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 Wednesday, June 17, 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 lucky winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.
Beat The Blogger veteran "Peter" and newcomer Mary Tennigan
each scored 10 points to tie for the top spot this week and will both
be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for their efforts. Congrats to
both. The matchups for this week are posted below so get your picks in so you can join the list of winners, too.
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 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 mathcup on Saturday which is the US Open so cutoff will be 7 a.m. (Eastern) on Saturday morning. 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's picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 20
MLB
Tampa at NY Mets (Mets)
Chicago WS at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Atlanta at Boston (Boston)
LA Dodgers at LA Angels (Angels)
Arizona at Seattle (Seattle)
Sunday June 21
Milwaukee at Detroit (Detroit)
Oakland at San Diego (Oakland)
Houston at Minnesota (Minnesota)
PGA Tour U.S. Open
Who will win: Tiger Woods or Rest of the Field? (Field) (doubler)
What will the final winning score be: -1 to -6 or -7 or lower? (-7 or lower)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 8:39:32 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Not So Deep Thoughts: Not quite murder, but pretty damn close
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I read with disbelief how Donte Stallworth received a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter. While I'll admit I'm no Johnny Cochran, I'm pretty sure DUI manslaughter translates into Stallworth killing a man with his car while he was legally drunk. And while I'm not sure what the normal sentence (Stallworth was facing 15 years in prison before reaching a plea) is for somebody who commits murder, I'm fairly certain it's a bit longer stay than 30 days.
Apparently, Stallworth was given a lighter sentence because (according to his lawyer) "He acted like a man. He remained at the scene. He cooperated fully."
Good to know. I'm sure the family of the man who he killed are very appreciative that Stallworth stepped up and did the right thing after killing the man they loved. Unfortunately, it took killing a man to make him start doing the right thing. If only he would have done the right thing before the tragic accident occurred. If only Stallworth would have stopped drinking earlier that night. If only Stallworth would have "acted like a man" and drank responsibly. If only Stallworth would've hired a driver to take him home with the $4.5 million signing bonus he received the day before the crash. If only.
Stallworth's sentence is actually only 24 days in jail, two years of house arrest, eight years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service so maybe justice was served afterall. And don't forget the NFL still has to levy it's punishment. My guess is commissioner Roger Goodell will hand down a three-game suspension and by October, just seven months after the tragedy occurred, Stallworth will return to the life he had before the "accident." Unfortunately Reyes won't be able to do the same.
I remember when I was a kid, I got 60 hours of community service for carving my initials into some playground equipment. If only I had "acted like a man, remained at the scene and cooperated fully," maybe my sentence would've been reduced to a minute of pulling weeds at the neighborhood church instead of the 60 hours I served. I suppose that's what I deserved for making my money cutting lawns instead of playing professional football.
Because the grieving family wanted to "bring closure to this emotional and tragic event," Stallworth was able to reach a confidential financial settlement to avoid a
potential lawsuit from the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, the man Stallworth killed. Stallworth was covered by two separate insurance policies, a car insurance policy and a $5 million umbrella policy that have undoubtedly been transferred directly into the Reyes family account and serve as protection for Stallworth from a future lawsuit from the family.
So there you have it. Man gets drunk, decides to drive despite the numerous options to avoid doing so and ends up taking the life of an innocent man. Little more than three weeks after receiving his sentence, man resumes his life in the NFL where he'll take in $5 million for the season while the family of the victim mourns for a lifetime. What a country.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 3:33:34 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, June 16, 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 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 lucky winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away.
Beat The Blogger veteran "Peter" and newcomer Mary Tennigan each scored 10 points to tie for the top spot this week and will both be receiving a signed 8-by-10 photo for their efforts. Congrats to both. The matchups for this week are posted below so get your picks in so you can join the list of winners, too.
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 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 (Winning picks in parenthesis)
Saturday June 20
MLB
Tampa at NY Mets
Chicago WS at Cincinnati
Atlanta at Boston
LA Dodgers at LA Angels
Arizona at Seattle
Sunday June 21
Milwaukee at Detroit
Oakland at San Diego
Houston at Minnesota
PGA Tour U.S. Open
Who will win: Tiger Woods or Rest of the Field?
What will the final winning score be: -1 to -6 or -7 or lower?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 4:08:42 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
We fell short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the  Blogger contest,
but we did have a record number of entries so we might be able to give away the Chipper Jones jersey before the National gets here (This year's National Convention is July 29-Aug. 2). I haven't tallied up the totals to see who this week's winner is yet but the results of the games are listed below so you can get a head start and see how you fared and I'll have the official results first thing Tuesday for you.
This week's Results (Winners in parenthesis)
Saturday June 13
MLB
Minnesota vs. Chicago Cubs (Minnesota)
Boston vs. Philadelphia (Boston)
Oakland vs. San Francisco (San Francisco)
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Mets)
Atlanta vs. Baltimore (Baltimore)
Sunday June 14
New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (Yankees)
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City (Kansas City)
San Diego vs. L.A. Angels (Angels
Washington vs. Tampa Bay (Rays)
Monday, June 15, 2009 4:37:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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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?
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." 
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."
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)
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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 lucky 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 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)
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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.
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)
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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 lucky 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 "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 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)
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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 turnouts 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)
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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 lucky 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 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 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)
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