Is It Cool To Lose On Purpose?

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I think everyone out there is pretty familiar with the fan orchestrated campaign a few years back in Indianapolis when they were terrible.  The fans basically decided that the team's season would be more useful to the franchise if they continued to lose and obtain the highest draft pick they could for the 2012 draft and grab superstar college quarterback Andrew Luck.  They ended that season 2-14, got the first pick and drafted Luck.  They have since been 11-5, 11-5 and are 6-3 this season and in first place.  Andrew Luck has been elected to the NFL Pro Bowl in both 2012 and 2013.  He still has a long way to go before he is labeled a very,  very good draft pick but you know what?  I have to say that so far things are turning out pretty well for him, the fans and the Indianapolis Colts franchise.  

Now this does work out for every franchise, as is clearly exhibited by the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They seemingly lose by nature and end up with a pretty high draft pick every year.  They have had the 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 10th, 10th, 8th and 8th overall draft picks going back to the 2008 draft.  Going back to 2008 they have not had more than 8 wins in a season and this year are a sexy 1-9...clearly they need to either suck more or find a new General Manager.  My point is that being miserable is not a guarantee to future success, but Luck is certainly not the only player to turn around a miserable franchise with a top draft pick. 

As a fan of the hapless 2-8 (nice win on Sunday, morons), I constantly battle whether or not I prefer to see them lose so that they might be able to secure that coveted high draft pick in next spring's NFL Draft.  What good does it do them to finish the year with 4 or 5 wins (wishful thinking at best), miss the playoffs and ultimately end up with a draft pick in the low to mid teens.  The sick thing about the Jets getting a good draft pick is that I don't feel all that great about them finding the right talent they need to actually improve the team.  

Let's run through this for a moment - 

1st Rounders in Order - 18th Calvin Pryor, 9th Dee Milliner, 16th Quinten Coples, 30th Mohammed Wilkerson, 29th Kyle Wilson and 5th the infamous (and now resurrected) Mark Sanchez.  This takes us back to 2009's draft and in my opinion the only one here that actually belongs in the first team is Mohammed Wilkerson.  Pryor has potentially but recent reports of him being late for meetings and a subsequent benching leads me to believe that his brain is not into things at the level they need to be.  But maybe that's just me.

For those who don't know, the photos above in order are Sexy Rexy flaunting his tattoo of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey, Sanchez's brilliant butt fumble and oft injured Dee Milliner doing his best hurt face...he is always hurt.  

Where is this all going?  The answer is, I just don't know.  Is it better to lose semi on purpose for a chance at a good draft pick if you don't know what to do with it?  That actually reminds me of a line from Glengarry Glen Ross (Alec Baldwin) which if you don't know is a movie about the inner-workings of a real estate sales office...tell me I'm wrong but how applicable is this to the New York Jets franchise - 

"These are the new leads (for the salesmen to use). These are the Glengarry leads. And to you they're gold, and you don't get them. Why? Because to give them to you is just throwing them away. They're for closers. I'd wish you good luck but you wouldn't know what to do with it if you got it. And to answer your question, pal, why am I here? I came here because Mitch and Murray asked me to. They asked me for a favor. I said the real favor, follow my advice and fire your *expletive* ass because a loser is a loser."

You tell me that doesn't fit the Jets and I'd say you're crazy.  Lose or win for the rest of the season, seems like it won't matter.  

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

Excuse Me Sir, You're Standing On My Throat

How The Sports World Is Beating Me Down Lately

It's been a while since my last post and I know you're probably thinking that I am a lazy bag.  That I don't care to stick to this nice little side project I have kicked off on the tail end of this past summer's scintillating World Cup...you'd probably be right in most cases (I am pretty lazy), but not here.  The truth is that I am burnt out with the sports world right now.  

My teams have been miserable in 2014.  The Mets actually did the best they could but still ended up below .500 in the win column and really showed zero life at the plate.  The bright side is ace pitcher Matt Harvey returns to the rotation next season and that is a very bright side indeed, but it's not enough to get excited about just yet.  

Manchester United (my favorite soccer team) has been so far below average this season that they just keep making transactions, roster shake ups and increasingly annoying predictions from their front office.  Brand new head coach Louis Van Gaal has been flapping his gums since the summer as to how he was going to shake things up at Old Trafford and revitalize the club who has struggled mightily since the departure (retired) of United demi-god Sir Alex Ferguson.  The team lacks identity as all of their players of yester-year are now gone…Ryan Giggs is on the coaching staff but that doesn't seem to be helping…at all.

The Jets make me just sad.  There is very little upside this season other than at least we now know that Geno Smith is not the QB of the future.  Rex Ryan has benched him a few times already during games and has now decided to flat out start Michael Vick this week.  Geno completed more passes to players on the other team (3) than his own (2) before getting the hook.  It's sad, I have removed emotions from the mess and am looking forward to the playoffs.

Moving right along on the Melancholy March, things haven't improved around the NFL with regards to the domestic and substance abuse policies.  Since the start of the season, players have been arrested, arraigned, sentence and so on…it's pretty depressing when you think about getting excited about an organization that allows this type of thing to go on while raking in the dough and not giving back enough to the fans.  

But you know what?  It's our own fault.  Heck, a report came yesterday that at the miserable Jets-Bills game a few fans got into scuffles in the stands with one of them getting knocked out cold.  Is this what we really want to do with our Sundays?  And it's both sides.  The report quotes a high level of intoxication, Buffalo fans being obnoxious and a Jets fan punching his face off.  That's too stressful for my tastes on Sundays.  I have chosen a different path with sports lately, it's one of indifference most the most part.  I enjoy watching small doses and find some stories utterly fascinating like the Royals playoff run (not going well lately) and the lead up to the insanity that will surely come about when the college football mafia begins to determine which teams will be competing in their brandy new COLLEGE FOOTBALL SUPER PLAYOFF EXTRAVAGANZA!!!  Slow golf clap….

Maybe I am just being a crotchety old man who is having a tough time dealing with a recent rough patch with his favorite teams, but the other day while I was working through my drawers of clothing, rotating my warmer weather clothes into the bins for storage and colder weather gear into the drawers I can across a few items of clothing - 

1.  Marc Sanchez jersey (not sure why this wasn't burned)

2.  Jose Reyes jersey (see comment above)

3.  Carlos Beltran & K-Rod t-shirt jerseys smashed into the back of one drawer (you can tell I have been lazy in rotating some years)

4.  And worst of all - Darrelle Revis jersey (a really nice one that was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, incredibly thoughtful!)  The saddest thing about the Revis scenario is now he plays for the Patriots…

Honestly, I have no answers…

Hope this brightened your day by comparison!

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

Get Wifey Off Your Back, It's Only Monday!!

Happy Monday!  My most recent post Saturday afternoon extolled the awesomeness of all that was across the sports universe, especially in college football, MLB, NFL and NHL.  Well, when the dust settled late Sunday night, it was an up and down weekend.  Royals rolled again with a late rally in the top of the ninth to take a 2-0 lead on the O Birds.  The Jets did what they do, which is nothing exciting and even when it gets mildly exciting (making a late 4th quarter drive to tie the game) they find away to throw the game away.  Smith hit the other team with a sick pass that went for 6 points the other way.  At least it wasn't a blow out but it feels bad all the same.  The Rangers got smacked up 6-3 by the Toronto Maple Leafs who are now hang out enjoying Canadian Thanksgiving (get your own holidays!)  Did not make for very good sports TV around the NYC Metro area but the Dallas-Seattle game was a nice one for the national viewers.

You Think Your Wife is Always On YOUR Back?!

All that being said the HIGHLIGHT of the sporting world this weekend was the 2014 North American Wife Carrying Championships held Saturday at Sunday River, Maine.  You would think they would hold them on a Sunday at Sunday River, but whatever.  The rules of the competition are fairly simple - teams of one man and one woman where the woman is carried in some fashion compete in head to head heats to eventually get to the final head to head race.  The 275 yard course includes raised log obstacles, changes in elevation (try running up or downhill with your wife on your back) and what is termed "The Widow Maker" a stretch of waist deep water that essentially turns to a murky mash after competitors start running through it.  

Why do they call it The Widow Maker, you ask?  It's just a dude carrying his lady through waist deep water…sort of like in a romantic comedy starring whoever where the guy valiantly carries his honey to safety and then they make out on the shore of this body of water.  Well, this one is a little different because the male participant typically carries his female counterpart using the sport standard "Estonian carry".  What the heck is the Estonian carry?  Glad you asked!  It's where the "lady" wraps her legs around her partners head and clasps her arms around his waist.  Sounds pretty sexy right?  A whole lot of body contact for an obstacle course…well not exactly.  Picture the hold being an inverted piggyback ride where the woman's head is where her feet would usually be located.  Now image when she is dragged through waist deep (his waist, not hers) and you can see why if the man is not careful to keep his woman's head above the muck he could be looking at a long solo ride home (unless they win of course).  

There are a few other incredibly awesome perks to winning this coveted championship.  First, the winners receive the woman's weight in beer, 5 times her weight in cash and an entry into the World Championships held each year in Finland (where the sport is purported to have originated).  Adding another lay of beauty to the competition - your team's performance (lighter is better) and reward (heavier is better - more beer and dough) all come down to the weight of your wife.  I don't know about you guys, but this is not a conversation that I want to have with me wife heading into this competition.  Maybe this weekend the wife and I will give this a try, probably skipping The Widow Maker.

Enjoy your Monday!!

HAPPY WATCHING!!

Royals Rocking & Rolling

A Very Big Blue Weekend

The BLUES!!!

1.  College Football Jerseys & Natural Light beer cans

2.  Jets blues & The Blueshirts

3.  Big Blue Wrecking Crew

4.  Best one of the weekend the Powder Blue Royals!

Happy Saturday Y'All!!!  College football is in full swing this weekend with some powerful match ups - (2) Auburn vs. (3) Mississippi State, (9) TCU vs. (5) Baylor, (12) Oregon vs. (18) UCLA and a Notre Dame game that is about as close as it gets with UNC as this is being written. (look for updates later in the weekend)

The NFL is looking to continue it's week six with 13 games tomorrow featuring Peyton Manning's Broncos coming to town (NY Jets fan) looking to tie/break Brett Favre's career TD mark.  Peyton needs 5 TDs to tie and 6 to break and honestly with the Jets playing the way they are...this is insanely possible and really I secretly want them to get rolled on.  With Geno Smith going to the movies instead of team meetings, Michael Vick half-assing it in practice as the primary backup with a $4 million dollar salary and above all else, the coaching staff actually siding with them and concocting ridiculous excuses for previous snafus.  I am tired, simply tired of them.  I told a co-worker this week that I was done with them and will instead focus on my fantasy football team and maybe give hockey a shot this year...the New York Rangers looked pretty good the other night in St. Louis, just saying.  My prediction is DEN 42 - NYJ - 6, no record for Peyton this week.

The other major dialogue in the NFL this week seems to be the game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles.  There has been pregame smack talking from both sides, each team has a winning record and more importantly their match ups usually turn out to be close, hard fought games.  Both fans bases are pretty into their teams, the Philly fans are pretty miserable to be around in general and this only makes matters worse.  The game kicks off at 8:30PM Sunday night which means the entire east coast will be watching...the first half at least and then probably flip over to something else or go to bed, thanks for that NFL.  My prediction is NYG 31 - PHI 27 (tiny Eli taunt video can be found on ESPN or just Google it)

The Kansas City Royals have been on fire, but not in the blow out sense.  They haven't been crushing their opponents bones into dust, no they have not!  But man have they been incredibly exciting to watch.  Jumping out to leads, giving them up, getting back in the game and then winning it in extra innings.  This has happened 4 times so far this postseason.  The Powders are 5-0 heading into tonight's game which for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since Ronnie Reagan started his second term as POTUS and that is darned impressive.  They have a nice core of young players who don't have out of this world stats...no 45 homer hitters, no 20 game winners but through timely hitting and smart coaching they are just making it work...so far.  Only time will tell if they can move on to the World Series, it's only one game so far, but those road wins are golden!!

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

If All Else Fails…The Fans Are Entertaining

If All Else Fails…The Fans Are Entertaining

Come one, come all!!  Week 4 in the NFL has come and gone!  Some teams are on the rise and some teams are on the fall.  My beloved Jets are 1-3 and pretty much define the teams on the decline group.  It's early still they say.  It's not over 'til it's over they say.  It's going to be alright, one win can turn around the team/season!  Bah, I say!  I have all too frequently seen this start and it ends in a 7-9 season, maaaaaybe 8 wins with 8 losses - missing the playoffs and getting a run-of-the-mill draft pick somewhere around 17th or so.  We could have kept Sanchez around for this.  At least Sanchez gave us Butt Fumble and that snazzy shoelace headband he started using towards the end of his Jets career.  All I am saying is that if you are like me and your team is 1-3 and on the downturn, call it was it is a lost season.  BUT all hope is not lost - many of us still have our fantasy team(s) after all.  The real teams that can actually make us some dough for our blood, sweat and tears.  Oh wait, what's that your fantasy teams are 0-4.  Oh, um my bad.  I did not mean to bring that up at the same time as bringing up how bad your actual team is too.  

Let's try again - BUT watching the games whether at home or in the stadium can really showcase some of the best talents the game has to offer!!  I have at times this NFL season focused too much on the spousal, child and substance abuses shooting through the airwaves and NFL front offices.  It's probably because those things just get me in a bitter, pessimistic mode.  You couple that with summer not yet releasing New Jersey from it's back sweat inducing heat and humidity and September can be a testy time for me.  Oh, the talents part, right.  Watching football games from your couch or line for the men's' room at your local stadium can still showcase some of the amazing talents in the NFL…this of course belongs to the fans who dress up to see games live in the stadium!!  In case you've missed these in the past, here is a quick swing through the most notable football weirdos (in my mind at least).

Kansas City Chiefs - These Guys

I was watching the Patriots - Chiefs on Monday night and I came across some pretty awesome looking characters in the stands.  I couldn't find a pic of the guy who had RedXtreme on the back of his outfit but it led me to do some search for other examples and it turns out that the Kansas City Chiefs have some very colorful fans.

New York Jets - Jet Man

This story is one of the wackiest given that the Jets had a long time fan o' the stadium in Fireman Ed (first picture below).  He would get on his brother or brother-in-laws shoulders, quiet the entire stadium at the appropriate times (touchdowns, key 4th quarter drives and field goals).  It was great and he was great.  He was at every home game and I believe he even hit the road every now and again.  He was a force to be reckoned with when it came to the Jets, fans, and opponents.  The stadium would erupt in unison with J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!

And then Sanchez came along with his interceptions, the aforementioned Butt Fumble and a whole slew of other on the field miscues.  It boils down to this - head coach backed Sanchez, owner backed Sanchez and to show his support for the failing QB Fireman Ed switched his traditional Bruce Harper jersey to a Sanchez jersey.  Many (well enough) fans thought that he had gone corporate and was no longer a true fan.  This was complete idiocy and was accompanied by constant heckling which led to his eventual refusal to attend games.  Thus his chant leading ended and does not seem to be coming back any time soon.  Not that JetMan (I believe there are a few of them roaming the stadium) is a bad idea in general, but it's no Fireman Ed as the second picture below clearly exhibits.

And now this - 

Washington Redskins - Hogettes

Moving right along, the spotlight scans the country's stadiums and lands squarely on a bunch of dudes.  Not shocking really, a lot of the fans at today's NFL games are dudes.  These dudes however get ready for hard-nosed football and fandom by dressing up as big hogs…in drag.  Yep, grown men dressing up as pigs that kinda look like the nice old lady next door when you were growing up.  I really don't know what to make of that but I guess if that's what they are in to then go for it.  They have been doing it for years so I guess no one messes with them.  I would find it weird though if they dressed up like pigs and chowed down on pork brats and pork ribs…kind of a weird cannibalism thing going on.

It's All About The Make Up & Props!!

This last section is dedicated to the fans who I felt best utilized the combination of make up and props.  They are fierce yet painted…spikey at times yet hair is often braided.  They like silver and black but also deep purple and bright yellow.  Similarly contrasting styles (what?) yet equally as dedicated and intimidating!  They are the Oakland Raiders fans from their Black Hole and Minnesota Vikings fans who come ready to pillage and plunder.  

Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

I can't really determine how much of an impact these fans have on the outcome of their respective team's home games, but man are they entertaining to watch…especially on tv, when they aren’t sweating and yelling within arm's length of me!

Football returns tomorrow night with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Minnesota Vikings in what should be a thrilling NFC North battle.  These teams don't care much for the well being of the other and that makes for great entertainment.

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

Sometimes You Make Your Own Luck (in your brain)

1 In A Row?  Try 15 In A Row!!

Welcome to Hump Day everyone, and I really do hope that the first half of the week has brought you some joy, but it probably has not brought you as much joy (at least monetarily as the pro gambler known as Rex), as winning $57,935 off of a $5 parlay bet on the NFL's week 3 games.  So essentially for those of you out there who are not privy to how this sort of thing works, I will as they say 'splain it to you (well maybe only Rosie Perez says that) - a parlay bet is essentially where you put down a small amount of money $2, $5, $10, etc and take advantage of the odds on the odds so to speak of getting multiple games wagered on correctly.  So if you wager $2 on three games, picking 1 underdog and 2 favorites you greatly increase your payout by adding this 1 game to your parlay.  It's kinda weird to think about it from a higher level view because with a spread you really can't view any team as an underdog, at least not from the Vegas lines perspective.  Ideally, the spreads are put in place to level out the two teams and make it a fair fight.  It's kinda like in Rocky when Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) fights Rocky Balboa in a charity wrestling match…Rocky (a boxer) takes on Thunderlips (a wrestler) in a charity wrestling match in which Rocky is greatly out sized but through the context of a charity event you would think they could level the playing field so to speak and half-box, half-wrestle…not the case.  The lines created by Vegas are there to fool you, and fool you they shall. **editor's note - unless this is the first Eli Manning Giants Super Bowl win where all of the spreads were against them even though you knew they were going to win…right?**

If you do not get the referenced album cover shown above I can't help you, I didn't say that I wouldn't help I just said that I can't help you.  Anyway, so basically this guy only known to us as Rex, not the Sexy Rexy of the New York Jets (shown at the top of the post) has banked over $57K from putting a Lincoln and correctly selecting all 15 games from Sunday and Monday is pretty tough with the spread but even harder STRAIGHT UP.  That means you pick every game's winners without the spread, no half points, no oh man my team is getting 3 points…blah, blah, blah.  What this means is that you pick the team who you think/feel in your bones is going to win that game for 15 games.  Sound easy right?  Give it a go this weekend.  Any inside tips you let me know, first before the spread moves!  wink wink

HAPPY WATCHING!!!

Somali Pirates & Weekend Wackiness

Somali Pirates & Weekend Wackiness

Welcome to Monday!!  I hope that you are as excited as I am that the weekend has faded behind us and the work week lies ahead of us…waiting, watching like a Bengal tiger in the high grass hoping we are wandering around aimlessly so it can pounce on us and chew our faces off.  That what most weeks feel like, right?  Stupid tigers….Or maybe the weekdays are more like pesky Somali pirates - speed boats zipping around surrounding you with guns drawn, screaming who knows what about why they are trying to take your stuff before they hop on-board.  THEN, they take a few things and ransom you back to the local navy.  At least that's how I think it goes when you get hijacked by pirates.  Not as glorious as the pirates of yesteryear but I guess you take what you can get.  OK enough loathing the week that is only a day old…we'll be fine, probably. 

The weekends are never long enough, even the long ones are too short.  I think most of the world agrees that you try to relax a little, sleep a little, eat a little and drink a little and before you know - WHAM!  Sunday night at 10PM.  Like a stiff left hook that knocks you unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator (insert Ray Rice joke here or did I already?) you are wiped out and not ready for the week.  I think that A LOT of the sports world feels very similar…let's investigate shall we??

The leg pictured above belongs to the son of Adrian Peterson (superstar running back for them Minnesota Vikings).  Nope not the one that was assaulted by Addie's baby mama's daddy...no this one was beaten up by AP himself....with a tree branch.  Apparently this passes as normal discipline/abuse in the great state of Texas.  I for one completely understand the to keep kids in line.  If you do not learn right from wrong at an early age, you are very...very unlikely to learn it later on in life.  BUT does anyone think it necessary to beat a 4 year old with a thin branch (similar to a good ol' Singaporean caning) to teach him a lesson?  I think not.  The NFL is a joke.  Minnesota sat AP down for a week while he was indicted/making bail and now he is back at practice...no big deal.  I get innocent until proven guilty, but I feel like the photos make a pretty bold statement as to something might be wrong here.

The picture above is that of Jeremy Kerley making a great catch in the end zone as a result of a BEAUTIFUL pass from Geno Smith of the New York Jets.  It was/would have been a game tying TD reception (PAT pending) against the NFC beasts Green Bay Packers...instead...instead, offensive coach Marty Mornhinweg called a TO right before the snap (confirmed on replay) and the play was called back.  Oddly enough, according to NFL rules (not that they give a flying fart about those lately) only the head coach can call for a time out or a player on the field, like the QB doing the whole play clock winding down TO type thing.  At the end of the day, as a Jets fan...it's ultimately the Jets just being the Jets.  It stinks but that's just how they roll.  Maybe it makes it that much better when they finally stop doing/losing because of stuff like this...maybe, just maybe.

Grilled Cheese Sports Quick Hits

++  We beat Serbia for FIBA Gold 129-92 (that's basketball, in case you weren't sure)  Is this really even fun anymore?  Just letting you know...that's what I do.

++  Redskins quarter back Robert Griffin III injures (dislocates) his ankle, likely done for a long time…if not the rest of the season.  Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to the Kirk Cousins Show!!  That's not a bad thing really if you're a Redskins fan.  Cuz is actually pretty legitimate, he has seen this movie before and I am sure will be completely cool in this role.  What actually sucks more for the 'Skins is that newly acquired Dee-Shawn Jackson was also hobbled on Sunday. 

++  Alex Torres (relief pitcher for the San Diego Padres) wears this gigantic hat and now it's going to Cooperstown!  The MLB Hall of Fame decided that this massive hat was groundbreaking and worthy of at least being worked into a showcase of new items at the BHoF.  Congrats Alex, your hat looks ridiculous, but now you'll be in the Hall of Fame, well your hat will be at least.  More than I can say for any of my hats, most of them have sweat rings and are of the blue and orange variety...but at least we have a no hitter.  Sorry Dads, pitcher's ballpark, you should have one by now.

++  Speaking of hats, is this the most original/bad ass college football helmet around? - NAVY  The logo is awesome and the gold stripe is right in line with their colors, awesome.

Maybe we all need to get back to business...seems like we are falling apart at the seems in the sports world.  Rewind, start over and see how that works.

HAPPY WATCHING!!

USA Barely Beats Puerto Rico! (High Fives) & 1 QB Battle Gets Settled

We Beat Puerto Rico in Basketball!!

Welcome to Saturday!  Beating Puerto Rico is not as hard as it sounds...wait, it doesn't sound hard at all (we won 112 to 86).  (Notice the sick rat tail/moo-lay type thing going on in that pic above.)  It was an exhibition game so it was really about just giving Puerto Ricans a reason to head over to Madison Square Garden last night to generate some revenue, but the PR team does have some solid talent.  However, when looking at games like this I can't help but wonder...Puerto Rico is an island (that the USA kinda, sorta owns) with a total population of just under 4 million people.  The great state of New Jersey has 8 million peeps.  Not to draw comparisons but do we really need to send the whole USA team to fend off Puerto Rico?  Maybe we scale it back for these games and only start guys from say states with a combined population.  North Dakota has 732K souls under its jurisdiction, Alaska has 735K peeps living in its borders and Idaho has 1.6M ladies and dudes (not to even narrow it down to basketball playing aged humans) so maybe we just put together a team from the north western parts of the US of A and see how that goes, just to keep it fair.  I think it wold be kinda nice...why overextend the team's powers when we could probably beat them with a few guys from the University of ND and a couple of potato farmers from Idaho?

Geno Smith Wins the Fake NY Jets QB Battle!

Oh Sanchez, you didn't get the starting gig in New York...oh, no...my bad...awkward, you play for the Philadelphia Eagles now.  Oh man, this is embarrassing...for me.  I...am...sorry.  I thought this was last season, where in last night's pre-season match up with the Giants Rex Ryan led you out to slaughter and even, dare I say, ended your season before it started.  Jerk.   Be that as it may, Rexy has gone with Geno Smith (your understudy) for the starting gig, at least for week 1.  Do you care really?  You're making decent dough holding Nick Foles' playbook...which in my book is not the worst thing.  Congrats to Geno, and good luck!!

English Premier League is in full swing, give it a look.  It's fine...it's on in the morning, no one will judge you!!  NBS Sports Network.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Happy Watching!!!

NFL QB Battle Run Down & Mario Balotelli is an Idiot

QB Competitions & Mario Balotelli Makes Moves

Happy Friday and welcome to the almost weekend!  A few housekeeping items to wade through before we get started, trust me…you'll be happy when it's done.  

1.  Simpsons marathon in full swing on FXX…all 522 episodes (or thereabouts) played in order…25 seasons.

2.  New York Giants versus New York Jets (game played in New Jersey) tonight…week 3 of pre-season is always the most interesting game.  Starters get some real burn.   VICK-GENO will be discussed later.  Thanks Avid Appetite for the pic shown below! The Avid Appetite! My wife likes the Giants, I am a Jets fan...my daughter is being groomed to be a Giants fan (I pushed for the Mets...inevitably 

3.  Nothing to report on the "football players getting pinched for weed" front.  The Pittsburgh RB duo of Blount and Bell are seemingly getting slaps on the wrist and will be ready for your fantasy draft.  Well, maybe there was an update…my bad.

4.  There is a dude in California growing crazy watermelons and pumpkins shaped like hearts and Frankenstein heads…it's pretty cool and thought it was worth mentioning - Nice Melons!!

Ok, time for NFL QB Battle talk!

New York Jets - Geno Smith v. Michael Vick - I really don't think there is much of a battle here but it would be nice if there were.  I am 100% not tied to Geno Smith being the #1 QB for the Jetties this year, but I feel like overall Mike Vick was brought in to back him up and just hang around in case Geno's start this year is a disaster (which it could be).  Newly acquired WR Eric Decker will help this struggling bunch…but is it enough?

Cleveland Browns - Brian Hoyer v Johnny Foosball - This one has already been decided.  Browns head coach Mike Pettine has come out with Hoyer as his week 1 starter.  I do think that this is only temporary, unless Foosball finds a way to screw it up.  The Browns stink and despite being a relatively decent QB Hoyer will take the blame when they are 2-4…Here's Johnny!!


Minnesota Vikings - Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder & Matt Cassel - The Vikes are a mess.  Despite having the best running back in the game (Adrian Peterson) they seemingly can't get the other parts of their offense together…or at least together enough so that they can balance out their attack.  This one doesn't matter but I think Cassel wins out over Bridgewater.  Not really sure why Ponder has fallen out of the race but that seems to be the case.  Ponder has been pretty solid when healthy, while Cassel has been useless when a starter…go figure.  Bridgewater gets the bulk of the snaps by season's end if the Minnesota Petersons can't get a few Ws by November.


Jacksonville Jaguars - Blake Bortles v. Chad Henne - Bortles has been great so far this pre-season and is lady friend (Lindsey Duke) is very attractive, but I don't think that factors into play here.  Henne has been around the block once or thrice and I feel like the hapless Jags need/crave that stability that a Chad Henne led offensive brings (impossible not to laugh uncontrollably).  Either way, this team is not going to be good.  Zero fantasy value as well.

Oakland Raiders - Matt Schaub v. Derek Carr - no one cares.  The Raiders are miserable, key players are always injured (here's looking at you Mr. McFadden) and overall their division is a pretty darned tough one.  They could start either one of these guys and wind up with the same record, 5-11 and miss the playoffs.  Of course they will end up having a few big weeks when you pick them on your eliminator pool, thank Al Davis (shown below)…keepin' it real, real dumb.

Mario Balotelli Headed to Liverpool?

Balotelli is pretty much as crazy as Luis Suarez (the biter).  Both players are awesome forces up top but lack the mental capacity to not be annoying ungrateful bums.  Both guys make a ton of dough (technical term) to play soccer and seemingly are not able to grasp the fact that, that alone is awesome and is the goal of millions of kids around the world.  No, no…not enough for Super Mario though.  Born in Palermo, Italian national team stud…just hates playing by the rules of life.  He thinks everyone is out to get him…maybe in Italy (where he has long suffered racist attacks due to his family's African origins do they refer to him as African-Italian?, that would be funny) they are out to get him.  Otherwise, it's mostly in his head, which is why LFC is putting crazy clauses in his contract.  He goes crazy, he don't get paid...got it?  Good Luck Liverpool, I hope that this move goes tragically wrong for you.  Sorry, but I had to throw that one in there.

Then there's this to send you off to the weekend - 

Again, enjoy your weekend!!!

Happy Watching!!!