Just for Kicks

The Yankees clinched the AL East and homefield advantage with a series-sweep over Boston over the weekend. Here was the NY Daily News backcover:


Can you imagine the photoshop work a Sox fan could do with that?

Shameless Self Plug

Our friends over at TV 40 (Dennis Casey & Co.) have a web poll on favorite radio show on their site.

If you like, you can vote by going there: TwoFatGuysWithNothingToDo.com. If you like my show, vote for me. But, if you like JMV, Dakich, or the two guys at 1070, then that's fine too.

This blog is a democracy, not a dictatorship.

Know the Enemy: Cardinals

Just minutes before after kick-off, it's another edition of Know the Enemy: Arizona Cardinals!

Disclaimer: some of the following is true, while the rest is completely and utterly false.

Matt Leinart
What you know about him: the former first round pick is considered to be a bust by many after losing his starting job to Kurt Warner a few years ago.
What you didn’t know about him: has a Super Bowl 43 commemorative beer bong.

Adrian Wilson
What you know about him: the Cardinals’ defensive captain is also the team’s emotional leader.
What you didn’t know about him: despite playing at the dangerous position of strong safety, he’s played in 90 games over the past six-plus seasons. If you divide that number in half, that’s how many games Bob Sanders has played during his five-year career.

Anquan Boldin
What you know about him: Larry Fitzgerald’s pouty sidekick still doesn’t have a new contract and yes, is still pouty about it.
What you didn’t know about him: set his family Christmas tree in on fire 20 years ago after not receiving a new Nintendo Power Glove from Santa.

Gabe Watson
What you know about him: the backup nose tackle was a two-time All-Big Ten selection while at Michigan.
What you didn’t know about him: as a 6’3, near 300-pound high school senior, Watson played both offensive and defensive tackle as well as kicker and punter for his Southfield High School team.

Larry Fitzgerald
What you know about him: considered by many to be the top receiver in the NFL, Fitzgerald graced the cover of NCAA Football ’05 after a successful career at Pitt.
What you didn’t know about him: his father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a sports writer in Minneapolis who covered the Super Bowl for the Spokesman-Recorder. The headline the following day read as follows: Larry Legend: Fitzgerald’s go-ahead touchdown sets stage for Steelers comeback win.

Kurt Warner
What you know about him: has taken two teams, St. Louis and Arizona, to three different Super Bowls, winning once (1999).
What you didn’t know about him: his wife Brenda is always the big spoon.

BREAKING: Michigan Fan Disproves Gravity!

If you didn't already know, Michigan clinched a thrilling 36-33 victory over Indiana with a highly-controversial interception call late in the fourth quarter. The call has been almost universally panned, however UM fans can't understand why.

One UM fan went as far as to use his cell phone to snap pics of the play frame-by-frame off of his television (I'm sure that would hold up in court). You can find the whole post here, but this part was my personal favorite:

"Clearly Warren has the football at the end of this" is the explanation under the frame.

"Clearly?" What is "clear" about that grainy, pathetic, Paris-Hilton-sex-tape quality cell phone picture? As you already know, in the case of a dual-possession the ball goes to the offense (i.e. tie goes to the receiver). Does Warren "clearly" have the ball in that picture? What about Belcher's right hand? That angle is terrible.

My gripe isn't necessarily with the replay - maybe it wasn't indisputable enough to overturn the ruling on the field. But, how could you possibly in real-time think that Warren intercepted that ball and that Belcher didn't have possession? The real blown call was the call on the field.

The real reason IU lost was their inability to get 7's instead of 3's in the Red Zone, but I would've liked to see what they could've done had they been given the proper opportunity.

On a Wing and a Prayer...

For this entire week, I've been referring to Indiana's upcoming matchup at Michigan as a "Clash of Conference Leaders!" just because given the state of IU football, it feels really good to say that. The Hoosiers may be an underwhelming 3-0 (wins over Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, and Akron), but just entering the Big Ten season unbeaten is a rarity for this program.

When spanning the long history of Indiana football, it's hard to find many post-Korean War wins of great magnitude, especially against powerhouse Michigan. IU hasn't won in Ann Arbor since 1967, and hasn't beaten the Wolverines anywhere since a 14-10 win in Bloomington during the 1987 season. That year is the only time in school history, that Indiana defeated both Michigan and Ohio State in the same season (hard to believe).

The opening line has the Hoosiers getting 21 points - if they're able to cover that, or even play Michigan within 10-14 points, then the trip will be a success. A win on Saturday is unecessary and frankly unrealisitc for this Indiana team, but they have a chance to prove that they're not a conference lightweight.

A close loss (moral victory?) to a ranked opponent on the road should give IU confidence going to hopeless Virginia, and then at home against Ohio State in the most critical three-game stretch of the entire season. If the Hoosiers can survive this stretch, even at 1-2 as long as they hang with Michigan and Ohio State, then their bowl hopes are more than just a pipe dream.

Know the Enemy: Dolphins

Just minutes before kick-off, it's our first edition of Know the Enemy: Miami Dolphins!

Disclaimer: some of the following is true, while the rest is completely and utterly false.

Chad Pennington
What you know about him: Chad finished 2nd in the MVP voting last season to Peyton Manning after leading Miami to a ten-win turnaround.
What you didn’t know about him: Chad sometimes dozes off in team meetings after staying up late at night play Hello Kitty Island Adventure on his PC.

Ricky Williams
What you did know about him: the former Texas star was spurned on Draft Day by Bill Polian, and taken behind Edgerrin James instead.
What you didn’t know about him: Ricky’s favorite activity besides football is smoking and watching Planet Earth in HD.

Yeremiah Bell
What you know about him: the Dolphins’ leading tackler in 2008, signed a four-year, $20 million extension over the summer
What you didn’t know about him: after not being landing a scholarship out of high school in Winchester, Kentucky, Yeremiah worked for $8 and hour in a Kentucky steel mill.

Tony Sparano
What you know about him: the only coach in NFL history to lead a one-win team to the playoffs the following year.
What you didn’t know about him: the similarities between himself and the fictional Tony Soprano are only in name, weight, and their shared love of sliced proscuitto.

Pat White
What you know about him: perhaps the future poster-child of the Wildcat offense, the gimmicky athlete is currently the #2 quarterback behind Chad Pennington.
What you didn’t know about him: has been drafted four times by Major League Baseball teams, including the Angels twice (2004, 2007), the Reds (2008), and the Yankees (2009).

Joey Porter
What you know about him: loud-mouth leader of Miami’s defense.
What you didn’t know about him: though most people may think he’s a jerk, Joey and his wife opened up a Day center for special needs children in California.

Ronnie Brown
What you know about him: the fifth-year running back is one-half of Miami’s two-headed rushing attack.
What you didn’t know about him: Ronnie Brown was the first person to draft Ronnie Brown in each of his four fantasy leagues.

The Gauntlet of Emotions...

Great: Indiana 38, Akron 21
After struggling to put away both Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan, the Hoosiers finally turned in a dominating performance. The three-headed rushing attack of Darius Willis, Trae Burgess, and Demetrius McCray was potent, and Ben Chappell was solid once again. Zips QB Chris Jacquemain was suspended for the game, but you can't blame that on Indiana. 3-0 starts in Bloomington are more rare than 40,000+ crowds.

At the very least, a bowl-berth for IU looks like more than just a pipe dream. If they can win at Virginia (who is 0-3 with a loss to William & Mary) in two weeks then two wins in Big Ten play is certainly feasible. Saturday's game at Michigan will tell us a lot about this team.

Uneasy: Notre Dame 33, Michigan State 30

It was a game that the Irish, and more specifically, Charlie Weis absolutely had to have. That being said, John Tenuta's blitz-happy scheme still isn't creating enough pressure, and the Spartans did what they pleased through the air (8.9 ypa). Jimmy Clausen (3oo yds, 2 TD) was terrific again, even though one of his favorite targets in Michael Floyd was lost for the season with a broken collarbone.

The game also included an atrocious incompletion call on what should've been a Floyd touchdown. He caught the pass in the end zone, came down with two feet, fell to the sideline, and when his back hit the ground, the ball came out. The second that he came down with possession and at least a foot down, that's six points. If the college replay officials can't get it right, then maybe there shouldn't be replay at all.

Nauseating: Northern Illinois 28, Purdue 21

After gushing about the Boilers' gutty performance at Oregon all week long, this loss didn't exactly make me look good. The Huskies dominated the time of possession, running 83 plays to Purdue's 56. They bottled up Ralph Bolden (only 16 touches), who entered the week leading the nation in rushing, and rattled off 280 yards of rushing offense. One of the main culprits was former North Central star Chad Spann, who finished with 80 yards and two scores. The game against Notre Dame Saturday at Ross-Ade is a must-win if Purdue wants to get themselves into bowl contention.