By Rick Morris
In addition to posting my weekly picks, I will post those from other members of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries' Football Challenge Contest. Each week, we will single out our three strongest plays. EDIT: We now add Steve Cirvello's picks as well. SECOND EDIT: We now add Ryan Isley's picks.
RYAN ISLEY
Atlanta -4 over Miami
Philadelphia -2 1/2 over Carolina
Green Bay -3 1/2 over Chicago
STEVE CIRVELLO
New England -10 1/2 over Buffalo
San Diego -9 over Oakland
Minnesota -4 over Cleveland
DAVE ADAMS
Baltimore -13 over Kansas City
New England -10 1/2 over Buffalo
San Diego -9 over Oakland
SEAN TRENCH
Tennessee +6 over Pittsburgh
Washington +6 1/2 over NY Giants
Chicago +3 1/2 over Green Bay
RICK MORRIS
San Diego -9 over Oakland
Minnesota -4 over Cleveland
Dallas -6 over Tampa Bay (my 1,000-Star, Gold-Plated Lock of the Millenium for this week)
My other picks:
Miami +4 over Atlanta
Carolina +2 1/2 over Philadelphia
Denver +4 over Cincinnati
Houston -4 1/2 over NY Jets
Jacksonville +7 over Indianapolis
New Orleans -13 over Detroit
Arizona -6 1/2 over San Francisco
Washington +6 1/2 over NY Giants
St. Louis +8 1/2 over Seattle
Green Bay -3 1/2 over Chicago
New England -10 1/2 over Buffalo
San Diego -9 over Oakland
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #72: September 9, 2009
By Rick Morris
The second week of the new 6-9 PM Wednesday timeslot edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com will have more of the variety that has come to define us over time. Oh, and we're the one place where Bob Barker will be debriefed on his Monday Night Raw guest hosting job -- that too.
As we unveiled last week, our two "show-within-a-shows" now occupy Hour One of the proceedings. THE GOON SQUAD takes a deep look at the landscape for hockey pools in 2009-2010 as we get ready to preview our forthcoming FDH mock draft and our FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide, which will be out next week. Speaking of fantasy, NFL Week 1 occupies the entirety of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER. These segments, and the show as a whole, now have the addition of the newest FDH Lounge Dignitary, Cleveland radio veteran Ryan Isley.
Hours Two and Three will feature an extended FDH Lounge Pigskin Report. All of Hour Two is given over to our 2009 college football preview panel with The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge. Much of Hour Three will be devoted to our NFL roundtable with a unique FDH Lounge twist on the proceedings: we are joined by both WFAN sports talk show host Joe Benigno from New York and someone who has grown to be a friend of his over the years. If you're one of the most prominent talk show callers in New York, then you pretty much are for the entire country also. "Ira from Staten Island," Ira Lieberfarb will bring his chemistry with Joe to The Lounge as we collectively hash out the 2009 pro football season. After that, and we know it's out of order, we move on belatedly to The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries.
And then ... a very special bit of overtime!
To accommodate two very special guests, we are extending the program tomorrow night. At 9 PM EDT, we welcome back the one and only Bob Barker to discuss his guest hosting slot this week on Monday Night Raw. It was awesome. Sample the first ten minutes or so here (or at least until YouTube yanks the video):
As we did when Bob first came on with us on May 20 of this year, we'll also talk about his incredible memoirs PRICELESS MEMORIES. It's a fun, classy read that has so many enjoyable stories in it and it benefits the animal charities for whom he has worked tirelessly.
Then, right after that, we move into Part Two of the OT when we are joined by a man who, coincidentally, had a long and storied career in the industry that Bob visited on Monday night: the one and only Luscious Johnny Valiant! He was one of the great wrestlers of the 1970s in the New York territory and one of the great managers of the 1980s in the same area when New York took over the world. We like multi-talented people with interesting lives and Johnny V fits the bill like few we've ever had on. Now an actor and comedian, his one-man show "An Evening with Johnny Valiant" has garnered much critical praise. Here's a clip with Johnny V and Brutus Beefcake and a subsequent one with Captain Lou Albano and George "The Animal" Steele -- would we be putting ourselves over too much if we noted that The Captain is the only one of the four not to appear in The FDH Lounge yet?
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
The second week of the new 6-9 PM Wednesday timeslot edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com will have more of the variety that has come to define us over time. Oh, and we're the one place where Bob Barker will be debriefed on his Monday Night Raw guest hosting job -- that too.
As we unveiled last week, our two "show-within-a-shows" now occupy Hour One of the proceedings. THE GOON SQUAD takes a deep look at the landscape for hockey pools in 2009-2010 as we get ready to preview our forthcoming FDH mock draft and our FANTASY HOCKEY DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide, which will be out next week. Speaking of fantasy, NFL Week 1 occupies the entirety of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER. These segments, and the show as a whole, now have the addition of the newest FDH Lounge Dignitary, Cleveland radio veteran Ryan Isley.
Hours Two and Three will feature an extended FDH Lounge Pigskin Report. All of Hour Two is given over to our 2009 college football preview panel with The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge. Much of Hour Three will be devoted to our NFL roundtable with a unique FDH Lounge twist on the proceedings: we are joined by both WFAN sports talk show host Joe Benigno from New York and someone who has grown to be a friend of his over the years. If you're one of the most prominent talk show callers in New York, then you pretty much are for the entire country also. "Ira from Staten Island," Ira Lieberfarb will bring his chemistry with Joe to The Lounge as we collectively hash out the 2009 pro football season. After that, and we know it's out of order, we move on belatedly to The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries.
And then ... a very special bit of overtime!
To accommodate two very special guests, we are extending the program tomorrow night. At 9 PM EDT, we welcome back the one and only Bob Barker to discuss his guest hosting slot this week on Monday Night Raw. It was awesome. Sample the first ten minutes or so here (or at least until YouTube yanks the video):
As we did when Bob first came on with us on May 20 of this year, we'll also talk about his incredible memoirs PRICELESS MEMORIES. It's a fun, classy read that has so many enjoyable stories in it and it benefits the animal charities for whom he has worked tirelessly.
Then, right after that, we move into Part Two of the OT when we are joined by a man who, coincidentally, had a long and storied career in the industry that Bob visited on Monday night: the one and only Luscious Johnny Valiant! He was one of the great wrestlers of the 1970s in the New York territory and one of the great managers of the 1980s in the same area when New York took over the world. We like multi-talented people with interesting lives and Johnny V fits the bill like few we've ever had on. Now an actor and comedian, his one-man show "An Evening with Johnny Valiant" has garnered much critical praise. Here's a clip with Johnny V and Brutus Beefcake and a subsequent one with Captain Lou Albano and George "The Animal" Steele -- would we be putting ourselves over too much if we noted that The Captain is the only one of the four not to appear in The FDH Lounge yet?
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XXXV
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Transcript: Cleveland Indians sell their moves
By Rick Morris
INDIANS PUBLIC RELATIONS FLACK TAD DISINGENUOUS: Thanks for another season of great ink, Will, hoping to see a little more as we move down the stretch.
ESPN BASEBALL WRITER WILL FULLY-OBTUSE: Oh, anything for you, Tad, you know I think that your front office is revolutionizing the very process of building a baseball franchise from the ground up.
TAD: Why, yes, that’s exactly what we’re doing, how bold, perceptive and refreshing that you recognize it so clearly!
WILL: And as always, I appreciate your kind personal comments, Tad.
TAD: Well, we’d appreciate any help you could give in knocking down these vicious rumors that we have been anything short of an absolute organizational juggernaut this year. We know you and other like-minded people in the national media have that kind of stroke; after all, we were actually at the same Vegas odds for winning the World Series as the Phillies on Opening Day!
WILL: I’d love to, I really would, because I fully believe that … but I may have to be a bit careful in how I do that. I’m still taking a bit of heat about the last column I wrote about you: “Forget wins and losses, Shapiro and Company dominated the decade.”
TAD: Careful? Careful’s not going to get these uppity, think-for-themselves peon fans back on our side, pal. We need something at least as strong as your previous effort: “Why wait? Enshrine Mark Shapiro and his whole crew in Cooperstown right now!”
WILL: Well, no offense Tad, but it might take something stronger than another fools-gold surge back to the vicinity of .500 to get permission for that from my editor.
TAD: What? You know what, never mind, I’ll just take this request to Diatribe. Paul Cousineau once gave a favorable writeup to a Chris Antonetti bowel movement – which, in retrospect, probably prepared him well for his praise of the David Dellucci signing.
WILL: No! Don’t do that! I’ll write anything you want! The sell-by date for Carlos Carrasco wasn’t last Thanksgiving! David Huff is the next Tom Glavine! You got [GULP] the best prospects from the Red Sox in the Victor Martinez deal!
TAD: Now, see, was that really so hard?
WILL: After everything I’ve bought so far, no, not really.
INDIANS PUBLIC RELATIONS FLACK TAD DISINGENUOUS: Thanks for another season of great ink, Will, hoping to see a little more as we move down the stretch.
ESPN BASEBALL WRITER WILL FULLY-OBTUSE: Oh, anything for you, Tad, you know I think that your front office is revolutionizing the very process of building a baseball franchise from the ground up.
TAD: Why, yes, that’s exactly what we’re doing, how bold, perceptive and refreshing that you recognize it so clearly!
WILL: And as always, I appreciate your kind personal comments, Tad.
TAD: Well, we’d appreciate any help you could give in knocking down these vicious rumors that we have been anything short of an absolute organizational juggernaut this year. We know you and other like-minded people in the national media have that kind of stroke; after all, we were actually at the same Vegas odds for winning the World Series as the Phillies on Opening Day!
WILL: I’d love to, I really would, because I fully believe that … but I may have to be a bit careful in how I do that. I’m still taking a bit of heat about the last column I wrote about you: “Forget wins and losses, Shapiro and Company dominated the decade.”
TAD: Careful? Careful’s not going to get these uppity, think-for-themselves peon fans back on our side, pal. We need something at least as strong as your previous effort: “Why wait? Enshrine Mark Shapiro and his whole crew in Cooperstown right now!”
WILL: Well, no offense Tad, but it might take something stronger than another fools-gold surge back to the vicinity of .500 to get permission for that from my editor.
TAD: What? You know what, never mind, I’ll just take this request to Diatribe. Paul Cousineau once gave a favorable writeup to a Chris Antonetti bowel movement – which, in retrospect, probably prepared him well for his praise of the David Dellucci signing.
WILL: No! Don’t do that! I’ll write anything you want! The sell-by date for Carlos Carrasco wasn’t last Thanksgiving! David Huff is the next Tom Glavine! You got [GULP] the best prospects from the Red Sox in the Victor Martinez deal!
TAD: Now, see, was that really so hard?
WILL: After everything I’ve bought so far, no, not really.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
MLB power rankings for start of September
By Rick Morris
NOTE: Previous rankings are listed in parentheses, preseason rankings in brackets.
TOP TIER
1 New York Yankees (1) [2]
2 Los Angeles Angels (2) [7]
3 St Louis (5) [9]
4 Los Angeles Dodgers (3) [10]
5 Philadelphia (4) [5]
6 Boston (6) [1]
SECOND TIER
7 Texas (7) [20]
8 Tampa Bay (8) [3]
9 Colorado (9) [24]
10 San Francisco (10) [23]
11 Detroit (12) [18]
12 Florida (11) [14]
13 Atlanta (14) [22]
14 Seattle (15) [28]
15 Chicago Cubs (16) [4]
16 Minnesota (18) [11]
THIRD TIER
17 Chicago White Sox (13) [15]
18 Milwaukee (17) [17]
19 Houston (20) [21]
20 Cincinnati (24) [19]
21 Arizona (22) [8]
22 Oakland (23) [12]
23 New York Mets (19) [6]
24 Cleveland (25) [13]
25 Toronto (21) [26]
26 San Diego (26) [30]
FOURTH TIER
27 Baltimore (28) [25]
28 Pittsburgh (27) [27]
FIFTH TIER
29 Kansas City (29) [16]
SIXTH TIER
30 Washington (30) [29]
BIGGEST RISER: Cincinnati (4 spots)
BIGGEST FALLERS: Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Toronto (4 spots)
NOTE: Previous rankings are listed in parentheses, preseason rankings in brackets.
TOP TIER
1 New York Yankees (1) [2]
2 Los Angeles Angels (2) [7]
3 St Louis (5) [9]
4 Los Angeles Dodgers (3) [10]
5 Philadelphia (4) [5]
6 Boston (6) [1]
SECOND TIER
7 Texas (7) [20]
8 Tampa Bay (8) [3]
9 Colorado (9) [24]
10 San Francisco (10) [23]
11 Detroit (12) [18]
12 Florida (11) [14]
13 Atlanta (14) [22]
14 Seattle (15) [28]
15 Chicago Cubs (16) [4]
16 Minnesota (18) [11]
THIRD TIER
17 Chicago White Sox (13) [15]
18 Milwaukee (17) [17]
19 Houston (20) [21]
20 Cincinnati (24) [19]
21 Arizona (22) [8]
22 Oakland (23) [12]
23 New York Mets (19) [6]
24 Cleveland (25) [13]
25 Toronto (21) [26]
26 San Diego (26) [30]
FOURTH TIER
27 Baltimore (28) [25]
28 Pittsburgh (27) [27]
FIFTH TIER
29 Kansas City (29) [16]
SIXTH TIER
30 Washington (30) [29]
BIGGEST RISER: Cincinnati (4 spots)
BIGGEST FALLERS: Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Toronto (4 spots)
NCAA football picks Week One
By Rick Morris
Boise State -3 over Oregon
Ohio State -22 over Navy
Western Michigan +13 over Michigan
UConn -3 1/2 over Ohio
Nevada +14 1/2 over Notre Dame
Oklahoma State -4 1/2 over Georgia
Virginia Tech +6 1/2 over Alabama
Florida State -6 1/2 over Miami
Rutgers -5 over Cincinnati
Illinois -6 1/2 over Missouri
Boise State -3 over Oregon
Ohio State -22 over Navy
Western Michigan +13 over Michigan
UConn -3 1/2 over Ohio
Nevada +14 1/2 over Notre Dame
Oklahoma State -4 1/2 over Georgia
Virginia Tech +6 1/2 over Alabama
Florida State -6 1/2 over Miami
Rutgers -5 over Cincinnati
Illinois -6 1/2 over Missouri
FDH Preseason NCAA Top 25 Poll
By Rick Morris
1 Florida
2 Texas
3 Oklahoma
4 USC
5 Alabama
6 Virginia Tech
7 Ohio State
8 LSU
9 Georgia Tech
10 Boise State
11 Penn State
12 Mississippi
13 Oklahoma State
14 Oregon
15 Utah
16 Georgia
17 TCU
18 California
19 Iowa
20 Florida State
21 Kansas
22 Notre Dame
23 Brigham Young
24 Oregon State
25 Texas Tech
Honorable Mention: North Carolina, East Carolina, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Miami, South Florida
1 Florida
2 Texas
3 Oklahoma
4 USC
5 Alabama
6 Virginia Tech
7 Ohio State
8 LSU
9 Georgia Tech
10 Boise State
11 Penn State
12 Mississippi
13 Oklahoma State
14 Oregon
15 Utah
16 Georgia
17 TCU
18 California
19 Iowa
20 Florida State
21 Kansas
22 Notre Dame
23 Brigham Young
24 Oregon State
25 Texas Tech
Honorable Mention: North Carolina, East Carolina, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Miami, South Florida
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #71: September 2, 2009
By Rick Morris
Fun a-plenty greets our audience as THE FDH LOUNGE moves to its new, starting one-hour-earlier timeslot on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 6-9 PM EDT).
The last hour of the show now becomes the first, as THE GOON SQUAD and THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER now occupy the first third of the proceedings. On GOON, we examine the shocking change at the top of the NHL Players’ Association and the increased likelihood of more severe labor strife in the summer of 2011. Plus, in more wonderful news for the league, the low-clearance channel Versus just alienated DirecTV. Oh joy. Also, the Canadian hockey team, the favorites to win the Olympic gold medal on home ice in a few months, staged a very interesting scrimmage last week and we have our thoughts. And we also preview our fantasy hockey coverage in the most logical place: with a look at our Ultimate Quantitative Baseline statistic for how players performed in 2008-09. That provides a logical segue to our fantasy show-within-a-show as we review recent mock drafts, including our own official one. We’ll also review some last-minute draft advice courtesy of our free FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide and look over some last-minute injury situations.
Then, in Hour Two, we move into the “classic nothing is off-topic” Lounge format.
What a start it will be with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Rolie! How many musicians get to play with one legendary act? And he’s played with two: Santana and Journey – to say nothing of his work with other bands, including the current Gregg Rolie Band. 40 years after performing at Woodstock, he’s still got new and exciting developments going on all the time.
Then, after falling prey to technical issues when we planned to do this last week, we bring in one of the greatest pro wrestling writers of all time, Mike Mooneyham. His three decades in the business, combined with his great love of the game, makes him a very special guest. He just attended the biggest NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest yet and we'll get his thoughts on that event, SummerSlam, Kurt Angle's issues, Rey-Rey’s positive test, AmDrag fleeing ROH for Titan and anything else that is relevant.
In Hour Three, we are happy to talk to writer Robert Siegel, whose BIG FAN movie with Patton Oswalt just opened to great acclaim. Of course, this former Onion editor-in-chief also penned the awesome screenplay THE WRESTLER, so he’s on quite the creative hot streak over the past year. We’ll talk about his experiences with these great movies.
Our final guest rejoins us after a great first appearance on Episode #55. Colin Delany from epolitics.com comes on to discuss the passing from the scene of Ted Kennedy and the implications. We also take a look at his outstanding new E-book LEARNING FROM OBAMA: LESSONS FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATORS IN 2009 AND BEYOND. Last year’s presidential campaign saw the very process revolutionized like never before thanks to technological advances. Colin has some tremendous observations on how that happened.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
Fun a-plenty greets our audience as THE FDH LOUNGE moves to its new, starting one-hour-earlier timeslot on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 6-9 PM EDT).
The last hour of the show now becomes the first, as THE GOON SQUAD and THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER now occupy the first third of the proceedings. On GOON, we examine the shocking change at the top of the NHL Players’ Association and the increased likelihood of more severe labor strife in the summer of 2011. Plus, in more wonderful news for the league, the low-clearance channel Versus just alienated DirecTV. Oh joy. Also, the Canadian hockey team, the favorites to win the Olympic gold medal on home ice in a few months, staged a very interesting scrimmage last week and we have our thoughts. And we also preview our fantasy hockey coverage in the most logical place: with a look at our Ultimate Quantitative Baseline statistic for how players performed in 2008-09. That provides a logical segue to our fantasy show-within-a-show as we review recent mock drafts, including our own official one. We’ll also review some last-minute draft advice courtesy of our free FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide and look over some last-minute injury situations.
Then, in Hour Two, we move into the “classic nothing is off-topic” Lounge format.
What a start it will be with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Rolie! How many musicians get to play with one legendary act? And he’s played with two: Santana and Journey – to say nothing of his work with other bands, including the current Gregg Rolie Band. 40 years after performing at Woodstock, he’s still got new and exciting developments going on all the time.
Then, after falling prey to technical issues when we planned to do this last week, we bring in one of the greatest pro wrestling writers of all time, Mike Mooneyham. His three decades in the business, combined with his great love of the game, makes him a very special guest. He just attended the biggest NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest yet and we'll get his thoughts on that event, SummerSlam, Kurt Angle's issues, Rey-Rey’s positive test, AmDrag fleeing ROH for Titan and anything else that is relevant.
In Hour Three, we are happy to talk to writer Robert Siegel, whose BIG FAN movie with Patton Oswalt just opened to great acclaim. Of course, this former Onion editor-in-chief also penned the awesome screenplay THE WRESTLER, so he’s on quite the creative hot streak over the past year. We’ll talk about his experiences with these great movies.
Our final guest rejoins us after a great first appearance on Episode #55. Colin Delany from epolitics.com comes on to discuss the passing from the scene of Ted Kennedy and the implications. We also take a look at his outstanding new E-book LEARNING FROM OBAMA: LESSONS FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATORS IN 2009 AND BEYOND. Last year’s presidential campaign saw the very process revolutionized like never before thanks to technological advances. Colin has some tremendous observations on how that happened.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
Monday, August 31, 2009
A tale of three AFLs
By Rick Morris
Three important institutions, each sharing the initials "AFL," saw milestones of different sorts this month.
^ The American Football League was formed 50 years ago. Within ten years, paced by the exciting, wide-open offenses, it was a legitimate contender with the NFL, such that it forced perhaps the most consequential merger in sports history.
^ The Australian Football League is making a comeback on ESPN airwaves. The staple of 1980s programming, which I watched for many, many years in my misspent youth, can be found as of this month on ESPN 360 and the 2009 AFL Grand Final will be broadcast on The Deuce in late September.
^ The Arena Football League officially bit the dust after taking the 2009 season off to try to wait out the horrid economy. It could not survive. This invented sport, much like Aussie Rules, is an exciting variation of "real football," and is certainly legit enough to come back on a reduced level once the economy turns around for good (whenever that may be).
It is coincidental enough that three important leagues shared the same initials, much less that they shared milestones in the same month. Each of these circuits added a great deal to the history of football, in all of its glorious forms.
Three important institutions, each sharing the initials "AFL," saw milestones of different sorts this month.
^ The American Football League was formed 50 years ago. Within ten years, paced by the exciting, wide-open offenses, it was a legitimate contender with the NFL, such that it forced perhaps the most consequential merger in sports history.
^ The Australian Football League is making a comeback on ESPN airwaves. The staple of 1980s programming, which I watched for many, many years in my misspent youth, can be found as of this month on ESPN 360 and the 2009 AFL Grand Final will be broadcast on The Deuce in late September.
^ The Arena Football League officially bit the dust after taking the 2009 season off to try to wait out the horrid economy. It could not survive. This invented sport, much like Aussie Rules, is an exciting variation of "real football," and is certainly legit enough to come back on a reduced level once the economy turns around for good (whenever that may be).
It is coincidental enough that three important leagues shared the same initials, much less that they shared milestones in the same month. Each of these circuits added a great deal to the history of football, in all of its glorious forms.
Sportsology: Jets-Giants tilt electrifies the Big Apple
By Rick Morris
Here's some great first-hand coverage of New York's big football showdown over the weekend, courtesy of our friend Russ Cohen and Sportsology in The 21st Century Media Alliance.
Russ's Rants - Jets-Giants: The Showdown at the Meadowlands Was Fun
By Russ Cohen
The Jets and Giants have been playing against each other for 40 years and the vast majority of them have been played at the Meadowlands, or "Giants Stadium," where the Jets have been second-class tenants for too many years to count. Well, they played their last game at this old football field over the weekend and the Jets won -- and it meant something, even though it was preseason.
Giants fans were asking: why did the Jets fans care, and the answer is simple. Fans don’t know what to expect from the team this year with a rookie QB, so they were looking to see how Mark Sanchez would fare in his first pro start and this was a good test against yet another strong defensive team. He faced Baltimore the week before and even before he was named the starter, his coach was gushing about what he saw.
“He has earned the reps with the first-team,” says Rex Ryan of his rookie QB. “The guy had to earn his reps, and he’s done that. Without question, he’s done that.”
Sanchez looked poised in the pocket, and even when the Giants had the pass rush going, he was able to avoid trouble and throw for some big gains. The Giants' lack of tackling skills really showed in this game, but again, the rookie slinger had a better game than Eli Manning.
Jets running back Leon Washington was the best offensive player and Jericho Cotchery was a close second. Vernon Gholston, the team's slow-starting first-rounder from last year, had an impressive sack on Giants QB David Carr.
I think the Jets are an 8-8 team, but with a few breaks and a relatively easy schedule, there is some cause for optimism.
For Gang Green fans who are trying to forget about Brett Favre, this quote should make them chuckle: “Each day, things have gotten a little smoother,” says Favre. “It’s now just about football. Business as usual.”
I’ve been coming to this stadium for years, and I have seen a few Giants games, one of them a Monday Night contest when Joe Namath was a part of the broadcast team, and the other on Thanksgiving when PA announcer Bob Sheppard (who amazingly announced Saturday’s game as well even at age of 98) angered the crowd when he announced “Game Over” just as the team’s drive was cut short of the goal line with no time left on the clock. But I will talk about the Jets memories I have, and here they are, not in any particular order:
1) Jets-Jags - 1999 playoffs – The Jets beat the Jags and head coach Tom Coughlin 34-24. We had great seats in the lower bowl, we were wearing Tuna Heads and Curtis Martin and Vinny Testaverde were stellar. It was a great week and a great day.
2) Jets-Pats – 1985 playoffs – It was a 4 PM game. I was wearing after ski boots, and full winter regalia as I sat in the upper level. I had my Sony Watchman for replays and it had frost on it. Tony Eason led the Pats to an easy 26-14 win and I was annoyed, to say the least. Johnny Hector scored a touchdown and then fumbled one that the Pats turned into six. More Jets frustration.
3) Jets-Seahawks – 2000 – Parcells, last game as Jets head coach. They won the game 19-9. Curtis Martin ripped off a 50-yard run and Wayne Chrebet was the best receiver on the field. Ray Lucas won the game and “The Tuna” didn’t make the playoffs and he swore this was his last NFL job. What a joke!
The Giants are a class organization, but I hope the new shared stadium will offer Jets fans more than just a banner with the team’s name covering up the Giants name. It has always rubbed me the wrong way.
Here's some great first-hand coverage of New York's big football showdown over the weekend, courtesy of our friend Russ Cohen and Sportsology in The 21st Century Media Alliance.
Russ's Rants - Jets-Giants: The Showdown at the Meadowlands Was Fun
By Russ Cohen
The Jets and Giants have been playing against each other for 40 years and the vast majority of them have been played at the Meadowlands, or "Giants Stadium," where the Jets have been second-class tenants for too many years to count. Well, they played their last game at this old football field over the weekend and the Jets won -- and it meant something, even though it was preseason.
Giants fans were asking: why did the Jets fans care, and the answer is simple. Fans don’t know what to expect from the team this year with a rookie QB, so they were looking to see how Mark Sanchez would fare in his first pro start and this was a good test against yet another strong defensive team. He faced Baltimore the week before and even before he was named the starter, his coach was gushing about what he saw.
“He has earned the reps with the first-team,” says Rex Ryan of his rookie QB. “The guy had to earn his reps, and he’s done that. Without question, he’s done that.”
Sanchez looked poised in the pocket, and even when the Giants had the pass rush going, he was able to avoid trouble and throw for some big gains. The Giants' lack of tackling skills really showed in this game, but again, the rookie slinger had a better game than Eli Manning.
Jets running back Leon Washington was the best offensive player and Jericho Cotchery was a close second. Vernon Gholston, the team's slow-starting first-rounder from last year, had an impressive sack on Giants QB David Carr.
I think the Jets are an 8-8 team, but with a few breaks and a relatively easy schedule, there is some cause for optimism.
For Gang Green fans who are trying to forget about Brett Favre, this quote should make them chuckle: “Each day, things have gotten a little smoother,” says Favre. “It’s now just about football. Business as usual.”
I’ve been coming to this stadium for years, and I have seen a few Giants games, one of them a Monday Night contest when Joe Namath was a part of the broadcast team, and the other on Thanksgiving when PA announcer Bob Sheppard (who amazingly announced Saturday’s game as well even at age of 98) angered the crowd when he announced “Game Over” just as the team’s drive was cut short of the goal line with no time left on the clock. But I will talk about the Jets memories I have, and here they are, not in any particular order:
1) Jets-Jags - 1999 playoffs – The Jets beat the Jags and head coach Tom Coughlin 34-24. We had great seats in the lower bowl, we were wearing Tuna Heads and Curtis Martin and Vinny Testaverde were stellar. It was a great week and a great day.
2) Jets-Pats – 1985 playoffs – It was a 4 PM game. I was wearing after ski boots, and full winter regalia as I sat in the upper level. I had my Sony Watchman for replays and it had frost on it. Tony Eason led the Pats to an easy 26-14 win and I was annoyed, to say the least. Johnny Hector scored a touchdown and then fumbled one that the Pats turned into six. More Jets frustration.
3) Jets-Seahawks – 2000 – Parcells, last game as Jets head coach. They won the game 19-9. Curtis Martin ripped off a 50-yard run and Wayne Chrebet was the best receiver on the field. Ray Lucas won the game and “The Tuna” didn’t make the playoffs and he swore this was his last NFL job. What a joke!
The Giants are a class organization, but I hope the new shared stadium will offer Jets fans more than just a banner with the team’s name covering up the Giants name. It has always rubbed me the wrong way.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sportsology: Chickenfoot review
By Rick Morris
As we've been telling you, our cohorts in The 21st Century Media Alliance at Sportsology cover far more than the world of sports. Here's a great concert review for a would-be/could-be "Supergroup."
Chickenfoot Still in Embryonic Stage
By Russ Cohen
Atlantic City -- This new collection of musicians includes Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Montrose and a very successful solo career), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), and Joe Satriani, guitar vituoso. They should not be tagged a “Supergroup” just yet because their first album isn’t a smash hit and their first tour isn’t packing big venues.
The House of Blues in Atlantic City is a modest-sized venue and there was plenty of room to walk around. The new band is trying to make a name for themselves off the sweat of their debut album entitled “Chickenfoot”. What this means is that they didn’t play big name songs from the past.
The band opened up with “Avenida Revolution,” and Satriani was on fire for during that song. His solo was memorable and he used his teeth, giving the fans what they wanted. Anthony’s bass solo was the same as his mates, short and sweet. Smith kept the drumsticks flying intermittingly for the first two songs and the crowd really liked what they saw.
The band musically has a lot of promise but it took a few songs until they stopped looking like four musicians playing a gig. At some point, Sammy proclaimed that the venue was “awesome” and then he added, “this room is out of sight, man.” The very talented frontman dated himself a bit with those remarks.
After playing “My Kinda Girl,” the band had hit a high point in the show and they were able to ride that wave for most of the show. “Down the Drain” was the next song and that had a great blues jam. The bass lines were heavy, the guitar was constant, and the stick lights positioned by the band were pulsating up and down with the music; it was a great moment.
At one point Sammy said, “As you people can tell I’m not in charge of this f-in band.” It made total sense, because the band members are all stars, so there was no leader and that suits them.
The crowd seemed to be mixed about the song “Turnin’ Left”. Let's face it, AC isn’t NASCAR country, and honestly how many times can you hear the chorus of “Turnin’ Left?" It was a bit too repetitive.
Right after that song, Hagar still had his guitar on and he was posing for pictures backstage. It was funny and it showed off the singer’s playful side. An old Montrose song “Bad Motor Scooter” followed and then Sammy had a very memorable dual solo with Satriani. Hagar really showed off his guitar skills.
The night ended with a cover of the Who’s mega-hit “My Generation” and the band was mimicking the famous British band. It was fabulous. Satriani was doing windmill lines on his guitar and Smith, very unexpectedly, beat up his drum set, tossing it around like Keith Moon did back in the day. Even after the song ended, Hagar continued to beat the drum and the crowd loved that; it was the only drum standing!
Check out this band. They are fun, the music is great, and they could be on the verge of hitting it big; they are in their infancy.
As we've been telling you, our cohorts in The 21st Century Media Alliance at Sportsology cover far more than the world of sports. Here's a great concert review for a would-be/could-be "Supergroup."
Chickenfoot Still in Embryonic Stage
By Russ Cohen
Atlantic City -- This new collection of musicians includes Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Montrose and a very successful solo career), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), and Joe Satriani, guitar vituoso. They should not be tagged a “Supergroup” just yet because their first album isn’t a smash hit and their first tour isn’t packing big venues.
The House of Blues in Atlantic City is a modest-sized venue and there was plenty of room to walk around. The new band is trying to make a name for themselves off the sweat of their debut album entitled “Chickenfoot”. What this means is that they didn’t play big name songs from the past.
The band opened up with “Avenida Revolution,” and Satriani was on fire for during that song. His solo was memorable and he used his teeth, giving the fans what they wanted. Anthony’s bass solo was the same as his mates, short and sweet. Smith kept the drumsticks flying intermittingly for the first two songs and the crowd really liked what they saw.
The band musically has a lot of promise but it took a few songs until they stopped looking like four musicians playing a gig. At some point, Sammy proclaimed that the venue was “awesome” and then he added, “this room is out of sight, man.” The very talented frontman dated himself a bit with those remarks.
After playing “My Kinda Girl,” the band had hit a high point in the show and they were able to ride that wave for most of the show. “Down the Drain” was the next song and that had a great blues jam. The bass lines were heavy, the guitar was constant, and the stick lights positioned by the band were pulsating up and down with the music; it was a great moment.
At one point Sammy said, “As you people can tell I’m not in charge of this f-in band.” It made total sense, because the band members are all stars, so there was no leader and that suits them.
The crowd seemed to be mixed about the song “Turnin’ Left”. Let's face it, AC isn’t NASCAR country, and honestly how many times can you hear the chorus of “Turnin’ Left?" It was a bit too repetitive.
Right after that song, Hagar still had his guitar on and he was posing for pictures backstage. It was funny and it showed off the singer’s playful side. An old Montrose song “Bad Motor Scooter” followed and then Sammy had a very memorable dual solo with Satriani. Hagar really showed off his guitar skills.
The night ended with a cover of the Who’s mega-hit “My Generation” and the band was mimicking the famous British band. It was fabulous. Satriani was doing windmill lines on his guitar and Smith, very unexpectedly, beat up his drum set, tossing it around like Keith Moon did back in the day. Even after the song ended, Hagar continued to beat the drum and the crowd loved that; it was the only drum standing!
Check out this band. They are fun, the music is great, and they could be on the verge of hitting it big; they are in their infancy.
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XXXIV
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)