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# Friday, June 12, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Time For Some Fearless Forecasting
Posted by Tuff Stuff

From time to time, I'll be surfing around some sports sites and a few things will jump out at me that I feel compelled to share my thoughts on. But instead of just giving you my two cents on the topics, I decided mixing it up and providing you with a fearless forecast of the future might be more fun. So, without further ado, here's a look into the crystal ball as I see it. Some are serious, some not so much but that's for you to decide which ones are which.

Ryan Leaf: How can a former No. 1 draft pick with so much potential end up being on the run from the law for drug and burglary charges just when it seemed he had got his sh%t together? Apparently Leaf's lawyer talked him into surrendering to law officials and he will stop running and come out of hiding any time now. The real question is: If Ryan Leaf is hiding, does anybody other than law officials pursue a search?Leaf.jpg
Prediction: Leaf surrenders, spends several months in prison for the charges, gets his mess of a life back in order, appears on "Outside the Lines" in their "Where Are They Now" segment, where Jeremy Schaap reports that he's now working at a homeless shelter and that he's found God. Two months later, ESPN reports that Leaf was caught stealing cans at the shelter and now faces 3-5 years in prison and a lifetime ban from all the soup kitchens on the West Coast.
NL Central Race: Currently, all six teams are within five games of the top spot with the suddenly ice-cold Brewers holding a 1/2-game lead.
Prediction: The smoke-and-mirrors starting pitching efforts that have helped Milwaukee hold the lead for the last several weeks will disappear quicker than you can "Manny Parra's latest demotion to the Minors" but the Brewers will remain in the hunt by virtue of winning countless 9-8 tilts. The Cubs will get healthy, take over the lead for July and August only to fade down the stretch. The Cardinals will get healthy again and will ride Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, King Albert and a solid starting pitching rotation all the way to the division title.
The NBA: Kobe and the Lakers will finish off the Magic in Game 6 and the orginization will overtake the Celtics as the most storied franchise in the history of professional basketball, at least by those who live West of the Mississippi River.
Prediction: Kobe Bryant stars in a new Spike Lee documentary entitled "The Best That Ever Played and Not Just Because I Say So." Meanwhile, the league's propensity for overpaying stiffs finally catches up with it and the league is forced to start reducing salaries which ultimately causes a Labor Strike and more than half of the 2010-11 season is lost to a work stoppage. During the strike, overpaid salary poster boys Jim Mcllvaine, Bobby Simmons, Cuttino Mobley and Ben Wallace comment on the situation saying: "This is really unfortunate. The NBA has always paid its players fairly in the past and now they want to slash salaries like this and expect guys to feed their families on $4-$5 million a year. This isn't Somalia, these guys should be paid fair market value just like we were. This new system is going to ruin the league." favrebfc.jpg
Brett Favre: Vikings coach Brad Childress continues to plead the 5th regarding Favre's status and a possible return to the league. Favre is said to be continuing his comeback effort by working out privately to get his surgically repaired arm back in shape but hasn't commented since announcing his decision to retire after last season's sub-par finish to the season.
Prediction: ESPN's Chris Mortenson reports that the legendary quarterback ha surprised everyone, especially the Vikings, and comes out of retirement to play for the Detroit Lions. Favre, never one to back down from a challenge, cites that beating out Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfals wasn't worth all the time and effort he would need to put in to complete another comeback, so he decided to see if he could beat out the No. 1 pick and prove that he's still the man.
"I got so much satisfaction watching Aaron Rodgers wasting away on the sidelines in Green Bay that I thought I'd come into Detroit and see if I could do the same with (Matthew) Stafford. Besides, if I come in and lead the Lions to a 1-15 record, I'm a Motown God. And I could still stick it to the Packers and Ted Thompson twice a year if I'm playing for the Lions so it's a win-win for everybody."
Mort.jpg
Later that day, ESPN's John Clayton reports that Favre is still retired and has no plans of joing the lions or any other team in 2009 and Mortenson is fired.

There you have it, got any predictions you'd like to share. Step up and make a post, we'd love to hear about them.

  





Friday, June 12, 2009 6:12:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Thursday, June 11, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but we are inching closer and the numbers continue to rise which is good to see. One newcomer to the contest e-mailed me and said he forwarded the link to the contest to more than 500 of his co-workers and that's exactly the kind of initiative we need to reach our goal so follow suit and we'll get there. The good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one luckyChipper.jpg winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.

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 "contest.jpgDoubler" 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 and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups (Blogger picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 13
MLB
Minnesota vs. Chicago Cubs (Cubs)
Boston vs. Philadelphia (Phillies)
Oakland vs. San Francisco (A's)
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Yankees)
Atlanta vs. Baltimore (Orioles)
Sunday June 14
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Mets)
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh (Tigers)
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City (Reds)
San Diego vs. L.A. Angels (Padres
Washington vs. Tampa Bay (Rays)

Good Luck and Spread the word.



Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:33:08 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [32]
# Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Is Strasburg For Real Or Another Sidd Finch?
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Unless you've been living overseas or in Chicago, where the focus of every sports-related conversation begins and ends with the Cubs, you've heard of college pitching sensation Stephen Strasburg. You know the kid with the 102-mph fastball and a full repertoire of complimentary pitches to go with it and the command rarely associated with a collegiate power pitcher.Strasburg.jpg

The Washington Nationals made Strasburg the top pick in the Amateur Draft on Tuesday and because Strasburg has Scott Boros as an agent, many are speculating it could end up costing the Nats more than $40 million to sign him. Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season for San Diego State, leading the Aztecs to their first postseason berth since 1991. Should those numbers equate to a record-breaking contract offer from the Nationals, you betcha. Much like the collectibles hobby, the Nationals need a superstar-type player to rejuvenate a dismal franchise and Strasburg is just the guy to do it. While I wouldn't just bend over and allow Boros to hold the team hostage because he has all the bargaining power but ultimately I would do whatever necessary to sign MLB's next big thing.

Normally when a sure-fire prospect emerges like this and separates himself from the pack the way Strasburg has, you'll find at least one of the experts reserving judgement and pointing out the fact that he could fail to live up to the expectations. But that has not been the case with Strasburg, as I have yet to find one expert focussing on a potential weakness. Very rarely, but sometimes, an athlete comes along and lives up to all the hype and Strasburg appears to be that guy. And he's right on time for both MLB and the sports collecting world who could both use a much-needed shot in the arm. Hopefully, the whole contract issue will be resolved quickly and we can all welcome the young phenom to a ballpark and an autograph signing appearance near you real soon.




Wednesday, June 10, 2009 3:19:40 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [1]
# Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results/Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but we are inching closer. The good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one luckyChipper.jpg winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.

A pair of newcomers to the contest posted near-perfect scores to tie for the top spot in last week's contest. Christie Merkle and Dennis Juntenen each scored 10s to easily better the Blogger's total of 5 (I swear I'll try harder) and each will now be receiving an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo for their efforts.

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 "contest.jpgDoubler" 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 and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups
Saturday June 13
MLB
Minnesota vs. Chicago Cubs
Boston vs. Philadelphia
Oakland vs. San Francisco
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees
Atlanta vs. Baltimore
Sunday June 14
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City
San Diego vs. L.A. Angels
Washington vs. Tampa Bay

Good Luck and Spread the word.



Tuesday, June 09, 2009 2:18:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [88]
# Monday, June 08, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff

  Here are the winning picks from last week's Beat The Blogger contest. This week's winner will be announced on Tuesday morning to see if you're a winner. If not, this week's matchups will also be posted at that time so you can try again. We managed to get one of our better contest.jpgturnouts as far as total entries but still fell well short of our goal of 300 entries so keep spreading the word so one lucky entrant can win the Chipper Jones signed jersey.




This week's results
Saturday June 6
MLB
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (Tampa Bay)
Cleveland at Chicago White Sox (Chicago)
Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers (LA)
Milwaukee at Atlanta (Milwaukee)
Arizona at San Diego (San Diego)
NHL
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Detroit)
June 7
Kansas City at Toronto (Toronto)
Texas at Boston (Texas)
Pittsburgh at Houston (Houston)
NBA
Orlando at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers)



Monday, June 08, 2009 10:23:01 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We once again fell well short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but the good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one luckyChipper.jpg winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.

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 and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to contest.jpgspread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

This week's matchups are posted below so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups w/Blogger's picks in parenthesis
Saturday June 6
MLB
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (Yankees)
Cleveland at Chicago White Sox (Chicago)
Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers (Philadelphia)
Milwaukee at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Arizona at San Diego (Arizona)
NHL
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Detroit)
June 7
Kansas City at Toronto (Toronto) (Doubler)
Texas at Boston (Boston)
Pittsburgh at Houston (Pittsburgh)
NBA
Orlando at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers)

Good Luck and Spread the word.


Tuesday, June 02, 2009 5:22:23 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [79]
Not So Deep Thoughts: This Rose Smells Sour
Posted by Tuff Stuff

By now, most have heard about the impending investigation going on at the University of Memphis, where former "student-athlete" (and I use that term very loosely) Derrick Rose is being accused of knowingly submitting a falsified SAT test score. Apparently, someone at Rose's high school (Simeon, H.S. on Chicago's south side) changed Rose's grade from a D to a C which allowed him to meet the academic requirements at Memphis where he went onto to lead the Tigers to withing a couple of buckets of winning the National Championship in 2007, Rose's one and only season with the Tigers.

If you're like me, you're not the least bit surprised by the allegations, as this isn't the first time (and certainly won't be the last) an athlete has been given a free pass or school officials have looked the other way when it comes to a star athlete's less-than-stellar academic qualifications. The Rose.jpgproblem I have with the whole thing is that from everything I've read, the only punishment that could be handed out to Rose, is some negative publicity to his otherwise unblemished reputation.

Don't get me wrong, the school officials at Simeon who doctored the scores and then looked the other way at the time of the wrongdoing are the ones that should be held accountable. They are the ones who knowingly altered test scores for Rose and who's to say that this type of procedure hasn't been pulled off countless other times before the latest scandal became public?

But what about Rose himself? He obviously knew he didn't receive the grade he was ultimately given? He obviously knew that if he didn't meet the academic criteria at Memphis his NBA future would be forced to wait until he could find another school with lower standards, go to a Junior College, work on getting his grades up to par and then transferring to a D-1 school and ultimately doing the one-and-done thing before embarking on a career in the NBA. Shouldn't he be punished in some way as well? Both he and now-former Memphis coach John Calipari will both undoubtedly walk away from the whole incident unscathed while some scapegoat at Simeon High School who takes in $45,000 a year will ultimately lose his job while the other two will continue to make their millions and smile all the way to the bank.

Not sure what the punishment for something like this should be. Perhaps Rose should have to take the test again today and continue to take it again and again until he meets the original requirements. Maybe he should be banned from playing professionally until he meets the standards that he pretended to meet back in 2007? My guess is that is this proposed rule were to be put into place, the NBA would have a hard time filling out its rosters each year.  

While I don't claim to have all the answers to problems such as this, I do know that accountability is the key here. If you knowingly cheated, you should be punished and punished severely. There is no statute of limitations with something like this. If you're found to have cheated 10, 15 even 25 years after the fact, you should be punished just the same as someone found guilty of cheating the day after the test scores were calculated. With no ramifications for actions such as this, who can blame young adults for looking to take the easy way out?



Tuesday, June 02, 2009 4:30:12 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Monday, June 01, 2009
Newt Takes the Prize In Beat The Blogger Contest
Posted by Tuff Stuff

We once again fell well short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but the good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one luckyChipper.jpg winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away. We're going to open up the contest to our Collect.com friends this week and see if that can boost our total over the required mark.

Only a late rally by Minnesota kept "dnewt60" from posting the second-ever perfect score of 11 in the Beat The Blogger contest, but because he nailed his "doubler" he still managed to claim the top spot and win the weekly prize. The Blogger scored a solid 8 and several others topped that with totals of 9 and "dnewt" bested us all with his near-perfect card.

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 and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to contest.jpgspread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.

 This week's matchups will be posted later today so check back and make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.

This week's Matchups w/winning picks in parenthesis
Saturday May 30
MLB
Boston at Toronto (Toronto)
Florida at NY Mets (Florida)
LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (Cubs)
Cincinnati at Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
Detroit at Baltimore (Detroit, Doubler)
Sunday May 31
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City (Chicago)
Oakland at Texas (Texas)
Atlanta at Arizona (Atlanta)
Minnesota at Tampa Bay (Minnesota)
Seattle at LA Angels (Angels)

Good luck and spread the word about the contest



Monday, June 01, 2009 4:45:51 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Friday, May 29, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Is Bigger Always Better When It Comes To MLB Payrolls
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I was listening to some sports radio based in Chicago the other day and there was a flurry of callers complaining about the latest troubles experienced by the Cubs. Everything from injuries, to poor officiating, to a lack of leadership was brought up as the reason the free-spending Cubs are sitting in fourth place with a .500 record instead of running away with the NL Central as many had predicted.$10000.jpg

While all of those are valid reasons behind the Cubbies woes, it got me to thinking about how some of the other big-market, big payroll teams are doing this season. The Yankees lead the way in market size and blow away the competition in payroll, and they're currently sitting in second place in the AL East despite their recent hot streak. New York's other team is second on the payroll list and they sit atop the NL East. The Cubs rank third in payroll and we already mentioned their middle-of-the-road status. Nos. four and five on the list are the Red Sox and Tigers and they're both leading their divisions. Other division leaders, the Cardinals and the Rangers don't exactly fit the mold of the others, with St. Louis ranking 17th and Texas 22nd. The team with the best record in all of the land, the Dodgers, comes in 9th on the list and appears to be playing even better without its $25 million man earning a check.CHICAGOCUBS.jpg

While the top spot in each division will likely change several times between now and the end of September, there does appear to be a direct correlation between the teams with the bigger payrolls and the division leaders. For example, of the 12 teams in first or second place in each division, seven teams are ranked in the top 10 in payroll and only the surprising Padres (29th) and the always-tough Twins (24th) rank in the bottom third on the payroll scale. Of the six last-place teams in each division, only Houston (8th, who has been decimated by injuries) and Cleveland (14th) rank in the top half of the payroll chart, with Washington (26th), Oakland (25th) and Baltimore (23rd) supporting the bigger-is-better theory.

So what to make of all these numbers: not much. There does seem to be some correlation between teams with bigger payrolls and success, but there are always exceptions to every rule and the Padres and Rangers are proof of that. Let's check back at season's end and see if the Davids are still hanging with the Goliaths of the world. Until then, I'll just keep listening to all the Cubs fans whining about yet another season that got away.



Friday, May 29, 2009 6:02:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]
# Thursday, May 28, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: New Summer Show On The Block
Posted by Tuff Stuff

One of our Tuff Stuff partners, FansEdge, has decided to jump into the show circuit, and if their initial press releases are any indication, they plan on making a big splash in their first dip in the pool.

With the first annual FansEdge Sports Spectacular show set for July 16-19, just two weeks prior to the start of The National in Cleveland, some would say the inaugural show could be a huge disaster but there's a reason the company has been one of the few to turn a profit in the last couple of years and poor decision-making isn't one of them.

Mounted Memories is handling the autograph portion of the show that will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., and with guests such as Cal Ripken Jr., Peyton Manning, Bill Russell, Ernie Banks, Willy Mays, Pete Rose, Dick Butkus, Brian Urlacher and Jim Brown among those scheduled to appear, it appears as though show organizers have all their bases covered. The show will also feature a Super Bowl XXXI reunion of the champion Green Bay Packers but I would bet against seeing the wishy-washy country-boy QB in the mix.

Realizing collectors, and the public in general, are still treading water after surviving last year's economic crunch, show organizers have come up with some creative ways to bring in top-notch talent at affordable prices so even the most modest collectors can acquire the signatures they covet. Among the specials the show will feature are: On Thursday night, the first 1,000 through the doors will receive a free gift and 200 people will receive a free Pete Rose autograph ticket. Organizers have put together what they're calling a "Hobby Stimulus Plan" for guests who attend the show on Friday. "Price Rollback Day" will feature 16 different athletes including Rose, Brown, Butkus, Urlacher and others, signing autographs at reduced rates more reminiscent of days gone by so more collectors can afford to join in on the fun.

On the final two days of the show, the first 2,500 people through the doors will receive a free Dick Butkus autograph ticket and on Sunday, 200 people will receive a free Gale Sayers autograph ticket. Two free HOFers in two days is something you just don't see at shows so collectors should take advantage of the offer because you may never see anything like again.

While we here at Tuff Stuff and F&W Media will always be rooting for The National to do well because a successful show strengthens the hobby and a strong hobby will always be our hope, but it's refreshing to see a new company emerge and give collectors some other affordable options. Only time will tell if the FansEdge Show will stand the test of time but I for one, hope this is the first of many such shows.







Thursday, May 28, 2009 9:36:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #  Comments [0]