Cap's On Tap

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 14

2008-07-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Arrigo United FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, July 27, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 84 degrees, light wind (NW) and humid

Starting Lineup:
F Brandon Caputo
F Jamelle McCreary
M Eric Manos
M John O’Connell
M Kenny McCormick
M Mike Burg
D Keith O’Connell
D Ben Bartholomay
D Kevin Sorbe
D Phil McMaster
GK Kevin McCormick ©

Reserves:
N/A

Recap:
After a two game slide to the teams at the top of the table we needed a big win in the Vernon Hills Derby against Arrigo United FC. However, I was enjoying a bachelor party in Coldwater, Michigan and would need to leave at 5:15 am Central Time in order to make it back for our 9:45 am kickoff. Normally I would have taken the week off, as I need to do in two weeks for the wedding, but we were short on players and we barely got our eleventh man there in time for the start. We were also missing our top two scoring threats going into the match, so someone was going to need to step up big time in order to right the ship.

We got there in plenty of time for a proper warm up, but the weekend of drinking and the long drive contributed to me tweaking my left knee just minutes before kickoff. After downing a bunch of ibuprofen, we got rolling and decided to keep the pace slow in the early going. We had no subs, the weather was hot and sticky, and a few of us were tired, injured and hung over. We let Arrigo keep the possession early and picked our spots to counter attack.

Just five minutes we got that chance as a perfect through ball by Jamelle McCreary found me in stride at the top of the penalty area. Unfortunately, the drugs hadn’t quite kicked in and as I planted on my left foot the pain was too much and I ended up shanking the shot. It was my last shank on the day.

Ten minutes later, Jamelle swung the ball out wide to Mike Burg who dropped a cross from the right wing perfectly to my waiting right foot. I took a touch to bring it down near the penalty spot and burried my shot quickly under the goalkeeper for the 1-0 lead. The remainder of the first half was a relatively slow pace of back and forth possession. Arrigo had the majority of the chances, but Kevin McCormick (who is NOT a goalie – at all) bailed us out with several brilliant saves. We went into the half with the lead still at 1-0.

The hope coming out of the half was to score in the first ten minutes. We knew we would run out of gas in this one and felt the need to build on our lead before Arrigo gained any momentum. The opportunity came even quicker than that as John O’Connell received a great ball out of the midfield from Kenny McCormick. His shot was from a tough angle and the keeper made the save. But he was only able to knock it down and it came free at the back post where I was able to flick home the rebound.

Minutes later, a solid cross out of the midfield by Phil McMaster dropped in at the penalty spot to John O’Connell. The defense thought he was offside, but no such luck. We hit a rocket into the roof of the net for a 3-0 lead. Without five more minutes passing, we counter-attacked again as Mike Burg tore down the right sideline. John O’Connell and Jamelle McCreary made runs into the six-yard box while I delayed my run and allowed the defenders to stick with the closer in targets. The cross was perfectly executed to my waiting right foot at the penalty spot again and I burried it into the back post for a 4-0 lead.

The shutout was lost several minutes after that off a botched corner kick and Arrigo picked up even further momentum when they dropped a second goal home with fifteen minutes to play to cut the lead in half. We needed another goal in a hurry to stop the momentum and we got our chance when the Arrigo goalie made a huge mistake.

After picking up a ball that was played back to him by one of his teammates we were given an indirect free kick just outside their six-yard box. I immediately tried to get the ball from him for a quick restart and he wouldn’t give it up so the referee had to stop the play and caution him for delaying a restart. Once things were settled and the defensive wall was set, I decided that we were too tight for any time of two-man play to restart it. Instead, I used my place-kicking instincts and tried to hammer a shot off of anyone that I could find just like I would with an onside kick in football. As luck should have it, I hit a low line drive that deflected in off the goalkeeper for my fourth goal of the match.

The final was 5-2 and with that we regained our tie with Chicago Tanks FC for second place in the standings. On to a revenge match with Real FC. They were winless when they beat us at our place a few weeks back, but since then they’ve built up four wins to get back into the race. Now we’re at their home field in Wheeling and we need to get back-to-back wins for the first time since June.

Man of the Match: Kevin McCormick

Match Day 14 Goals:
Brandon Caputo (Mike Burg)
Brandon Caputo (Unassisted)
John O’Connell (Phil McMaster)
Brandon Caputo (Mike Burg)
Brandon Caputo (Unassisted)

Record: 5-4-2
17 pts. – Tied for 2nd Place
GF: 40
GA: 32

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
8 – Brandon Caputo
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Jamelle McCreary
3 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick
1 – Rudy Schaser

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Phil McMaster
3 – Mike Burg
2 – Kevin McCormick
2 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 13

2008-07-21T12:00:00.003-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Chicago Tanks FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, July 20, 2008
9:45 AM
Elk Grove, Illinois

Starting Lineup:
F Brandon Caputo
M Eric Manos
M Jamelle McCreary
M Dan Carver
M Kenny McCormick
D Keith O’Connell
D Mike Soroosh
D Kevin McCormick
D Brian Black
GK Jimmy Rosenfeld

Reserves:
M John O'Connell
D/GK Ben Bartholomay

Recap:
Yes, you read that correctly. We had to start this game with just ten men. We managed to weather the storm and control the majority of the possession in the first half, but failed miserably at keeping that possession in the offensive half. Once our two other players showed up, we had a substitute, but without our starting goalkeeper we kept two of our better defenders off the field for a half each.

Down just 1-0 at the half, things began to look up as a throw-in by Jimmy Rosenfeld deflected off the shoulder of Jamelle McCreary and into the net. But then, the wheels came off and we finished with a 5-1 defeat to the team we were previously tied for second in the standings with. Now we sit on the outside looking in to the promotion race and Tanks even have one game in hand. The second half of the season has not started well.

Man of the Match: Jimmy Rosenfeld

Match Day 13 Goals:
Jamelle McCreary (Jimmy Rosenfeld)

Record: 4-4-2
14 pts. – Tied for 2nd Place
GF: 35
GA: 30

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
4 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick
1 – Rudy Schaser

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Phil McMaster
2 – Kevin McCormick
2 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

Don't Give Up. Don't Ever Give Up.

2008-07-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Jim Valvano was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer in June of 1992, almost ten years after his 1983 North Carolina State University Wolfpack basketball team shocked the sports world in overcoming incredible odds to win the NCAA tournament.

Less than a year later at the inaugural ESPY awards, Valvano was on stage receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award when he announced the creation of the "V Foundation", an organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. It was one of the most heartfelt and inspirational speeches I've ever heard. I still get chills when I hear Jimmy V utter the words, "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

Today is the day ESPN is doing their annual Jimmy V Foundation auction to raise money for cancer research. In honor of that, here is the clip of Jim Valvano's famous speech in 1993.

If you feel moved and want to donate, you can call 1-800-4-JIMMY-V.

If you don't, just be sure to take some time out of your day to laugh, think and cry. And don't ever give up.

You Stay Classy, New York City

2008-07-16T14:22:00.001-05:00

The fans of the New York Yankees have probably never been mistaken for sportsmanlike, at least not in the last 15-20 years or so. It’s not just the Yankees - Mrs. Sizemore can tell you how much I despise the Boston Red Sox. In fact, as far as baseball goes, these are the two teams that I love to hate the most. Ahead of Marlins and Braves teams that beat the Indians in the World Series. Ahead of a White Sox team that has become a natural enemy ever since the divisions were realigned in the 1990s. I can say with absolute certainty that if you include all sports, I only hate three teams more: the Baltimore Ravens, Michigan Wolverines and Pittsburgh Steelers.

That being said, the New York media and Yankees fans have stooped to a new low. I’ll be the first to admit that at sporting events, I’ve been known to have a couple of adult beverages and heckle the opposing players. But I am one who believes that there is an art to it. I don’t cuss at them. I don’t talk about their families. I don’t talk to their families. I just like to rub it in when they’re having a bad day. If I’m close enough to the playing surface that they can hear me, I try to get in their kitchen a little bit. But I always try to stay respectful. These fans? Not so much.

Keep in mind that this was the All-Star Game. It is a time for celebration. A time for honoring the greatest players of the past and the greatest players in the game today. A time for those great players to celebrate with their families and enjoy one last All-Star game in Yankee Stadium. And yes, I know that in 1998, the American League chose not to play Albert Belle in the All-Star Game at all because the Cleveland Indians fans had showered him with monopoly money, beer and even batteries during his first trip back to “The Jake” after bolting for the $55 million the White Sox offered him in free agency. There was no excuse for that either, but at least that was directed at little Joey and not his family.

All of that leads me to the classless lowlifes that seem to make up the fan base of the Bronx Bombers and the New York media. While being interviewed on Monday, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon made a comment about how if he were managing the All-Star team, he would name himself the closer. Tuesday morning, there was an article on the front page of the New York Daily News that read “Papelbum!” The article inside blasted the Sawx reliever for having the audacity to believe he should be placed in that role ahead of Yankees closer, and future Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera. After all, this is the final season at Yankee Stadium and the game was played there. This is a day for only the Yankees, I guess.

Here’s the problem: What the article didn’t do was reference any of the rest of the interview. The part where Papelbon said that as a competitor, any closer would want to be in that position. Where he said that given the history of the Yankees and the situation, that he understood why Rivera was the man for the American League on Tuesday night. The part where he referred to Mariano as “the Godfather of closing.”

In response to the article, Yankees fans showed up for the All-Star parade on Tuesday and booed Papelbon. They yelled obscenities at him. They shouted death threats at his pregnant wife. She even commented afterwards that it was the first time in her life that she didn’t feel safe.

During the game, Papelbon was greeted with a chorus of boos during introductions as well as when he entered the game in the 8th inning with the score tied 2-2. Understandable. Then when leadoff man Miguel Tejada singled, the boos got louder, but they were also mixed with a few cheers. Tejada stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the AL catcher Dioner Navarro. Then a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run and the boos were back, this time mixed in with even more cheers.

I sat and thought for a second, “Are the Yankees fans really dumb enough to root for the National League to score a run just because Papelbon is in the game? How ridiculous is that?” The last time I checked, for one night, we’re all on the same team. They cheered Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew when he hit a two-run homer in the 7th inning to tie the game. They loved Josh Hamilton of the Rangers on Monday night during the Home Run Derby. Hell, I even let out a “Come on Jeets!” when Derek Jeter came up with an RBI opportunity in the 5th. And if you know me at all you know how much I hate Jeter.

What little respect I had for the New Yankees and their fans is gone after the events of the All-Star Game and parade in New York City. It was a time to celebrate the game of baseball. It was a time to honor the greatest players in the game. It was a time to celebrate the history and the mystique of Yankee Stadium; instead, these fans disrespected baseball in their own house.

Damned Yankees.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 12

2008-07-14T13:03:00.007-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Highlanders FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, July 13, 2008
9:45 AM
Elgin, Illinois

Starting Lineup:

F Matt Greenhalgh

F Brandon Caputo
M Eric Manos

M Rudy Schaser

M Dan Carver

M Kenny McCormick

D Keith O’Connell

D Mike Soroosh

D Ben Bartholomay

D Brian Black

GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M Kevin McCormick ©
M Mike Burg
M Corey Mase
D/M Phil McMaster

Recap:
Thanks to an untimely bye week and a cancelled game over the holiday weekend, we had exactly 20 off days in between matches. That’s less than a third of the 63-day layoff Ohio State had before the Florida Gators pounded the Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship Game a couple of years ago. Let’s just say that I am beginning to understand what they went through.

We came out sluggish from the start and quickly fell down 2-0 to the first place team before a poor clearance led to a blast from Rudy Schaser that beat the goalkeeper from about 30 yards out. That would be one of few bright spots on the afternoon for Sting SC as the game quickly spiraled out of control and the score was 5-1 by halftime.

In the second half we would stand tall and get more than our share of opportunities, but nobody could find the back of the net and Highlanders FC added on a late goal for a 6-1 final. Coupled with the loss was the fact that the third place Chicago Tanks pulled out a tie and that left us in a virtual tie for second place. However, with goal differential the Tanks one less game played, they moved ahead in the standings, taking over the second promotion spot as well.

Man of the Match: Mike Soroosh

Match Day 12 Goals:
Rudy Schaser (unassisted)

Record: 4-3-2
14 pts. – Tied for 2nd Place

GF: 34

GA: 25

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell

1 – Ben Bartholomay

1 – Mike Burg

1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick
1 – Rudy Schaser

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Phil McMaster
2 – Kevin McCormick
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

Hope is a Dangerous Thing

2008-07-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
“The Shawshank Redemption”

C.C. Sabathia is no longer a Cleveland Indian. It was a sad day in the city by the lake called Erie on Sunday, when Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for four minor league prospects. This was like the Bartolo Colón trade to the Montreal Expos in exactly two ways. One, the Tribe moved their number one starter. And two, both players are of the heavyset, power pitcher variety. Comparisons end there.

When Colón was dealt back in 2002, it was the start of the rebuilding era in Cleveland. After six consecutive division titles and two trips to the World Series, we saw star after star move on when free agency hit them. Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome. Bartolo was next and we knew it. Thankfully, Montreal was beginning a fire sale of their top prospects in hopes to win some games as one last-ditch effort to save the team from moving to Washington, D.C.

In return, the Indians received Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore. Pretty solid move when you consider Colón would eventually eat his way out of his role as a number one starter, and Lee and Sizemore would turn out to be All-Stars (also, Sizemore is hot -- Mrs. Sizemore's editorial comment). Even Phillips, who never found a role in Cleveland, was shipped down I-71 to the Reds and became a solid player.

This time around, we weren’t so lucky in our potential suitors. The teams that would have normally been considered buyers, the Red Sox and Yankees, appeared to be waiting for the off-season to make a move on Sabathia, as he has already stated that he won’t sign a long term deal during the 2008 season. That left teams that were only looking to rent Captain Cheeseburger for the stretch run.

A likely home would have been Chicago, to the Cubbies, where they could use the second ace along with Zambrano to push the perennial losers over the top as the favorite to win a title for the first time in 100 years. They also have the resources to attempt to re-sign Sabathia. Not only that, but it’s the National League. C.C. could hit (he’s a career .300 hitter in interleague play and playoffs) and the Tribe wouldn’t have to face him on a regular basis. Unfortunately for both teams, the Cubs had no prospects to give us, so that was likely dead before it started.

As it turns out, it was the small market Brewers that pulled the trigger. They offered up two class A prospects (that likely won’t see the show for a long time, if ever), one player to be named, and the centerpiece of the deal, Matt LaPorta. Now, this cat is a moderately sought-after prize, as he’s just one season removed from the draft and is tooling his craft as a corner outfielder in AA. He’ll also be involved in the futures game during the All-Star break. All things considered, this could be a decent move, because it was likely Sabathia would go elsewhere as a free agent and the scouts are saying that LaPorta could be ready as soon as next season. He’s only hitting .288 in AA though, so we’ll see.

The Brew Crew already made it clear they don’t have any intention on ponying up the dough to keep Sabathia. Hell, their GM hasn't even bothered to learn how to pronounce his name. He must have called him Sa-BAY-thia a dozen times.

Then, on Tuesday morning, I was listening to Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio as they interviewed Mark Shapiro. The General Manager in Cleveland talked about how their number one priority is to get Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Fausto Carmona, and Jake Westbrook healthy. Second to that? You guessed it. Well, you probably didn't actually. Either way, Shapiro claimed he wants to re-sign C.C. Sabathia this off-season.

I was stunned. I figured if you pulled a move like this, you were cashing in your chips and starting a new era. Maybe not.

Sure, it’s very unlikely that Cleveland will have the resources to make the move. Not unless they get deposits for enough season tickets to guarantee sell-outs like we did back in the 1990s. In all honestly, it’s going to take a deal in the six-year, $120 million range to get him to come back. He already turned down a four-year, $72 million offer last off-season. So where are the Indians going to come up with the extra $2 million per season and the extra two years? Who knows?

My guess is that Shapiro was just posturing for the fans in an attempt to save his neck after he moved the face of the organization. But wouldn’t that be nice? Four prospects and we get the Captain of Cheeseburgers and Baconpants back? This type of move is not unprecedented; my St. Louis Blues have made deals at the end of two recent seasons where they sent Keith Tkachuk away and ended up re-signing him the following off-season.

I find I'm so distraught I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the pain only a sports fan can feel, a sports fan in the middle of a long season whose conclusion is already certain. I hope a Cleveland team can win a title some day. I hope to see our ace back in an Indians uniform, and cheer for him when he’s in Chicago playing against the White Sox. I hope the Tribe is as good in 2009 as they were in my dreams. I hope.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 11

2008-07-07T12:00:00.002-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Real FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, July 6, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois

Recap:
GAME CANCELLED

Record: 4-2-2
14 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 33
GA: 19

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Phil McMaster
2 – Kevin McCormick
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 10

2008-06-30T12:00:00.003-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC Bye Week
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Record: 4-2-2
14 pts. – 2nd Place

GF: 33

GA: 19

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell

1 – Ben Bartholomay

1 – Mike Burg

1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Phil McMaster
2 – Kevin McCormick
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

Top Five Fridays: Shocking Sports News

2008-06-27T14:18:00.008-05:00

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

I read an article two nights ago about Len Bias that led off with a sentence about how he has now been dead longer than he lived. I honestly didn't realize that it had been 22 years since his death, though I do remember vividly the day I first heard the story. It was shocking in an awful and saddening way that is rarely equaled in the sports world, but it got me to thinking. What are some other stories that truly shocked the sports world (not necessarily in a bad way) in my lifetime?

Now, keep in mind that certain stories were left off this list on purpose because they weren't exactly shocking in the way that I mean. This post's intention is to talk about the things that were really unexpected in every way possible. Some examples of things that don't really count as shocking:

2003 Chicago Cubs collapse – come on, it's the Cubbies. 100 years of futility and you're surprised that they fell apart?
2007 Patriots Spygate – Belichick was one of the worst coaches in the NFL when he was with Cleveland and all of a sudden the man is a genius? Not likely.
Michael Vick's dog fighting scandal – The guy and his brother were both in trouble with the law before, so the only shocking thing was that he didn't use his money to hide it better.
Rampant steroid use in baseball – Sure, we didn't know the extent of the problem, but steroids had been the elephant in the room for well over a decade.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Without further Freddy Adu, here are the...

Top 5 Most Shocking Sports Moments in Sports in My Lifetime

1. The United States Plays Hockey?

It seems that the USA Men's Olympic Hockey team from the 1980 Winter Games should be at the top of many lists, but this is the first time I've managed to squeeze them in. Greatest upset. Greatest moment. Greatest broadcast call. Greatest everything.

Just days before the Olympics started, the young group of American college and amateur hockey players lost to the Soviet Union 10-3 in Madison Square Garden. The same Soviet team beat the NHL All-Stars 6-0 a year earlier. The Soviets outscored their five group play opponents by a combined score of 51-11 despite tough two-goal wins over Finland and Canada. They had won the gold medal in 1956, 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976. They would go on to win gold again in 1984 and 1988.

Not only was it next to impossible to beat the USSR at hockey, it was also the height of the Cold War, and the United States as a whole was in a funk. A couple of months earlier, the USSR invaded Afghanistan, and the United States would boycott the Moscow games later that summer as a result. It was believed that the Soviets might not show in Lake Placid, but they did, and that's when the Miracle on Ice was born.

The Americans trailed 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the game. They would tie the score for the third time 8:39 into the final period and Mike Eruzione would score the game-winner with exactly ten minutes to go. That the Americans were even in the game was a shock to everyone except the American players and head coach Herb Brooks. That win was a truly shocking miracle that will never be forgotten.

2. Mellow Johnny
Lance Armstrong was a World Champion cyclist in 1993, three years before being diagnosed with testicular cancer, so we knew the dude could ride. But when he found out about the cancer, the initial thought that went through Lance's head was that he'd never ride again. When it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized to his lungs and brain, it no longer became a matter of winning anything except his life.

Lance's weakness, pre-cancer, was that he was arrogant and didn't take well to the strategy of cycling. After becoming a star triathlete at an early age, he developed a cockiness that had never really been seen before in the endurance sport world. He was too impulsive, and because he was a swimmer, he was also too big to be a stage race cyclist. When he made the switch to professional cycling full-time, he was considered an excellent single-day rider because he was so powerful. Yet nobody believed he would win a stage race like the Tour de France, because his upper body size would be too much to pull through the mountain stages.

The cancer did two things to Lance that actually helped his cycling career. The first was to strip him down of his body mass and turn his frame into a sleek, lean, mountain climber and time trialist. The second was to strip him of his pride…a little bit. He's still cocky as hell, but it's a different kind. Before he was brash and created enemies in the peloton, now he is considered confident and strong-willed.

Living through cancer was a miracle. Getting back on the bike was nothing short of courageous. Winning the Tour de France was unbelievable. Breaking Miguel Indurain's record of five victories by rolling to seven straight is one of the most shocking things in the history of sport, let alone the last thirty years.

3. I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
The baddest man on the planet in the 1980s was - without question - "Iron" Mike Tyson, and not just because he was arrested 38 times by the age of 13. As a professional boxer, Tyson won 26 of his first 28 fights by knockout including his first 19 straight. Not only that, but 16 of those 26 knockouts came in the first round. He unified the belts and became the undisputed heavyweight champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in 1988. His hand speed, coordination, and power intimidated opponents, and along with his defensive abilities led many to suggest that he was the greatest boxer of all time. He became the youngest heavyweight champ ever, and when he later became the youngest ever to lose the belt, it was one of the most shocking things in modern sports.

James "Buster" Douglas was listed as a 42-1 underdog when he fought Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo and only one Vegas casino was even taking bets because the outcome seemed to be a foregone conclusion. However, the Columbus, Ohio native had a 12-inch reach advantage, and he used that to perfection by enlisting a series of right-handed jabs that kept the champ at bay and caused his eye to swell shut in the 5th round. Instead of his usual strategy of slipping punches and countering, Tyson was looking for the one big knockout swing. He thought he got in the 8th round when he knocked Douglas down with his trademark uppercut. Video shows that Buster was down for 14 seconds, but the referee started his count late, and he was able to get to his feet.

Angry, Tyson came out in the 9th looking for the quick knockout with a massive strike, but was unable to land it as Douglas went back to the jab to keep his distance from the powerful slugger. In the 10th, Douglas dominated early and landed an uppercut of his own, followed by a rapid combination to knock Iron Mike down for the first time in his career. Tyson struggled to his knees and attempted to put his mouthpiece (which had ended up on the canvas) back in, but failed to get up in time. Douglas was the new heavyweight champ.

To emphasize how shocking this knockout really was, don't forget that in his very next fight, Douglas was knocked out in the 3rd round. His opponent on that night in October of 1990 was Evander Holyfield, and afterwards Douglas would immediately retire and balloon up to nearly 400 pounds.

4. Which leads me to my next point kids, don't smoke crack.
At the age of 22, Len Bias was on top of the world. He was the second pick of the 1986 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics after becoming an All-American in college. He grew up in the backyard of the University of Maryland, where he was a star on the court, and was considered the most complete forward to ever come out of college by most experts.

However, on June 19th - less than 48 hours after being selected and signed by the Celtics - Bias suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia that resulted from a cocaine overdose. He was partying at an off-campus apartment with some friends and teammates in celebration of his new professional basketball career. At the time of his death, many people claimed it was the only time he'd ever done drugs and the incident sparked a series of anti-drug commercials intended to scare American kids straight. In fact, one common misconception at the time was that crack and cocaine were the same drug. Evidence later pointed out that it was likely not his first experience with drugs, but many still believe it was his only time.

At the memorial service, more than 11,000 people packed the Cole Field House where Bias played for the Terrapins. He was loved and admired, and was a strong and gifted athlete in the prime of his life. Len's death was shocking in a way that would be remembered by people in the same way as tragedies such as JFK and the Challenger shuttle disaster. He's the one that people remember, but only eight days later, the NFL's defensive rookie of the year, Don Rogers of the Cleveland Browns, also died of a cocaine overdose.

5. Great Oden's Raven!
Speaking of the Brownies, it's been ten years now since the reincarnation of what was once considered the New York Yankees of professional football. The Cleveland Browns dominated all four years of the existence of the All-American Football Conference and went on to win three NFL championships in their first six seasons. In the other three seasons, they lost in the title game to the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions twice. After a few more competitive seasons, including another loss to Detroit in the 1957 NFL Championship, the team was sold to Art Modell in 1961.

After a couple seasons with a better than .500 record, Modell fired Paul Brown, and the Browns went on to win their eighth championship (fourth in the NFL), with a monumental upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in 1964 by the score of 27-0. It would be the last championship for the Browns, the last in Cleveland by any sports team, and ironically, Modell would eventually move the franchise to the city of Baltimore.

After years of saying that he would never move the team out of Cleveland, Modell's patience with the city finally grew thin. The completion of the Gateway Project meant that Municipal Stadium lost one of their primary tenants, the Cleveland Indians. It was Modell who claims to have rescued the city, as they were losing gobs of money with "the mistake on the lake," when he leased the stadium from the city for $1 per year and agreed to absorb all of the costs associated with the aging building. He lost a number of suite holders that left for Jacobs Field when he refused to lower the price on sky boxes at Municipal, despite 81 less home dates per year. The Stadium Corps. and the Browns organization were in heavy debt and Modell officially moved the team after the 1995 season.

Even Pittsburgh owner Wayne Rooney and many Steelers fans protested the move, as they understood the importance of the rivalry and were sad to see the Browns stolen from their city. Baltimore fans weren't ecstatic about the new team either - mostly because of the way it happened. Twelve years earlier, the Colts had literally packed up and moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night, and their fans felt that Modell was doing the same thing to Clevelanders that Robert Irsay had done to them.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

2006 Zinedine Zidane – Zizou was always stoic, a picture of poise and calm on the soccer field - until the World Cup Final against Italy. He was also considered one of the top players in the world. With the match tied at one and nearing the end of a second overtime, Zidane wheeled and snapped a vicious headbutt into defender Marco Materazzi's chest. Materazzi dropped quickly and Zizou was sent off with a red card, a lasting scar on a brilliant career. Italy would win in penalty kicks 5-3.
1985 March Madness – In the first year that the tournament was expanded to 64 teams, eight-seed Villanova shocked the hoops world by knocking off two two-seeds and two one-seeds, including the champion game victory over a dominating Georgetown squad.
1993 AFC Wild Card – The Buffalo Bills trailed 35-3 at halftime to the Houston Oilers and completed the greatest comeback in NFL history with a 41-38 victory on their way to a third consecutive Super Bowl loss. Not only that, but they did it without Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. Frank Reich, the man who also completed the biggest comeback in college football history as a backup, would be the architect.
2001 Daytona 500 – Nearing the end of the race, Dale Earnhardt was involved in what appeared at the time to be a minor crash by NASCAR standards. Ken Schrader, who collided with Earnhardt, peered into the car after getting out of his own and immediately jumped back and signaled for EMTs. Later that day, the sport of racing lost a legend.
2003 Kobe's Rape Trial – These types of things aren't shocking in sports, especially the NBA, but Bryant was built up as a clean-cut American star by the league and endorsement deals.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 9

2008-06-23T13:00:00.008-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Chicagoense
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, June 22, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 75, Partly Cloudy, light wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:

F Matt Greenhalgh

F Jamelle McCreary

M Eric Manos

M Rudy Schaser

M Kevin McCormick ©

M Kenny McCormick

D Keith O’Connell

D Mike Soroosh

D Kevin Sorbe

D Brian Black

GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M/F Brandon Caputo
M John O’Connell
D/M Phil McMaster

Recap:
Another game day and once again we had early morning thunderstorms on the way to the game. We were running a little late due to some late night partying for a friend’s birthday party, so for the second time this season I started on the bench. I barely had my gear on by the time we kicked off and my old, out of shape, hung over self needed another fifteen minutes to warm up properly.

Matt Greenhalgh got things going about fifteen minutes in with two goals in rapid succession, keeping alive his torrid goal scoring pace. Back on Match Day 2 against the same Chicagoense team, Greenhalgh netted all four Sting SC goals en route to a 4-4 draw. He would end up with three for the day and a total of seven against this opponent on the season. Just before kickoff central midfielder Rudy Schaser told everyone on our bench that he would play a ball over the top for Greenhalgh to hit a blast from distance for a goal today. The first score of the day happened exactly as planned as Rudy’s ball from midfield was perfectly lofted over Greenhalgh’s, and the defender’s, head and into space. Matt ran on and hit a one-time volley from the corner of the penalty area that rocketed into the upper ninety on the far post. I’m quite certain that there isn’t a goalkeeper anywhere that would have gotten to that ball.

Minutes later a collision just inside the Chicagoense half of the field allowed the ball to pop free with Phil McMaster getting the last touch on the ball before Matt Greenhalgh collected it again. The goalkeeper stood still as Greenhalgh calmly placed the ball inside the far post for a 2-0 lead. The goalkeeper then proceeded to argue with the referee that his player was hurt and play should have been stopped. Unfortunately, his player was perfectly fine and just slow to get up. Either way, play wouldn’t have been stopped for a play like that and he should have not been such an idiot. We’ll hear more about him later.

Our third goal of the half came after an attractive combination out of the midfield from Rudy Schaser, Kenny McCormick and myself that led to Rudy getting free on the left wing. He then played a brilliant cross over the top that Eric Manos collected and dropped back to Jamelle McCreary who was entering the penalty area a few yards to the right of the penalty spot. McCreary drove a low, hard blast from about 14 yards out that the keeper was able to get his hands on, but the ball squirted underneath him and into the net. Chicagoense was able to answer with a goal just before the half and almost started off the second half the same way, but we were able to weather the rough stretch and right the ship.

With the score 3-1, we began to control the majority of possession and create several scoring opportunities. Once such chance was created when Chicagoense’s left midfielder failed to track back and Eric Manos played a dangerous cross into the mixer that the goalkeeper had to punch over the bar for a corner kick. At this point, the goalkeeper began to scream at his teammate for his laziness throughout the entire match. The midfielder, #20, proceeded to keep up with foreign relations. You know, flip him the bird, which led to this brilliant line in an Eastern European accent (possibly Serbian) from the goalkeeper.

“F*ck you, Mother F*cker! You f*cking run! You don’t stick your middle finger out at me, you f*cking run, Mother F*cker!”

After that, the goalkeeper and Matt Greenhalgh spent the next several minutes jawing at each other and Greenhalgh got the best of him again to complete his second straight game with a hat trick. It came on the ensuing corner kick when the ball came free to Kevin McCormick near the back post. He ripped a shot from just outside the six-yard box that hit Greenhalgh on the backside and deflected in. Our final goal of the day happened about ten minutes from time when the goalkeeper came way off his line to break up another breakaway from Matt Greenhalgh. The ball came loose to Kenny McCormick right at the midfield stripe and he launched a shot on net. It was almost Beckham-esque as the youngster scored his first goal of the year on the vacated goal. Chicagoense was able to get one more back near the end of the match and the final score was 5-2.

But the story isn’t over yet. As we sat on the sideline and removed our equipment, a fight broke out. The Chicagoense goalkeeper and #20 went at each other and had to be restrained by their teammates as we broke out in laughter from our bench. It was this same team that a year earlier was forced to play two men shot against us after two of it’s players were ejected from a game for fighting each other on the field during the game. It was over something as simply as a poorly struck pass that led to a throw in for us in our defensive half. The referee just watched on in amazement as the two players ended up on the ground and went at it as though they were in the octagon doing mixed martial arts. When their teammates finally separated them and got them to their feet, the referee looked confused as he had no choice to red card them both. No red cards today, but certainly some disbelief and laughter.

At the end of the day, the second straight victory was much needed as we head into a bye week before the July 4th weekend contest against Real FC. We need revenge against them for that 2-1 defeat a few weeks back when they were in last place.

Also, from now on, I’ll also be awarding a Man of the Match award. I’m going to attempt to go back and update the other match reports with MOTM as well, but this week’s goes to our top goal scorer. If not for the eye-popping first strike and his hat trick, it would have likely gone to Phil McMaster for his tremendous job filling in with the back line in the absence of Jimmy Rosenfeld and Ben Bartholomay.

Man of the Match: Matt Greenhalgh

Match Day 9 Goals:
Matt Greenhalgh (Rudy Schaser)
Matt Greenhalgh (Phil McMaster)
Jamelle McCreary (Eric Manos)
Matt Greenhalgh (Kevin McCormick)
Kenny McCormick (Unassisted)

Record: 4-2-2
14 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 33
GA: 19

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
11 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black
1 – Kenny McCormick

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
4 – Rudy Schaser
3 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Phil McMaster
2 – Kevin McCormick
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – John O’Connell
1 – Eric Manos

(Cap and Jamelle set to kick-off with a 5-2 lead and the game entering stoppage time.)

Top Five Fridays: Another Hiatus

2008-06-20T13:47:00.006-05:00

Hello loyal reader(s,)

I wanted to write a Top 5 this week, I really did. However, I was sans computer all week as it was being backed up and my system wiped with a clean install. I had some kind of corrupted Windows for four months and I finally got sick of it taking fifteen minutes to boot. As a result, I didn't have time to research things on the interwebs and write it. Next week I promise we'll be back.

In the interim, did anyone watch the U.S. Open this past weekend. Apparently Tiger was playing the entire tournament, 72 holes plus 19 playoff holes, with a torn ACL and two stress fractures. Yikes. He walked that entire way, unbelievable. After seeing the doctor three weeks ago he was told that there was no way he could/should play the Open. His response?

"I'm going to play the U.S. Open, and I'm going to win."

And he did just that. With every swing he looked like he was in serious pain, obviously he was, and occasionally he doubled over and I thought he might go down and not get up. Unreal.

I'll leave you with this question: Is Tiger Woods human? I think God may have just made him with different material than the rest of us mere mortals.

With that, I'm off. But first, here is a picture of Tiger from Monday and a gratuitous shot of his bikini model wife, Elin Nordegren.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you all on Monday!

Monday Morning Striker - 2008 Match Day 8

2008-06-16T12:00:00.004-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ CF Jaguares
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, June 15, 2008
9:45 AM
Elk Grove, Illinois
Weather: 70, Mostly Cloudy, light wind (S-N)

Starting Lineup:
F Matt Greenhalgh
F Brandon Caputo
M Eric Manos
M Danny Carver
M Kevin McCormick ©
M Kenny McCormick
D Keith O’Connell
D Corey Mase
D Ben Bartholomay
D Brian Black
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M/F John O’Connell
M Mike Burg
D Troy

Recap:
Early morning thunderstorms across the Northern half of Illinois threatened the start of the match, but by kickoff the rain clouds had already moved on. The Jaguares only had nine players show up, but that didn’t stop them from getting on the board first and dictating the pace throughout much of the first half. We simply had a hard time stringing passes together and spent the majority of the half giving the ball away instead of making the simple pass. We finally got on the board near the end of the half when a cross came in that was too far for Danny Carver glanced off his head and straight to Brain Black near the back post. Coming out of the back isn’t a very common occurrence for Black, but he managed to fire a low, hard, driven ball back through the six-yard box and inside the back post.

With the score tied at one at the break, we came out in the second half with a greater sense of purpose. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get involved right away as on the second half kickoff my knee made an awful pop that was not unlike a knuckle cracking, except it hurt. After an attempt to walk it off, I spent the next 20 minutes parked on the bench while Matt Greenhalgh got us going with a goal on a loose ball inside the penalty area. He got his second of the day on a brilliant cross out of the midfield from defender Ben Bartholomay.

I reentered the game at that point and after collecting a loose ball on the end line, my crossing attempt to Greenhalgh hit a defender in the arm and the referee made a terrible decision to award a penalty kick. Not one to turn down the gift, Matt collected his second hat trick of the season by finishing from the penalty spot. Minutes later he sent me free on a give and go and I was in alone on the goalkeeper. My scoring slump seemed as though it would continue as the goalkeeper made the initial save. However, I regained possession and was able to knock the ball in off a defender from an odd angle. A garbage goal, but I’ll take it.

A few minutes later Kevin played a ball in my direction near the top of the penalty area. After beating my man I was all alone with the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the back post for my second of the game and a 6-1 lead. It looked as though John O’Connell would get in on the act as well, but as a defender closed down his space on a breakaway with just a few minutes left to play he made the decision to send the ball back out near the top of the box. I was left unmarked and ripped a one-timer that looked as though it might head into the far post. Instead, it hit a defender in the back near the penalty spot and ricocheted into the front post with the goalie out of position.

Although it wasn’t the most impressive performance, we walked away with a 7-1 victory and held onto sole possession of second place. It was a much needed road win after dropping one at home the week before that we should have won.

Man of the Match: Matt Greenhalgh

Match Day 8 Goals:
Brian Black (Danny Carver)
Matt Greenhalgh (Danny Carver)
Matt Greenhalgh (Ben Bartholomay
Matt Greenhalgh (PK)
Brandon Caputo (Matt Greenhalgh)
Brandon Caputo (Kevin McCormick)
Brandon Caputo (John O’Connell)

Record: 3-2-2
11 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 28
GA: 17

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
8 – Matt Greenhalgh
6 – Danny Carver
4 – Brandon Caputo
2 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Brian Black

Assists:
4 – Dan Carver
3 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Rudy Schaser
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – Kevin McCormick
1 – John O’Connell

Top Five Fridays: Hockey Goalies

2008-06-13T12:00:00.007-05:00

The Sixth Cents XVII: Big Brown Dump Edition

2008-06-11T18:30:00.008-05:00

This is my somewhat regular posting called “The Sixth Cents.” It’s a little play on words with the "my two cents" concept mixed with me having a "sixth sense" about sports. The second part is obviously ridiculous, just like anyone who tells you that they knew the whole time that Bruce Willis was already dead. In this feature, I will attempt to give my take on some of the stories in the sports world and a few personal annecdots on top of it.

It’s been awhile since I gave ya’ll a post other than my soccer team updates, and I also failed at getting a Top 5 out last week. There really hasn’t been anything new and crazy going in the sports world so I’ve had a tough time getting a Sixth Cents together, but I figured I owed you kids after the poor couple of weeks. Enjoy!

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1. Going Postal
Be sure to dump your stock in UPS and start using the U.S. Postal Service again. Big Brown was the victim of probably the most shocking loss of Triple Crown hopefuls the Belmont has ever seen. It was the first time a horse with a shot at the Triple Crown ever finished in last place. Now it has been 30 long years since our last trifecta.

Big Brown has been injured for the past couple weeks, so it wasn’t exactly the biggest shock the world of horse racing has ever seen. More than anything else, it was the way he lost. Running in third place and looking good over the first half of the race, everyone assumed that Big Brown would coast around the final turn and explode down the final stretch like he had in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Instead, he started jerking his head to the side in obvious discomfort and his jockey eased him up and out of the pack as they trotted to the finish line.

Although we are hearing reports that there is nothing physically wrong with the UPS sponsored colt, jockey Kent Desormeaux’s wise decision to pull up lame may have saved Big Brown and the sport of horse racing from another public execution on the track. Mrs. Sizemore, who comes from a family that knows quite a bit about the sport of horse racing, was gleeful that the Triple Crown was not won. Personally, I’m for witnessing history and was sad that the horse that brought me $50 of glory in a random draw bet with Mrs. Miami’s family a few weeks ago couldn’t finish what he started.

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2. The Heart of Rock and Roll is in Cleveland
Several weeks back, Mrs. Sizemore lost a bet. We were sitting around with some friend’s at their lake house in Beverley Shores, Indiana playing cards when the song “The Heart of Rock and Roll” by Huey Lewis and the News came on the old iPod. I was singing along with the song and came in one verse too early with the lyrics, “…in Cleveland,” that appear in the final refrain. Mrs. Sizemore had more than her share of adult cocktails and was adamant that these were not, in fact, the words in the song. So sure of herself, that she said, “I promise I will be an Indians fan if they say ‘Cleveland’ anywhere in this song.”

So one verse later we had one more member of the Tribe and one less member of Red Sox Nation, at which point she proceeded to cry herself to sleep. Since then, the Indians have sucked miserably, so I let her off the hook on Sunday. I’ve never been one to believe that things such as these have any effect on the game, but we’re 2-0 since. Either way, if we don’t turn this thing around soon, it will be a long three months until football season begins.

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3. I Think I’m Gonna Bomb a Town
Speaking of football, we are nearing completion of the first of two Beirut tables and I must say, it’s looking good. All of the up to date pictures are currently available on Mrs. Sizemore’s facebook profile since my date to my cousin’s wedding from LAST June still has my digital camera. For those that aren’t on the ole facebook yet, get with the program. I know parents and companies that have profiles and it’s features make it an all encompassing website that has the potential to make other Internet websites like evite, snapfish, and birthday alarm (among others) obsolete in the near future. For those that don’t want to jump on the bandwagon, wait about another week and I’ll post them on here for the entire world to see. In the mean time, here is a shot of the OSU logo in the middle of the board before we touch it up and a shot of the circles where the cups go to wet your appetite.

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4. Put a Fork in the NBA
After 23 years on this earth, the first live NBA game I ever took in was my first on the job for the Chicago Bulls in the fall of 2002. For over two seasons I lived for the Bulls despite he team being compared too high school teams as far as their level of play. When I left the team, they suddenly got good again and made a couple of playoff runs only to fall apart amidst elevated expectations this past year.

As for the rest of the league, well, amongst the best players in the league you have a rapist (Kobe Bryant,) a whiney baby (Tim Duncan,) a me-first thug who doesn’t like to practice (Allen Iverson,) a vanilla-bland foreigner (Dirk Nowitzki,) and a lousy tipper (LeBron James.) And then you have a referee, Tim Donaghy, who quits and is convicted of fixing games against the spread. Now he says that he isn’t the only one and that the league was fixing games to create lengthen some of the playoff series, something that has been suspected by conspiracy theorists for a long time. Well, I’ve had enough. It was already my least favorite of the five, yes five, major team sports. I don’t know what to do with it anymore except ignore it.

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5. Believe me. I tied my own shoes once. It is an overrated experience.
I’m sure this may be hard to believe, but one month shy of my 29th birthday, I ventured into a gentleman’s club for the first time in my life. A friend’s bachelor party featuring the shenanigans of a trolley ride around Chicago led us to VIP’s before finishing at our local stomping grounds, Tai’s. Being that it was my first time and I had heard previously that this particular establishment wasn’t exactly the best, I won’t judge all strip clubs based on my Friday night. That being said, I was extremely unimpressed. The clear majority of the girls were quite busted looking and had bad boob jobs. They were also mostly tall and on the heavier side than I imagined. The few that were actually pretty and petite (like I like my women,) were not much better than raisins on an ironing board.

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6. Wonderboy! What is the secret of your power?

Roy Hobbs: I coulda been better. I coulda broke every record in the book.

Iris Gaines: And then?

Roy Hobbs: And then? And then when I walked down the street people would've looked and they would've said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game.

Great movie if you’ve never seen it. Robert Redford is stupendous despite being his usual monotone and bland self. If ever there were a real life version of Roy Hobbs, it would be Ken Griffey, Jr. From the time he was 19 years old he had the most beautiful and perfect looking swing. He burst on the scene quickly and in his first eleven seasons he already totaled 398 home runs. It was at that point that Griffey was traded to his hometown Cincinnati Reds and his career has been marred by injuries ever since.

On Monday he became the sixth player in MLB history to reach the historic total of 600 homers. That gives him just 202 in the past eight seasons since the trade. It was Griffey, not Barry Bonds, who was believed to be the chosen one to break Hank Aaron’s career home run record. While he will remain in the discussion as one of the top ballplayers of all time, it truly is a sad ending to such a promising career. All of that aside, congratulations are still in order to Junior Griffey for #600. We’ll see you in the Hall of Fame.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Match Day 7

2008-06-09T14:00:00.005-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Real FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, June 8, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather:

Starting Lineup:
F Matt Greenhalgh
F Brandon Caputo
M Eric Manos
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Mike Burg
D Keith O'Connell
D Mike Soroosh
D Ben Bartholomay
D Brian Black
GK Kevin McCormick

Reserves:
F Jamelle McCreary
M/D Phil McMaster
M/D Corey Mase
D Jimmy Rosenfeld

Recap:
We had a real opportunity to separate ourselves from the pack and get an early lock on the second place spot with a home game against last place, and winless, Real FC. However, the game started terribly. Not only were we missing Jimmy Rosenfeld for the first half, but our goalkeeper was also absent. With the threat of thunderstorms brewing, the wind picked up and wreaked havoc on our midfield and defense in the first five minutes. Twice we allowed a midfielder to get open on the wing and send a cross into the goal area. Twice the wind blew the ball into the back of the net over the head of our very inexperienced goalkeeper.

We settled in a little bit and Matt Greenhalgh and myself found each other on a couple of occasions early on to no avail. One such occasion left me all alone at the top of the penalty area and I buried the opportunity into the upper corner of the net. Unbelievably, the goal was called back for offside, which I disputed hastily despite the referee being a colleague that I had worked many games with in the past. Several minutes later Jamelle McCreary was pulled down from behind just as he beat the last defender and entered the penalty area. Even the defender got up knowing he had just surrendered a penalty kick, but none was called. Late in the second half we finally got one back as Corey Mase sent a tremendous cross to the back post that an unmarked Phil McMaster headed home.

With the wind at our back in the second half and Jimmy in the net, things looked brighter in the second half. We gave up fewer opportunities in the back and created several chances of our own. Danny Carver continually swung beautiful in-swinging corner kicks into the mixer, but we couldn’t get on the end of any of them. With less than twenty minutes to play, we were the victims of two more horrific missed calls. The first was a clear handball in the box that the referee claimed was unintentional. The defenders arm was outstretched as he dove in an attempt to knock the cross down before it got through to Matt Greenhalgh standing alone at the back post. On the ensuing corner kick, one of our biggest and most physical defenders, Ben Bartholomay was clobbered just as he began to make his run. He’s a man who doesn’t go down easily, and the referee was starring right at it.

I’m not usually one to play a game on poor officiating, and I can’t honestly say that I’m doing that here. We had plenty of chances that we couldn’t finish on our own and the two goals Real FC scored were a result of poor man marking and poor positioning by an inexperienced goalkeeper. However, any one of those three missed penalty kick calls could have drastically swung momentum. We saw this happen on Match Day One when we surrendered a two goal lead and barely managed a tie after a penalty kick was awarded to our opponents.

The bottom line is that the 2-1 loss dropped our record to 2-2-2. It stings a little bit more considering Real FC was in last place entering the match and our two ties could have easily gone the other way as well. A 5-1 record through the first six games was a real possibility, and would have put us in a tie for first, but we squandered it. We’re still in second place, but two teams are sitting behind us with 7 points each and those teams have both played less games. Now the fight begins to get back in the mix and earn that promotion.

Man of the Match: Phil McMaster

Match Day 7 Goals:
Phil McMaster (Corey Mase)

Record: 2-2-2
8 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 21
GA: 16

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
6 – Danny Carver
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
2 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock
1 – Phil McMaster

Assists:
3 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Dan Carver
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Corey Mase

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 6

2008-06-02T15:30:00.006-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Arrigo United FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, June 1, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 66 degrees, light wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:
F Jamelle McCreary
F Brandon Caputo
M Phil McMaster
M Danny Carver
M Kevin McCormick ©
M Kevin Stock
D Keith O’Connell
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Michael Soroosh
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M/F John O'Connell
M Mike Burg
D Kevin Sorbe

Recap:
For the first time in the young season we had perfect weather…sunny skies, warm temperatures. Also for the first time this year, we won a game in which we were really never challenged from the outset. We won on Match Day 5 and we won yesterday; that’s two in a row. One more and that’s what we call a winning streak. It has happened before.

We got started very earlier in the first half when Jamelle received a ball out on the wing and swung it inside to me. I was about 25 yards from goal and a little to the right of center when I received it and I knew that one of our center backs was coming in unmarked through the middle. I received the bouncing ball facing the sideline and immediately hit a one-touch back heel into the space and Jimmy Rosenfeld knocked it inside the far post for a 1-0 lead. The score remained the same for much of the half until a well-timed ball over the top sprung Dan Carver alone on the keeper. As the goalie came off his line, Dan tried to flick the ball over him to the back post. The ball was going to end up going wide for a goal kick, but John O’Connell was in the right place at the right time for the easy tap in. We went up 3-0 just before the half after a cross intended for me at the back post went over my head. Mike Burg was there to collect it and he calmly served the ball back towards to penalty spot. Dan Carver was coming through unmarked and brought the ball down with his chest before turning and finishing into the near post.

In the second half, we fell asleep at the wheel a little but over the first ten minutes, but Arrigo never mounted a serious threat. We finally showed some signs of life when Dan Carver collected a loose ball in the midfield and knocked a back heel that sprung newcomer Kevin Stock on the left wing. Kevin caught up with the pass and before any of the defenders could catch up with him, he slotted the ball past the goalie and into the net. Over a five-minute stretch near the end of the second half I was whistled for being offside four times. Although I definitely was on a couple of them, the two I debated would have left me all alone with the goalkeeper. With a 4-0 lead and no assistant referees to help him out, I understand the referee calling those a little closer. Moments later, he missed an offside that seemed quite a bit more obvious. The result was Dan Carver beating the goalie for a 5-0 lead and his team leading sixth goal of the year.

With the victory we solidified our hold on second place in the lower division of the NSSL and took an early season lead on the promotion battle to the top flight. We also posted our first shutout in our three seasons in the league, earning Brian Stock his first clean sheet since returning from ACL surgery in April 2006. On a personal note, I’m enjoying the freedom I have in my new position as a striker, but I miss being involved in more of the action. As a winger over the past two seasons I wasn’t played quite as many minutes, but the added touches on the ball allowed me to create more chances for myself and my teammates. It’s been several years since I played up top and it’s still a bit of an adjustment. Hopefully with a few more games in some decent weather and some added fitness, along with the tremendous play making we’ve been receiving in recent weeks from midfielders like Dan Carver and Rudy Schaser, I’ll put a few more balls away and get back to the year I had a season ago.

Man of the Match: Brian Stock

Match Day 6 Goals:
Jimmy Rosenfeld (Brandon Caputo)
John O’Connell (Dan Carver)
Dan Carver (Mike Burg)
Kevin Stock (Dan Carver)
Dan Carver (Phil McMaster)

Record: 2-1-2
8 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 20
GA: 14

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
6 – Danny Carver
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
2 – Jamelle McCreary
2 – John O'Connell
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld
1 – Kevin Stock

Assists:
3 – Brandon Caputo
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Dan Carver
1 – Mike Burg
1 – Phil McMaster
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld

Top Five Fridays: American Footballers For England

2008-05-30T16:00:00.002-05:00

The United States Men's National Soccer Team is in the midst of a fairly daunting three game stretch of exhibition matches. In the first match on Wednesday, the Yanks got beat 2-0 in London's Wembley Stadium by England. In a lot of ways, I thought the boys could be ready to play a match of that caliber, but they looked sluggish, unmotivated and frankly, just outclassed for the clear majority of the match. Next week, they will play in Santader against Spain and are likely to get a similar result. They will finish up the tour in East Rutherford, New Jersey against Argentina on Sunday, June 8. You can expect much of the same.

All things considered, I'm glad we're playing these matches. Under the old coach, Bruce Arena, we littered our "friendly" schedule with the likes of Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica, Honduras and other CONCACAF opponents that we were used to mopping the floor with in World Cup Qualifying matches. If we did play a European team it was often Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, Poland, or another team that may or may not have been having a good run of play. What's the sense in playing teams that you know you can beat? Sure, confidence breads success. But the experience of losing these three games will give the boys a challenge and teach them a few things in the process. We often learn more from the mistakes we make and there are sure to be plenty of those in the next two matches just as there were against England. Too bad Landycakes was hurt, he could certainly use some toughening up more than most of the guys.

On with the Top 5. There was an article on soccernet.com the other day leading up to Wednesday's beating about American players that could start for England. Strangely enough, the article was nowhere to be found when I looked for it today (note: sarcasm.) I honestly believe that there are at least three, but the problem is that they all play the same position; goalkeeper. Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, and Brad Friedel. And not necessarily in that order. So that realistically leaves us with one. I mean, just look at the line-up the Three Lions trotted onto the pitch the other day:

GK David James (Portsmouth)
D Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
D Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
D John Terry (Chelsea) - captain
D Wes Brown (Manchester United)
M Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United)
M Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
M Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
M David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)
F Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
F Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

That's sick. That's so sick, it's ill. No American is better than any of those field players. All of that will finally bring me to the topic for this post, and this question: Of all the players that have come through the United States National Team player pool, who most likely have a shot at making the roster for England? Keep in mind, this isn't necessarily a list of the "best" American players. This isn't even a list of guys who have the potential to land them a spot it in the future. And I'm certainly not saying, by any means, that these guys would get called up. I'm just talking about right now, what Americans are most likely to receive consideration by Fabio Capello for spot on the roster for a World Cup match if it were to take place today? With that, I give you the.....

Top 5 American Soccer Players That Might Make England's Roster

1. Tim Howard (Goalkeeper - Everton)
After appearing in over 80 matches for the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls,) Timmy got a shot to play in England when Manchester United came calling in 2003. At the time, the Red Devils were weak in the net and Howard quickly stepped in and became the starter one of the richest clubs in the world. He had three up and down seasons at Old Trafford, being named to the Best XI in his first season, but losing and regaining his starting job a couple of times in the two subsequent seasons.

His unconvincing form and the releasing of his two competitors led to Sir Alex Ferguson bringing in the Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, a move that I can't in good conscious disagree with. Either way, Howard spouted off to the media and was immediately transferred to Everton, where he has played for the past two seasons. Everton finished fifth in the Premier League this past season and has spent more seasons in the top division in England than any other club. They also have the fourth most top division champions (9) of any team behind Liverpool (18,) Manchester United (17,) and Arsenal (13.)

Once settled at Everton, he regained his form and has impressed even the harshest of American soccer critics. His size and athleticism are unquestioned, but some think his talents are still a little raw. I agree with them. He has some things that he could learn from the other two goalkeepers on this list in terms of positioning and game management, but he gets the nod in the number one spot because he would get the number spot for the American roster right now.

2. Brian McBride (Forward - No Club)
McBride came home from a brief stint in Germany to help launch MLS with the Columbus Crew. His career in soccer began with a brilliant career at Buffalo Grove High School in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and then as a two time All-American for St. Louis University, a hotbed for star American players. He played nine seasons for the Crew, scoring 62 goals for them, and was twice loaned out to EPL teams (Preston North End and Everton.) For the last four and a half seasons, he's been plying his trade with Fulham. After coming back from a major knee injury and helping Fulham avoid relegation, he decided to come home to the United States and rumor has it that he might sign with the Chicago Fire. Correction: his wife decided. It has long been known that she was unhappy in England and wanted to be back in Chicago where both of their families live. Can't say I blame her, I love this town.

McBride is a veteran of three World Cup's, scoring the only U.S. goal in the 1998 tournament in France during a 2-1 loss to Iran. He was the best American forward again in 2002 while scoring in the opening match victory over Portugal and again in the Round of 16 triumph over Mexico. He is a tall, physical presence and has always played the role of the target forward because of his ability to win the ball in the air. Although he retired from the international game in 2006, I believe he is still the best forward the United States has to offer. I also believe that, given the style of the English game, he would be the best choice to go alongside either Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen in the top of their lineup. If he has the ability to put as many balls in the net as he has when receiving service from crappy MLS players and Fulham's lackluster midfield, imagine the numbers he would put up with Beckham, Lampard, and Gerrard sending the ball into the mixer? Scary.

3. Brad Friedel (Goalkeeper - Blackburn Rovers)
A native of Cleveland, Ohio and Bay Village High School, Friedel also retired from National Team duty already (2005.) His club career began with two brief loan stints in England and Denmark and then two seasons with fabled club Galatasaray SK in the Turkish Süper Lig. He returned to the United States from Galatasaray to help launch MLS with his home state Columbus Crew. After just one and a half seasons and a MLS Best XI nod, Friedel left for England the nano-second the EPL came calling. Three rocky seasons with Liverpool, he transferred to Blackburn Rovers and has been a lock in the starting lineup ever since.

A veteran of three World Cup's, he battled Kasey Keller for the first team net duties and almost always won. His superior positioning and knowledge of the game, along with a tremendously powerful and accurate leg, have always been his strong points. He has been named the top goalkeeper in the Premier League at the end of the 2002-2003 season. If it weren't for his age and Howard's athleticism, I'd have put him in the number one spot. For me, he's still the top American goalie. Hell, this guy even has an English accent.

4. Kasey Keller (Goalkeeper - Fulham)
Keller may have actually been the most consistent goalkeeper the United States has ever had. One of just two American players to participate in four World Cup Finals events, he would have been alone with five had Bora Milutinovic hadn’t ignored him for the 1994 tournament here on his home soil. He’s played in 102 international matches, but it would be many more than that had his career not perfectly, or imperfectly as the case may be, overlapped with the brilliant careers of Tony Meola, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard.

On the club side, Keller has bounced around England, Spain and Germany over the years, getting the chance to start for clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach, Tottenham Hotspur, and most recently Fulham. Not too shabby. Solid athleticism and positioning, he is currently one of the top goalkeepers in the EPL and helped Fulham avoid relegation alongside fellow Americans Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey. He would have to be considered an option along with Howard to be one of the three best choices in net for England, if he were, in fact, English.

5. DeMarcus Beasley (Midfielder – Glasgow Rangers)
There are several players that I considered for the fifth spot, but when it came down to it, I remembered reading a bunch of quotes from managers in the EPL all talking about how dangerous of a player Beasley can be. DeMarcus is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and before finishing high school moved to the U.S. Residency program in Bradenton, Florida. He made an immediate impact when he joined the Chicago Fire in MLS and after several successful seasons he was shipped off via a $2.5 million transfer to PSV Eindhoven in the top Dutch league. After becoming a starter for the top club in Holland, he became a key player in PSV Eindhoven’s run to the UEFA Champion’s League semi-final. He became the first American to get that far in the tournament and scored four goals in his twelve matches.

He played a little over two seasons in Holland before injuries forced a run a bad form and he was loaned out to Manchester City during his third season. When he regained his form, PSV Eindhoven brought him back, but at season’s end he was transferred to Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. During this past season he has injured again during a Champion’s League match and missed most of the year, but returned in time to help Rangers to a championship in the Scottish Cup.

As the international level he has earned 69 caps and has scored 15 goals and when healthy he has become a lock at the left midfield position for the United States. Only 5’8” and about 150 pounds soaking wet, he’s actually smaller than me, but he is an absolute terror because of his speed and tenacity. His blazing speed and left footed crosses would likely earn him a spot off the bench as a late sub for England, but his lack of size and defensive presence would keep him from getting regular minutes.

“Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed.”

Eddie Lewis (Midfielder, Derby County) – If not for a career riddled with injuries, non-soccer fans may have actually heard of Eddie Lewis. Probably one of the more complete skill sets of any American non-goalkeeper, he just never was able to reach his full potential.
Landon Donovan (Midfielder, Los Angeles Galaxy) – The next he steps on the pitch he’ll become the fourth youngest player to ever reach 100 caps for any country in the world, but his perceived lack of heart, guts and physical play has earned him the nickname “Landycakes” among U.S. soccer faithful and many don’t believe he is the answer he once was thought to be for American soccer.
Steve Cherundolo (Defender, Hannover 96) – Not the best defender in the U.S. camp, but perhaps the most complete, he has come along way over the past several seasons and earned nearly 50 caps. As an outside back he is competitive and a good man-marker and has shown the ability to go forward and get involved in the attack.
Clint Dempsey (Midfielder, Fulham) – Give Clint’s heart and physical style of play to Donovan and we might have had ourselves a true footballer. All that aside, Dempsey is just not quite good enough to take on a forward’s responsibility at the international level and would need to better himself defensively enough to make it as a midfielder.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Memorial Day Break

2008-05-26T13:30:00.003-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Memorial Day Schedule Break
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 25, 2008

Record: 1-1-2
5 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 15
GA: 14

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
4 – Danny Carver
2 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – John O'Connell

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld

Top Five Fridays: Fun Big Brother Memories

2008-05-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

I apologize for missing last week's Top 5. It was about half written and then last weekend got rather busy with people coming in town for a wedding. Then I got pretty sick this week and I didn't finish it until just now, so hopefully this is good enough to quench your thirst from the past two weeks. In honor of the wedding that happened last Saturday here in Chicago, I decided to do a post in honor of the groom. He was my big brother in the fraternity and as we all know, he can be a bit crazy at times. So here are my...

Top 5 Favorite Big Brother Memories

These are just a few of my favorites from the past ten years of knowing the man. I'd like to encourage everyone to post your own favorite memories and quotes in the comments.

1. I Can't Be Your Superman
Sophomore year our fraternity formal was in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Our pledge class was known for how much they liked the drink, so this was an opportunity for them all to do so legally at the age of 19. At this point in my life, I was still pretty square. That New Year’s Eve was the first time I’d ever had a drink and I don’t think I had another one until we got to Canada. The trip itself was the source of many great college stories: the extremely dumb education major I was dating at the time and my first trip to a casino to name two.

The night of the actual formal, however, provided two memorable quotes from my big that would live in infamy. He knew I wasn’t a drinker and he saw me getting pretty tanked, so at one point we went out to get some air. He, himself, was completely in the can. We were sitting on the back steps of this trashy banquet hall when he uttered this line:

“Cap, the key to being drunk is to never act like it.”

Today I find this hilarious because it’s his biological younger brother, and not my big, who is the king of not acting like it. My big always acts like it. Either way, the conversation also provided one of the quirky, amusing and somewhat truthful things that I’ve taken with me ever since. For reasons that may not always be prevalent on the surface, I really looked up to him from the moment I showed up at rush. He was the president of the fraternity and he was a funny guy, always lighting up a room when he entered. It was clear from the start that in a lot of ways, I’d hoped I would be able to captivate an audience the way he did. He recognized this fairly early on in our friendship and, in that same conversation, told me a story.

I’m not sure if I’m getting this right, because it’s been almost ten years, but when he was a young Pi Kapp himself my big had a similar conversation with one of our older brothers named Keith. I think it was Keith. Whoever it was gave my big a little Superman toy and told him, “You shouldn’t look up to anyone except Superman.” My big told me the same thing that night, and when he “graduated” that spring, he gave me the Superman toy at Senior Pass Downs.

2. Mr. Bonilla, if you please.
This next story is also probably one of my favorite moments being a sports fan. It was my sophomore year and one of our other fraternity brothers, G-Lowe, got four tickets and a parking pass for the Cincinnati Reds game against the New York Mets down in Riverfront Stadium from his dad's company and he couldn't use them. Instead, myself, my big, my little (Swamp) and another one of our brothers, who we’ll call “Warden” because he held that position when I was pledging, drove down to the game.

We took my big’s car and he drove, though he informed me early on that I would likely be driving us back to Oxford. We got there in plenty of time for the start of the game and it didn’t take long for the Warden and my big to get a couple beers deep. The seats were amazing. If I remember correctly, we were on the aisle in the third row right next to the visitor’s dugout on the home plate side. Some of the best seats I’ve ever sat in.

The guy that hit third for the Mets at the time was Bobby Bonilla. You probably remember him. After a quick leadoff out, Bonilla stepped into the on deck circle. Immediately, my big and the Warden started laying into him and that’s when my big came up with this doozy:

“Bobby Bo, you bloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

He said it multiple times, among other things, and it was obvious that Bonilla heard him. He was standing mere feet from us and the park was still relatively empty. Another quick out and it was Bonilla’s turn to bat. The first pitch he saw, he crushed. The thing didn’t look like it would ever land, but it eventually ended up in the upper deck. Bonilla trotted slowly around the bases, but as he rounded third, his eyes locked onto us. We were all standing, in silence, and Bonilla never took his eyes off us the entire 90 feet to home. He stepped on the plate, turned and walked back to the dug out. Starred at us the whole way.

3. The First Impression
In order to join a fraternity at Miami University, the first step is to attend “Open House,” a weekend where each potential rushee has to visit 75% of the houses on campus. During these visits, you will watch a repetitive slide show, listen to a speech from the Rush Chair about how they are the best house on campus, and then you are whisked away individually and given a quick tour of the house while a couple of the brothers have a five minute conversation with you and determine whether you are worth talking to again.

To be perfectly honest, when the guys from my freshman dorm were herded into the basement of the Pi Kapp house, we were unimpressed. We were a close-knit group of guys that played a lot of sports together and caused a raucous on occassion. We had also just come from Phi Psi, which, to most of us, was the best house on campus. A guy that graduated a year ahead of me in high school was a Phi Psi and although I originally had no interest in going Greek, he was the one that changed my mind. The second we were seated at Pi Kapp, one of the brothers started ripping on JoeJoe, a kid that lived across the hall from me, for wearing a Notre Dame hat. Now, to be fair, anyone wearing Notre Dame apparell deserves all the chiding he gets, but we were all friends and didn’t know this frat boy, so we weren’t amused.

The first time I met my eventual big brother was at a “Coke Date” later that fall. Coke dates were when the active brothers would take out potential rushees and try to impress them enough so that they would come back for Formal Rush in January. They were named as such because you weren’t allowed to have alcohol present for these events. For my coke date, my big came and picked me up at my dorm and we went to Hole in the Wall bar. There I met G-Lowe, Bally, Nine-O and Fitz. I’m not sure who else was present. Either way, we shot some pool and I beat my big in bubble hockey, that's all I really remember. I had a good time and was starting to reverse my feelings from that day of open house.

As my big drove me back to my dorm, he told me that they were having a formal brotherhood dinner at the house a couple of days later and that he wanted me to come. I agreed and he told me he would pick me up from my dorm again. The night of the dinner, he never showed. Never called. Nothing. I got a phone call the next day and he was apologized profusely for forgetting to come get me and he said that we’d go grab dinner up town some time on him. It’s ten years later and I’m still waiting for that dinner.

4. Freshman Formal
A moment that was more “big brotherly” and less humorous happened almost immediately upon joining the fraternity my freshman year. We had our formal in Indianapolis, Indiana that spring and I wanted to take my high school girlfriend, Lizzie. The problem was that she was still a senior in high school and didn’t have a car, and neither did I, so the four hour trip to Oxford was going to be a challenge.

My dad agreed to drive her halfway, and my big brother agreed to take me to Columbus to get her. We hitched another ride from someone, Darb I think, to Indianapolis, and then when I asked my big if he could take us back to Oxford, he said, “Sure, but we’re leaving the top down so I hope you don’t mind getting your faces blown off.” Cute. The top stayed up because it was freezing, but the point of the story is how a few guys went out of their way to help a brother out. I hadn't known these guys for very long, but already it felt like home thanks to guys like my big.

The entire weekend was capped off with a trip with Lizak all the way to Cleveland and back to drop her off. We stopped at my parents for dinner and finally hit Oxford at about 2:00 am. Amazingly, we made it the whole weekend without any traffic violations. That is, until I got pulled over in the fraternity house driveway for going 36 in a 25 on Spring Street. Are you kidding me?

5. What does DG mean to you?
The story I was going to put in this spot has to do with a walkie-talkie and the voice of God, but I have a strong feeling that everyone reading this knows who my big brother is and most of you already know the story. For those that don’t, ask your significant others, I don’t want to be the one to tell you.

Instead, I’ll give you this brief one that I wasn’t present for, but heard about during pledging. Delta Gamma sorority has a pledge event every year called “Anchor King.” It’s somewhat of a beauty pageant for the pledges in the fraternities on campus, except it’s more of a popularity contest than anything. There is a talent portion and then they give each contestant a question to answer on stage. My big was our representative when he was pledging and apparently his question was, “What does DG mean to you?”

His answer: “Dorky Gongola.”

Something leads me to believe this wasn’t the answer they were looking for.

“Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed.”

This section will be dedicated to some of the classic lines spit out by my big brother. Feel free to post your own favorite stories or lines in the comments section.

Cash is King.
Seriously.
Do you want to go practice making babies?
Do you want to practice kissing?
My girlfriend fell off a cliff and died on impact. It was tragic.
Do you want to hold hands with interlocking fingers?

The Welsh Wizard

2008-05-21T16:22:00.005-05:00

Ryan Giggs, my all-time favorite soccer player, stepped onto the pitch for a Manchester United club record 759th time today. He came on as a substitute replacing Paul Scholes in the 87th minute, passing Sir Bobby Charlton for the Red Devils' appearances record.

The record was broken in the Champion's League Final against Chelsea, the first All-England final in the tournament's history. He came on near the end of regulation in a 1-1 tie and immediately created a couple of scoring chances before the whistle blew to send it into extra time. Two periods of extra time couldn't produce a result, so the game went on to penalty kicks.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed his kick, the third attempt for United, and it appeared all but over when John Terry, England and Chelsea captain stepped to the mark with the score tied at four and only his kick remaining. United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar guessed wrong, but Terry's shot missed the goal completely and ManU were given a new life.

After the teams traded goals with the sixth kick, none other than the man himself, the Welsh Wizard, Ryan Giggs, stepped to the mark and buried his shot in the lower right hand corner of the net for a 6-5 lead. Nicolas Anelka then took his turn in an attempt to tie the score again, but this time Van der Sar guessed correctly and turned the shot aside.

Manchester United have won the Double, the Premier League Championship and the Champion's League Final, their first such feat since winning the Treble back in 1999. Congratulations to the Red Devils, but especially to Ryan Giggs. Thank you for 18 memorable years of service on the wing for United and for finishing a spectacular game with a victory against Chelsea. I hope you make it a 19th season so I can come out to Old Trafford and finally see you play in person!

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 5

2008-05-19T13:30:00.005-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. Chicago Tanks FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 18, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 49, medium wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:
F Matt Greenhalgh
F Jamelle McCreary
M Eric Manos
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Mike Burg
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Michael Soroosh
GK Brian Stock ©

Reserves:
M John O'Connell
F/M Brandon Caputo
M Corey Mase
D/M Kevin Sorbe

Recap:
For the first time since I can remember, I started a game on the bench. It was a nice break after a rough game last week, not much free time to get a run or bike ride in, and then having a little too much booze at the Gongola wedding on Saturday night. To be honest, if this was a couple of years ago I probably wouldn’t have even made it to the game. Maybe I’ve gotten more responsible in my old age. Before I stepped on the field we got a quick goal. A shot from distance by Rudy Schaser that looked as though it should have been a routine save popped free and Mike Burg beat the keeper to the loose ball and knocked it home. The Tanks responded fairly quickly with a goal of their own and that’s when I entered the game for the first time.

About fifteen minutes later we traded penalty kicks on two horrific calls by the referee. The first went our way on a handball that may or may not have been intentional, which Matt Greenhalgh calmly converted for his team leading fifth goal of the season. One of the defenders was complaining pretty heavily about the call, I probably would have been too, but I just told him to relax; “What goes around comes around.” Sure enough, the Tanks got a penalty kick of their own about a minute later on what could only be described as a make-up call. The Tanks forward entered the penalty area near the goal line, an impossible angle to score from. He lost his balance and went down near our biggest and strongest defender, Jimmy Rosenfeld. Even though he went down on his own power, the penalty kick was awarded and the Tanks tied the score up at two.

About ten minutes later we got a throw in deep in the Tanks end and Jimmy came up from his sweeper position to take the throw. His throws are like corner kicks and this one traveled perfectly to Danny Carver’s head as he made a near post run. Danny beat his defender to the ball and flicked it past the goalkeeper and just inside the back post for what would eventually be the game winning goal, but at the time was merely a 3-2 halftime lead.

I started the second half in my old spot at right midfield, where I’d made my home for the two previous seasons in the league, and immediately made a few plays. The left midfielder for Tanks was a step or two slower than me, which allowed me to take advantage of a couple of his mental lapses and create some chances on the wing. I quickly ran out of gas, as there is much more fitness required to play on the wing than there is up top, but not before I beat him to a cross that had been broken up near the top of the penalty box. I knocked it down and found my new favorite strike partner, Jamelle McCreary, who was standing all alone near the penalty spot. He tapped it around the goalkeeper and into the net for a 4-2 lead. About twenty minutes later our favorite over-40 player, John O’Connell, blasted home a weak clearance attempt for the final tally in a 5-2 win.

Man of the Match: Dan Carver

Match Day 5 Goals:
Mike Burg (unassisted)
Matt Greenhalgh (PK)
Dan Carver (Jimmy Rosenfeld)
Jamelle McCreary (Brandon Caputo)
John O'Connell (unassisted)

Record: 1-1-2
5 pts. – 2nd Place
GF: 15
GA: 14

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
5 – Matt Greenhalgh
4 – Danny Carver
2 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Mike Burg
1 – John O'Connell

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
2 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Jimmy Rosenfeld

Three Ass Dribble Outs

2008-05-13T12:36:00.005-05:00

Asdrúbal Cabrera, the second baseman for the Cleveland Indians, accomplished one of the rarest feats in baseball last night; the unassisted triple play. With runners at first and second and nobody out, Cliff Lee got Lyle Overbay to hit a low line drive back up the middle. The runners were in motion for a hit and run, but Cabrera made the diving stop, stepped on the bag at second and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to end the 5th inning.

The other comparable rarities in baseball are the four home run game by a single player (13 times) and the perfect game (17 times.) However, these other two rare plays require a great deal of skill along with a little luck. The unassisted triple play is virtually all luck. Only twice has the trick not been turned by a middle infielder, and both of those instances were by first basemen. Every time the play has happened, it was virtually the same play. The ball was caught on a line drive and either the second or third out was forced by tagging second base. The other out was always recorded by tagging the runner.

It was just the fourteenth unassisted triple play in the history of the game. However, it was the third time a member of our Tribe has pulled it off making the Indians the only team with three such feats. Neal Ball made the first unassisted triple play in the modern era way back in 1909 when the Indians were still called the Cleveland Naps after star player, Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie. Bill Wambsganss then turned the only one in the history of the World Series back in 1920 against the Brooklyn Dodgers, who at the time was still called the Brooklyn Robins. Amazingly, the Indians have also hit into three unassisted triple plays, making them involved in 43% of all such plays in the history of the game. Quite a feat. There was also an unassisted triple play that happened back in the 19th century that is debated because the rules would not allow the play to have happened by the time Ball turned his in 1909. That would have made fifteen.

Last night’s triple play happened in the second game of a double-header, which the Indians lost 3-0. However, Cliff Lee threw nine innings of shut out baseball before Rafael Betancourt gave up three in the 10th. In the first game of the double dip, the Tribe won 3-0 behind nine shut out innings from Fausto Carmona. In that game, Cabrera hit a home run and turned two dazzling double plays while playing shortstop. Quite a day for “Ass-dribble,” huh?

Interesting piece of trivia that I heard on SportsCenter last night that I will have to confirm, Asdrúbal Cabrera is the fourth person in history to hit a home run and turn an unassisted triple play on the same day. If you ask me, that’s pretty remarkable considering the circumstances. Second base and shortstop have not always been a traditional power hitting position. For four of the fourteen players to have also homered the same day would seem extremely coincidental to me.

Here are all of the unassisted triple plays in the modern era:
1909 SS Neal Ball – Cleveland Naps
1920 2B Bill Wambsganss – Cleveland Indians
1923 1B George Burns – Boston Red Sox
1923 SS Ernie Padgett – Boston Braves
1925 SS Glenn Wright – Pittsburgh Pirates
1927 SS Jimmy Cooney – Chicago Cubs
1927 1B Johnny Neun – Detroit Tigers
1968 SS Ron Hansen – Washington Senators
1992 2B Mickey Morandini – Philadelphia Phillies
1994 SS John Valentine – Boston Red Sox
2000 2B Randy Velarde – Oakland Athletics
2003 SS Rafael Furcal – Atlanta Braves
2007 SS Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies
2008 2B Asdrúbal Cabrera – Cleveland Indians

Because MLB is a bunch of d-bags, you can't get the video on youtube.com. But you can find it here. Enjoy.

Another Attempt at Consistency

2008-05-12T13:00:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon readers!

I'm going to try to keep this post short and sweet, but I just wanted to give a brief update on what's been going on in my life instead of all the sports posts lately.

First of all, I added a new feature called "Monday Morning Striker." To better keep track of our soccer season, and to get more consistent posts out of me other than the Top Fives, I decided to put up an unofficial match report after our games. It will include some personal commentary on ow I'm doing as I try to work my way back in shape after my first real leg injury of my 24-year amateur career in soccer. At the end of last season I suffered a 2nd degree ankle sprain (maybe even worse, I only went to see the trainer with the Chicago Fire a couple of times so I don't know for sure) and I'm just now getting into the swing of things. I'll also keep track of all of our teams goals and our record as we try to improve on last season and move up from the 1st Division to the Open Division. So if you look at the post just before this one, you'll see the report from yesterday's game. You can also click here and find the back dated reports from the first three match days of the season.

In other news, Mrs. Sizemore and I skipped town this weekend and went with my friend Julie from work to her Aunt's lake house in Beverly Shores, Indiana. It was a little chilly, but very relaxing. When we got in Friday night we just sat around and had a few drinks. Julie and her boyfriend, Lucho, had never played "Asshole" before, so we taught them that. As the night wore on and Mrs. Sizemore had a few too many Coronas, the song "The Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News came on the old iPod. I was singing along because I love that song, and since I hadn't heard in quite some time, I screwed up and came in a verse too early with the "...in Cleveland..." line. Mrs. Sizemore immediately started arguing that those weren't the words and the following line was uttered:

"If they say the word Cleveland in this song I promise I will become a Cleveland Indians fan."

Sure enough, in the last refrain, that's exactly what they say. Before going to bed, she sat at the kitchen counter with her head in her hands crying. There is now one less member of Red Sox Nation. Thank God.

Saturday morning we woke up and she didn't remember her losing bet the night before, but Julie and Lucho confirmed my story as we ate breakfast. The weather was just nice enough that we decided to get on the bikes. Mrs. Sizemore had still not been up on the bike for real, so we took her out on the back roads where there wasn't any cars. She did well for her first time and I think she went along way to get over her fears of crashing. Julie and Lucho road her aunt and uncle's bikes, which we thought were just going to be huffy 10-speeds. Apparently her uncle has been known to go all out from time to time. I realized this fully when I noticed the bike was a Trek Madone 5.0. Not exactly Lance Armstrong's Madone 6.9 or whatever the hell he is riding these days, but still a $2,800 bike. I hopped on and took it for a little test spin. Nice. Smoothest ride I've ever felt; I couldn't even tell if there was a chain on the bike it was so easy to pedal.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 4

2008-05-12T12:00:00.004-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Highlanders FC
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 11, 2008
9:45 AM
Elgin, Illinois
Weather: 45, rain, medium to high wind (N-S)

Starting Lineup:
F Kevin McCormick ©
F Brandon Caputo
M Phil McMaster
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Cory Mase
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Keith O’Connell
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M Kenny McCormick
M Mike Burg

Recap:
A slow start all around for our team led to an early goal for the home squad, but we answered back with two Danny Carver strikes within the first half an hour of the match. A penalty kick was awarded in the final ten minutes that leveled the game at 2-2 heading into the break.

The pouring rain and soggy field led to a first half that produced goals, but was fairly poor all around. We didn’t hold very much possession and the strategy seemed to be to play the ball over the top with the wind at our backs. However, With Kevin and I at striker, there wasn’t much hope in winning a long ball in the air and we were reduced to chasing most of the half. Personally, my legs felt heavy from the get-go and my short studs left me unable to cut or change direction and I couldn’t get anything going.

In the second half, they scored twice within the first ten minutes on shots that would have been difficult to stop by any goalkeeper. They controlled the possession for the remainder of the match, but we did get a couple of scoring opportunities that we failed to put home. All around, probably my worst match of the season to date. The week off, the weather, and all the wine I drank over the weekend at our friend’s lake house in Beverly Shores, Indiana were probably the biggest culprits to my shortcomings.

Man of the Match: Dan Carver

Match Day 4 Goals:
Danny Carver (Rudy Schaser)
Danny Carver (Rudy Schaser)

Record: 0-1-2
2 pts. – Tied for 4th Place
GF: 10
GA: 12

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
4 – Matt Greenhalgh
3 – Danny Carver
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
3 – Rudy Schaser
1 – Brandon Caputo

Top Five Fridays: Hispanic Athletes

2008-05-09T11:58:00.009-05:00

In fact, because he's a Buckeye, here are two videos:

5. Manny Ramirez
Simply put, Manny Ramirez is the best all-around hitter the game of baseball has seen since Ted Williams. Power, average, patience, driving the ball to the opposite field, runners in scoring position, game on the line, regular season or playoffs....all of it. It was a sad day in Cleveland when he left for the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 2000. It was probably the first real step of the eventual rebuilding project that would begin in 2002. We ad a good idea that he would bolt when his contract was up, but everyone thought it would be for the New York Yankees, his hometown team.

By now, you've all heard the expression, "Manny being Manny." Ramirez makes some pretty bone-headed plays in the outfield and while running the bases. He's aloof. But whatever it is that causes these mental lapses, attention deficit disorder or just plain stupidity, it's also what makes him such a great hitter. That is, at least, if you ask me.

I feel like when Manny is at the plate, he's so ADD that he completely forgets what he did yesterday. He forgets about his last at bat. I'm sure he probably doesn't even remember what the last pitch was half the time. See ball. Hit ball. It's that simple. Sure, he has a tremendous swing and I'm positive that he spends plenty of time in the batting cages. But in "clutch" situations, he isn't thinking about how the pitcher is approaching him at the plate, he's just seeing a pitch and trying to drive it.

And because he left the Tribe for greener pastures, and by green I mean a crap load of money, he doesn't get a video. My apologies to Mrs. Sizemore and all you silly Sawx fans. Just be glad one of your boys made my list.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Pedro Martinez - Before Ronaldo and Blanco came into my life, Pedro would have been on there. My two favorite Pedro quotes of all time are the following:

"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass..."

"They beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy."

Roberto Alomar - See my Top 5 Favorite Cleveland Indians post for an explanation.
Oscar De La Hoya - I'm not a huge boxing fan, but this guy is the poo. Not only is he one of the greatest non-heavyweight fighters of all time, but he is a 25% owner of the Houston Dynamo of MLS. Also, according to his website, he is NOT the uncle of Daisy De La Hoya from VH1's Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 3

2008-05-05T12:00:00.003-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC Bye Week
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, May 4, 2008

Record: 0-0-2
2 pts. – Tied for 4th Place
GF: 8
GA: 8

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
4 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Danny Carver
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Rudy Schaser

Top Five Fridays: Sporting Events to Attend

2008-05-02T12:40:00.014-05:00

This weekend is one of the premier sporting events in the world and also one of the most unique, the Kentucky Derby. Horseracing isn’t a sport that is in the spot light on a daily basis like football, baseball, and basketball. It’s not even like golf or car racing where there are events almost every weekend, but most people just tune in for the major ones. It’s really just one major day (the Derby,) one semi-major day (the Preakness Stakes,) and one typically unimportant day (the Belmont Stakes.) Let’s be honest, the only way I’m watching the final event of the Triple Crown is if there is a horse that has already won the first two legs. And other than the enthusiasts and gambling addicts, nobody is watching a run of the mill horse race.

Personally, I’ve always wanted to get to the Kentucky Derby, but so far I’ve had to settle for going to “Derby Parties.” This is where we get an inordinate amount of guys coming into J. Crew to find an outfit that screams, “I’m a yuppie asshole.” Seersucker suits, madras ties, white suede shoes, and leather moccasins. And for the girls? Pretty sun dresses and big hats. We all descend upon a bar or an apartment and sip mint juleps and spend an entire day getting drunk and acting like rich people. It’s something you would find on Stuff White People Like. We have entire parties like this for a race that takes two minutes to finish. Good times.

As much as I want to actually head to Churchill Downs one day, it got me to thinking. So now, I present you with the…

Top 5 Sporting Events that I Want to Attend

Note: For this list I decided to exclude things like OSU-Michigan football, Duke-North Carolina basketball, etc. I’m sticking to the major championships, races, all-star games, etc. where billions of people tune in. As always, feel free to chime in with comments about what events you’d want to attend. Without further Freddy Adu….

1. World Cup Finals

I’d like to think that this is a no-brainer if you’ve ever met me. Soccer has been the love of my life for a quarter century and this is the most watched single sporting event in the world. And for you knuckleheads that think it’s the Super Bowl, you are so wrong that you should be committed. An estimated 715.1 million people viewed the 2006 Final match compared to the roughly 140 million people that tuned into the Super Bowl, and that’s just the final. The entire event draws in over 26 billion viewers.

One thing that makes it unique is that it only happens every four years. Another is that it’s truly a “World Championship.” Only the best players for the best nations in the world get to compete. And almost every country plays the beautiful game, unlike football, baseball and basketball. This is the one championship game that I really wouldn’t care what teams are competing. I wouldn’t care how crappy my seats where either, just being in the building would be enough. There have only been 18 World Cup Finals in the history of the event. It’s the culmination of two years of qualifying matches, and then a month long 32-team tournament.

And here is one final nugget for you: the reason the World Cup was invented in 1930 was because the Olympics didn’t host a soccer tournament in the 1932 Los Angeles game. The reason? They didn’t think it would be popular enough in the United States. The Americans went on to finish third in the inaugural event.

2. BCS Championship/Rose Bowl

I decided to lump these two events together and place them at number two. It’s my list; I’ll do as I please. While I would honestly rather attend either of these events before anything else other than the World Cup Final, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to get there if Ohio State or Miami University (never going to happen) weren’t in the game.

Next to soccer, however, college football is my second favorite sport. In January of 2003 when Ohio State upset the Miami Hurricanes I had several offers to go. It was my first year out of college and I was just finishing up my internship with the Chicago Bulls. I didn’t yet know that I would be hired full-time and I didn’t have the cash to get there and stay in a hotel. This past year, after Ohio State beat Michigan, Mrs. Sizemore and I thought for a second about trying to get to the Rose Bowl. Ultimately money, and an outside chance that the Buckeyes would still be in line to go to the National Championship again, swayed us not to.

The ideal scenario for me would be to have the Bucks in a BCS title match being played in the Rose Bowl. I think I would spare no expense to make that happen.

3. The Kentucky Derby

I’ll be honest about this one; I don’t really know the first thing about horse racing. I know a few things about betting and I always pay attention during the week of the event to the starting gates, the odds and the genetic lineage of the favorites. Maybe if I knew a little more I would pay closer attention and actually watch other horse races besides the Triple Crown. Maybe not.

In the mean time, it remains one of the events that I would love to get to. It seems to be one of those places that people go to just to be seen. It’s kind of my dream to head down to Kentucky with a seersucker suit and a beautiful girl with a pretty dress and a big hat on my arm.

It’s too bad that horse racing has suffered in recent years. I feel that it became popular because of the gambling, but as our country has advanced technologically and socially, gambling has become widespread in other areas and legal all over. As this happened, the American gambler drifted to other sports betting and fantasy sports instead of the tracks.

However, the Triple Crown remains a coveted feat and being the first leg of the event, the “Run for the Roses” has become the most popular. I believe I heard this morning that this year’s event at Churchill Downs will be the 134th running of the race and that it draws over 150,000 fans into the venue.

Here is a fun story to leave you with. As I mentioned in the intro, every year during this week men flock to J. Crew to purchase outfits for Derby Day. Last night we had this Asian lawyer named Jonathan come in who was flying to Louisville first thing this morning and going to the track. By this point, we have flat out run out of sizes of all of our seer sucker, madras, chino suiting, you name it. He told us that he wore a seersucker suit to the Derby last year, so this year he was looking at our Italian Chino Suit in the wheat khaki color. We had the pants in his size, but not the jacket.

After calling all of our Chicago area stores with no luck for a 40R, our next thought was the Louisville store. He could pay over the phone and pick it up when he got to town. Unfortunately, we were told, they don’t carry ANY men’s suiting. WHAAAA? I mean, it’s Louisville, right? The city where the Kentucky Derby takes place? If I were Mickey Drexler, I would make sure this store was stocked, if only for the month of April. Seems like a tremendously missed opportunity, no?

4. Tour de France

“Le Tour” has lost some of its luster in recent years. Lance Armstrong retired from professional cycling after a record seven consecutive wins. Doping scandals have rocked the sport to the point where a champion has been striped of a title and another has been banned from defending his title this year. Entire teams have been removed during the race. The French media have made it their personal mission to bring down Armstrong and have accused him of more rampant performance enhancing drug use than the American media has done to Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds combined.

Still, as an amateur cyclist and the son of parent who was killed by cancer, I love the story “Mellow Johnny” and have become enthralled by the sport in recent years. My biggest regret from college, aside from not partying more and having more “relations,” is that I never participated in our national fraternity’s biggest charity event, the Journey of Hope. JOH is a 63-day cycling event that takes the boys and their support vehicles on three separate routes from the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Capital Building in Washington, D.C. all in the name of Push America. Push is our philanthropy, started by Pi Kappa Phi’s, which raises money and awareness for people with disabilities.

Back to the Tour, I’m not sure if there is one particular stage I would like to visit. Cycling is a difficult spectator sport because you can really only watch your rider for about 15 seconds each day. If I had a chance to see Lance, I would have loved to see him on the Champs-Élysées in Paris or in an individual time trial stage. Of course I would want to try the time trial myself the following day. I’ve also had a dream to get the route and ride a mountain stage in the Alps, though I imagine that would be very painful and take an entire day. Maybe just the ascent.

5. Stanley Cup Finals, Game 7

There are plenty of other great sporting events out there that I could have put in the fifth spot, but to me, there is nothing as exciting as a game seven. And there is no professional sports tournament in North America that compares to the excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I know that hockey isn’t what it used to be, and I know that it isn’t the best TV sport out there. But being there and seeing “Lord Stanley’s Mug” enter the building carried by the men with the NHL suits and white gloves…that is excitement. Of course, if the St. Louis Blues ever make it back to the finals, I’ll probably try to get to a game, but game sevens are rare and the tension is unmatched.

The Cup itself is the only trophy of the major team sports in North America where they don’t present a new one to the winner every year. The winning team will drink their champagne from it, skate the rink with it, and then each member of the organization gets to take it home with them for a period of time before returning it to be presented to the next winner. The names of all the players and coaches are also engraved on the rings. When the bottom ring is full, the top ring is removed and taken to the Hall of Fame. A new bottom ring is then installed as the others move up one spot.

The Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston donated the Cup in 1892 and the NHL has been using it as it’s trophy since 1926. Prior to that it was awarded to the top-ranking amateur ice hockey club in Canada and then for about a decade to the winner between the various professional leagues starting in 1914. There have only been thirteen game sevens in the NHL era, but four of the last six have been decided that way.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Daytona 500 – I know, it’s NASCAR. It’s considered the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing,” but its also the first major event every season. Interesting.
Super Bowl – Okay, I’ll probably take from flack for not including this in the top five, but I like watching this on TV for the replays and the commercials.
World Series – The Indians and Cubs in the 2008 version. I hope. Go Tribe.
PGA Masters – Following Tiger around for the day would be pretty cool. Or just camping out on the 18th for the Final Round.
Final Four – I love the tournament, like college basketball (for a month or two,) and I imagine this would be a fun thing to be at. It’s at the bottom because it’s the easiest major event to get a ticket for. Just camp out at the semifinal and buy tickets from the losing team's fans.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 2

2008-04-28T12:00:00.004-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC @ Chicagoense
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, April 27, 2008
9:45 AM
Lake Zurich, Illinois
Weather: 41, overcast, dry

Starting Lineup:
F Matt Greenhalgh
F Brandon Caputo
M Eric Manos
M Kevin McCormick ©
M Rudy Schaser
M Mike Burg
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Michael Soroosh
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
M Kenny McCormick
M Phil McMaster
D Keith O’Connell

Recap:
Another fast start saw two Matt Greenhalgh strikes find the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at halftime. I had a couple of early chances, but I still didn’t have my legs underneath me from an off-season conditioning program that consisted of Wendy’s double cheeseburgers and bags of Doritos. I was also unable to get completely warmed up and got a slight strain in my right quad chasing down a loose ball.

The second half started with us trading goals, Greenhalgh netting his third strike of the game to give us a 3-1 lead. Once again, the middle of the second half saw us fall asleep at the wheel and allow Chicagoense to get back into it. They tied the game up at three, but for the second straight week we answered immediately. Greenhalgh got his fourth goal of the match after firing a rocket from an awkward angle that beat the keeper.

It looked like we were going to hold on for our first victory, but the last minute bug bit us for the second straight week as Chicagoense tied the match with less than five minutes to play.

Man of the Match: Matt Greenhalgh

Match Day 2 Goals:
Matt Greenhalgh (?)
Matt Greenhalgh (?)
Matt Greenhalgh (?)
Matt Greenhalgh (?)

Record: 0-0-2
2 pts. – Tied for 3rd Place
GF: 8
GA: 8

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
4 – Matt Greenhalgh
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Danny Carver
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Rudy Schaser

Top Five Fridays: Worst Browns Draft Picks

2008-04-25T13:42:00.009-05:00

Exit Strategy

2008-04-24T13:22:00.003-05:00

Last week Friday when the New York Knicks fired head coach Isiah Thomas I was deeply saddened. Not because I thought the termination was unjust mind you. We’re talking about a guy who single handedly destroyed an entire league (CBA) and then one of the NBA’s marquee franchises. I’ve often joked that they ought to put him in charge of the WNBA so we can be rid of it already. No, the reason I was saddened by the news was because we (we meaning sports junkies like myself) would no longer have Isiah to make fun of.

As it turns out, we don’t need to worry about that just yet. The new team president of the Knicks, Donnie Walsh, clarified the “firing” on Tuesday. In actuality, Thomas wasn’t fired, he was just "reassigned" from his head coaching position to an advisory role. He is still employed by the Knicks, but Walsh informed the media that Thomas no longer has a full-time job. He doesn’t have a specific title either. And, to make matters worse funnier, we’ve been told that Thomas is no longer allowed to have contact with the team in any way.

Walsh went on to tell everyone that he believes Thomas has a good eye for talent (see: Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford, Jalen Rose, Jerome James, Jarred Jeffries) and that he will still consult with Isiah on player scouting. He made it clear that his decisions would be final, not Isiah’s, and that Isiah would have no contact with the team. "I don't want there to be some kind of double-voice here, so he's answering to me and nobody's reporting to him."

So what is his role? Well, if you ask me, Thomas’ new job is to be the laughing stock of the NBA, much in the same way that the Knicks have become the laughing stock on the league over his time in charge.

The Knicks are contractually obligated to pay Thomas the same salary whether they fire him or keep him on staff for the next couple years. So instead of firing him, what solution did they come up with? Humiliate him. Thomas has been a PR nightmare for four seasons with his terrible player acquisitions, sexual harassment lawsuit, an embarrassing win-loss record despite the league's highest payroll and his general douchebaggitry.

If they humiliate him enough, he might just up and quit. Don’t count on it, but he might. This would, in turn, remove obligation from the Knicks to pay the remainder of his contract.

Donnie Walsh may be the smartest man alive. I want to be friends with him.

Monday Morning Striker – 2008 Matchday 1

2008-04-21T12:00:00.004-05:00

Northwest Suburban Soccer League
1st Division

Sting SC vs. CF Jaguares
Unofficial Match Report
Sunday, April 20, 2008
9:45 AM
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Weather: 60, Sunny, light wind

Starting Lineup:
F Jamelle McCreary
F Brandon Caputo
M Kevin McCormick ©
M Danny Carver
M Rudy Schaser
M Kenny McCormick
D Brian Black
D Jimmy Rosenfeld
D Ben Bartholomay
D Mike Soroosh
GK Brian Stock

Reserves:
R John O’Connell
R Phil McMaster

Recap:
A quick start led to several scoring chances in the first few minutes, but we failed to put one away. I was pretty out of shape while still recovering from an ankle injury I suffered in the final regular season game of last season and should’ve done better with a couple of early chances. Finally a through-ball that was right on target sprung me inside the 18-yard box and I slid the ball across the edge of the goal area to a sliding Jamelle who fought off a defender and the goalkeeper to knock the ball home for an early 1-0. We increased the lead to 2-0 on a goal from Danny Carver, but the visitors got one back just before the half.

Ben Bartholomay increased the lead to 3-1 with a lethal strike from just inside the 18-yard box to start the second half, but about halfway through the game got interesting. Off a corner kick for CF Jaguares, the ball was deflected straight up in the air. An attacker for Jaguares headed the ball straight down near the penalty spot and it hit the arm of one of our players. The referee, Roman, who is normally very sharp, immediately signaled for a penalty kick. I haven’t seen a penalty called awarded on an unintentional handball (especially near the top of the penalty box with no real scoring opportunity) in years. If you are standing still with your arms are at your side and the ball plays you, instead of the other way around, it shouldn’t be penalized. Poor decision and as a result, Jaguares converted the gift and the momentum swayed quickly.

A few minutes later, CF Jaguares found the back of the net again, knotting the game up at three goals apiece. Less than a minute later, we answered. Rudy played a perfect through-ball and I slipped in behind the defense. I needed to sprawl out to beat the goalkeeper to the ball and when I did, the ball easily found it’s way into the old onion bag. However, we celebrated a little early. Thinking we had locked it up with less than five minutes remaining, we surrendered the equalizer just moments later and the match ended with a 4-4 draw.

Man of the Match: Jamelle McCreary

Match Day 1 Goals:
Jamelle McCreary (Brandon Caputo)
Danny Carver (unassisted)
Ben Bartholomay (unassisted)
Brandon Caputo (Rudy Schaser)

Record: 0-0-1
1 pts. – Tied for 2nd Place
GF: 4
GA: 4

2008 Season Totals
Goals:
1 – Jamelle McCreary
1 – Danny Carver
1 – Ben Bartholomay
1 – Brandon Caputo

Assists:
1 – Brandon Caputo
1 – Rudy Schaser

Top Five Fridays: Sports Logos

2008-04-18T12:21:00.011-05:00

This week I’m going to change things up a little bit. No long stories, no my favorites lists... I'd like to encourage everyone to chime in with their opinions in the comments. Frankly, you can always do that with these Top 5's, but this one might make it a little easier. I’ll be perfectly honest, writing a list like this pains me a little bit as there isn’t a single team from my childhood on it, but I’m trying to be a realist here. So with out further Freddy Adu, here it is!

Top 5 Most Recognizable Logos in American Sports

If someone were to create a survey with the logos of every sports team in America (and just the logo, no city or team name in them) and take this survey out to the streets, I believe that more people would recognize the teams on this list than any others.

1. Chicago Bulls

You can thank Michael Jordan. In fact, if we were to send this survey out to the streets across the entire globe, the Bulls would likely be number one by a landslide. What MJ did for the global market economy was unprecedented. Tiger Woods is recreating it and LeBron James could get to that level with a couple titles (or six,) but is was "His Airness" that brought sports marketing, and specifically athlete endorsements, to the level they are. Woods and James are merely riding the coattails of what Jordan created. An image. And with that image, he turned the Chicago Bulls into a global brand. That brand is as recognizable as McDonald’s, Nike, and Gatorade. In fact, one could argue that the popularity of THOSE brands was in large part because of Michael. Despite the gambling scandal, the multiple retirements, the indiscretion in his marriage, and the image tarnishing return with the Wizards, he is still the most popular athlete on earth.

2. New York Yankees
Quite possibly the most polarizing sports entity in American culture, the interlocking NY was created by Tiffany & Co. in 1877. The franchise began using it as their insignia in 1909 when they were still known as the New York Highlanders. In 1911 the old Polo Grounds burned down and after moving into the new Polo Grounds located near the Harlem River, the name "Highlanders" no longer made sense. The New York media had already been casually referring to the team as the Yankees in recent years, so in 1913 it became official.

3. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were one of the last teams to join the NFL before the merger in 1970. They began play in 1960 and their first coach, Tom Landry, quickly built a competitive team. He ended up being their only coach until he was fired in 1989. The Cowboys hare the most valuable franchise in sports according to a 2007 article on Forbes Magazine's website as they are by far the most successful NFL team of the modern era and have been nicknamed "America's Team." The Cowboys are tied with the Steelers and 49ers for the most Super Bowl victories with five and hold NFL records for most winning seasons, most postseason appearances, most postseason games, most 10-win seasons and most Super Bowl appearances...among other things.

4. Michigan Wolverines
The block “M” might not have made it on it's own, but if you put a picture of the winged football helmet on there, I think you’d have something. Most Michigan fans would have you believe they were the first to create this logo, but it was actually a man named Fritz Crisler who first put it on the Princeton helmets to help quarterbacks more easily identify their wide receivers down field. Crisler was then hired as the head coach at Michigan and he brought the winged helmet with him in 1938.

5. Detroit Red Wings
I’m not sure the Communist Tire With Wings should make the list, but I’m squeezing them in at number five just because I can, it's my list. They might not even make the top 20 in some people's opinions because the NHL has really taken a back seat in this country to "The Big Three." However, I feel we have enough Northern European and former Soviet block immigrants in this country to put them on the board.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Chicago Cubs – The Lovable Losers have WGN’s reach as the catalyst for the nation’s obsession with the Cubbies. 100 years of futility and yet they have more bandwagon fans than any team in the country.
Boston Red Sox – Still 20-something odd titles behind the Yankees, their nationwide bandwagon fans in the past five years have made them almost as polarizing a force in American sports as their hated rival. A few more years of this and they could be in the Top 5, and Mrs. Sizemore could end up buried in a ditch. I kid, I kid. Also, she is not one of those bandwagon fans, but even she would have to admit that there are a ton of them out there.
Los Angeles Lakers – One of the two greatest dynasty’s in NBA history, they seem to always have one of those “it guys” to keep them socially relevant even when they are having a down year.
Boston Celtics – The single greatest dynasty in NBA history with a record 16 titles, they were starting to slip into obscurity until this season when "The Boston Three Party" resurrected them.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Twenty years ago they might have been at the top, but they haven’t won a national title since 1988, a bowl game since 1994 and haven't had a Heisman trophy winner since 1987. However, their NBC contract and ESPN’s obsession with them have kept them in the conversation.
Green Bay Packers – Lombardi put the Pack on the map and then they laid dormant for years until Brett Favre help resurrect the franchise. Now there is no mistaking the Packer “G” with the Georgia Bulldogs, the Grambling Tigers, or anyone else.
St. Louis Cardinals – They are number two behind the Yankees all-time in World Series titles, but have slipped behind the Cubs and Red Sox in terms of national appeal. A recent World Series title and Big Mac’s home run chase got them in the conversation, but overall they’ve been missing something since the mid-80s.

Hey Bartender!

2008-04-15T12:32:00.008-05:00

I ask Jobu to come, take JoeBo away from Indians. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.

Funny, just last night I went to bed praying that Joe Borowski would feel intense physical pain and would no longer be able to pitch. Nothing serious, but enough to put him on the bench. In turn, this would make him unable to blow any more saves for my Tribe. I was fed up with him after last season, but after last night, enough was seriously enough. After a terrific start from Jake Westbrook and some tremendous relief by Perez and Betancourt, Borowski came in with a 4-3 lead in the 9th.

Final: Boston 6 - Cleveland 4.

Surprise, Surprise.

Although JoeBo had 45 saves last season, as I mentioned last week, his ERA was over 5 and he did blow 8 saves. I would love to know his percentage of saves when coming in with a one run lead. I would venture a guess that it isn't very good considering he almost always allows the first hitter to get on base. Even when he gets the save, often times a run will score.

So I got home for lunch this afternoon, and I saw the following article on espn.go.com. Did Jobu enjoy the Montecristo No. 1 and Captain Morgan Private Stock I left for him in my locker last night?

Indians' Borowski heads to DL after blowing save against Red Sox
Associated Press

Updated: April 15, 2008, 1:26 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Indians closer Joe Borowski has been placed on the 15-day disabled list after blowing a save and giving up a two-run homer in the ninth inning to Boston's Manny Ramirez in a 6-4 loss to the Red Sox.

The club said Tuesday that Borowski, who led the AL with 45 saves last season, has a strained triceps. He had been puzzled and frustrated by a significant loss in his velocity.

The club recalled right-hander Tom Mastny from Triple-A Buffalo.

With Borowski out, Indians manager Eric Wedge will likely turn to Rafael Betancourt as his new closer. Betancourt was one of baseball's top set-up men last season. He had three saves last season and has 12 career saves.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Top Five Fridays: The Chicago Bulls

2008-04-11T12:00:00.009-05:00

In honor of the Chicago Bulls being mathematically elimated from the playoff picture, today we'll be going with:

Top 5 Favorite Chicago Bulls of the Post-Jordan Era

This was a tough one since I worked for the Bullskis for 2 1/2 years, but I think I've found a good mix of players I genuinely cared about and some funny stories for you!

1. Tyson Chandler
Ty wins the prize for two reasons:

a. When the Bulls traded Elton Brand for his rights on draft day, the sales staff was given this line to tell fans who were pissed off about the move. "Tyson Chandler runs like a gazelle."

b. When Michael Jordan came out of retirement, again, and arrived with his Washington Wizards to play in what would be his last ever game in the United Center, I took one of my college roommates, Hacksaw, and my ex-girlfriend from college, who we will refer to as Mrs. Miami from this point forward. Bear in mind that this girl once called to ask if Florida State was the same school at the Gators. So...after the Bulls botched a fast break when a pass hit Tyson Chandlerin the hands and he fumbled it out of bounds the conversation sounded something like this:

Hacksaw: Chandler sucks.

Cap: Yeah, but he's been a lot better lately. Give him time.

Mrs. Miami: I don't think Chandler has had a good season at all.

(She is sitting between us and at this point we both lean forward and stare at her with a "whaaaaa?" expression.)

Mrs. Miami: (slouching in her chair in embarassment) We're not talking about Chandler from Friends are we?

You simply can't make stuff like this up folks.

2. Donyell Marshall

In my humble opinion, he was one of the classiest guys to ever pull on a Bulls' uniform. He was always the first one at practice and the last to leave. He showed up for a bowling event with our sponsors an hour before any other player simply to practice bowling and sign autographs for the kids in the after school league. He was one of very few players to show up at the company Holiday Party, and he even brought his entire family with him. I was sad to see him go. This was a guy who understood what being a professional athlete was all about. And during his prime he could drain an open jumper with the best of them.

3. Jalen Rose
One of my favorite memories from my time with the Bulls front office is "The Jalen Rose Expression." It didn't matter the situation: Needed to get the crowd pumped up, just hit a big shot, chucked up a prayer that missed and thought he got fouled, didn't know what Coach Cartwright said because you couldn't hear him over the crickets in the United Center (okay, that was a dig in very poor taste at Coach...sorry.) Either way, it always looked the same to me. Couldn't find the picture in a Bulls' uniform, but here it is with the Raptors. I hear that Kirk Hinrich has been doing a good impression of it this season.

4. Andres Nocioni
Okay, look; when Nocioni first came over from Argentina I was borderline obsessed with the guy. The Bulls finally had a guy who gave it his all during every second he spent on the floor. He was pretty good too, although now he's developed a bit of an ego and his act is wearing a little thin. Either way, he inspired this song that I heard on my favorite Sports Radio show, "Mac, Jurko and Harry."

http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1000/sectional?id=mjhparody

5. Adrian Griffin
This thought by Harry Teinowitz on ESPN Radio clinched it: "Adrian Griffin is the most versatile player on the Bulls roster. He'll brick shots from anywhere on the court. He's not picky at all about where he misses from."

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Ron Artest - This is more because of his starring role in The Melee at the Palace than anything he did in Chicago.
Kirk Hinrich - After being told to go away when he was trying way too hard to hit on my friend's roommate, he once busted out the classic famous person line, "Do you know who I am?"
Marcus Fizer - I love the giant question mark tattoo on the neck symbolizing how he questioned his faith after a childhood friend was killed. Nice story, but by "I love it," I really mean, "that looks dumb."
Corie Blount - Blunt? Are you serious? That's your name? And you're sticking to that?
Bryce Drew - I knew I should have gone to some small school and played basketball just so I could hit a prayer during March Madness to clinch a first round upset and parlay that into an NBA contract that I didn't deserve.
Jay Williams - "Messed around and got a triple double" his rookie year on J-Kidd and looked to be headed in the right direction before the motorcycle accident.
Dalibor Bagaric - What was this guy doing in the NBA? No. Seriously.
Linton Johnson III - Signs that your team sucks: 1. An NBDL guy signs a 10-day contract and not only makes the team, but starts 20 games that season

The Sixth Cents XVI: Ice Ice Baby Edition

2008-04-08T17:00:00.013-05:00

Alright stop collaborate and listen

Ice is back with my brand new invention

Okay, so it isn't brand new, but it will be rebranded. Mrs. Sizemore is working on the logo and I've changed the name from "Six Cents" to "The Sixth Cents." A little play on words with the "my two cents" concept mixed with me having a "sixth sense" about sports. The second part is obviously ridiculous, just like anyone who tells you that they knew the whole time that Bruce Willis was already dead. So, stay tuned for all that in the coming weeks. This won't be a weekly feature like the Top 5 Fridays are, but it will show up from time to time. Without further (Freddy) Adu.....

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1. Rock'em Chalk'em Jayhawks
I’d like to extend a heartfelt “screw you” to the Kansas Jayhawks for NOT choking in the NCAA tournament this year like they always do. My bracket was already ruined when Georgetown got knocked out early and Memphis didn't get knocked out fast enough, but KU finished me off. Mrs. Miami’s father invited me into the family pool this year and thanks to the Jayhawks win last night I finished butt naked last. That, I believe, is a first for me. I should probably be forced to stop blogging about sports as a result, but truth be told I've never been that into basketball at any level. While it is certainly disappointing, my 2004 bracket victory in the Chicago Bulls Front Office pool has handily covered me in every other bracket that hasn't won money.

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2. Get Your Kicks On Route 66
I would like to take this time to extend congratulations to The Ohio State University. The Buckeye hoopsters won the NIT Championship last week, otherwise known as "The Battle for #66." tOSU played perhaps their best ball of the season the during the tournament. Granted, they were playing against teams that weren’t good enough to go dancing, so it wasn't the stiffest competition. However, they won a title, so I'm not complaining.

Here’s some food for thought:

Would you rather get into the NCAA tourney as a 12 seed and lose in the first round, or go the NIT and win a championship?

If you ask me, with a young team like Ohio State has, I’d rather win the NIT and teach the kids how to win. that's exactly what they did. Congrats again boys.

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3. Joe Borowski: Best Worst Closer? or Worst Best Closer?
We’re one week in and I’ve had enough of JoeBo. In his three appearances he has already blown a save, surrendered two homers including a walk-off grand slam by Torii Hunter last night, walked four and has an ERA of 19.29. Last year he became the first closer in history with over 40 saves and a 5+ ERA (45 saves, 5.07 ERA.) Bottom line, he saves a lot of games, but he aways gives up runs in the process. Either way, I don't trust him.

I honestly believe that the closer was one of the missing pieces to last year’s club along with Hafner and Sizemore having slightly down years at the plate. With a top flight closer, we’d have had home field advantage throughout and that MIGHT have been enough to eek past the BoSox.

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4. “Everybody just be cooooooooooool”

At one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band shows, Dave had to tell everyone to “be cooooooool” as the crowd poured out of the stands at RFK Stadium and began to crush “the pretty little ladies up in the front.” Well, now I’m saying the same to all the crazy baseball fans out there. I mean, it's been one week people. Now, should I apply this to my thoughts on Borowski? No. JoeBo was a scary closer last year and I think it could come back to haunt us when it counts, much like Memphis at the free throw line.

However, here are few little nuggets for you:

The Cubs aren’t that bad. Fans were jumping off a ledge after the first two games.
The Cubs aren’t that good. Certain people have the Cubs winning the World Series this year. Sorry, I just don’t see this lineup and that pitching staff being deep enough to take down the AL representative, even if they do become the AAAA (NL) representative. Plus, it's been 100 years. Come on.
The Tigers aren’t that bad. This team will score runs and win games, don’t worry.
The Tigers aren’t that good. This team was overrated to begin with thanks to the "experts" at ESPN. The bullpen is downright awful and the rotation isn’t deep enough. Was I the only one that wasn’t scared when they signed Dontrelle Willis?

Also:
The Indians are not a .500 team.
Neither are the Red Sox.
The Cardinals aren't that good.

The Rockies aren't that bad.

And the Orioles may currently have the best record in baseball, but I assure you that they have a better chance of finishing with the worst record.

Reminder: It's only been a week. Ya'll can start worrying some time in May. Okay?

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5. The Real Opening Day

On Saturday, I got a phone call from Nash at 11:15 AM asking what I thought of a playing bags that afternoon. Mrs. Sizemore and I had a ton of other plans, but the weather was too nice to not play, so I relented. I was thinking 4-5 guys would show up. I was wrong. An entire day/night of debauchery ensued where we consumed copious amount of beer and over two handles of vodka. I'm glad all the guys that weren't in Cabo for 900's wedding were able to swing by, it was a much needed day of relaxation. Not only that, but the little Red Bull mini came by and dropped off a ton of product for us. We took that as a cue that it was time for Jaegerbombs!

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6. Beirut is too a Sport

The original plan for Saturday was to start building some custom Beirut/Flip Cup tables for the big Cap of July festival this summer. For those that haven’t booked your trip to Chicago yet, the party is going to be on Saturday, July 5th. Be there. Or don't. But if you don't, then I assure you that we will have a better time that day than you will.

Here are the designs we've come up with for the two tables:

One will be green and painted exactly like a scaled down version of the field in Browns' Stadium.

The other will be a Buckeye board. The circles where the cups are placed will be the same as the circle on the state flag of Ohio.

Top Five Fridays: Soccer Memories

2008-04-04T12:00:00.022-05:00

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

In honor of the opening week of the MLS season, today's topic is:

Top 5 Soccer Related Memories of My Lifetime

1.First Game Day of my Sports Marketing Career
The league was only five years old and I didn't attend many matches previously. Given the circumstances, I hated D.C. United about as much as anyone in my position could. But here I was, turning down an offer for an internship with the Columbus Crew, my favorite MLS team at the time, for two reasons. One, Mrs. Miami, my then girlfriend, was working for the Heritage Foundation that summer. The other? United had won three championships in the first four seasons of league history. They seemed to be the pace setter both on and off the field. It was a no brainer for me. Little did I know, the team would begin a serious rebuilding effort that season and finished up in butt naked last.

I moved into my apartment, a 7-person house off campus in Georgetown, and started interning two days later. My third day on the job there was an exhibition match between D.C. United and Bayer Leverkusen at RFK Stadium. The day before I had met Mia Hamm, who was playing for the Washington Freedom of WUSA at the time. That morning I stepped out on the pitch during a little down time and got to knock the ball around with Chris Albright and Bobby Convey. D.C. United won the game 4-3. I was in complete awe of the situation I was handed. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

Afterwards we all proceeded to Fado’s Irish Pub in downtown D.C. Both teams showed up to the after party along with our entire front office staff. It was at this point that I was approached by a couple of the players from Leverkusen and asked if I was Russian.

Cap: Half German actually…and a bit of Polish and Italian.

Ulf: You German? You my new German friend.

At this point he called to the female bartender.

Ulf: Red Bull Vodka for my new German friend.

She grabbed a rocks glass and before she could pour, he interrupted her.

Ulf: No, no, no….BIG glass. BIG glass for my German friend.

I spent most of the rest of the evening getting hammered with Ulf Kirsten on Red Bull vodkas, my introduction to the drink as it turned out. Ohio is always about six months behind the times and as of May 2001, we had not yet heard of this concoction. Needless to say, I had to cab back the next morning and search for my car. All in all, not a bad first day working in “the biz.”

2. La Guerra Fría
February, 2001. Columbus, Ohio. Freezing temperatures. Snow. Walkie Talkies. Good times.

When USSF, the governing body of soccer in this country, found out that the Men’s National Team would begin the final round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup at home in February, against Mexico no less, they couldn’t have been more excited. They had he first ever American soccer specific stadium in a city that didn’t have many Hispanics. Not only that, but February in this area of the country was biting cold.

Enter Crew Stadium.

The day started out with myself, Mrs. Miami, a teammate of mine from college named Jake and one of his buddies piling into my Honda Prelude. My roommate, Nick, jumped in his similar looking Honda Accord and left a few minutes earlier to pick up his dad and cousin in Middletown. We took walkie-talkies (this is pre-cell phones mind you) and decided to meet up at a specific gas station we both knew on I-71 on the way from Miami University to Columbus. They beat us there, but as we approached I decided to test Nick. In the distance I saw him parked at the gas station right near the curb, facing in the opposite direction.

Cap: Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by.

Without missing a beat, he responded.

Nick: That’s a negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

At this point I proceeded to blow by him at 70 MPH. Good times. Maybe you had to be there.

Before arriving at the game, we met up again at Wendy’s for dinner since it would be too cold and we’d be too bundled up to eat in the stadium. Jake, his friend, and Nick’s cousin painted U-S-A on their chests and faces and Mrs. Miami surprisingly got in on the act letting Jake paint her face. At the game, the three young knuckleheads would proceed to take their shirts and wrapped themselves in a big American flag to try to keep warm.

Game time temperature was a balmy 29 degrees and the crowd was frozen stiff, but the atmosphere was electric. For once it actually felt like a home game for the U.S. I even saw one Mexican fan with a sign that read, "Next time, pick Alaska." It was a crazy game with tons of action despite the temperature and the light snow falling. There was a fight in the game and a few in the stands near the end of the match. In the end, The United States upset Mexico 2-0 on goals from Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart. Nobody could believe it, especially the handful of Mexican’s that found their way to Ohio for the game. After all, it was the first time since 1980 that we'd beaten them in a World Cup Qualifier.

3. Fall 1997 – First Pioneer Conference victory
Most of you aren’t going to believe this, but for a guy that loves soccer as much as I do, my high school career was not very successful. We had a great team growing up, won tons of tournaments, a gold medal in the Ohio Games, but by the time high school rolled around we’d all gone our separate ways. Eight of our starters ended up at the various Catholic schools in the area and a few other teammates trickled onto the rosters of other area schools as their parents moved away from Middleburg Heights.

Myself, I stayed and went to Midpark High School. I started off that summer training and playing preseason matches with the Junior Varsity, but the day before the opener, the coach handed me the #11 shirt for the Varsity. The next four years would see the team steadily improve overall, winning more and more games each year. However, we finished the regular season of my Senior year having gone 0-28 in Pioneer Conference play. Only a couple times were we blown out. Most of the time it was a 2-1, 3-2, or 2-0 score that did us in. I played sweeper, a drastic change from the striker I played as a kid and the attacking midfielder/winger I would play in college and beyond. We just couldn’t score, and because we couldn’t score, we were stuck defending for the entire match.

In the state of Ohio, every team makes the playoffs in Division I Boys Soccer. Our first round opponent we dispatched quite easily, a 5-2 victory over Bedford. In the second round, we were to play a road game against our arch rival, Berea. Midpark and Berea were in the same school district and therefore, shared some of the same facilities. For four years, they would use our field at Big Creek Elementary School as their game field while practicing at an elementary school in Berea called Park Ridge. The match between the schools always took place on the AstroTurf over at Baldwin Wallace College, the home football field for both schools.

In soccer the field will vary in size and the better team always wants to play in nice weather on a big field where they can spread out their opponent and take their sweet time dismantling them. A small crappy surface will slow the pace down and even things out. Being the home team, they chose the site: Park Ridge Elementary. The weather that day was freezing. It had been raining for two days and the night before began to snow. By game time, visibility was about 50 yards. Giant puddles, six inches of snow, only two yards on the far sideline before you ran into some trees, the smallest field we ever played on…this couldn’t have suited us better.

Tied at halftime, we broke through with two goals in the second half. The first came off a corner kick when a Senior defender headed home the only goal of his high school career. No, it wasn’t me. But a 2-0 victory marked the first time in a long time that Midpark took down a Pioneer Conference school. The next game we battled Strongsville to a 0-0 halftime score, but eventually ran out of gas. They went on to the State Finals and my career finished a horrific 1-29 against conference opponents. I’ll never forget that one win though.

4. 2001 Fall Intramural Co-ed Championship – Miami University
While my high school career was tragically unsuccessful, my college career was very successful, but also mostly tragic. My freshman year I played quite a bit with the Miami Club team, but realistically I was an intramural guy. I transitioned from the sweeper position I held at Midpark to a striker/midfielder and ended up scoring plenty of goals. I discovered early on that I had a knack for putting together competitive teams as our freshman men’s team, The East Quad Players, went all the way to the championship before losing to a fraternity. Over the next five years, I would put together a Men’s and a Co-ed team for each season, Fall Outdoor, Winter Indoor and the Spring Tournament. For the first four years, we would win tons of games and make several championship games only to lose to teams that we thought we should beat.

In an indoor league out in Monroe, about 30 minutes from campus, we entered a men’s team and went three straight years without losing a game. The townies hated us preppy Miami kids. When our girlfriends came, we had them sit on the bench with us because all the old crusty drunk men would come watch the men’s league and taunt us. But we couldn’t crack the Miami Intramural scene until my 5th year. The team was called Das Bundas Ligas and this is a picture of our squad. What a dominating performance we turned in. We would end up losing in the finals of the indoor league, but thanks to the spring tournament, we won the final game of my collegiate life.

5. 6-5. Overtime. Force.
While there are several other moments that could have been in this fifth spot, I chose one of the ones that started it all. The Cleveland Force were my childhood. Although they would fold after this very game and the indoor game would soon be replaced by a top outdoor league in MLS, going to watch these guys as a kid was one of my favorite memories in life, not just sports.

The Force only existed for 10 seasons and they never won a championship. When I go back and look at the record books the Baltimore Blast, Dallas Sidekicks and San Diego Sockers were always a little bit better even though my memory was always of Force wins. I loved all of them. Kai Haaskivi, Ali Kazamani, John Stollmeyer, Craig Allen, Bernie James, P.J. Johns…the list goes on. In the early years, before John Lucas threatened with litigation, the mascot was Darth Vader and the intro music was the Imperial March.

In their tenth season, they made it to the championship, a best-of-seven series against the San Diego Sockers. We got tickets to Game 4, in Cleveland, and on the drive to the Richfield Coliseum my dad, Uncle John from Buffalo and I made our predictions. I don’t remember what theirs were, but mine was Force to win, 6-5 in overtime.

The game went back and forth and was always close. When the thing went into overtime tied at 5, I remember my uncle and dad not believing their eyes. Unfortunately, the Force gave up a goal in the first overtime and we all went home unsatisfied, but nobody more than the nine-year old boy whose team almost made his wildest dream come true. That game clinched the series for San Diego in a sweep and the Force never played another game.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Grand Opening of Toyota Park - My first year working for the front office, the Fire opener a new stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. There was a "Safety Match" two weeks early, but the Fire won the official opener 2-0 over New York.
US Open Cup Championship 2006 – Later that year I received my first (and only) championship ring in sports as the Chicago Fire won the Open Cup Tournament. The final was a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles and the after party was definitely the best in memory of my short time with the club.
My first red card – Most of you would think it came earlier, but it was fall of 2006. I was injured with some IT band problems and meniscus damage and hobbled around the entire game because the team needed me, but mostly because I was stubborn. This one guy kept hammering me all game, every time I touched the ball he came in hard at my knee. On a break away, I suffered one of the hardest fouls I've ever felt, just as I was about to shoot what would have been the winning goal. After getting to my feet, I noticed the referee was signaling for a goal kick. No foul? So I took matters into my own hands. We were both sent off.
Ryan Giggs Wonder Goal - My favorite player ever, the Welsh Wizard, scored one of the most dramatic goals in Manchester United history in 1999. It was in extra time after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was the FA Cup semi-final, so the winner went on to the Championship game. Not only that, but it was a replay, meaning the teams were tied after 120 minutes the first time they played. Unbelievable.

1994 World Cup, USA vs. Switzerland - My dad surprised us with tickets to the game and we made the drive from Cleveland up to Pontiac, Michigan. This was the first game played indoors in the history of the World Cup. They had to keep the building so humid to keep the natural grass alive that it was something like 105 degrees on the field and only 98 degrees outside. Eric Wynalda scored the first American goal in a World Cup since 1950 and the two teams tied. That and the upset win over Columbia would be enough for the United States to earn a trip to Pasadena for a 4th of July loss in the round of 16 against the eventual champion Brazil.
1999 Champions League Final – After winning the FA Cup, and the Premier League title Manchester United trailed FC Bayern Munich 1-0 on a goal just six minutes into the match. I had actually forgotten about the game and gone for a run with one of my fraternity brothers who had also stuck around Oxford for the summer. I walked into my room, turned on the television and saw the fourth official signal that there would be three minutes of stoppage time. I thought to myself, "crap, I missed it." And then, "at least I didn't miss them winning it all." It was that exact moment when a David Beckham corner kick was redirected on a sho from Ryan Giggs right to Teddy Sheringham, who burried it for the equaliser. Then, 30 seconds later, Beckham lined up for another corner. Sheringham headed it straight down and Ole Gunnar Solskjær stuck out his foot and the ball rocketed up into the roof of the goal for the game winner. The two last minute goals were timed at 90:36 and 92:17.

Rules Shmules

2008-04-03T12:26:00.008-05:00

Thus far we’ve had quite a ridiculous off-season in the NFL. We have heard nothing except tales of the New England Patriots cheating, Pacman Jones playing with strippers and the discussion about imposing a ridiculous rule where they would regulate the length of a player’s hair. They were seriously considering telling players that they couldn't have long hair coming out of the back of their helmets. Thankfully they didn’t vote that one in, just as they didn’t vote in the “Devin Hester rule.” Yes, the league was actually considering penalizing the kicking team for punting the ball out of bounds to avoid return men from making plays. This makes no sense to me because, as a former kicker/punter myself, we were always taught to angle the ball out of bounds inside the 20 yard line to pin a team deep. This rule would have effectively ended a practice that has been a part of football since its metamorphosis from rugby over 100 years ago.

The NFL is full of rules like the hair rule that, in reality, do nothing but give the league the moniker, the No Fun League. Things like, you can only use white tape when taping your ankles. You can’t write anything on said tape as a tribute, such as a family member’s initials that just passed away or a teammates number who was killed or paralyzed. You must have your socks pulled all the way up to your knees.

All of these rules remind me of the ridiculousness that is high school soccer in this country. In our mandatory rules interpretation meetings, we spend the majority of the time discussing things like the color of tape used on players’ socks. Rule: the tape must be the same color as the sock. We have to sit around and pretend we care and then exactly three guys (who never actually played or coached the game) decide to enforce it. These are the same guys that are out there measuring all the player’s shin guards to make sure they are “age and size appropriate.” I had a referee tell me in my adult men’s league a year ago that my shin guards weren’t big enough. I told him that I got them from the equipment manager of the Chicago Fire, so if they’re good enough for professionals, they are good enough for me.

Here’s another gem: A company called Full 90 invented headgear for soccer amidst all the research that heading a ball causes brain damage. If you ask the people that do these studies they would have you believe that a header is about as dangerous as a 250 pound linebacker making helmet to helmet contact with a 220 pound running back at full speed. I’ve been playing the game just short of 24 years now and I’ve seen no side effects of that sort. Either way, now that these things have been invented, the NFHS has adopted a rule that if more than one player on a team is wearing said headgear, then all players wearing it must have the same color.

Every year they waste our time with this nonsense instead of talking about issues regarding how the game is played and officiated. This past summer at one of these rules meetings we spent over an hour arguing with the IHSA representative about this and other stupid rules they wanted us to enforce. As it turned out, we only had about 15 minutes to discuss things that we legitimately wanted to get interpretations on. I was bored and decided to be the smart ass. In a room full of about 150 high school and college soccer referees, as well as a handful of coaches, I chimed in:

“If one player has blonde hair, do all the players have to have blonde hair?”

Enough of my ranting about the NFHS, I’ll finish up with a happy tale about an NFL rule change that has been a long time coming; they finally removed the “push-out rule.” For those that are unfamiliar, the push out rule states that if a receiver leaves the ground to make a catch and is pushed by a defender so that he lands out of bounds, it is still a complete catch if, in the opinion of the referee, he WOULD have come down in bounds with both feet had he not been pushed. My response has always been: “WHAT!? Why?” The fact is he DIDN’T come down inbounds. You want to reward the team whose quarterback threw a crappy pass and penalize a defender for being in the right position to make a play?

Could it have helped the Browns on this play? Well, it should have. We'd have been in the playoffs if that particular referee had actually followed the rules. The problem is that the rule was discretionary. Would he or wouldn't he? Who knows for sure. But one official got to decide what HE thought and that was the end of it. I never understood that one, but today, thankfully, I longer have to try. If you are out of bounds, you are out of bounds, no matter how you ended up there. Finally, something that makes sense.

Here’s to hoping that our nation’s sports leagues start focusing more on rules that make sense and stop wasting time discussing things like the length of a players hair or the color of the tape they use.

Raised Expectations

2008-04-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

“ I feel so….unsatisfied.” – Teddy KGB (from Rounders – 1998)

Overall I had a very nice weekend. A quiet night on Friday, the Chicago Fire season opener taken in amongst the real fans over at The Globe Pub on Saturday and finally the “Too White Crew” show at Cubby Bear that night. But the way it ended made me almost forget all the fun moments. You know that expression, “it’s better to have loved and lost, etc.?” Well, this may change at some point, but right now it doesn’t feel like that.

It seemed all season like only That School Up North (The Michigan Wolverines for you non-Ohioans) could beat the Miami Redhawks in a college hockey game that actually meant something. But as we bowed out of the NCAA Hockey Tournament on Sunday afternoon a depression set in that rivaled the heartbreak I’ve felt with my other sport loves over the years, but never with my alma mater.

The Drive.
The Fumble.
The Jose Mesa blown save in Game 7 of the ’97 World Series.
The football and basketball defeats to the Florida Gators for the Buckeyes in '07.
The Indians collapse against the BoSox last fall.

You see, at Miami University, our tiny little mid-major school in Southwest Ohio, it's different. We go in with the knowledge that we are eventually going to lose.

Remember that Sweet 16 run in 1999 by the Wally Szczerbiak led Redhawks? The reality was that Wally World was our only legitimate scoring threat and we were a #10 seed. Kentucky smoked us. If they hadn’t, Michigan State was waiting to do the honors.

The Roethlisberger led football team from 2003 was amazing. They averaged around 43 points per game and romped Louisville in the GMAC Bowl. Had the current rules been in place back then, Miami would have been BCS bound. I would have loved a chance to do what Utah did in '05 and Boise State did in '07. The reality is that we got beat handily at Iowa in week one and there was never a shot to make an unbeaten run.

The hockey team has had some very good seasons over the past 10 years. They’ve often been ranked and climbed as high as #1 a year ago, becoming the first team at Miami to do so in ANY sport. But that only lasted one week before we fell back a bit. All of that aside, reality is that Miami has also never won the CCHA Tournament and they are 1-4 all time in the hockey version of March Madness.

However, this year was headed in a direction that just seemed so different. We started the season ranked in the Top 5 and moved up quickly to #1. Miami stayed there for six weeks, suffered a defeat to an excellent Notre Dame team, and then climbed back to the top spot. Only a home loss to TSUN late in the year would knock the Redhawks off their perch again, and we finished the year #2, just behind the Wolverines.

We were given a #1 Seed in the Northeast Regional of the NCAA Tournament, but I still felt a bit of the "little Miami" syndrome in the first round against the #4 seed Air Force Academy. We trailed 2-1 late in the 3rd period and I was actually blaming myself. After all, it was me who parked behind an SUV with an Air Force sticker in the window on the street that morning. But then Miami got a late power play goal, punched home the overtime winner and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Boston College in the regional final the next night.

For the first time in my life as a Miamian, I actually believed we could win it all at something other than Precision Ice Skating (the ice version of synchronized swimming for those of you who are unfamiliar.) We weren’t going to settle for being little “Miami of Ohio” anymore. And then, as quickly as you can say "I hate all things from Boston," we gave up three goals in 1:58 near the end of the 2nd period. We fought back and tied it, and dominated the overtime, but Boston College scored an amazing goal that was reminiscent of Bobby Orr flying through the air in the ’67 Stanley Cup against my St. Louis Blues.

So, while BC will be making their 21st appearance in the Frozen Four, we are still waiting for our first. We won more games than any team in school history, and we have the best overall record in college hockey right now, but we’ll be watching from home again this year. Or not watching, as the case may be. I’ll be at the Yelp! Prom with Mrs. Sizemore. We were planning on watching the Finals while dressed to the nines, but now the night is all hers.

At this time, I’d like to get on my high horse for a minute and rip into the NCAA. Once again, we’ve discovered that their purpose as a NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION has nothing to do with academics or athletics, as would be indicated by their name, the National Collegiate Athletic Association. God forbid. No, their only mission is to make money. How did we relearn this lesson through hockey, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

If you thought the seeding in the NCAA basketball tournament was a travesty, and it was, then the injustice that occurred in the seeding of the NCAA tournament would border on criminal. Below are the brackets, in order of how they ranked the #1 seeds. Please note the venues each region are being played in.

East Regional
Albany, New York
#1 Michigan vs. #4 Niagra
#2 St. Cloud vs. #3 Clarkson

#1 Michigan vs. #3 Clarkson

Northeast Regional
Worchester, Massachusetts
#1 Miami vs. #4 Air Force
#2 Boston College vs. #3 Minnesota

#1 Miami vs. #2 Boston College

Midwest Regional
Madison, Wisconsin
#1 North Dakota vs. #4 Princeton
#2 Denver vs. #3 Wisconsin

#1 North Dakota vs. #3 Wisconsin

West Regional
Colorado Springs, Colorado
#1 New Hampshire vs. #4 Notre Dame
#2 Colorado College vs. #3 Michigan State

#3 Notre Dame vs. #4 Notre Dame

Question: Why were Boston College, Colorado College, Clarkson, Wisconsin and Niagara(two #2 seeds, two #3 seeds and a #4 seed) all set up to have what amounted to home games against teams that were seeded higher in the field than they were?

Answer: Money. Simply put, the NCAA figured that all of those schools would by lots of tickets.

However, if money were the driving motivation, then why were each of the #1 seeds playing so far from their homes? Miami in Massachusetts? Michigan in Albany, New York? New Hampshire in Denver? Wouldn’t you think the top teams in the country would send tons of fans if they were closer to home?

North Dakota was the only one that played even remotely close to their home (if you call a nine hour drive "close." However, while other #1 seeds played in the backyard of a lower seeded opponent, the Fighting Sioux actually had to play in the home building of a #3 seed. Not only were the Badgers a #3 seed, but they were also the only team in the field that entered the tournament with a losing record. That could have been the biggest disadvantage of them all.

And hear me out here, because despite me being a Miami fan, my plan would have still kept Miami far from home. Michigan earned the right to be in Madison more than we did. The Redhawks would still have been playing in Albany, but at least it's closer than Worchester. But wouldn’t New Hampshire have had a more level playing field against Boston College in Massschusetts than we did? And North Dakota's trip to Colorado Springs wouldn't have been that much further than Madison, only about five hours or so.

If tickets is your concern, go ahead and keep letting low seeds host the Regional play. But if you're going to do that, at least put the top seeds in cities that make a little bit of sense.

I'll dismount from my horse now and leave you with the Miami highlight real from the 2008 NCAA Hockey Tournament. Hopefully next will be the year we finally get to the Frozen Four.

Top Five Fridays: My favorite ballplayers

2008-03-28T12:00:00.024-05:00

In an attempt to post more regularly, I'm trying out a new feature called Top Five Fridays. It was going to be Top Ten Tuesdays, but that would be too much work and let's be honest here....too much work is why I've gone long stretches with no posts in the past. I'm going to use Top Five Fridays to list some of my favorite things, such as, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut. Finally, I need to give a little "Thank you" to Mrs. Sizemore for the pretty logo.

In honor of opening day in baseball finally arriving, today's topic is:

Top 5 Favorite Baseball Players of My Lifetime

1. Kenny Lofton

Lofton will forever be number one in my eyes. He was Spiderman in the outfield climbing the walls of Jacobs' Field to take home runs and extra bases away from opposing teams. He slapped ground balls through the holes, dropped down precision bunts, roped liners to the gaps, and would swipe a base at any moment. I'll never forget the 1995 ALCS when he scored from second base on a passed ball against the Seattle Mariners. He went from first to third better than anyone and during the mid-90s was the most feared leadoff man in the game. When Kenny finally made his way back to the shores of Lake Erie for the playoff run in 2007, I went out and bought myself a jersey. I wish I'd had it all along, and even though he probably won't play for Cleveland again, I figure this jersey will stand the test of time with Tribe fans.

2. Omar Vizquel

If you ask me, there is only one shortstop that can even hold a candle to Omar, and that's Ozzie Smith. However, I'll take Omar every day of the week and a doubleheader on Sunday. Sure, the Wizard of Oz was more flashy and had slightly better range. But Little O was a throwback during the era of the power hitting shortstop. He won ELEVEN Gold Gloves and was robbed of a couple more. He was a better hitter than Ozzie. And best of all, he always made the most difficult plays in baseball look routine.

3. Mark McGwire

Steriods or no steriods and Congressional hearing testimony aside, I still love Big Mac. I thought he was the greatest when I was a kid even through he played way out West for the Oakland Athletics. He was the only Starting Lineup figure I ever had. I defended him tooth and nail throughout his career saying that he would have had a shot at the career home run record if not for all the injuries and I still believe that to this day. And during the summer of '98, I watched almost every time he swung his bat. My Tribe was playoff bound that year and I swear I watched more Cardinals' baseball that year than Indians'....no doubt about it. Bob Costas once said that McGwire didn't just hit home runs, he hit "gravity defying moon shots." Do you remember where you were when he hit #62? I do.

4. Roberto Alomar

Okay, another Indian, I know. However, Robbie was only in Cleveland from 1999-2001 and wasn't on either of the World Series teams. I was very anti-Alomar after his famous spitting on the umpire incident. Despite him being the best second baseman in the league, I didn't want him playing for my Tribe. But watching he and Vizquel up the middle for three seasons was magical.

He was also excellent with the bat in his hands. I once heard Peter Gammons tell a tale about Alomar's batting practice habits. During BP, Robbie used to bunt the ball so that it will intentionally go just barely foul. The reason, Alomar said, was so that he could bunt a first pitch foul and see how the defense was going to react to the bunt.

Who else would practice things like that?

5. Greg Maddux

I'm supposed to dislike this guy since he helped the Braves topple the Tribe in the '95 World Series. However, I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. How could I not? Maddux looked like a regular Joe Schmoe off the street with skinny frame and his stupid reading glasses that he wore in the dugout between innings. He dominated big league hitters for a long time without ever having an over-powering fastball. Very impressive if you ask me. He was also the single greatest pitcher at fielding his position in history....seventeen Gold Gloves.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Jim Edmonds - A Pi Kappa Phi from Cal State - Fullerton....AND one of the better center fielders of the modern era.
Julio Franco - He'll turn 50 this year, and he' still playing ball. Wow.

Jim Thome - Unlike most Indians fans, I don't blame him for leaving and I'll never boo this man even though he's in a White Sox uniform. Wouldn't do it even he was in a Red Sox or Yankees uniform either. Class act all around.

Mark Prior - My first Cubs game at Wrigley Field was a seat in the bleachers during Prior's first start in the big leagues against the Pirates, so there will always be some man love for him. Now, my Cubs jersey of #22 is pretty much worthless, so that's annoying, but I still hope he is able to overcome the injuries and make it back to the bigs.

Sandy Alomar, Jr. - Big brother of Robbie, he was the first player in MLB history to be MVP of an All-Star Game played in his home ballpark. Little trivia for ya.

Grady Sizemore - Only 25 years old and one of the most feared leadoff hitters in the game as well as a classic five tool player, by career's end, he could make his way into the Top 5. And Mrs. Sizemore won't shut up about how hot she thinks he is. There might be hope for turning her into a Tribe fan yet.

Cal Ripken, Jr. - I was never a big fan of Cal's, but I always respected the tremendous talent he had and the way he played the game.

Tony Gwynn - Simply put: the best hitter I've ever seen in person.

Enough Already

2008-03-26T14:30:00.007-05:00

On the way home from work today, I was listening to ESPN Radio and the Mike Turico show. Kirk Herbstreit is a regular co-host on the show and today they opened with a brief discussion on Jose Canseco's new book. As a faithful Ohioan and college football enthusiast, I've always been a big fan of Herbie. This morning, I found myself agreeing with the man more than ever.

Enough.

Seriously people. I couldn't care less about Jose Canseco's new book. I didn't waste my time reading his first one. I didn't read the Mitchell Report. I didn't watch any of the 289 different episode's of Outside the Lines that have covered the topic. I turned off the Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee hearings with Congress after about 15 minutes. I'm just kinda over it all.

If I never again hear about the steroid use of Clemens or Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Rafael Palmeiro....whoever....I'd be a happy man. In the words of Kirk, "If they did it, fine, whatever. If they didn't, good for them. I just don't want to hear about it anymore. I want to be excited to watch baseball."

I think it's despicable what they players and the MLBPA did during this era of baseball. I also think it's outrageous how MLB and the owners turned their backs because they were making money like never before. But at this point, I don't want to hear it anymore. Do your jobs and clean it up.

And Jose? Go away. Seriously. In my opinion, this new book about Alex Rodriguez is just a shameless attempt for him to stay in the public eye a bit longer and make some more money. If he hates A-Rod so much, and he's known this all along, why wasn't this in the first book? I don't even like Rodriguez and here I am saying this book is total crap. I still think my favorite Canseco moment is still when a ball bounced off his head for a home run back in 1993 against my Cleveland Indians.

I suppose I'm being hypocritical by blogging about it, but I'd be willing to bet this is one of very few (if not the only) posts about steroids on this blog. With the exception of one of my favorite players being caught, you won't hear from me on the subject again.

Things overheard at The United Center

2008-03-24T12:06:00.009-05:00

On Easter Sunday I spent the afternoon with Mrs. Sizemore over at The United Center for her first ever NHL game. It had been awhile for me as well, considering how bad my St. Louis Blues have been over the last couple seasons and the fact that they're only in town a couple times each year. But, I feared this could be my last chance to see Keith Tkachuk in a Blues uniform. And not only that, time was running out to take Mrs. Sizemore to a game and convince her to become a Blues fan before she bailed and started rooting for the Maple Leafs or some damn shit.

The Blues scored first and then took a 3-2 lead with 1:18 left to play on a Tkachuk break away goal. Conditions seemed perfect. We were winning, we had great seats thanks to my buddy Shipper in the UC Box Office, my favorite active player scored the potential winner.... and then the Blackhawks scored to tie it just seconds later and got the winner a little over a minute into overtime. All things being equal, this was a fun hockey game to see in person and I'm honestly just glad the Blues didn't completely embarass themselves for the little lady's first game.

After the game, I heard what could be the quote of the year to date. Our dear friend Gene is the public address announcer for the Blackhawks as well as the Chicago White Sox, DePaul basketball, The Final Four, The Big Ten Tournament, the Chicago Marathon and many other events. We sent him a text during the game and had him meet us up for a couple beers in the Brew Pub on the concourse level after the game. As he walked in, I said to Mrs. Sizemore how Gene could walk through the UC and barely anyone would even know who he was. After the three of us sat and chatted for awhile, we were approached by two of the most creepy, obsessed Gene Honda fans I have ever seen. These two dudes had a big man-crush on Gene and wouldn't stop gushing over him. I asked Gene later if he knew them, and his response was (in a very Gene-like way) "Hell no." So, amidst them drooling over him, one of them actually said this directly to Gene:

"Your voice is synonymous with a good time."

Wow. Just wow. Gene has crazy fans.

National Pryor Day

2008-03-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

I know this happened yesterday, and that today is the start of the NCAA Tournament, but I needed to post this before I forgot.

On Wednesday, the most coveted recruit in the nation finally signed his National Letter of Intent to join The Ohio State University. It has been a highly publicized and criticized process thus far for Terrelle Pryor, but I think this kid has shown throughout the ordeal that he not only has the athleticism, but also the mental toughness to make smart decisions and succedd at the next level.

When the football season ended and his Jeanette Jayhawks won the Pennsylvannia State Title, he immediately jumped into basketball season. This is something many of us did when we were in high school, jump from one sport or activity to the next. What the entire nation, including the national media, seemed to forget about on signing day was that Pryor, unlike many of the other football recruits, never had time to officially visit campuses that he was interested in. He was one of the star players on a basketball team that was competing for, and eventually won, the state championship as well. So, while many people were claiming he was selfish and just wanted the limelight, he appears to have not been so selfish afterall. He said that he didn't want to interupt his season and hurt his team's chances and he also wanted the proper time to focus and evaluate the different schools before choosing.

Going further, he was being pulled in a number of different directions by the people that were closest to him and he had a tough call to make. His father went so far as to publicly say that he wanted his son to go play for Joe Paterno at Penn State.

He had also been recruited since he was a Freshman to play for West Virginia, whose coaching staff has since moved to the University of Michigan to take over for the retired Lllllloyd Carr. At Michigan, he would have been the starter from day one. The savior of a traditional football power that has struggled in recent years to win bowl games, defeat their arch-rival and is now in the process of breaking in a new coach, with a new offensive system and they are almost certainly not prepared to contend for championships right away. While going there would have been comfortable for Pryor with the familiar schemes and coaches, ultimately he didn't think that was best for his future.

At Ohio State, Terrelle won't be the starter right away. He will be stepping into the headset as the backup to Todd Boeckman and an offense that is geared up to head back to the BCS National Championship game for a third consecutive year. Pryor will learn the offense slowly, in bits and pieces, and won't be thrown to the wolves and set up to fail. He will also learn how to become a passer. Not in the mold of Boeckman, but more like Troy Smith or Vince Young. This will help him to mature into a better NFL prospect in the future then the Pat Whites and Shaun Kings that Rich Rodriguez produced at West Virginia. We all know Terrelle Pryor can run, but how far did that get Michael Vick (dog-fighting aside?) As a Buckeye, he'll learn to take snaps under center, he'll learn footwork, he'll learn how to throw and he'll learn what it takes to win consistently.

You can knock Ohio State for getting blown out in back-to-back title games all you want, but you also can't forget that they only lost one regular season game in two years. And the officiating in that game was sketchy at best and the crew that worked it is still under investigation by the Big Ten and the NCAA. Sure, the schedule was weak last year, but don't forget the year before the Buckeyes took down two #2 teams in the regular season, one of them the defending national champion Texas Longhorns on their own field. This year, Ohio State heads down to USC in week three. Next year the Trojans come to the Horseshoe. In the few years after that Jim Tressel has put the Miami Hurricanes and Oklahoma Sooners on the schedule.

Overall, I'd say this was the perfect place for Pryor to play and succeed. Now that this is behind us, let's move onto some bigger things and win the BCS title again. It's been six years and I've already forgotten what it feels like.

The Sixth Cents XV: Vengence

2008-01-07T17:55:00.001-06:00

I'm going to do a little preview of the BCS National Championship Game today, but I haven't had the time to go into the detail that I'd like. I would like to start out by saying this to those people who think the BCS failed (again.)

Who deserves to be there more than LSU and Ohio State? I give you the teams that had arguments and the reverse order for which I feel they deserved to be playing tonight.

Hawaii - The only undefeated team in the nation did everything that was asked of them except one thing. Schedule a quality opponent. Two home games against Boise State and Washington were the most difficult teams they played and they won them despite being behind in both. Unfortunately, that's not good enough. They proved this in the Sugar Bowl when Georgia absolutely crushed them. I actually felt sorry for them that night as the Dawgs blew them out with what looked like very little effort.

Virginia Tech - The Hokies only two loses were to teams that, at the time, were ranked #2 in the nation. In a season where #2 teams lose almost every single week, that's not saying very much. What says even less is that one of those defeats was to a Boston College team that fell off the wagon late in the year. The other? Well, it just happens to be the LSU team playing in tonight's game. The score? 48-7. I don't care that it was in the second week of the season. You can't rematch a game like that, and you couldn't put them ahead of LSU in good conscience.

USC - The Trojans finished the regular season 10-2 and easily mopped the floor with an Illinois team that was in over it's head. However, one of those losses was at home to a Stanford team that only won four games. FOUR. Those words included two preseason "contenders" in USC and Cal, but this team also lost to TCU and Notre Dame. That's an awful loss for the Trojans and enough to keep them out.

Georgia - The Dawgs (along with the Trojans) are probably playing better football then anyone in college football at the end of the season and they ripped the only undefeated team in Division I-A in the Sugar Bowl. However, they didn't win their conference. Not only that, but they didn't even play in the conference championship game after losing at home to South Carolina and getting destroyed in Knoxville by the Vols 35-14.

Oklahoma - The Sooners were the one team that I thought could have made a solid argument. They finished the regular season 10-2 and won the Big XII with a dominating performance over then #1 Missouri (again, that doesn't say much this season.) Their two losses bother me a little more than LSU's do in terms of the quality of the opponent (Colorado and Texas Tech against Kentucky and Arkansas.) However, LSU also needed six overtimes to drop their two games.

LSU - The Tigers earned their tickets by playing in, and winning, the toughest conference in college football. I don't care what team you're a fan of, there is no discussion when it comes to strength of schedule. The SEC is tough. Period. LSU had as many losses as the next best contender(two) but both of those games were in Triple Overtime. The first was at then #17 Kentucky which finished a respectable 8-5 and had suffered it's first defeat the week before. Their second loss was at home in the last week of the regular season to unranked Arkansas, also 8-5 on the year. This one is tough to justify, but to offer two quick excuses for them, look no further than these: 1. Darren MacFadden. 2. Injuries.

Ohio State - The Big Ten is down. I'll freely admit this fact. The non-conference schedule included at a Washington team that wasn't good, but has some young players who will get the to a bowl NEXT season and three Ohio all girl's schools. Well, at least that's what the media would have you believe. Youngstown State is Coach Tressel's old school and is no worse of an opponent than LSU's game against Middle Tennessee, Virginia Tech's game against William & Mary, Oklahoma's games against Utah State and North Texas, and Georgia's game against Western Carolina. The Buckeyes lost at home to an Illinois team that got mauled in the Rose Bowl, but the head referee in this game is also under investigation for gambling and there were at least a couple major calls that went incorrectly against the Scarlet and Grey. This is also a rivalry game in Illinois' eyes, but not so much in those of the Buckeyes and the Illini always play OSU tough. Don't get me wrong, the #1 teams in the country should have won anyways, but in a season where the rest of the real contenders lost twice, how can you say that Ohio State's ONE loss is worse than their TWO?

Enough of the soapbox, on to my cents....

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I. WHAT THEY'VE DONE SO FAR

For all the talk about how horrible the Big Ten is, and I agree its down, if you look at the strength of schedules for these two teams its not so different. LSU finished with the #15 most difficult schedule and Ohio the #39 ranked slate of games. Not as awful as some say it is, is it?See above for the details on what the did to earn their way into the title, but here are both teams schedules with pre-bowl rankings of the opponents:

LSU (11-2, 7-2 SEC West)
8/30 at Mississippi State, W 45-0
9/8 #3 Virginia Tech, W 48-7
9/15 Middle Tennessee, W 44-0
9/22 South Carolina, W 28-16
9/29 at Tulane, W 34-9
10/6 #12 Florida, W 28-24
10/13 at Kentucky, L 43-37
10/20 #23 Auburn, W 30-24
11/3 at Alabama, W 41-34
11/10 Louisiana Tech, W 58-10
11/17 at Mississippi, W 41-24
11/23 Arkansas, L 50-48
12/1 #16 Tennessee, W 21-14 (Neutral Site - SEC Championship)

Ohio State (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten)
9/1 Youngstown State, W 38-6
9/8 Akron, W 20-2
9/15 at Washington, W 33-14
9/22 Northwestern, W 58-7
9/29 at Minnesota, W 30-7
10/6 at Purdue, W 23-7
10/13 Kent State, W 48-3
10/20 Michigan State, W 24-17
10/27 at Penn State W 37-17
11/3 #18 Wisconsin, W 38-17
11/10 #13 Illinois, L 28-21
11/17 at Michigan, W 14-3

SLIGHT EDGE: LSU
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2. WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL

LSU has a dynamic offense led by the quarterback play of Matt Flynn and backup Ryan Perrilloux. They will likely try to mimic what Florida did to the Buckeyes last January by having a handful of scripted plays for the option attacking backup. Perrilloux showed he is capable of running the offense himself in the SEC Championship when Flynn was out injured. If Flynn gets hurt again, I'd say they have the best backup in the nation. Running back Jacob Hester is a solid runner with over 1,000 yards on the season and Early Doucet has the type of speed that will strike fear in any defense.

The Buckeyes have the #1 defense in the country, although they did it against a pretty weak schedule. On the plus side, Ohio State only allowed 128 points this season and some of those cannot be blamed on the D. The Bucks allowed two kick returns for scores, two turnovers for scores and a safety. Against Washington and Purdue, the backups surrendered touchdowns in the closing minutes of the game when the question was no longer in doubt. Put it all together and the Bucks only gave up ony 84 points. That's exactly 7 points per game allowed by the defensive starters. Led by All-Americans James Lauranaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, and Vernon Gholston, this team can shut you down on all three levels. The run defense has been the weakest spot so far, and we all know tOSU is known for run stuffing, so that says something. Jenkins will likely be left on an island to cover Doucet as the front seven (and sometimes eight) will be focused in on getting to the quarterback and stopping Hester.

EDGE: EVEN
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3. WHEN OHIO STATE HAS THE BALL

You've heard enough about the players Ohio won't be using on Monday night. Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez and Antonio Pittman are all gone. We know. But if there is one thing that puts THIS Buckeye unit ahead of last year's version, its the offensive line. Across the front Alex Boone, Steve Rehring, Jim Cordle, Ben Person, Kirk Barton are the best unit the country. 5th year Junior quarterback Todd Boeckman has only been sacked 14 times this year and his receivers, while not as fast as the 7-11 combo from a year ago, might be deeper. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline are both NFL ready route runners and pass catchers and Ray Small and Dane Sanzenbacher aren't too far behind with Small possessing game breaking speed. The key to this game is keeping the defense fresh. To do that you will see a steady dosage of Chris "Beanie" Wells. This kid was the #1 running back recruit in the nation two years ago and began to show signs of his skills late in 2006. In 2007, he battled through nagging injuries and still put together the 7th most rushing yards in school history. Pretty impressive given the company that puts him in, you may have heard of Eddie George and Archie Griffin.

On defense, I've heard about how good the Tigers are over and over again. Through the first five games, they were the best in the nation, but then the wheels came off a little bit. They allowed a TON of rushing touchdowns including FIVE by the unranked Razorbacks when LSU was putting ten men in the box on every snap. Glenn Dorsey has had time to heal up and we'll get to see exactly how good he really is when he goes up against the Buckeyes front line. The led the SEC in turnovers created and finished a +24 on the year as a team. Opponents have been putting up over 24 points per game against them for the bulk of the season and although I'm not really an avid follower of the SEC, I can't name another Tiger defender. I can name 2-3 on each of the other SEC powers. Interesting.

EDGE: EVEN
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4. SPECIAL TEAMS

Ryan Pretorious is fairly accurate having missed just four kicks all season, but he doesn't have a strong leg at all. His touchbacks are few and far between and his long (50) is also the only kick he attempted of 50 yards or longer. The punter A.J. Trapasso is tremendous and is excellent at pinning opponents inside the 20. On the return front, Small and Hartline are fairly capable of breaking one, but the Buckeyes also surrendered two kick returns for scores this season.

The Tigers kicker, Colt David, is no better than Pretorious. 25-32 on the year with a long of 49. 0/1 beyond 50 and just 6/9 from the 40-49 range. He also missed three kicks inside 40, so both of these teams will need to put the ball into the red zone if they want to guarantee points. The punter, Patrick Fisher, has a monster leg. But, and I say this jokingly, as Fisher goes, so go the Tigers. The only game in which he averaged under 41 yards per punt was Kentucky, where he only averaged 33.8 on four attempts. We all know how that game turned out. As I mentioned, Early Doucet can flat out fly and so can Trindon Holliday and they are both threats to bust one loose at any time. Trapasso has a big leg, so he'll need to be careful not to out-kick his coverage and give the Buckeyes a chance to get up field and slow him down.

EDGE: LSU
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5. COACHES

Les Miles is a Michigan man, so he's very familiar with the Buckeyes and how they play football. He's also been known in 2007 for taking risks. While not always the greatest coaching decisions, he has showed the confidence he has in his players and they, in turn, love him for it. After being adamant about turning down the Michigan job and sticking to his word unlike his predecessor Nick Saban, he has earned the trust and respect of his team. LSU is one of the most penalized teams in the country, so don't discount that factor.

Jim Tressel is Ohio State. Amazing that just over years ago most of Buckeye Nation gave a collective, "Who?" to the news of the hiring. This is his fifth BCS game in seven years and third shot at the National Championship. He keeps things close to his trademark sweater vest and doesn't take many risks. Despite last year's debacle, I still have complete confidence in his "in game" coaching abilities.

EDGE: tOSU
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6. PREDICTION

This is the toughest call I've ever had to make. I feel like everything is pointed in the Tigers favor. If I go with the favorite and my team takes the upset win, I'll regret that forever. If I take my Buckeyes and they get blown out in a repeat of last season's beating by Florida, I'll look like a homer that couldn't see the facts. Here's the thing: I honestly feel like this will be a very close, defensive game. I see some of Ohio State-Miami in this game and I truly believe this will be one of the best title games we've seen. I have faith in the Ohio State running game and defense and that's the only reason I'm going the way I am. I really hope I'm right as an Ohio State loss will likely hurt the program's recruiting and will damage the reputation of the Big Ten even further.

Final Score: The Ohio State University 27 - LSU 25

Another hiatus has ended

2007-12-17T15:31:00.000-06:00

It's been a couple months since the stomach punch I took in the ALCS and I'm finally mentally fit enough to blog again. My Browns and Buckeyes have helped by working their way into the playoff/BCS Title picture.

My how things have changed in my life.

First and foremost, for those that haven't heard, I have a new girlfriend who you previously knew as Mrs. Sizemore. Things went South in a hurry with the girl I was seeing for the past year or so and it was truly amazing to find out exactly the type of person she is. To be fair, the way things ended and the way she found out I was dating Mrs. Sizemore didn't help matters. It's something that I will always regret because I can't help but think some serious drama could have been averted.

It started with her breaking into my house and ended with me losing my job with the Chicago Fire. I'll refrain from going into details for now because there are still likely to be some legal ramifications down the road. If you want the details and haven't heard the full story, feel free to give me a call and I'll explain.

On another topic, it appears my fantasy season came to an end yesterday. I still have Minnesota's defense and Adrian Peterson (Minnesota version) going tonight against the Bears, so I COULD come up with some big points, but I fear its too large of a hole to climb out of. We finished the regular season all alone in second place, but our first round opponent was the benefit of San Diego's defense yesterday and a couple of poor player decisions on my part. I would still be losing going into tonight, but I left an increase of 15 points on the bench with my selections yesterday morning. Sometimes it hurts to have such a deep roster.

In the real world, I'm headed to "Believeland" on Saturday with Mrs. Sizemore. This will mark the first time I've brought a girlfriend home to Cleveland for Christmas or Thanksiving and I'm pretty excited about it. This will be the first time the family meets her after I spent Turkey Day in Cincinnati with her and her family. I'm also excited because I'll get to see the Browns play on TV for just the third time this year. I think the NFL package is going to be a must next fall if the Browns keep up their winnings ways. Thankfully, we already get The Big Ten Network since RCN redeemed their suckiness by picking it up at no extra charge to anyone! Had Comcast decided to do this instead of spend what seems like millions of dollars in advertising bashing the Big Ten, perhaps they'd have had happy customers too.

Hopefully I'll have some more to post soon, but or now I have to help Hutch jump start his Jeep. For now, here is a good picture of Mrs. Sizemore and I watching some Buckeye football together this fall.

Monday Morning Winger

2007-10-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hello from the land of "I can't believe that just happened?" What a weekend!

We'll start right where we left off on Friday night. I'm going to give the live-blogging thing a rest because C.C. has pitched like crap in my only two attempts. Maybe its me. Either way, the Tribe tied it up even though Fausto Carmona was equally terrible in game 2. The bullpen (minus Perez) came up HUGE and the bats came to life getting six runs through 9 innings and then SEVEN in the 11th.

That, however, was just the highlight to end the Saturday highlights. This is because LSU and Cal both went down and as a result, The Ohio State University has started the BCS poll ranked #1 in the land for a second consecutive year. Do I think we are the clear cut best team in the country right now? No. I'd be kidding myself if I did. However, this team is good and I'm proud of the way we've gotten out from under the shadow of Smith, Ginn, Gonzalez and Pittman. This offense is legit and the defense is arguably the best in the nation. I'm excited for five interesting weeks of Big Ten football to end the season.

Certainly not the most important part of my weekend, but perhaps the most surprising, my make shift fantasy football team actually won! We defeated the guy that was in first place and 5-0 entering our match-up. Here were the totals:

QB Brian Griese 27
RB Adrian Peterson 67
WR Randy Moss 11
WR Torry Holt 3
TE Dez Clark 4
R/W Earnest Graham 3
PK Matt Stover 16
DST Seattle 5
TOTAL 136

OPP 107

Not a bad sports weekend if you ask me. Even the Cleveland Browns fought back to .500 with a win over the now 0-6 Miami Dolphins. Could the Dawgs finish with a .500 record? With St. Louis, Arizona, the NY Jets, Buffalo and San Francisco still on the schedule, I would say 7 wins is very reasonable and 8-9 is attainable if things continue to go right. To think, if we hadn't blown that game against Oakland...and if things go as well as possible the rest of the way, we'd be talking playoffs this year. Okay, okay...I won't get ahead of myself JUST yet.

The big downer for me was that I was unable to start (or play at all) at my usual outside midfield (winger) position for Sting SC on Sunday in our second playoff game, this one against the Rhinos from the Major Division in the NSSL. We still have a slim shot at moving on to the quarterfinals with a win in our final match of group play, but we missed a tremendous opportunity to punch our ticket on Sunday when we lost 3-0. I stood in the pouring rain on the sideline with my street clothes on and was unable to help the boys out. Very frustrating. I'll miss the final game completely, messed up ankle or not, because of the Fire vs. Galaxy game on Sunday at TOYOTA PARK. Only if the team is able to pull it out and get some help from the rest of the league will I be able to play again this season.

Indians vs. Red Sox - Game 1

2007-10-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

6:10 Here we go! Live blogging the opener of the ALCS...
6:12 Sizemore strikes out to start the game, not a good sign.
6:14 Joe Buck (puke) and Tim McCarver are your broadcasters tonight, this is going to be a trip.
6:15 McCarver says that Varitek is "flawless" calling games behind the plate. Asdrubal strikes out. Guess he's right so far.
6:17 Pronk goes yard. 1-0, Cleveland. Joe Buck tells the "Pronk" story. I guess Hafner loves his nickname.
6:17 Unfortunately, at this point in the game, I'm mid-commute instead of in front of the tv where I belong. My mother calls me to tell me that Mr. Hafner has hit the baseball. I yell "Pronk went yard already?!" and annoy some people on the train. My mother says "Who's Pronk? Hafner got the hit." Which one of us is the Indians fan again??
6:20 Beckettt strikes out the side around the Hafner home run. Man he looks tough. It also looks like a left-hander hitters night the way that ball carried. Good thing Boston only has one of those in the lineup. Bad thing, its Big Papi.

6:20 Middle of 1st, 1-0 Cleveland.

6:23 Captain Cheeseburger Sabaconpants "sizzles" strike one in there. Like the "Baconator" at Wendy's. Mmmmmm.
6:24 WHAT A CATCH on a line drive back at C.C. That could've been ugly as it almost took his head off.
6:25 The crowd is VERY quiet. Had I had time to get home and do some "keys of the game," I would have said that the Indians scoring first and getting the crowd out of it was one of them.
6:27 Good analysis on why the Indians aren't completely shifted around on Big Papi. With as hard as Sabaconpants throws, left handed hitters won't necessarily be able to pull the ball.
6:29 Maybe they should have, Papi singles up the middle. Two on, one out for Manny.
6:30 This seems like a good time to mention my disdain for Manny Ramirez. We always knew he was a giant douche. One of those guys that I really hate that we let go, but I'm kinda glad because I don't like the dreads, the pine tar on the helmet looks dumb, and he's more of a space cadet then Cher from "Clueless." I swear this guy hits so well because he's too stupid to think about how a pitcher is going to throw to him. He doesn't "make adjustments." See ball. Hit ball.
6:32 Shit. Here we go. Three straight singles. Tie game. C.C. is getting ahead of everyone, but can't put them away. This is not good.

6:35 Double play. End of the 1st, tied 1-1.

6:36 Just before that pitch, they showed Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, the wonder kid. Hardly a wonder kid if you ask me. When you have the second highest payroll, you SHOULD be in the ALCS. That actually reminded me of an article I read today on ESPN.go.com (its part of the go network.) Theo is the only GM of the final four teams that is NOT part of the John Hart "family tree." For those that don't know John Hart, he's the architect that built the Indians from 1991-2001. Genius if you ask me.
6:39 McCarver reminds me that "the Indians are doing THIS year what they were supposed to do LAST year." Thanks for that. I know we shit the bed in 2006.
6:40 Two ground outs to third to start the second. We learn that Eric Wedge is receiving the Sporting News "Manager of the Year" award. Nice.
6:41 Ramirez makes a nice catch in left on a Lofton deep liner that was over his head.

6:41 Middle of two, still 1-1.

6:44 The Captain strikes out Kielty to start the second. Kielty got the start today for this reason: J.D. Drew is 0-3 with 3 K's in his career versus C.C. and Kielty is 9-29. However, what Francona failed to mention is that Kielty is 2-14 in the last four seasons against him. Nice.
6:46 Back to back K's, which is nice because I took the over for walks plus strikeouts on C.C. tonight at 7.5. Now Coco Crisp is up, another former Indian.
6:48 The Captain strikes out the side on 11 pitches. Threw 8 straight strikes to start the inning. Wow. Looks like he settled in a little more in the second. Almost halfway to my over in two innings.

6:49 End of 2nd, 1-1.

6:52 They tell us that Franklin Gutierrez was part of the Milton Bradley deal. Mark Shapiro really DID know what he was doing. Even when he had good young talent, he went out and found better talent that isn't completely off the charts bat shit crazy.
6:55 First two batters are retired quickly. Beckett is working quickly and painlessly.
6:56 Jesus Christ. Five strikeouts for Beckett. That was WAY too quick of an inning.

6:57 Middle of 3rd, 1-1.

7:01 Lead off double for Julio Lugo and he's sacrificed over to third by Pedroia.
7:03 Fox does a stupid little "Papa Loves Mambo," Perry Como ditty as Papi comes back up after Sabathia walks Youkilis on four pitches.
7:05 Sabathia is losing it. He just hit Papi. The idiot Boston fans boo as though Sabathia did it on purpose. Have I mentioned how annoying Red Sox fans are?
7:06 I'm perturbed. Its like every other pitch, Sabathia is unhittable. But the next pitch he's wildly out of control. We need a strikeout or a double play grounder right here.
7:08 Mrs. Sizemore walks in and immediately starts talking trash. I don't feel good about this at all.
7:09 Fucking Shit. He starts off 0-2, and then four straight balls to walk in a run. What the hell is wrong with Sabathia in the playoffs this year? At least I added another BB+K to the over total. We're at 5 for C.C.
7:09 I walk in, and am convinced that my Sawx cap is good for the team. Boston has recovered a run, sorry about your lead, Cleveland. Someone isn't wearing their Indians cap, and it's obviously disrupting the team's chi. Manny's up. C.C. throws some pitches that make me wonder if he's had too many cheeseburgers this week, and Boston pulls ahead.
7:11 Well, Sabathia might not hit that over after all for me. He's getting knocked around like he's married to Bobby Brown.
7:15 Finally out of it. Not good.

7:16 End of the 3rd, 5-1 Red Sox.

7:20 I feel like I'm going to throw up. Chinese food will help, right?
7:21 Red Sox Idiots (fans) groan as Beckett throws a two strike pitch a foot outside. You think that's a strike? Wow. Dumb.
7:21 Another K for Beckett. Beautiful, just beautiful. Cleveland, are you enjoying your visit to lovely Fenway Park? (Cap refers to Fenway as a dump. Blasphemy.)
7:22 They interject with more Manager of the Year talk. They say that Wedge gets the edge over Francona because he did it with 1/3 of the payroll. Good point.
7:25 I'm losing my mind. Another K. This time Pronk.

7:26 Middle of 4th, 5-1 Red Sox.

7:30 Mrs. Sizemore buys me Chinese food as a consolation prize for our suckitude tonight.
7:32 Three quick outs for C.C. for a change. No K-BB though, we're stuck on 6 for the Captain.

7:33 End of 4, 5-1 Red Sox.

7:35 Ryan Garko, the Tribe record holder for "Hit by Pitch" in a season, gets plunked by Beckett.
7:36 Joe Buck says, "For the first time tonight the Indians have their leadoff man aboard. Let's see what they can do with it."
7:37 Fucking Assbag. GIDP.
7:38 Two out double for Lofton. The only Indian with two good swings.
7:38 Stephen King is a Red Sox fan. It's October. Are you scared yet, Cap? (If not, take another look at the scoreboard.)
7:41 Joe Buck redeems himself as he cracks on TBS for the Frank TV commercials. "I don't know if you heard, but Frank Caliendo has a new TV show." HA.

7:44 Middle of 5th, 5-1 Red Sox.

7:46 Cap makes a violent gesture in my direction. A Red Sox fan wouldn't do that.
7:52 I hit the over as C.C. gives up a single and two walks to start the 5th. This is terrible. C.C. is not the ace of this staff. That would be Carmona.
7:53 I'm calling it now. Sox in less than 6. I don't care if your pitchers make dealings with Satan.
7:54 Cap apparently felt it necessary to hunt down his Indians cap. It's obviously not doing any good, because the score is now 7-1.
7:55 This game is over. Two run double by Bobby Kielty. Some fucking Cy Young candidate.
7:57 There's a Levitra commercial on. I'm not going to say that Cleveland could use a little bit of help...oh wait, yes I am.
8:03 Sabaconpants, where did you go? I don't have a funny nickname for Lewis.
8:05 For those that haven't noticed yet, I allowed Mrs. Sizemore to interject her comments in italics. She may be finishing this live blog alone as I'm about to puke. I honestly feel almost as nauseous as when Florida ran up the score on the Buckeyes last January.

8:06 End of the 5th, 8-1 Red Sox.

8:08 "Cleveland is still trying to figure out Josh Beckett" They're not going to figure him out because they're swinging the bats like a bunch of minor leaguers.
8:10 Grady Sizemore is up. He would be so much more attractive in a Red Sox uniform.
8:12 Chinese food arrives. Cap stops watching the game and the Indians score.
8:16 "Cleveland Rocks" is playing as they cut away to commerical. How about Cleveland is getting rocked? Isn't there a song with the lyrics, "C.C. Sabathia just crapped his pants?"

8:16 Middle of 6th, 8-2 Red Sox.

8:22 "I'm going to bring this up because we need something to talk about..." Buck makes me laugh and Cap starts yelling. Buck postures that we don't even know how big of a lead Boston is going to run in this game. Seriously? Is this NESN? Nope, still Fox. I'm a Sox fan and I think that's biased.
8:26 Extended coverage of us getting fucked in the ass.
8:28 Looks like Sabaconpants might have a chance to redeem himself in Cleveland. Extra day of rest. Y'all could use that.
8:29 The following exchange occurs:
Pussy.
Did you just call Manny Ramirez a pussy?
I sure did. No grand slams in the postseason. He's a pussy.
How many grand slams do you have in the postseason?
Same as Manny.
8:32 Cap needs to remember that oh-so-classic line: "There's no crying in baseball."
8:35 Chris Meyers is giving a report in front of the Sox dugout which leads me to the following thoughts:
1. Look at the Red Sox fans giggling behind him. They're acting like they know they're on camera, but they want to look like they don't know they're on camera. Morons. Red Sox fans drive me nuts. Would I still be so annoyed with hem if we were winning? Me thinks yes.
2. Our country was kinda founded up in the Northeast, right? So why the heck is it that people from up there talk like a bunch of construction workers with 3rd grade educations? Did Washington and Jefferson sound like idiots too? I suppose they sounded like Brits, huh?
3. Man do we suck tonight.

End of 6, 10-2 Red Sox.

8:45 Ryan Garko hits a lazy pop fly behind short and the wind blows the ball all the way to center field. Base hit. Should be an error because Lugo and Ramirez are MORONS. They just watched it go and made little effort to get there. Granted, a 10-2 lead will give you that option I suppose. Manny being Manny.
8:45 That was a joke. Is this little league again? Is Manny a 6-year-old who hasn't yet realized that he's supposed to catch the ball instead of just watch it go up and down? We might be ahead, but that's lazy.
8:48 Joe and Tim have spent the better part of the last two innings arguing about whether or not to bring Beckett (and/or Sabathia) on short rest to pitch game 4. I guess in a blowout you kinda have to pick fights with each other to have something to talk about. Under no circumstances would you bring Beckett back if you're up in the series. Also, why would you want Sabathia to pitch again after his last two performances?

8:52 Middle of 7, 10-2.

9:04 I'm finished for the night. Time to get drunk and forget about the Cheeseburger. Parting thought for Eric Wedge while I'm on my soapbox. It was obvious C.C. didn't have it, why even bring him out to start the 4th after he got pounded in the 3rd? Isn't that why Cliff Lee and Aaron Laffey are on the roster? Stop the bleeding and not waste the bullpen? I'm not saying we were going to win this one, or even that Lee and Laffey wouldn't have gotten pounded too. I'm just looking ahead to tomorrow in case its a close game and we need Lewis and Mastny again.

Good night everyone. Let's get pissed.

This is hardly my fantasy

2007-10-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

I've pretty much avoided fantasy football like the plague over recent years. I found it to be a monumental waste of time and I looked at all the nerdy guys that were perplexed over their teams and spent hours on them and I thought to myself, "Self, don't get roped in."

This year my dear friend Mrs. Miami, who most of you know as the girl I dated in college, at Miami, asked me to help her out. She was entering a fantasy football league with her boyfriend and his friends and family and she didn't want to look like an idiot. As I'm the one real sports junkie she knows, she trusted my advice. I gave her some pointers, but she was doing a live draft, so I wouldn't be able to help her much on that day. When she came to me looking for more help after losing her week one game, I didn't know what to say at first.

"Dude, I'll pay you to do this for me."

I agreed.

Her roster looked good enough, so I thought I was going to have it easy. In fact, had she made two changes to her opening day starters (Peterson and Moss) she would have won going away. I really thought this would be easy money. Here is a list of the team she drafted and what has happened since.

QB Mark Bulger - LT Orlando Pace went down, Bulger got broke, released after week five
QB Vince Young - Filled in twice for Bulger, 5+ one week, -6 the next week, benched
RB Frank Gore - Started slowly, has become a great #2 back
RB Adrian Peterson - started on bench in week one with her at the helm, is now the #1 back
RB Warrick Dunn - released before week two
RB Marshawn Lynch - still around, but hasn't played much
WR Randy Moss - on bench for week one with her at the helm, best player on team now
WR Torry Holt - has been mediocre, still starting despite injury and not playing much
WR Lee Evans - released before week six, has been a disaster
TE Chris Cooley - played well for a few weeks, released during bye week for Dallas Clark
PK Matt Stover - starter
DST Miami - released before week two

We've been bouncing around to different defenses depending on the match-up and haven't exactly been successful at it. We currently only have two WRs on the roster and we're without a good QB. Through our different player acquisitions and releases, and accounting for byes and injuries, our roster for this week looks like this:

QB Brian Griese
RB Adrian Peterson
WR Randy Moss
WR Torry Holt
TE Dez Clark
R/W Earnest Graham
PK Matt Stover
DST Seattle

BN Vince Young
BN Frank Gore
BN Dallas Clark
BN Marshawn Lynch

The plan calls for releasing Dez Clark and picking up a 3rd WR after this week to fill the upcoming byes of Holt and Moss in weeks 8 and 9. We will likely also drop Griese and pick up someone else after the Bears get by the Vikings 30th ranked pass defense. Dropping Graham is also likely in the event we find another RB or WR to fill the void.

Here's the thing that bothers me the most. I just wrote a fucking blog post about my fantasy football team. I've become everything that I hate. Somebody shoot me.

Another Yankee Headline

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

ESPN.com: "Goodbye, Bronx?"
CNNSI: "Bronx Bummer"
Yahoo! Sports: "The end game"
ESPN.com: "Jobless Joe?"

Hell, even the Cleveland Plain Dealer had the headline: "Bye-Bye New York!"

Did the Cleveland Indians even play last night? My God people. I know its New York, and the Yankees, and the ridiculous East coast media bias. But still. The Evil Empire didn't lose this series, the Indians won it.

We won it with dominant pitching and timely hitting.

We won it with our fourth starter, Paul Byrd, taking on a Cy Young candidate in Chien-Ming Wang despite the fact that everyone in America felt we should bring back our ace on short rest. Why? Because it was Byrd's turn to pitch.

We won it with our back-up catcher doing what he's done all year, always catching Byrd. he came through with two doubles and a run.

We won it with a 40-year old left fielder in his third stint with the franchise going 6 for 11 in the first three games and going 4 for 4 in those games with runners in scoring position. Despite being 0 for 5 in game four, he finished with a .375 batting average.

We won it with Fausto Carmona outdueling Andy Pettitte and not getting rattled by the midges like Joba Chamberlain did.

We won it with Joe Borowski shutting the door for his 46th save of the season despite making it interesting like he always does.

We won it with a bullpen that only allowed two runs (off two solo home runs) in the entire series. Both were in the deciding game four.

We won it despite seeing Mariano Rivera for 4.2 innings in three games and not scoring a single run off him.

Don't make the same mistake the media is making. PTI just led off with the Yankees and talked about the Indians afterwards. Please, when you talk about this year's ALDS, remember that Indians won this thing. They did it with their players playing the way that they have played all year. They did it with a manager who knows his club and doesn't cave to public pressure. They played Cleveland Indians baseball and they dominated the New York Yankees. Bring on the Sox.

Wayne Rooney is amazing!

2007-10-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

Check out this Nike Football commercial from England. I love it. With the exception of "el Cuauh" I don't think a single Fire player could do this in less than 20 takes. Amazing.

Sorry for the quick soccer post, but I had to counter that long ass boring night of baseball after the Indians masacre of the Yankees (see below.) Man are the Cubs horrible. I can't even watch them, they are just terrible and uninteresting.

Indians vs. Yankees - Game 1

2007-10-04T18:50:00.000-05:00

Just got home from work, I'll be taking some notes here....a minor league attempt at a live blog. "Minor League." Kinda like the National League. All four AL teams finished at least four games ahead of the BEST NL club. And they did so against inferior competition. Quite sad. Anyways, I figured I'd give this a shot since I'm at home alone watching our first step toward a World Series title. I missed the beginning of the game, but listened in the car on the way home from work. We pick things up in the bottom of the 3rd with nobody out.

6:49 Asdrubal Cabrera goes YARD! I love this kid! What a great August call up. And what a great first batter of my live bloggin career. "You know, they say you can tell alot about a ball club from the first batter of the season." Who needs a trade deadline when you have farm system like this?
6:51 LeBron James is being interviewed with a Yankees hat on by Craig Seger. Some Clevelander. I swore off the Cavs a long time ago when Jerry Reinsdorf was paying my bills, but I was warming back up to my hometown team because LeBron is the real deal and the Bulls, while good, just aren't that exciting. Well, now he's saying he was a Bulls fan as a kid and he's a Cowboys fan too. What a prick. I'm done with King James...unless they trade him to Chicago, of course.
6:53 Chien-Ming Wang retires two in a row after the homer and around the Bron-Bron interview.
6:54 Ryan Garko is 2 for 2, he just dropped a bloop single in for a two out hit.
6:55 I'm already enjoying the TV broadcast on TBS more than the radio broadcast on ESPN 1000. Dusty Baker was on with John Miller, who I actually enjoy, but man does Dusty sound like an idiot. Every time I hear him talk I'm even more convinced that his time as a manager was over about half way through his tenure with the Cubbies, if not earlier.

6:56 Innning over. End of the 3rd, 4-1 Cleveland.

6:58 Frank TV looks, well, interesting, but that guy certainly does some decent impressions. Is that the same Frank as Frank Caliendo? AKA Sunday Night John on Mac, Jurko and Harry? If so, I will need to check that out.
6:59 C.C. Sabathia has settled in. Today, through a collaboration of sources, I have decided that he will now be known as Captain Cheeseburger Sabaconpants. Speaking of bacon, I need this Baconsalt (http://www.baconsalt.com/) and I'm going to order a ton of it. I'll be taking orders once I get it in if you'd like some.
7:01 Strike out number four for 'Baconpants, he also has four walks though, which is WAY above his season average of less than one walk for every six innings. Pitch count worries me, it means we may have to see JoBo at some point.
7:02 The announcers tell us that the Yankees will never allow anyone to throw a 7-8 pitch inning.
7:03 Robinson Cano goes yard....I guess they were right. Pitch 10 = gone. I heard a really loud "YEAH!" in the background as it cleared the wall. I thought you weren't allow to cheer in press boxes? I've been in the sports business for seven years and that is the number one rule in sports media, or so I've been told.

7:04 Bottom of the 4th, 4-2 Tribe. Lofton to lead off the Indians' half.

7:07 Kenny Lofton is still my all-time favorite Indian. If you feel compelled to drop $250+ on me for no good reason, or maybe your reason is that you love me and want me to be happy, I would suggest an authentic Kenny Lofton Indians jersey. I like the alternate home blue uniform and I take a size M. Thanks in advance. If early 90s throwbacks are available, just as well.
7:10 Ron Guidry (Yankess pitching coach) makes excuses for Chien-Ming Wang and says that the offense is so good that all he needs to do is keep it close. He may be right, but I hate NY Yankee arrogance. Its almost worse than MY yankee arrogance.
7:11 Third walk of the night for Wang, Gutierrez aboard for Blake with one out.
7:13 AJob makes a decent play and gets the lead runner. I will take this moment to tell you how much I hate AJob. Cano bailed him out on a crappy throw. They joke that it was the best sinker thrown today. Cute. They love him.
7:15 He put up "video game numbers this season." Still gushing over AJob. How about talking about Sizemore and how all the lovey ladies of Cleveland are in love with him? Frankly, I like to think I'm confident enough in my sexuality to tell you if a guy is attractive and I just don't see it with Grady.
7:16 A week or so ago Jennithird made me a deal that if the Indians get to the World Series, she will get a "Grady's Ladies" t-shirt. Or maybe it said, "Mrs. Sizemore," I can't remember. I don't know what I have to do if Boston gets there. I'm worried. I hate them almost as much as I hate the Yanks and I don't think I could spend money on the Sawx without dieing a little inside.

7:18 End of the 4th, still 4-2.

7:20 I can't seem to find a single Indians t-shirt in the shop on their website that doesn't look like hell. Jersey me please. I'll trade you for a Cubbie alternate blue Mark Prior jersey! Ha. Talk about your bad decisions. However, Mark Prior's first game as a Cub was also the first Cubs game I ever went to, and he was the best pitcher in baseball when I bought it. Yeah, I'm making excuses now, aren't I?
7:21 Frank TV is, in fact, Frank Caliendo. I think I'll have to check it out. Love this guy. His impressions are flawless.
7:22 I really do like this announcing team, TBS did a nice job. Chip Caray, Tony Gwynn, and Bob Brenley...with Craig Seger doing the interviews. They are talking about the Yanks too much though. Seriously, Chip. Get a room.
7:23 NY has already made a switch, Doug Mientkiewicz comes out for Shelley Duncan, who apparently hit more homers in his first three days in the show than anyone in the history of baseball. Great. Single to right.
7:25 Pitch count already nearing 100 as the Cheeseburger walks his 5th of the game on four straight pitches. Two on, nobody out.
7:27 Conference on the mound as C.C. still can't throw a strike, now 1-0 to Jeets. I'll rant on him later, though I'm sure you've all heard from me how he is the most overrated shortstop EVER.
7:30 Crowd is starting to sound like the late 90s Jacobs' Field as the count goes full on Jeter. We hear again how patient the Yankees are. True tonight. 99th pitch of the night is a fly out to right. Runners hold.
7:32 Abreu hits an RBI double down the line, 4-3 Tribe. Intentional walk to AJob to load the bases.
7:33 Should have bet the over, it was set at 8.5 and we're already at 7.
7:34 Activity in the Tribe bullpen as Posada steps in.
7:35 I'm sick of the guy yelling "NO NO NO NO NO NO!" in the background with every pitch out of the zone as if the umpire needs help that it wasn't a strike. Keep the fans away from the microphones, especially the loud obnoxious New Yorkers. Thanks.
7:36 "Relentless patience by the Yankees." I should start tallying each time they mention it.
7:37 Straight heat, strike three. Two down. Matsui steps in.
7:38 Popped him up, Sabathia gets out of it only allowing one run. Thank God. 115 pitches for CC though, I think that'll do it for the night. I hope that our middle relief is as good as advertised.

7:38 4-3 Indians as we go to the bottom of the 5th.

7:40 MMMMMMM Papa John's. Haven't had it since college since there is no cheap, fast pizza in this city. I miss the garlic butter on my crust. Commercials make me hungry. Guess they're doing their job. Is everyone happy to read something non-soccer related for a change?
7:42 Leadoff walk. We need a couple runs here from Pronk and Vic.
7:44 Pronk, for those of you who don't know, is the nickname of the beloved DH for the Tribe, Travis Hafner. It's a combination of his two original nicknames, "Project" and "Donkey," which were given to him in his early years due to how immature he was as a hitter, but the tremendous work rate he has. Out number one. There is even a candy bar named after him in Cleveland. Haven't had it myself. Anyone know if its any good?
7:46 They're interviewing John Adams. He's the drummer in center field that has been at every game for 34 years. Apparently he threw out the first pitch tonight on behalf of all the fans. That's actually pretty cool. Nice PR move by the Tribe.
7:47 GONE! No doubter for Victor Martinez. If an every day player had to be the team MVP, as opposed to Sabathia or Carmona, it would be this guy. What a year! 6-3 Indians.
7:49 Back to the interview. John Adams works on computer systems for AT&T and apparently he HAS missed some games. He can't come to the day games because his boss isn't that leniant. Come on man, don't you know who your employee is?
7:52 RBI SINGLE FOR LOFTON! Chien-Ming Wang has finally been knocked out of the game. I also checked the spelling, and I guess I screwed that up earlier. I'll fix later.
7:55 A report from the roamer interview guy, Craig Seger, is completely inaudible. Nice work on the sound by TBS on that one. One flaw in an otherwise good broadcast though. Nice change of pace. Just glad its not Brent Musberger and his Ohio hating ass.
7:56 Stolen base for Lofton. Wow I love this guy!
7:57 Some dude named Ohlendorf is in the game for New York and he gives up a two out walk to Gutierrez. Two on, two out.
8:00 Two run double for Casey Blake. He crushed it down the line to the opposite field. 9-3 Tribe. Some great stats from Chip just there. Indians are 4 for 4 with runners in scoring position and have five 2-out RBI already tonight. But he said RBIs, which drives me up a wall. "Run Batted Ins." Moron.

8:03 Sizemore flies out to end the 5th. 9-3 Indians.

8:06 Rafael Perez in for Cleveland. Kid has thrown 60.2 innings and has a 1.78 ERA. He apparently throws hard to both righties and lefties according to Brenley. Wirey looking kid.
8:07 Flash to Eric Wedge, the Indians manager, he has a bit of a playoff beard going. When did Cleveland get an NHL team?
8:15 Fairly uninteresting inning as Perez just flat out dominates the Yankees. Shelley Duncan strikes out to end it.

8:15 Bottom of the 6th, 9-3 Indians.

8:16 I was going to do one more half inning before I head to Messner's for a beer or two, but I think I'm going to roll now so I can enjoy this and rub it in some people's faces. If I still have any readers left, I'd love to know what you think. If I get some good reviews, I may try this again for an entire game.

Have a good night and GO TRIBE!

The streak continues

2007-09-21T09:43:00.001-05:00

The Fire drew 1-1 at FC Dallas last night on ESPN2's MLS Primetime. Going into the match, I feel as though I'd have been happy with that result given our desperate need for a point on the road and the fact that we were 0-8 all time at Dallas.

However, Chris Rolfe's strike about 10 minutes into the second half gave us hope. Despite constant pressure, it appeared that Matt "Slim" Pickens was going to keep bailing us out. CJ Brown even got into the act with a huge block right on the post about halfway through the second half.

Then, in the 93rd minute, with one minute remaining in stoppage time, Carlos Ruiz knocked in the equalizer and we lost 2 points in the standings in the blink of an eye. Deflated. That's the feeling that would describe the mood at our corporate party at Jbar when it happened.

The Chicago Fire now sit in the 8th and final position in the MLS playoff standings. We're three points clear of Columbus and Colorado and we're even on games played. We have the toughest schedule in the league to finish the season. At Chivas and DC, home for DC, New England and the Galaxy in what will likely be Beckham's first MLS game back. I hope we can hang on...and offseason with no playoffs is one that I don't want to experience.

Wednesday night is the night that we make love

2007-08-22T11:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know that I've been posting nothing but videos lately, but here is an absolutely amazing one. If you haven't checked out HBO's Flight of the Conchords yet, I strongly encourage you to do so.

A glimpse of the new MLS?

2007-08-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

If you missed the LA-NY game in Giants Stadium this weekend, shame on you. Over 66,000 people where there (which is he MLS record for a game not tied to an international doubleheader) and they all got more than they paid for. Even the misses in this game were fantastic! Here are some of the highlights, courtesty of MLSnet.com.

Not to be outdone, our own Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored what will surely be the goal of the week and later added an assist to our other new player, Paulo Wanchope, in a 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake. Here come the Fire!

I don't have the video to embed it yet, but go to http://www.chicago-fire.com and click on the main story. It will bring up all of the Goal of the Week nominees.

Blanco Bounce

2007-07-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

An old video from back in April on Comcast, but at the 1:35 mark, look for the "Blanco Bounce."

Watch out Fire fans!

2007-07-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored just 30 minutes into his debut match against Celtic FC on Sunday and almost single handledly earned the Chicago Fire a 1-1 draw against one of the top club teams in Europe.

And NOW, we'll be announcing the signing of Paulo Wanchope sometime tomorrow. Allegedly there is one more piece to the puzzle arriving by Friday. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Zidane. Okay, wishful thinking, I know. How about a damned Polish player? Please?

Either way, it was exciting to watch the Fire again on Sunday. Probably for the first time since I've been here, we played really attractive soccer. And now we'll have someone that can finish the beautiful chances that Blanco creates. So excited.

Here's a taste:

David who?

2007-07-21T18:58:00.000-05:00

I don't really have much to update, but its been a couple weeks so I figured I'd say hello. Since I posted last, I have given my liver a breather, and it has thanked me.

Last Sunday my soccer team, Sting SC, won our match against Arrigo, bringing our season record to 3-5-1. We have really looked good when we're at full strength, although I looked pretty awful for the first time this season last week. I think it was probably all the cheeseburgers I've been eating and the extremely small amount of exercise I've been getting. I have had two consecutive stretchs where I've not played for two straight weeks, with just one game in between. Not good for the legs and lungs.

I'll be back in action tomorrow morning, despite the Chicago Fire's 3:00 PM match against Celtic FC from Glasgow, Scotland. Normally I'd have to be at the stadium too early on a game day, but lately I've been having less and less to do. That will all change as Polish Night, the Corporate Cup and Armed Forces Appreciation Day arrive, but in the mean time, I'll take it.

Some of you may have heard that David Beckham finally arrived in Los Angeles this week, but you probably don't know that the Chicago Fire's big superstar just got here as well. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the start forward for Club America and the Mexican National Team got to the Windy City and put on a Fire kit for the first time in an evening practice session at TOYOTA PARK. his first match will be the Celtic game tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what this guy can do in person.

Catching up

2007-07-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

I know it's been almost two weeks since I've posted, and I know that two weeks doesn't seem long relative to the nearly seven months it was previously, but nonetheless, I apologize. It's been a tough couple of weeks with birthday parties, soccer games, the Dave Matthews Band show, out of town guests, the extreme heat in Chicago, me catching a cold, relationship issues, the potential sale of the company I work for, and so on.

I'll be perfectly honest, the best thing that's happened in the past two weeks was seeing my old friend, Nick Berry, two straight weekends. Nick and I were roommates for three years, four if you include sophomore year living in the fraternity house with 27 other guys. The kid kinda disappeared off the face of the earth after college though. Previous to this spring I had only seen him once, a weekend trip he took to Chicago back in 2003. I was able to catch up with him in Oxford a couple of months ago when I went down to speak in front of the Sports Studies majors at Miami and ended up convincing him to make the trip for the "Cap of July" party on June 30.

It was great seeing him for the weekend, and when he took off on Monday afternoon, he told me that he was going to head up to Minneapolis to see another friend for the week, but would be back the following weekend before going home to Cincinnati. He ended up doing just that, and I probably wouldn't have survived the weekend without his help Saturday and Sunday. I swear, if I could talk Nick into moving to Chicago and Hacksaw (yeah, you heard me Duggan) into moving back to his hometown, my life would be much better. As amazing as this city is, and no matter how many new friends I make, it still sucks that the two guys I care about the most are the same two guys I see the least.

The worst part of the past two weeks was getting sick in the middle of it all. I came down with a cold (a COLD, in the middle of SUMMER) a couple days after the big party, which was awesome by the way, and I haven't been able to shake it since. Granted, I have been going non-stop and drinking heavily a couple of nights and a day, so that won't help shake it. Still, I slept ALOT last night and even that didn't help with my tiredness. Perhaps I will go for a run tonight, I'm a little worried about the fatigue catching up with me for my game on Sunday morning.

The Whirlwind is Over

2007-06-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

The last nine days have been a whirlwind, but it's finally over. I don't know that I physically could have done any more and now I've used two vacation days recovering from it all.

It all started on Monday, June 18 with the Cracovia Media Dinner at Janosik. Tuesday was a run of the mill work day, as was Wednesday for the most part. Thursday I had to spend the entire afternoon driving around the city picking up tickets and money from one of our consignment partners that I'll never work with again. That night I went with the Chilean and Jen to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal matches at Soldier Field. The United States beat Canada 2-1 in the first game and Mexico ended the Cinderella tournament run of Guadaloupe 1-0 in the second game.

I ended up getting a little drunk with the Chilean at the game and we had a good time heckling the Mexicans about our run of success over them in the past decade. Our friend Lisa had a great scarf that read, in Spanish, "Remember Korea," complete with the date and score of the Round of 16 match when we knocked "El Tri" out of the World Cup in 2002.

Friday was my big day, the Chicago Fire's match against MKS Cracovia Krakow. I got to the stadium very early, around 8:15 or so, to prepare for the game. Once gates opened at 6:30 and the game kicked off at 8:00, it was non-stop action for me. And all kinds of issues. The highlight for me was escorting the Cracovia team President Janusz Filipik down onto the field for a halftime presentation with our team President, John Guppy. I got to have my picture taken with the two team presidents and my counterpart with Cracovia, Rafal. It was weird having members of the press taking my picture, but Rafal also promised to send me an autographed jersey and I hope to have that photo framed with it when it gets here. The lowlight: probably having to talk to a client of mine that was having a rooftop party about how his employees had acted inappropriately. One of the waitresses went home crying after getting harassed up there. Yikes.

After the game I met up with my cousin, Bryan, and my Uncle Eric downtown for a drink and then headed home to bed. The weekend had really just begun. Saturday I went down to ESPNZone and goofed around with Bryan and Neil and some of Bryan's friends and then headed home to clean a little before heading down to the Bryan and Terri's wedding rehersal and dinner. I made an appearance at Eclipse, a Polish night club where Cracovia was having their goodbye party and then I was home and in bed around 2:00 am.

Sunday morning, bright and early, I woke up and drove our to Vernon Hills with my dad for my soccer game. We lost, 3-1, and I had a miserable first half, but played better in the second and had a couple nice balls setting up opportunities for us to get back into it. No dice. We drove home in a hurry and it took me only 15 minutes to shower, change and get my stuff together for the wedding. We were back in the car, picked up my friend Natalie, and took the back roads to Soldier Field for the Gold Cup Final.

At the stadium, my dad and I grabbed some Polish sausages and we made it to our seats just as the game kicked off. The first half was somewhat boring; I taunted Landicakes Donovan a little bit as he pretty muched sleepwalked through his biggest game since Germany last summer. Mexico scored first, just a minute before halftime, and I'm almost glad they did. For one, watching a sold out 60k+ crowd that was about 95% Mexican go insane was a sight to be seen. Secondly, I think it made Head Coach Bob Bradley rethink a few thinks and light a few fires.

The U.S. came out with a different attitude in the second half and halftime sub Ricardo Clark really changed the flow of the match in the midfield. Brian Ching woke up and began really battling for the ball around the penalty area, eventually drawing a penalty kick, which Landicakes calmly converted for the equalizer.

I looked down at my watch and realized that we needed to get going soon if we were going to make it all the way to my dad's hotel in Alsip, shower, change and get to the wedding on time. The longer we waited, the worse traffic would get as it was a busy weekend in Chicago. Gold Cup, Cubs-Sox on the South side, set-up for the Taste of Chicago and the Gay Pride Parade. But I didn't want to leave a 1-1 game so we held on as long as we could, eventually taking off in the 70th minute after two players collided and both teams sent stretchers onto the pitch. Just two minutes after we walked out the door, we heard a roar from the crowd behind us and my dad thought it was a Mexican goal. Natalie just said, "Nope, not loud enough...that was probably us." Sure enough, we heard my boy Nick over the PA, "United States goal scored by Benny Feilhaber!"

I missed it!

Oh well, we were on our way to the FAR South side for the wedding. We got there in plenty of time and heard all about the U.S. goal from those that watched it on TV...I was a little jealous that I couldn't stay, but happy for my cousin nonetheless. My sister and I were the two readers, me reading I Corinthians 13:4-8, my sister a poem by an unknown author about love. The wedding was great, and it was definitely amazing to see some of my family that I hadn't since Christmas, specifically my friend prego friend Simone. I had a fun time chatting with cousin Neil, someone who 10 years ago I don't think I'd ever had uttered those words. I hope I continue to get closer with my cousins over the years.

Anyways....long story short....I was running in 5th gear all weekend and I needed a couple of days to unwind and recover, so I did that my taking Monday and Tuesday off. Much needed. Now just one more day before the madness begins again. Nick (my college roommate) and the Demi (plural of Demas, friends from high school) are coming in town this weekend for my annual July 4 bash, this year in June for the first time ever.

Calm before the storm

2007-06-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

See, now that I have a working laptop, I can post once in awhile!

As I sit in the office at 6:30 on a Wednesday night, its eerily quiet. Only a handful of busy workers remain and everyone is silent at their desks, frantically meeting deadlines. Tomorrow marks the first of a four day shit storm.

Here is what my week has looked like:

Monday, June 18 - Janosik Banquet and Restaurant
7:00 Chicago Fire - Cracovia Krakow Media Dinner

Tuesday, June 19 - TOYOTA PARK
Work until pretty late, can't keep up with phone calls about Cracovia, Gold Cup, Referee Clinics, etc.

Wednesday, June 20 - TOYOTA PARK
A little more relaxed, but still insanely busy day in the office preparing for the weekend...calm before the storm.

Thursday, June 21 - Soldier Field
6:00 USA vs. Canada
9:00 Mexico vs. Guadalupe
CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals

Friday, June 22 - TOYOTA PARK
8:00 Chicago Fire vs. MKS Cracovia Krakow

Saturday, June 23 - Southside
My cousin's wedding rehersal and dinner

Sunday, June 24 - ALL THE F*CK OVER TOWN
8:30-12:30 Soccer game in Vernon Hills
12:30-2:00 Go home, shower, change, pick up Natalie, drive to Soldier Field
2:00-4:00 CONCACAF GOLD CUP FINAL with Natalie, Dad - hopefully USA vs. Mexico
4:00-5:30 Drive to dad's hotel, clean up, change, get to church
6:00 Wedding
7:00 Reception
12:00 Drop dead from exhaustion

On top of it all, we fired Head Coach Dave Sarachan this morning, so I've received dozens of phone calls from clients wanting to just talk and head from someone with the team. I tell them all that I'm too busy this week and to track me down in the Stadium Club on Friday Night. Friday I have about a thousand different guests that I have to entertain. I'm going to need to clone myself for sure. Here's the list, keep in mind that this doesn't include my regular full season clients:

Hutch and Donna
Temtco Steel - Party Suite, 32 guests
Industrial Machining - Rooftop party, 75 guests
DZL Vodka - Stage Suites, 32 guests
Integra Communications - our Polish Ad Agency, 12 guests
Maxum Sports Bar and Grill - 82 guests
Zibi Photo, 20 guests
Archer Express, 21 guests
Centrum Sport
Stan Sieczka - event suite, 16 guests
Ryan Hesser, 20 guests
Tom Toczydlowski, 15 guests

I'm also responsible for the anthem singer, a Highlander band and our 50/50 raffle sellers.

Christ....am I the only one working at this game? Needless to say, I'm taking Monday off and I'll be lucky if I wake up before noon. If I find time to update before then, I will...but if not, I'll see you then kids!

Stop with the comparing....for now

2007-06-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Bron-Bron could someday be a Hall of Famer. He could be one of the best basketball players of all time. He MIGHT even surpass Michael Jordan as the best player ever. But for now, can we just stop?

I understand that "King James" is only 22, and that his supporting cast is atrocious, and that he's, simply put, physically superior to Jordan. But let me ask you this: Would Michael Jordan have lost that game last night? I say emphatically, "No." Down 2-0 to San Antonio with a raucous crowd cheering it's heart out, in a city that is flat out desperate for a winning team of any kind...MJ would have found a way. He would have done just enough, instead of not quite enough. He would have imposed his will. They might have still lost the series. They may have even gone down in five games. But not last night.

As much as I have renounced the Cavaliers over the years since taking my first full time job in sports with the Chicago Bulls back in 2002, I was honestly rooting for them. It's still my hometown and I have so many family and friends that were excited to see a Cleveland team on the verge of a potential title that I couldn't help it. I even like LeBron. But then again, how could you not? He has a presence about him. Charisma.

I just want the comparisons to get put on hold, and I think they will be, at least until next spring when the Cavs are back in the playoffs. He's a great player, a tremendous athlete and a fierce competitor. Nobody is questioning that. But what MJ had is something that we may never see again.

Championship Rings and Polish Things

2007-06-12T19:16:00.000-05:00

Well, we got our rings on Saturday after our sold-out loss to Club Deportivo Chivas USA. Pretty sweet if you ask me, I'm so proud of my first championship in sports, even if it was just the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. We won it and it was a great night. I don't think I'll wear this thing all the time, but definitely on game days and big meetings. It's a good conversation piece because it's so damned big you can't miss it.

To update everyone on the job, I'm still with the Fire, been about 16 months now. I'm still doing the corporate sales gig, selling suites, sponsorships, club seats, etc. But lately, I've been put in charge of the majority of our Polish marketing and sales initiatives. I just hired a high school kid to make some Polish cold calls for me and sell some tickets for our exhibition match next Friday (June 22) against MKS Cracovia Krakow, a Polish first division team.

Between the Polish marketing and the Referee Development Program, this job with the Fire has opened a number of doors for me in Chicago, it's making it hard for me to ever want to leave here. I'm beginning to think that's a reality though as the cost of living and the sport's world's ridiculously low salaries (specifically for soccer) is making me broke. I think about how much money I would be putting away if I were back in Ohio, or another smaller town. I think about how even if I found the right girl, and not just the right now girl, I wouldn't be able to afford to do things right with her. I think sometimes I chose the wrong profession, as much as I do love sports and what I do.

And as for the girls, well, nothing new to report. Sadly, my life has been fairly uneventful as of late. Jen and I broke up awhile back and things have been very complicated between us ever since. I just find it hard to trust her and love her the way that I did before, which I suppose is understandable given how many times she walked out on me. At the same time, she seems genuine in her desire to be with me now. But is that enough? I wonder...

I do have the all important family wedding coming up on June 24 and I have been told to bring a date. I'm not sure that I want to because I'll face the Spanish Inquisition with thousands of questions about whoever I'm with. I don't know that I would subject anyone to an entire evening with my family at this event. "You're 23-year old cousin is getting married, what's your problem?" Yikes.

Okay, my writing is getting choppy now and I'm still at work at 8pm on a Tuesday. I'm the only one left in the office, mainly because I just didn't feel like fighting the Cubs' Night Game traffic. I should be gone now, just need to find parking. Let's see what we find....and see if anyone reads this nonsense.

Guess what!?

2007-06-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

My laptop is finally fixed.

About three months after I bought the damned thing (last June) I was having problems with it running very slowly. Under warranty, I took it in to Best Buy and they told me that Windows was corrupted and that it would cost be $150 to restore it and another $100 if I wanted them to back everything up first. I said, "No."

I then took it to the IT person at TOYOTA PARK and she couldn't figure out how to fix it. I just suffered through it for about nine months until I started having problems with the LCD Display. This, I could not stand. So a couple weeks ago I took it into Best Buy to have them fix the screen. They sent it away and told me it would take 2-3 weeks. I told them specifically NOT to touch the hard drive. I said, " I know Windows is corrupted, but I want to back up my files before you restore it. Fix the screen so that I can do that, and then I'll bring it back."

So I pick up the laptop today on my way to the stadium for our match against Club Deportivo Chivas USA and when I get there, I turn it on, and what did they do? Yup. They wiped the hard drive. The good news is I didn't have to pay the $150 they were going to charge me and the thing is running VERY smoothly. The bad news is, I lost everything. Music, pictures, programs, every paper I'd ever written in college...everything. SO PISSED. I had like 5-6 thousand songs. Gone.

Anyways...the OTHER good news. I'm back! Let's see how long it takes ya'll to even notice and write some comments. I assume I lost you all since there has been no posting since the National Championship game back in January.

The Sixth Cents XIV - National Championship Edition

2007-01-08T11:37:00.001-06:00

Greetings Minions!

It's been quite some time since I've posted, and I promise there will be a more detailed update soon, but I've been under a lot of stress on the work front lately and haven't had an opportunity to put anything together. Shaffer, I haven't had any time to analyze this game in any great detail, but I will give you a Six Cents about this game because it seems that the trendy pick right now is Florida and every analyst seems to think the Bucks will lose this one.

In the interest of time, I'll break it down by giving you something I've heard in the media and then breaking in down with my counter argument.

1. The Buckeyes haven't faced anyone with this kind of team speed, Florida is too fast for Ohio State. Didn't they say the same thing about Michigan? Why isn't anyone talking about the Buckeyes speed? Sure, the Gators have two great cornerbacks, but name me a one-two wide receiver punch in the SEC as good, and as fast, as Ginn and Gonzalez. Also, who is going to cover Robiskie, Hall, Hartline, Small, etc?

2. Florida's offense will run all sorts of trick plays and will move the ball all over Ohio State. Are you kidding me? Have you SEEN Florida's offense this year? I think even the biggest Gator supporter would agree that they haven't been great this year, but I'd suggest to you that when they have played a big time defense, they have been downright inept. They haven't scored more than 23 points against anyone except Arkansas if you're looking at the biggest games on their schedule. In fact, if you take away the I-AA school and C. Florida, they are averaging a little over 24 points per game. NOT GOOD.

In case you missed it, the Buckeyes have barely allowed 10 points per game and here is a stat for you: Ohio State opponents have gotten into the OSU red zone 35 times this season and only come away with 9 touchdowns. Good luck scoring Gators.

3. Urban Meyer is a big game coach. Again, they must not have looked at the other sideline when they made this statement. I don't care what Meyer has done, until this year, it's been at mid-major programs. I'll definitely give the coaching match-up to the Sweater Vest at there is no bigger "Big Game Coach" in the business right now. Notice I said, RIGHT NOW. 5-1 against Michigan, 4-1 in Bowl Games, 3-0 in BCS Bowl Games, 1-0 in I-A National Championship Games, not to mention all the National Championships at the I-AA level with Youngstown State.

4. Florida's secondary will give Troy Smith problems and intercept his passes. Ha! The "Number One Defense in College Football" couldn't do that, what makes you think Florida will? Because they're faster than Michigan? Okay, I'll give you that. Because their top two guys have a combined 14 picks this year? I'll concede that too. Have you watched Troy play this year? The Heisman voters did. He won by the biggest margin in the history of the award. Bigger than Reggie Bush. His TD-INT ratio is 6/1. His offensive line gives him all kinds of time and even when they don't, we all know what Troy is capable of when improvising with his legs.

5. The two quarterback system has been effective and will keep the Buckeyes off-balance. Maybe. But when has a two quarterback system ever won a championship? And in the words of DT Quinn Pitcock, they don't do anything that we haven't seen before. Sure, maybe no team has done all the things that Florida is capable of, but that doesn't mean that the Gators will be showing the Buckeyes anything new. Going further, Florida has been completely inept at running the football. The teams that have hung with Ohio State have been able to run the ball. This does not bode well for Florida's chances of staying with us.

6. "I'm more afraid of a Gator than a nut." When this is in your top five reasons that Florida will win, you are really in trouble. And maybe you haven't heard: