Columbus Sleepwalking

Thursday night football has not been seen in Columbus, Ohio since late August of 1997. I know I was there when the Buckeyes defeated the University of Wyoming 23-10 on the banks of the Olentangy where hundreds of thousands of rabid Buckeye fans tailgate with the best of them. I have been to a lot of tailgate parties and the Buckeyes are right there at the top. This Thursday is another celebration for Buckeye fans as the season it's the kick off of the 2010 football season with aspirations of a National Championship not tasted in Columbus in 8 years.

This year's opening foe is Marshall. Another second tiered school in a long line of season openers for the Buckeyes where they are expected to win handily. The Buckeyes do win these games handily but they tend to put a scare in their fans early in the year as coach Jim Tressell tell his players to not think ahead to the next game but doesn't usually practice that as he keeps a tight lock on the playbook running just the basics on their out manned foes.

This is an ongoing trend that you can predict. The last time Ohio State faced Marshall early in the year prior to a big out of conference game place kicker Mike Nugent of the NFL needed to save the day with a 55 yard field goal as time expired to give the Bucks a three point victory in 2003. This was just one year removed from winning a national championship and with all the talent the Bucks had returning they found a way to keep it close to the discouragement of Buckeye fans and sports gamblers.

If anything was learned from that 2003 game against Marshall it was re-enforced the last three years. The past three seasons the Buckeyes have opened up with Akron, Miami of Ohio, and Navy. In each game the Buckeyes were huge favorites including 33 point favorites last year against the Midshipmen and were lucky to escape with a 31-28 victory. Granted the Buckeyes had every opportunity to blow the game wide open but coach Tressell never bothered to get too cute with the play book that allowed Navy to get back into the game along with some scarlet and gray sleepwalking as turnovers and failed fourth down conversions put the 1st string back into the game as Tressell did put in second stringers early in the 2nd half. There wasn't much difference in games the previous two seasons as Ohio State's bland playbook and lethargic play kept games close on the scoreboard with Akron 20-2 and Miami of Ohio 28-17. In both instances the Buckeyes were huge favorites.

What can be expected of this year's opener against Marshall. We can expect much of the same as the Bucks will not be showing much offensively or defensively on film much to the dismay of the high powered Miami Hurricanes who visit the Horseshoe on the Olentangy September 11. If the Buckeyes are going to win a national title they need to win all of their games which leaves no room for error. A team like Miami with it's tall, fast receivers, athletic defense and modern day mad bomber in Jacory Harris can pull off the upset in Columbus but they will not be getting any decent scouring reports with what I expect will be a very tight game not indicative of the 28 point spread.

Quack Attack

Still the most exciting football team in America resides in the Pacific Northwest showing off the colors for Philip Knight's alumni and his business. The school as we should all know is the University of Oregon and their high powered running attack led by LaMichael James the incumbent newcomer of the year in the Pacific Ten and also the latest in a slew of naughty Ducks as James will be suspended for the first game of the season for his offseason debauchery. Not only are the Ducks exciting on the field with the ability to score from anywhere on the field they are also exciting off the field.

In his second season Chip Kelly has had to deal with potential Heisman Trophy candidates getting more time out of uniform than in the green and gold with occasional other colors per the interest of Nike. Last year it was LeGarrette Blount who was suspended indefinately after a opening game punch seen on national television that prompted the head coach to re-act early in his head coaching career. Coach Kelly had every right to forgive his star running back in 2009 but set the standard that the inmates were not going to run the asylum and what an asylum in is in the otherwise peaceful hippie town of Eugene, Oregon. This year it was returning Heisman candidate Jeremiah Masoli who stole the off season Duck mug shot with his pleading guilt to robbery and than breaking the camels back for getting caught with weed by a cop in Oregon known for its lush climate ideal for growing marijuana which is ok in the eyes of a lot of qualified medicinal doctors along the Pacific Coastline.

Well last year it was goodbye LaGarrette, hello LaMichael. This year it's so long Jeremiah and hello Darron Thomas. With Thomas the Ducks get a little bit taller at the QB position not that it helps but considering the Ducks offense Thomas can run the ball when needed but who needs to when the Ducks have a slew of running backs, enough to take up Barry Switzer's the old Sooner wishbone offense. Thomas could be the answer to the problems that haunted the Ducks in last year's hard fought loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Masoli was ineffective in the passing game often having problems with the taller Buckeye lineman who appeared to cloud his vision as Masoli was victimized by untimely interceptions and tipped passes the downfall of the short QB. Thomas at 6'3" and mobile has exceptional arm strength that should upgrade the Duck passing game and if he cannot come through early fifth year senior Nate Costa is in the waiting to pick up any opportunities to play with a very talented offensive machine.

If the Ducks are going to contend for the National Title which many experts feel is realistic they will need to step up their defensive efforts. Last year's Rose Bowl Duck squad although talented had a tough time keeping the Buckeye offense off the field as Ohio State was able to sustain long drives which ultimately proved the difference as the Buckeyes won the game. If the Ducks are going to compete against the more prominent teams outside the Pacific Ten they will need to be more efficient on third down defense.

Know one thing for sure, these are not cute little Ducks. There is a $500 fine for killing Ducks in Eugene but you better be ready to defend yourself when you play Oregon. These Ducks are mean, they got teeth and they will do anything necessary to kick the bejeezies out of you. Heck, their own mascot the goofy smiling Duck is a sicko with his sadistic habits of stomping Cougars, Bears, Huskies, Trojans, Wildcats, Beavers, and that gay little Scum Devil that runs around the Pacific Coast. Rest for one second on these Ducks you can expect to be kicked in the ass, have your throat stepped on or a big floppy web toed footprint to be embedded in your back. So don't take these Ducks lightly they are contenders.

Bet with Elvis

Let's not fuck around this season with our sports betting habits. Let's start out with the smartest investment you can make. The hell with buying sports betting insurance from a sports book that is just a bunch of bullshit. Let your money do your talking and the best bet of the season is the NFL future bets. The season is 16 weeks long and by looking at the schedule, considering last year's team and the chemistry of the team you can make a very strong assessment. So this year take half your bi-monthly paycheck and throw it down on one team. This year's team is the Tennessee Titans, they need to win at least eight games and I am going to tell you why this is a sure thing?

Scheduling: The Titans got off to a horrible start in 2009 losing their first 6 games before ownership came through with forcing the hand of Head Coach Jeff Fisher to pull the aging Kerry Collins in favor of the franchise Quarterback selected in 2006 with the 2nd overall selection Vince Young. Vince showed he was back to his old form as a rookie in 2006 when he led the Titans to the playoffs before being supplanted in 2008 by Collins. The season starts out against Oakland, the doormat of the NFL despite that old prune Al Davis claiming otherwise as he likened himself with George Steinbrenner as the two elite owners in all of sports. Playing the Raiders at home in week one Titan season bettors should realize they are either going to lose the bet right away if they cannot beat the Raider or they will be one game closer to a season ending payday. Remember half those monthly earnings on the Titans to win 8 or more this season. After the Raider the Titans gets two of their next three at home.

In week two the Titans face the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers. Say as much as you want about Big Ben being a soiled diaper on the ass of society but Ben has earned two Super Bowl rings before his 28th birthday and the win over the Cardinals in February of 2009 was all about Big Ben imposing his will to win his second Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers will be a better team to face early in the season as they will open up with either Dennis Dixon or the ever immobile Byron Leftwich who is a sandwich waiting for the speedy athletic front four of the Titans to devour. The Steelers will also be without their leading receiver of last year Santonio Holmes and debut a new running back in Rashad Mendenhall.

Week three could be the toughest game of the early season for the Titans as they have to travel to New York to face the Giants. Hopefully the time the Titans reach the new Meadowlands they should be 2-0 with a winning attitude that is ready to take down the Giants on the road.

Week #4 the ailing Denver Broncos pay a visit to the Music City. Right now the Broncos pose very little threat with Kyle Orton under center and a defense riddled by season ending pre-season injuries most notable their top pass rusher outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil. The only Elvis in the house in Nashville on October 3rd will be the legion of Elvis impersonators in the stands.

The game is not played on paper so strictly looking at the schedule is not enough to predict a minimum of 8 wins for the Titans. The two key ingredients to winning a Super Bowl is a vaunted rushing attack and solid defense.

No team in the NFL is better suited to run the ball than the Tennessee Titans. First off is the hogs up front. Despite not having any household names on the offensive line the Titans return four of the five guys up front with only Leroy Harris as a newcomer for an offensive line that paved the way for 2,000 yard rusher Chris Johnson. If an offensive line is judged on how many yards their running backs gain then this unit gets an A plus. Making this unit even more impressive is the history of Titan football. The Titans have been one of the top rushing teams in the NFL for the past decade. These guys come in and learn how to run block from day one.

Now the man who needs no introduction the fastest man in the NFL and the most recent member of the 2,000 yard club and friendly contract extension; Chris Johnson might have a mouthful of gold teeth but there is nothing tacking about his running style. He will run right by you with that extra gear the scares the league’s fastest defensive backs. Johnson is a game changer. He can score from anywhere on the field and with a guy like that he is worth winning at least one road game the Titans shouldn’t win.

While Johnson is not running the ball Vince Young will be passing the ball but if he decides to pull the ball down he has great speed that can get away from lineman and has the size to run over defensive backs and he can take his choice with the linebackers of run around them or run over them. Granted the Titans do not want to see VY get physical with a linebacker so chances are if he cannot outrun them he will take the easy way out of bounds but not until picking up positive yardage.

On defense the Titans much like their offensive line do not have a lot of name players but what they do have is a lot of speed and athleticism which will cause nightmares for opposing offenses that will not be able to tire down the Titans and their depth especially on the line. For years the Titans have been among the league leaders against the run and that is not about to change this season and with the pass rushers this will help the defensive backfield that has been improving to not have to cover their man as long as most d-backs in the league. Also like the offensive lineman are taught from day one in Nashville how to run block and be physical the Titan defense is taught how to defend the run which they do better than average and are often at the top of the league in this category and after 16 seasons there is no reason for coach Jeff Fisher to alienate this plan.

Prediction for the Titans this season will be at least 11 wins as they will fly past the magic number of 8 in late November.

Sports Betting: It's Fantastic

Sportsbetting it is allowed in Nevada along with Oregon and Delaware. The NFL does not want sports betting allowed anywhere but Nevada. Obviously Nevada is too well established to care about the NFL's opinion of sports betting, specifically football. Fact is whether betting $5 or $5000 on a football game it makes the game more interesting.

I am not a big sports bettor but putting a $20 spot on last week's PGA Championship for Tiger Woods to win at 13-1 made the event very entertaining for me. I lost but if I had a chance I would do it again. I don't like to lose but the entertainment value was priceless.

In football my greatest bet was my first legal bet in 1988 in Las Vegas. The University of Southern California was led by future NFL Quarterback Rodney Peete. The Trojans were undefeated opening up the season with a big east coast victory over Boston College, and followed that up with 4 more victories including wins over college football powerhouse #3 Oklahoma where they thoroughly whipped the Sooners and an impressive whipping of #18 Oregon by the scores of 23-7 and 42-14.

Meanwhile the Huskies looked lackluster in a 35-31 win at home against west coast patsy San Jose State and were beaten at home by SC's rival UCLA in Seattle. The oddsmakers were all over the Trojans making them a 13.5 point opening line favorite. By the time I got off a small 20 seat jet from Santa Barbara in the city of sin the Trojans were up to 15 points in most casinos and by the time I placed my bet at Barbary Coast the curernt site of Bill's Gambling Hall and Taven just across the street from Ceasar's Palace I had 14.5 points with the Huskies.

The game opened slowly with USC putting up the only score of the first quarter taking a 7-0 lead. The second quarter starter out bad for Husky bettors with USC cashing in with another touchdow to increase their lead to 14-0 and it appeared to be off to the races for the Trojans as they were driving for a third score when an untimely turnover gave the Huskies the ball deep in their own territory but kept the Trojans from blowing the game wide open. The Huskies were able to cut into the Trojan lead converting the turnover into a touchdown scoring drive led by Husky QB Cary Conklin making the score 14-7 heading into half time.

The second half started out much like the first half with the Trojans driving but not able to convert in Husky territory for any points. The Huskies seemed to have new life as they warded off the Trojans and opened up the scoring in the 2nd half to tie the game at 14-14. It was now an even game the 19th ranked Huskies despite being a 15 point underdog was knotted up in the second half with the #3 ranked Trojans. The Trojans would score again in the 3rd quarter to take a 7 point lead at 21-14 heading into the decisive and final quarter.

At plus 14.5 points I was feeling really good and would start to feel great as the Huskies answered the Trojans early in the final quarter to make it 21 apiece. With under 8 minutes remaining USC satisfied their hungry fans with putting another touchdown on the board and a 7 point lead. Still I was winning the bet by 7.5 points and would need a complete meltdown against SC in the latter half of the quarter. Highly unlikely and certainly not improbable. What would happen next would make this an ESPN classic.

USC would stop the Huskies on their ensuing drive and woudl take over the ball with under 6 minutes remaining. Behind Peete the Trojans would drive towards mid-field but an inspired Husky defense would put the clamps down forcing a punt by SC. Faced with a long field un-heralded but also future NFL back-up QB Conklin would miraculously pull of 3rd down and 4th down conversions before scoring what appeared to be a tying touchdown in the final seconds of the game to make the score 28-27. Back in 1988 thre were no overtimes in college football and Head Coach Don James called on his Huskies to go for the win rather than settle for the chip shot extra point for a tie. Luckily for SC future NFL All-Pro and Chicago Bear Mark Carrier would make the game saving play in the end zone tipping a Conklin pass and preserving the SC victory.

Meanwhile I was holing a ticket for $2750 to win $2500 on the Huskies. UW was too good of a team to be getting more than two touchdowns and darn near pulled out the victory. I would celebrate that night at Ceasar's Palace by putting a $550 to win $500 on the over 6.5 in game one of the World Series between the heavily favored Oakland A's and gimply Kirk Gibson. Three innings before Gibby hit his infamous walk off home run to win game 1 the A's had takena 4-3 lead on the Dodgers sealing my victory and another $500 win. After resting up that night and before getting on my plane an angel gave me an inside tip while talking on the payphone. Again technology is great as cell phones were not in style in 1988. My angel told me to take the hard luck Cleveland Browns at home -2.5 against a beat up NY Jets team. The Browns had just come off a championship game vs. Elway the year before and were loaded but had yet to hit their stride. That October 16,1988 day in Cleveland they hit their stride defeating the Jets 19-3 and covering my 2.5 points. That was a sweet $1100 ticket I was holding right there and than.

All in all that weekend in Vegas I walked out with $4000 in winnning but was netting barely over $3000 after the airfare expense, hotel expense, drinks, food, etc. I might have won but as always one way or another Vegas always gets their cut and it was a healthy cut into my winnings.

As for the NFL and the naysayers. I couldn't have had such a great memory of college football without having placed a few dollars on what I remember as the greatest game ever and one of my greatest weekends in sports some 22 years ago. Now does it seem fair that the NFL should have all the fun and prohibit us from such fond memories?

Is He Back

No name need be said when it comes to the NFL in August. For years the talk over the summer is will he come back. Will he play with the Pack, the Jets or the Vikes? Where he plays the team is better. Granted the Packers and Jets replaced the legend with viable replacements. As a matter of fact an All-Pro replaced the Hall of Famer in Green Bay. Even with All-Pro credentials the QB position is big on mental play and age works in the favor of the quarterback.

The QB needs to read defenses and make split second decisions. This does not require a 4.5 second 40 yard time or a 38 inch vertical leap. Slit second decisions require experience and recognizing the defense that is being thrown at you or the habits of a Defensive back that the quarterback can use to take advantage of the defense and put some points on the board.

At the age of 40, a grandfather, he is the key to the Minnesota Vikings success. The Vikings have talent throughout their roster on both offense and defense. The offense is spearheaded by Adrian Petersen, one of the best running backs in the NFL behind a talented and physical line. Petersen can run through you, around you and eventually away from defenders. He is the big play guy on offense. But the man under center is the one recognizing defenses and calling the plays. Recognizing a pass defense can open up more big runs for AP all day long. This is why grandpa is so necessary for the Vikings success.

Viking receivers in 2009 were all-world. It's not like Sidney Rice just got good. He got great in 2009 behind the arm of grandpa. Percy Harvin just a rookie was fortunate to have grandpa throwing passes to him as opposed to a unestablished Tavaris Jackson or Shea Rosenfels.

The defense relies on the QB also. When a defense is getting tired the QB has been around and knows that holding onto the ball for a couple of first downs is necessary to give the defense a rest and knows enough to take what he can get to get more snaps.

So before the detractors say grandpa needs to hang it up they cannot underestimate grandpa's value to the Vikings. Sure grandpa is beat up, his body has taken 18 years of speeding linebackers hitting him from the blindside. For 290 plus straight games grandpa has been knocked down by big behemoth men who have piled on him in an attempt to break grandpa down. But grandpa is a tough old bird. He is hurting but he also loves football and with a chance to win one more Super Bowl ring with a serious contender is just too much of a tease for grandpa to ride off in the sunset just yet. It's time for football and grandpa is lacing up his spikes as week speak getting ready for one more year on the gridiron and we should all be so lucky to witness more of grandpa in action.

How Athletic are Pro Wrestlers

How great are pro wrestlers as athletes, you know the WWE entertainment guys that are part of scripted fights. For years we have heard the likes of the Rock claim he is the most electrifying athlete on the face of the earth. We laughed at these so-called athletes for their brash rants. For every poorly spoken super athlete that the WWE has produced including former Atlanta Falcon Defensive Lineman Bill Goldberg an amazing physical specimen they have also produced guys like Dusty Rhodes and Playboy Buddy Rose to specimens of what you would assume to be science fiction if you didn't see them live as they would boast about how they were the world's greatest athletes with their amazing physiques that all the women in the world would swoon over.

Well lets take a look at some of the great athletes that have come through professional wrestling and Andre the Giant the 8th wonder of the world would not constitute a great athlete despite his defeating the human punching bag Chuck Wepner in the freak match of the 70's. Don't short change the Giant, he may not have been an athlete but he did get into the ring with a heavyweight boxer who fought the great Muhammed Ali.

The "Four Horsemen" of the old NWA featured Arn Anderson, the late steroid crazed suicidal freak Chris "The Canadian" Crippler Benoit who took not only his own life but the lives of all his family members and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair who used to get into the ridiculous verbal spats with the human Michelin Man Dusty Rhodes over who could get the most women. None could be considered world class athletes but Flair was not only a state wrestling champ in Minnesota but would go on to earn a football scholarship in the late 60's at the University of Minnesota. So one would wonder how great could Ric Flair be in today's octagon in his prime? The popular answer would be he would get his ass kicked but I beg to differ. Case in point current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar earned honors in the state of Minnesota as a wrestling champ before heading off to the University of Minnesota to play football. Had the UFC been around in the 70's the Nature Boy very well could have traded in his gaudy purple robe along with the foreign object he hid in his trunks for Octagon fame. You may not agree but we will never know. One thing for sure Ric Flair was Brock Lesnar's predecessor in Minnesota state championship wrestling, Big 10 football, and pro wrestling and MMA was not around in Flair's prime. Was Flair crazy enough to get into the octagon, just take a look to the left.

Alongside the Nature Boy in the early 90's another "Four Horseman" came into the NWA with a gaudy resume as Steve "Mongo" McMichael earned all-American honors at the University of Texas as a Defensive Tackle and was recently inducted into the NCAA college football Hall of Fame. Even more impressive McMichael was key member of the Chicago Bears teams that won a Super Bowl in 1985 and earned Pro Bowl Honors in 1987 and 1988 in the NFL.

Going back way deep into the professional wrestling archives is former Bronco, Dolphin, Oiler and Jet Wahoo McDaniel. Hall of Fame and Super Bowl winning quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs Len Dawson claimed the hardest hit he ever took in his football career was by one Indian linebacker named Wahoo McDaniel. As a matter of fact Hall of Famers Broadway Joe Namath and Larry Czonka both commented on Wahoo McDaniel in their autobiographies about how hard Wahoo could hit. Wahoo's career is highlighted by numerous spectacles including 23 tackles against the Broncos while with the Jets, two knocked out policeman while playing with the Dolphins and as a 44 year old man taking down steroid freak Super Star Billy Graham in an arm wrestling match. If you don't think Wahoo was a great athlete than let me know where your name is in the opinions of Hall of Fame football players and have y8ou ever made 23 tackles in a pee wee game let alone a professional football game.

One has to wonder how far Terry Bollea’s athletic career might have progressed had he taken up football or real wrestling after all he was a Hulk of a man as a 6’4” 300 lb muscle bound stud known to most of us as Hulk Hogan. Or Canadian born Larry Shreeve could he have been an MMA star as he was a 7th degree grand master in karate and judo by the age of 17 before Montreal promoter Jack Britton discovered the impoverished native of Windsor just across the river from Detroit teaching his martial arts to anyone that would pay him. Shreeve like Bollea would take the paychecks earned in pro wrestling and take on the identity of Abdullah the Butcher. Could Larry or Abdullah have been a MMA star? Who knows but one thing is for sure he was a mixed martial artist combining both judo and karate to his resume in the late 50's and through out the 60's. Then there is modern day Dwayne Johnson a member of the great University of Miami tradition where he played football alongside future Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and went onto star in the modern day walking tall and wrestle under the name of “The Rock”.

The next big leap for pro wrestlers is Bobby Lashley currently an undefeated Strike Force heavyweight who is laying waste to the competition. It’s only a matter of time before former WWE star Lashley gets a shot at the title. Lashley was a three time NAIA wrestling champion and was training for the Olympics before getting injured while working at a bank that was being robbed. Colorful path to say the least and should Lashley get his shot at the title versus Fedor Emilienanko and defeat the former champion pro wrestlers need to start receiving their due as great athletes. These are just a few examples of great athletes in the world of professional wrestling that are not just great entertainers but recognizable and legitimate athletes.

Don't disrespect Pro Wrestling as the last time the UFC heavyweight champ was leaving the ring after getting knockout artist Shane Carwin to submit he was accompanied by a former NFL defensive lineman and a Hurricane Defensive lineman that both earned fame in professional wrestling.

Tiger not dead yet at PGA

Through four holes Tiger is -2 on today's front nine. He is 8 shots off the lead but only 5 shots from 2nd place so why should we have hope?

Tiger has won 14 majors through out his career including the US Open at Torrey Pines with a severely injured leg including fracture and torn ligament. Tiger is tough and can overcome the 15 players ahead of him at this point.

We should believe because anything can happen on the shores of Lake Michigan if the winds start to kick up the scores could start to balloon in the afternoon for the leaders.

The last time the PGA was held at Whistling Straights in 2004 Vigay Singh was -12 through three rounds and ended up with a winning score of -8 as the final round was by far the toughest of the tournament as the leaders came back to the pack.

Nick Watney, he has been playing unbelievable and I do mean unbelievable with his horrific game off the tee and his irons have miraculously saved him. Only once did Watney hit a fairway on the back nine yet ended up -2 for the back nine on Saturday, this isn't normal for a major and the law of averages will catch up to Watney. If he continues to miss fairways he could be looking at another non-70 round on Sunday but 80 is more possible than 60's.

Through Saturday Tiger has played the front nine at +5. His back nine has been terrific playing at -8. If Tiger can continue to play Tiger-like golf on the front nine with birdies on three of the first four holes he could have the greatest story in golf since Tin Cup because it would be a Hollywood finish if he can pull out a miraculous but not impossible victory at Whistling Straights. It's still possible.

Whistling Straights Tiger proofed

The PGA tour wants to hold onto the last of Jack Nicklaus's records and the last one standing for Tiger Woods is the majors. Nicklaus has 16 to Tiger's 14. Jack won his final major at the 1986 Master's at the age of 46. Tiger is 34 and only needs three to surpass the great Nicklaus. To be the best you have to beat the best and Tiger has his work cut out for him and so does the PGA. The PGA has for years attempted to Tiger proof the course by adjusting tees spots, making the courses tougher, higher roughs, etc. Tiger has adjusted. His game set up to compete for major titles is to play par golf the first two rounds and than make a run for the leader board on Saturday and Sunday. The PGA's job is to present the toughest obstacle available.

The PGA has been torched a couple of times by Tiger. He burned them at Augusta with his record setting performance at Augusta in 1997 and in 2002 at Pebble Beach for the US Open when he was the only player under par with a record setting -15. The PGA trying to make the courses tougher has made it easier for Tiger who's game is set up for the most adverse and difficult situation. It seems the PGA has caught on. This year's majors have features record setting low scores including this year's PGA Championship with nine players at -9 or better. The last time a major was played at Whistling Straights in Sheyboygan, Wisconsin not a single player finished better than -8.

So how do you Tiger proof a course? You have to do the unpredictable and the unpredictable is to make the course easier for the field. While Tiger sticks to his game plan the field has to be more aggressive if they want to win thus playing against Tiger. the course has been made easier. Nick Watney who has been anywhere but the fairway in the first three rounds sits atop the leader board at -13. Minus 13!!!! And he is hitting barely over 50% of the fairways!

Now heading into the final round it should be expected that the hole placements will be as tough as ever which will keep the scores low but at nine strokes behind the leader with Watney still out on the course making up 9 strokes on the leader can be done but making at least 5 strokes on the 8 other players at -9 or better will be a task for the best Tiger Woods has to offer.

Whistling Straights is Tiger's For The Taking

Here comes Tiger. Just when you thought you could stick a fork in Tiger after posting a +18 in Akron last week he is back on the prowl. That’s golf one minute you are extremely humbled and well the next week if you’re Tiger Woods you always have a shot and at 5 strokes behind the leader Matt Kuchar after two completed rounds at Whistling Straights he is well within striking distance.

Tiger is tied for 21st place; Twenty golfers between him and the 15th major of his career. The key is five strokes as 17 of the twenty golfers ahead of him have never posted a win at one of the majors. Saturday’s and Sunday’s the course begins to play tougher and nowhere is it tougher than this week at Whistling Straights as the winds start to pick up howling off Lake Michigan and the rains have subsided allowing for the course to harden and the ball is not sticking into the green but rolling off the back and who better to face these conditions than the most mentally hardened golfer on the face of the earth, Tiger Woods. Five strokes is nothing as shooting par in round three will probably cut half of the field out on Saturday in Tiger’s pursuit of the final pairing for Sunday.

Right now the 13-1 bet on Tiger Woods, the highest odds for Tiger in a major since he was in his teens is looking very solid. After all he got all of his bad shots out of his system in Akron last week. Also once Tiger was out of contention last week at Firestone Country Club his playing partner on Sunday Anthony Kim defended Tiger’s ballooning Sunday score as many spectators assumed Tiger was mailing it in and giving up. Not at all this is Tiger Woods, world’s greatest golfer. Tiger was testing out the arsenal of shots he has in his bag. He wasn’t thinking about Firestone or its 18th hole monster. Only thing on Tiger’s mind was this week and the man’s game is put together to win majors, not rubber tire sponsorships. If you noticed Tiger’s ballooned scores were more a product of lack of concentration on the greens last week than the shots he took envisioning what he would need to do this week.

Tiger is right where he wants to be. When has Tiger ever taken a lot of chances in rounds one or two? So far 75% of his scores have been par; only 4 bogeys and 7 birdies. Two of the bogeys were on his first seven holes of the tournament. Since then he has played five under. So he is gaining momentum. Tiger knows that most players will shoot themselves out of the majors with the tighter fairways, longer roughs and harder, faster greens. Your Firestone Country Club games does not equate to what Major planners have in mind as the game is so much different.

If all goes according to plan for Tiger who reads like a book in majors with his course management he will take his chances today but he will take the most calculated chances. He will rely on some of those shots he tested at Firestone last week and apply them to Whistling Straights. Of the 20 players ahead of Tiger half of them will shoot themselves off the leader board due to major inexperience. The leader Kuchar who has been brilliant so far with a 67 and 69 in the first two rounds will start to feel the pressure of being a leader at a major and play tighter today and be lucky to score an even par 71 bringing him back to the pack if not relinquishing his lead. Kuchar has played in 20 majors and missed the cut 13 times with his best finish a 6th and this year’s US Open. Back one stroke is Nick Watney who is more formidable with two top ten finishes in the major this year at the Masters and British Open’s with 7th place finishes. Both players will be facing the toughest conditions of the tournament in the last group of the day on Saturday. By the end of the day looking at the leader board only Jim Furyk might be far enough ahead of Tiger as he is currently 3 strokes ahead of Tiger and does have the experience of winning a major to deal with the tough afternoon conditions and post a score that could stretch the lead on Tiger.

By tomorrow I expect Tiger will be in one of the final 5 groups of the day. It’s tough to make predictions in golf because of the changes in weather can severely alter the outcome of a tournament but no other player is more equipped to deal with adverse conditions than Tiger Woods and with only 5 strokes separating him at the half way point of the year’s final major he is a probably the most serious threat on the board and at 13-1 the best bet to win this year’s PGA. This will make Corey Pavin's decision to put Tiger on the Ryder Cup team all the easier and save face for Jim Gray.

AFC Preview

AFC Contenders: Jets, Steelers, Titans, Patriots, and Ravens

Will the Colts defend the AFC East. Obviously until the champ is defeated they are the team to beat in the AFC and since they have Peyton Manning under center they are certainly the odds on favorite and popular pick. The Colt will need more contributions from their defense to complement Indy’s all-world QB to a Super Bowl Victory. Defense certainly does win championships and the biggest competition for the Colts will feature some outstanding defenses led by Rex Ryan and the shutdown corners in New York who were on the losing end of last year’s AFC championship game.

The New England Patriots look re-gain their decade long dominance in the AFC and will be a much tougher team in 2010. The offense is set led by 3 time winning Super Bowl QB Tom Brady future Hall of Fame player the often mid-understood Randy Moss. The return of Wes Welker to pre-ACL surgery status will be important Brady depends on Welker when all else breaks down. The pats do need to improve on their running attack and it’s put up or shut up time for Laurence Maroney who has been a been in Head Coach Bill Belichek’s dog house for a few years. If the pats are going to have to depend on Fred Taylor who is not quite in his prime anymore they will be in deep trouble versus their fellow Eastern division rival Jets. The defense should be much improved in 2010. Jerrod Mayo is the heir apparent to Tedy Bruschi as the coach on the field for the defense which has been a staple of Patriot teams in years past. Last season was a learning curve for the Pats. A lot of young talented players trying to mesh together without established leadership and then when Mayo went down earlier in the year the Pats couldn’t recover quick enough to salvage the 2009 season. 2010 will be different as the defense has had time to play together and will be much more improved.

Defense wins championships and the Ravens are always tough on defense. Ed Reed might not show up on time for camp but just like Brett Favre expect the former defensive MVP expects to be on the gridiron leading the secondary and being in the right place at the right time. Not only is Ed Reed a former defensive MVP with the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time but the professor of defense and big time hit man Ray Lewis will be manning the middle once again in Baltimore. Lewis is a first ballot hall of famer in waiting and his greatest asset is his mind and ability to motivate those around him. He is still an elite MLB for reasons other than his physical prowess. The offense still has a ways to catch up to the defense but is not far behind with the emergence of Ray Rice and continued development of Joe Flacco. The failure of the Ravens to converge on offense kept John Harbaugh’s squad from advancing in 2009 as the defense is as formidable as any. The off season acquisition of Anquan Boldin was a huge pickup giving Joe Flacco a top notch receiver to go along with aging veteran yet steady Derrick Mason.

Without a starting QB most teams would be in trouble. Exception is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Big Ben most likely will be a non-factor for the first six weeks and quite rusty when he does come back but Dennis Dixon proved against the always tough Baltimore defense last season he was a very capable back-up as he led the Steelers on a 4th quarter go ahead drive before the a lapse the Steelers special teams gave the Ravens a short field en route to a close 3 point victory. The biggest news for the Steelers is the return of Troy Polamalu. When the speedy, hard hitting, physical safety is dressed the Steelers are tough to beat as his absence in 2009 proved as the Steelers failed to make the playoffs after winning it all in 2008.

The popular pick in the AFC is the loud spoken Rex Ryan and his New York Jets. In the off season the Jets got everything they wanted including Cardinals all-pro safety Antonio Cromartie to complement AFC all-pro corner Derrelle Reavis along with first round draft pick and collegiate shut down corner Kyle Wilson making the Jets passing defense and imposing one. With such great defensive backs the Ryan should have more fun than a kid in a candy store calling on his linebackers to blitz and blitz often. As for the offense they expect Shonn Greene to be the man carrying the ball. Greene’s absence in the second half of the championship game was an obvious game changer. The emergence of Greene takes bit pressure off of sophomore QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez had a solid rookie year and his development is key to whether the Jet’s will be contenders or front runners in the AFC. Sanchez gets a big boost from management in the off season with the acquisition of Pittsburgh playmaker Santonio Holmes who was the go to guy in Three Rivers.


Pre-Season Football
With the exception of the Colts last year the hottest team in the second half of the season was the Tennessee Titans. Titan fans have good reason to believe that 2010 can be a year they can go all the way to the bowl if not cause a lot of damage along the way. Number one reason is a strong running game. Tennessee under Jeff Fisher has traditionally had a solid offensive line led and this year’s line gets to lead the way if only for a short time for the fastest man in the NFL and the most recent member of the 2,000 yard season rushing club Chris Johnson. Johnson might not be the most articulate player in the league but he sure is the most exciting and without a doubt the fastest and wherever the Titans are on the field Johnson is a threat to break a long one. A fast start by the Titans should bolster the confidence of starting QB Vince Young. VY has had a rough start to his career going from franchise QB to bench warmer back to starting QB. He is no longer expected to be the game changer on offense with Johnson in the backfield so Young can just let the game come to him which he did quite successfully last season leading the Titans to six straight wins after a horrific 0-7 start. Defensively the Titans don’t have any marquee names having lost long time defensive captain Keith Bullock. What the Titans do have is tradition, expectations and chemistry on defense. The Titans under Jeff Fisher have always being very tough against the run and hard to score against unless you were the New England Patriots who hung 59 in the snow on Tennessee in what was an abnormality.

2010 San Diego Chargers

I have never been a fan of Norv Turner. Some guys were meant to be great coordinators and were just not the guys that make the key decisions. It's that way in business and its that way in sports. Norv was given all the tools necessary to win in Washington and he couldn't come through. He had the players in Oakland and totally decimated that team. Granted Norv should be forgiven for most of his head coaching career shortcomings in Washington and Oakland. Four words: Al Davis, Dan Snyder. Two of the worst meddling owners in football not named Jerry Jones. The game has passed Al Davis by despite being a great coach in his own right before taking on an ownership role in Oakland he was limits his head coaches with his constant second guessing that can undermine a head coaches ability to make sound decisions. Dan Snyder on the other hand is a business man. He has no other association with football other than being a fanatic. And the arm chair quarterback is one of the worst second guessers in football as they have limited understanding of the intricacies of the game and come across like buffoons. So I will forget Norv's history and he will not be the cause for the heavy burden that is on the San Diego Charger's shoulders this season.

The Chargers are an immensely talented football team that is primed for a Super Bowl run. The Chargers are not coming out of the blue they have won four straight AFC West crowns led by future Hall of Fame running back Ladanian Tomlinson. Unfortunately for the Bolts there is no LT lining up behind stud quarterback Phillip Rivers. This year the burden in one the shoulders of a rookie albeit a talented rookie but a rookie none the less.

As Ryan Matthews goes the Chargers will go this season. Matthews a rookie out of WAC contender Fresno State is a big fast rookie running back that has the luxury of running behind a very talented Charger offensive line and big runs could be just as prevalent in San Diego for the former Bulldog star in the NFL as it was in the WAC with the big receivers he has blocking for him on the outside. Everyone knows that big runs are dependent a lot of times on the ability of the receivers often known for their non-physical play but the Chargers have big physical receivers in 6'5" 240 lb Vincent Jackson, 6'5" 230 lb, Malcolm Floyd, 6'2" 220 lb Legadu Naanee and the addition of a very physical former first round draft selection possession receiver Josh Reed who's career has been quiet in Buffalo who could see a re-birth in his career with Rivers throwing the ball in San Diego.

On offense the Bolts appear to have the makings of the most physical team in football. And to be physical you cannot just have Rivers passing the ball to big receivers but the Chargers do need the running attack. In Matthews the Bolts get what else but a big physical 6'0 220lb speedy 22 year old running back that is going to be called upon to break big runs and pound the ball against the defense behind a big physical line in hopes of defending the AFC West title but also to lead the Bolts to the Super Bowl.

to get to the Super Bowl the Chargers are going to need the running game and the upside on Matthews is his age. He is 22. He has not taken an NFL pounding and should be fresh. Problem is how long can Matthews withstand the pounding his first season as it is common for rookies to hit a wall as the NFL season is 4 pre-season games, 16 regular season games, and than the playoffs to claim the ultimate crown. Ryan Matthews has been playing 13-14 games a season during his Fresno State collegiate career so this is going to have to be an issue that Norv will have to be conscious about. Get Matthews the ball, get his confidence up but also limit his number of carries and get Darren Sproles into the game and get Jacob Hester some carries as Matthews will be needed much more in January than he is needed in October and November. Big key will be if the Bolts can get off to a fast start where they can limit Matthews usage during the NFL grind so Norv has the luxury of limiting Matthews before the all important post season.

Prediction in 2010, this will be the year of the Bolts as they are Super Bowl ready.

Silva: Middleweight Champ Suspect

Last night the most dominant champion in the history of UFC Anderson Silva looked mortal. He should because he is mortal. Any time any man can be defeated in the UFC, case in point as much as Chael Sonnen controlled the fight with Silva on his back trying to pound his way to victory no fighter is ever safe as all fighters world class skills.

In UFC 116 two great examples of how a fighter can come from the brink of defeat to victory was exemplified by Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Middleweight Chris Leban. Lesnar was pounded in the first round by heavy handed knock out artist Shane Carwin. Carwin's game came apart in the second round as he has never fought past the first round knocking out all of his opponents in the first round. In the end the victor or champion was bloodied with cuts around both eyes and the defeated has no scratches whatsoever as he was forced to tap out as the python like biceps of Lesnar choked off the air supply for Carwin.

A great example of a beaten opponent was rock headed Chris Leban was locked in a leg scissor like choke against Yoshiro Akiyama until his head was purple. It took a full round and intermission just for the color to come back to Leben's head. In the third and final round two gallant fighters exchanged punches while Akiyama took Leben to the mat and despite having the dominant position he was still crushed by Leben punches and elbows from the ground. Instead of putting Leben away in the final round with the superior position of on top it was Akiyama that was forced to submit.

That is the UFC in a nutshell it does not matter who has the dominant position in a fight it all matters that until someone taps or the final second runs off the clock or a fighter is incoherently knocked senseless all fighters are dangerous when it comes to championship level fighting. In Anderson Silva's case, yes he is the most dominant fighter in UFC history, he is the King of the middleweights, he can fight guys bigger than him as he knocked out former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin but as long as he is in the ring each and every fighter is dangerous. This is not new to UFC fights. In the early years of UFC fighting a former neighbor of mine in Huntington Beach, CA Kimo was physically superior to Royce Gracie and despite being all over the the Brazilian Jui Jitsu Hall of Famer in the end it was a Gracie choke that ended the fight as the smaller Gracie fought his way to victory off the ground.

UFC's rise since 1993

It's been a long time since the Octagon was first formed and matches were more like death marches back in 1993 in the mile high city of Denver. Unlike the world of sports betting and gambling where the state of Colorado takes great offense Colorado was the first state to sanction Octagon fights.

The first UFC fights were called by Hall of Fame Cleveland Brown running back Jim Brown instead of Joe Rogan. Back than kicking an opponent in the head while they were down was good strategy unlike today it's an offense worthy of a disqualification. As a matter of fact the only thing illegal in the early days of the Octagon was biting. Despite this in the first championship match Dutchman Gerard Gordeau allegedly bit Royce Gracie the human octopus who was undersized yet stuck to his opponents long enough to wait for them to make a mistake so he could choke them out.

If the first UFC wasn't brutal enough UFC two was much more brutal as the tournament of eight was increased to 16 men enter and only one would come out the victor. Royce Gracie would again be the eventual champion winning all four of his matches in what would be his claim on a Hall of Fame UFC career. Oh and not to mention there were no rounds it was get in the octagon and fight. No time limit, no decision, just fight till someone was knocked out or tapped out. Broken arms, missing teeth, and lots of blood was regular in the matches. These guys were not just warriors they were gladiators that fought almost to the death. As a matter of fact in UFC 6 it was Emmanual Yarborough who smothered his opponent into submission with his 600lb body. At UFC 10 Tank Abbott was knocking the teeth out of a man called the bone crusher who was left convulsing on the mat.

The fight to the death so to speak with no rounds or no time limits finally became an issue at the first super fight in UFC 6 in North Carolina. Future Hall of Famers Ken Shamrock a submission specialist and Royce Gracie fought for 36 minutes with no breaks before it was decided that the match was called a draw.

The UFC would change after UFC 6. Suddenly there was an eighteen minute time limit. Still no rounds but that would evolve. Fighters would eventually have some of their battle plans taken away. Fighters used to be able to hit other fighters below the belt without any repercussions. Fighters who took one in the jewels were expected to continue fighting and they did. Eye gouging would eventually be outlawed. Ultimately kicks to the head when fighters were down, illegal elbows all good strategy to knock an opponent out or submit them was deemed illegal.

Today's fighters are much more talented with multiple weapons. That does not take away from the fighters of the early years. Sure Ken Shamrock in his 40's has never been a match for Tito Ortiz but could Ortiz have endured a 36 minute match with Gracie, could any of the fighters today deal with a match that pitted a fighter against someone twice his weight as there were no weight classes in the early UFC battles. Could Rashard Evans take a punch to the groin and continue like the early gladiators of the sport?

Tomorrow night is UFC 117 a much more popular more evolved technical sport without the brutal savagery. There is no more Jim Brown its now Joe Rogan. The fights are headliners in Las Vegas rather than afterthoughts in Denver. The big fight tomorrow night is Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. Sonnen. Silva is a future Hall of Fame fighter. He can grapple, he can strike, he can submit and he can move up and down in weight. Silva has not been challenged in a long time and that could be his undoing. But when a fighter comes at Silva at a higher level like former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin who Silva moved up in weight class to fight The Spider takes his fight level to a greater game.

UFC CEO has threatened to cut the current middleweight champion Silva for his lack of excitement. That is no Silva's problem as he fights to win not to take risks and entertain the crowd. In tomorrow nights fight given the threats made by White I expect Silva to come out more determined than ever and show Sonnen more than he has ever seen on film as many Silva fights don't highlight his awesome skills and arsenal of weapons. This is a much hyped fight but when it is all said and done this one should be a first round knockout by The Spider as he has been waiting for the proper motivation and both White and Sonnen have talked down to the champion and now its time for the most dominant champion of the modern era to take out his fury.

Greatest Football Player of All-Time

Brett Favre certainly has a bio over the years to argue his point for the top spot in terms of greatest NFL player of all-time. Jerry Rice is head and shoulders above all his peers when it comes to receivers. Jim Brown was a stud in his era when it came to running backs as he was physically dominant and put up career numbers that no running back to date has been able to sustain over the course of a career but Barry Sanders comes close. Sanders was a stat guy as he never did have much of a team. Joe Montana was a 4th quarter surgeon, especially on the big stage as he did vs. the Bengals in January of 1989 to keep Cincinnati from winning their only Super Bowl. Joe also has 4 Super Bowl rings.

The greatest football player of all time is Walter Payton. Payton might not have been the greatest runner of all time as guys like Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith, and Barry Sanders could certainly be considered better. Much like Sanders Payton never had much of a supporting cast for most of his career.


What sets Payton apart from the rest is his all around game. If you wanted a sure handed receiver out of the backfield Payton was there to make the grab and he was always tough to bring down in the open field. Payton had over 4,500 career receiving yards and just under 500 catches and he played in an era where the pass was not as prevalent as it is today with all the protection receivers and quarterbacks get from officials. Payton also did what none of his other Hall of Fame peers ever did and that was have a 2nd 1,000 yard rusher in the same backfield. Payton's running mate in the mid-70's Roland Harper gained over a 1,000 yards the same year as Payton hung 1,450 in a 14 game schedule. This exemplified Payton's team attitude and ability to block and share the ball.

Walter just like Jim Brown was one of the most physical players to ever play football. You never saw Payton run out of bounds as his stiff arms were legendary. Payton pounded on defenders as much as they pounded on him for 13 NFL seasons. Payton was not oppossed to getting in the grill of defensive lineman and linebackers with vicious blocks to protect his quarterback something Barry Sanders was not known for our just didn't have the size. If you needed a tough yard give the ball to Payton as he was money around the goal line and if he did not go through you Walter had great leaping ability and could launch himself over any pile of humanity.

In 1984 when the Bears were racking up injuries to Quarterbacks with no one else to take snaps under center there was Walter Payton ready to play QB. Payton would eventually set a record for most career touchdown passes by a running back with 8. When the punter came down with an injury who was there to punt? Walter Payton.

When Payton retired he held numerous records including career records of most yards rushing, most yards from scrimmage, most total yards, most rushing touchdowns, most total touchdowns, most carries from scrimmage, and the single game record for most yards in a game. The most yards in a single game of 275 yards was done in old Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota on a cold, snowy day against one fo the fiercest defenses led by the front four of the Minnesota Vikings Purple People Easters featuring Hall of Famers, Alan Page, Jim Marshall and Carl Eller. So Payton performed at the highest level against the best. Records were meant to be broken and guys like Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Corey Dillon would come along and take those records but when Walter hung them up those were his records.

None of those records were as important to Walter though than the Super Bowl XX victory and the season where Roland Harper gained over a 1,000 yards as Walter was just as professional about blocking as he was about running. So there you have it there is only one football and Walter whether he was carrying, throwing or spiking the football after a touchdown could also block with the best of them and shared the football like no other superstar before or after Sweetness graced NFL fields across the country.

Deisel signs with Celtics

Shaquille O'Neal well past his prime is now with the Celtics. 4-5 years ago this woudl have been a blockbuster signing but now Shaq takes close to a $29 million dollar annual pay cut and why not. He certainly is not much of a contributer anymore.

Shaq lacks committment. Either he played very lackadisically last year or he has nothing left in the tank. Shaq can still not shoot free throws and his rebounding is less evident than Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo. Give Rondo credit outside of Jason Kidd he is the best rebounding guard let along point guard in the NBA. Given the recent history Shaq has hurt teams more than he has helped them. Shaq also seems allergic to the Boston environment of playing defense which has been the cornerstone to the Celtics success the past three years. The only good Shaq appears to be is a fill in while Kendrick Perkins is recovering from a torn ACL and eventually a big part of the Celtics bench when Perkins returns as "Bib Baby" and fellow LSU alum Glen Davis is looking for more time with the Celtics and certainly has earned it with his play the past two years in the playoffs.

In Phoenix Shaq's while Shaq was running the floor with the Sun speedsters led by Steve Nash the Suns missed the playoffs for the only time in the Nash era with the Suns. Without Shaq the Suns were a game 5 Ron Artest put back away from taking a 3-2 series lead over the Lakers heading back to Phoenix and possibly putting the World Champion Lakers out of this past year's playoffs before they won the title over the Celtics. Shaq did look rejuvenated though in Phoenix with some solid statistics but those might have been inflated playing with Steve Nash who makes all players look better, look out Amare in NY.

This past season in Cleveland Shaq continued to struggle with shooting free throws, playing defense, rebounding and having any impact on the game. As a matter of fact the Cavs with the best record in basketball for two years running were ousted in the 2nd round of the playoffs instead of the conference finals as they were the year before by Orlando. Without Shaq in Cleveland the Cavs will be a better team but unfortunately the Cavs will also be without probably the most talented player in the NBA, Lebron James who has taken his three ring circus to South Beach in case you didn't hear the news.

The only good thing Shaq brings to the Celtics will be three quarters of a high shooting percentage. He will get in the way camp under the basket. Shaq's best asset will be to adjust his game. If he is going to be worth the 2 years $2.8 million to the Celtics he will probably play no more than 12-15 minutes per game and during that time it might be time for Shaq to give back to the NBA what the NBA has thrown on his with the Hack a Shaq defense popularized by Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson. Shaq is still 7'1" tall and weighs probably in excess of 350lbs with pythonesque arms and a physically imposing body. Shaq needs to use up at least 5 fouls and possibly six fouls a night during his limited court time. Hey it worked for the 1972 Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia no the ice rink it would be well served if the Celitcs take that approach with guys like old Shaq teammates Dwayne Wade and Lebron James in Miami to unnerve them as they try to come through the lane.

Who knows if Shaq cannot show his worth by the time Kendrick Perkins is healthy which should be around February after a couple of months of getting used to the NBA speed Shaq could be released outright by the Celtics because for a guy his size he is less productive than Erick Dampier.

Fat Albert

Hey, hey, hey, hey it’s Fat Albert and he is not going to do no 300 yard sprints for no one!

Mike Shannahan seems like he is ready to eradicate the locker room problem known as the $100 million dollar man in Washington DC. Albert Haynesworth says there is no reason for him to run a 300 yard dash and follow it up with another 300 yard dash to prove his physical conditioning. TV analyst Marcellus Wiley concurs that Albert’s best speed is between 5 and 10 yards, he is a run stopper that plugs the line up in DC. I have to agree with Wiley and “Shanny”.

Wiley is right Albert right now is useless for anything after 10 yards and certainly not worth the $20 million the Redskins are paying him this season. Shannahan is certainly correct in his thinking that Albert needs to step up his conditioning after all what are head coaches supposed to do? These are the sub .500 Redskins. Maybe light a fire under his players letting them know they need to be a better conditioned football team because come 4th quarter when many games are won and lost the better conditioned team wins? That might get the skins a few more wins in 2010 and maybe get them in the playoffs and isn’t that he reason Dan Snyder opened up the checkbook spending over $100 million on Albert Haynesworth, run stopping, all-pro defensive tackle, and league defensive MVP with the Tennessee Titans.

The goal of an NFL team is to win football games, to win enough to make the playoffs and enough to win a Super Bowl. Mike Shannahan has been around the league dating back to when John Elway was just a rookie. He knows a little bit about football having coached on Super Bowl winning teams for both the 49ers under Bill Walsh and George Siefert and in Denver as the Big Cheese. His lineman were known as athletic and agile. In an era of behemoth lineman started by the Dallas Cowboys in the early 90’s when they were racking up Lombardi Trophies, Shannhan’s Broncos were light on their feet in the late 90’s leading the way for running backs from Terrell Davis, Ruben Droughns, Clinton Portis, and Olandis Gary to rack up career seasons behind the Bronco lineman. His defensive lineman were no different, athletic, light and in excellent physical condition. So how come Albert cannot understand this?

Albert does not like the 3-4 defense, ok lose some weight big guy if you don’t want to be a defensive tackle you can be a defensive end much like Richard Seymour was with the New England Patriots racking up All-Pro bids to Hawaii. The Redskins will be a better team with Fat Albert just being Big Albert causing havoc stuffing the run inside and out.

Bottom line Albert is a leader on the defensive side of the football. He should have been there at the volunteer workouts sending a message to the rest of the team that if he can sacrifice his free time for the betterment of the team than so could everyone else on defense. Already team leader and newcomer Donovan McNabb was able to make the pre-camp workouts. Albert looks like he is going to play poker with Shannahan and complain about his knee for the next five weeks and I have a hunch Shannahan with the blessing of Dan Snyder and redskin fans everywhere could care less if Albert sits on the sideline. Well maybe not Mr. Snyder who has to pay those hefty paychecks and watch his investment down some more freebies from the training table.

Favre

His name says it all. He is not the drama queen that is portrayed by the media but he is one of the toughest guys to ever play football. Favre is the man who threw a touchdown pass against the Giants and was not let back on the field due to a concussion. He was not hit on the touchdown pass but was knocked silly the play before. Favre is also the man who is mentally tough. After his father passed away he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns on the road in Oakland the year after the Raiders were in the Super Bowl.

None of his NFL accomplishments nearly never happened as Favre flipped his car three times and had to be pulled out by his brother who needed to smash the windshield with a golf club before Favre was evacuated to the hospital where 30 inches of intestine was removed and it was assumed he would never play football again. Six weeks later Favre would lead his Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles to comeback victory over national college powerhouse the Alabama Crimson Tide.

So if Favre says his ankle is not healing than according to former teammate and current rival Packer linebacker Nick Barnett, "Congratulations on a well earned retirement". If not Favre has certainly earned the right to come back and play when he wants.

Without Favre this season the Vikings will be a talented team without a visible leader. With Favre the Vikings will be Super Bowl favorites with a legend under center who has seen more football than any other player in the league. A leader who has played the most important position in football and has played in more consecutive games than any other player to ever strap on an NFL helmet.

Favre is an active legend in the NFL. Not even Peyton Manning can say this yet. Just to get a grip on exactly what Brett Favre means not only to the Minnesota Vikings but to the game of football where many fans cannot comprehend all of Favre's accomplishments feel free to refer to one of the longest bio's around.

Lebron, Wade, and Bosh no match for L.A.

2011 NBA Finals Preview

Will it be the big young three led by the slicked back hair one or will it be the Zen Master and his very talented, tall, and well rounded Lakers?

With the off-season moves by the Miami Heat, 2010-2011 should be a great year for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. It’s the Heat with two player rings owned by Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem as the favorites to win the NBA title while defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics are returning great team chemistry and just an afterthought and the 2-time defending champion Lakers are being dissed by the Vegas oddsmakers.

The Heat are top heavy in talent but unproven as a team. As a matter of fact I would consider just under a handful of teams to have a better shot than the Heat heading into the 2010-2011 season; obviously the Lakers, followed by the Celtics, Thunder, and Chicago Bulls.

Here is the biggest tip of all for anyone that wants to put a future on the 8-5 favorite Miami Heat. Don’t do it?

Here is why:

Team chemistry there is no comparison the Los Angeles Lakers have won two straight NBA titles and the Heat bring 10 new players to the fold.

At center for the Heat Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Andrew Bynum

Ilgauskas is tall and will undoubtedly play outside and he is too slow footed after 14 seasons to get out of the way of a driving Wade or Lebron. Zydrunas’s best days are behind him as he backed up Shaq last season. He has no defense and is merely a tall warm bodied 7’3” fill in the blank of a starting five for the Heat.

Andrew Bynum at 7’0” has long arms that will never be hindered by the Big Z’s size advantage and he is a strong body that does not get pushed around in the paint, ever. You can count on Bynum to pull double digit rebounds, and score in double figures, block shots, and hit a very high percentage of his shots. Anything less than 60% from the field is an off night for Bynum who is developing into an all-star center.

Huge edge Lakers

Power Forward

Chris Bosh vs. Pau Gasol

Bosh was the man in Toronto he averaged a double/double but what happens when he is no longer than man and a third option? This is a big question mark. We know how he does in the playoffs. In Toronto’s only playoff appearance during the Bosh era the Raptors held home court against the very young Orlando Magic in Dwight Howard’s second season and superman had his way with the Raptors and Bosh was nothing but a garbage time stat man.

Pau Gasol, he got pushed around in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Celtics and no more. He looked like Fletch often in the 2010 Finals coming up big in Game 7 in crunch time although he seemed to be aided a bit by the referees. We know Gasol will come up big in the playoffs he has done if for the past two years and since the Lakers acquired the big Spaniard they have been an elite team.

Edge: Lakers

Small Forward Lebron James vs. Ron Artest

Lebron is great he has the complete physical game on the court and has the edge on any player in the league

Ron Artest, he knows his role. He is not the man in LA but he certainly can play like a winner as he proved in the 2010 NBA playoffs when the games were on the line he never shied away from competition something his counterpart Lebron has shown to do. Artest is also a regular on the all-defensive team and league leader in steals on the flip side Lebron had an avanlanche of turnovers in the playoffs so this is still an edge in the favor of Lebron but not by much.

Edge: Heat Lebron is the best small forward and possibly the most talented player in the NBA but Artest physically matches up and defensively is the best there is

Shooting Guard

This is the biggest match-up between the team leaders Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant both have won titles with Shaq but only Kobe has won without Shaq. Dwayne Wade is an elite player, in crunch time he can hit the shot, he can drive, play defense there is nothing Kobe can do that Wade cannot do the only thing that separates these two is Kobe is tenacious when he wants something and the last two five NBA titles mean nothing to him heading into the 2010-11 season he is most certainly chewing on the press clippings proclaiming Lebron and the Heat are the team to beat. Kobe is an alpha dog and he will play defense, offense, and cheap shot his opponents all game long in 2010-11 to show who he is and what he wants.

Kobe wants the NBA title and the slight edge if any here is for the Lakers

Point Guard

Neither team is really set at this position as the ball goes through the other players hands first

Defense

Defense is chemistry and there is nothing to prove Miami has any yet

Bench

Lamar Odom is a stud off the bench and Luke Walton could be a sixth man in Miami hardly gets off the bench so here is a big edge the Lakers who have a lot of rings sitting on the pine

Head Coach

Bring back Pat Riley and the baby faced kid is no match for Phil Jackson. As a matter of fact Pat Riley and his four rings for years has been envious of Phil Jackson and it should not change in 2010-11. Jackson has the better team and the “Zenmaster” just keeps proving he can mold a group of players into a team with great chemistry. Meanwhile Riles has his work cut out for him. First thing he needs to do is explain to Lebron his team is not just Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and his high school buddies. There are 9 other Heat players that need to be recognized by Lebron as contributors and guys Lebron needs to work with to become better players. All of Phil’s guys know this so no disrespect to Pat Riley but again he will be chasing Jackson for another title.

This series will never happen in 2010-2011 but if it does the Heat better have a home court advantage otherwise a short series is more likely with the Lakers having a decided advantage and outside of Dwayne Wade the Heat stars have shown “el foldo” symptoms in the playoffs which will be too much for Wade to carry past five games.

Worst Odds ever Miami Heat in "11......Hacksaw's picks

LEBRON, Lebron, lebron

The King is no longer. As a matter of fact he never was a King. Lebron James the biggest sideshow of the NBA off season is an embarrassment to anyone who ever compared him to Michael Jordan or for that matter Karl Malone. At 25 years of age not even in his prime Lebron calls it quits against the Celtics who were too tough for him, than calls it quits in Cleveland because he lacks the courage to be the man and took up residency in Miami with Wade, Bosh and Riley and all the while playing the Cavaliers and their fans for fools by embarrassing them on national television.

Before calling Lebron out for what he is the Cavaliers need to take a good hard look at themselves as an organization. Owner Dan Gilbert should have done everything in his power to lock up Byron Scott after the loss to the Celtics. He should have also sold Danny Ferry afforded GM Danny Ferry the power he needed to run the Cavaliers rather than letting Lebron and his circus freaks. Ferry grew up on the NBA as his father Bob was a long time GM. Danny himself was the #2 overall pick when he came out of college. Granted he never lived up to the status of a #2 overall pick but then again he was a whole lot better than Kwame Brown. Ferry is also a blue blood with his Duke degree. Ferry understood the salary cap and he understood basketball and Dan “the Godfather” Gilbert should have bestowed the proper authority on Danny that he deserved. Instead Dan Gilbert spoiled Lebron letting his circus freaks run the Cavs.

Not all the blame needs to be placed on Dan Gilbert either. Dan did everything necessary opening up the check book to bring in players. When Shaq and his oversized contract was available the Cavs took a chance. It wasn’t a good move but at least it was an aggressive move. When Ben Wallace was available last year Dan opened up his arms to “Big Ben” and his hefty Chicago contract. Same thing with Antawn Jamison. Three all-stars and all three were brought in to help Lebron. Obviously none of them worked out.

As for Lebron……he is a great all around player. He can score, rebound, and dish the ball. As for his problem it was never on the court it was off the court. Lebron still hung out with his high school buddies. Nothing wrong with that but the high school boys were not worthy of hanging out in the locker room with players who had earned the right to be in an NBA locker room. When big name free agents were available like Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Boozer, and David Lee what was Lebron doing? Him and his circus clowns were planning the great marketing play of the summer with Lebron’s ESPN summer free agent extravaganza. Obviously a me and no team involved as Lebron the two time reigning MVP and arguably the best player in the NBA with a world of talent never once thought of his team and tried to recruit other players to come to Cleveland but instead opted to play follow the leader. The leader is Dwayne Wade.

Once Lebron made a mockery of the free agent system the Hall of Famers came out and subtly pointed out the obvious. Arguably the greatest player of all time Michael Jordan laid the cards on the table. He never once thought of joining forces with the best free agents. His ultra competitive agenda was to go through the best and did it against Magic Johnson at the age of 27 in 1991. And without a doubt the biggest voice in the NBA, Charles Barkley said it best, “When you are the two time reigning MVP you don’t go running for the help of others, they come to you”.

I never could understand why Michael Jordan the most influential voice in basketball and owner of the Charlotte Bobcats never once bothered to call Lebron and have him come to Carolina for a visit. Jordan is not the greatest judge of talent but assuredly he recognizes the superior basketball players as he was one himself and maybe he recognized Lebron might not have what it takes to win a championship. The physical game is there but the total game seems to be lacking with his high school arrogance.