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 Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Coaching Error
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Before I get into the following rant about Bill Belichick's coaching blunder in the Sunday night showdown in Indianapolis, I will say that I think the Patriots' veteran coach is one of the best in the business and I would welcome him taking over the reigns of my favorite team any day of the week.
But, and this is a big but, he took a calculated risk and it was the wrong move given the circumstances and he cost his team a victory. Don't let any of the blow-hard TV analysts or newspaper writers tell you any differently either because some Belichick supporters claim it was the right move no matter the outcome. I beg to differ.
With the Patriots holding a six-point lead and facing fourth-and-2
from their own 28-yard line, Belichick did the unthinkable, he went for it. It wasn't an attempt to draw the defense offsides with a hard count and it wasn't an attempt to take the delay of game penalty to give his punter more room to punt. The Patriots not only went for it, but prior to the game-changing gamble, Belichick burned his team's final timeout with more than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, a move usually reserved for guys named Saben or Kotite, not by future Hall of Famers. The move backfired not once but twice, as the Patriots came up short on the 4th-down play and weren't able to challenge the spot of the ball because the team had no time-outs left. Talk about double trouble.
Belichick supporters claim that because the team goes for it on fourth down more than any other team ever makes the decision acceptable but that argument compares to driving home after you've had one-too-many beverages. It's a gamble that we've all pulled off without issue many times but the one time it doesn't work out, there's going to be major repercussions.
Sure the Patriots are the best at converting fourth-down chances (I believe it's something like a 80-percent conversion rate) but there's a time and a place for everything and your own 28-yard line is definitely not the place. Punt the ball and make Peyton Manning march 75 yards for the winning score always trumps risking it and affording him a chance to only need 28.
The move also questions Belichick's belief in his defense. How are the guys standing on the sideline supposed to feel when they watch their coach decide against a punt in that situation? Belichick's bold move not only lost the game but it will likely take weeks, if not longer, before those guys on the defensive side of the ball will be ready to sell out for him again. Those type of confidence-related issues tend to fester and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see a drop-off in productivity on that side of the ball in New England for several weeks.
I've always said Belichick is the ballsiest coach around and I've applauded his bowling-ball sized onions on many occasions. But let's not candy-coat this one. He f-ed up and he f-ed up big time.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 4:27:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
For the second straight week, Steve Emerick won the Beat the Blogger contest. Last week Emerick posted a score of 9 to easily Beat The Blogger's
total of 6 and run away with this week's prize. This week, Emerick did
himself one better, posting a score of 10 to Beat The Blogger and the
field.
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
Sunday, Nov. 22
Cleveland at Detroit
Washington at Dallas
San Francisco at Green Bay
Atlanta at NY Giants
Buffalo at Jacksonville
Indianapolis at Baltimore
Seattle at Minnesota
NY Jets at New England
San Diego at Denver
Philadelphia at Chicago
Tie-breaker: Total points in Philadelphia-Chicago game
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 2:16:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
For the second straight week, Steve Emerick won the Beat the Blogger contest. Last week Emerick posted a score of 9 to easily Beat The Blogger's
total of 6 and run away with this week's prize. This week, Emerick did himself one better, posting a score of 10 to Beat The Blogger and the field.
This week's matchups will be posted below on Wednesday 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 winning picks in parenthesis)
College FB
Saturday, Nov. 14
West Virginia at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Michigan at Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
Iowa at Ohio St. (Ohio State)
Utah at TCU (TCU)
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 15
Tampa Bay at Miami (Miami)
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets (Jacksonville)
Buffalo at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (Cincinnati)
New England at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Tie-Breaker total points in New England-Indianapolis game (69)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:24:27 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Last week's college matchups proved costly for many of us, as a couple
of underdogs came through and rendered our picks useless. But for one
player, the college game were no problem. Steve Emerick posted a score of 9 to easily Beat The Blogger's
total of 6 and run away with this week's prize. This week's matchups
are split right in the middle with five college matchups and five NFL
matchups.
This week's matchups are posted below along with the Blogger's picks so you know what you're up against 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's picks in parenthesis)
College FB
Saturday, Nov. 14
West Virginia at Cincinnati (West Virginia)
Michigan at Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
Iowa at Ohio St. (Ohio State)
Utah at TCU (TCU)
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 15
Tampa Bay at Miami (Miami)
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets (NY Jets)
Buffalo at Tennessee Tennessee)
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (Cincinnati)
New England at Indianapolis (New England)
Tie-Breaker total points in New England-Indianapolis game (51)
Thursday, November 12, 2009 5:22:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Last week's college matchups proved costly for many of us, as a couple
of underdogs came through and rendered our picks useless. But for one
player, the college game were no problem. Steve Emerick posted a score of 9 to easily Beat The Blogger's total of 6 and run away with this week's prize. This week's matchups are split right in the middle with five college matchups and five NFL matchups.
This week's matchups will be posted below 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 (With winning picks in parenthesis)
College FB
Saturday, Nov. 14
West Virginia at Cincinnati
Michigan at Wisconsin
Iowa at Ohio St.
Utah at TCU
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 15
Tampa Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets
Buffalo at Tennessee
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
New England at Indianapolis
Tie-Breaker total points in New England-Indianapolis game
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:55:35 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Not So Deep Thoughts: Opening Up with Andre Agassi
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Let me preface the following by saying I'm a mild tennis fan at best
and I have yet to read (plan to) Andre Agassi's new book, "Open: An
Autobiography." After I do read it I will be better equipped to defend
him or pile on like so many others are already. But until then, I'll
just throw in my two cents on the incredible admissions he makes in the
book such as using crystal meth, being forced to play tennis by his
overbearing father, wearing a hairpiece to cover his rapidly balding
head and even tanking some tennis matches early in his career.
Those admissions have been met with mixed reviews in the tennis and
sports world. Several current and former players have been slamming
Agassi for the drug use and even more so for lying to a tennis official
about the reason behind a failed drug test. One such player, Marit
Safin, has gone so far as to say that Agassi should give back all the
money and trophies he won during that stage of his career, while others
have applauded his brutal honesty.
I won't have a strong opinion either way until I get my hands on a copy
of the book but as far as the Safin comments go, I initially thought it
sounded like sour grapes, jealousy and an uninformed opinion. We've all
had that rival that has simply owned us at something. You know the one,
the guy who just seems to always win, whether it's playing golf or
fantasy football, he just has your number. But after some research, I
found out that isn't the case here, as Safin has squared off against
Agassi six times with each player winning three times.
So I wasn't exactly sure why Safin was so incensed by the revelations
in the book but after digging into his comments some more it could be
because in the process of "coming clean" to his mistakes, Agassi
willingly threw several tennis officials and ultimately the integrity
of the game itself under the bus. Agassi claims in the book that once
the officials made him aware of a failed drug test, that he talked his
way out of it ever becoming public by lying about it. He told officials
that somebody had slipped something into his drink and because he was
one of the most popular and charizmatic players on a Tour that needed
about 12 more players of similar makeup to make it semi-interesting,
the bought his story and never went public with the news. That's the
jealous aspect I mentioned. Perhaps Safin wondered aloud if he would
have been treated the same way under the same circumstances. Unfair or
not, Safin likely would not have met a similra fate. As we all know,
image is everything, and Agassi's image is and was at the time, far
more compelling than the Russian with the high-powered serve.
Other players have bashed Agassi for his now admitted drug use, saying
that his career is now tarnished in much the same way that Roger
Clemens was after it was proven that Clemens used Performance Enhancing
Drugs. But those same people should check the facts before making such
an assanine statement because using steroids does in fact provide
athletes with an advantage over those that don't while snorting crystal
meth is only going to provide an advantage to Agassi's dealer. If
anybody can increase their performance at any sport by using crystal
meth, I'd love to see it. If we're talking about a competitive
drinking contest perhaps, but not playing tennis against the best
players in the world that's for sure.
Because Agassi's book is fresh and full of shocking news, opinions
right now are strong to defend him and feel sorry for him and equally
strong in the opposite spectrum. My guess is that once the storm
subsides a bit, Agassi will again be looked at as the same great
ambassador for the game he was two weeks ago before the book came out.
Until then, we'll all likely continue to serve and volley on the topic
and lob our opinions all over the place making a case for whatever side
of the net your opinion falls on. And because a book like this illicit
those type of heated responses, blog entries and sports radio
comments by the thousands, Agassi's book is already a winner, game,
set, match.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 3:25:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Last week's college matchups proved costly for many of us, as a couple of underdogs came through and rendered our picks useless. But for one player, the college game were no problem. Steve Emerick posted a score of 9 to easily Beat The Blogger's total of 6 and run away with this week's prize.
This week's matchups will be posted below 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 (With winning picks in parenthesis)
College FB
Saturday, Nov. 7
Ohio St at Penn St (Ohio St.)
Oklahoma at Nebraska (Nebraska)
LSU at Alabama (Alabama)
NFL Football
Sunday, Nov. 8
Arizona at Chicago (Arizona)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Houston at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
Miami at New England (New England)
Tennessee at San Francisco (Tennessee)
San Diego at NY Giants (San Diego)
Dallas at Philadelphia (Dallas)
Tie-Breaker total points in Dallas-Philadelphia game (36)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 4:20:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Thursday, November 05, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
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)
Thursday, November 05, 2009 6:16:20 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Remember When The World Series Was Must-See TV?
Posted by Tuff Stuff
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.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009 2:45:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
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)
Tuesday, November 03, 2009 5:57:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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