Bearded Fellow on Sports

Audience Participation Required

2012-01-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Okay I have an awesome idea that requires audience participation, admittedly I'm stealing it from Karsch and Anderson's instant feedback fun. But whatever.

Okay here's the idea. NHL all-star game is this weekend, and quite frankly, it's kind of boring. Here's what I want from you guys. Send me "ways to make the NHL all-star game more exciting."

Best one's get blogged and seen by tens of people! FB message me, tweet me, email me, beardedfellow1621@yahoo.com, text me, write me a letter, I don't care. This could be fun, so let's make it fun.

Yes, it is pretty much a rip off of Karsch and Anderson, but I think it'll be fun. Plus if this goes well, I'll try to do these every so often. C'mon I know I'm friends with some funny people, so let's see it.

Izzo Gets 400th Win

2012-01-26T15:34:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit: Mlive.com

Last night, The Michigan State Spartans beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 68-52. The win was Choach Tom Izzo's 400th win in his illustrious career.

I didn't get to watch the game, but I just wanted to take time out to congratulate Coach Izzo (cuz he'll totally read this, right?) and mention how truly impressive this achievement is.

He's truly one of the best college coaches of all time and what he's buil at MSU is truly something special. 400 wins. It's quite the feat, all for MSU. 400-165 is a pretty impressive mark.

He's done so much for the school in his time here and he will continue to be a fixture up in East Lansing til those pipes give out from all the shouting.

Seriously, does any coach yell more than Izzo?

Michigan Finally Wins on Road

2012-01-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: umhoops.com

Michigan traveled to West Lafayette on Super Tuesday looking to take on the Purdue Boilermakers and won 66-64 in a thriller.

Michigan got its first road win after dropping to Arkansas on the road in their previous game (a game in which they trailed by 20 but rallied and lost only by two)

Both teams were coming off road losses, Purdue losing to Michigan State. For those that don't know, Purdue arrived in East Lansing at 10 a.m. for a noon game. Needless to say, they lost a lot to a little.

It's a big win for the Wolverines, they needed to prove that they could get the job done on the road, and even though Purdue isn't great, Mackey Arena is a tough place to play. Michigan's win snapped a seven game losing streak at Mackey Arena.

It was good to see Tim Hardaway Jr put up a big scoring day. If the Wolverines are going to make a run in the Big Ten they need him to right the ship. Hardaway scored 19 points in the victory.

Zack Novak continued his good play, except his impact wasn't on the offensive end, but rather doing a good job defensively on the always dangerous Robbie Hummel.

Next game for Michigan is a trip to Columbus, to take on the #3 team in the country... That team... The Buckeye one.

If Michigan is going to pull off the upset, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway have got to both be on their game, and guys like Novak and Stu Douglas need to make their three point shots when they get good looks.

Also, Jordan Morgan needs to find a way to score against Sullinger, and try to keep him in check. But most importantly, he has to stay out of foul trouble. Michigan absolutely cannot afford for Morgan to sit for an extended period of time due to foul trouble.

I think Michigan will lose, they are a different team on the road... But anything can happen, right?

Prince Fielder Coming to Detroit

2012-01-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: nasord.com

Prince Fielder is coming to Detroit after signing a 9 year, $214 million deal.

I have one word... WOW.

I am stunned, shocked, excited, concerned, enthusiastic, insert adjective here

This is monstrous, unbelievable. Prince Fielder is a great player, and everyone in baseball has to be shocked for so many reasons. He has a bad relationship with his dad, former Tiger Cecil, Tigers have Miggy at first, V-Mart at DH (after this season.)

I love it... for 2012-2014. With V-Mart out for the season, Tigers needed to get a bat to replace him. Prince will do that and then some. This makes the Tigers batting order the best in baseball, no doubt, especially when V-Mart is healthy.

But here's my concerns...

Miggy has said he's willing to go back to third or DH. Can he play third long term? He was atrocious at third when he first came to town.

Which brings me to my next concern, our defense is straight up terrible. The run production will probably out weigh the poor defense, but you never know.

My biggest concern is it's 9 years, $214 million with NO opt out clause. No way of getting out of this deal. Also a no trade clause will probably be involved, so good luck dumping him if he stops producing.

This deal is a great deal for next three or four years. But if we don't get World Series rings, yes rings plural, it's a bad contract. We have to get at least one, but need to get two. Our window for a World Series is now and we must capitalize.

Welcome to Detroit, Prince. Enjoy hitting behind Miguel Cabrera.

Rest in Peace Joe Paterno

2012-01-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Inquistor.com

Yesterday the legendary coach and college football icon Joe Paterno died. Now many people don't think of all the great things he did during his 46 years at the helm of Penn State football because of the way his tenure ended.

No need to rehash it, we all know what happened. I will say Joe Pa didn't do enough, but the ones I'm most mad at are the Mike McQueary for not doing anything to stop it when it happened or going straight to the police, and his dad, who I'm more angry at, for telling his son to go home. Mike was probably in shock, but elder McQueary needed to be and should have been level headed enough to say "call the police," instead of "go home." But everyone involved didn't do enough.

But any who, back to the purpose of this blog, remembering Joe Pa for what he should be remembered for and that's being the greatest coach in college football history, and for all the great things he did for Penn State. Everyone who's ever played for Joe Pa speaks volumes of the kind of man he was and how he shaped young boys into men.

Joe Pa did great things for Penn State, in fact Joe Pa is Penn State. Without him, that university wouldn't be what it is today. I have tremendous respect for the man and all the things he's done. I will remember him for all that he did for Penn State and for college football.

I honestly thought he'd die on the football field... It doesn't seem fitting that he didn't...

Rest in Peace Joe Pa

Michigan Beats Michigan State in a Thriller

2012-01-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: UMhoops.com

Michigan and Michigan State renewed their rivalry Tuesday. They were meeting as ranked teams for the first time since 1998. (MSU was 9th going in, Michigan 19th.)

Michigan got off to a hot start int he first half, shooting the ball well and moving the ball around to get open looks. Michigan at one point built their lead up to 11 points and definitely looked like the better team in the first half.

But Sparty wouldn't go away. They kept coming back and keeping it close. The Spartans were able to rally by exploiting their advantage over Michigan and pounding the ball inside. Derrick Nix had a game from the bench, dropping a Spartan high 13 points. 30 of MSU's 59 points came from the bench.

It was back and forth at the end, but Trey Burke made yet another great play, getting the ball out on the fast break and giving it to Stu Douglas for the eventual game winner. Draymond Green had a good look for the win, but couldn't get it to go.

Trey Burke was the key to this game. He didn't look like a freshman point guard playing in a big game; he looked like a four year starter. Tim Hardaway JR was a virtual non fact, and Burke, along with Zack Novak, stepped up when it mattered for the Wolverines.

The one perplexing thing about this game was how MSU handled themselves in the late stages. They took out Nix, despite his dominating presence in the low block, and after that, they seemed to stop pounding it inside all together, which is what got them their lead. When they had the lead late, they decided to just wind down the clock and take a jump shot instead of try to get the ball inside, where they had established their dominance.

But in the end Michigan won, it's a game that could have gone either way. MSU got outplayed for most of the game, and Michigan missed too many free throws and gave MSU opportunities to come back, so both teams could have executed better.

But both teams were evenly matched, and it was a hell of a basketball game. Let's just enjoy the intensity of a rivalry where both teams are on the same level. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Roar Restored

2012-01-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

So the Lions had a pretty good season, eh? 10-6 and the first playoff appearance since `99. I'd say it was a pretty successful year. But everyone reading this knows what this season. Time to give it a grade, since I'm back in school and everything...

Detroit Lions 2011 Season Grade: A-

The Lions definitely exceeded my and most people's expectations this year by making it to the post season. It was an amazing year, filled with all kinds of up and downs and drama in almost every game. The Lions became the first team to comeback from a 20 point deficit and win in back-to-back games, first team to comeback and win three games when trailing by 17, and the only team to comeback and win when down 13 points four times in one season. Cardiac Cats, Comeback Cats, call them whatever you want, either way it was an exciting season.

Everyone will take a 10-6 season and a playoff birth, but one can't ignore the missed opportunity the Lions had in the last week of the season. The Lions couldn't find a way to beat the Green Bay Backups and win an opportunity to play the New York Giants, very beatable team. Instead the Lions had to play the Saints, and we all know how that went.

That's why they get an A-. And A would have been that 11-5, or if the Lions had performed better in games against playoff teams (Lions only beat one playoff team, Denver.) A+ would have been the miracle of winning the division, or something absurd. But I give them a solid A- for making the playoffs and putting Detroit is back on the football map.

The future for the Lions is bright; however, many tough decisions and financial hurdles loom over their heads, the real test of Mayhew will be deciding who stays and goes while maintaing a winner.

Detroit Lions 2011 MVP: Matthew Stafford.

To me, it's clear who the MVP of this team is: Matthew Stafford. Everyone had one question about him: What can he do in a full 16 games? How bout throw for 5038 yards (one of four quarterbacks to reach 5000) 41 touchdowns (franchise record) and a completion percentage of 63.5.

I'm not ignoring Megatron's season. Calvin had an unreal season as well. He was absurdly great starting the season, but there was a stretch where he disappeared. And while teams were kind of taking him a way, Stafford excelled in spreading the ball around and the Lions still had a potent offense. And keep in mind, all of Stafford's stats and accomplishments were done with zero running game. Everyone knew what they were doing, but they still scored. Stafford is the MVP of the 2011 Lions, without a doubt.

2011 Lions season was a special one, and the future looks bright for our Motor City Kitties. They're going forward down the field.

The Prodigal Beard Returns

2012-01-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

It sure has been awhile since I've been on here, now hasn't it? I said to myself when I started this that if I ever found myself "I have to blog about..." instead of "I want to blog about...." That it was time to walk away. And after some much needed time off, I'm back, and I'm going to relaunch this bad boy with some great new ideas!

What I'd like to do is have a written blog three times a week, minimum once a week, but only posting when I want to, and not as an obligation. That way the writing stays genuine and the quality remains high.

But what I want to do is get the people involved. If there's ever an issue you'd like my opinion on, let me know. Post it on the Bearded Fellow Facebook page, hit me up on twitter @DCobb1621. I'm planning on setting up an email address just for this blog, and possibly even it's own twitter feed.

One thing I'd like to do is a weekly or ever other week podcast. Like a weekly wrap up/preview podcast of the what's going on in sports. That will probably be more successful and more used during football season, but I'm gonna give it a whirl.

Last year I tried doing live webchats, which was fun when people were there. I'd like to get that going again, maybe like once a month or something. Not too frequently in order to keep it fresh.

What made this blog fun was feedback and interactions with you, the readers. I want to get this as interactive as possible.

I know you guy's missed me, and now I'm back. Expect big things from 2012. And since the world's gonna end, I might as well blog about sports while I still can, right?

Bring on Another Young

2011-08-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tigers acquired Delmon Young from the Minnesota Twins in a trade on Monday. They gave up Lester Oliveros (who was the player to be named later) and Cole Nelson, a single A reliever... So who cares?

Clearly it was a salary dump for the Twins, they decided to get something for Young while they could before he went to arbitration, which he's eligible for next season.

The Twins placed Young on waivers and the Tigers claimed him. The Twins then worked out a deal with Detroit and here we are.

Ironically enough, Young made his debut against said Twins. And in his first Tiger at-bat, he homered. Young in his first series as a Tiger showed that he can make an impact with his bat. And frankly anyone out in right field is a better option than Magglio... except Raburn...

But this move is an absolute perfect move for the Tigers. Young was a former number one pick, he's only 25, and last year had a pretty damn good year hitting .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBIs.

Young has struggled so far this year and has been hampered by injuries, but there's no doubt that hitting front of Cabrera will help Young get those numbers back up.

This move makes the Tigers an even greater front runner for the AL Comedy Central, so long as Leyland doesn't over-manage us out of another division title.

Rewarded for What?

2011-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Mike Illitch decided that Dave Dombrowski nd Jim Leyland have earned themselves contract extensions. A four-year extension for Dombrowski and a one-year deal for Leyland.

But warranted this extension? What did they do to earn it?

Well let's see... The Tigers have been in first place for a month... And that's about it.

That apparently is good enough for the Tiger organization. But it's not good enough for me, and it shouldn't be for you.

Let's look at this like we're Wings fans (which we are in Detroit.) Would you accept one postseason trip, no championships from the Wings? Would accept One division title in 20+ years? Would accept constant second half collapses? The answer to all these questions is NO.

Okay, I know the Tigers and the Red Wings are two different franchises with two different standards... But why can't we expect our team to make it to the playoffs? Why can't we expect the Tigers to with the AL Comedy Central? With guys like Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander and our high payroll, we should demand success.

Yet there seems to be an acceptance of "almost" succeeding. It wasn't too long ago the Tigers were the worst team in baseball, I get that. But those days are gone. We have legitimate talent and should be in the postseason and should win division titles.

Before I rip these two apart, I will give them credit for turning this franchise around. Dombrowski has made plenty of mistakes, and he'll get a pass in this blog because he's showing he wants to win this year with the moves he's made. (Yet giving him the four-year extension was premature) But the moves he's made prove he's trying to earn it.

But on the other hand, there's Jim Leyland. If I ran this team he would have been fired last year, but I don't. His antics and hunches paid off in '06, and too many Tiger fans I here gave him a pass, he got us a taste of "success" that we're not used to and he's got us in some pennant races.

But he hasn't won anything. Every Tiger team under Leyland has underachieved, and every Tiger team under Leyland has collapsed in the second half.

Let's look at 2008, shall we? We tied the Twins that year. What did Leyland do down the stretch? He rested Polanco. He rested a guy who was lights out at the plate in a pennant chase...

What's he doing this year? His same crazy insane resting schedule expect now it's worse than ever. We trade for Betemit, and rarely plays, yet all he does is get the job done. He sat four regulars in the series finale against Texas, basically throwing the game. We see the best line up we have about once a week.

He refuses to get Magglio out of the three hole despite his lack of speed, hitting, power, and everything else that matters. He insists on playing Andy Dirks, Ryan Raburn on "hunches." He has one of our best hitters this year hitting 8th in Avila, he gives star players too many days off. Peralta, Martinez, Betemit, and Boesch need to play almost every day and Miggy needs to be in the line up everyday.

His over-managing is clearly costing us games. Every Tiger fan knows it. He rests guys despite having an off day the next day, he takes out Betemit, a switch hitter, for Don Kelly because of "match-ups" and he'll play guys like Dirks and Raburn on "hunches."

Some say the best managers manage with their gut. I can agree to a point... I say, the best managers play their best line up and play the guys that are producing. The best managers WIN.

Bottom line, giving these two contract extensions before we've won anything is a mistake. Their jobs should have been in limbo until they actually closed the deal and won the pennant. I can see the division lead dwindling, and as September rolls around... I fully anticipate Leyland and the boys continuing their annual tradition of abismal performances when it matters.

Crash and Burn... The August Tradition

Bob Bradley Gets Das Boot

2011-07-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, US Soccer announced that it was relieving Bob Bradley of his duties. Not too much of a surprise, but to me it still was surprising.

The timing is what confused me. I think it's better for teams to have the same coach for the four years leading up to a world cup, so if Bradley were to be let go, it should have been after the 2010 World Cup.

But I think I know why US Soccer made the decision it did and when it did... They finally made an agreement with Juergen Klinsmann, the perfect fit to lead US Soccer to it's full potential.

He wasn't hired after Bruce Arena probably because back then US Soccer wasn't willing to give him as much control and power as he wanted. But now, Sunil Gulati is willing to give him the keys and drive the car.

Klinsmann has got a great resume, winning a World Cup as a player with Germany in 1990 and leading Germany to a third place finish in 2006. He brings that World Cup experience that no one in US Soccer has and it will be an invaluable piece to getting this team to compete with the big boys of the world.

It's the perfect hire for US Soccer, and it shows that we are taking soccer seriously, and are looking to take it up to the net level. Klinsmann is the perfect man at the helm to get the job done.

Lockout Over, Free Agent Frenzy Follows

2011-07-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

The lockout is over (HOOOORAY) and the free agency frenzy has been well underway. There have been a ton of a moves, and a lot of moving and shaking over the past few days, but how involve were the Lions?

The Lions didn't make any big splashes, but that made some good moves. They weren't going to get Nnamdi Asomugha, Jonathon Joseph wasn't out of the question, but it would have really limited what the Lions could do to fill other holes.

Detroit Lions Offseason Grade: B (thus far)
The Lions did a good job of filling holes on defense and bringing in quality guys. Justin Durant is a solid linebacker, but has had some injury problems, not somebody I wanted, but they got him for a fair price (I guess.) Rashied Davis is a signing that makes me go "meh." We needed a veteran 4th wide out, but there were other guys I would have liked to see us pursue (Brandon Stokley in particular.) Eric Wright is a guy that showed some talent, but was abysmal last year in Cleveland. But the best signings were Steven Tulloch and the resigning of Chris Houston. Without those two signings, the offseason would be an F. That's how much I like that these signings.

I would have liked to have seen the Lions sign these guys instead (all guys signed for doable contracts) Brandon Stokley, Barret Ruud, Nick Barnett, Chris Houston, and one of the veteran corners that were cut, like a Nate Clements.

Obviously, I am not a GM, I don't know what it would have taken to get those guys, some or all, but those were guys I would have liked to see in Detroit next season.

But the Lions did a good job of addressing needs with good value guys. Expect them to be competing for a potential playoff spot next year.

Justin Verlander is Really Really Good

2011-07-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Justin Verlander is a stud.

Now that the obvious is out of the way, let's seriously look at Verlander's career for a bit.

When he came up in 2006, we all knew he was special. He won the American Rookie of the Year Award, posting an impressive 17-9 record. He was an integral part in that magical team that made that surprising run all the way to the World Series.

He didn't hit that sophomore slump, posting an 18-6 record with a solid 3.66 ERA in 07. He also threw a no hitter against the Brewers.

08 Was a blip on the radar (11-19) 09 he put up a career best 19 wins, and then last year he put up 18 wins.

He's got the numbers, but what's been missing from Verlander's career? He's never been one of the elite, like a Roy Halladay, a Cliff Lee, a Roger Clemmons back in the day.
*DISCLAIMER* I AM NOT SAYING THAT HE ISN'T OR WASN'T GREAT, all I'm saying is that he never was one of the elite pitchers in baseball. But he's always had the stuff to be a top five pitcher, but he always seemed to be missing that mean streak. When Verlander was on the mound, you expected great things, but it wasn't a lock that he would mow down hitter after hitter.

But this season, we've seen the Verlander we've all been waiting for. He's finally dialed it up a notch and now has joined the ranks of the elite. He's now being talked about as a Cy Young candidate. He's now taking the jump into the elite.

Verlander is 15-5 with a 2.24 ERA, a 0.87 whip, 178 strikeouts in 181 innings pitched. Those are the numbers you expect from a true ace, from an elite pitcher. Teams that want to win and compete for championships need an ace that can put up numbers like that. Every time Verlander takes the mound, you expect to win. It's what all Tiger fans have been waiting for from him.

Verlander has been absolutely dominate lately, including throwing a now hitter through 7 2/3 today against the Angels, out dueling Jered Weaver. He threw his second no hitter of his career against the Blue Jays, and has taken a no hitter into the 8th three times this year. He's been simply amazing this year, and we should expect this for years to come.

Oh, and I am gonna go out and say it, Justin Verlander will win the 2011 Cy Young Award.

The Moments of Glory

2011-06-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many things about sports that make them great. How they unite us under one cause, or how they give us an escape from our everyday lives. There is no greater thrill in the world of sports for a player or a fan than those moments, where everything is on the line. And when the stakes are so high, there is bound to be a hero with his moment of glory that shall never be forgotten and forever revered by fans everywhere.

Recently, I'd been looking back at some great moments that stick with me, and it got me to thinking... What is my favorite sport's memory. What moment will forever stick with me no matter how old I become. Every sports fan has that moment they will never forget (except for Cub fans, well they don't have good moments anyways) so why not take a look at some...

My first great sports memory and one of my favorites of all time is without a doubt, this one: Darren McCarty's magical goal in Game 4 of the 1997 Stanley Cup finals.

I'll never forget this goal. I may have been just a tike, but I will never forget this. I was uncontrollably excited. I knew what the goal did. One of the greatest moments in Red Wing History.

Staying with the Wings... This is something that made me cry. I will never forget this, and it will stick with me forever. He was my favorite player. Vladimir Konstantinov getting the cup.

I'll never forget this one... I used to be a Tiger nut (admittedly my passion for them as gone down out of sheer disappointment) but back then I watched every game that I could. And when my Tiger walked up to the plate, I said to my friends "This one's over. Home Run, chalk it"

We then ran around the neighborhood with brooms yelling "SWEEP SWEEP, WORLD SERIES BOUND, THE TIGERS ARE WORLD SERIES BOUND"

Of all these moments, this one may be my favorite, it was definitely the most emotional. The United States World Cup victory over Algeria
I had to stream this game at work on my computer. We (I, my brother, and Jam {coworker}) have our own little room that's no where near anyone else and was closed off. Jam and I were huddled up to my computer, both of us hoping for that game winning goal.
It was stoppage time, and the US needed a goal. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out and stomped on it. I knew the odds were against us getting that essential goal. We had one called off that was CRUCIAL. I felt completely deflated. Then Tim Howard made an easy save, and made an excellent throw to midfield to Landon Donavon who had space. As the build up grew, so did my feeling of hope and anxiety. I watched... Donavon went wide to Jozy Altidore, who played a ball in, Dempsey denied at the door step. I felt like someone punched me in the gut... Then I saw a streaking Donavon making a run at the ball. And here's how it went down...

When Donavon burried that goal I wanted to jump and run around screaming and celebrating, but remembering I was at work, I didn't. But you guys know me, I had to do something... I high-fived and hugged Jam, I jumped up and down, quietly going "YESSSS GOAL GOAL GOOOOAL" and did a little shimmy to cap it off. I was so ecstatic, I couldn't believe it.

And for those of you that want to make fun of me for being that invested in soccer, watch this video. It gives me chills and tears me up every time. If only there had been a camera in my office, I could have been in it. Oh well.

So now, I ask you, the readers, I tweeted earlier that this was going to be a fun one and I want you to participate. So here's your chance. In the comment section, I want you to write in your favorite sports moment. Was it one of the ones I included? or was it some other moment. Tell me, what were you doing, where were you, all that fun jazz. Maybe your favorite sports moment has nothing to do with a championship but just the people you were with, that's cool. But I encourage you to leave a comment telling me your "Moment of Glory" story and have some fun with this.

Wings Down, But Not Out

2011-05-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Red Wings find themselves in a similar position as they did last year; down 0-2 to the Sharks heading back home in round two, needing a win in the worst way. Last year, San Jose beat Detroit in five games, with all four losses coming by just one goal. San Jose won the first two games by, you guessed it, one goal.

Last year, Detroit lost the first game in Detroit by a goal, pretty much sealing their fate. This year, Detroit needs to find away to get this series back to San Jose tied 2-2. The question is, can they do it?

Yes.

There is one key difference to this year's team and last year's team: Jimmy Howard. Last year, Howard was weak in the playoffs and weak against San Jose. This year, he's the only thing the Wings can hang their hat on. If there's one thing I'm never worried about coming around, it's our goal scoring. The home crowd will help, and we're shaking off the rust.

Franzen and Zetterberg needs to get going. Without these two producing at the level they're capable of, we stand no chance. Zetterberg had the only goal in game two, and will only get better with more playing time. As for Franzen, Babcock needs to consider letting him sit out a game. The ankle injury is affecting his play dramatically and is clearly still not 100%. Maybe it will never be, but he may need to sit out a game. But the games are far too important at this time to willingly take out such an important piece to our offense. This is why I don't want Babcock's job.

Game Three is the most important game of the Wings' season so far, and they need to come out of it with a win. We haven't seen much in the first two games to give us hope, and if the hockey gods were in our favor we could easily be at 1-1 or even 2-0. But them's the breaks.

The Detroit Red Wings will come out hungry and rejuvenated by the home crowd, however, the Sharks will be able to match their intensity. I'm taking Detroit in a tight one, 3-2.

LET'S GO RED WINGS

Fairley Ridiculous

2011-04-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Real quick, I don't have much time before I need to head up North, but I want to tell you guys my thoughts on the pick of Nick Fairley...

I don't like it. I know where it makes sense, having two guys up front in Fairley and Suh for years to come is a great plan, but there are other positions needed to make a great defense, one of those being corner. Prince Amukamara was the guy I wanted and the guy I felt the Lions needed to pick. They have one of the worse corners and secondary in the NFL, and it needed improvement.

Fairley was the best talent available, however Prince was right there with him and he filled a need. I don't agree with picking a guy that's a stretch (like Jimmy Smith if he were the best corner left) just to fill a need, but Prince is no slouch, rated 10th on Mel's big board I believe.

What concerns me is that Fairley slid for a reason. He was top five talent that went 13th overal and I don't know why. I also don't like the fact that he played under Gene Chizick, was a JUCO transfer, and really was a one year guy like Cam Newton (13 games played his first year, 2 starts.)

Prince has the potential to be a damn good corner, and I still feel that he was the better pick.

Look for the Lions to address linebacker or cornerback in round two, my money being on Brandon Harris, the corner from Miami. But if Akeem Ayers (LB UCLA) or Aaron Williams (CB Texas) if they're still there when the Lions pick.

Best First Round Ever

2011-04-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hockey playoffs are something I look forward to every year. Every year I predict the Wings to win the Cup, this year is no different, and every year I'm never disappointed by all the great hockey. Okay, so 2009 was a huge disappointment, but hey, the Stanley Cup going seven games, does it get any better?

Round one of this years postseason has been beyond the shadow of any doubt, the best first round in my lifetime and probably many people's lifetime. It had everything a hockey fan could ask for. Tight games, tight series, heated games filled with emotion, it had everything.

Let's recap things real quick.

Wings took care of business and swept the Coyotes, who reportedly have played their last games there. (Read a story, can't find it, saying that Phoenix is moving, announcement Friday I believe.) Detroit get's the much needed time off to get guys healthy.
Washington took care of the Rangers in 5, the games were good and tightly matched in this series and Lundquist played fantastic in every game.

Those were the boring series, now let's get to the good stuff. Real quick fun fact though, the first round featured 9 straight days with a game going to overtime. Does it get any better than that?

We saw the near collapse of Luongo at the hands of Chicago. The Blackhawks continue to be the bane of Vancouver's existence. The Habs and Bruins met in the first round... again... and The road team won the first four games, then the home team won the next three, advancing Boston to the second round.
San Jose went to overtime three times in their six game series with LA. LA went 0-3 at home, and I blame the jerseys.
Tampa Bay rallied from down 3-1 to beat the Crosby-less Penguins in 7. Nashville took out the Ducks in 6 in a series I was excited about, but could rarely watch. Buffalo almost pulled off the round one upset over the Flyers, they lost game six at home in overtime and then got destroyed 5-2 in game seven.

Four of the Eight first round matchups went seven games, and every series was filled with great hockey that was fun to watch. One can only hope this continues on to the next round. And on a side note, I got 7 out of 8 round one winners right, so I got that going for me which is nice.

Real quick round two predictions.

Washington-Tampa Bay: Capitals in Six: Key Matchup: Ovechkin vs Stamkos. Stamkos started to show up, but he's been absent for the most part going on 30+ games. Alexander, however, has been doing his thing. In round one he didn't carry the load because he didn't have to, but he will if need be. Tampa won't stop him.

Boston-Philadelphia: Boston in Six: Key Matchup: Boston special teams vs Flyer Goalie situation: Both of these were awful in round one, the Flyers goalies being worse of the two. Boston needs to get the powerplay going to win this series.

Vancouver-Nashville: Canucks in Six: Key matchup: Luongo vs Rinne. Will Roberto collapse, and can Rinne stand on his head because he will have to if Nashville wants to pull off the upset.

Detroit-San Jose: Detroit in Six. Key Matchup: Lidstrom and Stuart vs Thornton line. Also key to watch here is the play of Jimmy Howard. If he plays like he did in round one, we'll be fine. But the matchup to watch is Lidstrom's pairing verse the Thornton line. San Jose is loaded with other weapons, but if this line gets going, the Wings are in deep trouble. They also have to do a better job at staying out of the box and a better job of killing penalties. That was the one thing they did poorly in round one and it will kill them against the Sharks. However I'm taking the Wings. I think they're a better team, and I'm counting on San Jose to do their thing and collapse in the post season.

Don't you guys love playoff hockey?

Eastern Conference Preview

2011-04-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

The East... Everything crazy that happens in the playoffs comes out of the East... A 7 vs 8 in the Conference Final, the Flyers coming back from 3-0 to beat the Bruins. Every year it's something different from the East. But one thing remains the same every year... It's going to be one entertaining postseason.

With all the wild and crazy Hockey that goes on in the East, predicting this mess is going to be tricky... but damn it sure will be fun! Let's have at it, shall we?

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: Capitals in 6
A pretty interesting 1-8 matchup, Rangers got the last spot over the Cam Wards and as their reward, they get the Alexander Ovechkin's. I stated in another blog that I usually go for the team with the better goaltender... but I can't pick against the Caps (yet.) They're peaking at the right time. Henrik Lundqvist is one of the leagues best and is capable of stealing games, but is he good enough to steal the series? Yes, but not this one. The Caps offense is too strong.
Key Matchup: Capitals Powerplay vs Rangers Penalty Kill/ Lundqvist
Washington had one of the best powerplays... last season. This year it inexplicably struggled. Ovechkin struggled running the point, then they traded for Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott, which was supposed to allow Ovechkin to no longer need to run the point. But with an injury to Wideman, Ove finds himself right back on the blue line. The key here is can they get the powerplay going or will it continue to struggle. The Rangers have a solid penalty kill (10th in the league at 83.7%) and if they can shut down the Caps powerplay, they have a chance.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabers: Flyers in 6
To be honest, I am completely unimpressed with the Flyers. They're a solid team, a good team. Jeff Carter is a damn good player, and they've been playing good most of the year. But who's in net for them? Seriously? Which goalie are they going with? Bobrovsky? Leighton? Boucher? Worst goalie situation in the playoffs. Then we look at Buffalo, who has the best goalie in the NHL between the pipes. But they have zero offense. They made a great turn around, but they aren't good enough to make it past the first round. Miller will steal a few games.
Key Matchup: Bobrovsky vs Miller
Bobrovsky doesn't have to out perform Ryan Miller, because he won't but if he struggles the Flyers will lose. As for Miller, if he doesn't stand on his head and play like the best goalie in the league then the Sabers will lose. One goalie needs to be average, the other needs to be amazing.

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Canadiens in 6
I told the boys at the OU hockey show I liked Boston to win the East, but I was mostly sticking to my preseason prediction. Now that we have the match-ups, I have to go with the Habs. Despite my feelings of Carey Price he has had a fantastic year, the I love the Habs style of play. This one is mostly a gut feeling, no big reason why besides I like the way the Habs have been playing and don't think the Bruins are good enough lines 1-4.
Key Matchup: Tim Thomas vs Carey Price
Will Tim Thomas be able to keep up the play? Will Carey Price crumble under the pressure like usual. Whichever goalie maintains their solid play will determine the winner of the series.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tamba Bay Lightning: Lightning in 7
This is probably going to be the best series of the first round. Both offensive minded teams with a young core, this should be a series filled with exciting action and a lot of goals. Why am I picking Tampa? No Crosby, No Malkin. Oh and that Steven Stamkos guy is pretty good.
Key Matchup: Pittsburgh Defense vs Stamkos line
THe Penguins only shot at winning this series depends on how their defense handles the Stamkos line. If that line is allowed to get rolling and start scoring. Game Over.

Western Conference Preview

2011-04-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends, tis I, the Beard(less) Fellow. I am indeed clean shaven, but that's because it's time to shave and grow a new beard for the playoffs. It's been far too long since I've posted, but those are details not meant to be expanded upon in this post.

You know you all want to know my take on the playoffs, so let's do this, who's going to win it all? Who's going down in flames? And who will grow the fiercest beard?

Let's start in the West, because that's the conference that shall yield the Stanley Cup Champion: Yeah I said it, deal with it.

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks: Vancouver in 5
Vancouver has been the best team and most consistent team in the NHL all year long. The powerplay is the definition of damn near perfect. Chicago will not be able to stop the Canucks powerplay. They lost much of their core from last year, so this is a much different team, also factor in a rookie goalie, and you're looking at a quick and quiet exit from the defending champs.
Matchup to watch: Sedin twins vs Seabrook and Keith
During the Wings game this pairing was on the ice for almost every one of Datsyuk's shift. Expect the same treatment.

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angelas Kings: Sharks in 6
This was a tough series to call. I could easily see the Sharks dropping to the Kings. But I believe the Sharks take one in LA and win all three at home. Should be a good series though. The difference is Anze Kopitar, or lack there of. Without him, the Kings will fight, but ultimately not advance.
Key Matchup: Drew Doughty pairing or Jack Johnson pairing vs Thornton line
Doughty and Johnson are both talented young defensemen, which ever pairing goes against Jumbo Joe's line will be tested all series long. If they stop that line, they can stop the sharks. (Key is stop the LINE, not just Jumbo.)

Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators: Predators in 7
4-5 match-ups are always interesting. This series is one I will be watching closely. Both teams are tough, physical teams and are always tough outs for their playoff opponents. The Ducks have been red hot lately, and will come out hot in this series. I want to pick the Ducks, but when I looked at the teams, there's one big difference between them: Goaltending. Pekka Rinne is far superior to Jonas Hiller. Won't be shocked if the Ducks win, but I have to take the team with the better goalie.
Key Matchup: Pekka Rinne vs Jonas Hiller
Hiller has shown some signs of brilliance (Switzerland vs Canada) but is overal, inconsistent and an average goalie. Rinne is one of those guys that can stand on his head and steal a game or two, or even a series. This series will be decided by which goalie plays better.

And the only series you guys really care about...

Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes: Wings in 5
Last year these teams met in a thrilling 7 game series in which the Wings won. Now we have a rematch, and this time Detroit has home ice. All match-ups in today's NHL are relatively even, and that goes for this one too... However having said that, Detroit is the deepest team in the NHL, in my humble opinion... Sure they've struggled lately, but this is the time that we get things together. Hank being out hurts, but we can survive without Hank for a couple of games, but Kronwall is back which will help sure up the blue-line, which has been sloppy to end the season. Call me a homer if you must, but I do believe that Detroit is going to hit their stride and make a deep run. It starts with this series, and I believe Detroit is a better team in almost every key area than the Coyotes.
Key Matchup: Red Wings powerplay vs Ilya Bryzgalov
The Red Wings have this nasty habit of running into a hot goaltender in the playoffs. The key to this series will be Detroit's ability to get goals on the man advantage. If they don't have a successful powerplay against Phoenix and Bryzgalov starts making big saves, it could spark the Coyotes and propel them to a few wins.

Let the Madness Begin!

2011-03-14T10:38:00.001-07:00

AAAAAHHHHH YES, it's that time again. Grap your lucky Number 2 Pencil, your lucky pair of underwear, and your official copy of the NCAA TOurnament 2011 Bracket, because it's time for some good ol' March Madness...

As defending champ, it'd be wise to take my advise, but I'm not here to give you guys my bracket, but rather just a bit of insight into the genius that is my brain... But all kidding aside, I've gotten the past few national champions right, and usually I am right, but I'll be honest, what I say isn't gold, and will probably be wrong, but let's just have some fun, shall we?

Before I start telling you guys my favorites, sleepers, and frauds, let's take a gander at the field... and who didn't get invited to the party.

Right off the bat, UAB and VCU have no business being in, and leaving out Va Tech, Colorado, and St. Mary's are all unforgivable crimes of snubbery. UAB, VCU and USC should not be in, and the three mentioned above should. It's a no brainer. I want to be on the selection committee because I want to know how they decide these things. I listen to the experts, look at all the resumes, look at quality wins, road wins, SOS, RPI, all that good stuff... and yet the last teams in and the teams that are snubbed never make any sense to me... Those three teams got shafted, no doubt about it.

But let's look at who's actually in. BEfore we do that, actually I want to point out that MY prediction of the four one seeds was right and Lanardi's was WRONG. Check it, there's proof on my Facebook AND Twitter of my prediction. Lanardi had Notre Dame, and so did almost every other "expert." Chalk one up for the Bearded Fellow...

But that's enough tomfoolery, let's get down to the niddy-griddy... I'm not going to go game-by-game, but I will give some predictions, upset specials, and some other insights of the bracket... I haven't filled out a bracket yet, so no, I won't tell you my Natty Title Favorite, but I will probably Wednesday.

Predictions:
Big Ten will go 7-0 in round one.
I like everyone's match up in round one. State got a great draw of UCLA, Penn State has winnable matchup verse Temple, Michigan can easily beat Tennessee. Tennessee is short and relies on the three, perfect match up for them. Illinois also got a good draw playing UNLV. The other 3 are all favored, so it will be a good round for the Big Ten.

Upset Specials:
Oakland vs Texas
I loved Oakland no matter who they were playing, but Texas is a bad draw for them... having said that, Oakland can still definitely win this. Keith Benson is the best player you've never heard of, and he can dominate a game in the paint. Don't be surprised when the Golden Grizzles surprise the Longhorns.
Missouri vs Cincinnati
Cinci is one of those 11 teams in from the Big East, so that means they're good right? Wrong. Well Wrong to an extent, they're solid, you have to be to finish with a good record in that conference, but they are very beatable in this matchup with Missouri. If you're looking for an upset, this could be one.
Kansas State vs Utah State
If there is any game in this field that screams upset, it's this one. Kansas State underachieved, then overachieved. They are a one man team, and they live and die with Jacob Pullen, a recipe for disaster. Utah State is better than their seed, they will win this game, calling it right now.

Toughest Region: East Region
Ohio State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky... Enough said right?

Easiest Road to the Final Four: Pittsburgh
Pitt is in the weakest region, the Southeast Region. Pitt is the one, and the two seed, what's supposed to be their toughest competition... Florida... HOW IS FLORIDA A TWO??? Kentucky destroyed them in the SEC tournament and Florida is a two... that makes sense. BYU and Wisconsin are the next highest seeds, so yeah, Pitt is in the Final Four.

Sleepers:
Michigan State: They benefit from an easy draw with UCLA, then probably Florida, tehy could surprise a few people and bust some brackets, like Doug Gottlieb's (He has Florida in the Final Four, EW)
Duke: They're a one seed, but I don't hear anyone talking about them. Two great seniors, one great coach, and a deep team that is very versatile. They will make a run.
UCONN: They will go as far as Kemba will take them, and Kemba can take them far, he is a great player, and the team is solid around him.

Avoid at All Cost:
Notre Dame: FRAUDS! I've been saying it all year. THey take bad shots, and rely on Ben Hansborough, who takes way too many bad threes. But what will really be their downfall is their 7 man rotation.
BYU: Come on, do I really need to put this team on here? Jimmer will not take them to the promise land, they're too weak, especially without Davies.

A Different Kind of Consequence of Sex

2011-03-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

We all know the risks of sex right? STDs, babies, awkward encounters for the rest of your life, maybe she lied about her age, blah blah more witty answers. But how about getting kicked off a team? You're probably thinking, "Oh, must have slept with the coaches daughter..." Well I guess he may have, if the coaches daughter is also his girlfriend.

Brandon Davies, a sophomore forward at Brigham Young University, has been dismissed from the team for having sex with his girlfriend. I can't make this stuff up people.

And it's not like Davies is a scrub, he's arguably their second best player, and on Wednesday New Mexico proved that they need more than just Jimmer to win, beating BYU 82-64. BYU was in the driver's seat for a one-seed, one that this blogger feels they did NOT deserve.

But how can a school or a team kick a player off for having sex, you ask? We have freedoms, right? Well right off the bat, BYU is a private school, so no on the freedoms. Trust me, 12 years of private school have taught me that.

But BYU can kick him off the team because by having premarital sex violated the schools Honor Code. Yes, BYU has an honor code that all students must comply with. This honor code, which you can check out, includes such gems as no profanity, no use of alcohol or tobacco, living a chaste and virtuous life, and my favorite a dress code.

Coincidentally, I learned by reading this honor code that I am in violation of BYU's code. "Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable." Oh darn...

Well, I guess I have to give credit to BYU for sticking to their guns. With so many programs allowing their players get away with pretty much anything and still allowing them to play, it's refreshing to see a university implement rules and actually enforce them, as absurd as the honro code may be, at least they're sticking to it.

Bearded Bracketology

2011-03-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

As selection Sunday nears, everyone is asking the same questions, who's in and who's out. But quite frankly I find none of Lanardi's last four in and last four out to matter because they change literally everyday. But since some of you want to know and have asked for my take on things, it's time for some Bearded Bracketology. Let's do this...

Teams In: Three teams that went from my bubble or even out of the dance that have played their ways in the tournament and pretty much can't play their ways out:
Georgia: 19-9 (8-6) 35 RPI, 27 SOS, 3-9 vs RPI top 50
They are a team that seem to be randomly having a good year, but with a good season and some pretty good resume numbers, Georgia will be dancing.

Kansas State: 21-9 (9-6) 22 RPI, 6 SOS, 3-6 vs top 50
The way they were struggling I thought they were going to be a huge disappointment with high preseason expectations, but with recent huge wins over Kansas and Texas and the Wildcats taking care of business verse bad teams, they find themselves safely in the tournament.

Michigan State: 16-12 (8-8) 40 RPI, 5 SOS, 2-8 vs top 50
I said a few weeks ago I didn't think they'd make it, because I honestly thought any tough game they'd lose and they were playing so poorly it looked as though the team has given up. But now they're playing witha purpose and look like a dangerous team.

Last Four In:
Michigan 18-12 (8-9) 57 RPI 23 SOS 2-8 vs RPI top 50
I feel like they have some more work to do, make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament, but if selection day was today, the Wolverines would be in. A team that had zero expectations to start this season, the fact they are even on the bubble is a testamant to John Beilein's great coachign job this year.

Memphis: 21-8 (9-5) 34 RPI 42 SOS 5-4 vs top 50
Sure, they play in a weak conference that they aren't going to win, but those numbers are good, and if it were an ACC team with those numbers, then they'd be in for sure. Memphis gets the nod.

Colorado: 18-11 (7-7) 77 RPI 82 SOS 5-6 vs top 50
Those numbers aren't spectacular, but the 5-6 vs the top 50 is impressive. They are in right now, but I think the winner of the season finale between Colorado and Nebraska determines which of these two will go to the dance.

Richmond: 22-7 (11-3) 62 RPI 170 SOS 1-3 vs top 50
I love the RIchmond Spiders, the SOS is weak but I feel that they are a solid team deserving of a NCAA bid.

First Four Out:
Alabama: 19-10 (11-4) 87 RPI 156 SOS 2-3 vs top 50
Ignore the record and look at strength of schedule. With an SOS that weak you cannot afford to be in "bubble talk" because you won't get in. Bama does not deserve a bid, they can help themselves by beating Georgia, but they should not be dancing.

Nebraska: 19-10 (7-8) 72 RPI 59 SOS 3-6 vs top 50
They are a win over Colorado away from dancing, this was a tough cut but right now, I have them out.

Baylor: 18-11 (7-8) 78 RPI, 48 SOS, 2-5 vs top 50
Beat Texas and you'll be in, but honestly, nothing about Baylor has impressed me this year. No dance for you!

Clemson: 19-9 (8-6) 69 RPI 108 SOS 2-4 vs top 50.
That SOS is very weak, but they are a win over Duke away from playing themselves into the tournament. But otherwise, they haven't impressed me enough to get into the big dance.

NHL Trade Deadline WInners and Losers.

2011-03-01T05:14:00.000-08:00

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and quite frankly, it was kinda boring. No big deals and no deals made here in Detroit. Rumors were out there of a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers that would send us Zach Bogosian for Jiri Hudler, Jonathan Eriksson or Jakub Kindl and a 1st rounder. Personally, I would have done this deal, but I can never honestly say that Ken Holland made a mistake; I'm not sure if I can ever question him. He's been right so often.

But other teams were wheelin and dealin at the deadling, let's take a look at the Trade Deadline: WInners and Losers

WInners:
Los Angelas Kings:
Picking up Dustin Penner is a great move. Penner will bring a little extra to an already good team and perhaps give them an extra push as they try to win the division and get home ice in the first round. I really like the extra offensive threat Penner brings and am curious to see where LA puts him

Washington Capitals:
Picking up Jason Arnott as a pig forward that can run a point on the powerplay will really help for the Caps as they push for a cup. Washington's powerplay ranks 25th this season, and I imagine with the addition of Arnott, Ovechkin will no longer be running a point on the powerplay. They also need some production from the second line center, and they think Arnott is their guy. We'll see. I also like the acquisition of defenseman Dennis Wideman from Florida, should help solidify the blue line.

Pittsburgh Penguins:
The deals they made leading to the deadline for Alexi Kovelev, James Neal, and Matt Niskanen will go a long way to improving the injury-ravaged Penguins.

Aaaand the Losers:
New York Rangers:
They banked on Brad Richards, didn't get him. On top of that, Marty Biron broke his collarbone... big who cares right? Well Piere thinks that's a big deal... Anyways, they didn't improve and didn't get Richards. Losers.

Minnesota Wild:
They are in a logjam playoff race in the Western Conference and they sit on their hands. This could be a very costly mistake and I think it will be. With Kovu out for a while, they needed to try to pick up some scoring and instead they did nothign while teams chasing them improved, big mistake.

Montreal Canadiens.
WIth all the injuries to their blue line, they needed to make moves to add blue line depth. Brent Sopel isn't going to cut it.

The Ducks WIn!

2011-02-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

I forgot to blog yesterday, there's also a lot of other things I forgot, but the important thing is I'll be blogging twice today so it's all good.

Anyways, let's get rolling shall we?

Last night the Mighty Ducks look to rebound after a heart breaking 2-1 loss when they took on The Turf Munchers. Yes, we had all the same preconceived thoughts about the team that you do by reading their name...

The Ducks found themselves 0-2 after a blowout 10-2 defeat (six Ducks were missing) and a tough 2-1 loss last Wednesday night. This was a must win game to salvage a .500 season.

The Ducks only had seven guys, that's one sub, to start this game but they picked up an extra man who volunteered to play. This guy, Dave, ended up being a huge pick up for the Mighty Duck squad.

The Ducks got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead with goals by Dave (the ringer) and Josh Andaloro. Andaloro's goal was a beautifully hit left-footed volley from a distance that found top cheddar.

But what help solidify the DUcks 2-0 and eventual 3-0 at the end of the first half was solid play at the back by both the Duck defenders and Keeper Dave Cobb.

Several players can be heard describing his play from the bench, including Erik Grodus, who just said to the Bearded Keep "Dude you're in the zone!"

And he was, he made some beautiful saves, including a one-handed snag on a one-timer from up close. But the young Keep will credit his defense before his own play."

"The guys at the back were great that first half, and most of the game," said Cobb, "If it weren't for plays from guys like Matty Smith and Max (Washko,) then it would have been a totally different game.

The game was the tale of two halves. The Ducks dominated the first half, going into the break with a 3-0 lead. But the second half was a goal fest for both teams.

The Turf Munchers scored on their first opportunity when a defensive lapse allowed a shooter to get a clean look from inside the box. Followed closely by a bad goal off of Duck Defenseman Dan Buhlinger's head which somehow found it's way into the net (I still maintain that ball hit the net and should have been a corner.)

The Ducks eventually found themselves in a tie game 5-5 after a mental collapse from their Keeper with under five minutes left in the game. But after a hand ball, Washko and the Ducks had a free kick from up close.

"Honestly, I thought the free kick was dumb, from my vantage point it looked like there was no way to find a hole," said Cobb, "Maybe the keep was out of position, or maybe Max is just that good, which he is, but by God, he blasted that ball bottom left and I knew we weren't falling apart for once. And we were going to win this game."

The Ducks managed to scored two more goals before the final whistle, securing their first win of the season and first win of the franchise's indoor history.

"It feels nice to win one," said Captain Cobb.

A Look at Classic Sport Titles

2011-02-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

Recently I purchased MVP Baseball 2004, that's the one with Albert Puljos on the cover. Oh yeah, classic game. With the likes of Nate Cornejo, Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, Omar Infante, Eirc Munson, Bobby Higginson and DEAN PALMER, still on the Tigers roster.

This got me thinking... what are some of the great sports games of back in my childhood days... There were tons of classics, and I'm in a reminiscing type mood. Plus their sport games, so the Bearded Fellow is permitted to speak on this. Anywho... ;et's get crackin, and these are in no particular order.

The MVP Baseball Series (03-05)
MVP Baseball is by far the best baseball franchise I have ever played, followed closely by another game that will be mentioned later... The games were easy, fun, and had the absolute BEST music in any sports game I ever played. It had songs on there before they were popular that later became popular (Honest Mistake- Bravery, C'mon C'mon- The Von Bondies, Please- Maxeen, Swing Swing- All-American Rejects.) The game was fun, it wasn't veery in-depth with fancy features, but it was quick, simple and the game-play is the best of any baseball game I've played. The 2k Series has better presentation, but MVP Baseball is stil my favorite baseball game of all time.

All-Star Baseball
There were two all-star baseball games on the xbox that I had, I don't recall their years, but they were fun. They were the Derek Jeter equivilant to Kobe Byrant's Courtside games for the N64. All-Star Baseball was a fun game with a cool feature of an expansion team. You can create a team and go through the process of an expansion draft. Obviously you didn't get to pick the best guys, but it was fun and interesting way to play the game. It was a fun feature that I personally believe more games should use. Classic game that I do believe I still own somewhere... I gotta find it.

NHL 2001
NHL 2001 for the PC was probably the best hockey game I have ever owned. It was amazingly fun, it had the awesome feature of hitting the refere through he glass, you know it's legit when you can do that. But my favorite feature was the expansion draft. You could take over Minnesota and Columbus and do their expansion drafts for them, a feature that was absent in the playstation 2 version. This was a great feature, and it made the game even more fun. Fantastic game.

NCAA Football 2003
Now this was my game, with Joey Ball Game on the cover. No real outstanding features, just a fun football game that I played for years. This was the only NCAA football game I owned for the Xbox til 06, and why would I need a new one with such an amazing game. I had a dynasty in which I got fired from Harvard. Then I took a job at Eastern Michigan, and after only a few seasons of mediocre football, I made them a powerhouse. Won about, oh 12 national championships in a row maybe? What a fantastic game.

There are many other sport games that didn't get mentioned here, every blitz and hitz game ever made, Madden 64, actually now that I mention it, Madden 64 deserves to be in here. It was amazing. The fantasy draft was the best feature ever. So much fun... But I leave out some great games because I want you, the reader, even though I know you won't... to write a comment of your favorite all time sports game and why. Do it, I know you can...

Pistons Embarrass the City

2011-02-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

Now you guys know how I feel about the NBA, and would love not to write about it, but what's going on in our own backyard is just too significant to ignore. It has been no secret that the players and "veteran leaders," have had issues with the way Coach John Kuester.

This is a disgrace to the city, to the team, to everyone involved. Rip Hamilton yells at Kuester at a practice, then Kuester benches him for a month or so, and now we have this fresh bit of news.

Apparently, the Pistons pulled an Allen Iverson and decided that practice doesn't matter. Only six guys showed up for the morning shoot around. Dajuan Summers, Will Bynum, Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon, Jason Maxiel, and Greg Monroe, showed up for practice. Austin Daye and Rodney Stuckey showed up late. Tracy McGrady had a "head-ache" and Tayshaun Prince had a "stomach-ache." My favorite is Chris Wilcox, he overslept. That leaves Mr. Richard Hamilton, who had no excuse, no reason for missing practice, other than he hates playing for the Pistons apparently.

This is an absolute joke. I'm telling you right now Prince was not sick. I don't see why T-Mac would protest, maybe he was, but Rip and Tayshaun were for sure protesting. I'm not buying their excuses.

But it gets worse... Kuester decides to only play the six guys that showed up for shoot around, something I actually agree with. But where things get worse is when Kuester gets ejected and players are seen laughing on the bench. You know you command respect when your team is laughing at you as you get ejected.

The Pistons failed when they didn't dump the dead weight at the deadline. Rip blocked a trade with Cleveland (good thing, Pistons would have lost their first round pick,) but Tayshaun could have been traded to Dallas for Caron Butler and a 1st round pick. But they decided not to trade Prince, for whatever dumb reason.

They need to fire Kuester, hire an interim coach, or Dumars should take over. But at the end of the year, get rid of Rip, get rid of Tayshaun, bring in Bill Lambier to take over this team. No nonsense guy who take over this team. This team is a joke in serious trouble.

With One Bank Shot, so Ends the Wolverines' Tournament Hopes

2011-02-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: CBS Sports

Wednesday night, Crisler Arena, Underdog Michigan Wolverines look to upset the #12 Wisconsin Badgers. Huge game for Michigan's tournament chances. With a win, I predicted the Wolverines to make the dance. Not just because of this win, but I felt if they won this one they'd beat Minnesota and possibly beat Michigan State at home.

Michigan played one it's best games all year against the favored Badgers. Good enough to win on most nights. An even game throughout, Michigan had a 31-30 edge at half time and kept on fighting in the second half, even when they went cold late in the second half, they fought back and took the lead.

Michigan had a two point lead with very little time left. They had the opportunity to go to the free throw line after a defensive stop. There was no time left on the shot clock. Darius Morris had a 1 and 1 situation, a potential four point lead in his hands. But unfortunately for the young superstar, he missed the front end.

On the ensuing possession, Michigan opted to use all it's fouls it had to give, a wise move, leaving Wisconsin 6.9 seconds left and the ball down two. What happened next was the unthinkable...

They inbound the ball to Jordan Taylor, who then gets a screen from Josh Gasser. Stu Douglas, who was guarding Gasser, opts to double Taylor, leaving Gasser wide open. Instead of hedging and rolling back to his man (which he was supposed to do) Stu stayed to force a double team.

Gasser was able to get into a position to receive a pass from Taylor, and heaved up a prayer... his prayer was answer as he banked, yes banked, in the game-winning three. An absolute dagger to the gut of any Wolverine fan.

But what does this do to Michigan's tournament chances? Damn near kills them. Yes, this win wasn't expected, but if they got it they'd be golden. But now let's look at what they need...

Michigan needs to beat Minnesota AND Michigan State. Not one or the other, both. Then, Michigan needs to impress people in the Big Ten Tournament. No one and done, no beating of a scrub in the first round then losing. They need an impressive win in the B10 tournament if they want to go dancing in the big one.

Quite frankly I don't think they can do it. They'll beat Minnesota but they will lose to MSU. MSU is playing too good and too hungry now. And frankly, I don't see them winning more than one game in the B10 tournament either.

Sorry Michigan fans, this season is NIT bound, but chin up, because the NIT is a whole lot better than anyone predicted, including myself.

Spartan's Unsung Hero: Mike Kebler

2011-02-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe he's not the most important Spartan, but Mike Kebler plays an important role for this years Spartans. Yes I may have a strange love affair for him, but nonetheless, his new found importance has had a bigger impact than the average fan may know. But just watch Kebler play, and you will see the impact he has on games.

Kebler's found himself in the starting lineup with Durrell Summers struggling as much as he is. The former walk-on senior used to play just garbage time minutes, but over the past two season, Kebler has seen his role increase to a pretty important role.

Last year, Kebler started as just a garbage time guy. But he made his presence noticed as a lock-down defending, often guarding a team's best player down the stretch. There was a particular game I remember last year against Penn State. I was attending this game at the Breslin, and it was much closer than anyone anticipated. Taylor Battle had been scoring with relative success all game until down the stretch when Izzo brought in his ace up his sleeve, Mike Kebler. Kebler shut down Battle down the stretch and the Spartans held on to win.

Efforts like that are what impress out of players. Sure, guys like Kalin can drop 27 points and have huge days, but honestly, I expect them to play big in big games. But those guys who go from garbage time minutes to playing a key role late in key games are the guys that grab my attention. Because to go from garbage time to important minutes, you have to make an impression. How do you make that impression? Hard work, perseverance, and dedication, that's how.

At the beginning of this season, Kebler's role was back to where it was before the end of last season, mostly garbage time minutes. With guards like Summers, Appling, Lucious, and Lucas, there really wasn't a spot for Kebler to get in the lineup, even for his lock down defense.

But now, Lucious is gone, Durrell is struggling offensively, and let's face it, has always been kind of a defensive liability, and now Kebler finds himself in the starting lineup. Hard work and dedication goes along way kids.

THe thing I love about Kebler is that he's worked his way into the lineup by becoming a lockdown defender, something that's overlooked in today's basketball. The NBA has zero defense and doesn't even pretend to want it. Defense never makes the highlights, unless it's some thunderous and miraculous block. But that hard nosed, in your face, defending is an art that's forgotten in basketball nowadays. It's refreshing to see a guy who's role is to bring that defensive intensity. He's not out there to score, in fact he rarely shoots, sometimes passes off to a fault and turns it over, but he knows his role. He's out there to play defense and make plays with his defense.

The Spartans have turned their play around as of late, and with efforts like Kebler's they'll be fine. I always tell people that offense scores points, but runs start with defense. MSU's defensive attitude has changed recently, and it's when Kebler was inserted into the starting lineup. Good move Izzo.

Miguel Cabrera Arrested for DUI

2011-02-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: bitandbound.com

Well I honestly didn't expect to be writing about baseball while there was still snow on the ground, but here we are, Mr. Miguel Cabrera's got himself in trouble with the law again, and yes, he was drunk again.

Police investigated Cabrera's car when they saw it on the side of the road smoking. Inside was Miguel drunk as a skunk with a bottle of scotch with him.

According to reports, Miguel said to the officers when they asked him to step out of the car "What er you doing, do you know who I am?" Then took a swig from the bottle of scotch. I do not in anyway condone his behavior... but isn't that the best arrest report you have ever heard? It cracked me up.

Anyways, this is a huge hit for the Tigers and for Miguel. Who knows what's going to happen, it's not like this is first time getting drunk and getting in trouble with the law, so clearly there's an issue.

Magglio Ordonez had the best comments of any Tiger, calling out Miguel to "act like a superstar" and realize he's the face of the organization and he needs to learn how to behave himself.

An update on the situation, Miguel's arraignment is set for March 16th, so remember that date folks.

30 Day Challenge: Day One

2011-02-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, those stupid 30 day challenges on Facebook Facebook where people just post 30 different pictures of themselves, that is what I'm referring to, except this challenge is cooler. 30 days, 30 blogs, 1 a day. BUT WHAT IF YOU MISS A DAY DAVE???? Well then I'll do a two-a-day blog style. But this is a challenge that my roommate thought of as a way to get me back into the blogging game. So let's do this... DAY 1

Red Wings Find Groove

After struggling for a stretch, the Red Wings are on a roll, winning five in a row after a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild yesterday afternoon on Hockey Day in America. On a side note, this as Todd Bertuzzi's 1,000th NHL game and he scored the clincher in the shootout, so congrats go out to Bertuzzi.

This Wings have struggled as of late, but guys like Dan Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom, and most importantly Pavel Datsyuk are back in the lineup healthy and contributing right away. Getting those guys back has clearly made a big impact right away. Also getting Brad Stuart back has really helped sure up the blue line and penalty kill. His presence was clearly missed.

THe Red Wings find themselves five points back of the top spot in the west, but they have a game at hand. In layman's terms, it means Vancouver has played one more game than Detroit. So the wings are five points back with a game at hand, so potentially only three points back.

At this time last year everyone was in panic freak out mode, and I know who you guys were so if I see any of you tell me "Nooooo I wasn't panicing" then you're a liar in denial. But isn't it nice to see the WIngs playing like they should? Modano comes back on Friday so that will be a great addition.

The trade deadline is approaching, and I don't expect the Wings to make a splash because frankly they don't need to. Would I be shocked? No, but don't expect Detroit to be involved in a big deal.

The Fall of the Spartans

2011-02-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

There is one question being asked in East Lansing... What the Hell is going on?!?!?

The fans have watched their preseason national championship favorite Michigan State Spartans, who started off number two in the country, have collapsed and fallen apart beyond repair.

Maybe they aren't as good as we thought they were? Well clearly they're not, but there is more to it than this. There are many theories out there, and of course I have my own.

Hondo has said on his show that there is a lot of turmoil going on with this team, and ever since he's pointed this out, it's become blatantly obvious to me as well that there is something going on behind the scenes. Players to coaches, coaches to players, players to players and coaches to coaches, it just seems like everyone is caught up in the turmoil.

What's going on with the Spartans goes beyond just not having enough talent. They aren't as good as we all thought, that's clear. They have no low post game and that really hindered the Spartans early on in the season, before everything fell apart as bad as it has.

This team has fallen apart. But why? It has all the talent in the world. Is it Izzo? Is it the players?

Frankly both deserve some of the blame. But here's what I think...

I think that Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers coming back was a nightmare in disguise. It's something I never would have considered until I heard multiple people on Hondo's show, most recently Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press, say this exact same thing.

But how can two guys of such great talent hurt the team by coming back? They don't want to be there. They both were going to make the jump to the NBA after last season, whether or not they would have been drafted, but Kalin suffered the ankle injury in the NCAA tournament. They both were gone. Durrell goes where Kalin goes, and if Lucas didn't get hurt, they were NBA bound.

Having two senior "leaders" back that don't want to be there hurts the team in so many ways. Having anyone there that doesn't want to be there hurts morale, but having two "leaders" and two of your best players there that clearly don't want to be there is enough to kill any team.

I think Lucas and Summers's attitude combined with the bad losses have led to the team as a whole quitting. I don't see any effort from the team, they constantly and consistently look sluggish. They're playing with no pride right now and it shows.

But not all the blame goes onto the players, the coaches also have to take blame here. It is the coaches job to unite a team, to get a team to play together as a unit, and Izzo is not doing that. But I also feel like Izzo's making game-plan and strategy mistakes, beyond just the inner turmoil of this team.

Yes, Izzo deserves some blame for the turmoil, but let's look at in game coaching for a moment. Why doesn't State work the post more? Why is Draymond allowed to constantly spot up? Why doesn't Garrick Sherman get more playing time? These are questions I've had all season long and it doesn't make sense to me. They need to get a post game working, and they aren't even trying to get one going.

The season is done. They cannot salvage this season. Too many tough games are left on the schedule and this team is showing no signs of improvement. They're last two losses are by a combined 46 points, which includes a 20 point loss to Iowa, the worst team in the Big Ten.

This season is a disaster, and that's being polite. There isn't a lack of talent, but a lack of leadership, a lack of pride. And that's why the Spartans find themselves in a tail spin, with no signs of righting the ship.Stick a fork in em, cuz they're done.

GO PACK GO! Green Bay Wins Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: USA Today

Super Bowl Sunday has come and past, and the Green Bay Packers are your SUper Bowl XLV Champs. Congrats to the Packers organization on bring the Lombardi trophy back to historic Green Bay. The way Green Bay fought this season, not another team in the NFL deserves this title. They were 8-6 on the outside looking in, and they fought back and not only got to the playoffs, but won it all. Not to mention the 16 guys on injured reserve that they had to overcome.

Green Bay came out ready to play right from the start, taking a 14-0 lead early on a nice touchdown drive followed by a pick six by Nick Collins. The Packers decided that they were going to just throw the ball all game and dare the Steelers defense to stop them. Pittsburgh couldn't do it.

Green Bay looked destined for a blowout win, jumping out to a 21-3 lead, but Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a touchdown drive to end the first half, to pull within 11. The Packers took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.

The Pack suffered three key injuries in the first half, seems to be their theme of the season. Charles Woodson, Donald Driver and Sam Shields all left the game due to injury. Shields did return and got significant playing time, but Woodson was done.

Woodson tried to give a halftime speech, but was too emotional and couldn't speak. Reportedly, players shouted "We got you," to the emotional Woodson, who is an important member of their defense and a team leader.

The Steelers came out hungry and focused int he third quarter, and started to make a come back. They took advantage of the Packers inability to move the ball in the third, and started to gain the momentum back.

The key play of the game was Rashard Mendenhall's fumble at the start of the fourth. Had Pittsburgh scored a touchdown, they would have taken the lead. But Mendenhall's mistake proved costly as it led to a Green Bay touchdown.

Anywho, Steelers score, go for two, get it, Packer field goal on a key drive, and Pittsburgh gets the ball back with two minutes and a chance to win, but Green Bay stops them on a 4th and 5 pass attended for Mike Wallace. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl.

It was a fantastic game, and it came down to the end, what more could you ask for? Rodgers had a phenomenal game, and he did something Brett Favre never did: win Super Bowl MVP.

I will say... that I had picked the Steelers... BUT, my preseason Super Bowl pick was the Packers, so I feel pretty good about that, little victory for the Bearded One. Yeah but I changed at the end, but c'mon I had good reasoning, the Steelers were more balanced than the Pack.

Congrats once again to the Green Bay Packers on this win, a much deserved win. Congrats to Rodgers for getting the Favre monkey off his back, and congrats to Charles Woodson, for getting that Super Bowl ring that the Tom Brady tuck rule stole from you.

Michigan Ends the Streak

2011-01-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: annarbor.com

The Spartans and the Wolverines met at the Breslin Thursday night, and the heavily favored Spartans were handed a surprising 61-57 loss at the hands of their bitter rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.

This game was huge for both teams, as they both were struggling. One team started over-achieving, but was losing games by falling apart late, and the other was trying to salvage what little was left of a season that was supposed to end in a national championship. This was a must win for both teams.

Michigan came out ready to play, and the Spartans continued to start off sluggish, like they had pretty much all season. Michigan controlled the tempo for most of the game, until the end when the Spartans started to rally.

We had seen it twice already this season, where State plays sluggish and sloppy all game, until they make a huge rally and win. (Wisconsin and Northwestern.) But it was not to be when State missed a go ahead open three then let Stu Douglas get a look from downtown for the dagger.

Michigan wins for the first time in the Breslin in 14 trips.

Darius Morris and Zack Novak light up the three point line in the victory over State. Kalin Lucas dropped 27 in the loss.

What does this say for the two teams?

For Michigan, this could be a turning point. They had been close against good teams, but fell apart late. They hadn't been putting together full games. They had been showing up in stretches, but then disappearing. The classic sign of a young team (Michigan has no seniors, and two juniors.) This game could give the young Wolverine squad the confidence to make a run at a NCAA tournament bid. They already have more wins than many expected, but it's going to take a lot if they're going to dance. Unlikely, but this win is a nice one on any resume.

On the other side... This loss really puts the Spartans in a bad spot. On paper, MSU should have won by 15, at least. But the talented Spartans just continue to underachieve. Players and coaches are both to blame with the failure of this season. I understand State has the toughest schedule in the country, but losing to teams like Penn State and Michigan are unacceptable.

They followed this up by beating a bad Indiana team by one at home in overtime. There is something seriously wrong with this team. Obviously they aren't as good as everyone expected and losing Raymar Morgan clearly has had a bigger impact than anyone could have expected, but with all the talent still on this team, the performance thus far is unacceptable.

They'll get into the tournament on reputation alone if they are even close to the bubble, but for a team that's "national champion or bust," that's not good enough, and this season is disaster thus far. It will take a huge turnaround to salvage this season for the Spartans.

A Plethora of Bearded Thoughts...

2011-01-28T09:21:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit: Bestsportsphotos.com

There have been a few stories that have caught my eye recently in the world of sports, and in a perfect world I would have been able to address them individually... but alas, we do not live in a perfect world. So let the fun begin...

I would like to start with a story last week from women's high school basketball when a school beat another school 108-3. The team with 108 used all nine of its players, never used a full court press, and never stopped running it's offense. It didn't slow the game and just pass the ball around, because let's face it, that's kind of insulting to a team.

But I don't know what's most absurd with this story. Is it the fact a high school women's team dropped 108? Is it the fact that they didn't press, nor tried to run the score? Or is it the fact the other team only managed to make one basket in four quarters of basketball? Take your pick, but this is just absurd no matter what your take on it.

Here's the story on it.

Now how about the story about a West Virginia player quitting in the middle of a game? I haven't found anything on his side of the story, but apparently he used to start, was benched, and was getting virtually no playing time. But he got up, went to the locker room, and wasn't seen again.

As absurd as that is, based on Bob Huggins's comments after the game... he and Danny Jennings didn't get along... Here's the link to the story where you can see Coach Huggins's comments.

Gil Meche is retiring. Big who cares right? Some of you probably don't even know who he is... He's a pitcher for the Royals that got a giant contract for having a kinda sorta good season, and has been bad ever since. But why is he retiring? Because he doesn't feel he deserves his guaranteed $12 million. He said when he signed his contract he wanted to earn it, but feels like he's not earning it.

I gained a whole new respect for Gil Meche, and I wish more athletes had integrity like Mr. Meche here. When you walk away from your contract because you feel bad for not earning it, then you know you were playing the game for the right reasons.
Click Right Here

Lastly another baseball guy is retiring. Former Tiger starter Mike Maroth announced his retirement from baseball. Yes, the same Mike Maroth that lost 21 games when the Tigers lost 119. But Maroth was apart of the turn around here in Detroit, and he was a very solid starter, not good, but solid. He had an injury shortened season in 06, but he was big part of the Tigers' turnaround.

Maroth was traded from Detroit to St. Louis in 07, and that was the last time he was in the majors. He tried making it with the Royals and Blue Jays, but Maroth couldn't get back to the majors.

Mike was my boy, I thought he could have been a solid starter, nothing great, but solid and serviceable... Too bad... Official Story Link is Right Here.

Tate Forcier Leaves Michigan

2011-01-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

Phot Credit: MLive.com

I wanted to address Tate Forcier. This happened awhile ago so I'm sure you all know, he's leaving Michigan. My cousin was a TA in one of the classes that he was in, and she told us back in December he was failing. Apparently Forcier decided that you didn't need to go to class to pass. And as teh Maize Rage told me last night, he apparently would still be in at State. I doubt that, but okay.

Anyways, here's Tate's tweet feed, which by the way is how he announced his departure. It started around midnight on January 20th...

-Immediate Press/Sports Release: January 20, 2011- Robert “Tate” Forcier University Of Michigan Sophomore Quarterback

Why do we all wait until we are at our lowest point to seek God’s help?

I’ve been kicked, pushed, knocked down, publicly berated, belittled, emasculated and more.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to give up or feel the victim.

The humility of it all is indescribable and that is exactly my point.

I had to reach rock bottom in order to see the light, and for that, I am thankful.

It was not until then, I realized that it was my lack of accountability and maturity and not to pass blame.

I do hope all my young fans forgive me and benefit from my lessons that I have learned.

Don’t wait to ask God into your life as he will help you see things clearer.

In summary, I believe, I will become a better student and a person of stronger character from these experiences at Michigan.

I can proudly state,“I worked hard on the practice field, in the film room and at meetings” after all, football is my passion.

I had fun celebrating with the fans.

I even competed hard while injured as a true freshman through the last (8) games in 2009, but I always played the game giving it my all

I am proud to have been part of Michigan Football history and will always cherish the memory.

The last few weeks I worked extremely hard to catch back up.

I really wanted to stay. I was not giving up on Michigan, but in the end, it was made clear they had given up on me.

With that being said, its time for me to go.

I promise the Michigan family and fans I will make you proud again.

Tate Forcier #5 - A Michigan Man Forever - Go Blue

Well wasn't that cute? A "Michigan Man" forever. If the words of his tweets are true, he's finally showing some maturity. But to announce your departure in a tweet feed, and talk about how you have been "kicked, pushed, knocked down, publicly berated, belittled, emasculated and more," that's a bit much Forcier, and not the way to handle a serious matter.

It's too bad he's leaving and couldn't stay on top of his school work, because frankly I felt that he was the best pure QB on the team, and definitely the best fit for Brady Hoke's offense. Denard is a tremendous athlete, but just looking at the skills of a quarterback I feel that Tate is better with his decisions and accuracy. He also has more composure in the pocket than Denard. But Tate wasn't all there mentally. He got lazy in the summer, and got lazy with school. He wasn't mature enough to be the quarterback at Michigan, and now he's gone.

Korie Lucious Kicked Off the Team

2011-01-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: mlive.com

Breaking news out of Spartyland, as it was announced last night that Korie Lucious has been suspended by Izzo for the rest of the season for "conduct detrimental to the team." It hasn't been released exactly what he did, and I honestly don't expect it to be released. Something may slip out, because that just seems to be the world we live in, but nothing official is out.

An East Lansing District Court clerk said today that there are no pending cases involving Lucious, according to a tweet by Larry Lage this morning. So as far as we the public know, it's not legal trouble.

An interesting thing I read involving this story was Larry Lage retweeting and quoting a tweet from Korie Lucious himself. The tweet from Korie said, "Man did I really mess up this time...off 2 the gym I go!" According to details in Larry's tweet, this tweet came before the announcement of Korie being kicked off the team... Intriguing, isn't it?

Lucious will be transferring, and Izzo will help him find a new school, according to Korie's mother, Latonia Guider, in an interview done with Spartan Nation's Hondo Carpenter.

This will be a tough loss for the already struggling Michigan State Spartans. I will admit, I am not the biggest Lucious fan. His play on offense has been poor lately, and his defense has always been lackluster, but he always has the potential to be an offensive spark, and now the Spartans are losing that.

But maybe this will give someone a chance to step up. Someone who hasn't been getting very many minutes will now get more time, and step up. Maybe an Austin Thornton, maybe a Mike Keibler? Who knows? But despite his poor play as of late, this loss hurts the squad.

I wish Korie Lucious the best of luck on his endeavors, and where ever life takes him, may he find success, on or off the court.

Nabokov to the Islanders

2011-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Photocredit: http://gcaggiano.wordpress.com/

For those of you that don't know, yesterday the Wings agreed to a one-year deal with former Shark goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. The move was made as an attempt to strengthen the injury struck goalie core of the Wings. Howard is banged up and Ozzie is out for awhile after having sports hernia surgery.

Because of the rules from the latest collective bargaining agreement... and I don't know the exact lettering of it... but basically a player signing from the KHL to the NHL must clear waivers. 27 NHL teams had a chance to claim Evgeni, and they had 24 hours to do so. The waiting game begins...

And at 12:07, it was discovered by this bearded blogger via tweet, that one of my favorite goalies, had been claimed... by the New York Islanders... Let me just say on behalf of Hockeytown and hockey fans... Ewww.

I wanted Detroit to go out and get Nabokov when the trade rumors were flying around him, a few years back when we released Legace and our goalie situation was a mystery. We had Ozzie back but no starter, (ended up signing former Wing Dominick Hasek that year.)

This would have been a great edition. A veteran backup to split time with Howard, who has experience in pressure situations... granted he never succeeded up to the WIngs standard under pressure, but he has more experience than Jimmy. He could have been a useful asset for Detroit.

Here's what I'm hoping... Evgeni can opt not to play for the Islanders, but can't be traded by the Isle. So it's Isle or no one for Evgeni, it will really test if he wants to play in the NHL or not. I hope he plays. But here's what I really want... I want him to decide to come back to the NHL last year, and sign with our beloved Red Wings. Ozzie will probably retire, he's got hi 400th win, and no offense ot him, probably doesn't have anything left in the tank. Give Nabby a one or two year deal, for maybe a million per, and it's the perfect situation for both sides. Nabby gets a chance at a cup and an NHL job, Howie and the Wings get a reliable veteran backup.

On a side note, do not rule out Ken Holland trying to make a trade for a goalie. One guy I have recently heard coem up is Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who said he would waive his no trade clause to play for the Red Wings. Another goalie that I love and have loved, this move would be a good one as well. Obviously Ken would have to make the money match (Giggy makes 6 mil, but for only one year) but if Howie's knee is still bothering him, it's something the Wings have to look at.

Don't be surprised if at the trade deadline or even soon, Giggy ends up a Red Wing....

My First Day on Spartran Nation

2011-01-18T05:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started my internship at MIEntertainment Radio in Lansing to work with a man that I knew two things about: His name was Hondo, and he was a huge Spartan fan. I had no idea what to expect, but I figured I would just be behind the scenes learning how to run the soundboard, take calls, you know, the boring stuff of radio.

My day started off with me meeting with Jim, my boss and the boss of everyone pretty much, but there was one problem... I couldn't get in. Usually I go in the front, that door was locked. Went to the backdoor because a sign said knock on the backdoor when not during business hours, or something like that. So I did... for about 15 minutes. Went to the front door, knocked there, and got in right away. So, I was in the building, took me awhile, but I got in. Persistence is key.

I sat in on the recording of the last segment of Jim's show, and saw how the prerecorded shows are made, edited and labeled. He said if I remembered everything after one day I would win some kind of reward. Sadly, I will not be receiving this reward, because I forgot almost everything... keyword, almost...

But then I got to meet Hondo, who is 6'9, so he towers over me. But he was a very friendly, and energetic guy. Apparently it's a running joke that no one likes working with Hondo, so I was a little worried about being his intern...

We had about an hour and change to kill before the 6:00 show, and Hondo was preparing things for the Spartan Nation website. And I had the pleasure of meeting his son, Duffy, who said some of the funniest things I had heard in my entire life.

Six o'clock is approaching, I'm expecting to be called into the back, be behind the scenes and learn how to produce the show... Safe assumption for a day one intern right?

Wrong: Hondo hands me a pair of headphones, says have a seat, grab a mic. Day one, Dave the Intern is going on the air. I was caught by surprise, but super excited to be on the show on my first day. First segment I introduced myself, talked a little bit about Delvon Roe, then jumped behind the scenes for the next two segments to run the board for two interviews Hondo had lined up with a football recruit and basketball recruit. Pretty damn good stuff too.

Next segment I get on, we take emails. And much to my surprise, I was the subject of a fairly good amount of email...

First email, a girl asks for a picture of Dave the Intern on the website, which leads to Hondo admitting to seeing thousands of men naked in the locker-room and never finding anything attractive about a man ever... and Jim saying I am an attractive young man.

But that was the only piece of fanmail I received... All the rest of the email was calling out Dave the Intern... Apparently I'm not well liked. Hondo reassured me that's just how his audience is. My goal is to win over Spartan Nation...

Overal, it was a great first day, and I will do my best to let you guys know when Dave the intern is on the air, and be sure to check out Spartan Nation!

It's Not a Hoax, it's Brady Hoke

2011-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Michigan football coaching search is finally over with the official, not reported, hiring of Brady Hoke yesterday, a week after Rich Rod was supposedly fired and six days after he was actually fired.

The search for a head coach seemed like it took longer than it did, probably because we had to sit and wait for Harbaugh to decide, then wait for LSU to play, then wait for Les Miles to decide... There was a lot of waiting, and even more speculation.

Names were thrown from left to right, to the obvious Jim Harbaugh, to the unlikely John Gruden, to the are you serious?? like Todd Graham and Ron English. But our man was finally found, and that was Brady Hoke... supposedly...

Brady Hoke, according to David Brandon, is the only guy that was offered the job, and the only guy that David Brandon wanted... supposedly. I don't buy it, but here we find ourselves, a new coach, not Harbaugh, not Miles, it's Brady Hoke.

Honestly, when I first heard it, I was upset. It's not the sexy hire, it's not the big name hire, it's Brady Hoke... Who? Well I'll tell ya who he is. He was an assistant under Carr, a defensive line coach, He coached at Ball State, and turned them around, had a 12-0 season with Ball State. He then took over a bad San Diego State team, and turned them around. Overal he has a losing record, but he's taken over terrible football teams, and made them solid. He'll have to do the same thing here at Michigan.

I was expecting to write a blog about how Michigan failed in finding a coach, again. But I like to give people a chance, so I tuned into his press conference... And you can now chalk me up as a Brady Hoke fan.

I was very much impressed with what he had to say today. He talked about the importance of recruiting in state and in the midwest, something Rich Rod neglected. He talked about how everyone needed to be tougher, and talked about the importance of the rivalry games, something that Rich Rod downplayed, saying that "Ohio State is just another game, they're all just as important. Hoke came out and said it, "(Ohio State) is the most important game in the schedule." He said it was personal. That's something Rich failed at, the rivalries are key for bragging rights and most importantly recruiting.

Brady Hoke seems to be a very popular higher, and he addressed the divide and factions of Michigan supporters created by Rich Rod, calling it "sad." He seems like the right guy to unify the factions... If he can win.

A big thing for me was when he said this was his dream job. Unlike a Harbaugh, who wanted to go pro, Hoke is here to stay for as long as we let him coach. We don't have to worry about him jumping ship to the NFL. He's going to be a Michigan Man for life. And that is the most important thing about this hire.

It will be interesting to see how Brady Hoke turns the program around, but I think David Brandon absolutely found the right guy, and I will be the first to apologize for doubting and questioning him for failing to get Harbaugh.

And so begins... The Brady Hoke Era of Michigan Football.

And So Ends the Richard Rodriguez Era

2011-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: latimesblogs.com

Yesterday we all thought it was official, but today it was finally official, Rich Rodriguez was fired as the head coach of the University of Michigan after three years at the helm.

And what a three years it's been. It started with a messy divorce from West Virginia, a nasty divide amongst people at the university and players on the team, and a shift from Lloyd's pro-style offense to the spread. He brought NCAA infractions to Michigan Football for the first time ever, and he had the worst three year span in Michigan history. Clearly, he needed to go.

But why did he fail? He succeeded everywhere else? Why couldn't he succeed at Michigan? Well, I'm going to tell you why Richard Rodriguez failed as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines

Well first of all, he was walking into a bad situation. Not everyone within the university supported him, and Lloyd had gotten a tad lazy with his recruiting, especially on defense. The cupboard was a tad bare, not as bare as everyone claims, but there were thirteen unused scholarships when he took over, meaning Michigan could have gotten 13 more recruits or guys to give scholarships to, that's on Carr.

But Rich didn't make the transition easy himself. Instead of tailoring the team to what he had, he refused and insisted on running the full-fledged spread. He isolated quarterback Ryan Mallett and pretty much forced him out. He refused to tailor his coaching to the talent he had, a sign of a stubborn man and a bad coach.

Another reason why he failed is because he didn't adapt his 3-3-5 or abandon it, because it failed against the power run game of the big ten. The 3-3-5 is a fast, athletic defense good at forcing pressure on the QB and good against the pass... with good talent in it. But when you play against Big Ten opponents, what are they going to do? Run the ball. OSU, Wisconsin, MSU, they all ran heavily against Michigan in Rich Rod's three years here... Having said that, Rich Rod's defense was even worse against the pass. Michigan put up school-record-setting numbers on defense in every category you don't want to set records in.

But the even bigger failure of him regarding defense was he didn't delegate full defensive responsibilities to a competent defensive guy. he should have hired his D coordinator and siad "You run this, do what you seem fit." Instead, he hired Schafer and Robinson and made them try to work with the 3-3-5 and lack of talent he brought in with his recruiting classes. He should have focused on the one thing he's good at: Offense.

But the biggest thing Rich Rod failed to do was to work on becoming a Michigan Man. He didn't fully realize how big of a deal the tradition surrounding this program was to the people of the University of Michigan, staff, students, alum, and fans alike. He should have tried harder to please the people that were against him and tried harder to be a Michigan Man.

But he didn't, he came in here with the attitude of "this is my team now, and I don't care how it used to be done, I'm here to do it my way, and if you don't like it, too bad." He had such a bad attitude during his tenure here that he isolated himself from a lot of Michigan supporters. He didn't help his own cause with the attitude he came with, and he needed to learn what it meant to be the coach of Michigan football. He needed to learn what this program was all about.

In his defense, I do feel bad for poor Rich now that he's gone. I despised him as a coach, did not agree with the spread, did not like the way he talked in his press conferences, sounded like a jackass, but I feel bad for him because he never stood a chance. The divide was so great when he as hired here, and many weren't willing to even give him a chance.

David Brandon said this in his press conference, and I bet it's true, "I don't think Rich had an easy night's sleep since coming to Ann Arbor." He had so much pressure and people were constantly criticizing him. It's hard for a head coach to legitimately succeed when not everyone within his program is supporting him.

But whether or not he got the support of the university, he did a bad job and got what he deserved. He did not deserve another chance, there was no justification for keeping him, even with that offense. Rich will succeed where he goes next, because there will be less pressure on him, and he probably will be in a conference with less recruiting restrictions. I wish him well, but I will be honest, I did not like the hire, and did not like him from day one. I saw the thought process, just wasn't a fan.

So long Richard, it's been... a living hell quite frankly.

Season in Review: Michigan State Spartans

2011-01-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: parantar.com

Going from looking at the disaster in Ann Arbor, it's time to take a look at the surprise in East Lansing. Coming off a 6-7 season, expectations weren't extremely high for the Spartans, but talks of Dantonio not being the guy everyone thought he was did stat. They weren't loud or frequent talks, but the word was if they had another mediocre season, that his job could have been in jeopardy.

Those talks were quickly silenced as the Spartans roared out of the gates to start the season, starting the season to an 8-0 start. Amongst those wins were the overtime thriller against Notre Dame under the lights. The famous "Little Giants" fake field goal in overtime when down three to win. Also a comeback win against Northwestern on the road which was sparked by a fake punt play which led to a touchdown.

You could tell that this was going to be one magical season. It seemed like this was a team of destiny. State had gotten as high as number 5 in the rankings. They beat Big Ten contender Wisconsin (eventual Rose Bowl representative) by double digits. The Spartans were shocking the country and were on a magical run.

The Spartans had one last road block standing between them and a trip to the Rose Bowl and an undefeated season. A trip to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes. A lot of controversy surrounding this game involving Chris L Rucker, the law, and Dantonio's "Zero Tolerance Policy." Rucker was going to be dressed for Iowa.

And MSU, with everyone watching, and with the biggest game in the programs history in i have no idea how long, I haven't been a Spartan long enough. Bottom line, this game had National Championship and Big Ten title hopes riding on it.

But MSU did not show up. They were clearly unprepared for this game. They got embarrassed, losing 37-6. The loss cost MSU a chance at the Rose Bowl and a BCS bowl. BIggest game in a long time, and the Spartans didn't even show up.

As expected, MSU won out the rest of the year, finishing 11-1 and tying for the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Wisconsin. ANd of the three, MSU did not go to a BCS bowl. They were sent to the Capital One Bowl to play a vastly superior Alabama team. And they got destroyed, losing 49-7. And all the Michigan fans came out in mass to call them frauds.

But was MSU a bunch of frauds? CLearly yes. They were a good team having an amazing season, but they're not on the level of the elite yet. But this season was far better than anyone could have anticipated, and it shows that the Spartans have the right coach with Mark Dantonio.

The Final Bearded Grade for Michigan State: A
Nothing wrong with a share of the Big Ten and an 11-2 season, much better than most expected, but those two losses are by a combined score of 86-13, proving that they just aren't at the level of the better teams in the country, and that they were just on a magical run of improbability, a team of destiny. A stellar season for the boys in East Lansing.

Season in Review: Michigan Wolverines

2011-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Mlive.com

Another year of Rich Rodriguez, and another disappointing season for the Wolverines. Good thing that's over, more on that later tonight. But that's not what this post is about, I'm here to review the Wolverines season, and give it a final grade. The Bearded Take on the 2010 Michigan Wolverine Football season is coming at you riiiiiiight NOW

Much like 2009, the Wolverines got off to a hot start and had everyone excited for a possible run at the Big Ten title. Denard Robinson was putting up Heisman Trophy numbers and there was a ton of hype coming out of Ann Arbor...

But also like 09, the season went bad as soon as the Wolverines played the Spartans. Michigan put up a ton of yards against State, but only 17 points. This sparked a three-game losing streak as they lost to Iowa and Penn State. Penn State was led by walk-on sophomore Matt Mcgloin, who eventual became the starter, but at the time was young and dumb. But Michigans stellar defense made him look like Joe Montana.

Michigan managed to beat Illinois 67-65 in triple overtime. Yet again, the defense was terrible. They got bowl eligible with this win then beat Purdue on the road. Rich Rod's job looked like it could be saved if they at least showed up against OSU and Wisconsin to close out the season.

But it didn't, Michigan got stomped in both games, losing to Wisconsin 48-28 and Ohio State 37-7. Embarrassing performances for the Wolverines.

But despite all this, they were bowling. They had a chance to redeem the season, and get a bowl win for the first time under Rich Rod. But once again, Michigan got stomped, losing 52-14.

Overal, Rich Rod progressed, increasing his win total by two, just like the year before (3 wins, 5 wins, 7 wins.) And the offense has gotten better every year, so there were signs of progress made by the Wolverines. A dynamic offense with a quarterback that's faster than every other player on the field, which is something to build around.

But the defense got worse every year. And there were no signs of any future improvements coming with the lack of recruits Rich Rod got for the defense. The defense set records for suck last year, breaking Michigan records for pretty much every category that's bad, (points allowed, yards per game) and everyone said no way could it be worse... and yet it managed to break all those records. It was worse than the year before.

Well obviously it would be easy to throw up an F for a final grade, especially since I refuse to lose my old Michigan standard of winning (Rose Bowl or bust.) unlike pretty much everyone of my Michigan friends, that just wanted to go bowling... C'mon what happened to the Michigan standard??

But I digress, I could easily say they failed, but they did improve from a year ago, they did get seven wins, and they did go bowling... But come on, this season should have been so much better and that defense is so painful that I actually have to turn off Michigan games for the first time in my life.

The Bearded Season Grade for the Michigan Wolverines: D-
They improved offensively, and they went bowling... But this season was a disaster filled with turmoil and no defense. An absolute embarrassment for the winningest program in the history of college football.

Detroit Lions 2010 Season in Review

2011-01-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: sports.gather.com

Another Lions season is done, and another losing record for the boys in Honolulu Blue, which makes it 10 straight seasons with a sub .500 record. But unlike other years, this Lions team ends the season on a positive note, winning it's last four games, and giving Lion fans everywhere, something to look forward to.

The Lions won four in row to end the season, making everyone think that they're a good team. But they did go 6-10, which is another losing season. I'm here to sift through both the highs and the lows of the Lions season, and give a final grade to the 2010 Detroit Lion football season.

The Lions had a bad year for injuries, losing Stafford twice, and for the year again, and Best and Calvin were banged up most of the year. But they fought, and they fought hard, something we're not used to seeing in Detroit. The injuries at the quarterback position were frequent, forcing Drew Stanton to start two games, and even he got hurt in one of those starts. Fortunately Zach Robinson did not have to play.

But they continued fighting, even when they were 2-10 and the season was over, they fought and finished 6-10. They surprised the NFL at the end of the year. The Motor City Kitties are on the rise in the NFL, and the league knows it now. Had they stayed healthy, they could have contened this year.

But this is why the Lions aren't good, yet. Good teams find ways to overcome these things. When the Patriots lost Brady, they finished 11-5. Granted they missed the playoffs, but they still won 11 games. If they lost Brady now they'll be in trouble, but Hoyer does have more experience than Matt Cassel did... So who knows? The Colts went from a struggling, injured giant, to back in the playoffs and at top form. Good teams find a way.

Also good teams don't lose the close games. A good team doesn't blow that Jet game. A good team doesn't let a Green Bay off the hook. A good team doesn't lose to a Buffalo. The Lions aren't there yet. They're solid and on the rise, but I won't call them a good team yet.

So overal, the 2010 season went just as I expected, 6-10. They're showing promise, but they're not there yet. They need to address the linebacking core and the secondary in free agency and the draft. Once they solidify that, and possibly the right tackle and right guard spot, then they will be a good team.

The Lions 2010 Season Grade: C+
They showed promise and fight, but overal, how good can a 6-10 season be when many of those defeats were right there for the taking? Good teams win those ones. So I say the Lions had a slightly above average season, but they're improving.

Is Osgood a Hall of Famer?

2010-12-31T00:32:00.000-08:00

photo credit: Getty Images

I've heard this question tossed around this town many a time, and there seems to be a divide, at least locally, on the issue here. Is Christopher Osgood a hall of fame goaltender? Or is he just a guy that was lucky enough to play in Detroit during this dominant stretch of 19 playoff seasons? In my opinion, he is indeed, a hall of fame goalie.

Let's take a gander at Mr. Osgood's resume. Three-time Stanley Cup champion, 400 career wins, 50 career shutouts, .905 save percentage, and a very respectable 2.49 goals against average. Oh and he scored a goal against the Hartford Whalers. That is a pretty damn good resume for any goalie, if you ask me.

I mean check out the list of other goalies on this list here, Osgood joins the likes of Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk and Martin Brodeur in the exclusive 400 win club. Only 10 goalies have achieved this goal. Read that list twice if you have to, Ozzie is in some elite company. Also take note that Dominick Hasek is at 389. The two-time Stanley Cup champion, the six-time Vezna trophy winner for best goaltender, three-time Jennings Award winner for fewest goals allowed (in 08 he split it with Osgood,) the two-time Pearson award winner for most outstanding player and the two-time Hart trophy winner for league's Most Valuable Player, has 11 fewer wins than our own Chris Osgood. I will admit, Dom had to play for Buffalo, who wasn't good at all while Dom was there and he carried that team, but just think about it. The Dominator, who was arguably the best goalie in the League during his prime, has fewer wins than Chris Osgood. Dom will be a Hall of Famer, of that I have no doubt, so then shouldn't Osgood be one too?

But alas, there are two sides to every argument, so let me play a little devil's advocate here for a moment...

Put Osgood on another team. Does he get 400? Well he had four seasons away from the Winged Wheel, and he wasn't totally bad. He went 84-67-20 in his four seasons not in Detroit. Not too shabby, if you ask me. But not great either. Osgood has never been considered one of the elite in the league, his success is often credited to the fact that he plays in Detroit, where frankly you will face about 20 shots a game on a good day. A Wing goalie just have to stop what he faces, and never really has to be outstanding.

Ozzie was decent to good is when not in Detroit, but he wasn't anything special. If he didn't play the majority of his career here, there's no way he gets 400 wins. Put him on the Buffalo team Dom played for and I bet he struggles.

Osgood won the Jennings trophy in 08, but other than that doesn't have any hardware to solidify his career and resume as a hall of fame goalie. Three Stanley Cups is three more than many hockey players, but in 97 it was Vernon's team. 98 he is called the worst starting goalie to ever win the stanley cup. 08 was his most impressive cup, but Osgood never really stole a game in that postseason. He turned the Wings around when he came in for Dom, but he never stole games the way a Brodeur would.

But at the end of the day, only one thing matters: The numbers. If Osgood had been short of 400 at the end of his career, I legitimately think he would not be elected into the hockey hall of fame. Achieving this amazing feat I think is the difference between Osgood, Detroit legend, and Osgood, Hall of Famer.

If you scroll down in this link, you will see a comparison between Osgood and other Hall of Fame goalies, makes a compelling argument for him to be in.

Congrats go to Chris Osgood on joining such elite company and getting his 400th career victory. Ozzie is a great hockey player and an even better man, and he deserves this 400th win. Say what you will about Ozzie, but he's in the exclusive 400 win club, and it may be awhile before another goalie joins him.

Magical Number 400

Get Calvin the Damn Ball

2010-12-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

Let's ask ourselves... Who is the best Detroit Lion? Is it Calvin Johnson? Is it Ndamukong Suh? Is it Drew Stanton? Well you could make an argument for any of these guys... only two of them though will people actually take you seriously. But for the sake of this article, let's go with Calvin Johnson, who's easily the best player on our offense.

So what do you do with your best player on offense? You get him the ball. If you have a star runningback, you're going to get him 25-30 touches a game. Arian Foster gets the ball on what seems like every other play in Houston. You ride your stars. Houston rides Foster, Titans ride Chris Johnson, Cleveland rides Peyton Hillis. The Colts live and die with Manning, as the Packers do with Rodgers. Bottom line, your offense revolves around your best player.

So why doesn't Detroit's revolve around Calvin? I know it is a tad more difficult to get the ball to a wideout as much as a runningback, but here's what I'm thinking... How many times do the Lions throw the ball? Well for a stretch they were number two in the NFL in pass attempts. So let's call it 30-40 pass attempts a game from a TYPICAL Lions game... typical meaning they're losing and needing to throw it. So why can't Calvin see 15-20 targets a game? On a side note, lately the Lions have had success running, and have thrown it less

He is 6'5, 4.3 speed, bigger and stronger than every corner in the NFL, just let him make a play. THat's what playmakers do, and teams let their playmakers make plays. But Detroit does not do it enough, if you ask me. He had three targets against the Jets, for example. Revis is good... But just throw it high and there's nothing he can do about it.

Valenti and Foster interview Calvin every week, and they asked them why the Lions seem to never run the stop fade in the red-zone... and all he could say is "I don't know, but I'd love it if we did." I agree with Calvin. HE'S 6 FOOT 5. No one will out jump him. It should be ran at least once every time their in range for it.

So, bottom line, the Lions need to find ways to get Calvin the ball 15-20 times a game. It sounds outlandish for a wide out, bu think about it. Your best player should get an abundance of touches. WIldcat, end arounds, fade routes, I don't care. Just find a way to get Calvin more touches, and we will have more success on offense. And if you get Calvin going, teams will try even harder to take him away, opening up the Burleson's and Pettigrew's of the world

Three in a Row... And it's Wins, not Losses?!?!?!

2010-12-27T02:14:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Detroit News

Hello my beloved, and admittedly lately, neglected fans. It's been far too long since I've written a blog, and I feel that I should probably do this. I've been mega busy thus far over break, and I haven't even thought about the blog much at all, and for that I apologize to both you, the fans, and myself.

But anyways, let's talk sports, shall we?

First off, the Lions, where has this been all season. And before all my Sparty Brethren start telling me how good Drew Stanton is, let me tell you the defense beat Green Bay, and Tampa Bay was not a sign of Drew's future NFL greatness. Two coaching staffs have seen nothing promising from Drew Stanton and there's a reason for that. He was a waste of a second round pick, so please, just stop it... you're embarrassing yourselves every time you call in to 97.1 saying that "he coulda been great with playing time..." No... he's bad. First season he was on IR, just like every season in college it seemed like, and then Culpepper, fresh out of the unemployment line, won the job over him. A one armed-Hill started over him. He's not good.

Anyways, the Lions have looked like a real NFL team for the first time since they flirted with all of your hearts by starting 6-2. They put together three impressive wins in a row, beating a playoff team, Green Bay at home, a contender and good team in Tampa Bay on the road, and yesterday beating a solid, but inconsistent and underachieving Miami team also on the road. The win against the Buccaneers ended a 26 game road losing streak, which broke their old record set earlier this decade... Only the Lions, right?

The defense impressed me very much against Green Bay and Miami, and the offense stepped it up against the two Florida squads. The Lions have really put something together here at the end of the season, I just wish that Stafford were in, so we could perhaps be getting a glimpse of things to come.

I have two more planned blogs this week, IF I find the time and remember to stay on top of things. One is about what the Lions need to do on offense, and the other will be dedicated to my friend Conor, and about our favorite player... that's right... Tim Tebow

By the way, I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and is having a wonderful winter break

Let's go Bowling...

2010-12-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit phawker.com

The bowls are set, and my favorite time of the year is upon us. It's time to go bowling. Sure most of these teams feature two teams that people can't even name one player on them. But I am a bowl junkie, I love the bowls, no matter who's playing in it, if there's a bowl on, I'll probably be watching it.

But like every bowl season, there are games that no one in the country cares about, and then there are those "must watch bowls." So let's take a look at the Bearded Fellow's "Can't Miss, Non-BCS Bowls" of 2010/2011.

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs Utah
Say what you will, I have this one on my "Can't Miss Bowls" list because I want to see how Boise comes out. They missed out at a chance at the Rose Bowl or a national championship when Kyle Brotzman "missed" that field goal against Nevada. Boise is far superior to Utah, I know this, but it could be an interesting matchup. Next year (I believe it takes affect next season...) Boise will be a Mountain West rival of Utah. I'm curious to see how they're first matchup goes.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida State vs South Carolina
This'll be a hell of a matchup. I absolutely love everything the Gamecocks got going on for them. Steven Garcia and Marcus Lattimore have been pretty damn good thus far for South Carolina. Christian Ponder had himself a 20 touchdown season for the Noles and is a very solid quarterback that I do like. This bowl, is under-hyped, I've yet to hear anyone talk about it... So I'm talkin about it. Watch this one folks.

Gator Bowl: Michigan vs Mississippi State
So we all know why you should watch this on Michigan's side. Denard is a super athlete, that offense is really dynamic, and it wil be Rich Rod's final game. But what about Mississippi State? I bet you don't know much about them... cuz neither do I... I did some research and found that they are a solid overal team. Not spectacular, just solid. They are 91st passing the ball but 19th rushing it. The Bulldogs lost to Auburn only by 3, so this should be a pretty good matchup.

Capitol One Bowl Michigan State vs Alabama
This is the game I am most looking forward to. You got the preseason number one team, who is still a pretty damn good team, in Alabama verse the cinderella story of the season Michigan State Spartans. Saban is going against his old school. Ingram is versing the school he almost played for. MSU has a chip on their shoulder after being snubbed from a BCS game and wants to show the nation that it was a mistake to leave out Sparty. This is going to be one hell of a football game.

For a full line up of all the bowl games, you should take your cursor and click riiiiiiiight here.

Also, check out these games:

Navy v San Diego State

Notre Dame v Miami

NC State v West Virginia

Northwestern v Texas Tech

Penn State v Florida

Why I Hate Fifa

2010-12-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: onislam.net

I have never really been a big fan of Fifa. I felt they failed in the handling of the France Ireland fiasco, and I've done some homework and find that they've always been a little shady. To give them credit, recently they've done a good job at being ambassadors to the world, trying to use the game of soccer to unite people. The World Cup is a phenomenal event. In 06, Ivory Coast declared a cease fire and stopped their civil war so the country could watch and support it's football team. They brought Africa it's first World Cup and South Africa did an amazing job and made the continent proud.

But what I don't like about Fifa is their anti-American attitude. Most international committees have it, and Fifa is no different. No American refs were chosen for the the 2010 World Cup. We saw how bad the officiating was, especially when USA was screwed out of a win because of it against Slovenia. By the way, the ref that blew the Theiry Henry handball was selected for the World Cup. Kinda bogus if you ask me, especially since the American refs are becoming some of the most respected in the world, believe it or not.

And how about the fact that Fifa threatened to throw out there bid for the World Cup because of Arizona's immigration law, requiring immigrants to carry with them their paperwork showing their now American citizens... or something like that? Fifa is so quick to throw America under the bus, and yet they give the World Cup bid to Qatar.

Let's go over some laws that exist in this tiny, black gold-ran country...
Homosexually is illegal in Qatar.
Drinking alcohol in public is illegal in Qatar.
Public intimacy is illegal in Qatar.

Oh and they are first in carbon emissions per capita. Seems like a great place...

They are Muslim, I have no problem with people's religious beliefs and what have you, but let me just say this... The culture breeds hate. It's no secret what goes on in the Muslim culture. Honor killings, Christian killings, suicide bombings, constant war... we all know what goes on in that area.

Granted, Qatar is pretty stable all things considered, but If Fifa wants to throw a hissy fit over what Arizona is doing, then why haven't they said anything about Qatar's discriminatory laws?

Fifa is a bunch of corrupt, hypocritical, scumbags. Bottom line.

United States Better Choice, not Qatar

2010-12-02T12:59:00.001-08:00

I'm left distraught and confused too, Alexi

Photo Credit: insidesocal.com

So let's face it, we got screwed out of hosting an international sporting event despite clearly being the better choice. Okay yes, that statement is riddled with opinion, but there are facts that back up my statements. So now it's time for me to ramble angrily but yet factually on why the good ol' US of A was the clear and better choice for the World Cup.

1994, Soccer's greatest and biggest display comes to the United States. A country that had little interest in the game. The team was mediocre at best. Fifa gives them the 94 world cup, but with a million strings attached. They had to qualify for the world cup in 1990, and they also needed to qualify for the Olympics, just to keep their bid. I bet Qatar, a country that's never qualified, won't have strings attached to this honor.

But I digress, the point I want to make about the 1994 World Cup is that it set records, records that still stand, for ticket sales and revenue brought in. The World Cup here was a huge success back when soccer was a dead sport that very few even pretended to care about. Now our tam is on the up n up, interest in the game has never been higher, just imagine how successful the World Cup would be here given 12 years for the game to grow even further. Our culture is diverse, more hispanics are coming into the country which reflects the growth in the interest of the game. It only makes sense to have the World Cup here.

This decision is one riddled with corruption. But is it all about money? Well it can't be, because the US would have generated the most revenue of all the bidding nations, check it y'all.
"The decision might reflect the United States’ diminished standing in the world because an internal study conducted by FIFA showed the U.S. would produce the wealthiest and most successful tournament of all the campaigners"

Granted, we don't have that oil money Qatar has, and probably didn't bride Fifa as much as Qatar did. I said it, live with it. Putin knows it's true, and so much of the world also knows that Fifa is corrupt and a shady organization ran by scumbags and sleezeballs.

"Basically, oil and natural gas won today. This was not about merit, this was about money," former U.S. national team star Eric Wynalda said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Qatar "is a country that is really going to struggle to host this event. A successful World Cup would mean the attendance would be twice the population." Here's that article too

Look, bottom line is the US was the right choice, not Qatar. We'd bring in the money, put the meat in the seats, and we'd put on one hell of a World Cup. And it's a shame they didn't give us the bid because they don't like our country, because 26 is pretty much set as China and 30 will likely be in Europe. This is devastating for the United States.

But what makes me mad is that the committee itself recognized that the tiny country, that has never qualified for a world cup, that gets up to 130 degrees in the summer, and that needs to build all the facilities in a small area to host the games, was a huge risk.
"Qatar’s bid was one of the most audacious proposals submitted and steadily moved from being a dark horse to pre-vote favorite despite being classified as 'high risk' by FIFA’s own inspectors."

It's upsetting to me that they knew the United States would make perfect sense, and yet they went with a risky choice, just because they don't like us as a country, and because we can't grease their palms with oil money.

And later tonight, part three of my anger blog, "Why I hate Fifa"

Rusia and Qatar?

2010-12-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: football.uk.reuters.com

Today Fifa announced what lucky countries would be hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. The United States was a finalist for the 2022 bid, along with Qatar, Japan, and Australia.

I'll cut to the chase, Fifa made two intriguing decisions for the host nations... For 2018 Fifa chose Russia, over England, the "Motherland of Football," as the head of Fifa Sepp Blatter put it. A controversial decision, let's look at it.

Russia draws at most 20,000 for there local league games, nothing compared to England and other European nations. Russia is not known for it's soccer, although they usually have a solid squad. Russia did not qualify for this past World Cup and their best finish was 4th when they were still the Soviet Union.

It looked like England was the best choice, the other two candidates were Netherlands/Belgium and Espania/Portugal.

What made this decision controversial was the fact that Vladimir Putin declined to attend the event Thursday, citing that he feels the actions taken against some of the committee members voting (these members were accused of taking kickbacks) was a smear against Rusia. He didn't explain how it was a smear against Rusia getting the bid, but he did say he felt Fifa was corrupt and no longer felt good about his country's bid.

Vladimir Putin called Fifa corrupt... that's bad... Granted his statements are a little confusing, because they took action against guys taking money, but he felt that by doing that it was a smear campaign against Russia... but he was onto something...

Then it came time to announce the 2022 World Cup bid winner. To me, there were only two worthy choices: USA and Australia.

Fifa felt differently.

When Blatter announced Qatar won the bid, my reaction was "WHO?!?!?!"

Let's dig a little deeper into what makes Qatar a "qualified host nation"
1) Qatar is smaller than Connecticut
2) The population is less than the city of Houston
3) In the summer it gets up to 120 degrees, even 130 degrees. Great soccer weather
4) Qatar has never qualified for a World Cup.
5) They have a ton of money

If you guys couldn't tell, there is only one thing on that board that got them a bid. MONEY. Fifa is a corrupt organization that disguises itself as ambassadors.

It's all about who can bribe the most, and congrats to Russia and Qatar, you have the biggest checkbooks. I have to break this up into two more blogs, just so you guys don't read a giant post, but here's my initial post on the matter.

Up next, why Qatar over the United States is the WRONG choice.

Are the Spartans Getting Shafted?

2010-11-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: zimbo.com

With the new BCS standings out, we have learned that Michigan State is behind Wisconsin and Ohio State in the rankings. Which means Wisconsin will be going to the Rose Bowl, and if there's a Big Ten at largre taken, which there will be, it will most likely, but not for sure, be Ohio State.

Bummer right? I know the feeling up here in Sparty Land is "Oh we're getting screwed! Hating on the new team on the block! We beat Wisconsin, how can they be higher than us?"

But let me give the Bearded take on this folks. I may be a Sparty, but by being raised a Wolverine, I feel like I now have an unbiased perspective on both squads. Michigan sucks right now... see, unbiased. But anyways, I'm here to tell you why Michigan State is not being screwed over.

First of all, on why Wisconsin is going to the Rose Bowl. They beat Iowa, beat Ohio State, and there one loss was a ten point loss to a good team on the road. They won in convincing fashion against Northwestern, Indiana, and Michigan. Yes, bad teams, but they won impressively. They didn't need to rally against a bad team (see MSU vs Purdue.) Wisconsin is the clear easy choice for the Big Ten representative for the Rose Bowl.

But now the question is Ohio State over Michigan State. The teams didn't play each other, Ohio State loss to Wisconsin, who we beat, why pick Ohio State over Michigan State? Is it purely reputation based?

Well let's get all the factors out there. FIrst, when did OSU lose compared to MSU losing? Yes folks, part of college football isn't how you lose, but when you lose. Michigan State was the last of these three teams to lose, Wisconsin the first. Wisconsin is first in the standings and we are last. Funny how that works... It's no secret, if you lose late in the season you're screwed out of so many things, including a chance at a BCS bowl. It's better to lose sooner rather than later.

But let's also look at the two losses. Ohio State lost 31-18 on the road against Wisconsin. Not pretty, but not as bad as MSU's 37-6 loss on the road against Iowa, never impressive. But Ohio State kinda sorta showed up and it was interesting for awhile. Michigan State never showed up. It was there one big game on the schedule, and they did not show up. On the road against a very good Iowa team, and they were exposed. If MSU would have lost a closer game, maybe they go over Ohio State, but MSU got their ass kicked.

But is that enough to put OSU over MSU? For a computer, probably, but the human vote still... kinda sorta?... matters. Why would the coaches and the writers put OSU over MSU? It's hard to say who's better in this kind of situation when the teams don't play each other... Thank God Nebraska is going to prevent that from ever happening again. But I digress...

If Michigan State were to play the Buckeyes, The Bearded One would have to take Ohio State, and here's the key, no matter where they play. If it's in Columbus, I would expect a double-digit defeat for the Spartans. If it's in East Lansing, it would be a close affair, but my edge would still go to Ohio State. If the Buckeyes have a big game, I will take them nine times out of ten, no matter the opponent. Jim Tressel is a fantastic coach, and wouldn't allow his boys not to be ready. Nothing against Dantonio, he's done an excellent job turning the program around, but MSU escaped vs Notre Dame, escaped vs Northwestern, escaped against Purdue, and lost in their one big road game, by a lot.

So considering that only two Big Ten teams can go to a BCS bowl, would I like it to be the Spartans? Yes. Should it be? Considering all the factors, no. If there could be more than two Big Ten teams in BCS games, then yes they do deserve it, but they don't deserve a bid over Wisconsin, who of the three has the most impressive wins, nor do they deserve a bid over Ohio State, who frankly is the better team if you stopped, and unbiasedly looked at the two teams.

You can say 11-1 and no BCS bowl is a crime, especially when a Big East team has to get a bid. I get it, and I agree with you. But they have a contract agreement that makes them a BCS conference, so nothing we can do about it. And the BCS has the rule of no more than two representatives per conference is in place to keep some parity.

My one question is why is there a rule for the bowl games to take one non-BCS conference team every four years? The BCS bowl game itself, like the Rose Bowl, is required to have at least one non-BCS conference team in it every four years. Isn't apart of them being non-BCS mean they don't get an automatic bid? This is pretty much an automatic bid. What if a bowl needs to fill the requirement and they take, oh let's say a Boise, over a team that's more deserving just to meet the requirement. If they're good take em, if not, then don't force the bowls to take one. That doesn't make sense... But that's another story for another time.

Spartan fans, don't be angry at the system, or at the circumstances. This was an amazing, unexpected season. No one saw 11-1 and a share of the Big Ten title going into this year. Yes, we'd love some Rose Bowl action, but it wasn't meant to be. But we've had one magically season, and Spartan fans should enjoy whatever bowl we go to and whichever opponent is sent our way.

And who knows... maybe the Spartans will get taken over Ohio State... you never know...

My latest out of class story, enjoy

2010-11-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

The Izzone is the rowdy student section that makes its presence known at every Michigan State Spartan basketball game.

The Izzone is the student section at Spartan basketball games. They fill the most of the lower bowl and the upper decks with a sea of rowdy students wearing their white Izzone shirts.
The Spartan student section has been called the Izzone for about 15 years now, when Tom Izzo took the reigns as head coach of the Spartans, according to Justin Wojtkowiak, associate direct of the Izzone.

The Izzone creates an atmosphere like no other. Whether it’s putting your arms around the people next to you during starting lineups and move side to side as the team does in their huddle, or it’s jumping up and down and yelling when the opposing teams is on offense, the Izzone makes it’s presence felt at every Michigan State home game, according to Ben Himelhoch, associate director of the Izzone.

But what does it take to be an Izzone member?

For starters, you must attend the Izzone Campout to be lower bowl eligible, according to Himelhoch.
Also, fans of the opposing team can’t sneak their way into the Izzone. Shirts of the opposing team are banned from the Izzone, according to Himelhoch.

Izzone members with lower bowl tickets line up hours before game time to ensure they get the best seat possible in the lower bowl.

“Getting rowdy and belligerent is what makes the Izzone great,” according to senior fourth year Izzone member Matthew Smith.

Crowds have huge effects on college basketball games. Home court advantage can be the difference in a close game. Whether the crowd rallies the team, or distracts the opposition, a strong crowd can be the difference in any basketball game.

“A strong student section is essential in college basketball. The passion, energy, and enthusiasm can be a great aid in helping the home team win,” said Himelhoch, “Coach Izzo has said countless times that we are responsible for at least 4 to 6 points per game and more than likely about two wins per season. This is pretty significant in a brutal Big Ten conference where every game is important”

A strong student section pumps up the home team and energizes both the players and coaches, according to Wojtkowiak.
“I know for a fact that Coach Izzo and the players would like the Izzone to be as loud as possible,” said Wojtkowiak, “The louder we are the more amplified the players are for the games.”

However, the reputation of the Izzone is known by more than just those who are in it at every Michigan State basketball game, it garners the attention of collegehoops.net.

Writer Dan Daitchman, a Marquette alum and Marquette basketball blogger, “Stuck in 1977,” made a top ten list of the best student sections in the country.

Where did Daitchman rank the Izzone? Daitchman and the writers at colelgehoops.net put them third behind Kentucky and Duke, according to an article written by Daitchman
.
“The Izzone is right up there with the best of the student sections. I don’t think anybody will second-guess you if you say that The Izzone is the best student section in the Big Ten,” said Daitchman.

The Izzone is one of the most intimidating student sections in college basketball. The fans are always into the game, and MSU has one of the largest student sections in the country.

“I not only watch college basketball on TV any chance I get, but I also study student section videos on ‘YouTube,’” said Himelhoch, “I think the Izzone is as good, if not better, than any other student section in the country.”

Home court advantage is crucial in any basketball game. The Izzone gives MSU an edge at home that other teams don’t have.
The Izzone may not be the loudest; that belongs to New Mexico, according to Daitchman. Their arena, “The Pit,” is built underground, aiding the acoustics of their wild crowd.

They may not be the most creative, that belongs to Gonzaga, who researches everything about opposing schools and players, from player grade point averages to team academic standards, they use any dirt they can find to make their insults as creative as possible, according to Daitchman.

However, the Izzone is right up they’re with these other schools, according to Daitchman.
“They may not be the clear-cut leader in any of these three categories, but they’re top-5 in all of them, which makes them a top-tier student section,” said Daitchman.

The Izzone makes it’s presence felt. They make opponent miss free throws and cause careless mistakes by rattled opponents. They have the qualities of a great student section, according to Daitchman.

“What makes a strong student section have an impact on a game is that they will directly affect the outcome of the game,” said Daitchman, “Causing a player to miss the first free throw of a one-and-one down the stretch can easily translate to a W for the home team.”

Here's the video I shot with the story.

Just Another Weekend in College Football

2010-11-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

photocredit: Rivals.yahoo.com

College Football... Any given Saturday... or sometimes Friday... But those are just minor details.

Big slate of important games this weekend, Auburn took on Alabama, Oregon played Arizona, and Boise had it's last challenge of the season verse Nevada; all in one Friday night, and what a crazy Friday it would be.

Let's start with Auburn Bama, and what a game that was. I missed the first half because I was getting my Tim Tebow on... and by that I mean I was getting hit many times while completing passes. But what I missed was Bama jump out to a 24-0 lead that was a Mark Ingram fumble away from being 31-0. It looked like Auburn was going down...

But see folks, they play four quarters in this crazy game of football, and what ensued was pretty miraculous. Auburn rallied to take a 28-27 lead on the Crimson Tide and injured quarterback Greg McElroy, who had been tearing up the Auburn secondary. So when Bama needed a game winning drive, they couldn't turn to the senior quarterback. They had to turn to the back up A.J. McCarron, a redshirt freshman. Well the young kid couldn't lead the rally for Bama and Auburn was let off the hook on the road against an Alabama team that should have won.

Then the next game on this slate of Friday was Oregon Arizona... it was a good game til my friend and I went to go get pizza at about the end of the third quarter. We get back and it's three minutes into the fourth... and it's a blow out. Shocker, Oregon wins again.

But the game of the week took place in Reno, Nevada. Boise State with a win would jump TCU for sure. Boise looked to continue it's miraculous run, looking for it's 25th straight win.

Boise jumped out to a 17-0 lead and looked to be cruising to victory, but the Wolfpack rallied and tied the game at 24. Boise took the lead on a big touchdown run to go up by 7 with little time left. But senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick had other plans.

Kaepernick led Nevada down the field for the game tying touchdown with only seconds left in the game. Certainly this game would be going to over time...

But aahh Kellen Moore did not want to let that happen. Boise got that ball back with 9 seconds left. Enough time for a chuck and pray, or maybe a post over the middle of the field to get them into field goal range.

It was a spectacular play, surely Boise would win... But kicker Kyle Brotzman had other plans...

It was the most heartbreaking thing in sports I've ever seen... the Boise sideline thought he made it, I'm sure Brotzman did too. And a point to bring up is... did he make it? Watch it again, full screen it, pause it multiple times. All things I did. Sometimes I go "Oh that's no good," but other times I go "Hmmm perhaps if those posts were longer, you could tell it was actually in." Even the guy working the ESPN scoreboard thought he made it... hmmm perhaps they shoulda taken some looks at it?

I'm not going to play conspiracy theory, but that is soem food for thought. Also notice, that Titus Young catch, the ball shoulda been spotted closer to the left hash, which means, in theory, he makes the field goal.

Either way my heart goes out to that kid, only God knows how hard it must be for him missing not one, but two chip shots that cost Boise the game.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit Getty Images

Ah yes, Thanksgiving. Family, Food, Friends, and Football. The important F's of life. It's one of my favorite holidays of the year. The Lions play, the family's over, and I get to eat as much as I want without being judged. It's a great day.

Since I'm the Bearded Fellow on Sports, I guess that means I have to talk about the Lions game today... Despite the fact I don't want to...

Well the Lions "snatched defeat from the jaws of victory" in typical Lions fashion today. They gave up 28 unanswered points in the second half. That's not what good teams do. Let's face it, we all knew the Lions were gonna lose, but did they have to toy with our emotions like that?

The team just flat out fell apart in the second half. It all started when Deon Branch my Alphonso Smith look foolish on that big touchdown play. After that, the team just fell apart. They weren't picking up penalties, and then all changed in the 4th quarter as players were clearly frustrated. Trying to get in a fight after the extra point was pretty awesome. At least they showed some fight...

Well the Lions are a year and some new additions away from being contenders. This year is over, but next year folks... We'll contend.

So let's talk Thanksgiving. I love this holiday. So many memories of watching football with my family. Going down to Tennessee (we didn't this year) to see my mom's side of the family. Eatin turkey and watchin football. Can't think of many better things.

But it's also important on this day to think of the things you are thankful for. I am thankful for a lot of things. Friends, family, all that jazz. I'm also thankful for the series of events that led to this blog, which started with me getting rejected by Michigan and being dumped. Yes, being dumped made me wanna get away from everything so I chose MSU. But had those events not happened, there'd be no Bearded Fellow on Sports, so for that I am thankful.

I am also thankful for all my loyal readers and fans. I appreciate it guys, couldn't do it without you.

Home Court is Everything

2010-11-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: http://brianbarrons.typepad.com/

Home court advantage is crucial in the game of college basketball. The roar of a crowd can intimidate even the best of basketball players. Fans yell, scream, hoop 'n holler, all for the sake of pulling their team to victory.

Some schools have great home court advantages, but you wouldn't expect them because they are small schools, or just not in the national spotlight.

But where does the Izzone ranke amongst the best? According to collegehoops.net they are third. Not too shabby for the Green and White.

MSU has one of the best home court advantages, and the best student section in the Big Ten. That's not just me, that's a consensus by the folks at collegehoops.net, according to Dan Daitchman of collegehoops.net

The student section of a college basketball game is crucial to any team that wants to make a run at championships. If you can't win at home, then you're going to struggle putting together winning seasons.

Michigan State has put together winning season after winning season. Back to Back trips to Final Fours, a national championship in 2000, a 366–146 record under head coach Tom Izzo

Crowds are important factors in games. Why do you think Duke, North Carolina, and MSU are good every year? Because they win at home. Why do they win at home? Home Court Advantage. Without the Izzone, there's no home court advantage. Without home court, MSU isn't nearly as good a team as it is at home.

Don't let anyone tell you differently, home court advantage matters.

Webcast

2010-11-17T19:26:00.001-08:00

Bearded Weekend Recap

2010-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Mlive.com

It's been too long since I posted, so I'm going to give you guys a brief recap of what happened this weekend...

Michigan Wins
Lions Suck
Vick won me fantasy
Wings are dominating

But let's elaborate a tad...

Michigan won in one of the sloppiest games I have ever had the displeasure to watch. I was, admittedly, actively rooting against Denard, and even Michigan a little bit... Tate's a better QUARTERBACK, key word, hence the caps, than Denard. I can't stand Richard Rodriguez Rodriguez Rodriguez he's a snake, and he's "Tricky Dicky the Second" The defense is the worst the program has ever seen, and I don't want you RR slappies to preach to me about that dynamic offense that he has here and at West Virginia. I will blog later, perhaps tonight, as why I don't think his job should be saved despite at least a 7-5 season... (Remember, Lloyd goes 7-5, he was him fired, why isn't Rich held to the same standards?)
Anyways, Purdue and Michigan both played terrible football games. They both just were terrible. Here's the numbers to support my statement, pay attention to the category "turnovers"

The Lions managed to lose to the winless Bills... Need I say more? I will... Shaun Hill sucked, and it's scary that Stanton couldn't have been better than that... Just cut him,,,,

Vick dropped 51 fantasy points in my league, I was down 47. Michael Vick looks better this year than he ever has at any point in his entire career. He is patient in the pocket, accurate with his passing, and his elusiveness is back. Watch out for the Eagles... and The Bearded Ones, championship here I come!

Wings beat the Avalanche on Saturday 3-1, I didn't get to watch most of it, but what I saw I loved. Wings are my cup favorite.
Here's some numbers for ya.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I am planning on doing the second weekly Bearded Cast. So please tune in, first one was a success, let's make the second one even better

Michigan Wins Triple OT Thriller

2010-11-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Credit: thebleacherreport.com

Michigan beat Illinois on Saturday to get themselves bowl eligible for the first time under Rich Rodriguez. It took three overtimes, but Michigan actually pulled it off. Despite giving up 45 points, (not counting the overtime points, I don't count those because the other team always starts at the 25, so it's too easy to score.) Despite turning over the ball five times, despite giving up a ton of yards and big plays, Michigan managed to pull out the win.

This game was a fun game to watch, for those that hate defense. Although, even though it wouldn't seem like it, there were a few kew stops in this game. Michigan held Illinois to field goals, which ended up being key. Michigan's offense as dynamic, as always, gaining 419 yards through the air and 257 on the ground.

Michigan put up 45 points in regulation, and 67 points overal. The 67-65 game was the highest scoring game in Michigan history. The atmosphere in the stadium was not quite like any other stadium in the country. 111,000 plus fans on the edge of their seats, all knowing how much was riding on this game; Rich Rod's job, bowl-eligible season, what could be a four game losing streak. Michigan.

Roy Roundtree set the Michigan record for receiving yards in a game 246 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns. Roundtree had a fantastic day and no one in the Illinois secondary could cover him.

The Wolverines got their win to make themselves bowl eligible. I expected Illinois to win, but they proved me, and a lot of other people wrong. They hung tough, faced much adversity, and still managed to win in triple overtime. Denard left with a possible concussion. Tate came in and fumbled on his first play, but Michigan still managed to bear down and get the win.

This is a good win going forward, especially since there's only one game left they have a legitimate chance at winning.

Michigan vs Illinois Preview

2010-11-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

Credit: dailylife.com

I wrote this for my JRN 200 class, but it works for this too

The Michigan Wolverines are taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini this Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor. A must win game for the struggling Wolverines. All they need is one win and they're bowl eligible, and looking at the remaining schedule... this might have to be the game.

Michigan is coming off a road loss in which they fell down big but came back to make it interesting, but still lost by double digits. The amazing Michigan defense was torn apart by stud quarterback Matt McGloin, 5 star recruit, everyone wanted him... For those of you that don't know, he's a redshirt sophomore, walk-on quarterback from Scranton, Pennsylvania, yes that Scranton.

The Illini are a good defensive team, and they have a good offense. Nathan Scheelhaase is a quarterback, so therefore he will have a big game. The Michigan defense is horrendous, 88th in the country in points against. I expect Illinois to be able to move the ball up and down the field against that "defense" and I use that term lightly.

The good news for the Wolverines is Mike Martin should be good to play, but unfortunately for Michigan Fitzgerald Toussaint and J.T Floyd will be out. Floyd is done for the season with his ankle injury. A defense that's already bad in secondary is losing the one decent corner. Which spells disaster for the defense.

SO who's going to win this one? Illinois. Michigan just does not have the talent on defense to stop anyone. Michigan will score, but Illinois will score more. They are solid on defense and offense, and Michigan is just so bad defensively.

Unfortunately for Rich Rod, this game could decide his job. If he loses this game, he is done, finito. If he loses, he will be fired at the end of the year. Done, count it, chalk.

This is a must win game for the Wolverines.

Top 10 goalies in the NHL.

2010-11-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

credit nhl.com

And now, the post you all have been waiting for, the top 10 starting goaltenders NHL.

Tommy and I have debated, discussed, and if we weren't separated by these computers, I probably would have punched him in the mouth... But we have put aside our differences, to bring to you our top 10. The fans are already disagreeing with us, but they aren't the ones with the blog, no that's me...

So here it is, the Top Ten Starting goalies in the NHL.

10. Vancouver Canucks: Roberto Luongo
Luongo is a popular choice and often in people's top 5, but Tommy and I agree he's overrated. A few years ago my tone was different, but he's not the same dominant goalie anymore. Having said that, he is still very good. He is big and positions himself very well. A bit slow on the lateral movement, but Luongo is still a very good goaltender.

9. New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist
King Henry has had many good years in New York, won championships in finland (frolunda indians before going NHL) and at a young age led Sweden to a gold medal, but he is not the goalie we are used to seeing. Still incredible but he is not the elite goalie anymore.

8. Phoenix Coyotes: Ilya Bryzgalov
Ilya had an amazing season last year, he had the Bearded Fellow's vote for the Vezna Trophy, but the reason he finds himself here is that he's not an elite goalie yet. He is very good, but I couldn't honestly put him with the upper echelon of goalies. He is another good season away from being a top five goalie in my book, but right now he's number eight. But top ten ain't too shabby.

7. Carolina Hurricanes: Cam Ward
Cam Ward is the glue that hold Carolina together. And at 26, he's going to be a great goalie for years to come in Carolina. His rookie year he won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smyth, and he hasnt looked back by continueing to be stellar every season. The sky's the limit on Cam Ward, and if he can avoid injuries, then he's going to be a Vezna trophy contender and probably win at least one Vezna. I'll hop on his bandwagon everyday.

6. New Jersey Devils: Martin Brodeur
What can you say about Marty? He's the best goalie of all time, made famous by that lightning quick glove. All time wins and shutout leader, 4-time Vezna Trophy winner, Calder Trophy winner, 2-time Gold Medalists, 3-time Stanley Cup Champion, 10-time all-star, Marty has accomplished so much in his career. He's here at six because this isn't about his accomplishments. He's still a very good goalie, one of the best, but he's not the same Marty of a few seasons ago. Age has slowed his reactions and injuries may be a concern, but we still love you Marty, keep doin work.

5. Minnesota Wild: Niklas Backstrom
Niklas Backstrom has never had a losing season with a team that has no offensive talents whatsoever (especially with departed Gaborik) and with the exception of an average season last year, his GAA and SV% have never been worse than 2.33 and 92%. this is incredible on minnesota who is a struggling team. minnesotas defense first style makes him better, but he is still a crafty veteran who (along with tuukka) could give Kipper a run for the starting job next olympics. Backstrom is consistant game in and game out, and he gets the job done.

4. Calgary Flames: Mikka Kiprusoff
I love the Kipper. I think he is the most underrated goalie in the NHL. Calgary's defense has not been very good lately, and yet Kipper still plays at an elite level. Kiprusoff has always been a guy I feared to run into in the playoffs, because he's a goalie that can take control of a series. Sadly, the team around him hasn't been good enough to make a run and this year is clearly no different. Kipper needs a new home, or Calgary needs to do a lot of fixing. But all the turmoil with the Flames right now, Kiprusoff has been the one consistent through the years and continues to play at an elite level.

3. St. Louis Blues: Jaroslav Halak
Halak first broke out with his stellar play in the Olympics for the Slovaks. Then he was the net-minder of that Montreal team that shocked the Capitals and the Halak has been outstanding ever since coming to the Blues. He has been one of the most dominant goaltenders in the NHL this season and is a big part as to way the Blues find themselves where they are. I absolutely love him, and I thought it was a mistake for Montreal to trade him, and he's proving me right (see number 23 on our list...) At 25 years old, Halak has nothing but great things in his future.

2. Florida Panthers: Tomas Vokoun
Vokoun is the goalie GM's dream of having. he is big, fast, great reactions, perfect positioning and has the ability to get a shutout every time he steps on the ice. if you dont get odd man rushes, powerplays, or people in front of the net then forget about scoring on the man. he was a beast in the olympics for te Czechs, dominant in nashville (except for when dasyuk shoots on him), and is the mold in which florida is building their team. his attitude in Wanting to rebuild the horrible team that is florida shows he veteran leadership and a desire to make himself better than he already is.

And the moment you've been waiting for... The Bearded Fellow and Tommy's number one starting goalie in the NHL...

1. Buffalo Sabers: Ryan Miller
Hands down easy choice for both of us, Ryan Miller is the shining spot on a very bad Buffalo team, alla Dominick Hasek. And Miller is about as dominant as the Dominator. SIngle-handedly won the US the silver medal, single handedly got Buffalo to third place, won the Vezna last year, Ryan Miller is the best goalie in the NHL, it's a damn shame he's on such a bad offensive team. But if the Sabers can get any scoring then they will turn their season around, because they are terrible right now. But Ryan Miller is for sure, the best goalie in the NHL

Goalie Rankings. 20-11

2010-11-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

credit Real Clear Sports

You've seen the bottom ten, now it's time for the middle ten. These guys range from iffy, to serviceable, to solid. They're not the worst, but not the best. These guys make careers... on being completely average. Oh yeaaahhh....

Tommy and the BEarded One tackle 20-11 starting riiiiiiight NOW

20. Edmonton Oilers: Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk
The Bulin Wall is one of my favorite goaltenders of all time and I love how he's still a very solid goaltender at age 37, but frankly how long can he hold up? He's been fragile as of late, and like I said, he's 37. And Devan Dubnyk is not a reliable back up. If the Bulin wall goes down, then so does the Oil. The Oil better keep Bulin off the juice or else there season might go as the Bulin Wall goes behind the wheel... whoops... Don't drink and drive kids.

19. San Jose Sharks: Antti Niemi and Antero Nittymaki
These two are okay... sometimes Niemi is even good, sometimes... He wonwa cup... somehow. Anyways, these guys don't even come close to comparing to Evgeni Nabokov. Sharks with Nabby were a contender every year, sept Nabby plus playoffs equals questionable... The sharks with these two in net, has been less than stellar. They can recover, but these two aren't that spectacular.

18. Dallas Stars; Kari Lehtonen
A solig goaltender in Dallas, the former Thrasher has been plagued by injuries, Dipietro junior as Tommy called him. Dallas is one unfortunate injury away from a bad situation. But when he's healthy, Kari is average, solid, but average. His injuries and pure averageness put him at 18.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury
Tommy had him much lower, but I didn't feel he was that bad because he has shown that he can be a dominant goaltender, but look at his 2010 numbers, horrifying yes. Marc-Andre has shown he's can be amazing, and he was the number one pick in what turns out to be an amazing draft. But Fleury quite frankly is not that good. He was amazing in the 08 09 playoffs but ever since he has been less than stellar, and this year, flat out awful.

16. Toronto Maple Leafs: Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson
Giggy is my boy and I think he's a good fit on the Leaf. Gustavsson has potential and is huuuuge. These two are a solid pair and a good fit in Toronto, but they're not great. They're solid, but not great. They're 16 on the power rankings that matter...

15. Boston Bruins: Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask
The best goalie in the NHL right now is Tim Thomas, his numbers are absurd right now. And Tuukka is going to be a great goalie in the future. But right now... Tim is hot but won't stay that way, and Tuukka isn't ready. That's why Da B's Dude are at number 15.

14. Detroit Red Wings: Jimmy Howard
We're at the point in our polls where these guys can go up or down interchangeably, but here at 14 we find our hometown favorite, Jimmethy Howard. Howard is a solid goaltender, and I think a future Olympian for team USA, is solid in net. SOmetimes he's great, sometimes he's iffy, but overall he's a good goalie. Not great, and not top 10 yet...

13. Los Angelas Kings. Jonathan Quick
I like how Quick made the olympics, was a 39 game winner last year. and this year has pressure of the #1 goalie prospect Jonnathon Bernier as his backup and he EMPHATICALLY made himself the starter. He came out flying and looks better than his great season a year ago

12. Nashville Predators: Pekka Rinne
Seems like Nashville always brings up good young goalies, the scouting department is doing something right in Nashville. Pekka Rinne is nothing but solid. He gets the job done night in and night out and is solid all around. But he better watch his back, Andres Lindback is the next guy Nashville has seem to find, and is waiting for his chance. But for now, RInne is the man and a solid goaltender anywhere.

11. Colorado Avalanche: Craig Anderson and Peter Budaj
Craig Anderson is a solid goalie and Budaj a good back up. I'll be honest, I had these guys around 13 on my list, but like i said with Jimmy, these guys can shuffle either way. But Anderson is a good goalie and underrated. He carried the Avalanche to the playoffs last year. But with him out, for now, pressure is on Budaj to pick up the slack while he's gone.

NHL Goalie Power Rankings 30-21.

2010-11-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

credit CBC for the picture

So, when talking with a friend of mine, Tommy Lorenz, we were chattin up sports late at night, we tend to do this from time to time. Good talks... Last night we got talkin about NHL goalies, and how we would rank them. We disagreed on some guys, but that's all good...

But it got me thinking... WHy not write my own blog about the NHL goalie rankings... but then I even got to more thinking... Why not collaborate with a friend for the first time on a blog? ANd that is what we're doing...

We've factored in guys who split time

Tommy Lorenz and Dave Cobb "The Bearded Fellow" Bring you... NHL Goalies, from Worst to First.

30. Ottawa Senators: Brian Elliot and Pascal Leclaire.
Both Tommy and I agree, that these two are just terrible goaltenders. At best they are backups, and they are the starting tandem. It's part of why the Senators are just an abismal hockey team. Congrats you two, you are the WORST starters in the NHL

29. Tampa Bay Lightning: Dan Ellis and Mike Smith
Shocking, pun intended, but these two are sadly not as good as the rest of the team. I love Tampa, don't get me wrong, they are way up there in my power rankings, but the goaltending just lags waaaaay behind. Remember when Dan Ellis was good? Yeah he's not there anymore. He'll need to turn it around for the Lightning to keep up this pace. Smith... he's just garbage.

28. New York Islanders: Rick Dipietro and Dwayne Roloson
What can you say about these two? Well first off Roloson is ancient, he's 40. Clearly a waste of money by the Isle. Dipietro is mind-boggling. He was a golden boy, starting in the Olympics, getting a 15 year deal. Going to turn around the franchise... 8 years and a boat-load of injuries later you have one of the worst starting goalies in the NHL. Too bad for the Isle...

27. Anaheim Ducks: Jonas Hiller.
"But Dave, he almost beat Team Canada!!!!!!!" That was the Olympics, get over it. Look at his numbers, they're not good! Tommy is adamant I put him here, I had him 25, but this is a middle ground, he had him 29. He fits the duck system terribly. He's not good. He's a flash in the pan type. Had his moment in the sun against the Sharks and in the Olympics, but other than that, he's no good.

26. Philadelphia Flyers: Sergei Bobrovsky, Michael Leighton, and Brain "Bobby" Boucher
First of all, why Boucher is still on an NHL roster, I have no idea. Second of all Leighton is hurt, but frankly is not good. Bobrovsky, okay you hockey elitists "LOOK AT THE NUMBERS!!!!" He has promise, I will give you that. But I'm not buying into it... yet. So right now, the Flyers goalie situation is a mess.

25. Atlanta Thrashers: Chris Mason and Ondrej Pavelec
This spot was literally a coin toss between 25 and 24. Like I literally flipped a coin, it was heads. But Chris Mason is not very good. He plays full time with the Pavelec injury, which is hurting his numbers, but isn't a starting supposed to get the bulk of the starts? Chris Mason is not good... which brings us to the winner of the coin flip... Pavelec is back... so Pavelec, don't collapse anymore

24. Columbus Blue Jackets: Steve Mason and Mathieu Garon
I love Steve Mason, not because he's great, but because 10 rook shutouts is something special. But what since? Nothing. Does he have potential. Oh you better believe it, but sorry Mason, you need to figure out your issues and get back to that rookie season. Otherwise, there are more spots for you to fall on this list...

23. Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price
If you're wondering in Hab country if you kept the right goalie... you didn't. Young, full of potential, but disappointing every year. Starter to start, back up to finish, at least he's consistent. He needs a change of scenery, both Tommy and I agree. But his numbers are unimpressive, and he's been a let down. Halack is the better goalie, should have traded Price.

22. Washington Capitals: Semyon Varlamov
They guy that ran former MVP Jose Theordoe out of town, Varlamov is a bad goaltender. He has been the Caps Achilles heel in the post season and is the Caps weakness this season. Get them a goalie, and you have a Stanley Cup champion. Get them Varlamov, and you have more pissed off Capital fans wondering why Ovi can't do it all. Varlamov is trash, bottom line.

21. Chicago Blackhawks: Marty Turko and Corey Crawford.
Defending Stanley Cup champs tore up by the cap, so they weren't going to have a good goalie situation regardless of what happened. But Turko? He's my boy, but Marty Turko? Really? He's past his prime and past his veteran decency. He's just too old and doesn't have it any more. Crawford is not a viable solution if Turko fails, which he will. Chicago will ride on Turko... Be worried Blackhawk fans...

This is installment one, next we take on 20-11, get to the "Middle of the pack guys." But congrats to you guys above, you are not good at your job...

Without Billups, the Pistons Have No Leader

2010-11-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Look I'll be honest... I don't like the NBA and don't care about the Pistons. I want them to succeed, hometown pride, but I don't actively root and show my Piston fandom. Winter comes around and I'm all about hockey. I don't watch the NBA often, and I haven't done so yet...

But I don't need to watch the Pistons to know that they SUCK. And I can also tell you what they're missing: A leader. This team has no voice on the court. They have no unifying leader running that team. It's a mess. And who's gonna be that leader? Prince is too quite, Rip isn't the leader type, T-Mac is well past those days. Stuckey should be, but he isn't.

The team misses Chauncey BIllups. Chauncey was the glue that kept that team together. He's a leader on and off the court, and a damn good point guard. It's no coincidence that the team fell apart as soon as they traded Billups. I agree teams needed to be shaken up, but Billups? He was the wrong guy to move.

Chauncey was perfect in Detroit. He fit the team style perfectly, he was great for the city, he was a leader on the court, and one of the best point guards in the East. It was mistake to trade away Chauncey Billups. The Pistons won't be good until they finda point guard that can lead the team the way Billups did.

I don't really care about the NBA, but to see the Pistons in such a poor state is just shameful... They need something to change.

It's That Time of the Year Again in East Lansing

2010-11-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Michigan State basketball has officially returned. The biggest sport around this campus is officially here, and the Izzone is ready to let the nation know who's fans are best. And for the #2 team in the country, expectations are high.

The Spartans took on the powerhouse known as the Saginaw Valley State Cardinal in the first game of the season, well exibition, but it's the first game of men's basketball played, even though it doesn't count for anything, but they lost to Grand Valley State a few years back in one of these, so you never know...

But this game was, as expected, a blowout and a chance for everyone to get minutes. MSU destroyed poor little SVSU 88-44. It was close at one point, when it was 0-0.

Who looked good? Well besides the usual suspects of Kalin Summers, I was impressed by Draymond Greeen's shooting; he hit a couple threes, and the fact he hit one was impressive to me. I thought Keibler looked very comfortable with the ball in his hands, which will is a very good thing with Chris Allen off the team. For those of you that don't know, it's cuz he didn't go to class, well as it says, he "didn't meet obligations set by the team."

Most impressive part of the game was in the second half. A guy from near our section, you can tell from my picture were we (I and a friend, Molly if you're curious to the name cuz I know who would ask.) Anyways, the shot came from our left. It was a paper airplane. We were watching it glide down. We knew this plane was destined for glory. It looked court bound, but then we got sad because it looked like it was going to overshoot the court. But the plane banked off the backboard. As I looked for it to fall to the ground, I noticed it wasn't falling. It was in the net. The guy made a shot across the court from left to right on the picture, with a paper airplane. Believe it folks, it happened

But how much can you take from a Saginaw Valley game? (Freep article) Not too much, but if they looked bad, then everyone would be up in arms. But they looked good, as they should. They looked ready to start the season and a run at the National Championship.

But how will they fair this season? Will they get all the way to the National Championship? They are the number two in the nation to start the season, and that's fair. Personally, I think they are the best team in the country, and then Duke. Which then brings me to the matchup of the year, MSU plays Duke at Duke for the ACC-Big Ten challenge, that game is going to be crazy. I give the edge to Duke in it, only because they are at Cameron Indoor.

MSU has one of the toughest schedule in the country, and that's the way Izzo likes it. MSU will not run the table, they will lose, but that's the nature of college basketball. MSU will be a number one seed in the tournament, they will win the Big Ten, they will be in the final four, and I'm gonna say it right now, they will win the national title. They are my preseason pick to win the national championship.

Players to watch for the Spartans... Well there's the usual suspects of Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers. Draymond Green is going to have an increasing role with Raymar graduating and his mid-range game has improved. Delvon Roe will be a big part of this team, and I expect the freshman of Adrian Payne and Keith Appling to get some good playing time and I expect to make an impact.

But my Spartan to watch is a sleeper... Austin Thornton. With Chris Allen gone, Thronton's role is going to be much greater than last year and than what was expected going into this season before Allen left. Thornton started against SVSU, and, in my opinion, is likely to start in Allen's spot. Can't start Appling, not ready. You could run Korie Lucious but he would be better playing behind Kalin, rather than next to. Expect Austin Thornton to have a big impact this year.

Sparty On ladies and gentlemen, Sparty On.

Michigan State Exposed Against Iowa

2010-11-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Well the Spartans had a big game last Saturday, but it looked like they missed the memo. They did not show up to play in Kinnick. Am I surprised they lost? No. Am I surprised at 37-6? Absolutely. This is the biggest football game in the last 50 years for the Spartans, but you couldn't tell by the way they came out and played.

Iowa dominated every aspect of this game. There is no positive nugget here for Sparty to hang his hat on. Michigan State was exposed as a good team having a magical season, instead of a real national championship contender. The effort put out in this game was absolutely pathetic.

Kirk Cousins's interceptions were mind boggling. Going into the game, Kirk had four interceptions all year. He threw three and they all were bad passes. On the first two, I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do. The first one, which was this ridiculous touchdown. It was double coverage, the route wasn't open, and he never took his eyes off the receiver. Uncharacteristic mistakes by Cousins hurt any chance the Spartans had at winning.

As inept as Kirk and the offense was that game, the defense was just as bad. I felt like I was watching Michigan. Terrible run gap coverage, no pass rush, and terrible coverage, all the qualities of the defense in Ann Arbor. Greg Jones, Who? Exactly. He was no where to be found that game. Ricky Stanzi made him miss on a tackle while on the run... that's embarrassing. Another play he just stood there hesitating til he got blocked, and then how bout his coverage on that wheel route by the running back? Yeah that was quality coverage... but not really.

MSU was in the spotlight, number five ranked team in the country, undefeated, last real test of the season, cinderella story, here at a Augusta... But it struck midnight as the cliche goes. What makes me angry and should make Spartan nation angry is that they didn't even show up. They didn't play their hearts out and lose a close one, they took Saturday, October 30th off. They were unprepared and it showed. It was just pathetic.

Good news is Rose Bowl dreams are in reach. If Wisconsin, Iowa, and MSU win out, Sparty's in the Rose Bowl. If Wisconsin, MSU and OSU win out... I have no idea who's in it. The tie breaker used to be longest Rose Bowl drought, which would be us, but I don't know if it's still done that way... Regardless, if Sparty wins out, they should be Rose Bowl bound.

Happy Birthday Bearded Fellow

2010-10-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, well this isn't my birthday, but the Bearded Fellow Persona was born today. On this day one year ago I posted my first blog, it was about the first Brewer's Bruin encounter... Which was the Iowa game last year, kinda funny how that works out...

I just want to say it's been a great year of blogging, the blog has skyrocketed into something I never thought it could be. I have people reading it that I have no idea who they are, people retweeting my posts on Twitter to thousands of their followers, hell I've had people retweet the retweet. It's just awesome to think about how many people could have read even one entry of the Bearded Fellow.

I started this blog at the encouragement of my freshman journalism professor. He told me blogging is a great way to get my name out there. When I started, I struggled to blog anything with regularity, I was looking for those weird stories.
But then when hockey season came around, I started posting about the Red Wing games. I had avoided simple game recaps for the most part because I was looking for the strange stories to get noticed. But then I started to just post about Wings games and how they're doing with some extra stuff on the side. And that's what really got my blog rolling. I got hooked up with Spartan Edge and they still have my blog posted on their website, and more and more people started reading the blog.

This thing is bigger than I ever expected it to be and it's all thanks to you, the reader. Without you guys I would not have kept at it. But it's great to see that 62 people like my blog on Facebook. Sure small number, but I expected to have 20 tops on the page. This blog is much greater than I ever anticipated it to be.

But anyways, for the one year anniversary of the Bearded Blogger, I feel it's necessary to do something special... But what? I could repost some of my personal favorites, and ask which one you guys think is best... I could ask y'all what you guys like about my blog, what topics do you, the people, like most out of me? My hockey stuff, my NFL stuff, my college football stuff, my random stuff, you guys get it... Or I could ask if you guys think I'm just full of shit... which is probably true but that's okay, you keep reading...

I think I'm just going to ask you guys one thing... in the comment box, right down there, leave me some honest feedback about my blog. Stuff you like, stuff you don't like, my skills as a writer, or lack thereof. My opinions, if you think I know my stuff or I'm just full of it. Let me know what you, the people, think of the Bearded Fellow on Sports, I would love some feedback to let me know how I'm doing or what the people want, so please, I implore you, leave a comment, it's not that hard...

On a final note, I just want to add that I love you all for reading and following, and I hope you all continue to read and follow my blog as I go for year two of the Bearded Fellow on Sports.

So This is Justice...

2010-10-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you guys have heard about this or not, the only thing I know is what I heard on 97.1 yesterday during the Valenti and Foster program. It was a story about a cheerleader at a Texas high school who was kicked off the cheer squad.

No big deal right? Happens all the time, right? Wrong. The reason she got kicked off the squad wasn't anything like grades or behavior related, none of that. She was kicked off the squad for refusing to cheer the name of a particular player, Rakheem Jamal Bolton.

Why would a cheerleader refuse to cheer for a player, doesn't that defeat the purpose of a cheerleader? Rakheem and two other males were accused of raping her. Her claim was that the three men took her, locked her in a room, and sexually assaulted her at a party. Other party goers tried to get in the room but they couldn't. When they did, two of the three men, one of which was Rakheem, fled out the window. Why the third didn't, I have no clue, maybe he's just dumb, fat, or slow... or all the above. But all three plead guilty to assault charges (not sexual assault). Rakheem was sentenced to a year of jail but got out early and was put on probation... What a load of crap if you ask me...

When asked about the whole "rape thing"... excuse me, "alleged rape," by a local TV station, Rakheem said, "I feel like it was just a misunderstanding.” Misunderstanding? Dude, No does not mean Yes...

Well this kid's out of jail, he's back at the high school, he's playing basketball for them. He's living life like nothing happened... Unfortunately for our cheerleading friend life wasn't so simple...

This is the part of the story that I get pissed... So before the whole getting kicked of the squad thing happens, the school tells her two things: She should avoid cafeterias, and she can't participate in homecoming. Ummm school, I think you're disciplining the wrong person. That's a joke. She's the victim in this story and you're telling her to avoid the caf and telling her she can't be apart of homecoming!?!? How messed up is that?

And now she's being kicked off the cheerleading team... She got kicked off the squad for refusing to cheer Rakheem's name when they were doing a cheer roll call or something, some cheerleader thing. She refused to cheer the name of the man who raped her and SHE is getting kicked off the squad.

This story just angers me so much. I don't know the talent level of this kid, but I'm guessing by all this special treatment he's probably a star. But regardless... this story just disgusts me. The kid should still be in jail, he shouldn't be on the basketball team, and he shouldn't be at that school. Why the girl who's a sexual assault victim gets treated by the school the way they did? I have no idea, it just makes zero sense to me and it angers me so much.

And a reminder guys... No does in fact mean No, and be careful, one slip up could haunt you for the rest of your life. Also, sexual violence and rape... it's not cool. Despite what Gingers in the Northeast Region say, it's not cool, it's not funny.

I just wanted to bring this story to all your guys' attention, I feel it's a story that needs to be known.

The Bearded Poll

2010-10-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

So we're eight weeks into this amazing college football season, and things are messy like they usually are in college football. The number one team has lost three straight weeks, could it be four? I wouldn't be surprised at all... But one thing everyone likes to talk about is these silly, meaningless, BCS polls, and since I am the Bearded Fellow, it's time for me to share the only poll the matters... The Bearded Top Five.

Number Five: Michigan State Spartans
Never in my life did I think I'd see this, but MSU is a national championship contender folks. Kirk Cousin's is the most underrated quarterback in the country, he doesn't make many mistakes and he's got a solid arm. He sells the play action better than anyone in the country, combine that with MSU's ground game, which is always a threat, you got yourself a dangerous offense.
The question, as always, is the defense. It's very solid against the run, and has been much better than expected against the pass. The key is adjusting to the loss of Rucker, but Denard has stepped in and played very solid. The Spartans have the game of their season against Iowa at Kinnick this Saturday, if they win, they should finish 12-0.

Number Four: Texas Christian Horned Frogs.
Gotta love the Horned Frogs, they are scary good on defense. Number one in the country in points against, allowing only 9 points a game. Andy Dalton isn't a spectacular or flashy quarterback, but like Cousins, he gets the job done. The TCU ground game is one of the best in the country with the combination of Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker. TCU has an easy road ahead of them but face a tough game when they take on undefeated Utah on the road later this season.

Number Three: Auburn Tigers
But Dave, they're number one?!?!?! Not in my books. Auburn looks fantastic, Cam Newton has been unstoppable. He is there offense. He has put up absurd numbers both on the ground and threw the air. (Seems like I said this about another quarterback this year... hmmmm) Cam is a monster. He's big, he's fast, he's impossible to stop. But he's also the reason the Tigers aren't my number one. If a team contains him, then they will lose. That defense is terrible, it's not very good. Auburn still has to play Bama and the SEC title. If they can make it through that undefeated, then obviously they deserve to be in the Nation Championship. I just don't think that defense is good enough to get through the rest of the SEC, although Cam Newton has the Heisman Trophy won in my books.

Number Two: Boise State Broncos
I love Boise, always have. I loved back with Jared Zabranski and Ian Johnson before they played Oklahoma. I loved the BCS giving them a chance to play against Oklahoma, and I love them being put as number three to start the season. People are finally respecting the Boise State Broncos. They are a legitimate team. They can match up in a neutral site, one game situation with any team in the country. Could they run the table in the Big Ten, or SEC? Probably not, but they can beat any team in any of those divisions. Kellen Moore is a Heisman trophy candidate and a terrific quarterback. Titus Young and Austin Petis are two of the best wideouts in the country and the best wide receiver tandem in the nation for sure. The defense is rock solid and the offense is dynamic. Boise is a legit team folks, just accept it... Although, I do think their record IS a product of their schedule, but that doesn't mean they can't compete with any team in the country, and they can.

Number One: Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are something else aren't they? I have yet to see an offense as dynamic as theirs. They put up points on everyone. Darron Thomas isn't the best quarterback I have ever seen, but he is a tremendous athlete and fits the Oregon system perfectly. The defense is a little questionable, but it's better than Auburn's, in my opinion, and it's been solid thus far. But that offense can out score any team that lines up against them. LaMichael James is a fantastic running back, the most dynamic runner in the country. He is faster than any other running back in the country, and is the playmaker of that offense. That offense is why Oregon is my number one.

I will say this... there may be seven undefeated teams, but there is no team in college football that I can honestly say is great. If I have used "great" to describe any of these teams as a whole, I apologize for deceiving you. These teams are all good, and they all have aspects that are great, but are these teams great? No. Alabama last year was great. 97 Michigan was great, That Tebow team, I believe 08? When he had his speech, that team was great. These teams aren't great. They all have flaws, they all have that question mark. Great teams, in my opinion, don't have that question mark. They are above and beyond better than their competition. These teams, I wouldn't call em great, I'd say they're good, they're very good, but I can't honestly say that any of these teams are "great,' I just can't do it.

Spartans Leave Michigan and Get it Done

2010-10-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Michigan State Spartans left the state of Michigan for the first time all season and took care of business against the Northwestern Wildcats 35-27. But it sure as hell wasn't easy for the Spartans as they were down 17-0 at a point in the first half. If it weren't for a fumble at the one by Northwestern running back Jacob Schmidt it coould have been 24-0.

The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, being dominated on both ends of the ball. MSU could not run the ball but kept trying. Cousin's had four passing attempts in the first quarter, and the Spartans failed to convert on two 3rd and 1's. MSU's ground game was non-existant along with the rest of the Spartan offense. Northwestern controlled the ball and controlled the game.

The Spartans got a touchdown before the end of the half when Kirk Cousins found Mark Dell in the back of the endzone on a first and goal play from seven yards out with about three minutes left in the half. MSU had finally put together a drive and was looking for any kind of momentum going into the second half.

MSU scored the next TD when Benny Fowler scored on an end around for 22 yards. MSU had cut the deficit down to three 17-14. Northwestern scored the next touchdown to go back up ten going into the 4th quarter.

Critical point, MSU down 10, early 4th quarter. MSU has a 4th and 6 inside Northwestern territory. Conroy would be kicking about a 50 yarder into the wind, so field goal was out of the question. What would Coach Dantonio do? After a timeout, MSU lined up for a punt and took an intentional delay of game, to give the punter Aaron Bates more room to work with. MSU, appeared to be punting, which the announces and myself, felt was the wrong decision.

I was watching with my friend, and just before the snap, he shouts "Man up Dantonio! Go for it!" Well, Bates took the snap, and did not punt it, he threw a jump ball up for Benny Fowler who benefitted from his man not paying attention to the ball. He jumped up and made the catch for the Spartan first down. Another bold fake by Dantonio pays off. The next play Cousins finds Dell for their second touchdown connection to cut the lead down to three 24-21.

Northwestern answered the MSU touchdown with a field goal to go up 27-21. MSU then had a pressure drive, down six late in the game. Cousins led a great drive down the field that culminated in a touchdown when BJ Cunningham made an acrobatic catch off a deflection to give MSU the one point lead 28-27.

MSU then sealed the game on a Edwin Baker touchdown run to make it 35-27.

This was a huge win for the Spartans. Northwestern is a better team than people give them credit for. They are efficient and good at what they do. Persa is a solid dual-threat quarterback. This was a good road test for the Spartans and they overcame the adversity of having no running game and being forced to throw it.

Now the Spartans go on the road in the biggest game of their season to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa has the best defensive line in the country, and Kinick is one of the toughest stadiums in the country. I have to give my edge to Iowa. Stanzi is a much better quarterback than he was last year, and Iowa at home is tough to beat.

But if MSU can pull it off... Rose Bowl or even National Championship dreams are that much closer to reality.

It's Duck Season No Longer

2010-10-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

A disappointed Andaloro and Cobb leave the field after the Duck's 1-0 defeat.

The Mighty Ducks began their playoff run with high hopes Monday night, but left the field with a heart-breaking 1-0 defeat to 9 Inch Nails.

The Mighty Ducks played one of their best games of the year, even playing most of the first half down a man. An injured Conor Milroy, a member of the coed team, played on an emergency basis for the Ducks, playing on two bad ankles. But the Mighty Ducks held their own and were tied 0-0 at the half.

"The team energy was terrific at the half," said Goalkeeper Dave Cobb, "we all felt like we could win this game. It was the best soccer we had played all season and we were down a man to start. With a full nine guys out there, we thought the second half would be ours."

Cobb did not face many shots in that first half, nor really any threats to the goal. There was one instance where he charged and blocked a bad angle shot. The rebound went back to the shooter, and he then played a ball into the box right to a 9 inch nail forward. Luckily for the Ducks, he couldn't finish, or even hit the ball in the general direction of the net. Cobb saved all three shots that got on target that half.

The second half was a different story for the Ducks. They had opportunities, but the 9 Inch Nails played better in the second half than the Mighty Ducks. Cobb faced more shots, but held strong. Until one unfortunate break...

A ball was played just outside the box to a 9 Inch Nail forward, defender Kevin Alderton made a play on the ball but couldn't maintain possession. Defender Josh Andaloro came over to help, and momentarily won the ball. He appeared to be tripped by the opposing forward, causing him to lose possession. No call was made.

"i tried to cut back the other way, when the other teams forward tripped me up which caused me to lose possession. I felt like it was a foul but no foul was called," said Andaloro when asked about the goal, "I should have just blasted the ball out of bounds."

Cobb came out to charge, but the forward was able to slip it just out of the reach of Cobb's hand, giving the 9 Inch Nails a 1-0 lead.

"I don't care what anyone says, if it was one-on-one or whatever, I didn't come out square and I wasn't in a good position to make the save and it's my fault," said a clearly frustrated Cobb after the game, "I should have made that save. Bottom line."

The Mighty Ducks had trouble recovering after that goal. They were not able to mount any real offensive opportunities. The ones they had they didn't capitalize.

The Mighty Ducks had one golden opportunity late. It came on a free kick from Duck forward Duncan McGuire. McGuire's free kick looked to be goal bound, but a nice save by the 9 Inch Nail keeper kept it from going top right corner. He fumbled with the ball after the save, but managed to keep it out.

"I couldn't believe I didn't score that," said McGuire, "I thought that was a goal for sure."

McGuire took a hard foul in this game

1-0 remained the final score, and the Ducks left disappointed. It was the best game they played all year, and they came up just a little short.

"Every player has a role, the forwards score, the midfielders control the ball, and the defenders win the ball. I'm the keeper, I have one role: Keep the damn ball out of the damn net. I didn't," said Cobb after the disappointing loss, "I feel like I let everyone down, and now our season's done."

Is the NFL Trying to Take the Tough Out?

2010-10-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

The NFL announced that they are going to crackdown on these helmet to helmet hits. Sunday saw an unusual amount of bell-ringing hits that left players with concussions and injuries. The debates amongst the experts, ex-players, and current players are heated, so now it's time for the most qualified person in the world to chime in, The Bearded Fellow. Oh and I am completely sarcastic with my qualifications...

Although I do agree that head-hunting players need to be fined and suspended, I disagree with the NFL's sudden crackdown. Hits like Brandon Merriweather's deserve to have him fined, suspended, and hell I'll even say ejected from the game. It was a dirty, no class hit and he was trying to hurt Todd Heap on that play.

But plays like Zach Follet's injury, James Harrison's hit on Mohamed Massaquoi, or Dunta Robinson's hit are not hits that seem malicious. Harrison's was iffy, but it appeared to me that the hit came high on Massaquoi because he lowered his head and pad level. These hits can be hard to avoid, and these big hits have been promoted and glorified by the NFL, so it's programmed in the players, especially the young guys, that the big hit is what gets them noticed.

I think that enforcing possible ejections or having the officials focus on these hits creates a lot of gray area. An official will now have to interpret if the hit made was an intentional helmet to helmet, or if it was just a case of the defender trying to make a play and the helmet contact came from the offensive player lowering his head and pad level.

But what about those devastating blocks? Does the NFL plan to do anything about those? They made the crack-back block illegal (See Hines Ward block) but what about those special team blocks? Guys lead with there helmet on blocks and blindside guys with a block all the time. They're defenseless too, are you going to protect them? I don't think the NFL should, with the exception of blocks that, like the hits, lead with the helmet and go for the head.

Bottom line, these NFL rules for protection are good, but produce so much grey area. The roughing the passer rules are just absurd at this point. (Roughing the passer if you touch a QB in the head, not just hit, but touch, as in graze him with you hand) I understand it wants to protect the players, but how much will this actually change? Not much until people start getting ejected and suspended.

I just read a story that James Harrison is considering retirement if he can't adjust the way he hits people. I support him on this one. His hits, to me, were legal. Only one was questionable, but the officials on the field called it a legal hit. There was no head hunting on the play, just a linebacker making a big hit on a receiver. The same kind of hit that has been glorified by the NFL, as you will see Schlereth point out.

Also, I just saw this video now, and I think it sums up how I feel on the issue perfectly. All for suspensions and fines of malicious hits, like Merriweather's, but the NFL is overreacting. Plus, Mark Schlereth brings some insight that I was unaware of and makes great points in his rant. Watch it and enjoy.

Use the Forcier, Rich

2010-10-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Michigan took the field Saturday for their homecoming game against the #15 Iowa Hawkeyes. Michigan was looking to rebound after a big defeat at the hands of the Michigan State Spartans. They needed a win here, but they were the underdogs at home.

They started off strong, getting a 7-0 lead but by the third quarter they were down 21-7, then Denard got injured on a run. Denard Robinson is out, all hope is lost, right? Wrong. In comes Sophomore and last year's starter Tate Forcier.

Forcier efficiently led the Wolverines down, but then they fumbled, and gave up a touchdown, falling down 28-7.

But fear not, as Forcier led the Wolverines a quick scoring drive when he connected with Junior Hemmingway on a deep ball. Iowa would score again after a Forcier interception, but Tate was up to the challenge engineering another touchdown drive. Then the Wolverines got a stop, and had a chance to cut it down to seven.
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And Forcier would deliver another scoring drive that ended with a QB keeper for the score, making it 35-28. Michigan's D could not come up with an important third down tackle for the stop, and Iowa added a field goal to make it 38-28 which was the eventual final.

But this post isn't a recap, this post is to try and start a debate. On one end, we have the "heisman candidate" (not anymore) Denard Robinson, and on the other, the pre-modana starter from last year Tate Forcier. Who's the better fit at the helm for the Wolverines?

Let's look at Denard, he's fast, 4.2 40 time, he's elusive, he's athletic, he's Michigan's Pat White. In theory he's the perfect fit for this offense. His numbers are absurd, and he's already thrown and rushed for 1000 yards. That's something special. However on the other hand, the two times he's played real defenses, he's been terrible. He was unable to effectively move the ball against Iowa, and he was clearly flustered against State and Iowa. He clearly doesn't have the composure to be starting these important Big Ten games. He questions his first read, he gets happy feet every time he pump fakes, and quite frankly his throws aren't good. He makes bad decisions facing pressure. But do you bench someone that good, after only two bad starts?

And then there's Tate. He is smart, composed, and a dual-threat QB. He's not as dynamic and flashy as Denard, but he is more composed, a better thrower, and smarter. Tate makes better decisions, and has the better throwing arm. He can do something that Denard can't: the pump 'n go. They ran it effectively against Iowa with Tate, and every time Denard pump fakes he gets flustered. But Tate isn't as much of a big play threat as Denard. He can get you that big pass play, but he doesn't have that electric 4.2 speed that Denard does, and you don't have to worry as much about him taking off and beating you with is feet.

So which QB should take the field on October 30th against Penn State? Tate Forcier. He is clearly the better QB right now. Denard is flashy, but Tate is effective at moving the ball down the field. Tate Forcier is clearly more composed. Even last year you could tell he had ice water in his veins. He has composure, Denard doesn't. Denard is an athlete, not a quarterback. Tate Forcier is an efficient and effective quarterback and provides Michigan it's best chance to win. Michigan has great wide receivers and Tate is their best option at getting them the football.

These Big Ten defenses will continue to stop and contain Denard Robinson, so if Michigan wants to salvage their season, they'll go with Tate.

The Bearded One has hit a milestone, this was my 100th blog post. YAAAAY!!!!!! *confetti flies everywhere and there's fireworks going off* I would like to thank everyone for the support, and for taking 5 minutes out of you life to read what I have to say. I really appreciate it. Looking forward to another 100

Thanks, and God Bless,
"The Bearded Fellow"

Rose Bowl or Bust

2010-10-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

So Spartan fans, how does it feel to have a legitimate Big Ten contender? Something I took for granted being a Michigan fan, so take it all in Spartans, it may not last long.

But seriously folks, anything less than a share of the Big Ten title will be disappointing. Sure, before the season, you would take finishing top 3 or 4 and a nice bowl game. But this team is a contender, and if the Spartan's aren't contending at the end of the year, Spartan fans should be disappointed.

Let's break this down. State has a terrific offense. It doesn't blow you away, but it gets the job done the way an offense should. They have a balanced attack, they can pound it out, they can throw the ball, and they can mix it up. They have the makings of a legitimate offense. It doesn't have the flashy names and flashy players like other top teams, but this offense gets the job done and is perfectly balanced.

And the defense has been rock solid. State is the first team all year to contain Denard (86 rushing yards) and force him to make mistakes (3 interceptions.) the secondary is weak, and got weaker when Chris L Rucker decided to drive after drinking. But the front seven, led by Greg Jones, is one of the best in the Big Ten. They specialize in stoping the ground game. The key on defense is stopping the passing game; the secondary must step up.

But what is key for the Spartans is what's left on their schedule. There is one tough game left and that's Iowa on the road. Illinois will be tricky but it is a winnable game. MSU has a real chance at running the table with this remaining schedule. State doesn't have to play the Buckeyes, easily the best team in the Big Ten, which is key for MSU's chances at winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl.

Michigan State has a real legitimate shot at winning at least a share of the Big Ten title, and Spartan fans should expect for them to at least contend at the end of the year. Anything less at this point is a disappointment.

What Happens When You Celebrate Too hard...

2010-10-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

Chris L Rucker was arrested for operating while intoxicated. He also damaged property with the vehicle and tried to flee the scene. The senior cornerback had a BAC of a .10. This is a big deal, under any circumstance. I do not condone driving while oever the limit, don't get me wrong, but an athlete blowing only a .10, nothing more than a slap on the wrist from Dantonio would be necessary.... Except theres one key issue here... Chris L Rucker was on PROBATION.

This is inexcusable. If you guys listen to 97.1, then you have heard Valenti's view on it and I couldn't agree more with him. He's already been given a second chance and he needs the hammer thrown down on him. He's violated his probation, he made a stupid decision, and now he needs to suffer the consequences.

Now what should those consequences be? Had he not violated his probation and not been in any other legal trouble prior to this, if he had a clean slate, I'd say you suspend him for a game or two. But this is not strike one for Rucker. He was already given a second chance.

Valenti and I both agree that he must be kicked off the team. You must take a stand and set an example. He's a senior, he should know better. He was involved in the incident last year, and was charged. He was sentenced to one year probation and community service. He violated said parole Sunday, and now must pay for his mistakes.

It will hurt the team losing their best guy in the secondary, it hurts a lot to lose a senior corner. But I feel that if Dantonio doesn't step up and make an example of him, it will look bad on him and the program. It hurts to lose a key man on a team that is a Big Ten title contender, but he made a dumb choice, and now must pay for his actions.

When is Enough, Enough?

2010-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

2008, Lloyd Carr is gone, Michigan is without a coach. With no worthy candidate in the system, Michigan would be hiring a non-Michigan man since the man who coined the phrase, Bo Schembechler. Michigan is coming off a disappointing year, which included a loss to App State. However they had a chance to win the Big Ten with a win over OSU, they lost, and then beat Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow in Coach Carr's last game. Michigan had a stud QB in waiting with Ryan Mallett, two great senior wideouts for him to throw to with Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington. Michigan had tons of upside. The defense had solid guys returning (but little known fact, Carr had 14 scholarship spots available on his roster, meaning he left Michigan barren with recruits coming up, and the defense suffered most.)

But Michigan is still an enticing job. They're good every year, and with the right coach, they could be a national championship contender in a couple seasons with a QB like Mallett. Michigan had it's short list of candidates, top two guys were Michigan men. The first guy to get an offer was Jim Harbaugh, he declined.

Harbaugh had been at Stanford for one season, they went 4-8. Doesn't seem like a resume that would qualify one to be the head coach of the University of Michigan, now does it? Harbaugh had success before that at San Diego, three seasons there and two of them he went 11-1. Coaching resume would say he was under-qualified, but he fit an important criteria: He was a Michigan Man. Jim had played quarterback at Michigan for four years and new what it meant to be a Michigan man.

But he turned down the job. He didn't want to leave Stanford after one, losing season. He didn't want to leave the program in a terrible situation. I respect him for doing it. Now he's turned them around. They had a heisman finalist last year in Toby Gerhart, contended for a Pac-10 title, and this year they are a contender again with QB Andrew Luck.

Next on the list, Les Miles. Current coach of the LSU Tigers. LSU was a dominant program at the time, but he was playing with mostly Saban's guys. LSU won the national title that year, but it seemed like Les was the guy. He played for Bo, Michigan man, successful coach. Everyone thought for sure he was going to be the next head coach of the University of Michigan.

And so did Herbstreit... Kirk reported prematurely that Les was going to coach Michigan, this made Les angry, and he signed an extension with LSU. "The Riverboat Gambler" was staying at LSU. Les Miles was supposed to be the guy. He was supposed to be the guy that steps in, run a similar offense but with a change from the stale past of the Lloyd Carr system. But he didn't... Now the next coach of the most storied program in football was a mystery.

The Wolverines then turned to Greg Schiano, the head coach at Rutgers. He had turned the program around and was having some success that seemed to come out of no where. It looked like he was on the brink of accepting the Michigan job, then he had a team meeting and told his team he was staying. He was crying his eyes out saying he felt bad for considering it... Not the guy I want as my coach, but hey, it works for Rutgers...

Finally the Wolverines found there way to Morgantown, West Virginia, talking to a coach by the name of Rich Rodriguez. This seemed like a desperate move for the Wolverines. He had just turned down Alabama, signed a big extension, and was coaching at his hometown school. Plus he ran a drastically different system and surely Michigan would not want to go through a drastic change. Michigan would want a fresh face who runs a similar system so he could step in and win, right?

Apparently not... Rich Rod agreed to become the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, and that's when everything went bad... The leave from WVU was messy and it cost Michigan a lot of money and a lot of bad publicity. Stud QB Mallett transfered to Arkansas and other recruits backed out of their commitment because they did not want to play in this system. Manningham and Arrington went pro, All-American lineman Justin Boren transfered. Things did not look good for Michigan...

And they weren't. Rich Rod went 3-9, the worst record Michigan has ever had. The 30+ Bowl streak ended, and Michigan went 0-3 verse the rivals. It was embarrassing. But things were supposed to improve when he got his guys. Rich Rod kept preaching give the system time...

Year two, Michigan gets off to a red hot start. 4-0 and everything was going great. Michigan looked on track and people started to believe in his spread system... Until Michigan tanked, finishing 5-7 and once again would not be playing in a bowl game. But there's Rich, preaching to us that we have to give his guys time to fit into his system.

Year three, the test year. Michigan is 5-0 and looking very impressive... on offense. The defense looks horrible, worse than last year, and last year's set Michigan records for suck. Big game against the rival Spartans this Saturday, a "must win" for Rich Rod and Michigan. He can't afford to go 0-3 verse Sparty and you have to defend the Big House.

But once again, the spread and Rich's system was thwarted by a legitimate Big Ten team. Can this spread work in the Big Ten? Rich Rod better hope it does, other wise he's gone.

In my opinion, Rich should be gone regardless of how this season ends. He's lowered the academic standard of the players, (most notably trying to recruit Demar Dorsey) his players aren't held as accountable as they were in previous regimes (Darryl Stonum, Justin Feagan) And for the first time ever Michigan has had NCAA sanctions imposed on them. Michigan just needs to cut ties with Rich Rod and try to forget it ever happened.

His record at Michigan speaks for itself. The great Rich Rod is a stellar 13-17 (includes 2010) at Michigan with an even more impressive 4-14 mark in Big Ten play. The only rival he's beaten is Notre dame, which he's done twice. He's 0-3 verse State and 0-2 verse Ohio State. And by looking at both teams, you can pretty much chalk up 0-3 verse the Buckeyes.

The rest of the season could determine if he stays or is fired at the end of the year. 0-3 verse MSU and 0-3 verse OSU is a fireable offense for a Michigan coach in my book, so the only thing left that could save him is a win verse the Buckeyes. If he does that, every Michigan fan will praise him and everything he's done, but regardless of that game, he needs to lose his job. No ifs ands or buts about it.

But who will replace him. Dave? The new guy is gonna struggle with transition too! Yes, he will struggle going from this mess to a legitimate football style. But there is only one guy I want to be the next coach: Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh turned around the Stanford Cardinal and can do the same for Michigan. He is a Michigan man, so the integrity will return, and he knows the expectations and standards Michigan has.

Jim Harbaugh is the perfect fit as the next Wolverine coach.

Once is Luck, Twice is Skill... Thrice is Dominance

2010-10-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

SO there was a big game played last Saturday, I don't know if you heard about it or not, but Michigan and Michigan State squared off as two undefeateds at the Big House. And also if you are unaware, State dominated this affair 34-17. Couches went ablaze as Denard Robinson was shut down.

That game could have gone so many different ways, We all like to play what ifs in sports, but I don't buy in to them, Because with every what if play, lets say what if Denard doesn't throw that bad pass in the endzone and Michigan gets a touchdown. That was at the beginning of the game. So many things could and would have gone differently if Michigan had a 7-0 lead. I can't say had that one play, or other plays, go differently Michigan wins, but I can say it would be a totally different game. So for arguments sake, let's play some what if...

What if Denard Robinson hit those three guys for Michigan scores? There are three plays that stand out to me in this one. Denard's first interception, him missing a wide open Darryl Stonum (which led to a field goal) and his second interception. All three of those could (and arguably) should have been touchdowns. That's 21 points folks. His picks were both thrown behind the receiver, and both were very catchable with a good pass. Denard didn't show up in the big game, and it cost Michigan.

In all of Michigan's victories, the story has been Denard, so it's no different in defeat. He didn't have a Denard-esque game. Credit the Spartan defense for containing him on the ground, but he still managed to throw for over 200 yards. And he threw three picks. People have tried to make the argument that he had a good game, I cannot say he did. I don't care what his stats say, considering 200 yards passing and he threw for a score and ran for one, but he didn't have a good game. Stats say he had a solid game, but reality is he made crucial mistakes that led to Michigan losing this one and threw three interceptions. Not the game of a heisman trophy winner.

I would be remiss if I didn't give credit where credit is due. State's front seven dominated the game and did an excellent job at containing Robinson. The secondary was questionable as always but it took advantage of bad throws by Denard. State took care of business. Dominated the trenches and was efficient on offense. The Spartans were a well-oiled machine and didn't make any mistakes. They deserved this win.

Where does this leave Michigan and State? One could run the table, or one could fall apart... but until next time, you'll just have to wait to find out why I think that...

* Credit goes to Sully for giving me the idea of the title in a smack talk comment on my pregame blog

Hey Hey Hockey's Back

2010-10-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

The best time of the year is here, it's October. College Football is getting into conference play, the NFL is in full swing, and ah yes, the NHL is back. The Red Wings began their season tonight, and did they look good or what? They dominated in a 4-0 win over the not Mighty anymore Ducks. Good way to start the season off, not only with a win, but a dominating performance on both ends of the ice. Let's take a look to see how that happened...

I would like to make a small side not here, in the player introduction, it was Mike Modano who got the biggest ovation. Welcome home bud.

But anyways I digress... Let's go about 5 minutes into the first period. Johan Franzen finds the back of the net on a drop off pass from Filpula. This goal was all Franzen, he scored on a tough angle and his quick release and fast shot found the back of the net. Mickey said it perfectly, by adding that "(Franzen) could be the next Wing 50 goal-scorer." I totally agree. Everything about the Mule screams goal scorer. His size, his puck handling, his quick shot, and his powerful shot. If he stays healthy, he will score 50.

Then about 26 seconds later, the Wings would find the net again. Dan Cleary had the puck in the middle of the ice, Duck's zone. While taking a hit, he dropped it off for Modano who sniped a quick writer past Jonas Hiller. Whata home coming for Modano. Didn't take him long to score his first goal as a Wing and he did it at home. Good for you Mike.

Second Period strolls along, it's 2-0 Wings. Zetterberg has the puck near the blue line, and he passes down to his Euro twin Pavel Datsyuk, who redirects it past Hiller from a weird angle. Pavel, instead of catching and shooting, angled his stick perfectly to redirect it. It was the only way he would score.

Then Dan Cleary had himself an interesting goal... Pavel threw the puck out front, as Cleary was crashing the net. The puck hit him, he crashed into Hiller. Net comes off, light goes on, ref says no goal. The play goes under review. Mick and the gang are analyzing the replays and see the same thing I do; the net coming off it's bearings before the puck crosses. But go figure, ref get's off the phone and tells JLA that it was a good hockey goal.

Oh and Pavel got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick... that was something. Pavel Datsyuk in a legit fight. He held his own against Coery Perry and the crowd loved it. Hell I loved it. It was great to see Pavel so feisty in that game. I hope to see that passion and drive from all the Wings this year.

The BEarded 3 Stars:
3rd Star Jimmy Howard
Oh Jimmy, how I ragged you last year, but yet through all that, people forget that I praised you and said you were the best starter we had, I just said you weren't there yet... But you are there now. I think this is Jimmy's year to be that star goalie that comes through our system we've never had in Detroit, not in a long time anyways. Jimmy got career shut out number four, adn hopefully there's more of that to come.
2nd Star Dan Cleary
Cleary had himself two points in the season debut, and he looked good all game long. Ripped a shot off the post, took a hit while delivering the pass to Modano for his goal. He had a Dan Cleary-esk game, and he gets the 2nd star for it.
1st Star: Pavel Datsyuk
When you get a Gordie Hat Trick, you know you had a good game. Pavel showed us something new tonight, he was aggressive, he was chippy, he got in a fight. I would love to see that the rest of the season. If he channels an aggressive style, he will become that much better of a player.

Pavel Fighting

Battle for Paul Bunyan's Trophy

2010-10-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Michigan and Michigan State square off tomorrow, in case you haven't heard, and it's a pretty big deal. Both teams go into this one undefeated and a lot riding on this game. Big Ten title hopes will be dashed for one side, and bragging rights are at stake. 1072 days and counting I believe? Tons of pressure on the Wolverines to end that streak. But before we go into the details of the game, lets take a look at the Bearded Top 3 games of the Michigan Michigan State Rivalry. (In my life and memory)

Number 3: Caper's OT winner.

This game was exactly like quite a handful of Michigan v State games. State gets a sizeable lead against Michigan, 20-6 in the 4th quarter. Michigan then rallied to tie the game at 20, including a touchdown on the last play of the game to tie it. Forcier in overtime would then throw an interception in OT, which was followed by Larry Caper's 24 yard touchdown winner.

Michigan State 26 Michigan 20

Number 2: "Little Brother"

Ah yes, the Little Brother game. Spartan fans hated Hart for his comments (now love him because State hasn't lost since.) Michigan dominated the first half, took a 14-3 lead to the third quarter. Everything was going according to plan. State scored the next 21 points and fell down 24-14 with 8 minutes left in the 4th. Chad Henne left one play with an injury, Mallett fumbled, Mike Hart recovered and got a first down, but Henne immediately returned, hobbling, and led Michigan on a touchdown drive to make it 24-21 State. After a defensive stop, Henne and the Wolverines got the ball back, and every Spartan fan had seen this before... A few minutes and plays later, Henne found Mario Manningham in the corner of the endzone for the game winning score with 2:30 left. Michigan 28 Michigan State 24.

Number 1: The Braylon Game

Who could forget what happened on October 30, 2004? One of the greatest football games I have ever seen. A tremendous comeback by the Wolverines, or collapse by the Spartans, depending on your perspective. Michigan State jumped out to a 27-10 lead with only 8:43 left in the 4th quarter. The game appeared out of reach; three scores with so little time. But this is the Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy we're talking about, it's never over til there's 0's on the clock.

But how could a true freshman (Chad Henne) lead a comeback in his first start in this rivalry game. Michigan drove down to get a field goal to make it 27-13 with 6:27 left in the 4th. Still a big hole to climb out of. Rivas then did a kangaroo kick (type of onside kick) and Michigan recovered. On the next drive, Michigan scored a TD on a jump ball to Braylon Edwards. Michigan forced State to punt and a good return gave them great field position. And Henne would throw it up for you know who and he did you know what, that's Braylon for the TD in case you don't... to tie the game at 27's with 2:59 left in the 4th. Dave Rayner couldn't make the 52 yard field goal to win, and this game was going to overtime.

But this game didn't just go to one overtime, this game went to three. First OT, both teams were held to field goals. Second OT State scored a touchdown and Michigan would answer on a tremendous catch by Avant. In triple overtime Michigan faked the deep fade to Braylon, and they ran a post to the exposed middle of the field for the score, and got the two point conversion when Henne found Massaquoi in the back of the end zone. State was unable to get into the endzone and Michigan's miraculous comeback was complete.

Michigan 45 Michigan State 37 3OT

But where will 2010 rank? Will it be a blow out or another instant classic? This match-up has the chance to be another classic in this rivalry. And who does the Bearded One having winning this one? Well let's take a look at who I give the edge to, shall we?

Defense: Push.

Both defenses are horrendous. MSU's defense as a group is probably better, but in this game both will be justa as effective. The D will be a difference maker in this one, if one can manage to get a big stop, but both secondaries are awful, Michigan's is ranked dead last. I can't give either side an edge on D in this game because their D's are just so bad. I think State's is slightly better but Michigan has a better chance of stopping State than the other way around. Mike Martin and Craig Roh will pressure Cousins and disrupt the running game. Greg Jones will make his pressence felt IF Michigan runs it up the middle. But if he has to chase Denard, sorry Spartans, he won't catch him. He is physically unable to chase down Denard if he is at full speed. No one on State is. If Denard gets past the front seven, he could get passed everyone.

On the flip side, Kirk Cousins will be able to throw at will against Michigan. Also the trio of backs (Baker, Bell, Caper) will all be effective against the Michigan D. I don't expect the Wolverines to be able to consistantly stop the Spartan attack if the Spartans do a good job at mixing in run and pass.

Offense: Michigan.

I have to give the edge to the Wolverines on this side of the ball. Denard puts up more yards per game than most FBS teams. I have never seen such a dynamic and electric player. I refuse to play the "YEAH BUT GREG JONES GONNA INJURY HIM!!!!" game because that's not how a journalist should base a prediction. Can Greg Jones even get a clean shot at a player as fast and as elusive as Denard? I doubt it... Even if Denard goes down, Tate proved he can be efficient enough throwing the ball to move the offense. State's secondary is terrible, and if Tate has to come in, he will tear up the secondary. Michigan's wideouts are way faster than States corners. Michigan will score.

However, the Spartans will put up their fair share of points. Cousin's is a very good, and underrated, quarterback who will have a field day against the Michigan secondary. The ground game will be efficient as well. However, it is not enough for me to give Sparty the edge here, Denard is just that good. No one has stopped him, and I don't see anything in State's D that screams "Denard Stopper."

Special Teams: Michigan State

Okay quick and short. MSU has a good returner, Michigan doesn't. MSU has a kicker, Michigan doesn't. MSU has a punter, Michigan doesn't. That pretty much covers special teams...

The Bearded Edge: Michigan Wolverines.

I'm going with the Winged Helmet in this one. Denard is too good, and I don't see State stopping him. He will put up 150 rushing and 150 passing at least. Greg Jones is one guy who can't stop Denard every single play. Denard will have a prototypical Denard Robinson day. It will be a shootout, but I expect Michigan to pull this one out.
Michigan 42
Michigan State 38

ESPN Slaps Michigan in the face... Twice

2010-10-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

ESPN made two decisions that they must know are complete slaps in the face to every Michigander who even knows what football is. People need to be up in arms about this, and I am bringing it to the attention of all three readers... ESPN, this is just not cool...

First off, they sent College Gameday to Alabama vs South Carolina instead of Michigan vs Michigan State. that's a joke right? Undefeated, top 20 rivals isn't as good as the number one team vs an unranked conference opponent? That's a joke, that's not even a good game. This is the game of the week, but not according to ESPN. That SEC biased has never appeared so true than it does right now. Theres no way that Bama Sou Car is better than the Battle for Paul Bunyan's trophy. As a football fan living here, I take it personally that they chose that location over ours. It's a joke. Shame on you ESPN...

And as if that wasn't enough, the ESPN/ABC masterminds made another great decision. If you, like me, cannot go to the game, you will be treated to the soothing sounds of Matthew Millen. The man that single-handily drove our football franchise into the ground, is coming to Michigan to commentate and give his "expert opinion" on our state's biggest game. If that's not a slap in the face then I don't know what is.

I just want to bring attention to all of those who were ignorant of the travesties that occurred. It's a shame what ESPN has done to Michigan, and I, for one, am not going to be silent about my displeasure.

Ducks Hunted

2010-10-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

Keeper Dave Cobb on the ground after ankle injury

It was a rough weekend for the Mighty Ducks. The Coed starting things off Sunday, and only eight players showed. The Ducks played almost the entire game with down a man. The Ducks had a lot to overcome, but it looked like they were going to do it. The Liz scored the first goal of the game when a cross found it's way over the keeper's head and into the net. Down a man, the Ducks managed to get a 1-0 lead early. But late in the first half, Keeper made a very costly mistake, turning the ball over resulting in a goal. In a game that would be so difficult to win, he makes a crucial error costing the Ducks the lead.

The second half, the tired Duck team was dominated. Cobb made save after save as the Ducks could not get anything going. There were mad scrambles in front of the net constantly, but somehow the ball never went in. Conor Milroy, a former keep, sacrificed his body making a leaping save on a wide open net. Cobb made a bad run at the ball. Conor injured himself on the play, but later returned. The game finished a 1-1 tie.

It was a success for the Ducks, getting a tie when down as many as two men, but in the eyes of the keep, it was a failure. "That score should be One nil... I blew it."

Perhaps the young keep was too harsh on himself... He made a countless number of saves, including a couple charging and diving saves. He kept that game 1-1, but in his words, "I may have kept it a tie, but I also made it a tie. I gave them that goal."

In the night cap the Mighty Ducks would be taking on Flints finest, and sparks flew right off the bat. "You could tell just right from the start the way they were going at us, and us them, that it was going to get chippy. I said that to myself after the first foul I saw, I could tell," said Cobb after the game.

But chippy doesn't even begin to describe what happened. Not even five minutes into this match, a Flint player made probably the worst tackle I have ever seen in a game I was apart of. It was late, it was from behind, it got zero ball, and on top of that, it got no cards. Oh, and it injured Duck midfielder Ryan Williams, forcing him to leave the game.

"It was dirty, it was cheap, and it was ****ing bull ****! It should have been a red, no doubt," said midfielder Joshua Andaloro when asked about the tackle. And he's right, it was at the very minimum a yellow. I don't care if it was early, it was a bad tackle that injured a player.

Captain Dave Cobb could be seen on the other side "conversing" with the ref after the tackle. "I said to him, 'What the hell is that? Why is he not gone? Why is he still playing?' he just said 'his call, not mine,' and I said back to him 'this is a joke, you're a joke' then he yellowed me. Of course I get yellowed, and the other guy doesn't, I wasn't happy."

It set the tone for the rest of the match, every foul call went against the Ducks, the players out cried, and the refs weren't having it. Erik Grodus got threatened with an ejection for shouldering a player. It was bad, and the Ducks played with anger and fire. The game went tied at 0's to the half.

Second half was a different story, the Ducks still played feisty, but not smart. Costly turnovers led to two goals for Flint's Finest. The officiating was still poor. And Obscene geasture, in the rulebook an automatic red, was made at Duck midfielder Grodus that went "unseen."

It was later learned that the refs were friends with the Flint Douchbags... Captain Cobb called IM services the next day complaining and calling protest.

"It's not fair to us that they get let off the hook because they know the refs. I just want a fair ruling. They played better, but the officiating was biased and terrible. All we want as a team is a fair match. That was anything but."

The protest is pending, waiting word from IM services.

Ilitch to Buy Pistons

2010-10-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

Fresh of Larry Lage's Twitter feed this morning, the Bearded One learned that Mike Ilitch, Little Caesar's founder, will be the new owner of the Detroit Pistons. We all know that by now, I just wanna throw my two cents in on it.

Personally, I like it. Ilitch turned the Dead Wings into the powerhouse franchise it is today. The Tigers were miserable for awhile but now have only had one losing season in the past five. This will be good for the Pistons, there are for sure staying in Michigan, and probably getting a downtown arena with the Wings. A much needed arena for the Wings and also get the Pistons in the Detroit area.

The one concern that I have, and everyone has, is will he be able to spend on all three teams without one being thrown to the way-side? Well to be honest, I don't think it's possible for him to spend evenly. The Red Wings used to get his biggest investment, until the cap was made, then the Tigers finally got money put into them. If a team gets shafted, it will most likely be the Pistons. But Ilitch is a terrific sport's owner and I don't think there is a better local man that could have bought the team.

Big Ten Play Begins

2010-10-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Big Ten got underway Saturday, and the important part of the season begins. No more cupcakes, no more scrubs, just conference play left to go. The conference opener is always an important game. You never want to start things off on the wrong foot. Both of our local squads would have games that would test their grit. The Wolverines start things off on the road against the pass-happy Hoosiers, and the Spartans hosted the #9 Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams could easily start things off with a loss, but both passed the test.

The Wolverines defense would be tested by the air-raid offense of the Indiana Hoosiers, and it was not up to the test. The Hoosier quarterback Ben Chappel had 65 pass attempts, including 480 passing yards and three touchdowns. But luckily for Michigan, Denard Robinson has been a bit unstoppable. He had himself another 200-rush and 200-pass yard day, and five touchdowns on top of that. It was back and fourth, no team had a bigger lead than seven. Indiana tied it late on a 19 yard touchdown on 4th and 5, then Denard led the game winning drive. Rich Rod said the touchdown play was supposed to be up the middle to set up the game winning field goal. A win is a win for Michigan, but that defense will be their Achilles heel.

The Spartans hosted the favored and #9 Wisconsin Badgers in their Big Ten opener. It would be a tough test for the Spartans to see if their D could stop the Wisconsin ground game. The Badgers are notorious for their ability to swap runningbacks in and out, with guys like John Clay. MSU played great defense and held the Badger backs in check. They turned the ball over three times, and still won the game. The offense was efficient, and the defense held tough when it had to. The key play was a 4th and 1 touchdown on a play action pass to seal the victory for the Spartans.

So with both teams winning, this sets up a great match-up this Saturday. The annual game for Paul Bunyan's Trophy. Both teams are 5-0, both teams have high hopes. This is a huge game for both, but a tad bit bigger for Michigan. Rich Rod's job could hinder on this game, and if Michigan loses, who know where the season could turn? The Spartans want to keep "big brother" down, and would love to spoil the Denard hype.

But who's gonna win? Well you'll have to read that later...

Ducks Fly High, Win 2-1

2010-09-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Midfielder Josh Andaloro chases down the ball for the game-winning goal

The Mighty Duck Men's team took the field Sunday, looking to rebound after their disappointing 3-2 loss a week ago. The Duck squad came out determined to right the ship and get in the victory column for the first time.

Keeper Dave Cobb says "I always know how a games gonna go based on the first shot I face. If the first shot that gets to me is easy to handle, then I have a good feeling, if it's from a dangerous area, then I get that 'uh-oh' feeling. Today, the first shot I had was one of the easiest I have ever seen..."

But would his vision come true? The first half went scoreless until the last second, when a 1 v 1 broke out, keeper Cobb charged out and made a dive at the ball, but it found it's way in. But the shooter on the follow through stepped on the ankle of Cobb, turning it and cutting it badly. "I had never felt more pain in my ankle than I did at that moment, I wasn't sure what happened. But I knew I had to play, the team needed me."

Cobb hobbled his way to the other side at the other half, clearly the ankle was going to hinder his play. Luckily, the Ducks rallied by the image of their keep out there, managed to keep most of the danger away from him. Everytime he punted the ball or ran at a ball, he came up hobbling, but he kept on pushing.

Inspired by their keep, the Ducks upped the attack. Early in the first half the found the equalizer when Erik Groduss sent a low cross over to Ryan Williams who buried the bunny of a shot. Later, Josh Andaloro netted the go-ahead goal from an off angle. "When I hit it, all I was saying was 'GET IN, GET IN' and when it snuck in, I new we had this," said the midfielder.

Cobb held strong in the back, keeping everything he faced in the second half out of the net. The Ducks held on to win 2-1 and on the sideline it was like they just won the championship. It was the squad's first non-forfiet win ever, and they were excited.

The Duck's Coed However tied 2-2. In short, they got screwed by a blatant blown call on an offsides that was not called in the first half. Dayna scored the, then Duncan scored the second. Cobb was solid in net, both goals were 1 v 1's and one should not have counted. They look to rebound next week and get the W.

Ducks Fall in Season Opener

2010-09-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Goalkeeper Dave Cobb mentally prepares as the season commences

The Mighty Ducks season began last Sunday with the first of four double headers. The Co-ed Ducks started off with a 3-0 forfeit win... "We'll take it. 1-0 is 1-0 to us. It's the first time we've been 1-0," said Captain/Manager/Keeper (yeah big title) Dave Cobb, "But I think we have a good chance at actually winning, not just getting forfeit wins." Mighty Ducks Co-ed play again this Sunday at 6:40, so come on out and support the Ducks.

The Mighty Duck Men's opponents did not fear the Ducks and showed up to the game. It was the first time for a handful of the Ducks playing under the lights, including the inexperienced keep. Things got messy to begin with when Cobb came out to get a ball and it took an interesting bounce to the side, right to the foot of the opposing strike. Dave desperately dove at the ball and made a leg save, but the shooter got the rebound... but his chip shot hit the far post and stayed out. "I just kinda flung myself at the ball and hoped for the best," commented Cobb, "seeing that ball hit the post was the biggest sense of relief I have ever felt, I knew it was going to be a good day after that sequence."

And the Ducks used this moment to rally and score, right? No... A deep ball was played toward the box. It was a foot race between Cobb and their striker, and Cobb lost. The striker popped it over Cobb's head then buried it into the empty net. 1-0 lead for Real Hubbard FC. Down 1-0 is a position that most of these Duck players were used to. They trailed 1-0 in almost every indoor soccer game a year ago. But how would they reply? Would they crumble and fall apart? Or would they fight back? We would get that answer later that half...

Ducks have a corner. Duncan McGuire lines up and readies his approach. The Ducks bring men forward, looking for the equalizer. McGuire sends the corner into the box, it takes a hop and finds the feet of Daniel Buhlinger. He lets his shot fly, and it takes a Duck deflection into the back of the net. Buhlinger nets the first goal for the Mighty Ducks, and it was a great feeling for every Duck on the pitch. Many had doubts on whether the Ducks could compete in this league, but getting that equalizer silenced the doubts. " (I've) never been so proud in my life," said Dan about putting in the first goal for the Mighty Ducks.

The score would stay the same going to the half, a big part of that was the play of Duck Keeper Dave Cobb. He made two saves off two free kicks, (one of those free kicks was given up when he changed his mind mid goal kick and hit it off the side of his foot, didn't leave the box.) One of those free kick saves was a nice diving effort to parry the ball to the side. "Thanks to the countless hours of shoot around in the summer, I was very confident when he lined up his free kick. I knew where I wanted to be positioned and I was positioned perfectly," said the young keep, "I knew he was going to have to strike it perfect to get it past me."

Second half gets underway and it's just as competitive as the first. Real Hubbard seems to control the ball a little more but fail to get any real opportunities. But then came the break that Real Hubbard had been waiting for. A long ball was played out and Midfield Josh Andaloro was there fighting for the ball. Cobb came out to get the ball but misjudged it, only got a piece of the player and the ball. The striker buried into the empty net for the 2-1 Real lead.

"I ****ed up that ball, that goal was on me," said Cobb after the game, "I was just hoping it didn't cost us the game."

It didn't. It only took about 5 minutes for the Ducks to answer back. A long ball was played down the wing to McGuire who took it all the way, making defenders look silly on his way to burying the equalizer. It was 2-2 and the Ducks showed tremendous heart fighting back to equalize.

Time was winding down, the final whistle was only minutes away. The score was still even at 2 a piece. Then a ball was played deep into Duck territory and deep into the box. Cobb thought about charging, but realized he had no chance at it, sat back and awaited the cross. The cross came in, out of the reach of Cobb and found the head of a real forward and into the back of the net. There was no time left for the Ducks to mount another equalizer. 3-2 final.

"It was a hard fought game with everyone giving it their all," said Andaloro after the heart-breaking defeat, "We played well as unit and we will improve as the season goes on."

The Mighty Ducks next play at 4:00 at IM East. They look to rebound after the disappointing 3-2 loss. But no Duck left that game unsatisfied. Every player was impressed with the way they played as a unit. As Half-Canadian Matt Smith put it, "Ducks fly together." And yes that is a movie quote...

This was the Bearded Fellow reporting in on The Mighty Ducks, your only source for extensive Mighty Duck coverage.

Almost for UMASS, and Not Quite for Notre Dame

2010-09-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend had it's fair share of great football. How bout that MSU game? And Michigan's was close than it should have been. Even the Lions made a comeback. It was another great weekend for football. So let the generic recaps commence!

We start things off with the Michigan Wolverines vs the Massachusetts Minutemen. FBS vs FCS, yes, but UMASS always puts up a good fight when playing FBS teams, but still an easily winnable game. Well Michigan came out clearly overlooking the Minutemen. Denard threw his first interception of the year and took his first sack. UMASS took advantage of the opportunities given to them, building a 17-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the half. But Michigan struck for a 64 yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen to Darryl Stonum. On UMASS's ensuing drive, Kovacks forced a fumble on what have been a first down play. Michigan then drives down the field and scores a touchdown to go up 21-17 at the half. Then the rest is unknown to me, this is when I went to get in line at Spartan Stadium, but here's what I do know... Michigan goes up 42-24, then is only up 42-30, gets a punt blocked, gives up a td, 42-37, and UMASS kicks the onside kick out of bounds. Michigan runs the clock.
Denard finished with another absurd stat day, Michael Shaw had three touchdowns, and a win is a win.

But it's obvious that the problem with Michigan is the defense. The line and linebackers are solid players. Mike Martin is the best tackle in the nation, and Craig Roh can be an end or a linebacker, pick your poison. But the secondary is one of the worst I've seen in the nation. Still can't decide who's is worse, Michigan's or State's... Well let me tell ya something... there aren't many defenses that can stop an attack like that, so they'll be fine...

Now we go to that thriller in East Lansing, and oh bessy was that a game or what? Came down to the wire... But let me just say, that it boggles me looking at what happened that Notre Dame didn't score more. At times it seemed like State couldn't do anything to even pretend to stop them. 31 is a big number, but honestly... it could have been more. We had an interception that was a gift from Dane Crist, but that's sports. But anyways, it was a well fought game on both sides. Both teams kept answering each other's scores. 7-0, then 7-7, then 14-7, then 14-14, then... 28-28. MSU had a golden opportunity to drive down and win the game with a minute thirty, but just proceeded to go backwards 20 yards... Notre Dame decided to just take it to OT. And that's when things got weird... State somehow, someway, held Notre Dame to a field goal. MSU ball 3rd and 5, and Cousins takes a sack. 4th and 11 and out comes the field goal unit. Perhaps there was a delay of game, but there's a "lag rule" which basically means the lag between back judge looking at the play clock to looking down at the snap. If it hasn't started yet, flag, if so, no flag. But anways, the snap is off and Bates, the holder, stands up and finds Charlie Gantt for the game winning score. A fake field goal in overtime... just when you thought you've seen it all...

On a side note and a twist of horrific irony, Coach Mark Dantonio had a heart attack after the game. All reports are that he's fine but please, keep him in your prayers.

And in short about the Motor City Kitties. They fell down big, made a huge rally, but fell short. Javid Best was amazing, Shaun Hill wasn't that bad, adn once again Calvin didn't exist til the 4th quarter. This year will not be our year, but just wait til next year...

He's baaaaaaaaack

2010-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

After a year off, Brewer's Bruin made his return to East Lansing. Last year he was hungry for Hawkeyes, this year it was time to feast on some Leprechauns. And oh boy was it an epic journey...

Okay first off, the game was epic, but my weekend recap of Michigan and Michigan State football is in the next blog, or one you've already read, depends on what order you decide to read em...

Anyways, the journey started last year, when Kevin and I were playing some NCAA 10. See back in last year's game they would give you random facts about your team while you were playing. Like back in the 20's the Alaskan Zoo donated three wolverine to UofM and they had two on the sideline for a game. Because they were too fierce, it was also their last game. We also learned that way back in 1909, before Michigan State was Michigan State (it was still Michigan Agricultural College) our "mascot" was a live brown bear, known as Brewer's Bruin, (our coach at the time was Coach Brewer) And that's when it all started...

We hatched the idea to go to a game dressed in a bear costume, we checked the schedule to find the perfect game... Iowa 8pm, primetime. Turns out it was BTN, but still, primetime. We got our shot on TV, won some free pizza, but since it was our last home game before halloween... well i wasn't the only fury animal present... It was still amazing, but could have been better.

Skip ahead to August of 2010, I'm talking to my old suit-mate, Riles. He's all sad that he's not at MSU, but I tell him some good news. We're playing Notre Dame at home, and it's a night game. I tell him that not only will Brewer return, but he'll have a sign for his favorite ginger kid. And ladies and gentlemen, I keep my promises.

Flash forward, September of 2010, Josh and I are looking for a new bear suit... we find one that makes us laugh extremely hard, and we both agree it is perfect for the occasion. We place our order for it, and Josh's parents, thanks again btw, are bringing it up because they're attending this game as well. The plan was in place, and the wheels were turning. Brewer's Bruin was making his return.

Saturday comes along, Josh and Derik (for reasons and logic still unclear to me) decide to camp out. In hind sight they coulda waited til like 1 o'clock and got the same spots, but let's not ruin it for them. It was raining on and off that day and questions arose of would we need to cover up the bear? Same thing last year for Iowa, but just like Iowa, when game time rolled around, the skies were clear.

We had our spots in line, all that was left to do was make the mad dash to the front row, and we got it. We were in prime position for a good ol football game. Of course the bear got lots of attention, I was asked to do McDonald's trivia and won an arch card. Had the other kid listened to me he would have won one too. I also got asked by Jim, the owner of Zeke the Wonder Dog to email him to do a show... That's exciting, still trying to find away to get a hold of him... IF ANY OF MY READERS SOME HOW KNOW HOW, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONTACT ME!!!!!!!

Overal, it was another success for the bear and one hell of a night. Got face time on TV, and ESPN guy took my picture with curious george, wish I could find that picture... But it was quite the day for sure. Hopefully they give us a primetime game next year for his glorious return...

Brewer's Bruin, he's back...

TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!! Oh wait...

2010-09-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, there was quite the load of good football on this weekend. MSU played at Ford Field, for their first "road" game of the season. Yes, folks, FAU was the home team for a game in Detroit... Don't ask how that worked out I don't know. Michigan squandered a 21-7 lead only to win in dramatic fashion. The other college games, well the other big games, were rather disappointing. Georgia South Carolina peeked my interest. And how about James Madison? Going to Blacksburg and beating Virginia Tech, that shouldn't happen. Too bad this makes Boise's win look worse, and it may cost them... Well let the recaps BEGIN!

I wont really mention the MSU game for two reasons: They were playing FAU, and cuz of the first reason, I didn't watch much. From what I read, everyone is disappointed that MSU didn't control the game more than they did. The D didn't look as good as it should have against a team like Florida Atlantic. But I'm a bottom line guy, and bottom line is, they won. So what up Spartans in the D. Tough game for the Spartans, Notre Dame looks like a solid team, and with MSU's defense being questioned, this may not end well for Sparty... BUT alas, we have two things going for us, 1) It's at home. 2) Brewer's Bruin returns again. Taking the Sparties in this one.

But how bout that Wolverine game? That was a thriller, but yet... it shouldn't have been. I don't want to hear you Notre Dame slappies "Well if Crist hadn't gotten hurt..." That's too damn bad because he did. Everything changes, game plans, play calling, everything. The result? It may change, but you can't guarantee they win with Crist. But recognize that every aspect of the game changes. Not just the score, everything. It happened the way it did so deal with it. Now on to the actual game... That should not have been that close. Michigan's offense was lack luster and the "savior" and "heisman winner" Denard was terrible throwing the ball. He just showed up when it mattered. But I can't ignore 500 total yards. It could/should have been an even bigger day, but 500 total yards from a QB is amazing I don't care who you play. Michigan is set up to easily go 5-0 with games against UMASS Bowling Green and Indiana before the State game. Rich... your job should, key word should, be safe.

Now I would like to address the travesty of the Lions game. First of all, the defense played amazing, the team was lack luster at best without Stafford. Javid had a nice debut. But let's get to the issue. I can't blame the refs, I can blame Calvin for not just bringing the ball into his chest, instead he assumed everything was a TD and let the ball hang out and let it go... but now I have to get to the part that I am pissed about. How long is this "catching process?" He got two feet in, he was brought to the ground, he was on the ground for long enough to establish possession, but yet he didn't complete it. Hmmm, I don't know... looks like a catch to me... I can't blame the refs because they correctly interpreted a poorly written rule. A question was posed to me, and it is a legitimate question... How come if a ball carrier dives for the pylon and loses it, it's a touchdown because he breaks the plain, and the wide out has to hold the ball for an eternity? Well, this is the first time that the process of a catch rule has been an issue. Most times you see the guy get his two feet, but when he hits the ground the ball comes out. In this case he gets two feet, hits the ground and still has it, seemed like he dropped it in celebration to me. Calvin should have been more cautious and never let that thing go, but still. That was a touchdown, and a garbage interpretation of a rule that must be fixed.

But as it stands, the Lions are 0-1, but I still think they'll go 6-10, and next year they'll make the playoffs. Hopefully Stafford stays healthy. But we'll have to wait until next week, and I am predicting a win against the Eagles. Bold yes, but I'm sticking to it. I'll take State against Notre Dame, and obviously Michigan vs UMASS.

Where No Man has been before...

2010-09-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last night, a pitcher, by the name of Trevor Hoffman reached, a plateau that has never been touched by any other man in the history of the game of baseball. The 42 year-old Hoffman made his debut all the way back in April of 1993. The 17 year vet became the all time saves leader back in the `06 season on September 24th when he recorded his 479th in a 2-1 win over the Pirates. He became the first and only player to 500 saves in the `07 season in a 5-2 win against the Dodgers. Only Mariano Rivera has joined him since. So he was already the greatest closer ever, but last night he just kept climbing, and he reached another milestone.

Coming into the season, Hoffman had 591 saves. See that's 9 away from a number that no closer has even flirted with. Already told you no one had 500 before Trevor, so 600 saves was an absurd idea. But Hoffman found himself only 9 away. But here's the problem... as much as everyone loved Trevor, his stuff is just not there anymore. So the Brewers' did not have them as their closer, and who could blame them? It's all about winning. But Trevor was unfazed by this, and went into the season prepared to do what he could to help the Brewers win.

I specifically remember one day, on a random Sportscenter, they were talking about Hoffman. He was at 596 at this time. He had just got rocked in an extra inning appearance, and has been shaky all year so far. They believed that Trevor wouldn't be able to get to 600. Only 4 away, and they said the stuff wasn't there, Brewers won't put him in to close because it's too risky and all this other jazz. It was very upsetting...

Luckily the Brewers suck, so how do you draw fans to a stadium in which a crappy team plays? Well, the Brewers did it that Bernie Mac film Mr.3000, and they did with Trevor. They used him as the closer so that he could get to that magic number. And last night, a 42 year old pitcher did something experts said he wouldn't do. He saved game number 600. 600 times he came in to protect his teams lead, and he got 3 outs. 600 times he did the most pressure filled job in baseball. 600 times of 676 chances. 600 times...let it sink in.

Congratulations are in order to you, Mr. Trevor Hoffman, on your 600th save and hall of fame career. You deserve it.

The Return of College Football... And the Bearded One

2010-09-07T07:07:00.001-07:00

Ah yes, fresh out of hibernation, it's your favorite bearded sport's blogger. I decided after the world cup to take the summer off from blogging. Was it lazy? A little, but hey, I need time off too, right? Well anyways, this list pretty much sums up everything I would have blogged about: Viva Espania, Tigers in it! Boesch all-star snub, Modano comes home, Tigers need to make a move, Tigers don't bother making a move, TIgers make a bad move, Tigers suck, Tigers really suck, Keep Michigan Ohio State in same division... I think that's about it. There wasn't much going on but baseball, and I can't blog about Los Tigres everyday, too depressing. But now I'm back, and so is the greatest thing ever invented... college football.

And what a week of football it was, totally worth the wait and lived up to the hype. Dramatic finishes left and right, it was a football fan's dream. But where to begin??? That's the only question...

Well first off, time to address the local crowds. MSU dominated Western and Denard looked was absurd. State dominated Western, like they should have and the ground game was really impressive. Baker and Bell looked spectacular running the ball while Caper was out nursing an injured hand. But how much can we take away from a game against Western? At least they didn't look sloppy...

Michigan dominated in a game that was supposed to be tough. Hell many of those ESPN folks had Michigan losing. One of the early Big East favorites, who averaged 30 points a game, with a solid QB and a good ground game, UCONN was supposed to come in here and score all over Michigan's poor defense, and be able to force turnovers with their good D. Well... they didn't. Michigan moved the ball fluently and efficiently. Michigan fans should be excited about the way things looked. And all the doubters... hush, the offense is right on track and will put up massive points.

But there's more going in football than just MSU and Michigan, all 120 teams played somebody, but what games got my attention?
How about Jacksonville State? Did you guys see taht finish? That was one hell of a football game. 4th and 15 in overtime and he throws on the run to the back of the endzone, and then the guy gets his foot down in bounds. VEry impressive. Then on top of that, they get the two point conversion. What a finish, what a game by the 1aa or FCS whatever it is squad.

UNC and LSU was a terrible football game for the first half. It was 30-10, LSU had all the momentum. But ladies and gentlemen let me remind you football is played in two halves. 4 quarters. IT wall started when UNC scored on a 97 yard touchdown pass, impressive yes. 30-17. Then they get a score with 2 minutes and some change. 30-24. Onisde kick time... they recover. BUT they fumble... they only have two timeouts so LSU can run the clock with a first down, or most of the game with a 3 and out punt... but on the third down run they fumble. You can't script this people. They get down to the 6 but can't score, the last play coulda been flagged, but I'm oaky with the no call. ANother great game, and oh yeah, UNC had 13 starters out.

There are so many other games I could mention, the drama with Navy Maryland, the TCU Oregon State game, but the last game i wanna touch on was the game of the week. Boise State vs Virginia Tech, and boy did it live up to the hype. Boise dominates the first quatrer leads 17-0. Va Tech looks out matched. Then they take control of the rest of the game... get the 30-26 lead... then Kellen Moore gets his hands on the ball with 2 minutes with and no timeouts... A minute later he finds Petis in the endzone for the 33-30 lead, and win. Great game, and Boise has pretty much locked their spot in Glendale.

The greatest time of the year is back, and so is your bearded blogger, both are welcome returns. Let the good times roll!

Only Six Guys are Producing...

2010-07-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

Johnny Damon in the news again for things coming out of his mouth. But I have no problem with what he had to say this time around because he's exactly right.

Johnny Damon said Wednesday that "Only six guys are meeting their expectations." He said that those players are Cabrera, Valverde, Magglio, Phil Coke, Brennan Boesch, and Austin Jackson.

Damon then added, "Everyone else, the 20 of us, can and should be better," Damon said. "And I think every one of those guys would say the same thing."

Bravo Johnny! I give you props for having the stones that no one in this city, except for Valenti and myself it seems, to have the stones to call out the Tigers. Damon did acknowledge that despite the struggles they are in second, so they can win it, if they start producing. I agree with that, but I personally don't think it will get much better, unless something happens at the deadline.

But notice that Johnny had the awareness to leave himself off the list of guys producing. Shows that he isn't just being a tool and calling everyone out, he's also calling himself out.

But even a bigger name off the list that might rub fans the wrong way, is Justin Verlander. Before I say what I want to say, I love JV. He has amazing stuff. Having said that, he is not nearly as good as he should be. Tiger fans want to throw JV with Holladay, Lincecum, etc. But frankly, he isn't near their level. Just look at the numbers over the past few years and compare. You will all see that JV isn't even top 10 my friends. He has the stuff to be absolutely dominant, but he doesn't. I love him, but he could be so much better.

So thanks Johnny, for calling out this team, maybe Tiger fans will realize this team is filled with holes...

Michael Bradley: The Future of US Soccer

2010-06-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

What do all the great teams have in common? A midfielder that can just dominate the game. Xavi, Kaka, Lampard, Ballack, Fabergas, take your pick, all are dominant midfielders. They are the glue of any team. But the US has never had that dominant center mid like those guys. But in 2014, they might, and his name is Michael Bradley.

This kid is just all upside. He's 22, he's tenacious, he's excellent at timing his runs forward, and he can finish. He also can make great recovery runs getting back on D. He can go box-to-box with the best of them. This kid will be the star of the 2014 World Cup team. He clearly has greatness in his future.

He plays over in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach and is playing very well. Odd, a US guy having success in Europe while he's young enough to be groomed. Hopefully he'll sign with a premier league squad in his near future to further improve his game, but Bundesliga is a good fit for Bradley. But at age 22, the fact he's over in Europe speaks volumes to this guys potential and talent.

Bradley is workhouse, his skill set is raw, and needs a little bit of grooming, but the talent is there. The area he needs to improve most is his smarts, sometimes he's over aggressive and gets silly fouls and stupid cards. But this WC saw no bookings for Bradley, so he's already making strides in this area.

Michael Bradley will be the star center mid that the US so desperately needs to compete with the likes of Germany, Brazil, Spain, and all those guys. Because a dominant, game controlling center mid goes a long way.

A look Back at the USA World Cup Run

2010-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the run is done, no more World Cup for team USA until 2014, not counting qualifying which starts in 2012. But either way, the 2010 World Cup is over for team USA, and even though it was a success, a bitter taste is left in everyone's mouth.

First off, the US met expectations. They got out of group play like they were supposed to. They made it interesting, but they did it. Tying England was a huge victory for the US, and the comeback verse Slovenia will go down as one of the best comebacks in world cup history, (if a certain ref didn't blow it, it'd be even bigger.) And the thrilling win over Algeria will go down as one of the top games in US history. There is a lot of positive in this World Cup for team USA; Donavon and Clint shined, Bradley looks like a future star, and the US won it's group for the first time in 80 years.

And yet, US fans are left bitter and disappointed. Why? Because there was potential for an even greater World Cup. The US had the most favorable draw to the semis imaginable, and it lost in the first game to Ghana, ranked 32nd and missing star Michael Essien. Not only did they lose, but they conceded early goals. First 5 minutes of the match then the first 3 minutes of extra time. It was a heartbreaking and disappointing defeat for the Americans.

What makes this loss even more upsetting is that this is the best the team will be for a while. Sure Davies was out and Gooch struggled, but in 4 years, things will be way different. Boca, Howard, and Cherundolo are now 30+, Donavon, Dempsey, and Onyewu will be 30+ in 4 years. This was the best US team in a long time, if not of all time. But they failed to meet their potential.

Overall, the 2010 World Cup was a success in the same way that passing a test is a success. Sure you passed, but you didn't get that A you were shooitin for and probably should have gotten. We'll see what happens in four years...

National Pride, or Lack Thereof.

2010-06-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I got a bone to pick with you people. It's a matter of national pride here. So the United States was in this thing called the World Cup, right? Pretty big deal. But since it's soccer, many of you folks flat out don't care. Granted none of you will actually read this, but I'm still calling you out. I can handle people not caring, I know, soccer is boring to those that don't love it or have played it. I'm not forcing you to watch it, nor am I asking you to. But what I am asking, is that you at least pretend like you have national pride. Whatever happened to being proud of being an American? What happened supporting your nation in athletic competition? It disgusts me some of the things I've read on Facebook and Twitter, and you people should show some national pride.

Okay, so you don't like soccer, fine. But when you people start ragging on the people that do, I got issues. Reading statuses (stati?) that say things like "Now that the US is out, you can all stop pretending to like soccer," "I'm tired of all these World Cup statuses, the US sucks get over it," and "Sweet US is out, we can all stop pretending to care." just piss me off. Okay I get it, you hate soccer, but what about America? If you don't like soccer, either leave the issue alone or say "Too bad the US is out..." something along those lines is acceptable. I've had many a people tell me "Oh who cares about US soccer" and to those I always respond, you should. This is global competition, not the MLS. This is our country's players, the least you could do is support their efforts. Some people don't care for the Olympics, but they don't celebrate when the US doesn't win the gold. Why celebrate our exit of the world cup, it makes me sick.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but it does dishearten me to see people happy that the US is out of the World Cup. I can understand you not giving a damn about soccer or US soccer, but calling out those who do when your country's team loses is below the belt. You can not watch it for all I care, but all I ask is that you root for them. You hope they go far, for national pride. I guess that's too much to ask these days...

Show some national pride people, I'm tired of so many people not supporting the country, whether it's the troops or our nation's teams, the least you can do is support them, they've earned that much at least.

USA's 2010 World Cup

2010-06-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

For the United States, the 2010 Fifa World Cup has come to a disappointing close. Coming in, this is where most of us would have put the US, losing in the round of 16, except to Germany, not to Ghana. Getting to this point is a success, but the loss to Ghana is upsetting, especially considering we had the easiest road to the semifinals possible. The loss to the 32nd ranked team in the world is cut and dry a disappointment, no ifs ands or buts about it. But despite the loss, this WC has been a success for the good ol Stars and Stripes.

It was an exciting World Cup, my least favorite part about it is the fact that my team, the US, usually plays so few games, but they gave me and everyone their moneys worth with four of the most exciting games of soccer I have ever watched. It's time for the Bearded Fellow to give out his Quad-Annual (that's once every four years, not four times a year.) World Cup Awards: USA Edition.

Most Valuable Player: Landon Donavon.
The best player in US soccer history finally decided to earn that title in the stage that mattered most; the World Cup. He did it all for the US; good runs, good passes, and great finishes, Landon led this team to it's group win with his impressive top-shelfer to start things against Slovenia to his clean up goal in the 91st to give the US the 1-0 win it needed to advance. He's 27, so one more isn't out of the question, but he probably will not be at his top form.
Honorable Mention: Clint Dempsey

Most Surprising: Maurice Edu.
This one is a tough one to hand out, but I gotta give it Edu for the way he played in his three appearances. He had a "goal" against Slovenia and played very solid in the midfield alongside Michael Bradley. He gets the surprise award because he was coming off of a serious knee injury, many questioned whether he was going to make the 23-man team. Made it he did, and he was the best of the three mids that played in that spot (Ricardo Clark and Jose Torres.) He was very good on the ball, making good decisions and good passes.
Honorable Mention: Michael Bradley

The "Where the hell were you???" Award: Jozy Altidore
With the exception of a few plays where he showed his strength on the ball, Jozy was completely non-existent. He made one good play, the header that led to Bradley's goal against Slovenia, and that was it from Jozy. The guy who led the US in scoring during qualifying, barely even sniffed the net during the World Cup. He was a complete no show. Luckily for US soccer fans, the kid is 20, he'll be around for a few more of these. He'll be back an improved and more experienced striker, one the US desperately needs.
Honorable Mention: The entire US defense except Bocanegra and Cherundolo

Least Valuable Player(s) Award: The Entire Defense except Bocanegra and Cherundolo.
I have to throw in the except here, because these two guys were solid. Carlos made one, albeit crucial, mistake against Ghana, but other than that he was a solid and consistent back. Cherundolo was most successful pushing forward and generating chances with his excellent crosses. But other than those two, the rest of the backs, including defensive mids Ricardo Clark and Jose Torres, were terrible. They were exposed early and often, slow on their close outs, and often slow to react on plays. The D cost them against Slovenia and Ghana, no question about it. In four years, it could be a completely new set of four, and I wouldn't be shocked.
Honorable Mention: Ricardo Clark

Most Promising Award: Michael Bradley.
This kid has star written all over him. He already plays in Europe, he's 22, and he is a force in the midfield for the US. Every team needs that center mid that can control the game, score goals, and recover and defend. Maybe that mid is Bradley. He showed promise of being a dominant mid in the 2010 World Cup. He excelled with his ability to go box-to-box. He made good recoveries on D and made great plays and runs on offense, including his run that led to the equalizer against Slovenia. Michael Bradley is a star in the making.
Honorable Mention: Maurice Edu

Brain McBride Award: Clint Dempsey.
This award goes out to the guy that showed the most grit and determination out on the pitch, also doesn't hurt if you start bleeding somewhere on your face, much like good ol McBride in 06. Dempsey got bowed not once, but twice in the face, and was on the pitch every minute of this World Cup. He played with heart and determination out there, he even got rewarded with a goal, thanks to Robert Green. But Clint played his usual brand of hard-nosed soccer, whether he was at mid or up on the attack. He even drew a penalty against Ghana after nutmegging John Mensah. Do work Clint, you earned this prestigious award.
Honorable Mention: Michael Bradley.

The Bearded Fellow Award: Oguchi Onyewu
This award goes out to the man with the best facial hair. When you have more hair on your face than your head, you're usually a lock to win this award. He could have made it look a little neater, but the beard was impressive. Keep growin it Gooch
Honorable Mention: Clint Dempsey.

The US will have a solid squad in 4 years, but for some reason I doubt it will be as good as this year's squad. There are a handful guys that are questions for the next World Cup in four years, and they are important guys, (Dempsey 28, Donoavon 27, Howard 31, Bocanegra 31, Cherundolo 31, Onyewu 28.) This team's exit is disappointing, but they made this country proud. Hopefully, positive comes out of this run for the game of soccer in this country... One can only hope.