In Good Company

Yes, it is almost the New Year (2009) and I have to talk BASEBALL because I got influenced to write a post about something I find extremely interesting. Recently, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series over the Tampa Bay Ray(s). MVP Ryan Howard was inconsistent at the end of the season (.276 batting average) but somehow managed to get his team to the World Series, granted the Phillies had talent all around them (Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino) not to mention the bullpen (Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer) who are just rock solid. 

Here is why I am writing this post. Ryan Howard is in elite company so please do not say that Mr. Howard is not clutch because he is one of six players to ever win an MVP and a World Series. The others to do that : Hank Greenburg, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Albert Puljos, and Frank Robinson. That is great company for Howard to be in at the age of 29. Yes, Howard is a slugger who swings at a lot of bad pitches but he does a lot of good things too so give it some perspective. Do not talk crap about the guy because he does have the statistics to back it up. K...thats all for this post.....NFL PLAYOFF PICKS ARE COMING SOOOOON!

Shanahan Gets The Boot

Another National Football League Coach has been fired, what's new today in the NFL? We have already seen three coaches get fired ( Eric Mangini - Rod Marinelli - Romeo Crennel). You can put Denver Bronco (former) head coach on that list of unemployed. The Broncos fired Shanahan earlier today. 

This may have been one of the more surprising firings. Shanahan is one of only 3 coaches to ever lose a 3 game division lead with 3 weeks to go. Shanahan, 56, was 146-89 with the Broncos an he has won 2 Super Bowls. However, Shanahan was just 1-4 in the playoffs since Hall of Fame Quarterback John Elway retired in 1999. Many may have thought that Mike Shanahan was the "coach for life" in the Mile High City, but that was not the case. 

Shanahan was an offensive genius, but the defense was just disturbing to watch. The franchise goes out and gets all of the top free-agents and then they cannot compete on defense. Despite being in a week division in the first place, Denver had a 3 game lead going into Week 14. Then, just like the Dallas Cowboys, they did not show up against the San Diego Chargers (much like the Cowboys), and now they are sitting at home NOT IN THE PLAYOFFS. I mean how do you not show up for what is basically a "play in game" to get into the playoffs. 

I do think this firing was a little too fast. Shanahan was a class act who most people respect around the league. Along with Shanahan, former New York Jet's Coach Eric Mangini will get/do a great job wherever they land. That being said I think it was best for Shanahan to leave though because it gives him a chance of scenery if he gets hired somewhere. The Cleveland Browns seem to be looking in at Mangini, so Shanahan might land in Detroit (sorry Jason Garret) or he might land in Oakland if Al Davis fires Tom Cable. Then you ask, who is Denver's next coach Jamie? I say that Pat Bowlen had someone in mind before he made this move...so it is hard to tell. There is always a surprise, as Mortensen always says on ESPN. 

In conclusion, I would like to say that Mike Shanahan was a fantastic coach in Dnever. I was very surprised about the firing because I know everytime I read the Denver Post, all I hear is how good of a relationship Bowlen and Shanahan had. I think Shanahan will be a Hall of Fame coach someday and he will definitely land somewhere in the immediate future.

Who's Pointing Fingers Now?

Wow, what  weekend in the sports world. The college football bowls are starting to heat up, but most of all, we got to see who was in the National Football League Playoffs and who was not in the National Football League Playoffs. My eyes were on the Dallas Cowboys all day yesterday. I have predicted this for four straight weeks if you have listened to my radio show, "The Sportspage." The Dallas Cowboys have once again fell short. The Cowboys got romped in the City of Brotherly Love, to the Philadelphia Eagles. After a 44-6 loss, I do not know what to say about the team from Dallas, or should I say America's team. 

What a joke right? Dallas Coach Wade Phillips said after the game (and I quote off the ESPNEWS Press Conference) "They made plays and we didn't." Umm...yeah Wade, they did, in fact with the exception of about three games, every team DID this season.

Now I am not going to go into whether Tony Romo is a "BIG-TIME" quarterback or not, but I am going to say this.....Since 2003, the Cowboys are 11-19 in the months of December and January. That is BAAAAAAD.

This years Cowboys team lacked chemistry every time they put the pads on. Everyone got so excited when Roy Williams came into Dallas from Detroit and guess what....he did absolutely nothing. Too much drama for anyone to handle. Not enough balls thrown to Roy. Not enough balls thrown to Terrell Owens. Too many balls thrown to Jason Witten...blah blah blah. They remind me of the University of Souther California's offense. They have too many players that they have to get the football to and it AINT happppenin. The one thing I smiled at yesterday is that Owens had six receptions for 107 yards. He is simply one of the top 3 receivers to ever play the game. Stats show it....sorry Randy Moss...catch a ball in the middle of the field ... you know...like you use to.... psh!

Continuing on, Dallas Head Coach Wade Phillips was later quoted on ESPNEWS for saying (and I quote) "There was obviously something missing." Yes Wade, yes..... LACK OF COACHING was missing. You are a tremendous defensive coordinator but you had completely NO CONTROL of this team all year. 

In conclusion, Dallas needs someone with some fire power. They need a coach who is going to go into the locker room and say..."Ok men, this is how it is going to be...PERIOD." Wade Phillips is obviously not the man capable of doing this job. Wade went on to say "We had good leaders...they said the right thing and worked hard." Well is that your definition to a leader Wade? Because it does not matter what you say or what your work ethic is.....its your CHARACTER!!! Everyone says well they had character Jamie. Yes, they had character....they had the character of being an actor in Hollywood. Get a grip Cowboy fans. I am not a hater. I am giving perspective. You have one of the biggest offensive lines in the NFL and you cannot get quarterback Tony Romo anymore time. The defense did pick it up at the end of the season. In fact, they led the league in Sacks with 57 or 58 plus (last time I checked). Lastly, how can you not be prepared for a game that if you win, you go to the playoffs. I mean Dallas - - - you just got PuNkEd by the Philadelphia Eagles. T.O. says "we just kinda stunk it up." That sums it all up. Just a catastrophic loss for Dallas. Look back at the 8 minute span of 5 yes 5 TURNOVERS (in 8 mins?...yes) Tony Romo interception- TD...then an Adam Jones fumble on a kickoff- FG...then another fumble by Romo- FG...then another fumble by M. Barber - TD....lastly (thank god) a Romo fumble - FG ..... do the math. That equals = 27 points off of 5 turnovers that happened within 8 minutes. PATHETIC...Jerry Jones I love you, but you need to fire Wade Phillips. I have said it all season long.....he is a MARSHMALLOW with a headset on....jeesh! Have fun sitting at home and watching the playoffs Dallas....maybe next year right?....

It Has To End Sometime...

The West Virginia Mountaineer Football Team will be playing in the Meineke Care Car Bowl 12 hours from now, but more importantly, Senior Quarterback, Pat White, will play his last game in a WVU uniform. White has been the most outstanding football player in West Virginia History. He is the true college player who dominated the game in a variety of ways (everyway possible...basically). He is a player that will never be forgotten and his name will go into the record books for a long time to come.

Pat White is going to have the chance to win four straight bowl games. Two of those bowl games he has already won under center at West Virginia University were BCS Bowl Games ( 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl over Georgia and last year's Tostios Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma). The other bowl was a victory over Georgia Tech in the 2007 Gator Bowl. Pat may have not wanted the season he had this year, losing 4 games, but he will certainly be remembered for all the great aspects he brought to the game of collegiate football. 

One of the most memorable moments besides all of the bowl victories (both BCS Bowls, being the big underdog and the Gator Bowl victory) I would have to say that when White broke the record for career rushing yards by a quarterback just this year! White rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Louisville game which gave him a grand total of 4,292 breaking 2002 Missouri Quarterback Brad Smith, who I believe plays for the New York Jets now. 

Pat White is bar none, the best quarterback we may ever see at West Virginia University. I do not care what your prediction is about him going to the NFL. I especially do not care about your opinion on Bill Stewart as a coach and what Rich Rodriguez could have done with White this season. All I care about is that Pat White was an amazing collegiate player who will never be forgotten in a lot of the nation's minds. I have had the chance to interview Pat over the years and he may be the most humble guy I have ever met. Shy, but a nice personality who loves and dears West Virginia University. He set the program on a national stage and that is what we should be thankful for as WVU football fans. 

The statistics say it all for White but he is leaving West Virginia University as a role model for everyone in the world. He was a kid from Daphne, Alabama who was not recruited hard whatsoever and he came out on top. I simply want to thank Pat for everything he has done for West Virginia University. There is no question that we can talk about Pat's moments, stats, and more for HOURS & HOURS, but I simply would like to wish him luck in the bowl game and his future.  

Pat White has won awards at every level he has played. He is at the top of NCAA statistics lists and has constantly been a leader in the Big East Conference throughout his career. Below is a breakdown of his accomplishments.

High School

·         Voted 3rd in the Mr. Football for Alabama his senior year.

·         Class 6-A Allstate First String in football.

·         4th round draft pick by the Anaheim Angels in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft (Pitcher)

·         Recruited to play football by West Virginia University, Auburn, University of Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt among others.

College

·         2005 Freshman All-American

·         2006 First- team  All Big-East

·         2006 Big East Offensive Player of the Year

·         2007 First-team All Big-East

·         2007 Big East Offensive Player of the Year

·         2007 Alabama Athlete of the Year

·         2007 Gator Bowl MVP

·         2007 Heisman 6th Place

·         2007 Hardman Award

·         2008 Hardman Award

·         2008 ESPN All-Bowl Team

·         2008 Fiesta Bowl MVP

·         2008 Playboy All-American

Honors

·         2005 ESPN.com All Big East

·         2005 Big-East Player of the Week  2 times

·         2005 WVU Coaches Contribution Award

·         2006 Walter Camp Watch List

·         2006 Big East Player of the Week 2 times

·         2006 First team All Big-East

·         2006 West Virginia University MVP

·         2006 Davy O’Brien Award semifinalist

·         2006 Alabama Athlete of the Year

·         2006  West Virginia Athlete of the Year

·         2007 Big-East Player of the Week 3 times

·         2007 WVU Offensive Player of the Week 4 times

·         2007 Big East Player of the Year

·         2007 West Virginia University MVP

·         2007 Davy O’Brien Award semifinalist

·         2007 Walter Camp Award semifinalist

* The Walter Camp Award is awarded to the Player Of the Year in Football as voted on by a group of NCAA Division I-A Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors.

**The Davey O’Brien Award is awarded annually to the Best Quaterback in the NCAA as judged by the Davey O”Brien Foundation.

Records

·         One of only eight players in NCAA history to rush and pass for over 200 yards in a game when he rushed for 220 yds and passed for 204 yds against the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.

·         Most yards rushing in a season by a West Virginia quarterback -1335 yds (2007).

·         Tied for most rushing touchdowns in a season in WVU history-18 (2006)

·         2nd most rushing yards as a freshman at WVU-952

·         3rd in most total offense yards in a season at WVU-2,878

·         6th in single season quarterback rushing list in yardage-1,335

·         Pat White is the current leading active rusher of any player of any position in the NCAA

·         1st in total yards in a career in WVU history-8,344

·         1st in total touchdowns responsible in WVU history-81

·         1st in passing effiency  in WVU history with a QB rating of 151.45

·         3rd for most touchdowns responsible in Big East History-81

·         2nd in NCAA career quarterback rushing list in yardage-3,934

·         4th in WVU career rushing touchdowns-41

·         7th in all-time WVU passing yards 4,530

·         6th in all-time WVU passing touchdowns-40

·         His 79 yard touchdown pass in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl was the longest touchdown pass in WVU bowl history.

The Yanks Keep Spending $$$

The New York Yankees may be disgusting to most baseball "fans," but I am here to give you perspective. So what, they landed their fourth major deal with a top 5 free agent, Mark Teixeira. You may be thinking that the Yankees are just trying to buy a World Series, but that is not the problem whatsoever. The problem is, our economy is down.

BRIAN CASHMAN'S BREAKDOWN :

The Yankees now have the highest paid first baseman in the history of baseball. The second highest paid 2nd baseman in the league today. The highest paid shortstop in the history of baseball. The highest paid player PERIOD in the history of baseball (Alex Rodriguez) at third base. The highest paid catcher in baseball today. The highest paid starting pitcher in baseball today. The fifth hgihest paid pitcher in baseball. The highest paid closer of all-time in the history of baseball. 

Nonetheless, Mr. Cashman, is spitting up the cash these days. I looked up something extremely interesting. 19 players have signed 100 plus million dollar contracts. 7 of those contracts have been signed by former/current YANKEE players. 

I have to say that Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees needed to do something to make a statement for next season (which will be upon us very soon). The Yankees did score 179 fewer runs last year then they did the previous year (2007). Now they have "pitching" and hitting," right? WRONG!!!!!...At least in my opinion. Although Mark Teixeira is my "boi," who played for the Atlanta Braves just last year before he got traded mid-season to the Anaheim Angels, the guy has not had to deliver a "big time" hit in a BIG GAME situation. Great hitter, but still has to prove himself. As far as the pitching goes, C.C. Sabathia has not been so great....just look at the post-season stats....the statistics will show you everything. Well what about A.J. Brunett Mr. McCracken. (hahahahaha) ummmm injury prone....has got a TON TON TON to prove. 

I do think the Yankees are the front-runner now in the AL East. I give all the PROPS to the Boston Red Sox and lets not forget the team who played in the World Series out of this division, the Tampa Bay Ray. I just cannot see the Yankees not getting it done with the guys they have on their roster now. 

Lastly, who cares if you are for or against the Yankees. The fact of the matter is that if the Yankees fall short of the playoffs, everyone will laugh, if they make it to the playoffs....(wild car or division champs) everyone will say they bought their way to the post-season. Therefore, the Yankees will cause DRAMA no matter what happens this coming season. :)

The Mitchell Report "NBA EDITION"

If you may recall, Sam Mitchell got fired by the Toronto Raptors on December 4th after a 39-point loss (132-93) to the Denver Nuggets. There are many that speculate this decision to fire Mitchell because the Raptors were a .500 team (almost- 8-9). 

If you look at the stats since assistant head coach Jay Triano took over the head coaching job in Toronto, they are abysmal. Especially if you look at Olympian Gold Medlaist Chris Bosh's statistics. They have skyrocketed in the wrong direction, DOWNWARD. 

Chris Bosh was shooting 56 percent from the field, averaging 10.3 rebounds and 26 points a game under coach Mitchell. Now, Bosh is shooting 40 percent from the field and averaging just 17 points a game and under 10 rebounds (9.4). Toronto is now 4th to last in the Eastern Conference, with an 11-17 record. Although the Raptors are in the Eastern Conference, thats not going to get them in the playoffs in April, sorry. 

That being said, this team is too good not to make the playoffs. They have an NBA All-Star/Olympian Gold Medalist in Chris Bosh and they have Jermaine O'Neal who is averaging 13.4 points a game, including 7 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. The only other guy that is averaging double figures on the team (by the way) is Jose Calderon (12.9). Anyway, the team is just too talented. They are a defensive oriented team that is capable of at least getting to the playoffs borrowing no injuries (cough cough) Jermaine O'Neal. Now they will probably go home early after getting into the playoffs as an 8 seed, but hey, they made it to the playoffs right....WRONG. This team is in some serious trouble if they cannot get the job done either this year or next because Chris Bosh is going BYE BYE in 2010. This franchise can be in a heap of trouble if they do not make the right moves in the next couple of months or by next year.  

Oh No It's T.O.

I am here to defend Terrell Owens. Owens is going to be a first ballot Hall Of Famer so I think people should just lay off. Yes, T.O. has caused problems off the field with several teams. (San Francisco 49er's-Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys.) Now I am not on T.O's side for causing such controversy off the field, but I am on his side when it comes to the media. The media is the main cause of Owen's act off the field. 

Here are the facts.

Terrell Owens has caught 934 passes.

Terrell Owens has 13,886 receiving yards.

Terrell Owens has 138 receiving touchdowns.

Lets get serious, whether he is a distraction off the field or not, the guy is just nasty when it comes to playing football and as fans and the media, that is all we need to worry about. (NOTHING ELSE!) Owens shows up on gameday OK! I am sick and tired of people saying dirty things about Terrell. He has never been in trouble with the law. He has never caused any trouble outside of football whatsoever. Yes, he may be a "locker room distraction," but that is not up to us, that is up to the franchise. Who would have ever thought a 3rd round draft pick out of Tennessee-Chattanooga would get so much attention. He is just like Mr. Occho in Cinci- he likes to pull the media chain. I could careless, what he says or does off the field as long as it does not cause harm to the community. If he has "team problems," then ok, whatever, so what, not my problem. 

In conclusion to defending Mr. Owens, I would like to say that this guy is just one heack of an athlete. In my opinion, there is no one better then T.O right now, playing the game. Sorry Randy Moss (T.O. actually runs in the middle of the field to catch the ball). I know that Terrell will have the reputation of being a complete idiot off the field, but please do not argue with me when it comes to his play. 

FIRST POST

Hello my dear fellow friends. I started this new blog as a motivation to keep it up-to-date to the best of my ability. This blog will be slightly different then my last one. I am going to give you more PERSPECTIVE.... because there is no reason to be SUBJECTIVE. Giving a good perspective is the best thing you can do in life. For example, at this moment in time, lets get serious, the New England Patriots are not going to the Super Bowl with Matt Cassel as there quarterback and there are many ways you can explain. Also, I will be on rampages and then I will be cool, calm, and collective....just depends what mood I am in OK! I hope you will keep up with my post because I know you will enjoy them. I thought this was the perfect time to start my new blog since we are starting a NEW YEAR! :) 

Yes, you are going to get my predictions and yes you are going to get MY PICKS ;) so all of you can go out there and bet the lines in VEGAS. If you do not know me....I am bias toward Duke, Dick Vitale, Colin Cowherd, Woody Paige, Skip Bayless, Douge Gotlieb, Jim Rome and Steven A. Smith. The guys I listed above are inspirations to me. They bring it to the table every single day in their job and they are "MONEY" every time. I know what you are thinking....(Jamie, you like Jim Rome Is Burning?).....no thank you ... but I do like Rome' Radio Show.... so I want to get that cleared up right now. 

Well I can go on and on and on....you get the point....if not, you WILL get the point. TRUST ME!