Law of Three's: Who's Next

As I'm sure many of you have heard before, there is the so-called "Law of Three's" which essentially states that things, good and bad happen in patterns of Three. Some prime examples include The 2003 NBA Draft which brought the NBA LeBron, Melo and D-Wade, an ever better example of a great draft was the 1985 NBA Draft. No I'm not talking about Ewing. I'm talking about the back to back to back selections of Joe Kleine, Chris Mullin, and Detlef Schrempf. There is also the sad like Michaeld Jordan retiring, three times in 1993, 1998, 2003, or the untimely deaths of The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, and Mother Theresa.

We are in the process of yet another pattern of repetitive major cultural moments.

Annika Sorenstam: 293 tournaments, missed the cut 9 times. 90 Total Tournament wins (72 LPGA) 10 LPGA Major victories including a three-peat at the LPGA Championship 2003-2005. 8 times in a 16 year career she was the Number 1 Female golfer in the world. 5 times she was in the Top 5 (13 out of 16 total including the #1s). Without a doubt the top female golfer in history. She has decided that this will be her last professional season at the ripe age of 37.

Justine Henin: 41 wins over 9 year career. 7 Grand Slams. Three-time defending French Open Champ (2005-2007). One of 3 female tennis players I know that doesn't look like Predator. 5th All-Time in the money list. Currently the number 1 ranked female tennis player in the world. Gold medal winner, and she has called it quits at the ripe old age of 25.

The top Female Tennis Player and Female golfer have taken a step back from their respective sports while at the top. So the question is. Who's next? What female athlete will be the next to step away from the game?
More after the jump...

Jim Edmonds and Mitchell Report Backlash

DISCLAIMER: I am not in ANY way suggesting that Jim Edmonds will be, is, or was ever involved with Steroids, HGH, or any other PEDs. This is a statement on the Mitchell Report Backlash. Please do not bitch and moan about creating rumors or false information. Thank you.

Jim Edmonds signed with the Cubs. He will suit up in about an hour and 45 minutes and face off against the team the cut him 5 days ago (prior to the series with the Cubs). He spent years demolishing Cub Pitching, breaking Cub fan hearts, and making great plays. Jim Edmonds is, and has been for a long time a good, good ball player. Really one of the top Centerfielders of all time. Do not call me out on that. It hurts to say that, Edmonds is only recently a Cub and there is more hurt feelings than good as far as he is concerned. I'm not homering and saying that he's great because he's a Cub now. I'm honestly happy to have the guy on the team, he's got a great glove and (until recently) a great bat.

Here's the downside, his Avg. (.178) at this point in the season and his lone HR. Last year he only had the 12 bombs and a .252 Avg. I do not think that Edmonds ever was associated with steroids beyond shaking the hand of Mark McGwire in St. Louis. But the jaded, cynical, perspective that I have now post Mitchell Report scares me.

2 years ago I would have said, "Great! I like Edmonds, he'll help out (young centerfielder Felix Pie) and his bat will help the line up, even if he is struggling, and lost some power, what do you expect he's 37 and his clubhouse leadership will be great." And I would have meant every single word. And that is legitimately what I feel right now with Edmonds set to take the field in 93 minutes. Here's the problem. This was my first reaction, before being happy with the acquisition.

"Great, we got Edmonds. Look at his numbers 2000 - 2004 he was busting 30+ jacks a year, twice hitting 42. All of a sudden he hit 19 and 12 in '05 and '06. He clearly was juicing his whole time in St. Louis there's no reason for a drop off in productivity like that other than illegal substances."

Now 5 minutes later I realized how much of a cynical Asshole I sounded like, Edmonds has had a good career and I am genuinely excited about having him on the Northside, and I hope he has that Vengeance break out game against the Fathers in just over an hour, and he breaks some Redbird fan hearts when we head to the Lou in the future. He will be a great clubhouse guy. That's the ridiculous downside of the Mitchell Report and all of the Steroid use in the game. Even Edmonds, who has always been one of the good guys, can get that reaction from someone, and I know I wasn't the only person who saw a struggling Edmonds who used to hit 30, 40 HR a year not even able to put a bat on it.

Something did change between 2000 and 2006. It's called 6 years, 6 years older. That is probably the cause of the lower numbers. Good luck Jim, welcome to Chicago, have fun in the ivy at Old Style Stadium, formerly known as Wrigley Field, it's great to have you. And I sincerely apologize for being so jaded that I let the Mitchell Report, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, et. al. get my mind going down the wrong path.

More after the jump...

Sad State of Affairs in the NFL

28. 28 Arrests this year. 28 Arrests this year of current NFL players. Take into account there have been 28 RECORDED Arrests and citations given this year, that doesn't count the guy(s) who got off sans police report, the Marvin Harrison's who have not yet been charged/called suspects, or the Matt Leinart's of the game who do things that negatively reflect on players and the NFL with no legal recourse. Again, I need to preface that this is THIS YEAR. In less than four an a half months, 19 weeks to be exact there have been 28, meaning, on average, more than one per week. In 2007 the number was 61, 2006 was 66. Over the past 279 weeks (2003-present) there have been 276 arrests on report. That breaks down to .989 arrests per week over the last 5+ years. And so far in 2008 we're on a 1.5 per week pace. Not a good sign.

In Tucson there is a local afternoon radio show on 1290 AM with former NFL-er Glenn Parker (former U of A Wildcat and member of my All-Arizona Football Team) who, at around 5:30 each day does the police blotter. The fact that a daily segment can be dedicated to athletes who are in trouble with the law is a sad state of affairs. Almost every time there is more than one athlete getting called out and 60% of the time at least one of them is a pro football player. This is ridiculous.

Everyone busts on the 'Nati for the amount of jailhousers that fill their roster but they aren't the only ones. Here's a little breakdown of arrests since January 2003.

Arizona: 2 (Larry Ned stole someone's laptop in an airport terminal)
Atlanta: 8 (Arrests range from Animal Abuse by Babineaux to Animal Abuse by Vick. Keep puppies away from Matt Ryan)
Baltimore: 8 (B.J. Sams, 2 DUIs in 14 months, Jamal Lewis and his Drug Trafficking charges are here as well)
Buffalo: 4 (Anthony Hargrove hit a cop)
Carolina: 6 (Jarrod Cooper does a double dip in 13 months, Jeremy Bridges pointed a gun at a female employee of a strip club a.k.a stripper)
Chicago: 11 (Tank Johnson leads team with 4, Benson still says he wasn't drunk and was mistreated)
Cincinnati: 19 (Chris Henry leads team with 6, A.J. Nicholson follows with 2, one for punching Girlfriend in the eye)
Cleveland: 8 (Ruben Droughns leads with 2)
Dallas: 4 (Dwayne Goodrich currently serving 12 years for Manslaughter)
Denver: 14 (5 Domestic Dispute/Assault arrests, Sam Brandon 3, Brandon Marshall 2)
Detroit: 6 (Stand up Gentleman Kalvin Pearson leading the list with felony aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation, Good Job A-Hole)
Green Bay: 6 (Joe Johnson appearing twice on the list. Mark Chumura's statutory rape/aggravated rape charge not included [2000])
Houston: 7 (Jerome Mathis arrested on charge of choking his common-law wife, afraid of commitment but not strangling his wife)
Indianapolis: 11 (No mention of Marvin Harrison fighting a guy who then got shot, with his gun, that was hidden at his car detailing shop, because he is not a suspect)
Jacksonville: 13 (4 of which were gun charges)
Kansas City: 11 (Jared Allen 2 DUIs, Larry Johnson 2 domestic Disputes, one allegedly involving a gun)
Miami: 11 (3 domestic disputes, Randy McMichael pulling a Kalvin Pearson by hitting his pregnant wife)
Minnesota: 24 (Sex Boat Scandal, Bryant McKinnie leads with 4, Koren Robinson - 3, AND they signed Jared Allen. Look out McKinnie someone's coming for your Team Lead)
New York Giants: 5 (Adrian Awasom leads the low-key G-men with his Extreme DUI 2 days before the Super Bowl, Nice job Eugene, at least it wasn't a prostitute)
New York Jets: 3 (2 DUI's and a misdemeanor Assault)
New England: 6 (Not including general bad person, homewrecker, blatent cheater Bill Belichick)
New Orleans: 5 (Not including Reggie Bush's USC indiscretions)
Oakland: 5 (only including Janikowski's most recent run-in, not including his 2 prior to 2003)
Philadelphia: 3 (Dhani Jones leads by being Charged with failure to obey a lawful command after allegedly refusing to stop dancing outside a South Beach club)
Pittsburgh: 9 (10 if you count the mascot getting a DUI in his costume)
San Diego: 11 (Leonardo Carson's arrest for kidnapping highlights the bolts)
San Francisco: 3 (Antonio Bryant highlights by getting a DUI after going over 100 mph on the freeway, REEEAAAAALLLLL SAFE there Antonio)
Seattle: 9 (4 domestic violence. Wayne Hunter puts the ASS in Assault for beating his Pregnant girlfriend)
St. Louis: 5 (Dominique Byrd arrested twice in 3 months)
Tampa Bay: 9 (Including, Michael Pittman's arrest for barricading his wife, 2 year old, and babysitter [who he also happened to take to our prom as a nice gesture 2 weeks prior] in a car by ramming it with his Hummer)
Tennessee: 16 (Pacman representing 6 of those)
Washington: 6 (4 were DUIs)

So there you have it, sure the Nasty Nati is a close second to Minnesota but they aren't the only ones on this list. 10 teams had double digit arrests in the last 3 years. Way too many (more than zero) involved women, specifically pregnant women which is inexcusable. 92, by my count, involved alcohol is some way, the majority of which were DUI or suspicion of DUI. Can't you afford a cab with that 6 digit income. Of course, in the instance of Todd Sauerbrun in December his arrests was for assault with his cab driver.

Also on the list were 30 arrests relating to Narcotics. There were, however, more than 20 since some of them were instead listed under the DUI/DWI list or in the Violence list since it fell in more than one. As for the violence list there were 73 arrests relating to some form of violence whether it was something minor like New England's Kenyatta Jones intentionally scalding his roommate with boiling water, but more of them were barroom brawls, nightclub fights, and wife/girlfriend beating. The remaining 75 cases ranged from the minor, refusing to leave a bar, public urination, to the major, manslaughter and kidnapping.

Some are more ridiculous than others like Santonio Holmes being cited along with 100s of others for disorderly conduct on Memorial Day weekend. Then of course there is Cedric Griffin who was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after being thrown out of nightclub for having his pants sag too low. But those are the minority. There are WAY more instances of these tough guys getting into fights, specifically when alcohol or apparently pregnant women are involved. 46 players were on the list at least 2 times in the last 5 years. Some were on 2 or more times but one fell prior to 2003 so their name did not make my lists/numbers. Not included in any of the numbers were former Pro-Bowlers Ricky Williams or Andre Rison Each with 3 arrests. Rison was arrested 3 times from February 2000 to August 2000. Once for false impersonation stating that his name was Officer Brock Middlebrook

I would like to think that Roger Goodell's crackdowns have made a difference but with 33 more weeks left in 2008, we're on pace to see a record high 74 arrests this year. This is not the way that things are supposed to be in the NFL. Part of the reason is the lack of (until recently) punishment by the NFL, but more blame has to be put on the cities where these transgressions are occurring. The fact that all of these guys are cited, released, and pay a fine a couple months later, does not deter them. Which is probably why there are so many people on this list twice. Sad State of Affairs.

Search through your favorite team/players to find out more about their indiscretions. A Number of these stats came from The San Diego Union Tribune, "Arrests/citations:NFL Players, 2000 - Present" <http://sports.uniontrib.com/sports/nfl/arrests.html>
More after the jump...

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

It is no secret that being flamboyant, outspoken, or controversial will make you the center of attention in the media. It is the public equivalent of nice guys finishing last. That being said just by being associated wth this site I am as guilty as the next person. Everyday I watch, listen, or read every sports media outlet like a high school girl looking for the latest gossip and dirt. I started thinking about that a lot today which led me to think of who my “favorite” baseball player is. The kind of question that was so simple when I was a kid. Now I have a hundred different explanations and reasons for my choices, most of which ends going over some many variables as to make it difficult to widdle a list down to 10 or even 20. These days I’ve realized that my soap box stance of keeping the sanctity of the game has seemed hypocritical at times while other times it simply was. Consider the following beliefs or statements that I have made whether on this site or during debates off the record:
• I believe in Tradition of Baseball, that some things are sacred and that it is the closest thing to pure sport that you can get.
• I watch the AL, like the DH, and think that a great offense is the best defense
• (It is no secret that I am a Cleveland Sports Fan) I would want to play for my home team at whatever cost
• It is not a question of whether I would sell out or not it is just a matter of when.

I can go on and on and I am not a great prophet of baseball, or of keeping it pure. I know that if I played I would not be so humble nor would I be winning any morality contests. I picture myself as Willy May Hays always swinging for the fences, and trust me it would take someone like Lou Brown to keep me in check. That being said I think that it is time to give credit where credit is due. I give credit to those to who keep the ideals alive, and have eluded being hypocritical in their “love for the game”.

This takes me back to my previous statement about it being so much easier to pick my favorite player when I was a kid. I had two posters on my wall: Kenny Lofton and Ken Griffrey Jr. Growing up I had a million arguments with my pops over who was the best modern era baseball player of all time: Bonds or Griffey. He wrote it off as me being young, but maybe it was because I was not jaded yet. I saw the game as a game, and I recognized who was the best, who played the hardest, and who had all of the qualities that I wanted to have. Lets run down some reasons as to why Griffey always has and always will be my favorite player and my choice in a debate for the best of all time:

First Off What Griffey Has Accomplished on Paper (Currently in 19th Season):
Career: .289, 597 HR (6th all Time, 1st Among Active Players), 2593 H, 1719 RBIS, 1561 R.
Gold Gloves: 10
All Star: 13
MVP: 1

What Could Have Been:
Taking away the 38 games he has played so far in 2008 he has averaged nearly 132 games a year in his 18 years. This includes 95’ where he played in only 72 games, 94 and 01 he only played in 111, and 02-04 combined he played in 203 games. Now this may not sound like much, and yes his career game average might appear to be counterproductive in my argument. The thing is that the type of injuries that took him out of these games is what is key. In 02-04 his injuries were all season ending injuries. He had broken wrists, including the infamous diving play in the wall(see pic) to make a catch. He played his heart out, and didn’t exhibit a lot of the normal wear and tear injuries that sidelined a lot of players these days. One of the biggest stats this effected was his homerun production, which is always at the forefront of debate because well chiks dig the long ball.
1993: 45, 1994: 40, 1995: 17 in 72 games, 1996: 49, 1997: 56 (5 away from the record in the year when McGuire hit 58), 1998: 56 (Again 5 away in the year McGuire/Sosa had their epic chase), 1999: 48, 2000: 40. Next comes 4 years in which he has shortened seasons due to injury. Take away 95 due to injury and he was averaging 47 homeruns over those 7 healthy seasons. If we take into account the 5 seasons of 01-04 and say he averaged 40 HR a year he would be sitting at 797 not 597 and have absolutely crushed the all time record. Even looking at Griffey as 39 year old ball player in what would be his twilight years he has averaged 30 HRs over his last three seasons.

Take that seven year span and look at his hit numbers. He average 166 hits a season over that period. Strictly looking at averages for projection and arguments sake he would have another 830 hits or so. That would give him 3424 for his career and passing Carl Yastrzemski to be 6th on the all time hit list.

The numbers are projections and what could have been are seemingly meaningless debates are made of, but what about the intangibles that he displayed. After the 1999 season Griffey asked to be traded. This was at the end of his hot streak that I have been using. During the middle of negotiations for a contract extension with the Mariners that would have earned him $148 million over eight years, instead he expressed his desire to be traded to the Reds so that he could be closer to his father. He wanted to wear his number, and be close to what really mattered. The Reds subsequently offered him 112.5 million over 9 years. Now this is not a sympathy situation by any means, but he did take a substantial pay cut as far as a top professional athlete is concerned.

Flash forward to May of 2008 and the Mariners are trying to establish a connection with Junior in hopes of a return. He has openly stated that he would not try to extend his career by hitting in the DH spot. His stance is that if he can’t play in the field anymore than he is too old to play. I love the homerun, I love the DH, I have for love Griffey, but I don’t know how a person could not respect what he has done for this game. He is soft spoken, humble, can never be accused of not playing hard every day, and has never been associated with performance enhancers. Talk about athletes being role models, well then he should be the poster child for it. He literally was for me. Even if the rest of the world has forgotten about Griffey, I haven’t, and will continue to acknowledge him as one of the best players to even play the game.

4Real Out....
More after the jump...

Sir Chuck Comes in Clutch

This might be one of the funniest things that I have ever seen. Sir Chuck, known not to hold anything back let's loose on someone at TNT, goes as far as to call him a Dumbass on the air.



You gotta love Chuck.
More after the jump...

Tebow Goes for New Record

First Sophomore to win the Heisman.
Check.
First Home-schooled athlete to win the Heisman.
Check.
First NCAA Div. I football player to throw and run for 20 TDs.
Check.
First Current Div I athlete to perform ritual circumcisions in the Phillipeans.

Check.

Wait, what was that?
Dr. Tebow, recognizeable here in blue with his broad shoulders and square haricut, went to the Phillipeans for his Spring Break and helped to remove cysts, pull teeth, and of course circumcise young impoverished youths.

Is there anything this young man can't do? Throw, Run, Surgical procedures, and of course we've seen him with some lovely ladies in the past, earning him the nickname, on this site of Double D-Bow.
Can't wait for the signs, shrits, and chants come SEC play next year.

More after the jump...

John Bale = Nuke LaLoosh

Royals Pitcher John Bale must have been too focused on his pitching in the late 80s to catch a little gem known as Bull Durham. Unfortunately for him, he missed out on some key teachings from the Minor League Home Run King, Crash Davis. The first time Crash met young Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh a.k.a. Meat, Davis taught him a very valuable lesson for a pitcher.

Scene: Dark Alley. Two Men bust through the back door, one a brash, drunk, young rookie in a hawaiian shirt coming off an incredible opening loss in the Carolina Leagues. The other an aged wise man who follows him to the alley. One Tequila the other Bourbon. A Fight ensues, and the brash rookie punches the wiser older guy, with his pitching hand. Something, that we find out, is the last thing a pitcher should do.

Flash Forward a few weeks, Crash has taught Meat plenty about the game, "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains" and this time Crash is drunk (on Jim Beam Bourbon) and the Rook has good news for him. This time Crash picks the fight and Nuke gives him a solid hook. Crash's first response, "which hand'd you use?" Nuke used his non pitching hand. He learned in the Carolina Leagues.

It's simple, Mr. Bale. You make your living, using your hand. Your PITCHING hand. So why am I reading this story about a 5th year player on his 4th team who has appeared in 56 total games in his career and is in the rotation after a couple years in Japan, and is coming off the DL from a tight shoulder. You're in the show, you get to hit, or pitch rather, bright white balls at practice, someone is carrying your luggage for you. This could be your last cup of coffee before you head back down to the Carolina leagues. So why are you punching hotel walls with your PITCHING hand?

Are you kidding me? While you're on the DL, go rent Bull Durham. Listen to words of the wise Crash Davis.
More after the jump...

2008 Pre-Season All-Americans

The Draft is over, Hockey and Basketball playoffs are upon us, Baseball season is in full swing, which means one thing. College Football is right around the corner. So it's time to start covering it. Over the coming weeks 4Real, BC (if he has time) and myself will be coming up with our Pre-Season lists. Then, once the season is upon us, we'll update them weekly and you can compare ours with the others. So the first list that I have complied is The BearDown's Preseason All-American List looks as such:

1st Team Offense
QB: Chase Daniel, Missouri
RB: Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
RB: Noel Devine, West Virginia
WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
WR: Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
TE: Travis Beckum, Wisconsin
OT: Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma
OG: Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
C: Alex Mack, California
OG: Ray Feinga, BYU
OT: Eben Britton, Arizona

1st Team Defense
DE: George Selvie, South Florida
DT: Fili Moala, USC
DT: Greg Hardy, Mississippi
DE: Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech
LB: James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
LB: Brandon Spikes, Florida
LB: Gerald McRath, Southern Miss
DB: Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
DB: Vontae Davis, Illinois
DB: William Moore, Missouri
DB: Taylor Mays, USC

1st Team Special Teams
PK: Thomas Webber, Arizona State
P: Keenyn Crier, Arizona
PR: Brandon James, Florida
KR: A.J. Wallace, Penn State


2nd Team Offense
QB: Tim Tebow, Florida
RB: Chris “Beanie” Wells, Ohio State
RB: Joe McKnight, USC
WR: Mike Thomas, Arizona
WR: Percy Harvin, Florida
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
OT: Andre Smith, Alabama
OG: Herman Johnson, LSU
C: Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas
OG: Greg Isdaner, West Virginia
OT: Michael Oher, Mississippi

2nd Team Defense
DE: Ricky Sapp, Clemson
DT: Al Woods, LSU
DT: Terrill Byrd, Cincinnati
DE: Greg Middleton, Indiana
LB: Brian Cushing, USC
LB: Rey Maualuga, USC
LB: Dannell Ellerbee, Georgia
DB: Mike Mickens, Cincinnati
DB: Nic Harris, Oklahoma
DB: Derek Pegues, Mississippi State
DB: Kevin Ellison, USC

2nd Team Special Teams
PK: Austin Starr, Indiana
P: Kevin Huber, Cincinnati
PR: David Gilreath, Wisconsin
KR: A.J. Jefferson, Fresno State

Honorable Mention Offense
QB: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
QB: Todd Reesing, Kansas
RB: P.J. Hill, Wisconsin
RB: LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh
RB: Ian Johnson, Boise St.
RB: Eugene Jarvis, Kent State
WR: Kenny Britt, Rutgers
WR: Brandon Gibson, Washington State
WR: Brian Robiskie, Ohio State
WR: Demetrius Byrd, LSU
TE: Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
TE: Chase Coffman, Missouri
OL: Eric Wood, Louisville
OL: Max Unger, Oregon
OL: Ryan Stanchek, West Virginia
OL: Robert Brewster, Ball State
OL: John Estes, Hawaii
OL: Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech
OL: Matt Mandich, Arkansas State
OL: Anthony Parker, Tennessee
OL: Dallas Reynolds, BYU
OL: Sam Young, Notre Dame

Honorable Mention Defense
DE: Eric Norwood, South Carolina
DE: Tyson Jackson, LSU
DE: Auston English, Oklahoma
DE: Ian Campbell, Kansas State
DT: George Hypolite, Colorado
DT: Sen’Derrick Marks, Auburn
DT: Vance Walker, Georgia Tech
DT: Mitch King, Iowa
LB: Jerome Boyd, Oregon
LB: Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
LB: Marcus Freeman, Ohio State
LB: Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh
LB: Zack Follett, California
LB: Sean Lee, Penn State
DB: Courtney Greene, Rutgers
DB: Patrick Chung, Oregon
DB: Tony Carter, Florida State
DB: Ladarius Webb, Nicholls State
DB: Captain Munnerlyn, South Carolina
DB: Brandon Hughes, Oregon State
DB: Anderson Russell, Ohio State
DB: Rashad Johnson, Alabama

Honorable Mention Special Teams
PK: Jason Bondzio, Arizona
P: Ryan Shoemaker, Auburn
PR: Javier Arenas, Alabama
KR: Darius Marshall, Marshall

And Here's the Breakdown:

Most Offensive AA - Total: Oklahoma (4)
Most Offensive AA - 1st Team: TIE - Oklahoma (2) and Missouri (2)
Most Offensive AA - 2nd Team: TIE - Arizona (2) and Florida (2)
Offensive AA - By Division: SEC (9), Big XII (8), Pac-10 (7), Big East (6), Big Eleven (4), MAC (2), MWC (2), WAC (2), Sun Belt (1), Independents (1), ACC (1)

Most Defensive AA - Total: USC (5)
Most Defensive AA - 1st Team: TIE - Ohio State (2) and USC (2)
Most Defensive AA - 2nd Team: USC (3)
Defensive AA - By Division: SEC (9), Big Eleven (8), Pac-10 (7), Big XII (6), Big East (5), ACC (4), C-USA (1), Southland (1)

Most Special Teams AA - Total: Arizona (2)
Special Teams - By Division: Pac-10 (3), SEC (3), Big Eleven (3), Big XII (1), Big East (1), WAC (1), C-USA (1)
Most Total AA - Team by Team: Oklahoma (6), USC (6), Ohio State (6), Arizona (5), Missouri (4), LSU (4), Florida (4)
More after the jump...

What's Coming Up

So for those of you who have been with us for a while you should be fully aware College Football is our bread and butter here. Go ahead and search the archives, check out my Top 25, Heisman Watch, and more! Well with the competitive nature that 4real and I love so much we have decided to create a couple of varying College Football Predictions. Keep a look out for a revamped Top 25 and Heisman Candidates, and I've been working on my Pre-season All Americans. As things change throughout the offseason, and during the season we'll be doing weekly updates to our Heisman candidates, Top 25, and All American lists.
More after the jump...

S.A.S

Quite Frankly was one of the biggest atrocities to grace the TV Screen. The Stephen A. Smith Show on the Radio was one of the worst ideas since, well since Quite Frankly. And you want to know the sad thing. Smith has good opinions somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% of the time. He actually is smart, and knows what he's talking about. Unfortunately he is the single most abrasive voice in sports today. I used to listen to the Jungle on the way to and from home on my lunch break. I had already heard that entire hour while I was at work, but it was much, much, much better than listening to S.A.S scream and use stupid colloquialisms, try to sound hip and intelligent but coming off as gimmicky and obnoxious. I HATE Stephen A. Smith.

I should say I HATE(D) Stephen A. Smith ('s Radio Show). This morning he was on The Herd. Colin and S.A.S. discussed many things NBA (which is right up Smith's alley) They talked about D'Antoni, the Suns-Shaq deal, the Avery Johnson firing, and Kobe Bryant. It was early, and via cell phone, and Smith was being interviewed not filling up a couple hours on his own, screaming off his scripted takes, and you know what. He is really intelligent. When he isn't screaming and using the hip lingo, he's actually really well spoken. I can honestly say, if Smith were anything like he was this morning on The Herd I would actually probably listen to his show occasionally, especially when I wanted to hear Basketball talk.

To Stephen, I wish I could say you got the short end of the stick in an ever-changing market, but that simply isn't the case. Quite Frankly, you were abrasive and obnoxious, which is a damn shame because you also happen to be good at analyzing Basketball. If ESPN, or XM, or anyone, wanted to give you another show, I would be all for it, I really would, and I would listen. As long as it was taped at 7 or 8 am, and it was conducted through cell phones or microphones that are toned down. Or if you just stopped screaming, microphones make you audible, and you are in a sound proof radio booth, not a bar, no need to scream. You're talking to the masses on their daily commutes or while they're at work, not yelling and mixing in the obnoxious phrases.
More after the jump...