Saturday, September 26, 2009

Sporting Rants and Raves: September 26, 2009

Happy 28th Birthday to Ms. Serena Williams, an incredible tennis player who, with her sister Venus, has dominated the world stage for the past decade. The reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon singles champion, Serena has won 23 Grand Slam titles.

Trivia of the Week
Serena and Venus own part of this NFL franchise. Extra Credit: In which year did Serena turn pro?

Answers to September 19's Trivia of the Week
Abbott played for 4 teams in his major league career; name them.
California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
Extra credit: Abbott pitched a no-hitter on September 4, 1993. For which team did he play? New York Yankees Against which team did he pitch? Cleveland Indians

Mora says Hasselbeck likely out for Seahawks
I'm a fan of Matt Hasselbeck. Maybe he's not been the greatest QB of all time, but he has heart and skill. Still, at 34 and as injury prone as he's been, I wonder if he's coming to the end of the line as the QB for the Seahawks. If he is, Seneca Wallace is NOT the answer. Time to start planning for the future...

Yankees, Rodriguez bruise Lester and Red Sox
The magic number's down to 3. So who do you think it's going to be? Detroit or Minnesota against the Yanks? The way both are playing, I'm not altogether concerned. Then again, I've seen teams with their adrenaline pumping once they actually get to the playoffs.

Wayne Gretzky resigns as Coyotes coach
The Great One on the ice wasn't so great on the sidelines. Neither was the great one in baseball (Babe Ruth). Nor the great one in basketball (Michael Jordan). It has always amazed me that people with such talent do not show similar talent as coaches. But having recently become a manager, I come to understand the phenomenon better. Great ones have talent. Statement of the obvious, I know. And usually these great ones don't need to concentrate on working as hard as those who don't have as much talent. (Please note that this is all relative.) So those who are considered to be the best of all time usually have a natural inclination to that thing they do so well. As I've noticed, those with such natural inclination have a VERY difficult time explaining that inclination to others. I just know when to go in front of the net. I just know where I'm going to hit the ball as soon as it's released from the pitcher's hands. I just know when to set the pick. And 'just know' doesn't help the students of the game. Teaching does. It's rare to find that great one who can teach...

TD's NFL Picks - Week 3
In the interests of time - I still have to do work and study before going out this evening - I shall keep this brief:

Green Bay @ St. Louis
Green Bay hasn't shown me much. I know because I have Aaron Rodgers as a QB in Fantasy Football. But it's St. Louis. So, TD chooses: Green Bay Packers

Kansas City @ Philadelphia
Weird game. With McNabb out and Westbrook questionable. And with the Kolb, Vick thing happening Kansas City could come out and surprise them. Still, it's Philly and the Iggles just seem to have a better team. TD chooses: Philadelphia Eagles

Atlanta @ New England
Wow. Could Brady be on the verge of losing his second straight game? Against the high flying Falcons it's certainly possible, especially given the fact that Moss and Welker are questionable. In New England though? Against an angry Brady? Yes. TD chooses: Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland @ Baltimore
Practical jokes in the Cleveland locker room that lead to fights. Odd. Ray Lewis smacking down, Darren Sproles. Not so odd. TD chooses: Baltimore Ravens

Washington @ Detroit
Detroit will win one of these days. I'm just not sure when. And being somewhat risk averse, I'm not confident in saying that this is the week even though Washington beat St. Louis by a ridiculous 2 points last week and didn't even score a TD. TD still chooses: Washington Redskins

Jacksonville @ Houston
Jacksonville's at 0-2. They're being blacked out at home. I have a friend originally from Jacksonville - who now lives in Seattle - that told me he was texting his friends in Jacksonville about the game since they couldn't see it on TV. Oh, and Houston doesn't look bad. TD chooses: Houston Texans

San Francisco @ Minnesota
San Fran at the top of the NFC West. Okay, I'll believe that. San Fran has a good QB. Yeah, jury's still out on that one. Minnesota, meanwhile, looks pretty solid. Even with Favre. TD chooses: Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee @ New York Jets
Here's the game I can't decide. Tennessee loses to Pittsburgh, barely. And then they lose to Houston by 3. New York beats Houston and New England. According to record, the Jets win. But not so fast. Tennessee is a good team. And they're hungry for a win. And they have a D the likes of which Sanchez has not yet seen. I will, for 1 final week, go against the Jets. But if they win this week, I can't really do that anymore. TD chooses: Tennessee Titans

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
The Bagels are coming around little by little. But a win against Green Bay doesn't convince me. Although Pittsburgh's loss to Chicago surprised me quite a bit. Nevertheless, TD chooses: Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Football Giants @ Tampa Bay
Tampa's building. The Giants are peaking. Everything points to a G-Men win. TD chooses: New York Football Giants

Chicago @ Seattle
If Hasselbeck were healthy, I might have called this game differently. Especially if I had any indication that Cutler might be inconsistent. As it stands, I don't believe Wallace can get the job done and Cutler was impressive last week. TD chooses: Chicago Bears

New Orleans @ Buffalo
Before the season began, I had a tough time choosing this game, but not for the reasons that I now similarly have a difficult time choosing. Buffalo has shown themselves to be contenders. A good team, still getting there. New Orleans has the offensive weapons. And suddenly, the defense is stepping up. So, who will win? TD chooses: New Orleans Saints

Denver @ Oakland
I expected both teams to be bad this year. And I expected this to be similar to a St. Louis v Detroit game. As it turns out, it's a better game than expected. Denver has won 2. How? Ohio, that's how. The Bagels make an infinitely stupid mistake. And then there's the Browns. Well, as I said last week, Oakland showed me something in going back to the basics. I believe in that theory. TD chooses: Oakland Raiders

Miami @ San Diego
Boy, did Miami come prepared last week. And boy did they lose. Last week, I did not do well predicting games, but I did say, 'I said at the beginning of this season that Peyton would win a couple games single-handedly this season. I'll say this is one of them.' I think Manning won this one single-handedly. Can Miami duplicate the feat? And does San Diego have what it takes to shut them down? I say Miami plans well again. For Rivers and Sproles. TD chooses: Miami Dolphins

Indianapolis @ Arizona
As we saw last week, Indy does well on the national stage. But Warner ain't no slouch. I'd call for this to be a shoot-out, but Indy has a good pass D. And Arizona's D isn't looking too shabby. I think Warner and his receiving corp turn this on. And Manning doesn't come back to save the day. TD chooses: Arizona Cardinals

Carolina @ Dallas
You better believe Dallas is not happy about losing the opener in the 'Palace'. And Carolina just hasn't looked that good. TD chooses: Dallas Cowboys

There ya have it. Until next I write, happy sporting...

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