Weekend Review: Week 3

NCAA
Spread: 10-9
Season: 24-28-1

Notes from the weekend:
1) What a difference a week makes. If you look at my write from last week, there were several teams looking to make a run at conference titles and possibly finish undefeated. Well... Miami, Cal, Ole Miss AND Penn State all lost, and all 4 looked terrible in their losses. The only BCS conference contender who held tough was Cincinnati. Tony Pike continues to dominate as Cincinnati rolls. He seems to get better every week. At this point, it is close between him and Houston’s Case Keenum for best QB in the country.

2) I expect #4 LSU to be the next top 10 team to be knocked off. They travel to Athens to take on the #18Georgia Bulldogs next Saturday. #7 USC is on upset alert again this week at #24 Cal.

3) Injuries are the biggest story of the year so far, as they are contributing to several upsets. Sam Bradford. Dez Bryant. Now, who knows what will come of Tim Tebow’s concussion. Will his decision making be affected? Will he be less inclined to run? Will he start having sex? So many questions to ask at this point.

4) The media is banging on Javid Best right now for his performance this weekend and should not. He had nowhere to run every single play. Also, he got 1 touch in the second half because they were down and had to throw. Right now he is still a Heisman candidate.

NFL
Spread: 9-7
Season: 27-21
Picks: 11-5
Season: 34-14

1) Every weekend I pick against the Jets, and every week they have burned me. Rex Ryan is the real deal as head coach (that fat tub of lard).

2) Brady looks a little more Bradylike, but he is not quite there yet.

3) The Steelers defense is a much different animal when Polamalu is not playing. That just goes to show how incredible he is.

4) New Orleans has a dangerous running game to go along with their incredible passing game. They look like the 2007 Patriots.

5) Teams I predicted to have a down year (shown here):
Miami: 0-3
Carolina: 0-3
Arizona: 1-2
Denver: 3-0

Only Denver is having a good season so far. However, they have beat Cincy on a fluke play, Cleveland and Oakland. Their next 8 weeks go as follows: Dal, NE, at SD, at Bal, PIT, at Wash, SD, NYG. They will be 4-7 after that run.

6) Peyton Manning is better then he has ever been at quarterback. It will go down to the wire between him, Brees, Peterson and Rivers for MVP.

Good weekend in gambling for me:
6-point tease: NYG (-.5) and Green Bay (-.5) WON
Parlay: Chi (-2.5) and Indy (+3) WON

Weekly Predictions: Week 3

You can read my review from Week 2 here. Notes looking into Week 3.

1) There are not a lot of spreads that jump off the sheet to me. It appears Vegas has no idea what to do with some of these teams.
2) 8 games with a spread of 6 points or more in the NFL. We will see how many actually cover.
3) Schools are getting too much credit. A lot of big spreads in NCAA's this weekend that should not be.
4) Until Colt McCoy gets his shit together, I don't trust Texas giving points. As cute as a diet of PB&J and Pedialyte is to recover, my pocket doesn't care.
5) Beware of home underdogs, especially in-conference. Always a standard to watch.

My Picks for the weekend: (Picks in Bold home team in CAPS)

NCAA
S. CAROLINA (+4) over Ole Miss: Follow observation #5. Miss might loose this game.
NEVADA (+7) over Missouri: see Ole Miss
OHIO STATE (-14) over Illinois: In the battle of overly BLACK names, Terrelle is better than Juice
Boise St (-16.5) over BOWLING GREEN: Boise St. gave up 507 yrds on the road last week and won by 17
CINCINNATI (-17) over Fresno St: Fresno is playing at 9am their time against the best QB in the Northeast
MISS ST. (+12.5) over Lsu: see Missouri
Arkansas (+17.5) over ALABAMA: The Hogs have the best QB nobody knows about. They will keep this closer then people think
Florida (-22) over KENTUCKY: Flu or no flu, Urban will be out to make a statement after last week.
OREGON (+5.5) over Cal: 2 words.... TRAP GAME!!!
FLORIDA ST. (-14) over S. Florida: Grothe is out for the year. SFU has no offense now.
GEORGIA TECH (-2.5) over Unc: UNC has yet to impress this year like people thought they would.
Colorado St. (+17) over BYU: State is better then people think.
Pitt (+1) over NC STATE: Stull looked sharp, and Pitt's defense was stellar shutting down the Navy option.
Miami (FL) (-3) over VIRGINIA TECH: Miami's defense is too fast for Tyrod Taylor to be able to make enough plays with his feet. I see this game as a PUSH.
Utep (+35.5) over TEXAS: See observation #4
Iowa (+9.5) over PENN STATE: PSU has been sloppy on offense this year. See observation #3
HOUSTON (pick) over Texas Tech: I think I pulled a muscle jumping on the Case Keenum band wagon.
OREGON STATE (-2.5) over Arizona: Somehow, this line started at Zona -1. It has moved 3.5 points for a reason.

PICK OF THE WEEK:
Tcu (+2.5) over CLEMSON: Defense rules

NFL
Tennessee (+3) over NY JETS: I just don't see the Titans going 0-3.
HOUSTON (-3.5) over Jacksonville: Jags are just terrible
PHILADELPHIA (-8) over Kansas City: Don't take a team that's coach said he would bench his $28M QB after 1 game.
BALTIMORE (-13) over Cleveland: Expect 250 rush yrds out of the Ravens
NY Giants (-6.5) over TAMPA BAY: The Giants will run much better than they did in Dallas
DETROIT (+6) over Washington: This is the week it happens. Lions end the streak.
Green Bay (-6.5) over St. Louis: Rogers bounces back for a big win.
San Francisco (+6.5) over MINNESOTA: Favre throws 2 picks.
Atlanta (+4) over NEW ENGLAND: NE drops to 1-2 and Matty Ice continues on.
Chicago (-1.5) over SEATTLE: Hasselbeck is hurt, Cutler looks better. It may be another down year in the Pacific NW.
New Orleans (-6) over BUFFALO: New Orleans has never been to up state New York. They will arrive in style.
Miami (+6) over SAN DIEGO: Rivers may have to throw for 4,500 yards this year.
Pittsburgh (-4) over CINCINNATI: Ochocinco had his day in Green Bay, but Big Ben loooooves playing in the state of Ohio.
OAKLAND (+1.5) over Denver: I trust JaMarcus Russel as much as I trust the entire Bronco team... which is very little.
Indianapolis (+2.5) over ARIZONA: Peyton loves Primetime games. Period.
Carolina (+9) over DALLAS: Over/under on dropped interceptions- 7.

Picks:
Ten, Hou, Phi, Bal, NYG, Det!!!, GB, Min, Atl, Chi, NO, SD, Pit, Oak, Ind, Dal

Hot Chick of the Week:
In honor of Florida State winning big over #7 BYU:

Jen Sterger.
She was spotted on national television during the 2005 Miami at FSU game. When she was on camera (exactly as you see below), the usually coy Brett Musburger (on live television) said "1,500 red-blooded Americans just decided to apply to Florida State." She was a FSU cowgirl, and went on to do Playboy.

Weekend Review: Week 2

If there is one thing I have learned over the last 2 weeks, it is this. Most teams I thought were bad aren’t as bad as I thought. Most teams I thought were good aren’t as good as good as I thought.

NCAA thoughts
Spread: 7-5-1
Season: 14-19-1
Florida should not be #1 in the country right now. In fact, I believe that there should be no rankings until October. Florida beats a Tennessee team they supposed to destroy by only 10, and is till ranked #1. Texas pulled off a win at home against unranked Texas Tech, but easily could have lost. The combined record of Penn States opponents is 2-6 and they are yet to leave Beaver Stadium.

Yet Miami (FL.) has beaten 2 ranked conference teams (Florida St. and Georgia Tech) , Cincinnati went on the road to Oregon St. and won an impressive 28-18 game, Florida State rolled #7 BYU in Provo, and Virginia Tech squeaked out a win at home against #19 Nebraska, but only Miami is ranked in the top 10 (#9) Wait a minute… does this mean that the ACC and Big East aren’t nearly as bad as we thought. If WVU would have pulled off the upset at Auburn we would have had a BIG discussion.

There actually is a significant chace for quite a BCS disaster to happen this year:
1) If Miami (FL) can go into Blacksburg and beat #11 Virgina Tech and beat Oklahoma at home next week (which Sam Bradford may be back for), I believe they should be ranked #1. They would have the possibility to run the table in the ACC.

2) Cincinnati just went to Corvallis and beat a good Oregon State team on the road. Despite replacing 10 starters from last year, that defense is good. Tony Pike is making his own case for Heisman, and is definitely a top level QB. The game at South Florida shouldn't be tough now that Bulls starting QB Matt Grothe is out for the season. They still have WVU at home and travel to Heinz Field to play Pitt at the end of the season. If they can avoid a major let down this week hosting Fresno State, there is a real chance to go undefeated.

3) Now that USC has lost (again) to an unranked conference opponent, they leave the door open to the PAC-10. In previous years, teams were nowhere near a good as USC within the conference. However, this year, there is a team that could run the table. Cal. They have the best player and my #1 Heisman candidate, Javid Best. He had 131 yrds and 5TDs at Minnesota on Saturday. If Cal can win at Oregon and beat rival USC at home next weekend, they could look at an undefeated regular season with a victory at Washington Dec. 12th.

4) As pathetic as their schedule is, Penn State should be able to run the table this year. They have last year's spoiler Iowa at home this weekend and Ohio State in November. The only tough road games are at Michigan in the "Big House' and at Michigan St. to end the year.

5) Boise St. should easily destroy their schedule. Their only game to watch this year is at Tulsa Oct. 14th. Look for them to have another undefeated season.

6) TCU has the 3rd best defense in the county (behind Alabama and Florida) which will keep them in every game this season. They still have a tough schedule with games at Clemson this weekend, at BYU and at home against Utah. If they can pull those 3 off (which I don't think they will) they would have a flawless record.

7) Houston romped #5 Oklahoma State last week. They host Texas Tech this weekend. If they can pull of the win, they will control their own destiny for the rest of the season to remain undefeated with a fairly easy schedule.

What does all this mean?? There is a good chance, we could have 4 or more undefeated teams in college football.... that aren't Texas or Florida. Will USC end up without a BCS bowl. Will Texas or Florida slip up and loose a game? I know it is early in the season, but are we about to see the strongest case yet for a Division I (fuck the FBS thing) playoff??

NFL Thoughts
Spread: 9-7
Season: 18-14
Picks: 9-7
Season: 23-9

There are only 3 things you can count on in the NFL. The over on the Saints, the Browns are awful, and Joe Buck is as useful as a bloody tampon.

Weekly Predictions: Week 2

Would someone please tell me what the FUCK happened Monday night?? How the hell do the Bills destroy the Patriots for 57:53 of the game, then find a way to "steal defeat out of the jaws of victory". Then, the Oakland Raiders.... THE OAKLAND RAIDERS!!!.... run all over the Chargers, yet still end up loosing with :18 left.

Upsets. Nobody decided to cover this weekend. All the big teams wanted to do was score just enough to win or just shit the bed and loose. At least Florida managed to act like an elite team this weekend (by winning another cupcake game)
Lets take a look at how I got bent over this weekend on picks.
NCAA
Spread: 3-8
Season: 7-14

NFL
Spread: 9-7
Season: 9-7
W-L: 14-2
Season: 14-2

Bets
Weekend: 2-8 (ouch!)
Season: 3-9

Every at ESPN is calling this "Revenge Weekend" in college football. That is really a stretch. They will do anything to create a story sometimes. The only real "revenge" will be Urban Meyer giving Lane Kiffin a public colonoscopy on national television Saturday. Miami is not mad at Ga Tech. Tech just ran all over them. Texas is not mad at Texas Tech. They lost to them fair and square last year. There were no blown calls, no cheating, nothing.

My picks for the weekend. (picks in bold, home team in CAPS)
NCAA
Georgia Tech (+5) over MIAMI
Boise St. (-7) over FRESNO ST.
UNC (-7.5) over East Carolina
Utah (+5) over OREGON
UCLA (-12.5) over Kansas St.
WASHINGTON (+18.5) over USC
Michigan St. (+10) over NOTRE DAME
WVU (+7.5) over AUBURN
FLORIDA (-29.5) over Tennessee
Cal (-14) over MINNESOTA
BYU (-7.5) over Florida St.
Texas Tech (+17.5) over TEXAS
Cincinnati (pick) over OREGON ST.

NFL
Oakland (+3) over KANSAS CITY: Kansas City is a mess on defense and Oakland can run on almost anyone. That's right I said it. Almost anyone.
TENNESSEE (-6.5) over Houston: Tennessee is no joke. This team finally got some receivers.
New England (-3.5) over NY JETS: I have gone back and forth on this some much its crazy. But everyone is loving the Jets. What does that mean.... take the Patriots. Never go against the Patriots.
GREEN BAY (-9) over Cincinnati: Chad Johnson thought it would be funny to say he was gonna do the Lambeau Leap after his touchdown to protest that it is still allowed as a touchdown celebration. What is really funny? Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson said he is gonna score a touchdown.
Minnesota (-9.5) over DETROIT: The only way the Lions keep this close, is if Minnesota runs it the entire second half and kills the clock.
New Orleans (pick) over PHILADELPHIA: If McNugget was playing in this game I would lean towards Philly. This game will be lower scoring than people think.
ATLANTA (-6) over Carolina:
Indianapolis (-3) over MIAMI:
Cleveland (+3) over DENVER: Carolina, Miami, Denver. My preseason picks for teams most likely to have a drop off. They are fitting the bill so far.
St. Louis (+9.5) over WASHINGTON: I know St. Louis is terrible. But the Skins have a tough time moving the ball offensively. Santana Moss was a ghost last game against NY.
JACKSONVILLE (-3) over Arizona: Will Arizona really start 0-2. I say yes. Expect to see Matt Leinart by week 10.
Seattle (+1.5) over SAN FRANCISCO: The Niners are a strong defense with a good running game. This game will come down to QB play and Hasselbeck is the much better QB.
BUFFALO (-5) over Tampa Bay: This would be much more certain a pick if this game was in December and it was -25 degrees out. I am sold on Buffalo as a better team then originally anticipated, especially the defense. T.O. is already working on imploding this team so I guess it is better this game is not in December.
Baltimore (+3) over SAN DIEGO: Chargers starting center is hurt. L.T. is banged up. Now the other Big East Bruiser (Ray Rice) is going to make his mark against this defense.
Pittsburgh (-3) over Chicago: Cutler was a disaster under Green Bay's pressure. That happens to be Pittsburgh's speciality.
NY Giants (+3) over Dallas: Romo might of have a good day, but that was against a completely gutted Tampa D. He is gonna be on his back all night (and not with some chick riding him). Dallas's "good defense" gave up 450 yards to Tampa Bay. 450 YARDS!!! Expect 130 and 2 touches out of Brandon Jacobs.

NFL Winners:
Oak, Tenn, NE, GB, Minn, NO, Atl, Wash, Jax, Sea, Buf, Cle, Bal, Pit, NYG, Ind

Sexy Girl of the Week:
Christy Cooley (wife of Redskins TE Chris Cooley and former Skins Cheerleader)

Writings on the Reg

Quote of the week: "There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. "

Movie Review: sorry got nothing. Haven't seen anything new recently.

This Week in Bitching:
Well it is official. The Pirates have managed to get over 81 losses for the 17th straight season. The rebuilding has been in progress, but is getting nowhere. They have been TERRIBLE recently and have given up on the season. Time for another new manager, but they need to find one who actually gives a shit.

Stats of the week:
1) The Pirates continue to get killed on the road. They have a worse road record (19-54) than the Nationals (21-51)
2) The Pirates still have a winning record at home. (36-34)
3) The Pirates are only 5.5 games better than the Nationals
4) The Toronto Blue Jays lead the majors in Hits (594) and Batting Average (.281), yet have a loosing record. (66-79)

Weekly Predictions: Week 1

Picks for the first week of the NFL season and the 2nd week of the college football season.
Picks in Bold

NCAA
GA Tech (-5.5) over Clemson
Georgia (-7) over South Carolina
UCLA (+8.5) over Tennessee
Notre Dame (-3.5) over Michigan
Buffalo (+10.5) over Pitt
TCU (-11) over Virginia
OK St. (-15) over Houston
USC (-6.5) over Ohio St.
Utah (-13) over San Jose St.
Oregon St. (-7) over UNLV
Florida (-36) over Troy

NFL
Tennessee (+6.5) over Pittsburgh: Steelers win but by less than a touchdown
Atlanta (-4) over Miami: The 2 turn around stories of last year, Miami is the one due for a disappointment.
Kansas City (+13) over Baltimore: Baltimore will run a ton in the second half and keep the score low
Cincinnati (-4) over Denver: Denver can't throw the ball. Bengals can.
Minnesota (-4) over Cleveland: Peterson may have 200 yrds rushing, if they keep him in after they are up by 3 touchdowns.
NY Jets (+5) over Houston: Houston will make mistakes, but have enough talent to squeak this one out.
Philadelphia (-1) over Carolina: The Panthers are my pick for "biggest drop off from last year"
Indianapolis (-7) over Jacksonville: Jags are a mess. Indy doesn't loose early in the season.
New Orleans (-13) over Detroit: Brees has 250 yards and 3 TDs by halftime.
Tampa Bay (+6) over Dallas: Tampa runs the ball a ton and keeps the game close. Dallas wins though
San Francisco (+6.5) over Arizona: The only game I am actually picking and upset. Arizona will have a backlash from last years Super Bowl loss.
NY Giants (-6.5) over Washington: Giants will run all over Washington's defense.
Seattle (-8.5) over St. Louis: Seattle begins is ascension back to the top of the NFC West
Green Bay (-3.5) over Chicago: The first of many great battles between Cutler and Rogers.
New England (10.5) over Buffalo: Do you remember what happened last time these 2 played and Brady was at the helm??
San Diego (9.5) over Oakland: The only good team in the AFC West is out to prove why they are the trendy pick for Super Bowl Champs.

Actual Bets:
USC (-7)
TCU (-11)
Florida (-36.5)
Oregon St. (-7)
USC (-7) & Utah (-13.5): Parlay
Texas (o/56.5) & Fla (o/59): Parlay

Possible Bets: (NFL):
Minn (-4)
NE (-10.5)

Sexy Girl of the Week:
Erin Andrews. We're glad to have here back on the sidelines.

Weekend review

After the first week of the season in college football, things were quickly shuffled with the injury to Sam Bradford, and BYU upsetting Oklahoma. Now it looks inevitable that it will be Texas and Florida in the Championship game in January. Lets take a look at the picks from the weekend.

Picks: 4-6 against the spread
Bets: 2-1
I will be back with a breakdown of Week 1 of the NFL and a look at what will be another big weekend in the NCAA.

Weekly Predictions

Before I get into this, something occurred to me today. 2009 has, by far, been the best sports year of my life. A list of things that have happened since the clock struck midnight on 2008.

1) Penn State played in the Rose Bowl (too bad they got curb-stomped)
2) The Steelers won the Super Bowl (which won be $80)
3) UNC won the Basketball National Championship. (my favorite team and I won $40 buck on Michigan St. making the finals)
4) Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby (which won be $500 on 50-1 odds)
5) The Penguins won the Stanley Cup (which won me $120)

The only thing that could make this year better:
1) A good season for the Steelers
2) My 2 favorite athletes having career ending injuries: Ray Lewis and Tim Tebow. Call me old fashioned, but I just can't stand those overrated cock suckers.

On a lighter note...
It has finally arrived. The football season is here (fuck preseason). College Football got off to a fighting start with a sucker punch in last nights Oregon-Boise State game. Both games from last night were very sloppy but we will see how it continues this weekend.

Every week I will look at the weekend lines, games that would be good to bet on, lines to avoid and a breakdown of a few games.
We will call this opening week: (I will name the weeks after the NFL season)

Games of the week: (Pick highlighted in bold)
Ohio State (-22) over Navy. Ohio State is out to prove something for when USC rolls into Columbus.
Akron (+27) over Penn State. Joe Pa doesn't like to run up the score and PSU doesn't cover on big spreads. They will win, but I don't know if it will be by that much.
Ok. St. (-4.5) over Georgia. Georgia was sliced up from last years preseason #1 roster. Expect Oklahoma St. to put up at least 50 on them.
Mizzou (+6.5) over Illinois. Juice Williams may the the most overrated QB in Division 1.
Ok (-22) over BYU. Unless the Mormons pull something out of their ass, Oklahoma will be doing everything they can to run up the score on a ranked opponent.
VA Tech (+6.5) over Alabama. Alabama lost most of it offensive line and the Hokies will be giving them fits all day in the trenches. Bama is at home so they will probably win, but not by a touchdown.
LSU(-18) over Wash St. LSU had the best recruiting class and return a lot of people from last year. They will be making a run for SEC West with Ole Miss.
Ole Miss(-17) over Memphis. Mississippi has the best true QB in the SEC. The line has moved a full point in the last few days. Seems like everyone is loving Ole Miss.
Rutgers(-5) over Cincinnati. The Bearcats lost a lot of people from last year's Big East Champs. Rutgers had a down year last year, but should be better this year. This game could easily decide who will play in the Orange Bowl this year.
Fl St(-6.5) over Miami. Miami is still rebuilding and can't seem to keep their players out of jail. Florida St. got smacked up with some sanctions as well, but they are the better squad.

Games I bet on:
Ole Miss (-16)
USC-San Jose State over 48
OK. St- Georgia over 61.5

Sexy girl of the week:
Tim Tebow's Girlfriend (There are rumors but nothing is confirmed. We will put her up anyways.)

Writings on the Reg

Quote of the week: "Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings."

Movie Review: "I Love You Man" (R)
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) has spent his entire life without strong male companionship. When he asks his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones) to marry him, he realizes he doesn't have anyone to be his groomsmen. A series of quasi-gay "man-dating" ensures until he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel). They hit it off so well it almost ruins Peter's marriage plans. Stupid guy break-up happens and they end up making up in the end. A little too much guy love in this movie. I am close with my friends, but his borders on just gay. There are funny parts, but not their best work.
Grade: B-

Girl of the week:
Rashida Jones


This week in bitching:
The magic number is at 7. If the Pirates loose 7 more games, they will have reached loss #82 on the season. This will seal the deal on a record 17th consecutive loosing season for the franchise. They have 32 more games left, so they would have to go 26-6 for the rest of the year (which I highly doubt). The team will most likely reach at least 19 loosing seasons before they are able to turn this thing around.

Stats of the week:
1. Zach Greinke's stats from the last 2 games: 17 innings 6 H 2 ER 20 K.
2. Cliff Lee's stats since coming to Philly. 6 games. (5-1) 45 innings 44 K ERA 1.80
3. Pirates continue to be good at home. Home record: 35-29
4. They are getting killed on the road. Road record: 18-46
5. They seem to night owls too. Day record: 12-29 Night: 41-46
6. They struggle against their own division: 19-35
7. There are 6 teams in the AL with a negative run differential this season
8. There are 9 NL teams with a negative run differential.

20 greatest sports events of the 2000's

As the year begins to end, everyone and their mother will be making the "of the last deacade" lists. My partner in crime and I have decided to get a head start on this, so expect to continue to see this as the year moves along.
I now present the 20 Greatest Sporting Events since the turn of the century.

20.
2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Thursday March 18th – Monday April 7th, 2003
This tournament would be defined by the emergence of 2 future NBA mega-stars, whom managed to simply dazzle in the tournament. Dwayne Wade of Marquette and Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse would both lead respective teams to the Final 4. Anthony would get the better part of it by helping the Orangemen defeat Kansas in a thrilling 81-78 victory to win the National Championship. Anthony would also receive Most Outstanding Player honors.

19.
2002 World Series
Saturday October 19th – Sunday October 27th, 2002
All hail the Rally Monkey! The west coast World Series as it was called was very back and forth for the first few games. In game 6 the San Francisco Giants were leading the Anaheim Angels 3 games to 2. The Giants had just won game 5 by a score of 16-4 and Barry Bonds was having a monster series. Trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the 7th, the Angels needed a spark to get going. With 2 on and 1 out, the Rally Monkey came on the Jumbotron and lit up 45,000 Angels fans. Scott Spiezio hit a 3 run home run and the rally was on. The Angels put up 3 more runs in the 8th and were able to hold on 6-5 forcing a game 7. Garret Anderson would hit a bases loaded double in the 3rd inning of game 7 and the Angels would go on the win the game 4-1 and the series 4-3. This would be the first World Series championship in the history of the Anaheim Franchise.

18.
2008 US Open
Thursday June 12th – Monday June 16th 2008
A course tough enough that the after 72 holes, 2 people tie for the lead with a score of -1. Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have to play a full round of golf on Monday. Through 10 holes of the playoff, Woods has a 3 stroke lead. Mediate would roll 3 straight birdies to have a 1 stoke lead going to the 18th. Just like the day before, Woods makes a good put to birdie the hole and we have to play 1 more. Mediate would bogey the sudden death hole and Woods would walk away with the US Open Championship that took 91 holes to settle. Shortly after, we would find that Tiger was playing with a double stress fracture on his left tibia and require surgery on his ACL as well, meaning he played through pain for nearly the entire tournament.

17.
2008 NCAA Basketball Championship
Monday April 7th, 2008
For the first time since they began regional seeding teams in the tournament, all four #1 seeds made it to the Final 4. Memphis, UNC, UCLA and Kansas all won their regions, and in the Final 4, Kansas rolled UNC and Memphis defeated UCLA. Memphis was yet to trail in the second half of a game the whole tournament and Kansas had just destroyed the top overall seeded UNC Tarheels. A back and forth game had Kansas leading 33-28 as they entered the locker room at half time. Memphis came back and built a 7 point lead with 5 minutes left and a 9 point lead with 2:12 remaining. Kansas would continue to foul as Memphis, who had struggled all season and all tournament with free throw shooting, missed 4 of 5 free throws in the last 2 minutes. Kansas would put up 9 points to close the gap to 3. With 2.1 seconds left, Kansas guard Mario Chalmers made an amazing 3-pointer over a defender to tie the game and send it to overtime. In OT, Kansas would ride that momentum to take the championship 75-68.

16.
Super Bowl XXXVI
Sunday February 3rd, 2002
Entering the game the New England Patriots were 14 point underdogs. But everyone was amazed when they were leading 14-3 at halftime and 17-3 into the 3rd quarter over the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams. However, Kurt Warner and the Rams charged back in the 4th scoring 2 touchdowns and tied the game at 17. QB Tom Brady took the Patriots 53 yards in 9 plays and 1:23. With 7 seconds left K Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48 yard field goal as time expired. It is the only time in Super Bowl history a game has ended with a score on the last play.




15.
Lance Armstrong wins 7th Tour de France
Saturday July 2nd to Sunday July 24th, 2005
This actually began in 1999 when Lance Armstrong, after recovering from cancer, rode to his first Tour de France. But in 2005, he rode and won his record setting 7th (consecutive) Tour. 21 stages over 3,607KM (2,241 miles). That’s the exact same distance as riding from Detroit, MI to Seattle, WA!! He attempted a comeback this year but finished a modest 3rd.

14.
2006 World Cup Final
Sunday July 9th, 2006
With Germany as the host country, they were eliminated from the tournament by Italy. They did however defeat Portugal in the 3rd place consolation game. Italy entered the final to take on France and arguably the best player in the game, Zinedine Zidane. He would score early but Italy would respond with a goal 15 minutes later. Despite a few close calls, the score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation. In the extended time, Italy’s Marco Materazzi made a comment to Zindane, upsetting him enough to head butt Materazzi in the chest are receive a red card. (It was later determined that Materazzi tugged on Zidane’s shirt. Zidane said “you can have it after the game”. Materazzi replied “I would rather have your whore of a sister.” Side note: it is usually tradition to exchange jerseys with the other team after the game) It would go all the way to penalty kicks and Italy would win that 5-3 and take the World Cup championship back to Rome.

13.
2007 AFC Championship Game
Sunday January 21st, 2007
The 2 elite QBs of the decade clash on the national stage again. New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts. Brady vs. Manning. Brady had taken the previous 2 encounters as Manning struggled every time he played in snowy Foxboro, MA. This time Indy had home field advantage and was hoping to change their stars. NE started out with a lucky break and had an offensive fumble recovered in the endzone by guard Logan Mankins. Then a Manning INT taken back for a touchdown and a rushing touchdown for NE and it quickly looked liked like it was same story different chapter at 21-3 Patriots. Manning kept a cool head and drove the team 80 yards to get a field goal before half time. In the second half, the Colts got 2 touchdowns then got a break as C Jeff Saturday landed on a fumble in the endzone to tied the game at 28. Down 34-31 with 3:49 left, Manning marched the Colts down the field and a Joe Addai 3 yard TD rush with 1 minute remaining gave Indy a 38-34 lead. They were able to hold on and Peyton Manning was able to finally exercise the demons of the New England Patriots.

12.
2008 Wimbledon Final
Sunday July 6th, 2008
Another meeting between the 2 best tennis players on the planet. #1 Roger Federer vs. #2 Rafeal Nadal. Federer was ranked #1 in the world for an unprecedented 237 consecutive weeks coming into the match. Nadal had long been a thorn in the side of Federer, and was ready to take over as the world's #1 player. Nadal jumped out to a quick 2 set lead, but Federer would fight back and tie it going into the 5th and final set. They exchanged one great hit after another until a 9-7 tiebreaker finish that Nadal would finally arrive the victor. The match lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes due to 2 separate rain delays throughout the match. Nadal would become #1 in the world after this, but would loose the rankings when he was injured earlier this year.

11.
Game 3 of the 2001 World Series
Tuesday October 30th, 2001
Just 49 days after the attacks of September 11th, President George Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series in Yankee Stadium. In front of 57,000 fans, George Bush stands on home plate, waves and smiles at the crowd, and throws a perfect strike. That pitch was more important than any other pitch… ever.

10.
Super Bowl XXXIV
Sunday January 30th, 2000
The first major professional championship of the new millennium came down to 1 yard. The surprise St. Louis Rams and former grocery boy Kurt Warner rolled into the Atlanta Georgia Dome with a high flying offense a record of 15-3. The Tennessee Titans got there on a series of tricks and good defense but had a record of 16-3. Defense was the name of the game for the first half as St. Louis lead 9-0. They lead 16-0 until Tennessee mounted a comeback and tied the game at 16. Late in the 4th, a Kurt Warner 73 yard touchdown pass to Issac Bruce gave the Rams a 23-16 lead. The Titans took the ball at their own 10 with 1:54 remaining. They managed to march 80 yards to the St. Louis 10 with 6 seconds left. Steve McNair then completed a pass to WR Kevin Dyson but was wrapped up at about the 2 ½ yard line by LB Mike Jones. Dyson stretched out with the ball but ended up 1 yard short as time expired. MVP honors would go to Warner (24 of 45, 441 yrds 2 TDs) in one of the closest Super Bowls ever, by yardage at least.

9.
Games of the XXIX Olympiad
Friday August 8th, 2008 – Sunday August 24th, 2008
The world’s greatest athletes not playing in an American professional sport gather every 4 years to run, jump, swim and throw shit against each other. Despite the looming concept of the Chinese Communist Government and the extreme pollution of Beijing, it managed to be quite amazing. 2 athletes will stick out from this year more than any other. The amazing Usain Bolt, whom broke the World Record in the 100m dash (6.69sec) and the 200m dash (19.30sec). The most amazing thing about him is that he won and was so far ahead he cruised through the finish line. The other is the incomparable Michael Phelps, who won a record 8 gold medals and broke 7 World Records in the pool. 2 of the victories were won by fractions of seconds. Also, Nastia Luikin was the first American to win the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics Gold since Mary Lou Retton, and made us all register on Megan’s Law. (Nastia Liukin --->)


8.
The Tuck Rule Game
Saturday January 19th 2002
If you live in the New England area, this game is simply know as the “Snow Bowl”. With the New England trailing the Oakland Raiders 13-3 at halftime, NE QB Tom Brady leads his team down the field and scores on a rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 3. Running the 2 minute drill, Brady takes the Patriots down field but is hit on a cornerback blitz and fumbles, which is recovered by Oakland. The play is reviewed, reversed and ruled to be an incomplete pass, birthing the “Tuck Rule”. Brady then completes a pass to David Patton to the 29 yard line. At this point there were several inches of snow and intense winds, but Adam Vinatieri kicks an amazing 45 yard field goal to tie the game at 13. In overtime, Brady would march 65 yards down the field and Vinatieri would make a 23 yarder to win the game.

7.
2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (BCS National Championship Game)
Friday January 3rd, 2003
The University of Miami Hurricanes entered the National Championship as 11½ point favorites over the Ohio State University Buckeyes. However, Ohio State defense was better than people expected and was leading 17-7 in the third quarter. Late in the 4th quarter and trailing by 3, Miami forced OSU to punt. That punt was returned 50 yards by Roscoe Parrish and Miami kicker Todd Sievers kicked a 40 yard field goal as time expired to force overtime. OSU converted 2 4th downs and the teams exchanged touchdowns. Then in the 2nd OT, OSU scored and was able to stop Miami despite have 1st and goal on the 1 yard line. It would be the first National Championship for Ohio State since 1970.

6.
Super Bowl XLIII
Sunday February 1st, 2009
The surprise Arizona Cardinals make a ridiculous run to reach their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The Pittsburgh Steelers are going for their 6th Super Bowl victory. 98 million Americans watch the game making it the most watched game in Super Bowl history. With Arizona driving at the end of the first half down 10-7 at the Pittsburgh 1 yard line, QB Kurt Warner was intercepted by Pittsburgh LB James Harrison who returned it 100 yards for a touchdown and the longest play in Super Bowl history. Down 20-7 to start the 4th quarter, Arizona’s offense came alive. Larry Fitzgerald caught 2 touchdown passes included a slant pattern that went untouched for a 64 yards to take a 23-20 lead. Pittsburgh took the ball with at their own 22 yard line with 2:37 left. QB Ben Roethlisberger marched the Steelers down the field to the Arizona 6 yard line after a 40 yard completion to WR Santonio Holmes. After a dropped pass in the left corner of the endzone by Holmes, Roethlisberger found him in the right corner. Holmes was able to barely get both feet in and it is ruled a touchdown. (The play was reviewed but the call stood) Pittsburgh won 27-23 and Holmes was rewarded MVP with 9 catches for 131 yards and 1 touchdown.

5.
Super Bowl XLII
Sunday February 3rd, 2008
The New England Patriots were 18-0. They had NFL MVP Tom Brady and the highest scoring offense of all time. The Giants were a Wild Card team that managed to work its way through the playoffs, so naturally New England was a 2 touchdown favorite. However, New York’s defensive line gave Brady fits all day as the score of the game was a surprising 7-3 NE heading into 4th quarter. The teams exchanged scores and NE lead 14-10 with 2:39 remaining and NY at its own 17 yard line. The Giants would drive but stall at their own 44. On 3rd and 5 with 1:44 remaining NY QB Eli Manning barely avoided a sack and completed a preposterous 32 yard completion to David Tyree. Tyree used his helmet to catch the ball while being mauled by safety Rodney Harrison. This play would then be known as “The Helmet Catch.” Manning would then find receiver Plaxico Burress in the endzone with :35 left on the clock and NY would pull of one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history 17-14.

4.
2009 Stanley Cup Finals
Saturday May 30th – Friday June 12th, 2009
A grueling 7 game series was a repeat of the finals from 2008, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4 games to 2. The face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, lead the Penguins into battle, but Detroit took a 2-0 series lead after the opening weekend. Pittsburgh tied the series at 2 after the games were played at home in Mellon Arena. Game 5 would be a blow out as Detroit would roll 5-0 and it seemed like the Red Wings would be raising the Cup in Pittsburgh for the second straight year. The Penguins would come back strong and force a game 7 in Detroit after a 2-1 victory at home. Game 7 would live up to the hype. Max Talbot scored 2 2nd period goals giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. Crosby, the captian of the team, would be injured when checked hard into the boards mid-way through the 2nd. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury playing brilliant in the net as the Penguins would one take only 1 shot on net in the 3rd period. Detriot would get 1 goal, but Fleury continued to stand tall facing sevaral shots in a 6 on 5 in the final minute of the game. Pittsburgh would be victorious 2-1 and win the Stanley Cup. This would mark the return of hockey in the USA, as game 7 drew the highest US television ratings since game 6 of the 1973 Stanley Cup finals.

3.
2006 BCS National Championship Game
January 4th, 2006
The way the BCS was supposed to work. #1 USC vs. #2 Texas. Both teams were undefeated so there were no questions to ask, no reason to debate. Stars everywhere. Leinert, Bush, White, Young, Huff. This game was full of talent. 94,000 people filled the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA to watch an amazing game. It was like a heavyweight fight. Teams were exchanging blows back and forth all game. USC takes a 38-26 lead with 6:42 left on the clock, but Texas would charge back and QB Vince Young would run it in to on 4th and 5 with :19 left to take a 39-38 lead . After a successful 2-point conversion, USC got the ball back with only :08 left on the clock and that was it. Texas wins 41-38. Young would combine for 467 yards throwing and rushing and 3 rushing TDs. Both QBs would go on to be awesome in the NFL… or not.
<--- (At least one made the most of it)



2.
2004 ALCS
Tuesday October 12th – Wednesday October 20th, 2004
Trailing 3 games to none entering game 4 everyone was writing this off as another Red Sox disappointment. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th of game 4, Bill Mueller was able to single home Dave Roberts after he stole 2nd. In the bottom of the 12th, David Ortiz hit a 2-run walk off home run to win the game. In game 5, Boston got 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at 4 again. In the bottom of the 14th, Ortiz singled home Johnny Damon and the Red Sox were back in the series. Game 6 was the infamous “Bloody Sock Game” in which Curt Schilling got the win throwing 7 innings allowing only 1 run with a torn tendon in his left foot. The procedure they used was not strong enough to keep the blood from leaking out. In game 7 Boston rolled to an early 6-0 lead after 2 innings and won the game 10-3. The Boston Red Sox overcame a 3-0 series to defeat the New York Yankees 4-3 and go on to win the World Series. Never before had a team come back from down 3 games to 0. The Yankees had owned the Red Sox since the infamous trade of Babe Ruth on January 3, 1920. The Red Sox had not won a World Series since 1918 when this epic event happened. The Yankees had 26 World Series titles between 1923 and 2000 (including 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000)

1.
2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Monday January 1st, 2007
Oklahoma was hyped up to be a National Championship contender entering the 2006 season. After a 2 early season losses, they battled the rest of the regular season to finish 11-2. Boise State again dominated their schedule finishing an undefeated 12-0, but still did not receive the national recognition they felt they deserved. The game started with Oklahoma being a 7 ½ point favorite. Boise jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and lead 21-10 at halftime. After an Oklahoma field goal made the score 28-20 BSU, the game turned into the best sporting event of the decade. With 1:26 remaining in regulation Oklahoma QB Paul Thompson completed a 5 yard touchdown pass and converted the 2 points to tie the game at 28. (It would require 3 attempts to complete the conversion. Penalties voided the first 2) Then after the ensuing kickoff, BSU QB Jared Zabransky would be intercepted by Oklahoma’s Marcus Walker and it would be returned 34 yards for a touchdown to give Oklahoma a 35-28 lead with 1:02 left. It would seem that Boise State’s Cinderella chances may have come to an end when they reached the OU 42 yard line. It was 4th and 18 with :18 left needing a touchdown just to tie the game. Zabransky completed a pass 15 yards to Drisdan James and it appeared he would be 3 yards short. However, a designed hook and ladder play has the ball tossed to a crossing Jerard Rabb and he streaked down the sideline 35 yards for a touchdown as time expires to tie the game. Then in OT, Oklahoma scores on their first play with an Adrian Peterson 25 yard rushing touchdown. Bosie State gets to 4th and 2 on the OU 5 and completes a touchdown pass to come within 1 at 42-41. Instead of kicking the extra point, they line up with a single back set. Zabransky would then fake as if passing right and hide the ball behind him to run the Statue of Liberty play. RB Ian Johnson would take the ball and run the 2 yards for the 2 point conversion and Boise State would upset Oklahoma 43-42 in only the second BCS Bowl victory by a non BCS conference school. This would be the beginning of the argument for a BCS playoff system to decide the winner instead of just 1 game.