7th Inning Stretch with Scott Fragale

Beat The Blogger Matchups

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:16:20 GMT

Several contestants came up with scores of 8 this week but it was Paul Sherman who came closest to the tiebreaker and for his efforts Paul will take home the weekly prize. The Blogger managed 6 correct picks but fell short of the competition.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (With Blogger picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Nov. 7
Ohio St at Penn St (Penn State)
Oklahoma at Nebraska (Oklahoma)
LSU at Alabama (LSU)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 8
Arizona at Chicago (Arizona)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Baltimore)
Houston at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Miami at New England (New England) (doubler)
Tennessee at San Francisco (San Francisco)
San Diego at NY Giants (NY Giants)
Dallas at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)

Tie-Breaker total points in Dallas-Philadelphia game (44)

Remember When The World Series Was Must-See TV?

Tuff Stuff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:45:34 GMT

Not sure if you've been paying attention but the World Series is going on and unlike some of the Fall Classics in recent years, it's actually been pretty entertaining.

I'm not sure what happened to the World Series over the last couple decades but I remember when the Series was must-see TV and everything else took a back seat as far as TV viewing goes. It used to be that all of the other sports would'nt dare go head to head with the Series but that's no longer the case because the network programmers have seen that college and NFL football telecasts can no hang with the Series in terms of drawing viewers.

While the numbers for this seasons' Series between the Yankees and the Phillies are way up from last seasons' yawner featuring the Phils and Tampa Bay (2008 Series was an all-time low so the numbers had no where to go but up), the Series still doesn't seem to carry the cache it once did. FOX can thank the Yankees and the star power of the Phils for the boost but a simple scheduling change could actually increase those totals even more.

With college and NFL teams just hitting the juiciest part of their respective schedules when the Series typically gets underway in late October, wouldn't it make sense to start the MLB season a few weeks earlier? This would keep the sports public focused on baseball until it's conclusion rather than losing millions of viewers to football not to mention the start of the NBA season which also coincides with the Series.

All of these events at one time is sports fan heaven but programmers should realize that football is king and that there are only so many pieces of the pie to go around. By moving the season's start date back a few weeks MLB would solve its overcrowding issue and baseball might be able to revert back to its glory days as being the No. 1 sport in the country. Until a change like that is made, football will continue to rule the day and the World Series will continue to receive the same amount of chatter around the water cooler as the Virginia Tech-East Carolina game will come Friday morning.

Beat The Blogger Results

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:57:05 GMT

Several contestants came up with scores of 8 this week but it was Paul Sherman who came closest to the tiebreaker and for his efforts Paul will take home the weekly prize. The Blogger managed 6 correct picks but fell short of the competition.

This week's matchups will be posted later today so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (Winning picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 31
Texas at Oklahoma St. (Texas)
USC at Oregon (Oregon)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 1
Houston at Buffalo (Houston)
Seattle at Dallas (Dallas)
St. Louis at Detroit (St. Louis)
Denver at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Miami at N.Y. Jets (Miami)
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Minnesota at Green Bay (Minnesota)

Tie-Breaker total points in Minnesota-Green Bay game (64)

Beat The Blogger Picks

Tuff Stuff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:12:36 GMT

This week's matchups are posted so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (Blogger picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 31
Texas at Oklahoma St. (Texas)(Doubler)
USC at Oregon (USC)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 1
Houston at Buffalo (Houston)
Seattle at Dallas (Dallas)
St. Louis at Detroit (Detroit)
Denver at Baltimore (Baltimore)
Miami at N.Y. Jets (NY Jets)
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia (NY Giants)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Minnesota at Green Bay (Green Bay)

Tie-Breaker total points in Minnesota-Green Bay game (45)

Not So Deep Thoughts: Favreapalooza is a must-stop event

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:53:10 GMT

Let the record show that I'm a huge Green Bay Packer fan and despite his diva-esque ways, I'm still a fan of Brett Favre. Just wanted to clear that up before I plead with every sports-talk radio host, every local beat writer, every local and national sports anchor not to mention the clueless ladies several cubicles down who suddenly have an opinion to just let it go.

This weekend's Packers-Vikings showdown Part II feature's Favre's return to Lambeau Field, the site of many of his legendary performances during his 16 seasons in Green Bay. While I get it that Favre's return has all the makings of a Hollywood script minus Cameron Diaz, the focus of this game should be on the on-field matchup and we can save the "what color jersey will Deanna (Favre) be wearing?" stories for tmz.net. Remember, we're talking about two playoff-contending teams battling for NFC North supremacy here, not the Rams and Lions battling for longest losing streak bragging rights.

Now, I'm not saying Favre's return and all of it's juicy subplots shouldn't be addressed by the media (and anybody with a voice) in the days leading up to the game, but much like my tailgating intake prior to kickoff, some things are simply better in moderation.

For example, one local sports radio station is hosting 20 straight hours of pre-game coverage. That's not a typo, 20 hours. To fill the time, the station is planning on sements that will include the variety of ways disgruntled fans should razz Favre, fake pre-game ceremony options (including an impromptu jersey retirement that would be cancelled at the last minute) that will "make Favre understand what he's done," and an in-depth look into the most disparaging jerseys worn by former Favre fans.

And while the week-long hype will undoubtedly induce more vomitting than the swine flu ever will, many in the area will eat it up like Mark Sanchez snarfing down a hot dog on the sidelines.

I'm excited to see if the Packers can find a way to slow down Adrian Peterson and establish a ground game of their own. I'm also anxious to see if Dom Capers new-and-improved defense can get consistent pressure on Favre and I'm curious to see if the Green Bay's patchwork offensive line can keep Jared Allen from buying a timeshare in the Packers' backfield.

As for all the pre-game Favreapalooza, you can have it. I'll be focusing my pre-game attention on the things that really matter, like jaegerbombs and a meal that will fill me up so I can enjoy the four hours of quality football that this matchup is sure to produce.

Beat The Blogger Matchups

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:57:03 GMT

Congrats to Mike Bonner, who won the Beat the Blogger contest. Bonner won by picking 9 of 10 games and hitting his doubler for a 10 total. This week's matchups are now posted so make sure to get your picks in before the deadline and good luck.

This week's matchups are posted so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (Blogger picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 31
Texas at Oklahoma St.
USC at Oregon
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 1
Houston at Buffalo
Seattle at Dallas
St. Louis at Detroit
Denver at Baltimore
Miami at N.Y. Jets
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Minnesota at Green Bay

Tie-Breaker total points in Minnesota-Green Bay game

Tiebreaker: Total points in Arizona/N.Y. Giants game (40)

Beat The Blogger Results

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:45:18 GMT

Congrats to Mike Bonner, who won the Beat the Blogger contest. Bonner won by picking 9 of 10 games and hitting his doubler for a 10 total. This week's matchups will be posted later today so make sure to check back and get your picks in.

This week's matchups are posted so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (winning picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 24
TCU at BYU (TCU)
Oklahoma at Kansas (Oklahoma)
NFL Football
Sunday, Oct. 25
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
Buffalo at Carolina (Buffalo)
Chicago at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Atlanta at Dallas (Dallas)
N.Y. Jets at Oakland (N.Y. Jets)
Arizona at N.Y. Giants (Arizona)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Arizona/N.Y. Giants game (41)

Beat The Blogger Picks

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:42:33 GMT

Congrats to Mike Bonner, who won the Beat the Blogger contest. Bonner won by picking 9 of 10 games and hitting his doubler for a 10 total. Sam tied three others with a score of 9 but won again by virtue of her tiebreaker score. This week's matchups will be posted later today so make sure to check back and get your picks in.

This week's matchups are posted so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (Blogger picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 24
TCU at BYU (TCU)
Oklahoma at Kansas (Oklahoma)
NFL Football
Sunday, Oct. 25
Minnesota at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
San Francisco at Houston (Houston)
Buffalo at Carolina (Carolina)
Chicago at Cincinnati (Chicago)
New Orleans at Miami (New Orleans)
Atlanta at Dallas (Atlanta)
N.Y. Jets at Oakland (N.Y. Jets)
Arizona at N.Y. Giants (N.Y. Giants)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Arizona/N.Y. Giants game (40)

Beat The Blogger Matchups

Tuff Stuff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:41:18 GMT

Congrats to Sam, who won the Beat the Blogger contest for a record fourth time this week. Sam tied three others with a score of 9 but won again by virtue of her tiebreaker score. This week's matchups will be posted later today so make sure to check back and get your picks in.

This week's matchups are posted so make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 24
TCU at BYU
Oklahoma at Kansas
NFL Football
Sunday, Oct. 25
Minnesota at Pittsburgh
San Francisco at Houston
Buffalo at Carolina
Chicago at Cincinnati
New Orleans at Miami
Atlanta at Dallas
N.Y. Jets at Oakland
Arizona at N.Y. Giants

Tiebreaker: Total points in Arizona/N.Y. Giants game

Not So Deep Thoughts: Manny needs to start being somebody else

Tuff Stuff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:58:20 GMT

For years now, some have excused Manny Ramirez's "quirkiness" as Manny simple being Manny. And for the most part, I've been OK with it. Until now.

In the latest episode, Ramirez didn't non-chalantly misplay a routine fly ball and he didn't lazily jog out a grounder. He didn't toss any teammates under any buses and he didn't rip his manager in the media. In this particular episode of "Manny Being Manny," all he did was hit the showers. Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their bleeding Dodger-blue fans, Manny's bathing came about 15 minutes too soon.

With the Dodgers holding a precarious 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning in Monday's NLCS Game 4 in Philadelphia, Los Angeles manager Joe Torre took Manny out of the game. The Dodgers skipper replaced Manny with Juan Pierre for defensive purposes as closer Jonathan Broxton came out looking to record the final three outs and even their best-of-seven series at two games each.

Taking a defensive liability out in the late innings of a tight game is nothing new and its a practice that Torre had employed many times throughout the season. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Broxton wasn't able to close out Philadelphia, as the Phillies put together an exciting two-run rally to steal the win and take a commanding 3-1 lead.

Broxton had been virtually untouchable all season so there were many players in the Dodgers' dugout looking on in disbelief as Carlos Ruiz scammpered home with the winning run. But not Manny. The cameras searched to get a reaction shot of the Dodgers superstar but they came up empty. The dejected look on Manny's face couldn't be captured because after being taken out of the game, Manny does as Manny does, and he went into the clubhouse and took a shower.

"I come out of the game early, I take a shower," Manny said Tuesday, his feet propped up in front of his locker at Citizens Bank Park before an off-day workout.

So you never saw Broxton give up the ninth-inning, two-out, two-run double to Jimmy Rollins?

"No, I was in the shower," he repeated.

What? So you missed the final three outs of Game 4 in the NLCS? The final three outs of a game that couldv'e either put you your team two wins from its first World Series appearance in 21 years or one loss away from all the shower time you could ever need. Just so we're clear, you missed that?

Last time I checked, baseball was a team game, with guys nervously chewing sunflower seeds on the top step of the dugout right up until the final out is recorded. Once it is, they smile from ear to ear, they high five like there's no tomorrow, they scurry onto the field to celebrate with their teammates on the field, they dogpile on top of the pitcher, you know the drill.

Torre, in typical Torre fashion, downplayed the incident as yet another Manny being ... you know the drill.

"I think the way it turned out, it probably doesn't look good," Torre said. "But it's nothing different than he has done before."

We all understand that superstars get preferential treatment but when you're making $25 million a year, you should show up early and stay late. You should cheer on your teammates and be there with a hug if they need one after a heartbreaking loss.

What you shouldn't do is abandon your squad 15 minutes prior so you can make sure you don't get stuck with the low-flow shower stall. Manny being Manny was fun for awhile, but it's time for Manny to start being somebody else, anybody else.

Beat The Blogger Results

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:51 GMT

Congrats to Sam, who won the Beat the Blogger contest for a record fourth time this week. Sam tied three others with a score of 9 but won again by virtue of her tiebreaker score. This week's matchups will be posted later today so make sure to check back and get your picks in.

Make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups (winners in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 17
Oklahoma at Texas (Texas)
Iowa at Wisconsin (Iowa)
USC at Notre Dame (USC)
NFL Football
Sunday, Oct. 18
Houston at Cincinnati (Houston)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Minnesota)
N.Y. Giants at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Kansas City at Washington (Kansas City)
Arizona at Seattle (Arizona)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Chicago/Atlanta game (35)

Beat The Blogger Picks

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:45:49 GMT

This week's Beat The Blogger contest matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks in before the first game on Saturday to be eligible to win. As always, good luck.

Make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week's first game, designate a doubler and include your tie-breaker to be eligible to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.

While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week's last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual score will be deemed the winner). I'll also require contestants to post their e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.

For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.

This week's matchups with Blogger picks in parenthesis)

College FB
Saturday, Oct. 17
Oklahoma at Texas (Oklahoma)
Iowa at Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
USC at Notre Dame (USC)
NFL Football
Sunday, Oct. 18
Houston at Cincinnati (Houston)
Baltimore at Minnesota (Baltimore)
N.Y. Giants at New Orleans (NY Giants)
Kansas City at Washington (Washington)
Arizona at Seattle (Arizona)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Doubler)
Chicago at Atlanta (Atlanta)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Chicago/Atlanta game (47)

Not So Deep Thoughts: Limbaugh An NFL Owner, Not Bloody Likely

Tuff Stuff — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:37:34 GMT

The news regarding radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh attempting to become a minority owner of his hometown St. Louis Rams has set off quite the firestorm. Really?

Who knew a controversial, divisive, right-wing talk show host known for his conservative views and his racist comments would be met with opposition when trying to buy an NFL team which just happens to be made up of 2/3 Afro-Americans. What a shocker.

I guess the most surprising news to me regarding his possible acquisition is not that it was quickly opposed by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but that Limbaugh and his massive following are outraged that he wasn't met with open arms.

"I, myself, couldn't even consider voting for him," Irsay said at an owners meeting. "When there are comments that have been made that are inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive ... our words do damage, and it's something that we don't need."

Irsay likely isn't alone on this but was the first one to speak out publicly about his opposition to Limbaugh becoming part of the NFL family. Prospective owners must be approved by 24 of the league's 32 teams. Irsay is the first owner who has stated unequivocally he would reject Limbaugh because he made a habit of "demonizing individuals" but my guess is that many more exist and will surface when the behind-closed-doors vote is taken.

Several NFL players have already stated publicly that they would never play for a team owned by the controversial Limbaugh and who could blame them. Limbaugh has made several derogatory comments regarding blacks during his lengthy stint as a syndicated radio talk show host and those comments didn't go unnoticed by the league or its players.
Some of the disparaging comments Limbaugh has made include:

(According to transcripts posted on his own website), in 2007 Limbaugh said: "The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it."

During his brief stint as an analyst with ESPN in 2003 Limbaugh said (regarding Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb): "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

Limbaugh was forced to resign from his position with ESPN shortly after the comment. One would think the experience would've gave him some indication about how his current situation would be viewed by league officials and owners, but Limbaugh threw his name in the hat nonetheless. While making statements such as those don't necessarily make Limbaugh a racist, they certainly don't add many new faces from the black community to his fan club.

But seriously folks, did anybody really believe that a guy with his history of controversy and a laundry list of racist comments attributed to him would be met with open arms? The NFL is a cash-cow juggernaut that spends millions of dollars each year to grow its marketability, polish it's already tarnished image and steer clear of anything remotely close to being considered controversial.

While Limbaugh becoming an actual owner is still just a thought at this point and an actual vote wouldn't take place for several months, judging by how quickly the commissioner, Irsay and others spoke out against the premise makes it all a moot point because it just ain't happening. The NFL takes a mob-like approach to people that can say or do things to tarnish it's well-groomed image, it eliminates them. While there will be no bounty put out on his Limbaugh's head, the idea of him becoming an owner is already dead in the water and he might as well be swimming with the fishes because in the eyes of those who will ultimately decided his fate, he's already gone.

Maybe Limbaugh misunderstood the true definition of minority ownership and believed that he had found a legal loophole that would allow him to actually own minorities. Whether that was the case or Limbaugh was trying to become a part of the league he's loved his entire life is irrelevant because his chances to succeed in this venture are about as good as slavery making a comeback. Sorry Rush, no team for you.