:15 last night.

4:44 p.m. Oh, no! Did I miss the Jay-Z performance?? Oh, shucks. I really wanted to see that. Dangit.

4:45 p.m. This game can’t possibly top what Mark Grace just said to Chris Rose: “You lead the league in getting blown off.” Oh, the double entrendre, I love you.

4:46 p.m. Pedro Martinez vs. A.J. Burnett. Eric Karros said it right: This game is going to come down to the bullpens.

4:50 p.m. Couple of lineup changes tonight. The Phillies have put in Matt Stairs at DH. Raul Ibanez will play left field.

Jose Molina, as the Yankees have done often this season, will catch Burnett as the expense of Jorge Posada. And then Jerry Hairston Jr. is in right field for Nick Swisher, who is hitting .114 this postseason.

4:59 p.m. And we are underway with a strike to Jimmy Rollins.

Running Blog for Game 1 of the 2009 World Series

The most famous Game 1 moment in World Series history

Will Nick Swisher or Matt Stairs be the next Kirk Gibson?

No matter how many people picking the Yankees, I think this will be a very, very even series. The lineups are very even. The starting rotations are very even (and the Phillies obviously have more depth there). A lot of people are saying Mariano Rivera gives the Yankees the critical advantage, but the Phillies bullpen has improved during the playoffs.

With both teams matched up so well, I am left to go with my gut and I will choose the Phillies in 6.

Granted, the last time I did a pro sports championship, my Los Angeles Lakers faced the Orlando Magic. Before that series, I took the Magic in 7.

So now, I am choosing against my team again. I am a die-hard Yankees fan. Maybe I just undersell my teams? I am a pretty pessimistic person, actually so maybe there is some truth to that.

Anyway, follow on with this running blog on Game 1 of the World Series.

4:38 p.m. Cliff Lee vs. CC Sabathia. You can’t expect anything less than a pitchers’ duel. I’ll take the Yankees tonight, 4-1. One note. Both teams are very good against left-handed pitchers this season. The Yankees were 40-18 while the Phillies were 31-16.

4:40 p.m. But really, we all know that Game 1 is the least consequential game in a seven-game seven. I think the key to this series will be seen tomorrow. I’ll talk about that then when I do another running blog for Game 2.

4:43 p.m. Ozzie Guillen just took the Phillies in this series. Well, I think he did. It’s hard to hear him through all the mumbling and cuss words.

4:44 p.m. I keep forgetting about Raul Ibanez in that Phillies lineup. Damn, they are stupid deep.

4:52 p.m. Very interesting bunch there for the first pitch. But the booing of Michelle Obama is a little uncalled for. Is the World Series really a stage for that? I digress.

4:56 p.m. I don’t know if it means anything, but … notable Phillies vs. Sabathia: Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino are 3-for-7. Jimmy Rollins is 4-for-11 with a couple of doubles. Raul Ibanez is 11-for-40 with two homers and nine RBIs.

4:58 p.m. OK, this game was scheduled to start at 7:57 p.m. Let’s get this show on the damn road! I am out of pregame stats.

Quick Fantasy Reactions From Week 7 in the NFL

It's been funny for me. Not so much for Panthers fans

There are many good things that come out of all the wretched teams in the NFL right now. Comic relief is tops on that list. I mean, you couldn’t help but laugh while watching the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. You could basically predict when Jake Delhomme was going to throw an interception. In that moment, you feel as if you have a psychic gift.

But for fantasy purposes, these bad teams are more likely to play backups. Specifically, quarterbacks. Vince Young may be replacing Kerry Collins soon. Delhomme could finally be benched. Alex Smith is the new starter in San Fran. Josh Freeman may see time as a rookie. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get another start in place of Trent Edwards.

And somehow through all of this, JaMarcus Russell is still on the field. What’s not to like about Bruce Gradkowski anyway?

But the point is that if you are having problems at QB, there should be at least some starters available in your league who you can use as a bye-week fill-in or short-term bandage. They may not be very good, but in leagues such as mine that start two quarterbacks, every starting quarterback has value.

Here are some quick thoughts I have on every game in week seven.

Packers 31, Browns 3

For the love of God, sell high on Ryan Grant. Take that predictable effort against Cleveland and sell it for all it’s worth. His fantasy playoff schedule is not favorable.

It’s sad, but Greg Jennings just isn’t an every-week starter any longer. He got more looks and catches than Donald Driver against Cleveland, but it was all short stuff.

Tight end Jermichael Finley was starting to become a nice fantasy player, but it looks like he will be out a few weeks.

You don’t want any Browns player in fantasy. And apparently, some in Cleveland don’t want Eric Mangini.

Texans 24, 49ers 21

Ranting About My Alma Mater

I apologize for not posting in quite a while. From Wednesday to Sunday of last week, I returned to Orlando to see some friends, roam my college campus once again and most importantly, go to a college football game.

The University of Central Florida hosted the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes. Sure, the Knights had never beaten a ranked team and were sporting an offense that Arkansas St. looks down upon, but I was looking forward to going to my first UCF football game as a fan since 2005.

It was incredibly hard to outwardly root for the Knights — not because it would be an insult to the flavor of vanilla to say that their offense is vanilla  — but because sports writing has trained me in the past four years to always unbiased toward UCF. But halfway through the third quarter and with Hurricanes up 17-7, there was reason to be excited. A snap over the head of the Hurricanes’ punter and a penalty gave the Knights possession on UM’s two-yard line.

First and goal at the 2. Six more feet and we’ve got ourselves a ballgame with the No. 9 team in the nation.

So what do the Knights call on first down? How about a play action pass to the tight end? Those always work around the goal line. How about just a simple dive play? You have basically four plays to get two yards. Just plow straight ahead!

Running Blog of No. 1 Florida Gators vs. No. 4 LSU Tigers

Tim Tebow is just two weeks removed from this scene. How will he play tonight?

Yes, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow WILL start tonight. Obviously, his performance we’ll be dissected from every angle ad nauseam.  But his availability is the best thing for this game. It won’t give the Gators any excuses if they lose.

But regardless, this game has the highest combined ranking between opponents, so it should be an awesome one. Follow along!

5:06 p.m. Pressure! Pressure! Pressure! The Tigers only have five sacks all season. They pressure from LSU’s defensive line is the biggest key to this game.

5:08 p.m. Urban Meyer just said that backup quarterback John Brantley may see some playing time but that Tebow will start and he is the team’s QB. He won’t be removed unless he is visibly injured.

5:11 p.m. And we are underway with Trindon Holliday taking the opening kickoff out to the 29 to start the game.

Are You Ready For Some (Hilarious) Football?!?!?!

BRING IT ON!!!!

The UFL debuted tonight to little fanfare. I think the first game, which pitted the California Redwoods against the Las Vegas Locomotives, was broadcast over the Internet somewhere.

But I just know this league is going to be great. Not for football, but for my personal enjoyment.

Just look at the league’s catch phrase: “WHERE FUTURE STARS COME TO PLAY!”

What future is that? 2001?

But that’s the best part of the UFL: The has-been NFL players. See, with the XFL, you had a few people with previous NFL experience, but the UFL is filled with wash-ups and they ALL have a great back story.

(Just stick the word “allegedly” somewhere in each of the next few sentences)

2009 MLB Playoff Predictions: Dodging Los Angeles

The Dodgers are where I expected them to be. I also expected them to reach the World Series. That's not going to happen

Way back on the morning of April 1, I posted my 2009 MLB playoff predictions on a friend’s wall in Facebook (because I am a pop culture sellout), and here is what I put down:

NL Playoffs: Dodgers over Mets, Cardinals over Phillies; Dodgers over Cardinals

AL Playoffs: Rays over Angels, Yankees over Twins; Yankees over Rays

World Series: Dodgers over Yankees

OK, so you’ve got the Mets and the Rays in there and that didn’t turn out too well. But as we enter the playoffs, I take pride that each team I predicted to be in the World Series have the best record in its perspective league. More than five months later and the two teams that I thought would be the best in baseball still are, according to the records.

Now, as I present an updated version of my 2009 playoff predictions, I will sacrifice preseason pride for postseason correctness.

Running Blog of the Tigers-Twins AL Central Tiebreaker

One-game MLB playoffs: Where Bucky Dent happens

One game. From 162 to 0, plus one. The Detroit Tigers could have avoided this situation, but an absolute collapse in the past three weeks has put them into a do-or-die situation on the road against the Twins. The deck is certainly stacked against Detroit. The Tigers are not they team with the momentum. They playing on the road in what could be the final MLB game in the Metrodome. They have a 20-year-old rookie on the mound and if you believe in karma, Miguel Cabrera certainly isn’t helping.

But that’s why they play the games. So if you are watching or can’t because you are at work since this game is being played at the ridiculous hour of 5 p.m. Eastern, follow along. We could witness history. Right, Bucky Dent?

2:03 p.m. Seriously, Miguel??? A 0.26?? Holy Christ! How was he able to play the next day?

2:06 p.m. Porcello has rebounded impressively after predictably struggling around the middle of the season. But he has never been in a situation like this. You have to believe he is nervous as hell.

2:08 p.m. We are underway with a fastball from Scott Baker to Curtis Granderson.

A Quick Vick Quip

On Wednesday, we heard that Michael Vick had signed an endorsement deal with Nike. On Thursday, Nike states that those claims are false. The company will provide Vick with Nike products, but has not signed him to a contract.

Vick will try to get a shoe deal somewhere else. The early favorite is Hush Puppies.

(pause for laughter, wait for people to stop rolling in the aisles)

OK, that’s all the time I’ve got. You’ve been great. I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitress and try the fish.

... Hush Puppies, OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Welcome to October: The Best Month of the Year

The leaves change, the temperature drops, the holidays are right around the corner and sports start to heat up. Welcome to October! It is the best month of the year and here’s why:

You’ve obviously got the World Series, which will be known in 2009 as the 12th Fall Classic meeting between the Yankees and Dodgers. This month is so big in baseball, players earn it as their nickname. OK. so Derek Jeter got Mr. November, but who really calls him that? And yeah, Dave Winfield became Mr. May, but that wasn’t a flattering alias.