Early NCAA Tourney Sleepers

Like this really exhausted Polar Bear, some teams will be sleeping come tournament time. No not literally, but they'll be the underrated five or six or maybe even 12 seed that will be overlooked but have just as good a shot as the ones and twos. Thanks a lot George Mason.

To put it frank; You DO NOT want to play these teams in March. If you do happen to come across them, you're up sh_s creek with absolutely no paddles. And like Tiger Woods before a major golf tournament (forget that, any golf tournament), they'll be highly motivated.

1. (No. 17) Notre Dame- Their are few certainties in life. You're gonna eventually die, you're gonna eat a steak from Peter Lugers (or at least you better) and Kyle McAlarney is going to rain threes every time he steps on the court. If it's not McAlarney, it'll be much improved PG Torey Jackson. Oh wait I almost forget front running Big East player of the year Luke Harangody, who also suits up with the leprechaun shorts. I smell Final Four. Really.

2. (No. 18) Vanderbilt- Just like the Irish, the 'Dores have an inside presence in A.J. Ogilvy and an outside scorer in Shan Foster. They recenlty took out No. 1 Tennessee and have their minds set on a back-door SEC championship. Any team that has two guys averaging over 16 ppg is deadly.

3. (No. 21) Drake- Defense, defense, defense. Sure they play in the MVC (Missouri Valley Conference for those of you who do not habla espanol) but if you hold opponents to 60 ppg you're extremely dangerous in early rounds. Sophomore Josh Young can score from anywhere and winning at Butler was not only impressive (which is a complete understatement) but a warning for every team around the country.

4. Davidson- What a pleasure it is to watch under-recruited frosh Stephen Curry play basketball. I think I saw him pull up and take a jump shop five feet from half court, and hit. His play elevates everyone on his team to play at such a high and intense level that it's going to be tough for teams to beat.

5. The entire Big East- I was going to say Uconn in this slot, but then I wanted to say Marquette and then Louisville. So I'm putting the whole Big East here because any one team from the Big East can win it. Georgetown can dominate inside, Louisville can hit the trifecta, and Pitt can play (and beat) any team in the nation (just ask Duke). In fact I'm almost willing to guarentee at least three Big East teams in the final four. Just watch.

God Bless You NHL '94

Aside from my family, my snowboard and Rice Krispie Treats Cereal (which can only be purchased on Amazon.com), NHL '94 for Sega Genesis was one of the few pleasures in life I could always rely on for happiness. And like Chevrolet, this game is truly an American classic.

Here's the catch; my roommate recently purchased it off eBay and it brought back terrific childhood memories of me dominating my older brother. Anytime I needed a goal, I would go right to the bread and butter. You know, the play where you skate against the glass then move across the ice and wrist it in (basically the opposite of a wrap around). Damn I can't wait to play it again.



I mean, how much do you miss taking your favorite team and trading every all-star to your roster? Oh wait, you were that guy who created yourself and all your friends but had yourself leading the league in goals, assists, and points (aka the ultimate scum move).

No but really, how good was that game? Every single time you played against Detroit, Dino Ciccarelli would automatically drop his gloves and get into a fight. It was guaranteed. (So help you god if you don't remember Dino Ciccarelli getting into a fight every game.)


For now, I can only dream until that magical day where the UPS man knocks on my door and unveils the game that has been making babies cry (like a JJ Reddick jumpshot used to) since 1994.


PS- I posted everyone's blogs on the right side of this page. So like your high school prom date, it's easy access.

The Wait Is Over

Round two of Pavlik/Taylor is only 26 hours away and I'm as excited as Jessie Spano is on sleeping pills (wow, I impress myself sometimes). I'm not sure if you remember the first time they fought, but it was epic. Jermaine Taylor knocked Pavlik down in the second round but couldn't seem to finish him off. Then, Pavlik continued to dominate Taylor until the seventh round where he absolutely unloaded an array of punches that had Taylor against the turnbuckle basically begging for mercy.

Probably the best fight I've ever seen (and by probably, I meant definitely)

So put down your mayonnaise sandwich and call in sick to work because Pavlik/Taylor II is worth any price the scum at Pay Per View decide to charge for it. Oh yeah, and if you're not a boxing fan, you'll become one after this fight (I promise).

In Case You Missed It

In describing the Super Bowl, words such as great, unbelievable, exciting, and underwear-changing can probably be used. What you probably didn't know, is that there was something just as good on TV that glorious day (alright, maybe not as good). Unfortunately, what everyone missed (not including myself) was the fourth annual PUPPY BOWL.

Every super bowl Sunday, Animal Planet rounds up the cutest puppies around and throws em in a miniature field, where they get to play, tease, bully, and bite one another. They even have a referee to control the action (or basically just to call unnecessary roughness penalties on the bigger, stronger mutts). So if you weren't as lucky as me, here are some highlights. And I think if you go on Amazon.com, you can buy the DVD. God Bless America!!

National Signing Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In most southern states (and every major university around the country) Feb. sixth is Christmas morning. It's the most important day on the calendar; national signing day, where coaches' futures ride in the hands of 17 year old kids. The south was very rich in recruiting soil once again, owning 120 ESPN top 150 prospects. Let's take a look at the winners of the 2008 class:



Highly touted, WR Julio Jones makes his commit on ESPN U.

1. Miami: 12 ESPN top 150 prospects, including No. 1-rated defensive tackle Marcus Fortson and No. 1-rated OLB Arthur Browne. Good to see Randy Shannon not letting the south Florida kids escape anymore.

2. Clemosn: 10 ESPN top 150 prospects, including No1. rated- defensive end DaQuan Bower, No. 3-rated tight end Dwayne Allen, and No. 3-rated running back Jamie Harper. I mean, enough can't be said about their class, but it sucks they still won't be able to beat Virginia Tech.

3. Alabama: Six ESPN top 150 prospects, including (much heralded) No.1-rated player wide reciever Julio Jones. Nick Saban finally gets his first full year to recruit all his own players. But I don't feel like Florida is intimidated one bit.

4. Florida: 11 ESPN top 150 prospects (no surprise), including No. 1 and 2- rated safeties Will Hill andDee Finely. Florida doesn't rebuild, they reload.

5. Georgia: Seven ESPN top 150 prospects, including No. 2-rated wide receiver A.J. Green. Last years thwarting of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl was only the beginning for this young, talented Bulldogs squads.

Honorable Mentions:

USC (eight ESPN top 150 prospects)
Notre Dame (10 ESPN top 150 prospects)
Oklahoma (eight 10 ESPN top 150 prospects)

Super Bowl Preview XLII (But Not Really)

Being that this is easily the most anticipated Super Bowl since I've been alive (because (a) I'm a huge giants fan (b) the Pats haven't lost yet and (c) there are tickets selling for $40,000), one can't help but to pray it lives up to the hype. But this I can guarantee; if it's one-tenth as entertaining as the ending montage in Karate Kid, it will be the best championship game, ever.

(Please note the opening leg sweep. Absolutely gorgeous.)