Raiders Toppled By Kansas City

I want to first say that I am extremely pissed about the way the game turned out this afternoon.


Just when I thought the Raiders might turn things around and win a couple games here to finish the season strong, they go ahead and give the Killer City Chiefs their second win of the season and drop to 3-9 themselves. Let's say I can feel for the Bronco fans after last week.


The offense of every game prior to last week showed up again. Except for the first half, the Raiders had 185 yards of total offense, not exactly Texas Tech numbers, but pretty good none the less. They come out in the second half and do absolutely nothing. JaMarcus ended at 10/28 for 132 yards. He did have some long scrambles though. Justin Fargas had a decent game, (82 yards and a score) but had the fumble that was the back-breaker. JaMarcus' favorite target was TE Zach Miller because the WR's were, once again, non-existent.


Larry Johnson seemed to be the Larry Johnson of old again, having rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries collecting a TD along the way. Tyler Thigpen wasn't very great, but he seemed to be able to find Tony G when ever he needed to make a play.


The Raiders are set to take on a struggling San Diego Chargers team on the NFL Network's "Thursday Night Football" this week.

Oregon State Rose Bowl Bound No More

Oregon State's dream of taking the ever coveted trip down to Pasadena was erased late Saturday Night at the hands of their bitter rivals Jeremiah Johnson and the Oregon Ducks.

The Beavers had to play without the likes of their talented Tailback Jacquizz "Quizz" Rodgers, and they couldn't run the ball at all without him. The Ducks, on the other hand, ran the ball all day. 385 yards including 219 from Jeremiah Johnson, compared to State's 89 yards on the ground. Oregon set a school record for total yards in this one with 697, breaking the previous mark they just set on Sept. 6th against Utah State.

Lyle Moevao had a decent game given that he was down by two scores really early. The Beav's kept going to WR James Rodgers, older brother of Quizz, on what they call the Fly Sweep (it's a glorified end around) that wasn't there at all really.

The Oregon victory knocked Oregon State likely down to a Sun Bowl berth and gave Oregon the Holiday Bowl or even a Rose Bowl, but we'll need a miracle. This was the first victory for the Ducks in Corvallis, OR since 1996, and snapped Oregon State's current 8-game home winning streak.

Terps Knock-off Sparty

The Maryland Terrrapins defeated the #5 Michigan State Spartans on Thursday night at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

Led by Dave Neal who scored 17 points and 5 boards off the bench. Greivis Vasquez also had 17 to go with 6 assists in 35 minutes for Gary Williams, who gave a pretty speech before the game to the guys, according to CBSportsline.com and Greivis Vasquez. "Coach told us in the locker room. Let's go out and win this tournament. That fired us up."

Coach Gary Williams always gets his teams ready for the games against the really good teams, just ask UNC last year. Speaking of which, last night, I made a $10 bet with my good friend Mike Fant that Maryland would beat UNC at some point this season. Believe it will happen.

NFL Picks for Week 13

I know I'm a little late for the Thanksgiving games, so I'll just do Sunday's games that I give a shit about.


Indianapolis @ Cleveland - I think Peyton Manning is really coming around and playing like he should finally. Even though the Browns are at home, I like Indy over Cleveland 31-20.


San Francisco @ Buffalo - Everyone knows I love Mike Singletary and my hero Patrick Willis, but they don't really have much else. They need a solid QB to go with Frank Gore. Plus, it's the old West Coast team going East to play at 1o:00 am Pacific story. I'll take Buffalo in this one. BUF 27-13.


Carolina @ Green Bay - The Pack is coming off a blowout loss to New Orleans on Monday night, and now they get to take on the first place team of the same NFC South. I'm sorry guys, I really think the Packers can win, but I think Carolina will run it all day. Carolina squeaks one out, 20-16.


Pittsburgh @ New England - The Steelers are my Super Bowl pick from the AFC and they will live up to it this week in Foxboro. PIT 24-17.


Denver @ New York Jets - The Broncos got mashed by a Raiders team that has no identity, and the Jets are on a roll. This could be real ugly as Denver has no defense. NYJ 38-17.


Kansas City @ Oakland - The Raiders better beat the Killer City Chiefs, especially in the Oakland Coliseum. OAK 27 KC 14. Don't look now but the Raiders are still alive in the division race.


Chicago @ Minnesota - I think the Vikings will get it done in the trenches on Sunday night. Adrian Peterson is too strong for Urlacher and the Bears D. Vikings win 23-17.

A Lot To Be Thankful For

Today is Thanksgiving. It's a time to, of course, watch football. The Titans are pounding on the 0-11 Lions at the moment, and the Cowboys will probably pound on the Seattle Seahawks later. I think the Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles game will be much more competitive for sure, but I like the Eagles to bounce back and get a win against the Cards. I am damn thankful for not being a Detroit Lions fan.


More importantly, I am thankful for having the health to be able to come over to my parents house on Turkey Day and hang out and eat some good food. I'm thankful to have such an awesome group of friends that all came home from their respective schools, I called into work to hang out with these guys, and had an overall good time with them so far. Thanksgiving is an underrated holiday and it gives us the ever popular Black Friday.

Have a great rest of your Thanksgiving everyone. God Bless.

Oregon vs. UNC: Maui Invitational

The Oregon Ducks basketball team looked extremely impressive before my eyes last night, as they defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 92-69 at the Lahaina Civic Center.


Joevan Catron looked like a great player last night. I'm not really even sure what position he is. He's built like Charles Barkley but plays handles like a guard but can really rebound and play inside he had 17 and 13 boards. Frosh C Michael Dunigan looked pretty impressive against the other Alabama bigs, 18 points, 10 rebounds. Tajuan Porter was alright, a little bit of an off night. Kamyron Brown looked good at the point, as well as freshman Garrett Sim off the bench.


I think Oregon and their many freshmen pose a threat to the evil empire of UNC. I'm not saying Oregon will win but lookout for the Duckies tonight.

Raiders Beat Up on Denver

Wait a Minute. What just happened?

The freakin' Raiders actually won a freakin' game. Now that I am done making sure that I am still breathing, let's take a better look.

The Raiders actually came out and performed well, for once. JaMarcus Russell was throwing pass at 100 percent efficiency for most of the game and finish with only one incompletion: 10/11 for 152 yards and a TD, and more importantly no INT's. He's been doing a pretty good job for most of the year of not throwing picks. Ashley Lelie stepped up and decided to give a JaMarcus a semi-reliable target as he had 4 grabs for 92 yards, one of which was a score from four yards out. Fargas and McFadden provided some hard running behind a shabby offensive line.

The Defense was solid and opportunistic as always. Thomas Howard led the game in tackles and had the game's only interception and it was a big one too, with the Jay Cutler looking to lead Denver back in the game. Chris Johnson came up with a pick-six but it was called back for defensive holding on Johnson himself.

Don't look now but, the Raiders may have a chance to win the division. Yep, I said it. It seems as if no one wants to win it. Maybe the Raiders took a big step in the right direction yesterday. They get KC at home this week and they better win that one.

Peace out, A-town down.

-Mitch

Can the Titans Survive This Week?

My answer is no.

I have a tendency to go against the Titans every week because I don't really think they are all they great. They always prove me wrong though, but I really don't think the Titans can survive this week at home against the New York Jets. As much as I would love to see the Lions hand the Titans their first loss, and get their own first win on Turkey Day, (seeing as that is the Lions Super Bowl, year in and year out) they will fall this week.


I think the Jets are probably the strongest competition that Tennessee has faced all year. As I take a look at their schedule, they haven't played a team that is anymore than two games above five-hundred. Well, the Jets are 7-3, led by Brett Favre, riding high off a big win in Foxboro, and have had a long week to prepare.

The Titans have beaten Jacksonville both times, and they are in the midst of a really bummer season. The Colts are on the rise a little. Baltimore is 6-4 and have a rookie QB at the helm. They could have easily lost to the Pack.


Having said that the Titans do have a very nasty, physical defense that keeps them in the game for 60 minutes, Keith Bulluck is Keith Bulluck, Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch are great ends, the corners are definitely solid. Chris Johnson is a good running back to go with LenDale White on the offensive side of the ball. Kerry Collins is having a very Vinny Testeverde-like year (old as dirt and still producing). Justin Gage and Brandon Jones are probably better than I once thought.


They're has to come a time when I say they are a good team, and I will if they beat the Jets this week.

-Mitch

Oregon, in the Rose Bowl mix

The Oregon Ducks have a legit chance to make it in the Rose Bowl. It'll take some magic, but they can get in. USC would have to lose to Notre Dame (which is highly, highly unlikely) or lose at UCLA to end the year. Also, Oregon State would have to lose at Arizona, which I hope they don't so we can have the Civil War in Corvallis actually mean a lot this season. Oregon can go into Corvallis and win, I know it.

I cannot wait, the game is Saturday, November 29th 2008. It's televised nationally on the VERSUS network at 6 p.m. Central, everyone check it out.

What a Weekend for Wisconsin Sports

It was a good sports weekend for us here up in Wisconsin.

The Badgers had an awesome turnaround in the second half against bitter rival Minnesota. They played like they should have all season, and made Minnesota look like they did last year at times in the second half. They ended up winning 35-32 after being down 21-7 at the half.


The Packers destroyed the Chicago Bears in every facet of the game on Sunday, they ran for 200 yards and Aaron Rodgers looked really solid against a maligned secondary. He only threw, really, one bad pass that was picked off by Brian Urlacher. Kyle Orton who came back from injury to play this week, probably came back too soon. He was limping around on da Bears first drive of the game. Matt Forte was pretty decent for da Bears. The Pack still won 37-3.


The Bucks got 'er done on at Memphis Friday in OT. This was without Michael Redd for the sixth time this year, and Charlie V (Villanueva) was out as well. But in Charlie's absence, Luc Mbah a Moute stepped in as the starting Power Forward and had 19 points to go with 17 rebounds. On Saturday, they took Boston to OT. I never thought they would do that, they lost but oh well, they are playing pretty well right now for having a starting five of: PG Luke Ridnour, SG Charlie Bell, SF Richard Jefferson, PF Luc Mbah a Moute, C Andrew Bogut.


On a side note, the Badgers Men's Basketball team escaped with a 68-61 victory over Long Beach State on Sunday afternoon in Madison.

College Basketball, Already?

Many people like UNC. Many people like Duke.

Well, I say fuck both of 'em. I like Maryland.

It's that time of year again people where we try to predict who is going to go to the Big Dance and the Final Four and, ultimately, win the title.

I think that Connecticut has a real good shot at it. I'm a sucker for the big guys, I never like to pick a team to win it like Tennessee last year, no big men, four guards and a 6'8" guy. Hasheem Thabeet=7'3".

The easy choice would be to say North Carolina is going to win it. But I don't like UNC. In fact, I was nearly in tears on that bitterly cold January day here in Wisconsin when the Terps went into Chapel Hill and took down #1 North Carolina. They'll miss James Gist and Bombale Osby in the middle, but Braxton Dupree will be a force. Greivis Vasquez is a great leader, and also very ugly.

I think having Louisville in the top 3 is ludacris. They'll lose to Kentucky.

The story of Texas' back-up Center Buck Burnette is classic.

I can't leave the monitor without mentioning the Wisconsin Badgers. Bo Ryan is a coaching god. He recruits slow, white guys from the South Dakota and they're perfect for his offense. I can't wait for the Marquette vs. Wisconsin game, and I know Charlie can't either, it's always a good one, and the game is in Milwaukee this year so I think Marquette has a slight advantage.

NBA: Northwest Division Thoughts

Hey, sorry it's been so long but Gears of War 2 came out the other day and I finally beat it yesterday. So here goes...

1. Utah Jazz (3rd in Conference) - The Jazz are gonna be a very solid team coming out of a weaker division in the West. Deron Williams is an awesome point guard, I don't think anyone can deny that. Carlos Boozer is a great player, he's averaging 11.2 boards a game so far. I can understand why Sloan has Andrei Kirilenko coming in for a spark off the bench. They are a solid all around team, but their downfall is that they aren't nearly as good on the road as they are on at home. They'll finish like 59-23.

2. Denver Nuggets (6th in Conference) - Denver is great shape after acquiring Chauncey Billups from Detroit. He can flat out play, and when it counts too. I find myself liking J.R. Smith more and more and especially off the bench. Carmelo is Carmelo. I hope Kenyon Martin shows up this season along with Nene. 52-30.

3. Portland Trailblazers (8th in conference) - Yeah, I'll give them a playoff berth this year. Barring a long-term Greg Oden injury. Brandon Roy is a good NBA player. Steve Blake is underrated. Travis Outlaw has a lot of upside, he's not exactly Kobe but he'll do the job. The Blazers should finish somewhere in the 46-48 win range.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - The T'Wolves are gonna be good one day, just not one day this season. Al Jefferson is a superstar in the making. Kevin Love is a possible Rookie of the Year. Mike Miller is a proven shooter in this league, but they are just too young to make the postseason my friends. Like the Blazers last year. 36-46. Two words: Mark Madsen.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder - Oh boy. This is the NBA's nether region right now. They move the franchise out of Seattle, and don't get me started on that, with Kevin Durant and who? Robert Swift, the red-headed step-child, I think he's on the roster still. They'll be lucky if they win 20 games this season.

So Long, DeAngelo

The Oakland Raiders released/waived former Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall on Wednesday. Hall has been sort of a disappointment for us Raider fans, he gave up 40 catches for 552 yards so far this season (STATS LLC.) He gave up more yards than any other defensive player in the league. Having said that, we could give him a break for playing across from Nnamdi Asomugha who is emerging as the best corner in the NFL.

I'm not giving him a break. He was signed to a huge 7-year, 70 million dollar deal and never lived up to it. He hasn't been nearly as good as I thought or hoped he would be. I think that had he not struggled with injuries in camp he could have had more time to work at adjusting to the man coverage that Oakland runs, versus the zone coverage he played with in Atlanta where he could fly around and make plays.


We'll have to see who wants to take a chance on this guy. I'm sure someone will pick him up and he'll have a complete turnaround, but that's why they're the Raiders. You can't play under Al Davis.

NBA: Southwest Division Thoughts

1. New Orleans Hornets (1st in Conference) - The Hornets will be this year's rendition of last year's Celtics, record-wise. These guys are gonna be unstoppable. Chris Paul will win the MVP, without even trying. David West is an animal, along with Tyson Chandler. Peja Stojakovic is a deadly 3-point assassin, if you will. They also added James Posey, the ultimate 6th man and the ultimate winner. They'll finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-17, and win the Finals.


2. Houston Rockets (4th in Conference) - Houston is going to have a good year, behind T-Mac and Yao. They add Ron Artest to an already pretty stacked starting five. If Artest can stay out of trouble, and stay healthy he's a good player. I love Rafer Alston, he goes from the "And 1 Mixtape Tour" to the NBA and has always been a solid guy off the bench, but on this team he's the starter which isn't always good. Whatever happened to Steve Francis? Oh, that's right he got traded to the Knicks and it ruined his career, what else is new? Assuming Yao and T-Mac stay healthy the Rockets could maybe finish first in the division. They'll probably finish like 58-24.


3. Dallas Mavericks (7th in Conference) - The Mavs will have a decent year, not by Mark Cuban's standards but still a good year. Jason Kidd is good but not getting any younger. I've never heard of Antoine Wright before but he starts in front of Jason Terry. I really like Josh Howard. Dirk Nowitzki is always an MVP candidate. The Mavs are gonna fall victims to the murderous division that is the Southwest and finish something like 49-33.


4. San Antonio Spurs - Too old without Manu Ginobili for most of the season. Probably finish 40-42.

5. Memphis Grizzlies- Too young and in a rough division, if they were in the Northwest I'd give them a chance. They'll finish 28-54.

Look Out For The Sharks This Year

The San Jose Sharks are my favorite team in the NHL. Primarily, because of Joe Thornton being awesome and also because they have a kid on the team named Joe Pavelski (you might have heard of him, or not because no one pays attention) who's from right down the road from here Steven's Point.

The Sharks are off to a great start this year, led in points by Captain Patrick Marleau and the deadly RW Devin Setoguchi. The goaltending has been great in Evgeni Nabokov, but more importantly from backup Brian Boucher, who has two shutouts in his two appearances this season. Joe Thornton has, as always, a good amount of assists already. They are set to take on the Minnesota Wild tonight at the "Tank" (HP Pavilion) this should be a good matchup, as the Wild are 7-2-1 and the Sharks are 10-2.

It's a long NHL season and the Sharks are known as choke artists in the playoffs. But, not this year my friends.

Wow, That's Ugly!

To say the Raiders took one on the chin in Sunday's 24-0 drubbing by the Atlanta Falcons would be an understatement.

Oakland's lowly Raiders, a once prominent NFL franchise, had zero first downs and -2 yards in total offense, in the first half. They finished the game with 77 total yards, with JaMarcus Russell going 6 of 19 for 31 yards, that's right 31 yards. This sort of output doesn't really suprise me. It shouldn't suprise any Raider fans. It was only a matter of time until they got embarrassed like this on offense. Matter of fact, I think the Raiders defense is one the best in the league just for keeping it competitive at 24-0. I shouldn't be quick to jump to conclusions but, I don't think JaMarcus Russell was the answer the were looking for. It was Al Davis' answer, but he's got one foot in the nursing home and the other in the freakin' looney bin. I don't really know what the answer is or where they should start exactly. Maybe somebody should knock Al Davis on his ass for putting that sort of team out there for an NFL contest. The Offensive line is a joke, and we all knew that. I think Fargas and McFadden are worthy of taking the field for that offense, but other than that I haven't seen much. Especially from Javon Walker. He needs to step up and catch some balls and give Russell a target. If I were JaMarcus I would be ashamed to take the goddamn podium after a performance like that.

I think I am done for now, but next week it probably isn't gonna be any better against Carolina when they come to town. And I feel terrible for those fans, one the most animated and devoted crowds in the NFL. I hope they wear bags over their heads next week as a part of their costumes.