Monday, November 30, 2009

Sixers meet with Iverson

Sixers management has given the "basketball-side" the go-ahead to sign Iverson if they want. (David Aldridge) Kate Fagen of philly.com spoke to Eddie Jordan , who said the meeting with A.I. was intriguing.

Stefanski just released a statement about the meeting that said "At this time, both parties remain non-committal regarding a final decision and we will continue to discuss internally whether or not to pursue this course."

We know what R.H. feels about it. What do the rest of you think?
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Juan Sammy



Juan Samuel is the Featured Fightin' on PhilliesPulse. Samuel was one of my all-time favorite Phils and I was one pissed off 8 year old when they traded him to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell. Yeah, I guess it worked out but I was still pissed. You can't tell me that you didn't have at least 4 or 5 of that card pictured?

Career w/Phillies: .262 AVG / 100 HR / 413 RBI / 249 SB (philliesnation)

(baseballreference pic)
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Coste to the Mets?

Chris Coste agreed to terms with the New York Mets today on a contract that guarantees him a spot on the 40-man roster. (forum fargo-moorhead) Coste said that the Mets were the only team to offer that guarantee. Ha! It seems like he is a little embarrassed about signing there.

Coste was always a fan favorite here in philly and all he did was hit while here. Good for him for landing somehwhere in the bigs but I wish he would have landed in a better place.

(philliesnation)
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Phils Commercial Campaign 1986


Good stuff from philliesnation via philliespulse.


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'Nova Frosh Yarou Out for the Year

Key Freshman Mouphtaou Yarou is out for the year due to a viral infection that is not life threatening.(foxsports)

Yarou, a native of Benin, was considered a Top 25 player coming out of high school at Montrose Christian (Md.) this past season.

Yarou was expected to provide some size for the Cats this year

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Wrong Answer

Rant from R.H.

Warning- this is kind of long and about basketball. So, um, yeah....

I wasn't gonna dignify this Iverson story with a response, but I can't hold it in any longer. Too bad for the Sixers that it's come to this, although it's their own fault. I could've used a nice distraction too until baseball season. Especially since I just can't get fully emotionally invested in the Eagles like I used to until Reid and McNabb are gone, which will probably be never (Gimmicks like starting the game with an onside kick against a crappy team you should just line up against and steamroll??? And then, just to prove it wasn't a disastrous acquisition, they have to trot the encrusted remains of Michael Vick out there every now and then. That pass to Celek was classic. Thanks dude, but we already have a QB that fires 90 mph passes behind receivers from 5 yards away. Whatever. Don't get me started).

In case you guys missed it, Stephen A. Smith broke the news that Iverson woke up this morning and took a big dump. My God, does that joker just keep "breaking" stories to correct his previous, incorrect "breaking" news? If these Iverson rumors are true it's unfortunate, and not just because it would mean one less handicap parking space available each day around here. I'm not gonna jump up and down about it, but I wouldn't do it. Smacks of desperation. For who? For what? Nightclub owners, casino heads, and fast-food managers are clamoring for him to return.

Obviously, the Sixers are broken and a long, long way from being good. But bringing Iverson in here would just postpone the rebuilding. Why should we just throw away the last 5 or so months of the season? That's just pissing away 5 months to sell a few extra tickets. If they plan on keeping Eddie Jordan, which at this point they might as well give him a chance, this time should be used to develop the younger guys and to learn his Princeton offense (Iverson and Princeton anything should never be used in the same sentence). Any learning curve or development of Holiday, Lou Williams (possible already too far gone), etc. will stop as soon as Iverson comes in. It's like locking a bunch of guys in AA in a liquor store with Keith Richards.

But the majority of the fan base will be for it, and management will probably succumb to them. At the risk of generalizing, most of the NBA fans in this town are idiots. All thoughout the Iverson era and still today, they'd rather see Iverson cross someone over in a 20-ponts loss than watch a cohesive group play as a team and win consistently. I got news for management, if you put a good team out there that wins, people will show up. Iverson or no Iverson. But they're a long way from that so I guess this is their stop-gap solution.

Ed Snider has said he'll signoff on anything Sixer-related at this point. He's too busy scouring the AHL ranks for a 4th line winger for the Flyers.

Iverson has proven time and again that he's incapable of conforming to being a team-player. Oh, he says all the right things. He cares about winning, he'll come of the bench, yada-yada-yada. The he goes out and does the opposite (Costanza would be proud). In Detroit and Memphis, he said he would have no problem coming off the bench, then proceeded to sandbag both teams. Three games in Memphis?!? That's shocking even for him. It's a shame it didn't work out, him and Zach Randolph could've done some great and horrible things together on Beale Street.

It's also no coincidence that Denver took off right after they got rid of him last year.

Oh yeah, if Bubba Chuck returned it would be all fun and games in the beginning, especially with Lou Williams out a couple months. Iverson would act like he's still the man, push Holiday aside (go learn the game somewhere else, rook), and pick up right where he left off here. Lots of 30-shot, 27 points games.....and 20-points losses. We've seen this movie a thousand times before.

People say he'll put fans in the seats, and they're probably right. I know I'm probably in the minority, but that's even more of a reason NOT to go for me. And really, who cares that no one is going to the games? If anything, the Sixers deserve what they are getting with the product they've been putting out there and the decisions they've been making the last few years. Maybe empty seats will wake them up a bit. Just look at the Knicks, another horrible team with absolutely nothing to lose. Could've bought Iverson in for the rest of the year for a measley $1 mill. to fill-up some seats. They did about 24 hours of due-diligence on him (talked to Memphis I'm sure) and quickly said thanks, but no thanks (made me wish Isiah was still there and recklessly signed him to a 6 year/ $64 million deal in between groping MSG employees. Good times). Speaks volumes. The guy is a disease that infects teams on and off the court. Practice? Good luck.

Retiring to spend time with his family? Wow, that's rich. I know he's always been a pillar of family values, but he's retiring because no one wants him. He almost had to "retire" over the summer when no one wanted him until Memphis took a flier. The rest is history. I can't think of another future hall of famer that was not wanted by anyone when he still had something left in the tank. Even Rasheed Wallace, the posterboy for angry, selfish malcontents everywhere, got the point and went to the Celtics knowing damn well he'd be coming off the bench. Iverson has been his own worst enemy throughout. If he was smart, starting in Detroit last year, he would've used it as an audition for good teams to see him. He's obviously a shell of his former self, but he can still play. But no, he only knows his way, dominating the ball and undermining coaches. Good teams don't want him because he'll disrupt chemistry immediately. Bad teams (see: Memphis) also now know to steer clear of him.

Now John Thompson and Larry Brown are trying to reach out to him to talk him out of retirement? (like it was his decision). Yo Larry, please shut up and go away, you phony. You hated Iverson when you were here. And if you like him so damn much, bring him to Charlotte. Now start figuring out which team you're gonna jump ship to next. Eddie Jordan can't be for this. The only reason Stefanski would be for it is because he's desperate and out of ideas after taking over the mantle of Horrible GM from Billy King. If Jordan and Stefanski are on the fence about it, they should consult with, in no particular order, Randy Ayers, Chris Ford, Jim O'Brien, Mo Cheeks, Michael Curry, and Lionel Hollins. I think the only one that survived AI's wrath to get another head coaching job was O'Brien. I would've thrown George Karl in there but he's been in paycheck mode for years now.

Again, if Iverson was smart and not surrounded by a posse of yes-men, he would've long ago sucked up his pride and went to a playoff team that could use him. The funny thing is, he'd be an absolute killer coming off the bench for a good team. Talk about instant offense, he'd be like Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson on crack (possibly literally). It's really the perfect role for him- come in, shoot constantly and play no defense.If he's hot, keep him in. If not, take him out (and then the games begin). But that decision is out of his hands now. The damage is done. Beggars can't be choosers. Kind of sad in a way. I would pity him if he didn't bring it all on himself.

He should go kill a few dogs, maybe that would pique Andy Reid's interest.

But, whether the rumors are true or not, I guess the Sixers wanted to create a buzz, which they've accomplished.

Tiger's Geico Agent
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DWDW Bonus Monday Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Monday's game

New England (7-3) at New Orleans (10-0) Line: NO (-1) O/U: 57

This should be a good one. Are the Saints for real? They have beaten exactly 1 team that is currently slotted in a playoff position and that was Kevin Kolb's first NFL start. DW is not claiming that they are frauds but we do not think they are an 11-0 team. Expect a shootout but the Saints will not be able to stop Brady, Welker and Moss. 38-28 Pats

DW Pick: New England taking the point and the Over.

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ND Fires Weis


I know, not very shocking but ND AD Jeff Swarbrick announced that the Irish have fired Charlie Weis.(nbcsports) The Irish finished 6-6 after a promising 6-2 start. Weis finishes with a career record of 35-27, worse than both Ty willingham and Bob Davie.

Weis signed a 10 year deal after a 34-31 loss against top ranked USC a couple of years ago. That is not a good sign when the teams best performance during his tenure may have been a loss. Weis had 6 years remaining on his deal.


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Eagles Catch a Break

Jay Glazer (via PFT) reports that Matt Ryan has been ruled OUT for this weeks game against the Eagles. He was injured early on in Sunday's win against Tampa. Chris Redman will get the start.

Nice! A week after almost all of Washington's good players were inactive, the Eagles catch a break again. Michael Turner was also injured in the game against Tampa. No word on his status yet. The birds have not been all that impressive but if they can knock off the Ryan-less Falcons, they are in pretty good playoff position.
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The Morning After

Redskins 24 Eagles 27: It wasn’t pretty, but in the end the Eagles were victorious.  More to come on this game later.

Sixers 89 Spurs 97: The Sixers lost to the Spurs last night to increase their current losing streak to five - they have three games remaining on their current road trip.
Andre Iguodala had 21 points for the Sixers and Willie Green added 17. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 22.  Honestly, I hope this losing trend continues.  This team needs a lottery pick. 

Nets 87 Lakers 106: 0-17…That.Is.Awesome.  With a blowout loss to the Lakers last night, the Nets accomplished what only two others in history have done, lose 17 straight games to start a season.  Congratulations, losers, welcome to infamy.  New Jersey takes on Dallas Wednesday night in hopes of becoming the biggest loser of all-time – Go Mavs!  I love a good losing streak. 

Steelers 17 Ravens 20: Third string QB Dennis Dixon played a decent game for the Steelers, but a costly INT in OT set up a Ravens field goal and gave them the win.  Dixon was 12 for 26 for 145 yards, with a passing and rushing TD.  Delaware’s own Joe Flacco completed 23 of 35 passes for 289 yards and a TD.  Both teams are now 6-5 on the season. 

 

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Penn State # 11

Penn state moved up to number 11 in the BCS Standings. They are number 10 in the AP Poll and number 9 in the Coaches Poll but the BCS Computers have them down at number 19.

Dissapointing season for the Nits. They played an easy schedule and lost at home to the only good teams they played. Those two teams happen to be just ahead of them in the BCS - and 8 and 9.

Down year overall in College Football in that a team with no real significant wins can possibly finish in the top 10. Maybe PSU can salvage the season with a Bowl win..
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Sunday, November 29, 2009

'Skins


The Eagles handled the Skins pretty easily last time out despite playing poorly. Now Washington banged up big time. Haynesworth, Portis, Betts, Samuel, Cooley and Hall are all inactive. Washington does have a good pass defense but a poor rush defense...I don't know, I am smelling 45 throws today.

NFC East games are always tough but if the Eagles come to play they should not have any trouble beating this team and move to 7-4.

Prediction: 31-13
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DWDW Pro Week 12 Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Sunday's games.

Doc's Picks:

Tampa Bay (1-9) at Atlanta (5-5) Line: Atl (-12) O/U: 46

Atlanta has lost 4 of 5 games but they have a chance to make a late season run at a playiff spot. Tampa is 0-4 on the road and the Falcons are 4-0 at home.

Pick: Falcons by 3 touchdowns.


Indianapolis (10-0) at Houston (5-5) Line: Ind (-3) O/U: 47.5

Popular upset pick this week figuring the explosive Texans offense can exploit the banged up Colts secondary. I see the Colts outscoring the Texans in this one though.

Pick: Colts and the over

Namesake's Picks:

Seattle (3-7) @ St.Louis (1-9) Line: Sea -4 O/U: 42.5


Not the most exciting matchup on the schedule, that's for sure, but I see Steven Jackson having a field day against a weak Seattle team. Marc Bulger isn't playing -big whoop - I barely even noticed he's played at all this season, so his absence shouldn't be too much of a factor.

Pick: STL getting 4.

Jacksonville (6-4) @ San Francisco (4-6) Line SF -3.5 O/U: 41.5

The Niners have lost 5 of their last 6, and the Jags are working on a three-game winning streak. I expect Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker to exploit the Niners D all day, and unless San Fran can come up with an answer then I don't see them pulling this one out.

Pick: Jags getting points.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Nova tops Explorers

Ugly. La Salle turned the ball over 27 times giving Villanova their 20th win in the last 21 Big 5 games. Scottie Reynolds and Antonio Pena each scored 14 points for the Cats who won the game 81-63. Kimmani Barrett led all scorers with 17 for La Salle with Aaric Murray chipping in with 15 and 14. Nova improves to 6-0 and La Salle drops to 3-2.

Solid win for Villanova. They may not have shown the play of a top 10 team yet but they keep on winning and they seem like a fairly deep squad. La Salle needs Green to score more than 7 points if they hope to compete.
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Ouch



Bosh gets knee'd in the nutz by Pierce.
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DWDW College Style


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Saturday's game.

Doc's Picks

Syracuse (4-7) at Connecticut (5-5) Line: UCONN (-13.5) O/U: 47

You would think that this is a Connecticut Blog with the amount of times we have bet the Huskies. I watched them in person knock off the Irish in South Bend and I expect them to hammer Syracuse. The Cuse is coming off of their best game of the season and will let down. The Huskies have won the last 2 by an average of 24 points

Pick: UCONN giving


No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-2) at Oklahoma (6-5) Line: OK -7 O/U: 48.5

Yes that is the unranked team favored by a TD over the #12 team. Like I said last week, OK St is just not the same without start receiver Dez Bryant. Problem is that neither are the Sooners without Bradford. Don't like this game so I am expecting points.

Pick: Over the 48.5

Namesake's Picks:

UCLA (6-5) @ No.24 USC (7-3) Line: USC -13 O/U: 47.5


The crosstown rivalry kicks off this afternoon with USC having their lowest ranking since 2002..when they were 13th. I expect them to win this game, but the way their offense has been struggling I don't expect them to cover the number.

Pick: UCLA getting the points

No.23 North Carolina (8-3) @ NC State (4-7) Line: UNC -6 O/U: 49

UNC's 5th ranked defense should be enough to hold of NC State today, arguably the worst team in the ACC this season.

Pick: UNC in a rout.


Records:
Doc: 14-14
DW: 12-13
Namesake: 10-11-1
Sec202: 4-6

(si.com)
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The Answer?


Stephen A Smith is now reporting that the Sixers are talking about bringing back Allen Iverson, a couple of days after he retired. Well, at least Stephen A said he retired. Former Sixers coach Larry Brown has also reached out ot the answer, saying that he should not retire.

What do the 76ers have to lose at this point? Allen will not bring them a Championship but he may add some much needed excitement to the team - maybe even add an ass or two to the Wachovia Center seats. I would be all for it - there is nothing worse than a boring team that isn't going anywhere. Lou is out 8 weeks too.

I would have to imagine Eddie Jordan would be against this, although sources say he is on board . Not only because of the headaches sure to come but Allen Iverson is pretty much the opposite of the Princeton offense.

A team official told ESPN that Iverson was not being considered on Friday night. The 76ers have filled 58% of the Wachovia Center this season, last in the NBA. That is embarrassing.

(mugshots)

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Friday, November 27, 2009

DWDW Bonus Black Friday Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Friday's college games.


Doc's Picks:

Illinois (3-7) at No. 5 Cincinnati (10-0) Line: Cin (-21) O/U: 58

Illinois has had a terrible season but has played a little bit better as of late winning 2 of its last 3 in the big ten. Cinci rolls but the Illini covers.

Pick: Illinois taking the points


No. 3 Alabama (11-0) at Auburn (7-4) Line: Bama (-10) O/U: 47

Tough rivalry game but if the Tide come to play and do not look ahead to Florida, this game should be a romp. Auburn has lost 4 of its last 6 and Alabama has outscored its last 2 opponents 76-3.

Pick: Roll Tide giving


DW Pick:

No. 9 Pittsburgh (9-1) at West Virginia (7-3) Line: 0 O/U: 48.5

Pitt has taken advantage of a favorable schedule to vault into the top 10. West Virginia is a tough place to play and DW sees the Mountaineers coming out on top.

DW Pick: WVU outright



(Blitzcorner)
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DWDW Bonus Philly Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Friday's Temple game.

Temple (9-2) at Ohio (8-3) Line: Temple (-2) O/U: 45

Temple has sole possesion of 1st place but must beat Ohio to win the East. Temple will play without star freshman running back Bernard Pierce. Ohio's lone conference loss came against Kent State, who Temple beat 47-13 last week (mostly without Pierce).

DW Pick: Temple covering

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The Morning After

Bad Guys 10 Good Guys 7: Sec202 did the pre-game talking but it was the bad guys who were laughing at the end. The BG's started the scoring with a short dump pass to the Gazelle who looked more like a gizezel as he galloped his way past the defense. A quick stop and a quick score made it 2 zip. Infrequent reader and almost never contributor, moose, then took over for the good guys with a pick 6 and a roar that I am sure all of Pennsylvania heard. All of a sudden it was 3-2 GG that eventually turned into a 5-4 halftime lead. ConCon was the secret weapon for the good guys scoring 2 key touchdowns with Egon also catching one.

It was all Bad Guys in the 2nd half. Led by Brad Pitt's two second half INT's and multiple touchdown grabs, doc's 6 2nd half TD passes, NardDogs shut down D and some big yards after the catch, the bad guys outscored the good guys 6-2. Sec202 had some big grabs for the losers but was forced to play alot of QB because of the lollipops the rest of the team was throwing. Hungryformore played some solid defense and caught a TD bomb from Pitt that made up for his ill-advised 1st half passing and jaw-dropping dropped passes. Namesake got hammered on the sidelines watching the game but vowed to play again next year. The Bad Guys took a commanding 2-1 series lead.

MVP: Brad Pitt (past winners - '08 Sec202; '07 Golden Glove)
Entertainer: Moose - 3 INT's with 1 for a score. Almost had 2 until the hired sniper's gunshot took his legs out on his way to glory. The "ROAR" showed some intensity only seen before from him with a "big guy" in his hands at the bar swallowing somebody's helpless ear while that somebody desperately looks for an escape. When he wasn't picking off passes he was being exploited as "white" toast.

Broncos 26 G-Men 6: Brian Dawkins led the way for Denver forcing New York to its 5th loss in its last 6 games. Dawkins led a ferocious defense 48 hours after calling a players-only meeting that obviously struck a chord. (AP) Tell me the Eagles couldn't use him on Defense. The highest paid player in the NFL was sacked twice and threw a pick in leading the Giants to 6 whole points.

Texas 49 A&M 39: Colt Mccoy threw 4 scores and ran for annother leading the Longhorn's to a shootout win. Only Nebraska stands in between Texas and the BCS National Title Game.

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Thursday, November 26, 2009

DWDW Bonus Thanksgiving College Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Thursday's game.

No. 2 Texas (11-0) at Texas A&M (6-5) Line: Texas (-21.5) O/U: 62.5

The Longhorns just have to keep focus and take care of 2 inferior opponents before facing the winner of the Florida/Bama game in the BCS Championship. Texas A&M has the 11th worst pass defense in the nation so Colt Mccoy and Jordan Shipley should have a field day.

DW Pick: Texas giving

Records:
Doc: 13-13
DW: 11-11
Namesake: 10-11-1
Sec202: 4-6

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DWDW Bonus Thanksgiving Pro Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for the Thanksgiving games.


Doc's Picks:

Green Bay (6-4) at Detroit (2-8) Line: GB-11 O/U: 47.5

Green Bay has taken the last 8 in this series and will make it 9 without breaking much of a sweat. Calvin Johnson has not practiced this week and Detroit will not score much without him.

Pick: Under


Oakland (3-7) at Dallas (7-3) Line: Dal -14 O/U: 40

I hate both teams. I want Oakland to win but am not counting on it. I can see Dallas scoring in the 30's.

Pick: Over

Oakland (3-7) at Dallas (7-3) Line: Dal -14 O/U: 40

Oakland without JaMarcus Russell, Dallas playing like dog shit lately..I'm taking Oakland to cover

Pick: Oakland getting the points.

Season Records:
Dw: 10-9
Doc: 10-10
Namesake: 6-9-2
Sec202: 3-4

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lou Williams is OUT


Lou Willams suffered a broken jaw in last nights loss to Washington. Early reports said he was going to miss 2-4 weeks (700level) but now they are saying that he will be evaluated on Thursday.(csnphilly)

Lou had been playing well, scoring 26 points last night including 10 in the 4th. This should mean more PT for impressive rookie Jrue Holiday. Holiday scored 11 in 9 minutes last night.
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Iverson Retires

Stephen A. Smith broke the news that Allen Iverson has retired from the NBA, today on the Mike Missanelli show. He went on to say that he (A.) feels like Iverson would come back in a heartbeat if a contending team wanted him but Iverson is saying that he is finished. Earlier in the day it was reported that Boston may be interested if they had a need.

DW feels like the best place for Iverson would be Cleveland because he knows LeBron is the best in the game and he has always been boys with Shaq. It is the one place where he would accept a complementary role.

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Pre-Turkey Thoughts

From friend of DW R.H.

It's tough to get a read on much in college hoops in Novemeber. Preseason college polls/rankings are completey useless. Nova has been winning, haven't seen any of them, but they seem to be a bit overrated right now. Almost lost to George Mason on a neutral floor. They should be good come February though. Same old story with them. No size whatsoever. Although they say Pena is playing really well. Corey Fisher, now a junior and extremetly talented, still makes me nervous when he has the ball in key moments.

St. Joe's is bad. Will be a tough year for them. Needing OT to beat Drexel in your home opener is never a good sign. So much for those "great" recruiting classes after the Nelson/West era.
Penn is abominable. Should that guy still have his job? As soon as Dunphy left, the program went in the shitter.

Word is Lasalle should actually be decent. Once every 17 years ain't bad. It's all been downhill ever since Speedy left the cupboard bare to go coach high school girls again, followed by Billy Hahn's drunkeness and various rapes.

Temple is kind of intriguing. This Lavoy Allen guy is really good. Could be the best player in the city if he wants to be. Can score and rebound, has touch, smart, and an excellent passer. Completely outplayed Monroe on Georgetown. Seems like he just needs to play with more intensity on a consistent basis.

Nationally, I've seen Gonzaga a few times and they look pretty good. Not pretty and soft like they usually are. They look tough, still have Bolden, and have a bunch of giants down low! If there's a God, Kansas, Michigan State, and Carolina won't win it all. Actually, Carolina won't get a sniff of the Final 4 this year. F Kentucky too and that shitbag Calipari.

What can be said about the Sixers except they are thoroughly depressing and basically unwatchable? Brand seems like a good guy and a hard worker, but let's face it, he's been a Webber-esque bust up to this point. I don't see much evidence of this vaunted Eddie Jordan Princeton offense. Unless Princeton now has guys (see: Lou Williams and Iguodala) that dribble around until the shot-clock is about to expire and then jack up hopeless 25-footers.

Now let's all sit around tomorrow afternoon and watch the terrible, terrible games the NFL will subject us to. I know, for some reason, we're saddled with Detroit. When and why did that become a tradition again? But there is absolutely no excuse for Dallas-Oakland!!! That was a terrible game on paper when the schedule came out, and a terrible game now.
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Juan Castro

The Phils reportedly are likely to finalize a deal with Juan Castro by the end of next week. Juan is going to be the replacement for Eric Bruntlett. I like this move because he is a much better player than Bruntlett with better speed and more versatility. He can play second, short, third, and outfield if needed. He also gets on base more, and provided he accepts the role as a bench player, he will be a great asset to have on the bench. Something that the Phils somewhat lacked in 2009Buster Olney posted in his blog that "the Phillies have reached a point where free agents really want to play for them, because they have a reputation for excellence in their clubhouse, as well in the standings." Hopefully this will be a good sign to come for the Phils in the free agent market. Read More

The Morning After

Wizards 108 Sixers 107: Antawn Jamison had 32 points and 14 rebounds last night, as the Wizards took down the Sixers on the same day their owner, Abe Pollin, passed away.  Lou Williams led the Sixers with 26, Thaddeus Young scored 23, and the Sixers lost their third straight game.  Sweet Lou had a chance for the win at the buzzer, but his 3-point attempt rimmed out – ball game.   

Nuggets 101 Nets 87: The Nets are now 0-14…wow. Three more losses and they will tie the Heat and Clippers for the NBA record of 17 consecutive losses to start a season.  The schedule is not in their favor for the next three either, with Portland tonight (loss), Sacramento Friday (their only hope for a win) and L.A. on Sunday (definite loss).  I, for one, will be rooting against them all the way. 

Jon Runyan: Runyan signed a 1-year deal with the San Diego Chargers, who placed right tackle Jeromey Clary on injured reserve yesterday. Clary injured his left ankle in Sunday's victory over Denver.  I know I’ll be rooting for the big guy – one of my favorite Eagles of all-time.  

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Howard 3rd in MVP Voting

In the most shocking news to come around since we found out Caster Semenya has a bird, Albert Pujols was unanimously voted NL MVP for the third time in his already illustrious career.  This race has been over since June, so this really shouldn’t even be considered news. 

 

Hanley Ramirez, the NL batting champion, was second with 233 points, followed by Philly’s own Ryan Howard third (217) and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder fourth (203), who tied Howard for the big league lead in RBIs. I thought Howard would get second, but it’s hard to argue against Hanley’s numbers.

 

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4 yr Deal for Justice

Birds locked up Winston Justice to a 4-yr deal today. Justice is having a solid season replacing Shawn Andrews, who was replacing Jon Runyan. Heading into this season - there was a better shot of Justice not making the team than there was of him getting locked up.

Looks like Shawn Andrews can get his Michael Phelps on somewhere else. He can bring his sister Stacy too.

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Monday, November 23, 2009

DWDW Bonus Monday Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Monday's game.


Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4) Line: Hou -4 O/U: 48

The Titans are rolling with Vince Young as QB. Look for them to knock off the Texans, winning their 4th straight game.

DW Pick: Titans taking the points


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The Morning After

Eagles 24 Bears 20: The Birds finally pulled out a close one, taking down the Bears 24-20 in Soldier Field.  Doc was at the game and can hopefully fill us in on the Chicago atmosphere – I get the feeling they don’t really like this Cutler guy.  Was it me, or did the fans boo EVERY running play called?  It was great.  Anyway, I actually liked what I saw from the offense last night.  Solid running game, Donovan on point (for the most part), and good play from the O-line.  The turnovers were a huge problem in the second half, but it was good to see LeSean McCoy not let his fumble bother him too much on their next possession. McCoy should have had his first career 100-yard rushing game, but on the Eagles last running play he lost a yard and finished with 99 on the day.  Doc – you lost 4 points in fantasy on that one play, if you lose by 4 or less,  you know who to blame.  Donovan was 23-32 for 244 yards on the night - DeSean Jackson caught 8 of those balls for 107 yards. Next week is the Redskins, should be a blowout.

 

No.6 Villanova 79 Ole Miss 67:  Scottie Reynolds scored 21 points to help the Wildcats beat Mississippi 79-67 on Sunday night. Corey Stokes dropped 18 and Antonio Pena added 17 points and 16 rebounds on the way to ‘Nova winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan.  The Big East favorites held Ole Miss to 29.6 percent shooting from the field on their way to improving to 5-0 on the season.  On an unrelated note, I had no idea Taylor King was white until last night.    

 

No.7 Purdue 85 St. Joe’s 60: JaJuan Johnson had 18 points and 10 rebounds and the No.7 ranked Boilermakers used a 23-3 run after halftime to pull away and beat St. Joseph's 85-60 on Sunday night in the Paradise Jam. The Hawks had a nine-point lead in the first half, but missed nine of their first ten shots in the second half and let Purdue pull away for the big win. Garrett Williamson led all St.Joe’s scorers with 12 points.

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

DWDW College Style

Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Saturday's game.

Namesake's Picks:

Ohio State @ Michigan Line: OSU (-12) O/U: 47.5


Ohio St has been playing good football the last couple of weeks, and Rich Rod and the Wolverines are just plain shitty. Home field advantage won't mean a thing in this game.

Pick: Buckeyes giving the points.

UCONN @ Notre Dame Line: ND (-6) O/U: 58.5

Doc will be representing DW in South Bend this weekend, and my prediction is that he sees that fat waste of space Chuck Weis get his ass handed to him one more time before he gets the boot. With all the controversy surrounding ND lately I don't think they come into this game as prepared as they should be.

Pick: UCONN getting 6.

Doc's Picks:

Ohio State @ Michigan Line: OSU (-12) O/U: 47.5

Pick: Ohio State

Oregon @ Arizona Line: ORE (-6) O/U: 58.5

Pick: Oregon giving the points.

Records:
Doc: 13-11
Namesake: 9-10-1
DW: 10-11
Sec202: 4-6


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Friday, November 20, 2009

DWDW College Bonus Friday Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Friday's game.

No. 6 Boise State (10-0) at Utah State (3-7) Line: Boise (-23.5) O/U: 62

Boise has taken the last 8 in this matchup and have not scored under 45 points in their last 6 vs Utah State. Boise State covers easily.

DW Pick: Boise State giving
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Rocky Trivia

Courtesy of Hot Clicks, check out this link to HMDYK.com . It’s a pretty cool trivia website, but for purposes of this blog, check out the Rocky Trivia quiz.  I am ashamed to say that I scored 15 out of 25, which, according to the site, makes me an ‘Apollo Creed’ of Rocky Trivia – whatever that means.  Some of the questions are tough and some of them are ridiculously easy (the Rock IV quotes give themselves away) - give it shot.  Post your scores in the comments.   

 

http://www.hwdyk.com/q/quiz/index.cfm?howwellID=799

 

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Penn State @ Michigan State Game Notes

Click Here for the Game Notes:

When: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Where: Spartan Stadium (75,005)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 75,005 (sold out)
Series Record: Penn State leads, 13-12-1
Penn State Captains:
No. 17 Daryll Clark, Sr., QB
No. 45 Sean Lee, Sr., LB


TELEVISION: The contest will be televised by ABC/ESPN to national audience with Mike Patrick, Craig James and Heather Cox calling the action.
The Nittany Lions are appearing on television for the 189th time in their last 191 games.

RADIO: Penn State Sports Network (60 stations)
Radio Team (10th year)
Play-by-Play: Steve Jones; Analysis: Jack Ham
Web stream: www.GoPSUsports.com
Spartan Sports Network (George Blaha, play-byplay;
Jim Miller, analysis; Jason Strayhorn, sideline).
XM Radio 196; Sirius 129.

COACHES:
Joe Paterno
Penn State Record . .392-129-3 (75.1), 44th Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Same
vs. Michigan State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-5
60th year on Penn State staff...all-time leader in career wins among FBS (1-A) coaches...300 wins faster than any coach in NCAA history...College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2007.

Mark Dantonio
MSU Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22-15, 3rd Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-32, 6th Year
vs. Penn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1

THE SERIES: The Nittany Lions and Spartans first met in 1914 and Penn State leads the series, 13-12-1.
With Penn State's entry into the Big Ten in 1993, the teams have played in the regular season finale the past 16 years, with the winner claiming the Land Grant Trophy.
The Nittany Lions won, 49-18, last year in Beaver Stadium in a battle for the Big Ten Championship.



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The Morning After

Start Trek comes out on DVD this week.  Not only did the movie fucking rock, but this babe, Zoe Saldana, is in it.  See it.

Here’s what you missed last night while standing in line for New Moon…

No.5 Villanova 69 George Mason 68: What the hell, Nova!? That was too close for comfort, fellas. Isaiah Armwood hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to rally Villanova over George Mason Thursday night in Puerto Rico. And oh by the way, Armwood’s three was the first basket of his college basketball career – perfect timing.  The Wildcats were down by as many as 13 points in the first half and were down 68-66 with time running out.  Armwood, coming of the bench after Antonio Pena and Taylor King both fouled out, made his only shot of the night from the top of the arc.  Wow.  Scottie Reynolds dropped 18 on the Patriots, Corey Fisher went 14 for 18 from the foul line and finished with 17 points, Pena had 10 points and 12 rebounds and King had eight points.

No.6 UNC 77 No.15 Ohio St 75: Deon Thompson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 North Carolina managed to hold on for a 77-73 victory over No. 15 Ohio State in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals on Thursday night. The Tar Heels led by 19 point with 10:23 to play, but OSU went on a run and eventually cut the lead to 75-73 with 11 seconds remaining.  UNC’s Larry Drew II, who missed four foul shots in the final minute, then made two from the line with seconds left to secure the four-point victory.

Miami 24 Carolina 17:  32-year-old Ricky Williams rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns, and the Dolphins beat the Carolina Panthers 24-17 on Thursday night for their fourth win in six games. Whatever.

 

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

'09-'10 LaSalle Explorers


2008-2009: 18-13, 9-7 (1-0 so far)

Last Conference Title: 1991-92 (MAAC) Never won A-10

Key Losses: F/C Vernon Goodridge

Key Additions: C Aaric Murray, G Parrish Grant, G T.T. Carey, C Devon White

Projected Starting Five:
G Rodney Green, Sr. 17.8 pts
C Aaric Murray, Fr. *17.5
F Jerrell Williams, Jr. 6.4
F Kimmani Barrett, Sr. 11.8
F Yves Mekongo Mbala, Sr. 10.4


Backcourt: Rodney Green leads the way as one of four seniors looking to bring this team all the way from the basement to the NCAA Tournament. Green may battle Scottie Reynolds among others as the favorite to win the Big 5 player of the year. He got off to a nice start against Hampton scoring 23 pts on 8-16 shooting and 4-5 from three point range. Ruben Guillandeaux and Barrett will also log significant minutes as returning starters who averaged double digits last year.

Frontcourt: Freshman Aaric Murray shocked the college basketball world by choosing LaSalle over high profile Big East schools, Villanova and West Virginia as well as Temple and St. Joes. Yves Mekongo Mbala was a double digit scorer last year who can contribute. He and Murray each scored 16 points in the opener.

Player to Watch: Aaric Murray: Rodney Green is the best player but Murray will have to step up to provide the inside game and take some of the scoring burden off of Green.

Prediction: NCAA Berth. Picked in the preseason to finish 4th behind Dayton, Xavier and Richmond. DW Picks the Explorers to finish 3rd and to receive an at-large bid.

Next Up: LaSalle takes on the Gamecocks of South Carolina tonight in the Charleston Classic.

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DWDW College Bonus Thursday Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this blog where the three contributors embarrass themselves picking the college and pro games of the week. Here are our picks for Thursday's game.

Colorado (3-7) at No. 13 Oklahoma State (8-2) Line: OKST(-17) O/U: 47.5

Oklahoma State is playing without Dez Bryant who has been suspended. Without Bryant, we do not think OK State is all that great. QB Zac Robinson is also banged up.

DW Pick: Buffs cover

Records:
Doc: 13-11
Namesake: 9-10-1
DW: 9-11
Sec202: 4-6
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'09-'10 Temple Owls


2008-09: 22-12, 11-5. (1-1 so far)

Last Ivy Title: 2008. 2X Defending Conference Champ

Key Losses: G Dionte Christmas

Key Freshmen: F Rahir Jefferson, F Carmel Bouchman, G Khalif Wyatt

Projected Starting Five:
C Lavoy Allen, Jr. 10.9 ppg
F Michael Eric, So. 2.7 ppg
G Ryan Brooks, Sr. 10.6 ppg
G Luis Guzman, Sr. 2.1 ppg
G Juan Fernandez, So. 5.5 ppg


Backcourt:
This team is searching for scorers to replace the 3X Atlantic 10 scoring champ Dionte Christmas. Sr. Ryan Brooks scored 10.6 per game last year playing in the shadow of Christmas. He must step up this year. After scoring 23 in the opener against Delaware, he came up small against the Hoyas, shooting 2-14 for 6 points. Pepe Sanchez, er, Juan Fernandez and Luis Guzman will have much roles expanded roles.

Frontcourt:
If this team has a Tourney run in them, it is because Lavoy Allen will take them there. Fran Dumphy called him out on A-10 Media Day: "If Lavoy was a hard worker, we’d be in much better shape than we are,” said Dumphy, “He just kind of gives you what he’s got.” (Bigfivepost) He has to become a dominant force inside for the Owls. Early averages on 10.5 and 14.5 for Allen.

Player to Watch: Lavoy Allen: Preseason All-conference player must step up and account for much of what Christmas left behind.

Prediction: Encouraging performance, almost knocking off #19 G'town the other night. Unless they can run the table in the A-10 tourney for the 3rd straight year, it looks as if the Owls will be just outside the bubble come tournament time. NIT


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The Morning After


76ers 86 Bobcats 84: With talk about being benched, Elton Brand had by far his best game of the season scoring 19 points, 11 boards, 6 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists. Igoudala led the way with 25 with a fastbreak dish to Lou Williams for the game winning bucket.

Flyers 3 Kings 2: Boooosh! Brian Boucher let up an early soft goal but then shut down the Kings for the rest of the night. Mika Pyorala scored his first NHL goal and Mike Richards and JVR also scored. Coburn added 2 assists, 1 on a sweet deflection off the boards right to van Riemsdyk.

Central Michigan 35 Ball St 3: Yup not much else last night


(deadspin)
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Westbrook is Improving

Doc's say that Westbrook has improved significantly since Sunday and that his second concussion was not nearly as bad as the first. Westbrook was evaluated by the Medical Center at Pitt - the same doc's Steve Young saw when he had concussion issues. (NBC)

I hope he doesn't hurry back. He is much needed on the field but the potential long term damage is too threatening. If we have seen the last of Westbrook on the football field - he will go down as one of the Eagle Greats.
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Brownface gets the Boot from Sosa party


DJ Enrique Santos thought he would have some fun after getting an invite to Sammy Sosa's birthday bash last weekend. Well, before he actually got into the party he was approached by a publicist and asked to leave as she didn't want Sammy to be made fun of.

I'm sure this clown was just trying to get some pub for his radio show but it was pretty funny anyway. I can't believe Sammy is still in the news..

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Philly Tonight

Bobcats at 76ers 7pm: Charlotte looks to snap their 5 game losing streak tonight against the Sixers, who themselves have lost 2 straight. Should be a good one!

Flyers at Kings 10:30pm: Here is a better matchup. Flyers have won 5 of 6 and the Kins, 2 straight. The Flyers are 80-37-16 all-time against the Kings including 38-22-8 in L.A. (broadstreethockey)
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PSU Pulls a Henry Hill on Fans

News from State College via The Big Lead and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette online:

Cutting to the chase: For many years, Penn State has charged Nittany Lion Club members a minimum of $100 per seat per season for the opportunity to purchase tickets. That goes for tickets on the 50-yard line or in the end zone.

The school has not yet announced specifics of the proposed arrangements, but according to a report in Sunday's Harrisburg Patriot-News, which school spokesman Greg Myford did not dispute in Monday's Mirror, PSU is considering raising the mandatory minimum to $600 between the 40-yard lines, $400 between the 40s and the goal lines and $200 in the end zone. 

Oh you’re unemployed, fuck you, pay me. Can’t afford to send your kids to college, fuck you, pay me. The country is in the midst of an historic recession, fuck you, pay me. You don’t think a mediocre two-loss football team deserves and exorbanant increase in ticket prices in order to support non-money-making sports clubs….you get the idea.

As long as they still have $1 pitchers at The Lions Den, I’m good. 

 

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The Morning After

No.19 Georgetown 46 Temple 45: Ugly game all around.  Georgetown committed 18 fouls and 16 turnovers on their way to winning a squeaker against Temple last night.  Temple came back from a 12-point second half deficit to make it a close game down the stretch, but TU’s Ramone Monroe missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with a one-point lead and 23 seconds left on the clock, opening the door for the Hoyas’ Greg Monroe to score on a layup with 6.5 seconds remaining.  It was as valiant effort by the Owls, but a poor night at the line (6-13) did them in at the end.  Lavoy Allen led all Temple with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

No.1 Kansas 57 Memphis 55: Cole Aldrich had 18 points, 11 rebounds and blocked five shots, helping No. 1 Kansas overcome a sloppy night to hold off Memphis 57-55 in a rematch of the 2008 national championship game Tuesday. 

No.2 Mich St 75 Gonzaga 71: Durrell Summers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with minutes left, made two at the line in the final seconds and finished with 21 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to help No. 2 Michigan State rally for a 75-71 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday night.  The win gave the Spartans their 41st straight home game against a non-conference opponent, their last loss was against Duke on 12/3/03.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Somebody Wants Dalembert?

Maybe Kenny Thomas wants to retire as a Sixer. Whatever - make it happen. ESPN.com reports that Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, in considering the feasibility of a Samuel Dalembert-for-Kenny Thomas swap, have discussed expanding that concept with Boston by trying to draw in the Celtics on a potential three-way deal that would land Andres Nocioni with the Celts. (espn)

But the full deal as it stands, if it eventually gets that far, would send Nocioni to Boston, Kenny Thomas, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine to Philadelphia and Dalembert and J.R. Giddens to Sacramento. All threee of the guys heading to Philly have expiring contracts.

They can move Brand to Center for the time being and maybe Jason Smith to the PF position until Speights comes back. I guess you could also go small and start Thaddeus at the 4. I don't know, I don't care...somebody wants Sammy. Make it happen!


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NFL's Worst

The NFL is through week 10 and playoff pictures are starting to form as we head into week 11. The Colts and Saints are still undefeated, and every team officially has at least one win including the Lions. We all watch football here at DW, and we all have a pretty good idea which teams are the best in the NFL for the most part. I want to talk about the worst teams in the NFL. There are a lot of them out there right now with the Lions, Browns, Buccaneers, Oakland, Kansas City, and St. Louis. All of these teams combined have the same amount of wins as the Vikings do this year. That is pretty pathetic. So who is the worst team in the NFL?

Let's start with Cleveland. Mangini's first year as coach has been a nightmare. Players have already been complaining about him, and there GM was fired after like 3 games. The Browns have a total of 5 offensive touchdowns all year. Brady Quinn is a total stiff, and Derek Anderson must have used steroids for a year. He is the Brady Anderson of football. My advice to the Browns would be sign LeBron James. Record 1-8

The Lions finally won there first game in almost 2 years a couple of weeks ago. They have a young quarterback, but at least they can put up some points. I think that Stafford will be a decent quarterback in a few years, and they have some upside in the future with guys like Calvin Johnson. In a few years they wont be as big of a joke as they are now. Record 1-8.

K.C. is another team that has its issues. Larry Johnson really made a fool out of himself with all of the antics that went on a couple weeks ago. They almost beat Dallas earlier in the year, but that was pretty much their only bright spot. Record 2-7

There is not much that I can say about this team considering that they beat the Eagles. JaMarcus Russell is a bust, and their head coach beats his wives, coaches, and everything else around him that pisses him off. The only bright spot is that Al Davis 150 years old and his time might be coming soon. Record 2-7

What can I say about the Bucs? Well they are pretty bad. Last week's loss to the Dolphins was pathetic. The defense had to hold the Dolphins offense for about a minute and they couldn't even do that. Ricky Williams broke off a 27 yard run at the end of the game to set up a Dolphins field goal. This team is pretty bad. Record 1-8

I watched some of the St. Louis game on Sunday and it looked like Marc Bulger couldn't give two shits about winning that game. He was throwing screen passes with no timeouts and under a minute to go, on his own 30 yard line. This team is horrible, and Stephen Jackson has to be pissed that he is playing with these scrubs. Record 1-8.

The award for the shittiest team in the NFL has to go to the Cleveland Browns. They scored a total of 78 points this year, and have given up 225 points. This team is so bad, last night they only had five snaps in Baltimore territory. That is horrible! A Browns fan was holding a sign last night that said "Rebuilding since 1964". At the rate this team is going they are going to have to continue to rebuild for another 45 years.

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AL Cy Young

At 2pm today the AL Cy Young award will be announced. Who will be the winner? Some say that Zack Greinke will run away with it, while the other names being tossed around are Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, and C.C. SaFATASS. I know Geinke will probably get it because he was second in K's, shutouts, and complete games. Greinke was dominant all year, but can you give the award to a guy on a team that is horrible? I mean he is on one of the worst teams of the decade. Although he helped his team, they still suck. The Cy Young award is basically the MVP of pitching, and if your team is not good, then why would you be considered? As much as I hate to say it, I think that Sabathia is most deserving in the AL. He carried his team all the way to the World Series. I know that the postseason doesn't matter when factoring in for the award, but he came in and took control of a staff that was very suspect the year before and turned it around. Not only was he really good all year, but I think that he made the rest of the staff better too. Greinke was really good on a really bad team, but once again they were one of the worst teams in baseball this year. My vote would have to go Sabathia. Read More

'09-'10 Penn Quakers


2008-09: 10-18, 6-8. (0-2 so far this year)

Last Ivy Title: 2007

Key Losses: Harrison Gaines, So.

Key Freshmen: Carson Sullivan, F Sean Mullan, F Brian Fitzpatrick, Tommy Eggelson, Malcolm Washington

Projected Starting Five:
G Tyler Bernardini, Jr. 13.7
G Zack Rosen, So. 8.1
G Darren Smith, Sr. 4.2
F Jack Eggleston, Jr. 9.6
C Andreas Schreiber, Sr. 5.5


Backcourt:
The guards will have to carry this team if they hope to compete. The last two Big 5 rookies of the year start. Tyler Bernardini led the team in scoring as a sophomore and Zack Rosen led the Ivy in assists as a Frosh. Smith returns after a 2 year absence recovering from a kneecap. Smith and Rosen both struggled in the opener against Penn State but Smith answered with 21 against Villanova. Bernardini was held scoreless against 'Nova. Penn will not win if he does not score.

Frontcourt:
Andres Schreiber returns after seperating his shoulder. Jack Eggelson averaged about 10 and 6 last year. Freshman Brian Fitzpatrick broke a backboard while throwing one down in practice. Honestly, there is not much here.

Player to Watch:
Tyler Bernardini: By far Penn's best player has struggled early but will be a key player in conference play in Penn wants to compete in the Ivy.

Prediction: It looks like Cornell will run away with the Ivy this year. They were picked 3rd and that seems like a fair slot for them. If they can improve playing a tough non-conference schedule, they could surprise. They must improve at home, 3-11 last year, 1-6 in the Ivy.

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Belichick


I am so sick and tired of listening to everyone ripping Bill Belichick for going for it on 4th and 2 with 2 minutes left in the game. I mean think about it, if you punt the ball you are giving it back to the best quarterback in football who has been marching up and down the field the whole game. Bill Belichick is a hall of fame coach that has way more super bowl rings than any analyst that is going to sit there and rip him. I only wish that Andy Reid had half the balls that Belichick has. Andy Reid probably would have brought out Akers for a 82 yard field goal. That seems to be his new move. Bring Akers in when you are down 15 in the 4th quarter. Personally I love the call, and he even said himself that he would do it again if the situation came up. He said that he was putting his team in the best position to win, and that was exactly what he was doing by going for it. Get rid of Andy Reid and bring someone in that isn't afraid to make bold moves to win football games, like Belichick. Read More

Big 5 Basketball: Penn at Villanova

The second Philly matchup of the young season tonight. Tip off at 7pm. Penn doesn't hold much of a chance but stranger things have happened in the City Series.

Villanova won its opener 81-49 agianst Fairleigh Dickinson and Penn lost its opener against Penn State.

Prediction: Villanova wins 73-49

(yahoo preview)
(Bigfivepost)
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DWDW Pro Monday Bonus Edition


Dirty Wudders Degenerate Wagering is a feature of this Blog where the contributors embarrass themselves picking a particular week's games against the spread. Here is our pick for the Monday Night Game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens at the Dog Pound.

Baltimore (4-4) at Cleveland (1-7) Line: Bal (-11.5) O/U: 40

How does Cleveland get a primetime game? Baltimore has won the last 3 in this matchup, all by double digits. Trend Continues

DW Pick: Baltimore giving the points

Season Records:
Doc: 10-10
Dw: 8-9
Namesake: 6-9-2
Sec202: 3-4

What is your prediction?

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Tuesday Breakfast Basketball - Drexel @ Niagara



Drexel is headed north tomorrow morning for an ESPN televised breakfast time match-up with Niagara. This is the second year in a row that Drexel is playing an AM game as part of ESPN's College Basketball Marathon (last season, Drexel beat Penn 66-64 in a sloppy 10am matchup).


Niagara (0-1), who opened their season on Friday night with a loss to Auburn, have a whole lot of Philadelphia connections which will make this game pretty interesting for local basketball fans.


The local player that most will remember is Cardinal Dougherty product and Villanova transfer Bilal Benn. Benn transferred from 'Nova after the 06'-'07 season (most likely due to lack of playing time) and went on to be named 1st Team All-MAAC in his junior season last year. In that season, Benn was the only player in the nation with at least 13 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg and 2 spg.


Other local players for Niagara are senior Tyrone Lewis (Truman HS in Levittown), sophomore Kashief Edwards (Imhotep Charter in North Philadelphia) and freshman Scooter Gillette (Neumann-Goretti).


Drexel is coming off a tough opening loss against St. Joe's where they couldn't make a basket in the first half, but still led for most of the second half until St. Joe's capped off a late run with a 3pt basket by Iris Hilliard to send the game into overtime. St. Joe's dominated the OT period to win the game 77-67.


Jamie Harris dropped 20 pts and unexpected starter (at least unexpected to me) Derrick Thomas had 14 pts (four 3s).


Prediction: Home-court advantage will prove to be even more critical in an 8am game and Niagara's experience will prove to be too much for Drexel. Niagara wins 71-65.


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No.14 PSU

Saturday’s game wasn’t pretty, but PSU came back from an early 10-0 deficit to defeat Indiana 31-20 at Beaver Stadium. The win, combined with losses from No.9 USC, No.14 Miami, No.15 Houston, No.16 Utah and No.17 Arizona, helped Penn State make the jump to No.14 in this week’s BCS standings, keeping hope alive for an at-large selection into one of the four BCS bowls, excluding the National Championship. PSU needs to finish in the top 14 in the final BCS standings on December 6th to qualify for a BCS bowl. The Lions play their final game of the season this Saturday at Michigan State, and following that game their fate will be largely decided by teams ahead of them. MSU is a tough road game to end the season on - hopefully JoePa has one more win in him for 2009.

BCS Standings:

1

Florida

2

Alabama

3

Texas

4

TCU

5

Cincinnati

6

Boise State

7

Georgia Tech

8

LSU

9

Pittsburgh

10

Ohio State

11

Oregon

12

Oklahoma State

13

Iowa

14

Penn State

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