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 Friday, March 12, 2010
NCAA Tournament Tidbits
Posted by Tuff Stuff
With March Madness heating up with all of the conference tournament action and the Big Dance less than a week away, I thought I'd throw out some quick predictions. Before you go betting the house on any of the following, consider that the last time I won an NCAA Tournament pool I was 18 years old and Keith Smart and the Indiana Hoosiers were the last ones dancing. Talking about 1987 for all of you too you to remember.
By the time the 2010 tournament wraps up you'll be certain of the following 10 things:
1. Calling Notre Dame's Luke Harangody "Gody" is so fun it almost makes you forget how goofy he looks.
2. BYU's Jimmer Fredette will be this year's equivalent of Stephen Curry.
3. The last thing you'll want to do is build something together with the fine people at Lowe's.
4. CBS' Gus Johnson is easily excited and tends to overreact.
5. Tennessee will erase several years of underachieving by earning a trip to the Elite 8.
6. That after thinking long and hard about, it's just too soon and you just don't feel comfortable having Enterprise pick you up.
7. That this year's tourney bracket was one of the most difficult to fill out since ... ever.
8. The people at CBS should reconsider bringing Verne Lundquist back in 2011.
9. Texas was one of the most talented teams in the field (assuming they get in) and also one of the most overrated.
10. The start of the football season can't get hear quick enough.
Sleepers (term is subjective): Tennessee, Baylor, Kansas State, Marquette and Montana.
Championship pick: Kentucky 72, Syracuse 64.
Friday, March 12, 2010 10:30:00 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Not So Deep Thoughts: NCAA, Big Ben and more
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Lots of things going on in the sports world these days so instead of
picking one single topic and writing an expanded column on it, I'll
just throw in my two cents on several of them.
NCAA Tournament Expansion:
This debate is a simple one. As it is right now with 65 teams in the
mix to start the tourney, I'd say about 20 actually have a chance to
win the title and it's likely closer to about 8-10 that have a good
chance of winning. If the field is then opened up to 96 teams, those
numbers don't change. The list of contenders would remain exactly the
same while the list of pretenders would grow. What would the point of
adding 31 more teams, all of which, have little-to-no chance of seeing
the championship game other than on TV like you and me. I'm a huge fan
of the excitement that accompanies the Madness but sometimes less is
actual more. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Nothing in the world
captures the hearts of sports fans and non-sports fans like the Madness
of March. Any sport that can get Betty from Accounting filling out
three brackets and screaming her lungs out for a late break-away foul
call is doing just fine.
Ben Roethlisberger: By now, everybody and their brother has
heard about Big Ben's latest troubles involving a college girl and
alleged sexual assault. Being a life-long Steelers fan, my first
reaction was: here we go again. Another gold digger looking to cash in.
But while the first woman who claimed Roethlisberger assaulted her had
no evidence to help support her claim and the case was quickly thrown
out without any criminal charges being pressed, this case seems to be
different and not in a sweep-it-under-the-rug kind of way.
Because Big Ben felt the need to hire one of the best defense lawyers
money can buy leads me to believe there is actual evidence supporting
the woman's claims. As it stands now, no criminal charges have been
charged, and despite the media painting a very dark picture regarding
Ben's poor judgement of being in that type of situation in the first
place, Roethlisberger has yet to be charged of anything.
Unfortunately this isn't the first time we as sports fans have gone
through an athlete being accused of similar activities and the history
of such cases has proven that no news is not good news for the person
being accused. This appears to be the calm before the storm, as the
police look to gather evidence against Roethlisberger and actually file
charges. Just a gut feeling and I hope that I'm wrong, but this case
sure seems to be heading toward a trial and quite possible the
beginning of the end of a great NFL career.
NFL Offseason Moves
NFL Free Agency is always an exciting time, as fans' dreams of Pro
Bowlers joining their squads dance through their heads. Typically the
pick-ups made are nothing more than desperate teams overpaying for guys
based on their past performances only to get little moving forward. And
this year will likely have some of that as well but I did like the
moves that some teams made.
Without a draft pick inthe first two rounds (thanks Jay Cutler), the
Bears made several unexpected splashes by spending mega-millions to
land Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumalamula. If
Chicago can now land a pick for disgruntled TE Greg Olson, this could
go down as one of the best offseasons in the team's history. Peppers
will help the defensive line get pressure on the QB and ultimately help
a suspect secondary, Taylor will team with (and push) Matt Forte to
forma potent backfield tandem and Manumalamula will give the Bears an
added blocker familiar with Mike Martz's offense who can help keep
Cutler off his back and give him more time to find his own receivers
instead of opposing d-backs.
Other Free Agency winners appear to be the Jets and quite possibly the
Bengals if they can convince Terrell Owens to join Ocho Cinco's party.
The two receivers could be the perfect combination of skill,
showmanship and each would likely push the other to become better.
Carson Palmer says he can handle the two personalities and I believe
each receiver has enough in the tank to make this a marriage worth
taking a shot on.
History Worth Recognition
While most sports fans don't follow women's basketball closely enough
to understand to fully appreciate the magnitude and the difficulty of
the UConn women's basketball team's incomprehensible 72-game winning
streak, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be recognized and applauded.
Winning 72 games of checkers in a row is pretty amazing but notching
six dozen victories in a major college conference is downright sick.
When you consider that every one of those wins was by double digits
makes it just that much more incredible. My hat is off to the Lady
Huskies and yours should be, too.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:00:21 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Beat the Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
The final week of the NCAA regular season proved to be too much for most of last week's Beat the Blogger contestants but Brandon Pierce
had no problem steering clear of the many upsets. Pierce posted a score
of 8 to beat the Blogger's total of 7 and defeat the rest of the field
to win the prize.
(Blogger's note: Due to a much-needed and long-overdue vacation, there will be no Beat the Blogger contest next week. Enjoy the NCAA Tournament action and we'll jump back into the contest on March 24.)
This
week's
matchups and the Blogger picks are posted below so be sure you check back and get your
picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I'm making a call to action to all of our regulars
to do some recruiting. While more people means more work for the
Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome the
challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I'll triple the weekly prize. So spread the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that goal and boost the prize.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
This week's winners are posted
below so check to see how you fared against the field.
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 b e 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
Saturday & Sunday, March 12 & 13
NBA Basketball
Detroit at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Denver at Memphis (Denver)(Doubler)
Toronto at Golden State (Golden State)
Indiana at Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
Boston at Cleveland (Cleveland)
Utah at Oklahoma City (Utah)
NHL
Washington at Chicago (Chicago)
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (Pittsburgh
St. Louis at Minnesota (St. LOuis)
Calgary at Vancouver (Calgary)
Tiebreaker: Total goals in Calgary/Vancouver game (4)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 2:33:13 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Monday, March 08, 2010
Beat the Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
The final week of the NCAA regular season proved to be too much for most of last week's Beat the Blogger contestants but Brandon Pierce had no problem steering clear of the many upsets. Pierce posted a score of 8 to beat the Blogger's total of 7 and defeat the rest of the field to win the prize.
This
week's
matchups and the Blogger picks will be posted soon so be sure you check back and get your
picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I'm making a call to action to all of our regulars
to do some recruiting. While more people means more work for the
Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome the
challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I'll triple the weekly prize. So spread the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that goal and boost the prize.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
This week's winners are posted
below so check to see how you fared against the field.
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
Saturday & Sunday, March 6 & 7
NCAA Basketball
Syracuse vs. Louisville (Louisville)
North Carolina vs. Duke (Duke)
West Virginia vs. Villanova (West Virginia)
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (S. Carolina)
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma (Texas A&M)
Florida vs. Kentucky (Kentucky)
Wisconsin vs. Illinois (Wisconsin)
NBA
Philadelphia vs. Toronto (Philadelphia)
Oklahoma City vs. Sacramento (Oklahoma City)
Portland vs. Denver (Denver)
Tiebreaker: Total points in Portland/Denver game (224)
Monday, March 08, 2010 2:38:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Friday, March 05, 2010
UD's latest miscue makes you wonder about its future
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Let me preface the following by saying I don't normally comment on the
hobby's legal matters because quite frankly, I don't feel qualified to
do so. Much of the legalese that peppers the press releases often
leaves me more confused than I am after watching an episode of "Lost."
And I'm talking about those recap episodes where they try and clear up
any confusion with the "Lost for Dummies" subtitles running along the
bottom of the screen.
But after reviewing all the facts (well, at least the facts that we
have  access to) in the MLB-Upper Deck trademark infringement battle
that came to an abrupt ending March 3 with an out-of-court settlement
that left MLB grinning and UD and all their fans out there scratching
their heads, I'm scratching my head as well.
To recap, the suit, in which Major League Baseball Properties alleged
Upper Deck
had broken trademark infringement laws by producing three unlicensed
baseball
card products released early this year, was settled out of court for an
unspecified amount (UD was forced to pay the $2.4 million debt it owed
MLB from 2009 plus a substantial amount in damages for 2010
violations). The suit ends with UD being allowed to continue
sales of the three Upper Deck baseball card products, 2009 Signatures
Stars, 2009 Ultimate Collection and 2010 Series 1 Baseball, but will be
prohibited from producing any other baseball brands moving forward.
Despite the fact that the case never made it to its scheduled April 19
court date, we definitely got a clear-cut winner. MLB Properties got
exactly what it wanted and wrapped things up prior to Opening Day which
was likely just a bonus from their perspective.
It didn't appear to be a fair fight from the outset, and as it turned
out, it wasn't. From where I'm sitting, it appears Upper Deck put on
its best poker face and went all in with a pair of deuces with MLB
calling the bluff while sitting on a pair of aces. But the strangest
part of the whole thing was because UD had gone down a similar road in
the past and is well aware of the hobby's history of challenging
exclusivity/licensing laws, but they still pushed all their chips into
the middle of the table.
 To be honest, when the battle first became public and the details of
the case were sorted out, I defended UD saying "there's no way they
challenge the system like they are if they don't have a loophole up
their sleeve that will legally get them around the trademark issues."
My thought process was: no company in its right mind, especially one
coming fresh off a lost lawsuit (Konami) in which they reportedly
forked over millions), would take on MLB without an ace
in the hole. I initially thought the mysterious "loophole" would be a
significant one and could ultimately change the landscape of the hobby
as well as shakeup the licensing laws throughout the sports world. But
after the quick ruling and subsequent settlement, those predictions
were about as accurate as those who cried wolf over the Y2K scare.
But now that the dust has cleared and the settlement has been resolved
with Upper Deck basically agreeing as part of the settlement to not
produce anything resembling a regular-issue baseball card in the
forseable future, I'm back to scratching my nugget.
The agreement prohibits UD from going the air-brushing route as well,
so unless your a fan of seeing baseball players in their street clothes
don't expect much out of the UD camp as far as baseball products moving
forward. And for some, that will be fine. But it definitely makes you
wonder what UD officials were thinking when they decided to produce
three different sets of the unlicensed baseball cards and take on the
mighty MLB boys doesn't it? When I come up with that ace in the hole I
referred to earlier I'll pass it along to you. Until then, we'll just
have to assume the company might have seen the end of the road coming
and went all in with empty pockets, no gameplan and what appears to be
a very limited shelf life remaining in the hobby. I hope that's not the case but their actions are very questionable as of late.
Friday, March 05, 2010 5:03:12 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Beat the Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
In a week full of upsets it was Ethan Cahn who scored a 7 last week to Beat the Blogger's score of 5 and beat the field to win this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Last week's results are below.
This
week's
matchups and the Blogger picks are now posted below so be sure you get your
picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I'm making a call to action to all of our regulars
to do some recruiting. While more people means more work for the
Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome the
challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I'll triple the weekly prize. So spread the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that goal and boost the prize.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
This week's winners are posted
below so check to see how you fared against the field.
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
Saturday & Sunday, March 6 & 7
NCAA Basketball
Syracuse vs. Louisville (Syracuse)
North Carolina vs. Duke (Duke (Doubler)
West Virginia vs. Villanova (West Virginia)
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt)
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma (Texas A&M)
Florida vs. Kentucky (Kentucky)
Wisconsin vs. Illinois (Illinois)
NBA
Philadelphia vs. Toronto (Toronto)
Oklahoma City vs. Sacramento (Oklahoma City)
Portland vs. Denver (Denver)
Tiebreaker: Total points in Portland/Denver game (219)
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 2:21:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, March 02, 2010
NHL Needs To Strike While The Iron Is Hot
Posted by Tuff Stuff
During the course of the last two weeks I became a hockey fan. Never
really watched the game other than the last few minutes of some
meaningful playoff games, but upon further review, hockey's not so bad
after all.
Unfortunately I'm not sure how long this new infatuation will last. You
have to remember the game that tugged at my heart in Vancouver is not
the same product as an NHL game. In fact, it's far from it, and that's
the  problem. While I realize it was the flag-waving type of patriotism
that always accompanies the Olympic Games that pulled me in in the
first place, but once I was there, I still had to be entertained and
Olympic-style hockey did just that. The wide-open, back-and-forth,
no-clinching play is different from the start-stop, low-flow style that
is the NHL. And while I didn't see any players drop the gloves and go
at it like I might on any given night watching NHL play, I'll gladly
trade an exciting fluid, up-tempo game for one filled with one-on-one
rock'em, sock'em robot battle after another at center ice.
Now, for the million-dollar question: how does the NHL find a way to
keep me, the borderline, casual fan in the fold for good? NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman would likely pay closer to a billion dollars
if someone could provide him with that winning formula because the
excitement generated by the USA-Canada Gold Medal game is something NHL
executives simply can't relate to. Never has a Stanley Cup Final game
created the stir and captivated a continent like Sunday afternoon's
matchup did. More than 80 percent of all Canadiens witnessed the game
and while the numbers weren't that high here in the U.S., they were
higher than the final game of last year's World Series and blew away
the yearly totals of the NBA Finals.
But where does the NHL go from here and how do they capitalize? If I
had the answer to that one I would have been on the phone with Bettman
before the last line of Oh Canada was sung. But one thing I do
know that would improve NHL popularity is creating a brand of hockey
similar to that played in the Olympics. Easier said than done I realize,
but much like when an NFL team enjoys success running out of the
Wildcat formation and the following week every team has copied it, why
not copy the format and style of play used in the Olympics and
implement it on a nightly basis in NHL play?
Here's some suggestions: Create rule changes that encourage more
offense and less stoppages in play. Retract several of the teams
struggling in the attendance department and improve the depth and
overall play of each of the remaining teams. Increase the rink size to
encourage more of an up-tempo, fast-paced game. They should also
consider a reduction in the pad size of the goalie equipment to
increase scoring.
But equally important in any NHL renovation would start and end in the
marketing department. Let's face it, there's something seriously wrong
with your sport when more people in the U.S. know who got the ring on
"The Bachelor" than what team Sid The Kid plays for. And the reason
behind the NHL's invisibility factor among most of us in America is
poor marketing. When was the last time you saw a Gatorade commercial
featuring either one of the game's top two players, Alex Ovechkin or
Sidney Crosby? The answer is the day before never. How many times have
you seen an NHL star strolling down the red carpet at some fancy
Hollywood event? Sitting next to Letterman? Guest starring on a sitcom?
I realize that to effectively market a person or sport you must create
a buzz and a demand. For the NHL to capitize on the new-found
popularity created by an exciting Olympic run, NHL stars need to be
marketed properly and marketed immediately while the iron is still hot.
If they don't react quickly enough they'll be forced to hope for
another epic battle that gets the flags waving again. And with the next
Winter Olympics being played in Russia, the odds of that type of stir
being recreated are as low as the temperatures there. C'mon NHL, strike while
the iron is hot and go out and spend some money making the changes
necessary to keep a fringe fan like me in the fold.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 3:45:25 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Monday, March 01, 2010
Beat the Blogger results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
In a week full of upsets it was Ethan Cahn who scored a 7 last week to Beat the Blogger's score of 5 and beat the field to win this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Last week's results are below.
This
week's
matchups and the Blogger picks will be posted soon so be sure you get your
picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I'm making a call to action to all of our regulars
to do some recruiting. While more people means more work for the
Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome the
challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I'll triple the weekly prize. So spread the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that goal and boost the prize.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
This week's winners are posted
below so check to see how you fared against the field.
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
Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 27-28
NCAA Basketball
Kansas at Oklahoma State (Oklahoma State)
Kentucky at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Villanova at Syracuse (Syracuse)
New Mexico at BYU (New Mexico)
North Carolina at Wake Forest (North Carolina)
Michigan State at Purdue (Michigan State)
NBA
Milwaukee at Miami (Milwaukee)
Houston at Utah (Utah)
Detroit at Golden State (Golden State)
Phoenix at San Antonio (San Antonio)
Tiebreaker: Total points in Phoenix/San Antonio game (223 )
Monday, March 01, 2010 3:33:44 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Beat the Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
For the second straight week congratulations go out to Michael Molinaro who scored a 10 last week to Beat the Blogger's to beat the field to win this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Last week's results are below.
This
week's
matchups and the Blogger picks are now posted below so make sure you get your
picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I'm making a call to action to all of our regulars
to do some recruiting. While more people means more work for the
Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome the
challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I'll triple the weekly prize. So spread the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that goal and boost the prize.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/
This week's winners are posted
below so check to see how you fared against the field.
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
Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 27-28
NCAA Basketball
Kansas at Oklahoma State (Kansas)
Kentucky at Tennessee (Kentucky)
Villanova at Syracuse (Syracuse)
New Mexico at BYU (New Mexico)
North Carolina at Wake Forest (Wake Forest)
Michigan State at Purdue (Michigan State)
NBA
Milwaukee at Miami (Milwaukee)
Houston at Utah (Houston)
Detroit at Golden State (Detroit)(Doubler)
Phoenix at San Antonio (San Antonio)
Tiebreaker: Total points in Phoenix/San Antonio game (205 )
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 8:46:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Don't count out LT just yet
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I've been waiting for almost a full decade to get him and this year is the year. I can feel it. And although he might be a shadow of his former self, I still think he's got a little somin, somin left in the tank and one lucky NFL team will be happy to get him as well.
The player I covet is LaDainian Tomlinson. I've always been a big fan, but only from a distance. And while it won't be necessary to spend the top  overall pick in my Fantasy Football Draft on him as has been the case for most of the last nine seasons, he will be taking up a roster spot on my squad come September.
After posting HOF-caliber production in eight of his nine seasons in the NFL, the San Diego Chargers officially severed ties with Tomlinson earlier this week, assuming Tomlinson's 3.3 yard average is an indication of things to come for the veteran back. While I don't see LT reverting back to MVP-level of play of the past, I'm not ready to toss him in the scrap heap where guys like Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James went to die after running all the tread off their respective tires.
From everything I've heard or read about the former TCU star, he's a hard-working, determined individual who would cherish a chance to flip off his former team and find a new home where he can recreate some of his old magic. One of those guys you never want to bet against, ya know? If you consider that it was just three seasons ago when LT was the NFL's best back, rushing for more than 1,800 yards and 28 touchdowns, you'd have to assume that LT still has more to offer. His numbers dropped off severely in 2010 when his attempts fell to 229 after averaging more than 300 in every season prior. Couple that with the fact that the Chargers offensive line woefully underachieved last season and his paltry 3.3 average and 730 rushing yards are far more understandable. Let's also not forget that since Phillip Rivers has emerged as a top-10 quarterback, the focus of the Chargers running game has gone from run-heavy to more of an afterthought.
I'm well aware that the number of carries and hits LT has endured over the past nine seasons will eventually catch up with him, I just don't see that time being right now. Not sure which team Tomlinson will end up with in 2010, but whoever signs him will likely get an instant upgrade in the backfield. As for me, I'll be the guy saying "remember how LT was always the automatic No. 1 pick" at my Fantasy Draft and following it up with "oh how the mighty have fallen, right?" Then I'll scoop him up with my 9th-round pick and giggle all the way to the league title with LT anchoring my squad just like I've always wanted.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 10:27:59 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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