Saturday, September 12, 2009

Sporting Rants and Raves: September 12, 2009

Happy 29th birthday to Mr. Yao Ming, the 7'6" center for the Houston Rockets. Yao surprised many by holding his own in the NBA, but his injuries have prevented him from becoming the player many thought he would be. Still, Yao has appeared in the All-Star game in all of his 7 seasons and has been named to the All-NBA team five times.

Trivia of the Week
Yao Ming is from the largest city in China. Name that city. Extra credit: Yao first played professional basketball in China with this team. He later bought the team on 7/16/2009.

Answers to September 5's Trivia of the Week
The old man did the honors. And so, I list his response:
Ralph Terry on a 1-0 pitch bottom of 9th no outs score tied 9-9. Johnny blanchard catching. Jim Coates gave up 2 run homer in first game. I cried for one week. Still brings a tear to my eye.

Jeter tops Gehrig, sets Yankees hit record
Congratulations to Mr. Derek Jeter for his remarkable feat of having the most hits of all time for the New York Yankees. The fact that some of the greatest have played for this storied franchise makes it all the more outstanding. Interesting that Mr. Jeter accomplished the feat on the 8th anniversary of one of the worst days in American history...

Air Jordan reaches new heights with place in Hall
I transition from the class of Jeter to the arrogance of Jordan. What was the deal with the slights? Greatest basketball player of all time? Yeah, sure. But so what? Sports got him popularity, not friends. Sports got him money, not passage into heaven. He's proven himself to be a ridiculous has-been. Well, Mr. Jordan, thank you and good night.

ESPN's Dick Vitale to help pay for funeral of slain Florida high school cheerleader Jasmine Thompson
Here's an interesting story. You all know Dick Vitale, that somewhat annoying commentator who adds 'baby' to the end of every sentence he speaks? Well, he may be annoying, but he's also a good soul. At least by his recent actions. You see, on 9/4/09 Ms. Thompson was sitting in the back of a car waiting to pick up a friend. No drugs, no alcohol. Just sitting there. An 18-year old guy approached the car and solicited the girls for sex. They said no. So, he turned to walked away. He turned again, pulled a gun, fired four shots, and killed Ms. Thompson. To make matters worse, Ms. Thompson's mother had recently lost her job and thus could not afford a funeral. Thank you, Mr. Dick Vitale, for your compassion.

TD's NFL Picks - Week 1
And so it begins. I suppose I should say, and so it has begun. Which is my first point. I didn't make the choice for Thursday night. At least not on the blog. But I did make the choice and I even wrote it down. Well, typed it down. And you'll find out who I chose below...

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh
I feel comfortable with taking credit for this game only because I recently wrote in this blog that I think Pittsburgh is going back to the Super Bowl. TD chose: Pittsburgh Steelers

Miami @ Atlanta
Good game. I like Atlanta's offense, especially with the addition of Gonzalez. Yes, I know Ryan may hit a sophomore slump. Maybe. Miami? Good team. Clearly a team that has to be beaten because they won't generally beat themselves. Still... TD chooses: Atlanta Falcons

Kansas City @ Baltimore
Cassel a maybe? LJ hasn't been running well of late? AFC West is generally terrible? TD chooses: Baltimore Ravens

Philadelphia @ Carolina
I've actually chosen Carolina to barely edge out the Falcons for the NFC South championship. I also chose the Eagles to win the NFC East. People think I'm crazy on both accounts. I suppose I'll see in this game. I think it's going to be a good one. I give the edge to: Philadelphia Eagles

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
I don't think Indy is going to be as good this year. I just think they're getting a tad bit old. Peyton will still win a few games on his own, but... On the other hand, Jacksonville has a long way to go. A better receiving corp, sure. And a good running back. But the defense? The O-Line? I dunno. I had a tough choice here. TD chooses: Jacksonville Jaguars

Dallas @ Tampa
I want to choose against Dallas. But Tampa's just too green. And Leftwich is too stationary. TD chooses: Dallas Cowboys

Detroit @ New Orleans
Detroit has a great preseason. And I've no doubt they'll do better than last year. But they're not quite there yet. TD chooses: New Orleans Saints

New York Jets @ Houston
I have chosen Houston as one of the AFC Wild Cards. Yes, I understand that Sanchez is the second coming. Yes, I know the Jets have Jones and Washington. And yes, I know that Schaub is playing somewhat hurt. Still, TD chooses: Houston Texans

Minnesota @ Cleveland
The Favre experiment begins. And not much to worry about here. I don't think Quinn is ready to lead this team to anything... yet. TD chooses: Minnesota Vikings

Denver @ Cincinnati
Teams with drama at their core don't generally win very often. Just ask Cincinnati about the past few years. And just watch Denver go down in flames this year. TD chooses: Cincinnati Bengals

San Francisco @ Arizona
There are a lot of questions in this game. The Madden curse. Whether Warner can keep the same form. Whether Singletary has the defense hopping. Whether there's actually a QB in San Fran. I think San Fran falters because of their offense - or the lack thereof. TD chooses: Arizona Cardinals

Washington @ New York Football Giants
Washington, I think, is much improved. They're actually building. And the addition of Haynesworth is significant. Eli better watch it. Still, the Giants have the better running game. And a better D. TD chooses: New York Football Giants

St. Louis @ Seattle
I have St. Louis going 0-16 this year. I also say their defense scores more than their offense. That said, TD chooses: Seattle Seahawks

Chicago @ Green Bay
Great game. Looking forward to it. Smash mouth stuff. Rodgers is gonna unload. Forte's gonna blast through the line. The defenses are going to punish the offenses. Still, someone has to win. Well, not technically. Just ask Donovan. TD chooses: Chicago Bears

Buffalo @ New England
Are you ready for some Monday Night Football? T.O. v Randy. The return of Tom the great. 50th anniversary of the AFL. The teams will be wearing their old unis. The Pats never really won in their old unis. Except in '85. But they got murdered in the Super Bowl. Eh, the Bills don't have the fire power to win. TD chooses: New England Patriots

San Diego @ Oakland
And then there's always the second Monday night game. Why does it include Oakland? I mean, c'mon. Then again, they always try to put a west coast game for the second one on Monday night. And three of the four AFC West teams promise to be pretty bad. That said, there's one good one. TD chooses: San Diego Chargers

There ya have it. Let the games begin. Until next I write, happy sporting...

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