Heisman Race 2009

The race for the Heisman Trophy in 2009 just got alittle more interesting. With the underclassman deadline for declaring for the 2009 NFL Draft passing yesterday, all three finalists decided to stay return for another season. Will all three have good enough seasons to return as finalists? Will Tim Tebow or Sam Bradford win their 2nd Heisman Trophy, or will Colt McCoy will his 1st?

My initial reaction is that it would be Colt McCoy, since the Heisman only has one person in history who has won it twice (Archie Griffin). But since all three will have overwhelming expectations that will be hard to live up to, the best answer may be, if I can borrow a line from Brewster's Millions, "None of the Above".

My darkhorse candidate would be Jahvid Best from Cal. He ended last season with 194 carries, 1580 yards (8.1 ypc), and 15 TDs. Cal just needs to finish in the Top 10-15 to legitimize his candidacy. Who's your favorite?

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

Barry Bonds in the Clear?

Yesterday's Y! Sports report that the Clear actually was legal and was not considered a steroid when Barry Bonds was "allegedly" taking it (or was it "knowingly") had me thinking. Are you telling me that the face of the "Steroids Era" in baseball, really didn't take steroids? Technically, he didn't, since the government didn't consider it a steroid until January 2005, well after the BALCO operation was shut down. The article actually goes on to say that experts haven't even confirmed if the Clear actually enhances muscle growth (which is what anabolic steroid does), and is only "technically" classified as a steroid.

So Bonds reputation takes a major hit, along with many other MLB players, and the substance they are accused of taking hasn't been "proven" if it really helps. How ironic! Bonds will never get his good name back... uh.. strike that. Bonds will never have the "steroid stain" removed from his name. (Get that man some Shout!) The "good news" for Bonds is that it will make it easier to beat the perjury case against him that starts on March 2. Kinda hard to prove someone is lying about taking an illegal steroid when the drug in question wasn't illegal or a steroid in the first place.

The next question is will any team take a shot at signing him this coming year.



DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

LeBron James a Cleveland Brown?

By now, you've all seen the State Farm commercial that was released on 1/18 with LeBron James having a press conference announcing that he's signing with the Cleveland Browns. It's kinda funny because the day before at the gym, I actually talked to a few friends about that very topic. What made me think about it was watching the NFL playoffs and highlights of Larry Fitzgerald. You throw the ball up there, and no matter what, he's coming down with it. LeBron was an All-State WR in high school in Ohio. Imagine him lining up at WR at 6'8" and 250 lbs. Similar to the NBA, there's no one in the league that could check him. The original 6 Pro Bowl CBs in this years game are "listed" at 6'2", 5'10", 5'11", 5'9", 6'1", and 5'10". The tallest of the bunch is Nnamdi Asomugha, (who BTW, is the best CB in the league but most people don't know him) and LeBron has 6 INCHES on him. We haven't even discussed the difference in vertical leap. It would be a QB's dream........ just throw it in his vicinity, and he'll get it. Double or triple covered? No problem, just throw it about 13 feet high, he'll get it. He would be a red zone nightmare! Covered one-on-one? Easy TD. Double covered? TD to LeBron, or one less defender in the box for running play or pass to opposite side. If you're a defensive coordinator, what do you do?

I personally think he would be just as much trouble on the defensive side as a pass rush specialist. As my friend CO and I said on Saturday, think Mario Williams' size with Julius Peppers' speed. Yikes! Single season sack record? It would no longer be Michael Strahans' (with an assist from Brett Favre).

I know going to the Browns is a fantasy, but most people think if he changes teams, it would be to the New York Knicks, when he becomes a free agent. In Mike D'Antoni's system, he could easily average a triple-double over the season. How would these fantasy basketball numbers look? I'd say about 35 points, 12 boards, 11 assists a game. I personally don't see that happening either, especially with Cleveland having the 2nd best record in the NBA right now. King James is looking for the NBA title this year. Browns and Knicks fans can dream, but Cavs fans only need to say one word. WITNESS!!

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

Games 2 Watch (G2W) from 1/23/09 to 1/26/09

The G2W section will highlight some of the most interesting match-ups over the next few days. Here are the must watch events from 1/23/09 to 1/26/09:

Friday 1/23/09

NBA - Dallas Mavericks at Detroit Pistons - 7 pm EST/6 pm CST on ESPN

These teams have near identical records, but the Mavs (24-18) are 4th in the Southwest Division and 9th in the Western Conference, while the Pistons (24-17) are 2nd in the Central Division and 5th in the East. That shows the talent discrepancy between the conferences.

Saturday 1/24/09

Unless your a true NFL Draft fan, spend this time with your family and friends. Nothing of note to get excited about, except for....

NCAAF - Under Armour Senior Bowl - 7 pm EST / 6 pm CST on NFL Network

Sunday 1/25/09

NBA - San Antonio Spurs at LA Lakers - 3:30 pm EST/2:30 CST on ABC

The marqee teams of the West for this past decade square off at the Staples Center.

Monday 1/26/09

24 - Kiefer Sutherland - 9 pm EST / 8 pm CST on Fox

I know this isn't sports, but you haven't seen 24, I'll make a challenge you. Go to the video store, get any season and watch. You'll be instantly hooked on Jack Bauer.

Games 2 Watch (G2W) 1/27/09 to 1/29/09:

The G2W section will highlight some of the most interesting match-ups over the next few days. Here are the must watch events from 1/23/09 to 1/26/09:

Tuesday 1/27/09

NBA - San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz - 9 pm EST / 8 pm CST on Fox Sports Southwest

In the super competitive Western Conference, the Spurs look to hand Utah it's 4th straight defeat, while Deron Williams tries to end a Carlos Boozer-less Jazz losing streak.

Wednesday 1/28/09

NCAAB - Duke Blue Devils at Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 7 pm EST / 6 pm CST on ESPN (*Game of the Mid-week)

This will be the first of many marquee ACC match-ups. #1 ranked Duke visiting last week's #1 team and currently 4th ranked Wake Forest.

Thursday 1/29/09

NBA - Cleveland Cavs at Orlando Magic - 8 pm EST / 7 pm EST on TNT

NBA - San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns - 10:30 pm EST / 9:30 pm CST

I'll give you the TNT double header for this star-studded affair. LeBron vs. Dwight Howard. Duncan vs Shaq. Need I say more?

We'll also end with the game results from the last G2W.
Friday 1/23/09 - NBA - Dallas 112 Detroit 91

Saturday 1/24/09 - NCAAF - Under Armour Senior Bowl - Don't know. Spent the time with my family. Did anybody watch it?

Sunday 1/25/09 - NBA - LA Lakers 99 San Antonio 85

Monday 1/26/09 - 24 - Jack is Jack, so you know the deal!

Inauguration 2009

I know we didn't touch on it too much last week, but a friend of mine sent me these pics of the Inauguration of Barack Obama from the Boston Globe. It's amazing to see the impact of his election across the country and the world!

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

Games 2 Watch (G2W) 1/30/09 to 2/2/09:

The G2W section will highlight some of the most interesting match-ups over the next few days. Here are the must watch events from 1/30/09 to 2/2/09:

Friday 1/30/09 - NBA - Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons - 7 pm EST / 6 pm CST on ESPN

The Celtics will try to win their 10th game in a row.

Saturday 1/31/09 - Tennis - Australian Open Women's Final (Serena Williams vs. Dinara Safina) - 2:30 am EST / 1:30 am CST on ESPN2 (Replay at 8 am EST / 7 am CST)

The winner of this match will replace Serbia's Jelena Jankovic for the #1 ranking in the world.

Sunday 2/1/09 - NFL - Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals - 6:28 pm EST / 5:28 pm CST on NBC (*Game of the Weekend)

If you're not watching this game, then something is seriously wrong with you!

Monday 2/2/09 - NCAAWB - Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Oklahoma Sooners - 6:30 pm EST / 5:30 pm CST on ESPN2

Pat Summitt will have her hands full as she tries to get her 1000th coaching victory with a tough road test at #2 Oklahoma. Courtney Paris isn't likely to let that happen on her home court.

We'll also end with the game results from the last G2W.

Tuesday 1/27/09 - NBA - Spurs 106 Jazz 100

Wednesday 1/28/09 - NCAAB - Wake Forest 70 Duke 68 (*Game of Mid-week)

Thursday 1/29/09 - NBA - Magic 99 Cavs 88, Spurs 114 Suns 104

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted atdcthesportsguy@gmail.com

Bracket Challenge Update: The Numbers

Thanks to all who signed up for our Bracket Challenge. We'll go over a few numbers of the numbers.

• 86 people signed up for the challenge.
• 1 person forgot to submit their picks, so we'll just go with 85.
• 1 person also forgot to pick the National Champion, which is unfortunate for them. They are currently tied for 5th place, but they now have no shot to win, because of this oversight.
• 25% picked North Carolina to win it all.
• #1 seeds were picked to win on 70.2% of the brackets. (UNC 25%, Louisville 21.4%, Pitt 13.1%, Connecticut 10.7%)
• Big East teams were picked to win on 50% of the brackets.
• Only 1 person picked a team to win it all that didn't make the Sweet 16 (Wake Forest).
• 5 people received 27 points (27 of 32 picks) in the 1st round, the highest in this bracket.
• 4 people received 30 points (15 of 16 picks) in the 2nd round, the highest in this bracket.
• The top 4 brackets all have different teams winning the tournament.

The current leader of the bracket challenge is meltdown1914 (MSU1914). He leads with 56 points, and his pick to win it all is North Carolina.

Big Ali (Vikings) is currently in 2nd place with 55 points. He picked Michigan State.

dhomz (dhomz) is currently tied for 3rd place with 54 points and has picked Memphis.

bkallstar3 (bk) is currently tied for 3rd place with 54 points and has picked Pitt.

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

There has been a lot of talk about expanding the field and I even heard 128 teams is how it should be. I disagree with that completely and actually would like it to get cut back down to 32. While I believe that March Madness is very exciting it has really lost it’s purpose of crowning the best team. This is the national title we are talking about and people claim that the 8th place team in a major conference should have gotten in. Do you see what is wrong with that? You finish in the bottom half of your own conference and you get a shot at the title. No way and that is why they should take it down to 32 teams. I know it will never happen and they will probably expand it but every year I root for a Cinderella to win the tournament so people will complain as much about the size of the tournament as they do the BCS. I know people will say they won it on the field and my argument is you shouldn’t have given the chance. In a one and done format anything can happen. No other sport comes close to letting in as many teams and then to have it one and done makes it even worse. Remember when Carmelo Anthony led the Orangemen to a National Title. Syracuse was the 3rd place team in the big East. Just think about the uproar had the 3rd place Big Ten team just won the National Title in football.

I was watching the end of the Missouri and Marquette game and was totally disgusted when Tiller from Missouri was fouled with 5.5 seconds to go, supposedly was hurt and Missouri got to bring in a new shooter to take the free throws. I know the rule but it needs to be changed for this reason. I say supposedly hurt because he checked right back in after the free throws were shot. Come on no one heals that quickly and it was legal but not with the intent of the rule. If you can’t shoot you should have to miss a specific amount of time, like 2 minutes of game time. That should carry into overtime if necessary.

Ohio State Coach Matta what were you thinking? Less then ten seconds to go and up three points never let the other team shoot a three. Foul them and then you won’t lose in overtime. Ronald Moore hits a barely contested three with 3.9 seconds left and your team loses in overtime. Just like the prevent defense doesn’t work neither does not fouling at the end of a game when up by three. Have seen some plenty of coaches use this strategy and not one of them has lost.

JD is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at jdthesportsguy@gmail.com

Bracket Challenge Update

We now have the Final Four teams set. The teams are Michigan State, Connecticut, Villanova, and North Carolina. No one in our bracket has all four Final Four teams, but 14 people have 3 of the 4 teams, with the most common combination of Michigan State, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

The current leader of the bracket challenge is still meltdown1914 (MSU1914). He leads with 100 points, and his pick to win it all is North Carolina. His total possible points is 164.

Big Ali (Vikings) is still currently in 2nd place with 99 points. He picked Michigan State, and his total possible points is 163.

Also tied for 2nd place is Jayce (Spartan&OrangeLove) 99 points and has picked Michigan State. His total possible points is 147.

I used the scenario generator to figure out who would win our bracket under all possible scenarios in the National Championship game. If I haven't made any mistakes, here are our projected winners. Good luck to all!

MSU over NC - Big Ali (Vikings)

MSU over Nova - Big Ali (Vikings), Jayce (Spartan&OrangeLove)

UConn over NC - seedtoglory (yeah what)

UConn over Nova - sjmanyak (Number 2)

NC over MSU - meltdown1914 (MSU1914)

NC over UConn - Gregory S (the picks)

Nova over MSU - jonnyvito1983 (Who is this guy????)

Nova over UConn - jonnyvito1983 (Who is this guy????)

DC is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at dcthesportsguy@gmail.com

Should the Lions Trade the number one pick for Jay Cutler?

I have given this scenario a lot of thought and I think they should. First let’s go back to when Cutler was drafted. The Lions needed a quarterback and the top three were Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. At the time I thought Jay was the clear cut best quarterback and still do. The Lions passed on a quarterback and still are in need of one. I don’t think they should draft one at number one. First I am not sure that Stafford is better than Sanchez. Since there isn’t a clear a clear number one in my mind and I really believe the Lions have lots of bigger holes to fill I don’t think they should draft a QB at number one. So you would surmise that by that logic why would you essentially take Cutler with the first pick. First I believe Cutler is better than either Sanchez or Stafford. Secondly he is a known quantity. Finally he has experience and the only way to get that is time. The Lions have a long way to go but an experienced QB can help speed up the progression for all of the offense. Now the Denver Divorce. There are two ways to look at what is going on and I will side with Cutler. Yes he is under contract but the way I see it is they were trying to get out of the contract by trading him first so now he has been disrespected and is giving them just what they wanted right? Shouldn’t the Broncos be happy with this outcome? Could you imagine if you told your wife that she was almost replaced but it didn’t work out so she is “still” the love of your life. I would sleep with one eye open if it were me. Denver was dishonest and deserves as much respect as they give employer or not. Detroit should make this deal and have Cutler throw the ball to Calvin Johnson on almost every passing down. Other teams with great wide receivers do this but that is another conversation.

Now the most impressive athlete I have seen in sports since Michael Jordan retired. Tiger Woods. What made MJ amazing is his ability to will a victory and also have the unbelievable talent to make it happen. Some athletes have the will and some have the talent but only these two in my life time had the most of each in the sport. Tiger came into the round 5 back on Sunday. Now everyone thought that he would outplay Sean O’Hair and put so much pressure on him that he would choke. Sean struggled and Tiger surged just like he had pre injury. But what was amazing is how he made every putt he has to and overcame some really bad breaks from 14 in. Did anyone think that he would miss the putt on 18 for the victory? No one did even the PGA tour pros make less than 50% from that distance. He would not allow himself to lose. Give him only one good leg or any bad bounce and he just keeps coming. Can’t wait for Augusta.



JD is a contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at jdthesportsguy@gmail.com