Bulls Draft Two Forwards I Didn't Want

Welcome to the team, James Johnson from Wake Forest and Taj Gibson (pictured) from USC.

I have mixed feelings about these two picks. Where do they fit in the rotation? Are they 3's, or 4's? If I had to choose between losing either Luol Deng or Tyrus Thomas to make room for these guys, I'd definitely say goodbye to Lu. Sorry buddy, but Salmons stole your thunder last year.

Anyway, I'm on my way to the library to do homework so there will definitely be more added to this post in a few hours.

EDIT: Bill Simmons has his always-entertaining Draft Diary up on ESPN.

No Longer Lil' Weezie Anna?

Hurricane Chris w/ the Louisiana State Legislature

Go First Amendment and Third World States! BTW I went to Tulane and have a great interest in Louisiana!

Off the Roids, In the Video

First and foremost I'd like to introduce myself to the blog. My name is Alec and I'm from Evanston. Fodor and are fellow: Sports fans, Evanstonians, History Majors, Quick Wits, and victims of ADD. While The University of Miami rejected me on academics (I'll leave the Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis comparisons out of it), ACSS accepted me and I hope to make the most of it.

So in the marriage between pop music and sports basketball has owned the game. 'Like Mike'? Shaq Fu? Lil' Romeo at USC? The ballers have the shit on lock. So today I was driving top down along the Rhein (oh yeah I'm a military officer stationed in Germany), and amongst the Michael Jackson beats, I ran into the new Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson beat. Its f***ing sick. So I came back to the crib, popped open a Pilsner, and hunted down the video on youtube. From it I have three comments:

-Go to minute 3:12, if that isn't Shawne Merriman I'm not a disgruntled GI. NBA beware, the NFL is on the come up!

-I don't know who Keri Hilson is sleeping with, but point Jessica Simpson in their direction. For real, her last two songs have had who on them? Perhaps the three hottest producers alive: Timbaland, Kanye West, and Ne-Yo. Most artists would kill for one of them.

-While there is much argument over Kanyes last album, I don't think anyone will argue this point: Ne-Yo is incapable of producing work that is less than sick. If you think he's big in the US, you need to visit Europe.

I promise I'll post deeper material later, but I have a 0330 bus to catch Amsterdam.
Peace,
-AK

TEAM AMERICA! F*%$ Yeah!

I didn’t want to post this yesterday in case any readers (all 3 of you) had recorded the game and wanted to watch it without spoilers.

As I have stated many times, I am a casual soccer fan, I only watch a little bit of the Chicago Fire because they are the local team, and I try to catch the finals of the premier league, UEFA Cup, etc. What I enjoy most about soccer is National Teams.

So I’ve been trying to watch as much of the confederation cup I can with the odd time zones. I missed the first American game, which was probably a good thing because they played terrible in the 2nd half vs Italy. I turned on the second game, and saw it was already 2-0 Brazil, so didn’t watch most of that. The final game of the round robin stage vs Egypt I didn’t watch because it was so improbable for America to make it to the elimination round. They had to beat Egypt by 3 and Brazil had to beat Italy by 3. I don’t know how many of you watch soccer, but 3 goals is a lot for a game, especially for an American team that had yet to score one that wasn’t on a penalty kick. Also, Egypt had played very well against both Italy and Brazil that I wasn’t even sure if USA would win. Well lo and behold as I went to bed that night I flipped on SportsCenter to hear their coverage of the US Open Championship. They led with the intro with a great line from Dumb and Dumber, “So your saying there’s a chance!” (which was also apparently a rally cry for Team America). They laid out the scenario that I just did, and to my utter amazement, everything worked out perfectly for the Americans. Italy was trying everything to put just 1 goal on the board but was continually thwarted by the Brazilians.

After the dramatic finish to squeak into the semi finals I heard the great news of who they were playing. Spain. #1 Ranked team in the world and reigning Euro Cup Champion (Like the World Cup, but just for Europe). Team America had only 1 win against world #1 ranked teams ever. So again the game didn’t look to promising. I was joking with a buddy before the game started that I expected the score to be 3-0 Spain with a 12-4 shots on goal advantage to Spain, basically saying Spain would dominate the game. It was a 1:20 start yesterday and I was at work, so I couldn’t watch, I didn’t even watch on gamecast on ESPN.com. I got back from a meeting expecting the game to be over, and USA blown out, when I ask my buddy, how’d our boys do? He said it was 1-0…..no now 2-0 America, we just scored again. HOLY CRAP! TEAM USA did it again.

So, to do my part to help team USA, I’m going to predict here, that Brazil or South Africa is going to make quick work of America and I will not be watching this Sunday, because the game won’t matter we won’t be in it anyways.

TEAM AMERICA! F*%$ Yeah!

The Double Baggers Heat Up For A Day

Yeah, no one wants to hear about my fantasy baseball team. I know. Too bad, because today they were just ridiculous! (I'm in first place in a 12-team public league by just one game.)

Check out some stat lines from today;

Jason Bay (4–6, 3 runs, 3 RBI, 1 HR)
Felipe Friggin' Lopez (!) (3–4, 2R, 3 RBI)
Chase Utley (3–5, 2R, 4RBI, HR)
Matt Wieters (2–4, R, 2RBI, HR)
Tim Lincecum through seven innings has allowed one run and has nine K's.

Both of my backup 1b's homered (Konerko and James Loney), Broxton got a save. You get the idea. After a few weeks of Bay and Utley scuffling, it's good to be back on top. Let's go go go go Double Baggers!

Hall of Fame: AFC South

Part II

Who is ready for Football! I know I am! I know it’s still 5-6 weeks until training camp starts, but who cares. To fill my need of a football fix, over the next 2 weeks I am going to break down team by team who on their current roster could make the hall of fame and which ones might have their number hanging from the rafters. Why? Well why not? I am sure I’m going to forget many and make dumb choices who shouldn’t be there, so feel free to tell me your thoughts on my list or give me your own list.

Couple rules of how I’m doing this.

1. I’ll be starting in the AFC and then going to the NFC going in this order.
a. AFC East
b. AFC South
c. AFC West
d. AFC North
e. NFC East
f. NFC South
g. NFC West
h. NFC North
2. I am going to avoid selecting rookies or second year players since their career could go either way at this point.
3. I will be using my own opinion and not really basing my decisions purely on stats. Super Bowls help but are not required.
4. Players who’s numbers are retired are assumed to make Hall of Fame.
5. Lastly Bonus points if you can tell me where the players I selected went to college. (I know Fodor is excited)

Alright here we go. Part 2 AFC South

Houston Texans
Retired Numbers

# 80 Andre Johnson: The Texans have not had much success to this point, but Andre Johnson is arguably the best WR in football right now. He has been to multiple Pro Bowls even though he has not had a consistent QB throwing him the Ball. He is the type of player a franchise will look back on with pride.

Hall of Fame
DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams. Both are young and are the core to this Texans Defense. Neither has accomplished enough to be Hall of Fame bound, but if they put up some big years they might be able to make it.

Indianapolis Colts

Retired Numbers:

# 18 Peyton Manning: Do I really have to go into details? Super Bowl Winner.NFL MVP. Former record holder of most TD in a seasons. Record 6 straight 12 win seasons, and counting. Runs one of the most complicated offenses and calls his own plays. I could go on, but we all know he is the last Colt to wear #18.

#63 Jeff Saturday: Super Bowl Winner. Arguably the best center of the 2000s. Made all the line calls after Peyton called the play. Fantastic player.

Hall of Fame

Reggie Wayne: Super Bowl Winner. For a long time he played second chair to Marvin Harrison but when his time came, he knew it and took advantage of it. Seamlessly made the transition to Peyton Mannings #1 target.

Ryan Diem: Super Bowl Winner. He has helped keep Peyton Manning upright for most of the 2000s. He has been a fantastic anchor to the Colts O-Line and has led to much of their success.

Tony Ugoh: Super Bowl Winner. He is still young, but he has played fantastic in his first 3 seasons. When he started as a rookie he was the weak spot, but no one could ever tell. If he continues to play well he can make the Hall of Fame.

Dwight Freeny: Super Bowl Winner. At one point he signed the highest defensive contract in history. I honestly think he has been too one dimensional a player, and when team key on him he can become invisible, but he still requires the attention of the other team no matter where he is on the field. A few more good season out of him should get him in.

Bob Sanders: Super Bowl Winner. Defensive Player of the Year. I would say Bob is a lock, especially after the Super Bowl XLI run where when he came back the defense showed up, but he has been too injury prone and too inconsistent. Since he won Defensive Player of the Year he should make it.

Adam Vinatieri: 4 time Super Bowl Winner and appeared in 1 other. Kickers don’t often make the Hall of Fame, but he has 2 game winning Super Bowl kicks, a game winning kick in the tuck rule playoff game against the Raiders, and 4 Super Bowl rings. Automatic Adam is a lock.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Retired Numbers
None

Hall of Fame

Torry Holt. Big game Torry Holt has won a Super Bowl and appeared in another. He was a prominent member of the greatest show on turf. Even on subpar Rams teams he was a outstanding player.

Tra Thomas: 1 Super Bowl Appearance. 4 straigh times Tra and the Eagles made the NFC Championship game, even if they only made it past that once, that is still an impressive stat. With Runyan, he anchored the Eagles line for most of the 2000s.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Needs a lot of work still, but without Fred Taylor to share some of the load, he might be able excel as the primary back.

Tennessee Titans

Retired Numbers:
None

Hall of Fame

Kevin Mawae: He has been an outstanding Center for a long long long time. He has never had much postseason success which could hurt his chances.

Jevon Kearse: 2 Super Bowl Appearances: The Freak exploded onto the scene his rookie season and has done pretty good since then. Has 73 career sacks. I think he still has work to do before he gets in, and I’m not sure if he can do it with the amount of career he has left.

A Few Thoughts On The NBA Draft: Chicago Bulls Edition

Thursday is Draft Day, and I'm pretty excited. Although the NFL draft is definitely more researched and hyped than its basketball counterpart, the two big drafts are always enjoyable. It's like getting Christmas presents for your favorite sports team!

The Bulls have two first round picks this year, at number 16 and number 26. Speculation has Chicago looking at a wide range of players, from UNC stars Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington to Dookie Gerald Henderson, who could be targeted in a trade-up.

A couple of quick thoughts for my favorite team:

1) Why not package your picks to move up and take Davidson's Stephen Curry? Curry is a lights-out shooter who can also handle the ball and play a little bit of defense. He's also 6'3". Targeting Curry (who will be gone by the Knicks' selection at 8, if not before) would allow the Bulls to release Ben Gordon. Now, don't get me wrong. I like Ben. But he is barely six foot. He can't play any defense at all. And he's going to cost you at least ten million dollars a year, while never being a true starter.

Curry would be a better complement for Derrick Rose, and letting Gordon go would allow the Bulls to keep Kirk Hinrich, a tremendous team leader and character guy who is about the best Rose insurance policy I can think of.

2) Please don't even think about taking Gonzaga's lightweight PF Austin Daye! I believe that Daye came into the Berto Center for a workout in this leadup to the draft, and he is seen as an upside guy. He has always been a hyped draft prospect. The problem? Um, he can't really make an impact. Every time I saw him in college he looked lost on the floor. He was about the fourth fiddle on the Zags team last year, behind Heytvelt, Bouldin, and Pargo. I'm sorry, but if you can't look good in college, you're probably not goanna do it in the Big Leagues. I'm terrified of Daye.

3) Anyone from Carolina = a good pick. Danny Green at 26 would be a great deal. So would Wayne Ellington. Gerald Henderson scares me because he is a bit too similar to Derrick Rose minus Rose's court vision (Henderson can't really shoot the trey, either), but he will be a good pro. In my mind, he would be worth it at 16, but not worth trading both picks for. Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough... oh man, I love those guys. Lawson simply flies up and down the floor, and his J is good too. He would be a blast to watch on the fast break with Rose, Tyrus, and Noah.

Hansbrough is one of the best work ethic guys in basketball and has impressed scouts with his underrated athleticism and midrange game. I'm not exactly impartial here, but any of these Heels would look great following MJ's footsteps.

4) I like DeJuan "Charles Barkley II" Blair, a lot. I think he will be a good pro. If he is there at sixteen, he'd be an easy pick. Sadly, he will be gone. Oh well.

5) Let's trade the second pick for OKC's D.J. White. Need a skilled power forward who still has room to grow and a solid all-around game? White is underused in Oklahoma City and would be a great rotation guy for Chicago. We know that the two teams like to trade (witness Thabo Sefalosha), so why not make this happen?

6) I think this is a pretty good year, all around, for the draft. Not many superstars, although Ricky Rubio has the potential (watch him on YouTube if you don't believe it), but a whole lot of quality starters and rotation guys all the way through the top forty or so prospects. I'm excited to see who lands where and for summer league to get started!

Ode to College Football

I Love College Football.



I love Marching Bands and Fight Songs

I Love Howard’s Rock and Running Down the Hill

I love hating the Men of Troy and watching the University of Troy

I love the Mad Scientist

I love Hurricanes that are Golden or found in Miami

I love War Eagle and Smurf Turf

I love Bucky and Brutus

I love Go Blue and Roll Tide

I love Uga and Mike the Tiger

I love the Swamp, The Rock and the Big House

I love Joe Pa and his Glasses

I love Free Shoes University

I love every Death Valley and every Memorial Stadium

I love Tailgaiting in the Grove and Tailgaiting in the 5th quarter

I love dotting the I at the Horseshoe

I love the World’s Biggest Drum

I love the Triple Option and Spread HD

I love the Orange of Syracuse and the Orange Bowl

I love the Mean Green and Green Wave

I love Locker Rooms that are Pink

I love Herbie the Husker

I love the Holy War, the Boarder War and the Civil War

I love The Egg Cup and the Apple Cup

I love Country Roads and Jump Around

I love the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

I love the Sooner Schooner and Chief Oscela

I love The Iron Bowl and the Black and Blue Bowl

I love the Fremont Cannon and Iron Skillet.

I love drinking on the Tennessee River and Lake Washington

I love the Battle of I-10, I-25 and I-75 and the War on I-4

I love “In Heaven There is No Beer”

I love College Game Day and Corso’s Hats

I love Duel in the Desert and the Friends of Coal Bowl

I love the Third Saturday in September and the Third Saturday in October

I love “We Are Penn State”

I love the Beehive Boot and the Bronze Boot

I love the Red River Shootout and the River City Rivalry

I love the Hiesman

I love the Blackshirts and Scarlet Knights

I love Boomer Sooners and Rock Chalk Jayhawk

I love Stewart Mandel and his Mailbag

I love the Back Yard Brawl and Clean Old Fashion Hate

I love the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus

I love Rocky Top and Running through the T

I love Yell Practice and the 12th Man

I love Cadets and the Midshipmen

I love Bevo and Ralphie

I love Aztecs, Illini and Utes

I love the Platypus Trophy and The Peace Pipe

I love Hail to the Victors and the Notre Dame Victory March

I love Dixie and the Battle Hymm

I love all of Oregon’s different Jerseys

I love the Keg of Nails and the Milk Can

I love Smelling Roses

I love Hawai’i starting at 12 PM ET

I love the Steel tire and all the Victory Bells

I love the Old Oaken Bucket and Paul Buyan’s Ax

And who cares if it’s imperfect I love the BCS

Hall of Fame Players: AFC East

Who is ready for Football! I know I am! I know it’s still 5-6 weeks until training camp starts, but who cares. To fill my need of a football fix, over the next 2 weeks I am going to break down team by team who on their current roster could make the hall of fame and which ones might have their number hanging from the rafters. Why? Well why not? I am sure I’m going to forget many and make dumb choices who shouldn’t be there, so feel free to tell me your thoughts on my list or give me your own list.

Couple rules of how I’m doing this.

1. I’ll be starting in the AFC and then going to the NFC going in this order.
a. AFC East
b. AFC South
c. AFC West
d. AFC North
e. NFC East
f. NFC South
g. NFC West
h. NFC North
2. I am going to avoid selecting rookies or second year players since their career could go either way at this point.
3. I will be using my own opinion and not really basing my decisions purely on stats. Super Bowls help but are not required.
4. Players who’s numbers are retired are assumed to make Hall of Fame.
5. Lastly Bonus points if you can tell me where the players I selected went to college. (I know Fodor is excited)

Alright here we go.

Buffalo Bills

Retired Numbers:

Looking over the current roster I do not see any player who they would retire.

Hall of Fame Players

Terrell Owens: As much as he is a product of the spot light he craves so much, he was, and to a degree is still a great player. He had the famous catch to beat the packers in the playoffs, I believe he still holds the record for catches in a game, 20 against the Bears, He had a fantastic first season in Philadelphia and Dallas before clashing with players and coaches. Made 1 Super Bowl with the Eagles.

Lee Evans: Has been solid, but not great, he would have to improve a lot over the rest of his career to make the Hall of Fame.

Marshawn Lynch: He would need to play a lot better, or play for a really long time for him to make it.

Miami Dolphins:

Retired Numbers:

#99 Jason Taylor: Winner of the defensive player of the year. Him and Zach Thomas were the heart of the Dolphins defense for a good portion of this century. 120.5 career sacks. I’d be surprised if he didn’t get his number retired. Oh and we can’t forget his performance on Dancing with the Stars.

Hall of Fame Players

Joey Porter: Won a Super Bowl with the Steelers. He also feels if he could have won at least 1 more Super Bowl if the Patriots hadn’t cheated in the AFC championship games. He was once one of the most feared linebackers in the league. Oh and he got shot and still played a few weeks later.


New England Patriots


Retired Numbers:

#12 Tom Brady: Do I really have to explain why? 3 Super Bowl wins, and 1 other Super Bowl appearance. First ever 16-0 regular season. Holds the Record for TDs in a season. NFL MVP. I could go on.

#93 Richard Seymour: Won 3 Super Bowls with the Patriots and appeared in 1 other. One a big part of the reason the Patriots stopped the greatest show on turf.

#54 Teddy Bruschi: Won 3 Super Bowls with the Patriots and appeared in 2 others (He was in the 1997 Super Bowl). Has had numerous touchdown catches included a few in the Super Bowl.

I hope some of the O-Lineman get their number retired, but I am not sure


Hall of Fame Players

Fred Taylor: He is a borderline Hall of Fame player, but if he keeps climbing up the rushing yard leader chart, he might get voted in.

Randy Moss: One of the most polarizing players in the game. Has openly admitted to taking plays off, wasted away a few years in Oakland, but he can flat out play. Fantastic seasons in Minnesota and New England. Has appeared in 1 Super Bowl with the Patriots.

Matt Light: Has been an anchor and a staple of the New England Line. Has won 3 Super Bowls with New England and appeared in another 1.

Dan Koppen: Another fantastic player from the New England Line. I expect for these two to make it in, I would hope they get at least 1 more in.

Junior Seau: Has appeared in 2 Super Bowls. He was the heart and sole of the Chargers defense throughout the 90s and most of 00s. Arguably the best linebacker of the 1990s. 1175 solo tackles.

Adalius Thomas: Won 1 Super Bowl with the Ravens and has appeared in another 1 with the Patriots. Is currently one of the best Linebackers in the NFL. He is borderline right now, but a few more good seasons could put him over the top.

New York Jets.

Retired Numbers:

None

Hall Of Fame:


D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Still the coolest name in football. Has been an anchor of the Jets line since he stepped on the field. Still has work to do.

Shaun Ellis: A lifelong Jet who has averaged 6.5 sacks a year. Has been a star among a mediocre defense. Might get a boost from Coach Ryan and improving defensive schemes.

Ty Law: Won 3 Super Bowls with the Patriots and appeared in 1 more with the Patriots in 1997. 52 career Interceptions including 10 in 2005 with the Jets.