For someone who rarely gets sick (yes, I was my hands almost obsessive compulsively), getting two colds in the span of two months is a very rare occurance - actually hadn't happened to me in over 10 years! Unfortunately for me this time, everyone at work is or has been sick and try as I did to avoid catching the bug, it got me! I guess I can be thankful that I didn't catch this before my recent trip to Washington, D.C. and that it's happening now and not during Christmas like last year (when I caught a stomach flu from a co-worker). Also, this cold doesn't seem to be as severe as the last one (yet), so hopefully I can get over it quickly and be able to carry on with my weekend plans...
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Week 13 NFL Rankings
Three days later and people are STILL talking about the New England Patriots controversial 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens to keep their perfect 2007 season in tact. The Ravens players and staff have basically all but accused the officials of throwing the game. Referee Phil McKinnely has also been accused of taunting several of the Ravens players. The NFL is investigating the entire incident. Expect several Ravens players and the official involved to be fined and possibly suspended.
What has gotten into the Minnesota Vikings? After a stunning record-breaking second half performance by Adrian Peterson in a 35-17 win against the San Diego Chargers in week 9, the Vikes promptly got buried 34-0 by Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers the following week. Three straight victories over Oakland, the New York Giants and Detroit Lions have gotten the once 3-6 team squarely in the fight for the final NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Quarterback Tavaris Jackson has also been a steadying force. Coming to the season's final four weeks, this is the team that no one wants to play. Will they continue to play well and secure a playoff spot? Time will tell.
Speaking of those Lions, what did I tell you when they were 6-2? Yes, I said they'd have trouble finishing 8-8. Well, they've lost four straight now. A powder puff schedule and a little good fortune got them off to that mirage of a start... They face Dallas, San Diego and Green Bay (3 of the top 7 teams) along with Kansas City the season's final four weeks. Yes, they could wind up 6-10 very easily!
You want another team that is not as good as their record? Try the Seattle Seahawks. They are 8-4, but other than Tampa Bay in week 1, they haven't beaten a top-ranked team. #6 Pittsburgh blew them out 21-0 in week 5 and #8 ranked Cleveland beat them 33-30 in week 9. Four of their wins were by seven points or less, and their three blowout wins came versus #30 San Francisco and an injury-depleted St. Louis team. After they face #16 ranked Arizona this weekend, they don't face another team in the top 20... Yes, they could finish the season at 12-4, but trust me they aren't that good. Unless they really blow out some of these teams the final four weeks, they won't be in my top 10. As far as I'm concerned they are the Hawaii Warriors of pro football, without the undefeated season of course! A first round playoff loss awaits them (unless somehow they bumble things away starting with this weekend's game against Arizona).
Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…
1.(1) New England Patriots (12-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (10-2)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (11-1)
4.(4) Green Bay Packers (10-2)
5.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4)
6.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
7.(9) San Diego Chargers (7-5)
8.(7) Cleveland Browns (7-5)
9.(8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-4)
10.(10) New York Giants (8-4)
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11.(16) Tennessee Titans (7-5)
12.(17) Buffalo Bills (6-6)
13.(23) Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
14.(14) Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
15.(13) Washington Redskins (5-7)
16.(15) Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
17.(12) New Orleans Saints (5-7)
18.(11) Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
19.(18) Houston Texans (5-7)
20.(19) Chicago Bears (5-7)
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21.(25) Baltimore Ravens (4-8)
22.(26) Carolina Panthers (5-7)
23.(29) Oakland Raiders (4-8)
24.(23) Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
25.(21) Denver Broncos (5-7)
26.(20) Detroit Lions (6-6)
27.(27) St. Louis Rams (3-9)
28.(24) Kansas City Chiefs (4-8)
29.(28) Atlanta Falcons (3-9)
30.(30) San Francisco 49ers (3-9)
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31.(31) New York Jets (3-9)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-12)
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What has gotten into the Minnesota Vikings? After a stunning record-breaking second half performance by Adrian Peterson in a 35-17 win against the San Diego Chargers in week 9, the Vikes promptly got buried 34-0 by Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers the following week. Three straight victories over Oakland, the New York Giants and Detroit Lions have gotten the once 3-6 team squarely in the fight for the final NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Quarterback Tavaris Jackson has also been a steadying force. Coming to the season's final four weeks, this is the team that no one wants to play. Will they continue to play well and secure a playoff spot? Time will tell.
Speaking of those Lions, what did I tell you when they were 6-2? Yes, I said they'd have trouble finishing 8-8. Well, they've lost four straight now. A powder puff schedule and a little good fortune got them off to that mirage of a start... They face Dallas, San Diego and Green Bay (3 of the top 7 teams) along with Kansas City the season's final four weeks. Yes, they could wind up 6-10 very easily!
You want another team that is not as good as their record? Try the Seattle Seahawks. They are 8-4, but other than Tampa Bay in week 1, they haven't beaten a top-ranked team. #6 Pittsburgh blew them out 21-0 in week 5 and #8 ranked Cleveland beat them 33-30 in week 9. Four of their wins were by seven points or less, and their three blowout wins came versus #30 San Francisco and an injury-depleted St. Louis team. After they face #16 ranked Arizona this weekend, they don't face another team in the top 20... Yes, they could finish the season at 12-4, but trust me they aren't that good. Unless they really blow out some of these teams the final four weeks, they won't be in my top 10. As far as I'm concerned they are the Hawaii Warriors of pro football, without the undefeated season of course! A first round playoff loss awaits them (unless somehow they bumble things away starting with this weekend's game against Arizona).
Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…
1.(1) New England Patriots (12-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (10-2)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (11-1)
4.(4) Green Bay Packers (10-2)
5.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4)
6.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
7.(9) San Diego Chargers (7-5)
8.(7) Cleveland Browns (7-5)
9.(8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-4)
10.(10) New York Giants (8-4)
—–
11.(16) Tennessee Titans (7-5)
12.(17) Buffalo Bills (6-6)
13.(23) Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
14.(14) Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
15.(13) Washington Redskins (5-7)
16.(15) Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
17.(12) New Orleans Saints (5-7)
18.(11) Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
19.(18) Houston Texans (5-7)
20.(19) Chicago Bears (5-7)
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21.(25) Baltimore Ravens (4-8)
22.(26) Carolina Panthers (5-7)
23.(29) Oakland Raiders (4-8)
24.(23) Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
25.(21) Denver Broncos (5-7)
26.(20) Detroit Lions (6-6)
27.(27) St. Louis Rams (3-9)
28.(24) Kansas City Chiefs (4-8)
29.(28) Atlanta Falcons (3-9)
30.(30) San Francisco 49ers (3-9)
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31.(31) New York Jets (3-9)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-12)
—–
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Got Carrie??? Got Keith???
Unless you're a Country music fan, or maybe an American Idol fan, you probably would have no idea by the title of this message what the heck I'm talking about... OK, so Country superstars Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are teaming up to tour the U.S. early next year for 24 dates on their Love Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride tour, one of which is going to be here in the L.A. area - the Honda Center (formerly known as the Anaheim Pond) to be precise. Carrie was in studio guest for an entire hour this morning on our local Country station, KKGO (Go Country 105 FM)... Although she didn't talk about the pre-sale for the concert which happened today, she talked A LOT about football. Yes, she's a Dallas Cowboys fan and cheers for her friend Tony Romo, and she also likes the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning. However, she's not a Tom Brady or New England Patriots fan - which is good as I'm not one either. By the way, just how did the Pats win that game last night against the Baltimore Ravens? They've been more than lucky the past two weeks in reaching a 12-0 record. If they play a subpar game for a third week in a row at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, expect the number 13 to not be so lucky for them.
But I digress... the main reason for this post is the pre-sale for the Anaheim concert was at 10 a.m. this morning, and I kid you not I actually had to pay someone $5 to get one of the computers in my break room at work so I could have an opportunity at getting the best possible seats. I got some pretty good seats on the floor, but I was hoping to do better - I actually didn't get logged in until about 10:01 am... argh! After the INCREDIBLE 8th row seats that I scored for Rascal Flatts, I guess I got a little spoiled. Nonetheless, I have many friends that also will be going to the March 13, 2008 show and I know it's gonna be an absolute blast even if I'm not quite as close to the stage as I'd like to be.
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But I digress... the main reason for this post is the pre-sale for the Anaheim concert was at 10 a.m. this morning, and I kid you not I actually had to pay someone $5 to get one of the computers in my break room at work so I could have an opportunity at getting the best possible seats. I got some pretty good seats on the floor, but I was hoping to do better - I actually didn't get logged in until about 10:01 am... argh! After the INCREDIBLE 8th row seats that I scored for Rascal Flatts, I guess I got a little spoiled. Nonetheless, I have many friends that also will be going to the March 13, 2008 show and I know it's gonna be an absolute blast even if I'm not quite as close to the stage as I'd like to be.
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Monday, December 3, 2007
BCS Madness???
Given how my UCLA Bruins bumbled and stumbled to a 6-6 record this year behind now former coach Karl Dorrell, I didn't follow college football nearly as closely I might otherwise have. College basketball season couldn't come soon enough for me!
That said, I've still paid some attention to this crazy college football season where the top ranked teams lost much more often than usual. Only Hawaii (who played a very weak schedule) managed to go undefeated through the regular season. Ohio St. and Kansas both lost once. Everyone else lost at least twice this year.
This takes me to the BCS rankings. The top 10 stood like this as of last weekend:
1. Missouri
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Kansas
6. Virginia Tech
7. LSU
8. USC
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida
True to 2007 season form, the top two teams lost this past Saturday. #1 Missouri fell to #9 Oklahoma 38-17, and #2 West Virginia was stunned 13-9 by unranked Pittsburgh. #3 Ohio State, #4 Georgia, #5 Kansas and #10 Florida were all idle this past weekend. #6 Virginia Tech beat #12 ranked Boston College 30-16. #7 LSU got by #14 Tennessee 21-14. And #8 USC beat my unranked Bruins 24-7.
Other than Oklahoma's stunning upset of Missouri, where they completely took over the game in the second half, none of the other ranked team's victories was all that impressive. Virginia Tech was tied with Boston College with only 7 1/2 minutes to play in that one. LSU was tied with Tennessee with less than two minutes to play. In other words, both of these were close games which could have gone either way. USC didn't look all that great against UCLA - my Bruins just did not seem to be in that game at all from the opening kickoff.
With that said, you would logically figure that Ohio State would move up to #1 in the rankings and Georgia to #2 and be playing for the BCS Championship... but NOOOOO... Here's what we got with yesterday's BCS rankings:
1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Virginia Tech
4. Oklahoma
5. Georgia
6. Missouri
7. USC
8. Kansas
9. West Virginia
10. Hawaii
All I can say is how? Ohio State should be #1. I have no problem with that at all. But LSU going 7 to 2 after a VERY unimpressive win? Virginia Tech going 6 to 3 after an almost equally unimpressive win? And why do we move Oklahoma up 9 to 4 after beating the previous #1 ranked team??? This is the same Oklahoma team that lost to unranked Texas Tech two weekends earlier and who had only beaten two ranked teams the entire season! In the meantime, Georgia sat idle and fell a spot. Why??? Arguably, the Bulldogs are playing the best football in the country at the moment, winning six straight games - three of which came against ranked opponents!!! Kansas sat idle too, and fell from 5 to 8... then again, they hardly played a good team all year save for now #6 ranked Missouri who beat them 36-28 the previous Saturday.
#1 vs #2? We didn't get it this year, and that's a shame! The only solace that those of us who think Georgia should be in the championship game is that they get a shot at putting a blemish on #10 Hawaii's undefeated season in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
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That said, I've still paid some attention to this crazy college football season where the top ranked teams lost much more often than usual. Only Hawaii (who played a very weak schedule) managed to go undefeated through the regular season. Ohio St. and Kansas both lost once. Everyone else lost at least twice this year.
This takes me to the BCS rankings. The top 10 stood like this as of last weekend:
1. Missouri
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Kansas
6. Virginia Tech
7. LSU
8. USC
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida
True to 2007 season form, the top two teams lost this past Saturday. #1 Missouri fell to #9 Oklahoma 38-17, and #2 West Virginia was stunned 13-9 by unranked Pittsburgh. #3 Ohio State, #4 Georgia, #5 Kansas and #10 Florida were all idle this past weekend. #6 Virginia Tech beat #12 ranked Boston College 30-16. #7 LSU got by #14 Tennessee 21-14. And #8 USC beat my unranked Bruins 24-7.
Other than Oklahoma's stunning upset of Missouri, where they completely took over the game in the second half, none of the other ranked team's victories was all that impressive. Virginia Tech was tied with Boston College with only 7 1/2 minutes to play in that one. LSU was tied with Tennessee with less than two minutes to play. In other words, both of these were close games which could have gone either way. USC didn't look all that great against UCLA - my Bruins just did not seem to be in that game at all from the opening kickoff.
With that said, you would logically figure that Ohio State would move up to #1 in the rankings and Georgia to #2 and be playing for the BCS Championship... but NOOOOO... Here's what we got with yesterday's BCS rankings:
1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Virginia Tech
4. Oklahoma
5. Georgia
6. Missouri
7. USC
8. Kansas
9. West Virginia
10. Hawaii
All I can say is how? Ohio State should be #1. I have no problem with that at all. But LSU going 7 to 2 after a VERY unimpressive win? Virginia Tech going 6 to 3 after an almost equally unimpressive win? And why do we move Oklahoma up 9 to 4 after beating the previous #1 ranked team??? This is the same Oklahoma team that lost to unranked Texas Tech two weekends earlier and who had only beaten two ranked teams the entire season! In the meantime, Georgia sat idle and fell a spot. Why??? Arguably, the Bulldogs are playing the best football in the country at the moment, winning six straight games - three of which came against ranked opponents!!! Kansas sat idle too, and fell from 5 to 8... then again, they hardly played a good team all year save for now #6 ranked Missouri who beat them 36-28 the previous Saturday.
#1 vs #2? We didn't get it this year, and that's a shame! The only solace that those of us who think Georgia should be in the championship game is that they get a shot at putting a blemish on #10 Hawaii's undefeated season in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
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Sunday, December 2, 2007
NFL Remembers Sean Taylor
In a tribute to Redskins safety Sean Taylor, each of the NFL teams observed a moment of silence in memory of the slain player prior to the kickoff of each of today's games. Additionally, every NFL player has added a #21 logo onto their helmets in tribute to him.
In Washington, there was still a football game to be played today as the Redkins took on the Buffalo Bills this afternoon. The Redskins played inspired ball early, controlling the battle most of today against the Bills to take a 16-5 lead late in the third quarter. The Bills though would score four more field goals late, including a 36-yard one in the final seconds to give the Bills a 17-16 victory. Given how emotionally spent the entire Redskins team and coaching staff was, they put out a very valient effort, their defense managing to keep the Bills out of the end zone the entire day...
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In Washington, there was still a football game to be played today as the Redkins took on the Buffalo Bills this afternoon. The Redskins played inspired ball early, controlling the battle most of today against the Bills to take a 16-5 lead late in the third quarter. The Bills though would score four more field goals late, including a 36-yard one in the final seconds to give the Bills a 17-16 victory. Given how emotionally spent the entire Redskins team and coaching staff was, they put out a very valient effort, their defense managing to keep the Bills out of the end zone the entire day...
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Saturday, December 1, 2007
I'm Going To Garth!!!
Yes, you heard it here first! This morning, tickets went on sale for what was supposed to be one and only one Garth Brooks concert on January 26th, 2008 at the Staples Center here in Los Angeles. Well, that show sold out reportedly in three minutes, and four more shows were added (two more on the 26th and two on the 25th)... I managed to secure a couple of tickets to the first show (1 p.m.) on the 26th! I've never seen Garth in concert before, but from what I understand he puts on an incredible show. Needless to say, this should be an amazing concert and one I very look forward to!!!
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UCLA vs USC is TODAY!
Last year, my "gutty little Bruins" upset the Trojans by a 9-7 score and ended their National Title hopes. Can we make it two in a row today? The game is at 4:30 ET/1:30 PT and will be televised on your local ABC network. GO BRUINS!!!
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