Posted Tuesday, December 16, 2008 01:30 PM
This column sheds some more light on why Sacramento fired Reggie Theus (other than the team's record). After you read it, the win over Minnesota last night doesn't seem like that much of a surprise.
Could be some value here over the next little bit with the Kings.
Posted Monday, December 15, 2008 02:48 PM
Last week I went to the optometrist for the first eye examination of my life. Turns out I have astigmatism and need glasses to perform certain tasks like reading small type and driving at night.
This, I have to conclude, can be the only reason I can’t seem to understand why the call was reversed in the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game last night that gave Santanio Holmes a touchdown and Pittsburgh the victory. Clearly the replay officials were seeing something I couldn’t.
The initial call on the field was that Holmes didn’t break the plane with his reception on third down, though his feet were in the end zone. Initially it looked to me like it was no touchdown but it was a closer shave than the greens at Augusta.
The slow-mo replay didn’t exactly clear things up. I don’t see how the officials can say with certainty that Holmes had full possession when – or more accurately, if – the ball broke the plane.
I had the Ravens -3 (BetJamaica.com) so I was a little enraged.
On another note, here’s a Monda... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:29 AM
It’s a question I had to have answered after reading about and listening to the dirty public feud that’s ongoing between owner Len Barrie and the coach he fired, Barry Melrose.
Barrie says Melrose was incompetent and didn’t listen. Melrose hates the Bolts so much he wants them to lose every game for the rest of the season. It’s not very Christmasy.
The current nine-game winless streak is a bit of tip-off that these guys need some work. But I have been tuning in a bit lately just to see what it is that makes the Bolts so bad.
The quick answer is a lot. More specifically, it’s defensive play and I don’t just mean the defensemen. The forwards are a disgrace at both ends of the ice when it comes to defensive responsibilities, which is why they probably give up more odd-man rushes and breakaways than any team in the league.
That’s why it wasn’t hard for the Sabres to come back last night after falling behind 2-0 quickly. League-leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek was treated like a fourth-liner he had so much open ice which allowed him to pot two goals including the winner.
[More]
Posted Monday, December 08, 2008 11:25 AM
It’s time to mow through the bowl schedule and see who the biggest losers are, even if they were winners this season.
Here’s my list with my projected spreads:
Boise State – I’m not sure anybody got more jobbed than the Broncos. They go 12-0, beat Oregon on the road and annihilate everyone in their conference. What’s more, they’re fun to watch. They have the No. 12 scoring offense in the country and a fondness for trickery.
And they get the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Sounds like a men’s league flag football game.
Line projection: Boise State -3.5 (vs. TCU)
Texas Tech – You gotta feel bad for the Raiders. They go through a one-loss season, just like Oklahoma and Texas, yet are forgotten like flatulence in a hurricane when it comes to the BCS picture. The Cotton Bowl is nice and all, but it has to be tough for them to see Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Utah all eating T-bones while they get last week’s liver and onions.
Projected line: Texas Tech -9.5 (vs. Ole Miss)
Miami – The Canes have to travel cross-country to face Cal in front of essential a home Bears crowd in San Francisco. Miami also spends Christmas away from home to play on a baseball field at the Emerald Bowl.
Projected li... [More]