8-19-2011 (Doesn't matter)

The day I had words typed about the MLB, the Red Sox, and my new favorite team signing Rendon and Purke.... Amara cut us loose. I guess my "Eh, I wont write this because I don't have much time and Whalen will make fun of it anyway" feeling was a sign of things to come.

It's been real. It's been fun. It's been real fun. I hope we keep the officelive version of the site so I can go back and enjoy the rants every now and then. Fuck paying for the actual commshowbombshow.com thing though. That's insanity at it finest.

(((I think it is commshowbombshow.officelive.com for the few that follow.))

I also hope if you do check this site once every third week in the fall that you are following us on twitter instead because any future endeavors we partake in will probably be broadcasted thru the twit.

As Amara stated and I've said for 30 episodes.... Comm Show Bomb Show.. ouuuttttt...

8-11-2011 (11:54:22 AM EST)

Pats vs Jags: What I'm Watching For:

Amara and I got some decently priced tickets for this game because we aren't big enough for media passes yet so we'll be there live tweeting and taking in preseason game #1 in the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium.

1. This is, year-in and year-out, a showcase for the 2nd and 3rd string players. This year, Hoyer has a formidable foe in his backup Ryan Mallett. Mallett was a standout last year at Arkansas throwing 32 touchdown passes in a highly competitive SEC. You'll see Brady get his 1 possession then it's on to these two. It's not a story line because of Tommy Boy but this could be a nice little back and forth thru these pre-season games to see who really stands out in game situations. Hoyer obviously won the battles and the war last year over Zac Robinson, we'll see tonight if he is up for the task with touted rookie Mallett.

2. The defensive line is power in numbers right now and will be whittled down soon enough. It'll be interesting to see what lower tier guys, if any, shine in the first preseason game vs the Jags. There are going to be a lot of big names taking this game easy so we won't get a good feel for the roster but we will see Kade Weston and others show what their made of when they get ample time on the line.

3. The defense is fun to talk about but the way I see it, if Belichick throws a 4-3 out there, great. If he goes 3-4, so be it. I'll take whatever they throw at us. Instead, I'm going to keep my eye on the jumps that the defensive backs get on the rookie across the ball, Blaine Gabbert. They looked great a week ago at Training Camp when Amara and I were there so I want to see that continue tonight vs. the young gun.

4. Nate Solder should get plenty of time to show his skill set tonight. Quite frankly he needs it seeing that his first practice was a week ago. If the tale of the tape is correct, we could be in for some excellent blindside protection from the 6'8" monstrosity of a man.

A side note to the game, Whalen is beyond excited to see Logan Mankins slated to be in a Patriots uniform until 2016. Whalen loves Mankins and he should, the guy is an absolute stud on the line. Be sure to follow all of us on twitter, Whalen, Amara, PATRIOTS and more!

8-1-2011 (11:00:11 AM EST)

MLB Trade Deadline:

1. Hunter Pence - I don't understand the hype on this guy. I guess the biggest thing about him is that is a "good fit" for the Phillies with their aleady impressive line-up. They don't need Pence to overwhelm anybdy with the bat (which could prove effective for him) but aside from that he wasn't all too great of a pickup. I've never been impressed by him but I guess that comes from being an average player on a below average team.

2. Erik Bedard - Another "good fit" guy here. The Red Sox grabbed him to be a back end guy and that's just what he needs to do in Boston. He is hopping in the rotation (as of right now) for Andrew Miller and I don't think there is going to be much of a difference in that back end. Miller was good for five, maybe six innings and two to four runs. Bedard will probably be the same unless something miraculous happens on his trip back to the east coast from Seattle.

3. San Francisco Giants - You have to be impressed with the Giants pulling in Carlos Beltran and then the baseball vagabond Orlando Cabrera. Beltran is a much needed bat that the Giants needed. The leader in home runs in their clubhouse this season before Beltran walked through the door is Pablo Sandoval with 11. Beltran only has 15 but he also walks in leading the team in batting average and RBI. Crazy to think how the Giants have been winning prior to this.

4. The deal I liked the most was Michael Bourn to the Braves. He isn't the huge name that Ubaldo Jimenez is moving from one team (Rockies) to another (Indians) but he IS a "great fit" for this Braves team. They are hanging around the NL East with the powerful Phillies only 6 games in front but as of right now Atlanta has a 4-game lead in the NL Wild Card and Bourn could be a spark that Atlanta needs to push toward a divisional crown or simply hold on tight to the wild card before the playoffs.

5. Big time sidenote to the baseball talk.... do you like the NFL or better yet the Patriots?? Your ass should be reading Amara's Blog and The List because he has some impressive insight on all the happenings at Gillette. Follow our Twitter pages too please.

(They're on the home page.)

7-28-2011 (10:35:12 AM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1. Just happened this morning, Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots. Seeing that poor King Whalen has a shitload of time on his hand to do absolutely nothing but refuses to blog, I decided I will utilize some of his thoughts in this topic. We discussed it this morning and the King is "jacked up." As well he should be. Haynesworth is another problem child that the Patriots are taking on. His past two years in Washington were a good year followed by an awful year. His last two years in Tennessee the man was in the Pro Bowl. The Pats now give up a 5th round pick in 2013 to take on a guy that could flourish with the likes of Corey Dillon and Randy Moss in the Patriots system. Whalen said "5th round pick in '13, what a steal!" and followed it with "he doesn't work out you cut him".

Boom. From the mouths of babes.

2. How many people come back to this page on a consistent basis and are disappointed when I don't have an update?

None?

Figured.

3. Maybe you remember my stance (@TimAmara) but I don't and I don't care. The no-hitter isn't worth celebrating. Is it a meaningful achievement for pitchers, for sure. Should we be jumping around and dumping water on someone's head? Nope. I will say that the perfect game is a celebratory occasion. 20 since 1900. 272 no-no's have been thrown since 1875. That right there should pump the brakes on any celebration. Boom.

4. That tag on Julio Lugo was awesome. Dude was not safe. He knew it. Ump knows it. You all know it. It's over and done with. The reason I'm wasting my time on it now is because I think I'm a genius because the Pirates are relevant this year. I said it in my March 5th blog about the NL Central and booya grandma, there they are. They aren't WOW'ing anyone but they're winning games and they aren't the basement team of last season.

5. I'll tell ya who is WOW'ing people. Fuckin' Pedroia and Ellsbury. Pedroia's got a 24 game hitting streak going (which isn't even the best going right now but still) and Ellsbury is powering the ball to go along with hitting safely in 20 of his last 22 games and 15 of those have been multi-hit games. 8 homeruns in that stretch matches his homerun output from 2009 and is one shy of his 2008 season where he played 145 games (2008) and 153 games (2009). Talk about a stud huh? Woop!

7-13-11 (12:00:01 PM EST)

Ain't Mad At Ya Thoughts of the Day [or past week]:

1. Jeter - Ain't mad at ya big cat. A lot of people are but I'm not. If you don't want to go to the All-Star game that you didn't deserve to be at statistically (.270 AVG, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 42 R). I know I'm a week late here and the topic is overblown and the mere instance of mentioning it escalates the "blowingness" (new word) of it but long herr don't kerr. If anyone going to the the All-Star Game or watching the All-Star game were watching it to see Jeter, they have some serious issues. Has he been good enough over the years? Of course. This year? Nope. Glad you stayed home Derek. Adsrubal deserved it more anyway.

2. Ain't mad at ya James Harrison. You're crazy for reportedly calling out Mendenhall, Raper and the Commish like that but it took some serious sack to get that off your chest I'm sure. I'm interested to see what will happen to the man when the lockout ends. I know if Belichick was his coach the team would fill socks with quarters or bars of soap and have at it in the locker room until Harrison cried like he was watching All Dogs Go To Heaven. With Tomlin, it could be a motivational speech to get into his head which won't work so they'll just have to wait for the fine.

3. US Women's Soccer - Ain't mad at you either. The men's world cup is worthwhile television in the Matty Dew household (or work computer) but now the lady equivalent has ALMOST sucked me in. I think it was Abby Wambach's voice on Sportscenter this morning and the fact that I slept like a puppy last night that had me intrigued. The Brazil win was cool. If they win it all, I hope Hope Solo does the Brandi Chastain and forgets her sports bra that day.

Boing.

(Who am I kidding? She has the makings of a dirty girl like no other, probably wears titty tassels on game day.)

4. Whalen - Ain't mad at ya. Disappointed is the word. Today is the 3 month mark since your last meaningful blog on this site. Do I need to write a college basketball blog to get you back on the team? You had better luck making fun of me than not. Now that I'm writing somewhat enjoyable material, you've got nothing. I make you or break you and you are Hank Aaron's homerun record...... crushed. RIP King Whalen's Blog. 

6-29-11 (10:21:12 AM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1. College World Series is over just like that. South Carolina just outworked the Gators, plain and simple. The extra inning affair was an awesome game that the Gators never should have let happen. Gamecocks took complete control of that game when they scored in the 8th and then shut down the 0 outs bases loaded occurence in the bottom of the 9th. That kills a team. Florida had ANOTHER chance in the 10th and Dent got hose-jobbed at the plate. The Gators let that bother the shit out of them when two awful throwing errors allowed a run to cross the plate in the 11th and ultimately end the game. I tweeted that Florida didn't have that "IT" factor that would allow them to bounce back and surely (shirley), a 5-2 loss in game two led to the repeat. Congrats to the South Carolina Gamecocks for doing more than I thought they could. (see #5, last sentence on 6-16 blog, yikes)

2a. The Red Sox kicked things off with the Phillies and Amara was all over it pre-series (see #3 on 6-27 blog). I must say, as disappointed as Amara is that all we have is baseball right now, his Sox talk is spot on. The catcher situation IS NOT a situation. It's more greed of the fans than anything. They want a V-Mart back who can put up big numbers but the combo stats that Amara makes note of are exactly what you need from a catcher in the 7 or 8 spot. Honestly, try to stick a Victor Martinez in this lineup. You'd put him 5th or 6th maybe and he's a 3 or 4 guy, easy. Be happy with what you have Red Sox Nation. I dare you to think of the days when Mike Stanley was carrying the weight behind the plate. Don't get me wrong, I loved Doug Mirabelli and his caveman swing but you're getting better production from Salty than you got from him when he was here.

2b. The only disagreement I really have with Amara is the Andrew Miller talk. I like what I've seen, don't get me wrong. He's been pitching in the majors since '07 really and he threw a sub 5 ERA once (4.84 in 14 starts with Florida in 2009). He's still very young so he has the upside but let's give him a couple more starts where these big league hitters have film on him and THEN we'll reevaluate where he stands with his new team and his new pitching coaches. For the Red Sox and fans alike, I hope Amara is right on this one. The crop of young pitchers would sure as shit be scary to opposing teams.

3. The Women's World Cup sucks. Plain and simple. I like soccer. Not as into it as Whalen (RIP) but I do like it and I CAN'T get into this. Brutal. Talk about a buzzkill on ESPN.

Chick looks crazy.                                                     Chick looks hot.

6-22-11 (1:56:33 PM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1. The journey the Stanley Cup takes is stuff of legend. I'm certain some of you have seen pictures of it cruising the streets of Boston and surrounding areas. It totally makes sense as to why it makes this trek too. Hockey players are certified whack jobs. And I mean all of them. There are so many screws loose in those craniums it's only fitting they go on binge-drinking shitshows that tour their championship city. I'm willing to bet that every team does this every year but the displays I am seeing by the Bruins is classic. There needs to be video of this. Somewhere. People, make it happen.

2. The Sox are still hot. After dropping four in a row from May 29th to June 1st, they've lost three games in their last 17 played (this is before the end of the afternoon rubber game with San Diego). That's fire. This team is doing what everyone hoped or expected them to do.

3. I'm somewhat surprised both teams from Texas have been eliminated from the College World Series so quickly. I had some faith in A&M but that was crushed quick. More impressed by the South Carolina victories. First game of the tourney, A&M gave them a run for their money but after they took the win and settled in they handled Virginia with ease. Two (of three) SEC teams are in the winner's bracket waiting for an opponent and the two ACC teams were screwed from the moment I picked them. I'm banking on UNC to beat Vandy and give Florida a loss before a winner-goes-home game makes the decision. Cal could beat Virginia. I don't think they will. So for your money, go Vandy and Cal. Good luck.

6-16-11 (10:21:12 AM EST)

Boston Bruins Hockey

You all saw it. Facebook and Twitter were crumbling in the Bay State because of it. Old men far and wide in tears (seriously, check @TimAmara's tweet) because the Bruins did what few believed they could. They overcame the odds and won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver. Timmy "The Tank" Thomas became the first goalie ever to pitch a shutout on the road in Game 7 of the Cup Finals. Second American-born Conn Smythe winner. A beard for days. Class for eternity. Of all the players, I'm most happy for him.

For me, it's not really about the players. Don't get me wrong, Marchand doin' work, Chara's resiliency and dedication, Recchi's old-ageism, Bergy, Looch, Kray-chee, Horty, Thornton, Seidenberg, and Ference for all the hard work. All of that makes it fun and worthwhile. What really means more to an avid fan is the feeling I know certain friends and family members are feeling.

For my buddy Sean, been friends with him since I was 6. He's been a hockey player since day 1 and his Dad has groomed him to be a top tier Bruins fan. He was always an easy gift at Christmas. Kid has been living and dying with every game from pre-season to the last game of the playoffs for as long as I can remember. He's the reason I watched hockey growing up. He earned this.

Whalen, King Whalen, Whales. As long as I've known him he's been a certified asshole that lives on three things; beers, bitches and Boston sports. The Bruins are big on his list. He's earned this down in South Florida. Kid bought the NHL Package to catch as many games as possible during the year. Watched games daily during his do-work weeks at Sun Life Stadium when some people would chalk it up for a loss, he'd fall asleep to the Bruins.

The diehard Boston fans I know like Amara and OG coachroache.

Guys that, when it comes down to it, want to see rings and banners for this town. They have their preferred sport but what really matters isn't what ball/puck they're using, but the name on the front of the uniform. They love this city and have great reason to these past 10 years.

I'm happy for the pink hats. Fuck it. I am. I'm glad they were witnesses! More than any LeBron James fan can say they witnessed. Boom Roached.

For me, this isn't just about the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks. It's more for the people I know that have yearned for this. Pined over it these past few seasons of unfortunate playoff exits. They now have their AMAZING BOSTON TEAM PLAYOFF RUN!!

I'm pumped for Boston. This is awesome.

6-16-11 (9:40:11 AM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1a. Bruins blog is above. How about Vancouver fans? All I saw all series were sports anchors and fans alike, ripping the players a new asshole for playing like doosh's. Bruins hoist the cup on Canadian soil and the fans are cool enough to boo the commish (funny) then applaud the likes of Tim Thomas and the rest of the B's when they hoist their trophies (respect). What I will probably never understand is the riots? You go from being a respected group to the likes of Santa Snowball Philly fans??? Here's what I think happened. I think Luongo and Burrows took a big step into the streets of 'Couver and they started breaking and biting shit. Torres and Sedin's started throwing pebbles at cars in frustration. Kesler (right) dove unexpectedly into the streets and the drunken fans coming from the arena and bars alike just followed suit unknowingly. Couldn't have been the fans. Steve Nash disapproved. They wouldn't tarnish the city if Steve Nash said so, would they? Hell no. Typical Canucks players started the riot and pointed blame. Go fuckin' figure.

1b. If I hear the term "pump the tires" ever again, I'm going to go on a tire slashing spree and it won't be thought out. It'll just happen. Done and done.

2. Go Bruins. Go Bobby Orr. Go Whalen. Go Timmy Thomas. Go Amara. Go @CSBSBruins.

3. To keep the Boston train running, Beckett pitched the first shut out of June 15th, as he one-hit the Rays in Tampa to stay a game and a half up on NYY. This team was the first AL team to 40 wins and they are first in batting average and OBP in the ML and second in runs scored and slugging percentage. Gonzalez is playing great and Ortiz is reaping the benefits of it. Amara already tooted Ellsbury's horn so I don't need to, I'll just tell you that a-mook-Amara is right.

4. Boston fans enjoyed the Heat loss, a little too much I think. To each his own. I wanted to see Dirk and Jason Terry and JJ Barea get a ring more than I wanted to see LeBronBron. If the Thunder were in it, I would've been a bit more torn between the two. That being said, the Heat are only going to improve with each offseason acquistion. The only thing the rest of the NBA has going for it is the fact that Erik Spoelstra looks more like a high school coach than an NBA guy. Oh yea, the other thing the NBA has is the Bulls and the fact that LeBron is exactly who we want him to be. Booya.

5. I'll take 5 for 8 in the NCAA picks. Honestly, Rice did it to me again and I should've expected it. As a fan, I felt obligated to pick them and badda-bing, lost quick. California is a good story though. It's going to be sad to see them leave Omaha so early. Looking at the College World Series it's interesting to see that the only other time 6 or more of the National Top Eight Seeds made the CWS since 2002 was in 2008. The elite are elite this year. Texas A&M is going to put in a good run I think. I see them beating SoCarolina and Virginia before bowing out on back-to-back losses to Virg in the the double-elimination two-bracket style tournament. I have UNC winning through and through with Florida being their only threat. UNC is my pick to win it over Virginia in a battle that thankfully for UNC, doesn't involve Oregon State (see 2006 and 2007 CWS).

Don't be surprised if defending champion South Carolina bows out early to A&M and Cal. Just saying, it could happen.

6-2-11 (11:12:13 AM EST)

NCAA Baseball Tournament

I fully expect criticism for this but with the NCAA Baseball College World Series starting tomorrow, I wanted to get my regional and super regional picks in. People are always criticizing the committee for going with some teams over others and I'm not into that bag. The Field of 64 is set so let's play some baseball. I don't care if LSU was "snubbed" as the 9 seed in the SEC Tourney and the possible 8th team to make the tournament from the conference. Not worth discussing just because a team with a lesser RPI like St. John's makes it in due to their runner-up spot in the Big East.

Over it.

Number one overall seed Virginia should do what they've been doing all season and roll thru their region into the super. I see them facing the Cinderella Story from a couple years back in Fresno State despite UCLA's great pitching with Virginia rolling into the CWS.

I've been a fan of Matt Purke from TCU for a while now and I'm glad he's a lower projected draft pick than I had hoped. More upside to him. Regardless, his Horned Frogs will beat the Sooners and take on my boys from Rice; who were handed a bid to the super regionals with Baylor as their only threat. The Owls pitching needs to overpower a big hitting club in Baylor to secure the trip and I think they do. TCU vs. Rice and I'm going to go with my boys though I'm fairly certain TCU's bats have what it takes to oust the Owls.

Florida State is going to fall to UCF and the Golden Knights will make a trip to the supers in memory of Ryan "Cummshow" Cummings' recent departure. That'll be the last stop for them as Texas A&M will make the CWS.

I'm torn in the Clemson regional because I love Coastal Carolina's Anthony Meo. Local boy just tearing stuff up in the Big South with some help from his two sub-2.5 ERA counterparts. I want Coastal, I could see Connecticut but I can only imagine Clemson taking this one. They're going to get number four national seed South Carolina and USC is going to simply wash their hands of them. No big deal.

Almost done.

Florida tops Miami in the Gainesville Region and then tops Georgia Tech in the supers after the Yellow Jackets get a run for their money from Mississippi State.

Pedroia's alma mater will cruise through their region before topping #7 national seed Texas to make Pedey proud as Arizona State heads to Omaha.

Vanderbilt has their hands full with the Cowboys of OK State as the two seed in their region but will hold them off and take on my only 3 seed advancing, Georgia, for a chance at the CWS. Georgia heading in at a lowly 31-30 overall record will hit a bit of a hot streak and head to Omaha as a severe underdog.

The Titans of Cal State Fullerton, my other favorite team, will make it to the supers only to fall short of the CWS for, like, the 50th straight time it seems when the lose to the loaded UNC Tar Heels.

My final eight teams are as follows...

Virginia

Rice

Texas A&M

South Carolina

Florida

Arizona State

Georgia

North Carolina

So when this is nowhere close to happening in two weeks, I will make new picks and then give you the eventual champion which WILL NOT be Virginia..... or Rice.

If you haven't seen them yet, here are the NCAA's Regional previews - - -

Regional Preview PART 1

Regional Preview PART 2

5-28-11 (11:22:33 AM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1- Because it happened mere hours ago, I am going to get my Bruins talk out of the way. Whalen has been on an unprecedented vacation from blogging and even a short break from his big boy job. So someone has to talk about them! I have the day off. Might was well. Here we go:

They are in the Stanley Cup Finals!!! That's a JUST IN CASE you were living in a cave for the past 15 hours. Offseason acquisition Nathan Horton put in the game winner with 7 minutes left in the 3rd period and the B's won, 1-0. Horton is what we thought he was. It may not be nightly but it's worth it. The 8 games he has scored a goal in have all been wins for the Bruins this playoffs. He got knocked down early, shook him up a bit, but the man came back to propel the Bruins to their first Finals appearance since 1990.

What else did I see? What everyone else saw, that's what. Peverley was FLYIN' around the ice and was a big factor in keeping Tampa off balance defensively. Seidenberg may be my favorite player. Paired up with Chara on D, they could possibly be the best defensive-combo in the NHL. They are huge and they play bigger! Seidenberg was everywhere and did everything last night. Big hit? Check. Shoot from the point and get the puck on net? Double check. Block shots? YEP! Just a force to reckon with and he makes Chara better because the team can utilize Chara more in different facets with Seidenberg back there. I love defense.

Bruins take on the Canucks. I'm not much of a hockey guy so a preview is NOT what you are getting from me. I know the game so I can recap, but no preview. I just know Luongo carried my fantasy team and is a battle this team will need to figure out much like Carey Price.

Go Bruins.

2- The NBA Finals tickets are punched and people love to keep LeBron as the topic of conversation. I've seen and heard all the arguments and the Scottie Pippen comments too. I'm not phased by any of them. Quit talking about him being the best player ever. It's a dead topic to me that I'm going to talk about anyways. Jordan the best scorer and Bron the best player? Get out of here Scottie and the other followers of this thought process. The best ever discussion starts with Jordan. Some people throw Bird and Magic in there but Jordan changed the game. He did things with the basketball and won championships with wingmen. Not superstars. I made the point to @TimAmara the other night when someone said that LeBron is playing amazing in the playoffs and he's great. Where was this last year when his Cavs lost? Or the year before? Or the year before that? C'mon people. LeBron is a great player. This year people are accentuating it but they shouldn't be because he has Wade on the wing. Another GREAT player. Scottie Pippen was a good player that Jordan made look great. Wade is a great player that LeBron is reeping the benefits from. No contest.

Get better America.

3- Couldn't let this linger any longer. Shut yo mouf fools.

Do NOT. Repeat. DO NOT!!!! Do NOT bother looking at the collision rule in the MLB at home plate. Here is why: a catcher is by NO MEANS forced to stand in front the plate. He is doing it because he is allowed to when the ball is in his possession. Buster Posey is young and guess what, he learned his lesson. A freak accident where the plate caught his cleat (from my perspective) and he is out for the rest of the season. I get why you're mad San Fran but don't make a stink about something that isn't worth stinking about. Next year he will stand on the inner portion of the field, take the ball and go for a sweep tag. Catchers have been charged for years. Watch the Pete Rose truck job and tell me that guy shouldn't have died. Please, dont change this. It's not necessary.

Go Roache.

5-23-11 (11:48:23 AM EST)

Thoughts of the late, great Matty Dew:

1- Trying to keep a Monday theme going and this one is EPIC. Whalen makes his triumphant return to New England tomorrow and the ladies are swooning, men are in awe and the children are all waiting for their dad to come home! Ok that's not the real reason today is BIG! The Bruins made things interesting this weekend by dropping game 4, 5-3, after holding a 3-0 lead after the first period. All knotted up at 2 games each, some people will always refer to game 5 as a "pivotal" game. I call their bluff and say every game is pivotal so they are right, but I am more right because game 5 isn't the ONLY pivotal one. You saw it once in the Montreal series where the B's took a laid back approach it seemed and they were simply outhustled or outplayed. I think that is what happened in game 4. It can't happen again. They need to force the issue. Push harder and fight harder. Timmy The Tank is one hell of a goalie but the man can't do it all. The Bruins D needs to hold true and not give up anything out of the ordinary. Tonight isn't any more pivotal than a game 4 win could have been or as a game 1 win is. It's as pivotal as every time they've stepped on the ice these playoffs and needed a win. Get the win tonight.

2- Did you enjoy the weekend? I sure did and it's because Interleague Play brought forth an interesting topic on HOW it effects the lesser teams in the league. They're thinking about doing away with it or giving teams an option on who they want to play. The interleague scheduling doesn't pan out the way it does in any of the other Big Four sports where there is as close to equal playing field per division per team. In the MLB some teams seem to get the short end of the stick and others the longest stick ever made. Should it change? Many people say yes. I say yes too. To what? I'm still not sure but I don't think they need to continue on the path they're going. There has to be a better route for Interleague Play. Whether it be letting the teams agree on who they play the X amount of games each year. For instance, the Red Sox could choose the teams they've had ties with in the past; Cubs from 1918 (just happened obviously), Braves because there was a Boston Braves franchise moved to Milwaukee then ATL, Cardinals because they beat them in '04 WS, Rockies because they beat them in '07 WS, and the Giant's because they won it all last year. Just teams that they think their fans would want to see so they don't necessarily have to choose theose teams, it's just an example. There are plenty more options like playing teams that finished in similar position as you the year prior; Red Sox finished 3rd in AL East so they definitely play the 3rd place team from the NL East, Central and West the following year. I dunno, just spit-balling.

3- Off of the whole Interleague Play thing, good weekend for the Sox. Not great. Great would have been a lead that they held on Saturday night. Taking the rubber game with oldie-but-goodie Wake on the hill was great. Has anyone looked at the standings? Excuse me, let me rephrase that... has anyone that doubted this team after their abysmal start looked at the standings? The AL East is only being challenged by the AL West as the most competitive division in Major League Baseball right now and THAT (plus improved hitting and pitching) is what has the Sox a half game out this morning. The early season test is this series against the Indians at the Jake aka Progressive (Soup not the Insurance) Field. They are the best team in the league in the win/loss column and they are playing some solid baseball brought to them in part by the surge of the millionth Cabrera to play the game (Damn Cabrera's are everywhere). The Red Sox can do a mini Whalen flex of the muscles these next three nights with at least two wins over the Tribe.

5-17-11 (2:55:11 PM EST)

Thoughts of the late, (still) great Matty Dew:

1- Disappointing out for the Celtics huh? Doc's locked up for 5 years so we're not looking into the light at the end of the tunnel just yet. We're in the tunnel and it's about 4 years long but no light yet. The game though, just didn't unravel how I thought it would and now that we are about a week removed, I can honestly say I barely remember it. All I remember is a couple plays late in the game that turned it for them. The big one was RayRay's missed 3-pointer after a timeout that could have let some air out of the Heat but instead responded with a Bosh dunk and BronBron three. It's strange to think that the last basket the Celtics scored this year was by Krstic in a losing semi-final effort, but that's just being nit-picky.

2- The whole Jorge Posada thing is an absolute joke. The guy has always been on my 'Players I LOVE to HATE' list in the MLB (joing AJ Pierzynski and more recently Armando Galarraga) and his bailing on a game an hour or so before is NOT beneath him. It's a petty matter to say the least but still a matter that the media, in their infinite wisdom, makes newsworthy. In all reality, who cares if the dude takes a night off? As Girardi said, they're entitled to it. The only issue is that it came the same night he was dropped to the nine hole and people were saying he was being a bitch. Well peeps, he is a bitch. Has been for a long while now. Get the eff over it.

3- The Bruins don't need to win tonight. Will they? I think yes. I don't think the Lightning are going with the same tactic they used in game 1 because the B's will be ready to defend it. That being said the B's don't NEED to win tonight and here's my thought process. You can take your talents to Montreal and win two road games after starting down 0-2 then you sure as shit can do it in front of a less raucous crowd in sunny Tampa. Shit you won two on Broad Street, you're very capable of winning in the confines of whatever arena the Lightning play in. Ain't no thang but a chicken wang!! Go Whalen! Go Amara! Go Bruins!

5-10-11 (11:59:59 AM EST)

4-23-11 (11:34:43 AM EST)

The thing I enjoyed most about last nights Celtics game is the difference from the game before with a better result. Game 2 was the Rondo show where Doc Rivers seemingly planned to have Rondo do the basket-making (terrible Easter reference) while using the rest of the floor as his able-bodied sidekicks. Game 3 was a different approach. Rondo was getting a lot of press coverage that was a little more difficult to shake than in Game 2. Doc had it covered and Rondo exploded with 20 assists.

It's the Tale of 2 Rondo's, really.

When the opportunity is there, he can and will score as needed with a majority of his work being done in the paint. When it's not there, Distribution King. Stepped on their throats last night. Don't let them breathe in Game 4. And if you do, step extra hard in game 5.

Booya!

4-20-11 (12:01:01 PM EST)

Wanted to make note of last nights Celtics game. Love the tactic by the good Doc-tor.

Especially after STAT went down to back spasms.

Original game plan without Chauncey Billups in the game was to let Rondo humiliate whatever poor soul was covering him and the career-playoff high of 30 points was the result. THEN Amar'e takes a warm bath early and it became "Let 'Melo do what he wants and cover up the other fellas on the floor." The old BronBron trick it seemed. Let Lebron score the masses with Cleveland and if you shut down the other schmucks, you will reign supreme. Don't get me wrong, there was a fight in the rest of the Knickerbockers that had to be matched for game two to fall in the Celtics favor. They did that. Big-time defensive plays and huge-time hustle plays by Big Baby and KG (below) plus plenty of heads up offense from Rondo made this game worthwhile.

The 3-point victory helped make it worthwhile too.

OhYea!!

Better give him the damn timeout call!

4-16-11 (7:39:11 AM EST)

Early wake up call in the House of Dew.

There were some "boo's" last night for former Rays outfielder, Carl Crawford. Are they justified? From a fan standpoint of course. Is he the big problem that this team is dealing with? Of course not! They have one every day player hitting over .300 right now. He is far from the ONLY problem with this slow start. The question that trickles thru my mind is, is he one of the stars that won't shine bright in the Fenway spotlight? It happens in the big markets. Some players can't make it in the big cities. They pressure themselves too much. The media is too much for them compared to their smaller market success. If you're thinking that Crawford is fitting that role and will be a bust then I ask you sit tight. The man hasn't started a season like this in ANY MLB season in Tampa but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen in Tampa. Continue in the CSBS ways there Bomb'rs, stay classy and keep it easy for now.

Still.... no time to panic.

4-14-11 (1:59:41 PM EST)

Here is what makes it a rivalry: the hate that New York has for Boston and the despise that Boston has for New York. It's not necessarily a Knicks vs Celtics thing. They haven't had a meaningful game between them in Amara-knows how long. The real fuel behind this fire stems from the Red Sox vs Yankees and Patriots vs Jets. Does it make sense? Not to the common man. Not at all. But to Bostonians and a better portion of New Englanders it sure as shit does. If you have a vested interest in Boston sports then you hate the Yankees and hate the Jets. Naturally, you hate the Knicks whenever they're good.

There are plenty of New Yorker's that feel the hate too. Pre-2003/2004 when the Patriots won their 2nd Super Bowl and the Red Sox broke the curse there wasn't much hate coming from the New York area. I knew plenty of New York sports fans in 2002. Every single one of them were shocked by Boston's utter hatred for their beloved teams. They would laugh when a Boston fan spoke of the "rivalry" between Boston and New York. They did that because their teams (i.e. just the Yanks) had the recent championships. They accepted the 2001 Patriots as a fluke season until 03-04 rolled around. Then they started to get pissed because someone was beating them consistently and started to see the rivalry that Boston sports fans swore by for years prior. The biggest contest of the major four sports is Red Sox vs Yankees and if you needed to hear me say it then you need to a) get out more then b) commit suicide. With recent battles and the Curtis Martin/Bill Belichick debacles, Patriots vs Jets is a comfortable second. Go back to the 70's and early 80's for any worthwhile Celtics vs Knicks games but this coming series could be the beginning of a beautiful battle.

That is of course, if the C's bench doesn't outdo the Knickerbockers and the Celts 'Big 3' take a seat for most of the first three quarters. If those two things happen, then I see a fun-filled series here. Otherwise, good night New York!

Celts in 5.

4-12-11 (5:27:19 PM EST)

I feel like Whalen taking all this time off between blogs.

I had a perfectly good Monday afternoon to put something out there after a big 2-1 weekend over the arch-rivals for your Boys of Summer and I opted not to. Well here I am on a rainy Tuesday to continue the CSBS theme of having everyone RELAX a little bit more over the Red Sox. Sure, losing your first two series of the season 38-16 and then getting 2 of your next 4 isn't something to brag about but there is hope nonetheless. There comes a time in a season where normal fans of a team lose hope and it is NOT right now. Red Sox fans are a different breed. We know this. If this team walks crawls into May with at least 12 wins you shouldn't fret. They'll be 12-15 which isn't pretty but if you put it into perspective, they'd be 12-15 after starting the season 0-6. To say 10 more wins is out of the question is belittling and disappointing to all Sox fans everywhere. If you've lost THAT much hope in them these first ten games then you should just quit cheering for this team or any team for that matter. So continue to sit tight and deal with the crushing 16-5 loss or the unfortunate 0-6 start and talk to me at the end of the month when your boys are still in fourth but approaching .500.

4-6-11 (9:59:59 AM EST)

Check out Amara's Red Sox PANIC blog and his National Championship blog from early this morning (4/6/11). I sat in my office for about 9 minutes yesterday starting my Natty 'Ship blog and thinking about the exact same Red Sox blog. Then work came along again and I had to erase my work and badda bing badda boom, Amara beats me to the punch.

Wow.

Is this a great minds think alike scenario? I say yes.

You say "Whalen didn't think it then there is no great mind involved."

And then I would respond to that with "Get off his dick Cummings, he's gonna go to _____ with you."

Boom. Roached.

Now onto my MLB write up because I officially can't write a college basketball blog due to my 5 point loss (with +2 in the number of correct picks department) to Whalen in CSBS Tourney Pick'em.

I am looking at the first four or five games of the season for most teams and wondering which player is my "Chris Shelton Premature Ejaculation" Award recipient. Chris Shelton sticks out like a sore thumb to me because of the ridiculous amount of hype the man got in 2006 when he hit 9 homeruns in his first 13 games. Baseball fans were in awe of this red-head (fuckin gingers) and I didn't know why. Sure as shit the guy hit seven dingers in his next 102 games and no one has seen or heard of him since. Well to the best of my (former but never self-proclaimed) baseball guru knowledge, there has been at least one guy every year that is a somewhat unknown throughout the MLB and thanks to a firey (ginger joke) start, is a household name for April. Last year, for me it was Dallas Braden and his Mother's Day no-no that dwindled quickly into a season of mediocrity.

Well through their first four games, Detriot's Brennan Boesch is batting .500 in three games played and is the "American League Leader" and Nick Hundley is rocking a .533 BA in San Diego's first four to lead the NL.

Mark Teixeira (NYY) and Nelson Cruz (TEX) both have four bombshow's thru five games apiece

and

Alex Gordon and Howie Kendrick have the most hits in the AL with 9 while Starlin Castro has 10 for the Cubbies in the NL.

Jaime Garcia has some potential to be the winner of this award with his complete game shutout on four hits and nine K's this week vs. San Diego.

All in all, we don't have a real stand out yet this year, nor should we. This is a premature blog on being the premature player. Fitting right?

I give it until April 27th to find the Cummings-esque Pre-mee. Until then, I ask you all to give me your favorite Pre-mee in any sport in any year.

3-30-11 (4:14:14 PM EST)

#nowplaying - Hit The Lights "The Call Out"

As you can see with this song, I am answering Amara's beckoning call.

Off-season moves for the AL East

BAL

For a division that did serious moves, you don't really expect the Orioles to be on the list of teams that produce BUT low and behold... Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy, Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero were offensive moves that should help the impressive outfield come to the top third of the East.

BOS

Adrian Gonzalez? Check.

Carl Crawford? Check.

Dan Wheeler? Check.

Bobby Jenks? Check.

All those additions while keeping the young fellers (ahem Darnell McDonald) that contributed to last years near playoff push. Kalish, Vana, Bard, Lowrie, Reddick... boom.

Losing Adrian Beltre and Bill Hall can't hurt when you have that type of production from the front office.

NYY

Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia are added to the rotation (probably). Rafael Soriano was put into this mix also. Lost Andy Pettite to retirement for what will probably be a few mere months. They did their work in the bullpen and pitching rotation this off-season to make their staff what they see as worthwhile.

TB

You saw their two moves way back when I blogged about it. Damon and Ramirez. Boom. Done.

TOR

They lost Vernon Wells and still have Jose Bautista. They are at more of a loss than any team in this division. Plain and simple.

There ya go Papa Beer.

3-29-11 (1:37:09 PM EST)

The colon and semi-colon button on my work laptop broke. Useless info? Sure was but I wanted to share because I never realized how pointless it was to TIMESTAMP my blogs until that button broke.

What's on Matty Dew's mind?

1) The hype for Opening Day is hitting more and more people that I see and talk to. I'm in a unique place where I have a number of kids roaming the hallways of the Woo rocking different MLB teams. The Woo is a Jersey landing strip so there are an impressive amount of Yankees and Mets fans. Mets fans are always out in full force during these months leading up to the season. Come September, there aren't any reppin'. Yanks are the usual. Been dealing with them for years. Always going to have a good year. Always gonna be cocky as hell and then when they lose in the playoffs, say "Great year, how many rings do we still have?". The old-timers that are NYY fans are the ones I like. Not cocky, confident with very few doubts. Being in Rhode Island, you get some of those. They've had a 60-40 split with Sox fans for years here in RI.
Sox fans are nuts (see Amara here) as most of you I'm sure are OR know from experience. Even before their World Series wins in 2004 and 2007, this collection of people, "The Nation", have been out of their tree for a while. Are there level-headed ones? Of course. Then there are the Yankee Jr's that I see year-in and year-out around these parts that just baffle the shit outta me. So gung-ho about Opening Day and will immediately throw in the towel at the end of April only to regroup by the All-Star break and hang on for dear life until playoff time when they will kick the shit out of you for just THINKING "Yankees". Strange group I tell ya. Thankfully... Amara, Whalen and I are not in that grouping. Though I'm willing to bet they know some crazy assholes like it.

2) Amara's rant was worthy of a shout-out, so here it is. Check out Amara's blog for this Final Four chatter!

3) Off of Amara's rant, I want to say that I completely understand where he is coming from with it. My only thing with this is we've seen it before and it's not too often that teams like Butler make it to back2back Final Fours or VCU joins them in the same season. I just think back to earlier years and can't get Amara-mad about it. Join me in this journey back in time....

1982 - 1984.

 Houston wasn't a powerhouse. They made it to the Final Four three years in a row and to the 'Ship in back-to-back years. Have we seen them since? No. Are they anywhere near good now? Not really.

1987 - 1991.

We saw UNLV, a storied program that people still continue to talk about, make it three times in five years while winning it all once! If we played WHERE ARE THEY NOW? I would say losing in the first round to the Fightin Illini. Relevant, sure. Great, no.

If you look as far back as 1992, there are only two real occasions with teams that aren't from power conferences in the Final Four. George Mason's run in 2006. Memphis' run in 2008 was the other but that was a bit more understood as far as I see it because of the team that Calipari put together. Even Louisville and Marquette from their Conf-USA days cant' be considered too far-fetched. Although I whole-heartedly agree that it would be better with the likes of TOSU, Pitt, Duke and Kansas in a four-team duel, I can't be mad at what's going on here. It's good stuff and it will be over soon.

Only the strong survive, my friend, only the strong survive.

3-25-11 (11:58:13 AM EST)

Fake conversation I could have with a Bomb'r this morning---

Bomb'r: "Last night was reassuring wasn't it?"

Me: "Sure as hell was. I wasn't shocked or surpised at all with the result of those two games in particular."

Bomb'r: "I believe you. You hate BYU and San Diego State."

3-23-11 (1:47:20 PM EST)

Wow, Talk about a motivational speaker!??! Amara barks and we listen! Whalen managed a blog mere hours before the call out and I'm getting one out now. Despite having to leave work in mere minutes for another baseball game... this time in the snow.

We are a week and a day away from MLB Opening Day and the word excited doesn't describe me right now. It must be watching all this sub-par Division III baseball here at the Woo that has me jacked up. I can watch any kind of baseball. I've watched a men's softball league from my car one night because I was bored. No joke, I'm a nerd. What I'm looking at right now is how confusing the Spring Training schedule is and how it makes ZERO sense. You have the Detroit Tigers who have 28 games under their belt already while the Mariners have 20. Why aren't these teams playing a similar number of games? And furthermore, why do these teams only want one day off before they kick off the regular season? Bruins took four days off between their preseason finale and their kickoff in Prague. Celtics took six. Patriots get the typical week. I understand the schedule and toll each sport takes on a player/team is different but it just doesn't seem to make a whole hell of a lotta sense.

"Hey Miggy, play a game, pack your shit, travel back to Detroit, get your shit in a pile and play ball." Doesn't make sense. Let them get a couple days. Is it really that important to get a game or two in right before the season starts? I'm in favor of cutting down the Spring Training schedule anyways.

Change it.

3-17-11 (9:44:39 AM EST)

Big day! Little blog!

First and foremost - Happy St. Patrick's Day. I am only half Irish (unfortunately) but I celebrate like I'm full-blown from the Emerald Isle. My great-grandfather was so I count that big time. Eirinn Go Brach!

Secondly - Love Amara's breakdown of the bracket! Do I agree with it ALL? Of course not! That's what March Madness is all about. I decided to give a mini-breakdown of my take on this field of (now) 64.

Here it is: I feel like most of the world has a The Ohio State vs Kansas final. The "experts" from the Selection Show did. Amara does. Barack does. I do in two of my four brackets. As Papa Beer said in his b to the log, they've been the big timers all season. Why shy away now. One of my Final Fours has a Big 12 vs Big 10 and a Big 12 vs Big 10. Risky? A little but there is something about the shaky Michigan State that strikes me as a bubble/bracket buster. All-American caliber guard with a historic coach. Sure they had their season long issues but... it's March. Anything can happen. I feel like good things are going to come from them because it's in my "weak" bracket. I can totally see where Amara is coming from with the West though. My comparison of the two regions is simple. If I have the similar seeds matched up, who do I take?

1 = Duke vs Pitt? Duke. 1-0 West. 

2 = San Diego State vs Florida? Florida. 1-1.

3 = UConn vs BYU? UConn. 2-1 West.

4 = Texas vs Wisconsin? Texas. 3-1 West.

And 5-16 are not important to me personally. Your top half is makes or breaks you and I am only really afraid of Florida to the point where if you match them up with Duke, I still may take them. So for me to have a 10-seed coming from the Southeast means the region was weak (and I'm an idiot).

All that nonsense being said, I like Texas, Ohio State and Kansas to go along with Michigan State (like I said, in one bracket). I don't see Pittsburgh making it past the Sweet Sixteen. Duke should make it to the Sweet Sixteen. I have North Carolina and Florida getting bounced on Saturday/Sunday this week. So all in all. My bracket is a shit show and I love it.

Let the games begin. Good luck!

#nowplaying - The Dubliners - Dicey Reilly

3-14-11 (10:49:21 AM EST)

Here is another college basketball blog for ya! Ya know why?? Cuz after this tournament is over and Whalen beats me in Pick'em I can't write any more. I'd like to argue that with this; I can't write any more meaningless ones. If I have a good one that I run by him first... I'll do it.

Welcome.

On to bigger things... like the Southeast bracket in the NCAA Tournament. How much of a joke can you be?!?! Pitt is the 1, Florida is the 2, BYU is the friggen 3 and Wisconsin is the 4!!! This is awful!! There is so much potential for upset with those four names that I literally can't pick anyone in that bracket to do anything. BYU as a three is fuckin' joke, 'scuse the language but it's THAT terrible. They are a 5! At best! They lost their conference tourney! Fuck'em! Get'em outta here with a 3 seed. Just an ugly bracket thru and thru. Then you have the Johnnies as a 6 with potential for a first round blunder to the 'Zags. They threw Butler and Old Dominion in here along with Utah State too! It's like they tried to hand craft the way for Pitt to come thru this bracket and, to be honest, it probably won't happen despite.

Unfuckinreal dot com.

According to experts, this is one of the weakest tournament brackets in recent memory. I blame this Southeast region.

Go Wofford.

Sidenote: Fuckin Dickie V and Jay Bilas have the Big East boner that I lost in the middle of the season. Check their picks, I dare ya.

3-12-11 (1:05:01 PM EST)

Off-season Moves For The AL Central

MIN

Quietly picked up a Japanese infielder, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, that could provide a solid bottom of the line-up bat but Twinkie fans are more excited for the Mauer/Morneau combo back at it every day.

CHW

Found Adam Dunn which seems to be a good fit for both but lost reliever Bobby Jenks. Iced up Alexei Ramirez for five years but my biggest "WTF" is Omar Vizquel??? Dude still plays??? 21 seasons under his belt. Ha. Crazy.

DET

Victor Martinez traveled west from Boston to join his fellow Venezuelan Magglio Ordonez. The Tigers traded the wanna-be no-hitter Armando Galarraga for two pitchers from ARI.

CLE

OC. Orlando Cabrera is going to see a lot of his time in an Indian uniform over at second base along side Asdrubal Cabrera. Dear Cleveland fans, if that's your answer to a 93 loss season... yikes.

KC

Lost Zack Greinke, Yuniesky Bettencourt, Brian Bannister and David DeJesus. Picked up Melky Cabrera, Alcides Escobar and Jeff Francis. I'm starting to believe that the Royals don't have an interest in being good. They enjoy the bottom of the Central... like Whalen enjoys... nevermind.

3-12-11 (12:11:10 PM EST)

Off-season Moves For The AL West

TEX

Nothing much to say about the AL Champ... they took Adrian Beltre off the market assuming Michael Young was gonna be a bitch this year. Seems the two sides have come to an accord and Young will be a DH and multi-faceted infielder. The loss of Cliff Lee shouldn't fare well for the starting 5 as he was a big part of what won the AL crown.

OAK

Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui are the key additions while David DeJesus could be their quiet surprise this year after his limited 2010.

LAA

A lot of big movers this year huh? Vernon Wells must agree with you because he shipped out of Toronto and is under the sunny skies of Anaheim for the 2011 season. Anaheim fan favorite Garrett Anderson hung 'em up this off-season which makes the addition of Wells that much more important. Kendy Morales added an S to his first name.

SEA

A few mediocre moves with the addition of C Miguel Olivo, 2B Brendan Ryan and DH Jack Cust could prove some people wrong with this 2011 Mariners team.

3-12-11 (11:48:48 AM EST)

As pointless as it may be to some of you, I gotta finish it before the season starts and we're making predictions...

Off-season Moves For The  NL East

PHI

One of the big winners this winter due to the 5 year deal they struck with lefty Cliff Lee, The only other real move they made was keep manager Charlie Manuel around for another two seasons. On paper, they have put together one of the best rotations in the MLB this season.

ATL

Legend Bobby Cox retired at the end of the year and the Braves grabbed Fredi Gonzalez who now has some of the biggest shoes to fill in recent years (comparable to Girardi for Torre). The Braves big move was for a former player under Gonzalez in Florida, second baseman Dan Uggla. Nothing else has really changed in Hot-lanta.

FLA

With the loss of Uggla's All-Star potential, the Marlins are left to rely on their young guys thru the season as they made minimal moves. Ricky Nolasco, Shawn Hill and John Buck are hardly players to get excited about adding in. I'm more interested in Coghlan, Morrison, Sanchez and, of course, Hanley.

NYM

Smartest things the Mets have done in the past few years happened this winter in cutting ties with general manager, Omar Minaya IMMEDIATELY following the last game of the season. Owner Fred Wilpon made for a busy season in Flushing with all the front office moves they made. Through it all their offense didn't change much.

WAS

The Nationals made one of the many big signings this off-season in the acquisition of Jayson Werth. Big deal with big years behind it. Adam LaRoche and Rick Ankiel top off their relevant new faces.

3-12-11 (11:21:12 AM EST)

Irrelevant? Yes, this blog is JUST that (did you expect anything more? exactly.). With that being said, I'm willing to bet most of you thought this quickly while watching Sportscenter or a news station or NBA TV or whatever.

What the hell goes on in San Antonio to have another bat flying through the old arena there and just sittin on peoples laps? The last one didn't learn? Thing was swatted out of mid air by the creepy Argentinian last season. The Kings fans must bring them because it's the second time in three trips where one of these things were caught flying around.

3-7-11 (9:53:35 AM EST)

Heading into conference tournaments here are my top 5 teams.... and then some...

NCAA Top 5 (Week of 3/7)

1. Kansas - with big wins over Texas A&M at home and over Mizzou on the road in the final regular season game, they earned the top spot and should hold onto a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2. Ohio State - a convincing win over Wisconsin on Senior Day solidifies the #2 ranking, and unless they get ousted by the Northwestern/Minnesota winner, they should have a top spot in Tourney also.

3. Pittsburgh - I hate admitting it but I'm still high on this team despite the overtime loss AT Louisville and their ugly 1-point loss to the Johnnies. A double-bye until Thursday can only help as their four losses this season have come 2 or 3 days after another game. Any four day lay-offs or longer have W's next to them.

4. Notre Dame - Riding a four game win streak with a big win over UConn without Hansbrough in the game for about the final 8 minutes is a telling story of this Lucky Irish team. Should they really be a 4? Probably not. But Texas, Purdue and Duke lost this past week, and ND didn't plain and simple.

5. Texas - The Dukies have two less losses than them but both teams lost two of their last three and Texas is the better team overall. A six loss team this high is scary.

On the out:

Purdue - As I said on 3-1-11, they earned the shot to get knocked out of the top 5... and tahdah! They did it with a bad loss to Iowa.

Duke - I wanted to put you lower on 3-1-11 but would've put BYU in the top 5... now that BYU lost and the Devils fell to the Heels, it's easy. Out.

On the up:

North Carolina - For now anyways... I don't want to read into the Duke win too much... so they can hop into the top 10 until otherwise beaten. They've also won 7 in a row which is more than any team listed above.

Syracuse - A bad two weeks of basketball was their fall from grace in the end of January. They are on the up with five straight W's and a 4-seed in the Big East tourney.

3-5-11 (1:53:22 PM EST)

Off-Season Moves For The NL Central

CIN

Starting with last years division winner, the little Reds engine that could. They were a top 5 in major offensive categories last year and in the top 13 in a few big time pitching statistics. Where'd they improve? Did they? Well they grabbed D-Train Dontrelle Willis on a minor league contract while keeping their big cats in NL MVP Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Jonny Gomes and Edinson Volquez. With the addition of World Series MVP Edgar Renteria to replace the spark plug Orlanda Cabrera this team hasn't really IMPROVED all too much. Could they win the division again? Yes. Could they bounced in the divisional round again? Abso-freakin-lutely.

STL

They didn't get a deal in place for the great Alby. What more needs to be said about their off-season? Not much but I'll tell you anyways. They watched Jim Edmonds retire and picked up Rice alum and Yankee dud, Lance Berkman. They managed to keep Jake Westbrook around for two more years after getting him from Cleveland in the midst of last season. He's going to need to be huge for them if they want any chance at winning games, due to the recent falling of Adam Wainwright.

MIL

FIrst off, I can't believe Craig Counsell is still around. Anyways, they added some pitching in Takashi Saito and Shawn Marcum and gave Sir Prince another year. These moves don't scream "TOP OF THE NL CENTRAL"... they scream mediocrity.

HOU

Too many pitching moves to make note of... really... there were like 15 and all zero of them were of real importance. The biggest one was signing Wandy Rodriguez to three years. Their offense hasn't changed much with Carlos Lee and Michael Bourn being the producers for a sub-par Central squad. Bill Hall was tacked onto the roster after a decent year with the Red Sox coming off of a terrible 2009 in Milwaukee/Seattle.

CHC

One of the big free agents made their stop here in Carlos Pena, formerly of Tampa. Put him behind Alfonso Soriano or Aramis Ramirez and that's one of the best 3-4 combos in this division. They also gave Kerry Wood a second chance in the windy city after his stint in CLE and NYY while keeping Geovany Soto in the organization for another year. The makings of a good season with a simple addition of Pena. Still not going to be enough to end the goat drought.

 PIT

After a year as a hitting coach in Texas, Clint Hurdle was taken back to the show by the lowly Pirates. I think it's a great move for a team looking at their future. The Colorado Rockies took Hurdle in and 5 years later are in the World Series. If the Pirates want to be a team in contention in the NL, Hurdle can help. The young core of Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Ronny Cedeno and Pedro Alvarez are what Hurdle needs and will get production from. Don't sleep on them this year. They could cause some problems for some teams. I'm not saying they're winning the division. They shouldn't be the worst team in the league again though.

3-4-11 (10:36:33 AM EST)

Holding down the fort at the Woo and I have one question.... is this fuckin college basketball?? High school?? Where the fuck am I???

I hope they don't make calls like this tonight or you may see an angry Irish midget charge the floor and bite a few ankles or kick a few shins. I may take Tommy out there with me just so I have a distraction with that amazingly crazy voice the dude brings to the table. Ya know, it's bad enough we get these types of calls in the college game more often than not. Now the NBA referees think it's a good idea to blow a whistle on that!? GTFOH with that garbage. I'm not as mad as I am con-fuckin-fused. How does that ref see a paycheck after that type of call? I mean, there is a CLEAR distinction between the NBA and NCAA games big cat. Get your shit in a pile so we don't see this again because it's painful.

PS- Hey Cummings, GTFOH means Get The Fuck Outta Here. I know you're old, but you're learning and that's all that matter big guy.

PSS- I don't know if getting hit in the head while dunking is considered "posterizing" but to each his own, youtube uploader.

3-3-11 (10:59:21 AM EST)

Just when I didn't think I could hate BYU being in the AP Top 5 any more... they pull this shtuff*. Let the kid get his piddle puddled*. His tallywhacker* slapped around.

Poor kid has lived his life with this much honor and sex-less-ness already, no wonder he's out shtooping* a pretty little ditty. This is more deserving of an ol' slap-on-the-wrist rather than a suspension from school and the basketball team, obviously.

Brandon Davies, I got your back.

Leave that god-forsaken (hmmm, seems wrong to say that) place and go get your johnson jimmered* (just made that up). For a school that is focused on the Mormon religion which, to the best of my knowledge, allows multiple wives for men... to curse the ground Davies walks on by suspending him for an honor code violation is astounding.

So ultimately they are saying this to the students at BYU: "Dear Student, while on campus... don't do anything. Don't touch a girl. Don't even touch yourself. But as soon as you marry one, you can marry a million and just run straight baby-makin facilities with them. Deal? Deal."

Are you kidding? Forget that*. It's like having to be a certain age to drink alcohol when you know damn well everyone is doing it anyways. Why bother?

Get creepy in college and after, King Whalen style. Do yourself a favor and don't go to BYU. Place is obviously a gong-show.

* = edited for Mormon readers

3-2-11 (5:37:33 PM EST)

I didn't watch much of the NFL Combine. I just plain couldn't.

Don't hate the player, hate his big boy job.

NFL talk isn't really my bag all too much either but I must say, I can understand why something like the combine and the upcoming NFL Draft are so meaningful for football junkies like Amara and King Whalen. This is just one of those things that no one wants to see happen but as of right now, is completely likely. The lockout is looming and scaring NFL analysts and fans alike. NFL related things like the combine and the draft are keeping these people sane!! Amara's Mock Draft is keeping him sane! Hope you guys enjoyed the combine and enjoy the NFL Draft... enjoy it while you have it.

That's my debbie downer blog of the year. If I do another one, Whalen has rights to contract out my murder. In which case, he'd be doing some serious Charlie Sheen-like winning.

3-1-11 (10:15:45 AM EST)

This is the price I pay for working at an awful Division III institution that just so happens to have the best scorer in college basketball on their team and one of the best goal scorers/point scorers/power play scorers in Division III Hockey on their team. Makes for a busy spring break for this asshole.

Anyways, here is my Top 5 NCAA D1 Mens Basketball teams after this weekend (and before Texas' loss last night to K-State)

1. Kansas - could close out the year on top. 

2. Ohio State - should close out the year on top.

3. Pittsburgh - still a solid 4 loss team.

4. Purdue - with back-to-back wins over Wisc and TOSU, they deserve a shot to get knocked out of here.

5. Duke - your welcome. I'd put you lower with the abysmal loss to VaTech but that would put BYU in and I hate that.

With the Texas loss to K-State, it only gives more of an edge in the AP & ESPN polls to boost BYU. Damn you Texas.... sure they may still have what it takes to dance deep into March but what's with making me appear to be right with your solid play early on? I expected it to be the opposite like everything else I say... damn Horns.

*My sincere apologies to King Whalen and Amara, apparently... they hate my college basketball blogs.*

2-27-11 (3:11:11 PM EST)

...annndddd like clockwork... Duke falls thanks to my uplifting blog. Atta boy Coach (spell it like it sounds) Shisheffski.

New top 5 for you tomorrow morning.

2-27-11 (3:00:00 PM EST)

"Matty Dew's 'Matty Don't" goes to the people getting ready or recently hopped onto Cam Newton's bandwagon. Don't do it. If you've been on it since Day 1 of Auburn's season then by all means, stay true. If you were on it halfway thru the year when you realized he was a big deal in the college football world, sit pretty on that wagon. Even if you waited until the comeback win over Alabama to join the ranks, sure... remain seated. I'm not going to the extent that Amara went and say he's likely to be a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft nor am I going down the King Whalen route and say he is only in it for the fame and money. I am simply saying do not hop on that bandwagon if you are in fact thinking about it. He holds too much on his shoulders and may or may not be the next JaMarcus Russell in the league so for your own reputations sake, just stay off the bandwagon until he proves something worthwhile in the NFL.

2-26-11 (9:51:37 AM EST)

Kansas needs this win over Oklahoma before their big battles with top-25 brethren Texas A&M and Mizzou. Ohio State should roll Indiana at home before hitting the road for Penn State then getting revenge on Wisconsin. The questionable #1 seed Duke has an easy road to stay atop the rankings with an easy road game against the Hokies before taking on Clemson. They have a challenge to close out the year with the Tar Heels at Chapel Hill. The Hokies pose no real threat as their biggest conference loss was to the 3-10 Yellow Jackets at Georgia Tech. So keep the eyes closed because the Dukies are going to be atop the rankings yet again after this weekend. There probably won't be much of a shake at the top after this weekend.

Sidenote: Let me just note that I am glad that AP Top 25 gets it...

San Diego State is NOT a top-5 squad when game in and game out they play the likes of Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara... or even the Shockers of Wichita State. I don't care if they go 100-0 all year, they still shouldn't be a top-5 team. Their only "good win" was against the Zags when they were ranked #12 and have since fallen from grace so that doesn't even friggen count. ESPN/Coaches Poll needs to get its head out of it's ass and stop acting "hungover like a moose". It's unreal. They definitely need to get the 'monkeys who are pounding on their brain out of their damn head.'

Thanks Cummings for the great quotes.

2-23-11 (11:22:55 AM EST)

2-22-11 (11:44:22 AM EST)

36. Number mean anything to you? Cummings age??? Close but not close enough. Age Amara will be when his parents move out and give him the kingdom that is his house??? Thats entirely possible but not what I'm getting to.

It's the amount of Spring Training games the Red Sox are slated for beginning Saturday afternoon and it's about 18-20 too many. I'm not one to complain about baseball being played but with the ability to play a game every day of the week or even five/six out of the seven days, is there a need for a month plus with 36 games? That just doesn't seem necessary. Isn't there talk of shortening the NFL pre-season?? Try it out MLB! Cut it down to 18 games. You don't need the extra 18 to figure out your 25-man roster. You know by game four who has what it takes. It just seems a bit of a stretch to keep these games going for the entire month of March for what is ultimately a mere excuse to stay in warm areas. The players are in shape (e.g. John Lackey looks like he is almost in shape for the first time since he was an actual circle), they all know how to play the damn game so all that you really need is a bit of chemistry to build up and if it takes more than two and a half weeks of games to do that then your doing something wrong.

Switch it up.

2-21-11 (10:19:48 AM EST)

Despite my Whalen-like stats (Richmond beat Purdue in the Chicago Tourney), I am still a curse like no other. We're gonna let this week ride out with a couple more predictiona and really stick it to the man. Any teams you want to see lose that really shouldn't lose or should but probably won't? Let me know!

In light of Texas, TOSU and Pitt all losing this weekend... here is my NCAA top #5 for this week...

NCAA Mens Basketball Top 5 (week of Feb 21)

1. Kansas -still hafta host Texas A&M and travel to Mizzou to close out the year, be on upset alert (again)

2. Duke -climb the polls with only two losses, very susceptible to fall down the rankings even if they don't lose another game

3. Ohio State -bounce back wins over Illinois and Indiana could boost them to the #2 again real soon

4. Texas -facing four teams above .500 to close the season out, need to finish strong for a top seed in the Big 12 Tourney AND NCAA Tourney

5. Pitt -with a game vs USF (8-20) left, they have ulimately secured a double-bye in the Big East Tournament, but 'Nova and Louisville are coming to get 'em in these next two weeks.

2-20-11 (11:22:33 AM EST)

True Statements from the mind of Matty Dew:

- Dunk Contest isn't about the dunk anymore, it's quite certainly about the show that goes with the dunk. Examples: Superman cape, slap a sticker at the top of the backboard, stuffed animal grab with the mouth or a car jumping ceremony with choir music as a prelude.

- I'm fine with the above mentioned things because I understand it's not the impressiveness of the actual dunk, moreso the showmanship that goes with it, if it was about the actual dunk... I'm not convinced Griffin wins on his

- James Jones winning the 3-point contest is disappointing as a Celtics fan. I compare it to the Celtics loss to the Cavs at the beginning of the season. Just a "aww, that stinks" feeling and then Jay Z it.

- The Ohio State University will win today. Purdue has lost just one game at home this year but it was the Spiders of Richmond, Virginia that took care of them. Chalk it up to a bad day maybe but with TOSU already taking care of them once this year I'm willing to believe that it will happen again despite the top 10 upsets on Saturday.

- I know the above statement isn't a true statement. Chill.

- I got excited when Pierce hit the last ball to "stay alive" in round 1 of the 3-pt contest. I'm not proud of it. I was in a room of people that were excited too. It's the 3-pt contest. Relax me.

2-19-11 (4:49:54 PM EST)

I bought into it and I've been had. With many of my predictions the past few months I've felt like I was the demise of whichever team I was high on. Well Pittsburgh rang true today and thus proving Amara's "Big East is overrated" talk. Kudos to him, he is on some kind of roll with all of these predictions.

What I want to get into a little bit is the talk that I now see to be true with the recent losses by Pitt and Notre Dame, two of the top 10 teams from the Big East. When you have almost half the teams in your conference ranked in the top 25, you would think they are as solid as solid gets.

Well some people can look at the Big East two ways:

1) The teams are so good from top to bottom that they have to be the best conference and can continue to beat up on one another. They can go into each game and battle from tip-off to the final horn being the better team thru-and-thru with a surprise loss every once and again.

2) The teams are so evenly matched and overall average, that this is expected. All of the top teams in the conference are not too far off skill-wise from each other and (like all teams) susceptible to a lower level team upset.

Big East is above average but not the best conference in college basketball. To be honest, who knows which one is with Texas' loss to Nebraska today, you can't keep them in the top 5 this coming week. You just can't. The ACC isn't the best conference this year. Big 10, no way no how. Pac-10, please. SEC, ha!

Who knows really?? I sure as shit don't.

2-17-11 (3:13:23 PM EST)

PUJOLS

Thank the baseball gods that this Albert Pujols talk is over with until next offseason. Literally the only thing baseball clowns were talking about and Spring Training didn't even technically begin yet. I guess when they have something more than "Pitchers and Catchers are still here and still doing things" they have to hop right on it. I'm disappointed that they couldn't come to an agreement for Alby but at the same time, it should make next years "Hunt for the Great Poo Holez" kind of exciting.

It would've been nice to see the team put forth something close to what Pujols was suggested to be looking for because he is a face of that franchise that they'd be stupid to lose. That being said the 10 year, $300 millions offer that a few teams/analysts threw out is absurd. What would any team want to lock someone up for 10 years?

If you have a good relationship with the player, you shouldn't need to. 2-4 year deals with plenty of money coming in weighs better for the club and if you throw in a no-trade clause for the guy and a 2 year option of sorts, that makes things a lot easier to negotiate with.

10 years for A-Rod just passed over this past year and a new team later. 10 years just doesn't seem logical but who am I kidding.... someone like the Cubs would gladly John Hancock that dotted line in an attempt to be relevant.

2-16-11 (11:58:41 AM EST)

Trying to keep a trend going here in talking about college basketball and more specifically this time around, Texas and why they are getting such high praises in the polls. They are a 3-loss team with a non-Top 25 L under the belt and currently ranked #2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. On January 26th they were ranked 8th! Now their recent stretch of games is impressive don't get me wrong.

Wins over then #2 Kansas on January 22nd and two wins over then #10 and again #16 Texas A&M in a two week span were solid as well. Even the recent 9-pt win over Baylor should get a half-assed golf clap. All that being said, I always was under the distinct impression that your bad losses weighed heavier in the standings than your big wins. Texas is the only team in the top seven of the AP Top 25 with more than two losses.

Is it because the conference they are in? The Big 12 has four teams in the top 25 and have had at most five in their in the same week this season. Nine of their 12 teams are significantly above .500 for the year. The Big East has seven teams in the top 25 and 13 of 16 are above .500 with couple weeks to go. I guess my Texas talk has now turned into a WHERE IS THE BIG EAST LOVE talk?? Are people seeing things in Texas's three losses that Pitt didn't do in their two losses to top-25 ranked opponents?? I dunno. I just don't see where the Texas love is coming from. They lost to Pitt and beat Kansas. That alone puts them between the two in my rankings. I know the system doesn't work like that but damn... I guess I just have a thing for the Big East or against Texas. Either way, let's see a little movement up top.

2-15-11 (12:08:33 PM EST)

Like clockwork I write a blog saying that Kansas is the probable number 1 (though I still think Pitt deserves the shake) and they get the nod and BOOM. Donezo.

I feel cursed and I love it. I want to ruin lives with this ability. I want teams to crumble at the bit when I speak highly of them. Sorry 2010 Patriots. I have zero expectations of the 2011 Patriots. The Miami Heat have a promising stretch coming up after the All-Star Break that could benefit them greatly. 2010-11 Celtics and Bruins... nothing good to say about ya. If this curse is true then I'm not even a fan anymore for everyone's sake.

Whalen is going to hate this blog but it's because he'll read outside the lines and not read what I'm actually talking about here. I'm cursed man!!! Everything I talk highly of, falls!!! I don't want this to happen to teams the Bomb'rs and my colleagues love!!! I'm inconsiderate but I'm not an asshole!!!

#Respect

2-14-11 (11:22:33 AM EST)

Happy Valentines Day to Whalen's future ex-wife! Enjoy the day dear!

And Amara's sisters too!! Tell your future ex-boyfriends you love them now before I take over top-spot in your lives.

Seems like whatever it is I blog about the opposite happens... no?

Talk shit about the Eagles of Chesty Hill and boom, beat the average Terps and are looking at a possible four of five W's down the stretch now. They lost by one to the U, topped Virg and the Virg Tech Hokies and will close out the season against the worst the ACC has to offer this year in Wake. 10 win season in the ACC is nothing to be ashamed of. And courtesy of yours truly, they will probably win one or two the next five and have the road to hell in the ACC Tourney... hahahaha!! I'm an asshole.

Then to follow my college sports/college basketball ways, I mention TOSU's chance at greatness and bada-bing bada-boom, donezo. The honey Badgers topple them with a few games left on the schedule. No big deal in Buckeye country as it just would have been a nice thing to see for them but now they will probably fall in the rankings from the King spot. The kids are texting the letters NBD and it fits this situation perfectly for TOSU. No big deal. The top spot is for the birds anyways. Figuratively. Not literally.

Texas is a possible #1. Kansas with only one loss is the more realistic choice but the loss to Texas doesn't look good. My thought goes to the Big East and Pittsburgh. If not this week then soon with their only 2 losses against top-25 opponents. Two of the Longhorns three losses are against top-25 opponents (of their 8 games against) and one of those is to Pitt. The tough loss for Hook'em Horns was to USC. 17 point loss. Really?? They're barely .500!! Give it to Pitt and give the Big East the love they deserve right now with seven teams in the top-25.

1. Pitt

2. Kansas

3. Ohio St.

4. Texas

5. Duke

2-12-11 (1:55:22 PM EST)

The Boston College Eagles men's basketball team squares off against a similar middle-of-the-ACC-pack Maryland basketball team today and NO ONE CARES! Can you blame 'em? I say no. With the likes of Duke and UNC continuously pounding the brown spot of the Atlantic Coast Conference you can't argue with any college basketball fan for not paying attention to the local D1 team. I'd prefer the likes of the Eagles as opposed to the Rhody Rams in the weak-sauced A-10 or the Friars of PC in the overbearing Big East. Meanwhile, the Eagles are just skating by with Reggie Jackson's 18.0 ppg while senior forward Joe Trapani is droppin 14.9 ppg.

So what is going on at Boston College this season?

Well, senior leadership or even upper classman leadership is no shortcoming with only two freshmen on the roster, the remaining 12 are seniors or juniors. The likes of Trapani and Josh Southern along with BJ's brother Corey Raji are the seniors leading the charge for BC. The problem for the Eagles is their depth. It's clear as day. You would think with 12 upperclassmen this would never be an issue but such is life in Chestnut Hill. The drop off of their top five scorers to the sixth isn't something worthy of filling minutes.

This is, by no means, the fault of first year coach Steve Donahue, former Cornell Big Red leader. Nor is it really the fault of Al Skinner, former BC coach. Skinner did a decent job at BC in his 14 years, with eight postseason bids (7 NCAA tourneys) but the new year swing for a team with a new coach is always difficult to maintain. It could be put on Skinner's shoulders with his recruiting of the SR/JR group in place now and his production over time with them. Stretch, but possible. That being said Donahue had some pieces in place and isn't producing with what some would think was an upper tier of the ACC team in the Eagles. Give him time. He made Cornell relevant (CORNELL!!! I didn't know they played basketball there. I thought they just sang in accapella groups and wore red things). Donahue knows how to build a team and with this crop leaving, thats exactly what he needs to do. We'll have to take the wait and see with it and meanwhile hope for a few more impressive (or shocking) wins over some teams down this stretch to make the season meaningful.

2-11-11 (8:42:21 PM EST)

2-10-11 (3:06:41 PM EST)

Ahhhhh, Timmy I'm glad I saw your "Truck Day" comment. I really am.

Probably more useless than the Heat Index post before this. That's how I feel about "Truck Day". With this particular situation, I'm not even going to take my usual, "I see why some people might do this" approach because there is just no fuckin way. What the hell is the point of watching a truck with a baseball teams shit drive away from you!!! It's without a doubt the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Honestly, I didn't even know it friggen existed until one of my dooshbag employees walked in with a Sox jersey on and said "Happy Truck Day!". I said "Ya you too" then immediately looked it up to see what the fwack he was talking about.

Really?

Who gives a flying shit-fart if a team leaves from spring training. Who really gives a shit when they show up and practice? Sure spring training games are cool (as far as I'm concerned) because it's baseball but anything else, is a what the fuck type moment.

Almost "Matty Dew's Matty Don't" worthy....

2-10-11 (2:27:13 PM EST)

First things first; Happy Birthday little big brother AJ! Big 2-1. Atta girl! Boom. Done. Next.

What fucking universe is this?!?! And where the aitch ee double hockey sticks have I freakin been!?!?! Why have I never clicked on the HEAT INDEX on ESPN.com's NBA Homepage???? It has taken me THIS long to find out what this page is!?!?!? Am I an asshole? Should I commit virtual suicide and never blog again!?!

I feel like such a bad person that I haven't:

a) checked this page out and then...

b) ripped it to shreds for its utter stupidity

c) driven to Miami to slap the vagina off a few people

Is ESPN serious? Must be, right?

Let's look at this professionally. You can't think this is a good idea. Highlighting one team because they have two deserving All-Stars and a backseat All-Star? I'm sure they've been running this since 'The Decision' too. How is a highlight page focused on one team an intelligent move on your GLOBAL website. That doesn't seem to make sense. Didn't happen when the Celtics picked up two deserving All-Stars to join their already deserving All-Star, did they? Nope. Fuckin ESPN HQ is down the fucking highway from Boston! Crazy assholes! This HAS TO BE their answer to ESPN Boston/NY/Chi-town/LA/Dallas and wherever else they fall next for the ONE recognizable team in south Florida. Such a disgrace. I lose more and more faith in those clowns at ESPN every day. If they weren't so highly acclaimed and so damn good at getting information first, I think I'd swear off of them for a long while.

If you look at it from a fan standpoint, it's pretty cut and dry. If you like the Heat, you like it. If you don't like the Heat then you'll think it's a bigger waste of time than myspace.

Just another step in the wrong direction for ESPN.

2-9-11 (12:41:53 PM EST)

Two quick blogs to slap you in the face before I eat lunch here on the right coast. I want to touch on the last six games for THE Ohio State University in their quest for a UCONN Women season.

First off, Sullinger is legit. Averaging a double-double as a freshman on the number 1 team in the country heading into the final stretch of a possible undefeated season. Good for him.

Next. Their matinee matchup on Saturday against conference rival (and #14 in the country) Wisconsin is really the end all-be all of this. They play them two times in these last six games and have what it takes to beat them, no joke. A win takes a heavy weight off the back because they will then be facing four of their final fives teams for the second time this season. A loss, well, go fucking figure it ruins their undefeated season. Math is tough. Not that tough.

Michigan State will be the only team that they haven't seen going into the final five games and they are 5-6 in the conference and a mere 13-10 overall. Their losses to Penn State, Michigan and Iowa in conference are significant when TOSU is looking at tape heading into this game.

The stakes are high as they could potentially head into the Big Ten tourney undefeated with hopes of becoming the first team since Bobby Knight's Indiana chumps went 32-0 in 1975-76.

Another good luck sent from yours truly.

2-9-11 (12:25:24 PM EST)

Fuckin slacker. Ya, I'm talkin' to myself. Whole day off from bloggin'. Yesterday sucked harder than a dirty girl in a Tori Black video. Sex joke = +1.

I am sitting here getting ready for another slut day at Real Job and am wondering how impressive is Kevin Love's double-double streak. Do you think it's impressive? I don't.

KG did it when he was with the Timberwolves back in 2006. The T-Wolves were in the same situation back then that they are in right now. A basement dwelling team with one or two real outlets that can pull off a win every fifth night for them. KG was that outlet. He got the hell outta dodge and moved on to bigger and better things with the C's in 2007-08. KLove is that option now.

He has pulled off 38 consecutive double-doubles and here is why: he is the best up-and-coming on a mediocre team. They need him to pull those statistics or they aren't winning games. Plain and simple. Corey Brewer and Jonny Flynn are NOT carrying them just like Ricky Davis and Randy Foye weren't pulling the weight when KG held it down.

Good for you Kevin Love. Your dominance is sure to continue when you're the only one that can produce for your abysmal squad. Break Moses' record by all means and I'll simply wish you luck in finding a new team for the future.

Minnesota. Just. Ain't. It.