A much needed break

I am leaving for Kansas City, MO this morning.

I will be headed down to catch a Royals game and get some much needed R& R away from the "exciting" Iowa.

Until then, look for some stuff from Owen and maybe even Alec.

As always, have a safe weekend (when it rolls around) and don't let fantasy football give you a brain hemmorage...as it will do to me soon as the proud owner of Steven Jackson, Peyton Manning, Hines Ward, Cavin Johnson and a 1-2 record.

(and yes, that is Frankie goes to Hollywood in the picture)

Embarassment in Kansas City...and no...I don't mean the Royals

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a fictional cartoon character...

Homer Simpson was on the sidelines during the Vikings 13-10 loss to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

If you remember, in season 9 of the Simpsons, Bart joins a pee-wee football team coached by Ned Flanders (often times confused to be coach Childress, except Flanders coached his team to wins). Homer's taunting of Ned eventually leads to him quitting and giving Homer the coaching job.

Homer is too dumb to keep Nelson in at QB, plays favorites and puts Bart in as QB. The team loses several games and eventually Bart has to sacrifice himself (posing as Nelson when the police show up to arrest Nelson for a crime he committed) in order to save the team's season.

Lesson learned? Sometimes it really isn't the players...it's the coaches.

Brad Childress called about as good of a game as a indigenous tribe member from the Arctic could. First drive? Amazing, Adrian Peterson blows past Ty Law and puts the Vikings up 7-0. After that, the Chiefs somewhat figured out AP and now it was up to journeyman Kelly "I couldn't make it with the Browns or Eagles OR Bills" Holcomb. Even our 3rd string RB had a better arm (see touchdown pass to Shiancoe). It was deemed an incomplete pass by the referees and they were defended by the announcers as saying that maybe they didn't have that angle that we all saw. CAN SOMEONE GET THOSE GUYS A LITTLE TV SO THEY CAN GET THAT DAWGGONE ANGLE?!

Holcomb would later overthrow a wide open Robert Ferguson in the endzone which would have put the Vikes up 17-6. The guy hasn't played in a couple months and was thrown into a game against the Chiefs. Not the greatest team in the world, but it was an away game at a very intimidating stadium and the guy doesn't have the greatest track record. First bad coaching move by Childress.

Second bad move was running on first and second down and then relying on Timmy Twizzler Arm to get a first down. Sure AP had another solid game, but relying on a rookie RB won't really get you W's.

Third bad coaching move? The entire 4th quarter. Run, run, Incomplete pass, punt....Run, run, incomplete pass, punt. Referring back to our Simpsons episode, I can already see Childress with his electric football game saying "Alright Matt, hike the ball to Kelly and Kelly....you run around in a circle and then fall down".

I don't like to think that because I play Madden way too much that I can coach better than Childress...but I think that had he just pressed square (for PS2 users) for the 'Ask Madden' option, Madden would have let him know "Show them that you aren't afraid...run the ball up the middle"....oh wait...maybe he did use the 'Ask Madden'...

Either way, with the way the Green Bay Packers (leading candidates for the "Ringers of the Year" award) are playing right now...the Packers will most likely be 4-0 by 3:15 pm next Sunday and the Vikings will be thinking "who do we take with the number 3 pick?"

As always, leave your feedback and have a great Monday.

Long time, No See...

Good morning!


(I started writing this at 11:40 pm and since it was before midnight, the post says Wednesday...it really is meant for Thursday...but let's get on with it)

It has been a while since our last post here at Court's Sports. Due to unforseen events, mainly me deciding to be a real college student and actually go to class and do homework all the time, it's been pretty busy around these parts.

I would love to spend time catching up on everything that has been happening since last week, but if you read this blog I am going to trust that you haven't been under a rock for a week and know what's going on.

So I would like to focus on the one thing that has been plastered all over ESPN, and every other news outlet during the last few days, and that is OJ Simpson's recent arrest.

This whole situation stinks with confusion. The jist of the story is that someone told OJ that someone else was selling some personal effects and OJ wasn't having it. So he took some people that he met at a wedding reception and Pulp Fictioned his way into jail. One of OJ's new friends apparently had a gun, some say OJ did but it isn't known at this point. 11 felony counts later, OJ is back in jail and has the Goldman family giddy with joy.

With bail set at $125,000, OJ seems to be back in the same situation he was when he was being tried for murder. Is it really a case of "wrong place, wrong time"? Or is OJ really the guy that most of America thinks he is?

I was 8 years old when '85 white Ford Broncos were no longer known as "trucks" but "getaway vehicles". I remember the glove and sitting in front of the TV when he was being acquitted. Was I excited? Sure, but for what reason?

I had heard that he was guilty as all guilty can be. And then he somehow moonwalks his way out of murder charges?! First thought at age 8? "He is the man!"

Forgive me, I was 8, but that's what it looked like to a lot of people. Until this point in American history, if a black man went to trial...there was a good chance that his plans were going to change for the next 15-20 years. And now "Juice" was getting acquitted of murder when it seemed to be a very clear cut trial? Unbeleivable.

You could play the celebrity card of course, but that card was a 2 of a kind to the royal flush that was the race card.

I've never been one to cry race at anything. Sure, I may use it in the comical sense, but people need to deal with their lives regardless of skin color. I've been a part of many situations that dealt with racism, so I know what it's like. But not everything in life is black and white.

Unfortunately, this situation also stinks with the dreaded "P" word..."profiled"

I feel that OJ was very un-intelligent about this situation. First off, who were the guys with him. If I'm at a party with OJ, not only am I nowhere near him, but if I am and I hear about a plan to run into a hotel room with a gun to get his stuff back...I make my way over to my date and do not join in such activities. Second, well knowing his past with the police, why would he go with a gun and a bunch of guys. Like Whoopi Goldberg said on the View the other day, (my mother told me, I'm in class at the time) "Involve the police!"

Now, OJ was quoted as saying that he no longer has faith in the police and that his dealings with them have been less than satisfactory since the '95 trial. Really OJ? The police have been "less than satisfactory"? Surprise. Either way, if he calls them and they refuse to go to the hotel it falls on them for not doing their job to serve and protect.

Unfortunately, when you have the past experiences that OJ has had, then yes, authorities may deal with you differently. To me, this is where the profiling ends.

You, in the next few weeks, may hear "Well if Tom Brady had been in this situation, then he wouldn't have such harsh charges. Maybe, maybe not...we'll never know. Want to know why we'll never know? BECAUSE TOM BRADY WILL NEVER BE IN THIS SITUATION.

I don't often deal in absolutes, but come on. Unless something goes terribly wrong, I don't see the distant Kennedy (check out his pictures online, creepy) doing this ever. Some people just find themselves in stupid situations and OJ is the current league leader in stupid situations.

I would like to leave you with these links though : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/070918 (ESPN's Jemele Hill has a great article that goes into great detail about the situation)

Scroll down to the "Jason Simpson Theory" section (on Wikipedia) and read it. Not many have talked about this theory, but something tells me that it makes more sense than OJ actually committing the murders.

This situation is a loaded gun. It screams confusion, racism, profiling and mainly stupidity on OJ Simpsons part.

We here at Court's Sports in no way support OJ Simpson in anything he does unless it involves him in a USC or Buffalo Bills uniform. Nor do we support Wikipedia as a source of great information, just a great way to pass time in class.

Have a great Thursday!

Terry Ryan & Greg Oden...friends?

I ask this question mainly because as of today, neither of these gentlemen will have much to do.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, and about 70 other sources, Twins GM Terry Ryan has stepped down from his position in the Twins organization.

This comes as a great surprise to many since Ryan has been with the organization for 12 years now and the Twins will be at possibly the most important crossroads in their storied history as they try and find the funds to re-sign their most important players.

Ryan will be replaced by Assistant GM Bill Smith, who according to sources, is a very motivated and competent replacement.

Ryan has been lauded by owners across the league for being able to put competitive teams on the field year in and year out with a very limited budget. He was able to trade AJ Pierzsynski for Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano. That trade is considered by many, one of the most lopsided trades in recent MLB history. Ryan had a great eye for talent and it showed.

As for the other part...

Greg Oden, who elected to have microfracture knee surgery a couple weeks ago, will apparently be out until March and maybe even the entire season.

This is a blow to the TrailBlazers organization who was banking on Oden helping them to the playoffs this year.

The best thing is that since Oden, age wise, is young he could return quicker than thought.

And yes, he still will have to shave every 6 hours.

Peyton's still here...and he's brought friends

The New Orleans Saints really thought that they had a chance to beat the Colts in Indy last night....I'm sure of it.


Well, any of you who watched last night would know that wishes sometimes just don't happen. Sounds sad, but nothing is more sad than coming in with high expectations for your team and having every single person on your team underacheive. Even the water boy spilled Deuce McAllister's Gatorade during the 3rd quarter.


Reggie Bush, considered by many to be one of the most explosive players in the NFL, gained a grand total of 47 yards last night...47 YARDS!? For a player with high expectations, that better be the last time that happens or else Fantasy owners across America will revolt.


Drew Brees threw for about 180 yards and 2 INT's. They weren't tipped INT's, they were the "what were you thinking when you threw that?!" INT's. He looked sharp on the first drive but past that he looked like me in Intramural football last year, erratic and blaming everyone else for my bad passes.


The consolation, as said by Sean Salisbury, is that they are in the NFC. Barring anymore games against the Colts, the Saints could go 15-1 this year. Most likely they won't, but that's what wishes are all about.


Peyton & CO. looked rough on their first drive. 3 and out on the first drive makes it hard to gain momentum for the rest of the game but on the next drive, Peyton found Marvin Harrison on the left side of the field for the first time in 10 years and they continue to build on their NFL record of QB to WR Td's (now sitting at 683).


Reggie Wayne and Joe Addai stole the show last night though. Addai, after getting torn apart by Mike McKenzie (who else was surprised that he actually made a tackle?), went on to rush for over 100 yards and a TD while Wayne had 7 - 125-2 for the night.


The Colts look like nothing has changed and that spells trouble for the rest of the AFC.

Christmas Come Early

Today is the day…


The day that men all across America have been waiting a year for…


Football…


Season…


Is…


HERE!


At 7:30 pm Central Standard time, The Colts and Saints will kick off the 2007-08 NFL season from the hidden gem of the Upper East-Midwest, also known as Indianapolis, IN.

Some interesting storylines surround this game:


Can Peyton Manning repeat his past seasons of QB dominance? As well as, Can the Colts repeat as Super Bowl champs or will they fall prey to the dismal seasons the Buccaneers and Ravens had after they won Super Bowls?


Will Reggie Bush repeat his 1,300 all purpose yardage again for the Saints this year?


Can Joe Addai be the feature back that everyone thinks he can be?


Can Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson have a season like they did last year?



My answers to all of these questions?


Peyton Manning is about as consistent as the sun rising and setting. He not only will have a great year, but he will also be the AFC Offensive player of the year barely beating out LaDanian Tomlinson. The Colts will also be the team to beat in the AFC. Even though Tom Brady got some huge help this offseason, the Colts are still the team to beat. Plus, compare the three teams involved in that question. Colts, Bucs and Ravens? Come on, when was the last time you heard Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer and Peyton Manning in the same sentence when it didn’t end with, “Are you kidding?”



Not only will Reggie Bush repeat his season numbers from last year, he’ll do better. I imagine Reggie getting near 1,000 yards rushing and 700 receiving. He will be HUGE this year for the Saints. He is my early leader for NFC Offensive player of the year. If that doesn’t sell it for you, remember this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwS5x920i8A


Joseph Addai will be good for the Colts this year. One of the most ridiculous things that I ever heard this offseason was, “Hey, the Colts are going to be a running team this year, you watch!” There are a lot of reasons why that is stupid but the main reason is that if anyone remembers that the Colts have one of the best QB’s since…well…ever, WHY WOULD THEY TURN INTO A RUNNING TEAM?! Addai is simply a nice distraction for any defense that faces the Colts. Look for 1,100 yards maybe.


Drew Brees and Marques Colston will have great years. When you have a running game that includes Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, you can’t help but think, “hey, my job is pretty easy” (Brees and Colston speaking). Devery Henderson was very streaky last year and I wouldn’t expect much from him this year.


Like the “experts” at ESPN and every other media outlet around the world, here are my “expert” picks.


NFC North : Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers

NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Falcons and Bucs. (Falcons and Panthers in second place is a wash in my mind)

NFC East: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins (you watch, Eli will come up big this year. If not, well then so be it.)

NFC West : Rams, Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals (this, for the first time since the Korean War, was incredibly tough. The Rams and Seahawks are very similar in their styles and skill and so are the 49ers and Cards. I can see this going any which way. Now that Denny Green is gone, the Cards have an honest shot at winning more than 6 games.


AFC North : Bengals, Steelers, Ravens, Browns.


AFC South : Colts, Jags, Texans, Titans (this is the “Mid-90’s NL East” of the NFL. One dominant team surrounded by other teams that just fight each other to not look that bad)

AFC East : Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, Jets


AFC West : Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders



Superbowl prediction : Bears vs. Colts (Yes, again. I see this turning into the new “Cowboys/Steelers” superbowls of the 90’s. )


A disclaimer on predictions like this should ALWAYS go on websites that put up their predictions. The only thing that separates me from Sean Salisbury right now is a college education and a steady job (your pick on that one). So please, as always, leave your comments on what you think of my predictions and enjoy the game tonight!

NFL Problems

Well...I knew that this was too good to be true. As soon as I showed an interest in the NFL again, things got pretty heavy again.

Rodney Harrison has been suspended by the NFL for 4 games for admitting that he purchased and consumed Human Growth Hormones. Am I the only one that isn't that surprised about this? Anyone that has watched Rodney Harrison the last couple of years can testify that he is absolutely nuts on the field. Not Ray Lewis' "I need to get my team hyped and I'm stoked to be here" kind of nuts but "Hey, I'm going to kill you if you come over the middle and then date your sister after" sort of nuts. He admitted to taking them the past 2 years to recover from his injuries faster but this comment confused me :

"I want to make it clear," Harrison said, "that never once did I take steroids. I did admit to the commissioner that I took a banned substance."

Isn't HGH a form of steriods!? Maybe instead of Sex Education we need to be teaching our kids about sterioids so that when they get older and maybe get in a situation like this, they don't look like an idiot.

The NFL needs to crack down on this and Roger Goodell has a lot of work to do.

Luckily, College football gets into full swing tomorrow. Go Trojans...Go Gophers...and LSU sucks.

Have a great weekend.