Saturday, December 12, 2009

Sporting Rants & Raves: December 12, 2009

Happy 42nd Birthday to Mr. John Randle formerly of the Minnesota Vikings. A terror on the defensive side of the ball, Randle was a dominant defensive tackle during his tenure in Minnesota.

Trivia of the Week
For which team did Randle play after leaving Minnesota until his retirement in 2003. Extra Credit: With 137.5 all-time sacks, Randle is tied with this MVP of Super Bowl XX.

Answers to December 5's Trivia of the Week
Art Monk was inducted into the HOF in 2008. Can you name at least 2 other members of that class? Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Emmitt Thomas, Andre Tippett, Gary Zimmerman
Extra Credit: Art Monk is a distant relative of this jazz musician. Thelonius Monk

Ingram delivers Alabama its first Heisman
I found it a bit hard to believe that Alabama has never given the world a Heisman Trophy winner... until now. Congratulations to Mark Ingram, Jr. for an outstanding sophomore year.

Ramifications for Woods and his sport unfolding
PGA and Gillette marketing people cringe at the headline. No more Tiger for now. What will it do to the sport? NOTHING! Because golf existed prior to Tiger, and golf will continue long after. As for the poor marketers, I'm certain they'll find someone else to exploit. And Tiger? Well, I hope Tiger figures out what he wants; otherwise, we may see one of the greatest wastes of talent in history...

Everywhere Brian Kelly slept, Notre Dame was his dream
Rather than wax poetic about this choice, I will pull a quotation spoken by Brian Kelly's college football coach in a recent article: "When Brian left [Assumption College], there were basically three things I thought he would do," [Bernie] Gaughan said. "One would be president of the United States. One would be the pope. The third would be Notre Dame's coach. The other two jobs were full."

Navy wins 8th straight over Army, 17-3
The streak and the score speak for itself. The midshipmen have bragging rights for yet another year...

TD's NFL Picks - Week 14
Well, Cleveland surprised the hell out of me. Or maybe they didn't. It was actually Pittsburgh that surprised me. I haven't seen them play that badly in a long time. Anyway, I've decided to add another dimension to my picks this week as a result of that Thursday night game. Why, you ask? Because before the season began, I chose every game. And in August, I chose Cleveland to beat Pittsburgh. So, I shall be including not only my official choice but also the choice I made 4 months ago...

New Orleans @ Atlanta
Not many more challenges for New Orleans. There's Atlanta this week and Dallas next. I don't think either have what it takes to get the job done. August choice: Atlanta Falcons. Present choice: New Orleans Saints.

Detroit @ Baltimore
I keep saying that I believe Detroit is heading in the right direction. But they don't yet have what it takes. August choice: Baltimore Ravens. Present choice: Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay @ Chicago
Classic Norse Division matchup. Chicago plays for their last shred of hope for the playoffs. Green Bay plays to widen their wild card lead. August choice: Chicago Bears. Present choice: Green Bay Packers

Seattle @ Houston
This game sees the only game this week pitting 2 teams with the same record (5-7) against each other. Not a banner year for either team. And I think Seattle's the weaker based on division. August choice: Houston Texans. Present choice: Houston Texans

Denver @ Indianapolis
The Colts still have home field to clinch. But this game is obviously more important for the Broncos to keep pace. Still, it's Peyton. August choice: Indianapolis Colts. Present choice: Indianapolis Colts

Miami @ Jacksonville
Another Florida battle between 2 teams who still have that chance to get into the playoffs. Both need this game. But who will want it more? August choice: Jacksonville Jaguars. Present choice: Jacksonville Jaguars

Buffalo @ Kansas City
A bit of a yawner. KC shows flashes of talent but not enough for me to side with them just yet. August choice: Kansas City Chiefs. Present choice: Buffalo Bills.

Cincinnati @ Minnesota
A better game than I thought it would be earlier in the year. And this one is climate controlled, which benefits Favre. August choice: Cincinnati Bengals. Present choice: Minnesota Vikings

Carolina @ New England
New England certainly isn't the powerhouse it was. But do not underestimate them. They still have some doozies left in them. Perhaps even in this year's playoffs. August choice: New England Patriots. Present choice: New England Patriots.

New York Jets @ Tampa Bay
Not a real interesting game here. The Jets aren't quite yet playing for pride, though I think they will be soon. As for Tampa, well they're getting a new QB ready. August choice: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Present choice: New York Jets

St. Louis @ Tennessee
Does St. Louis have a plan for the future? Any plan? Maybe move back to Los Angeles. Or even back to Cleveland. Oh well. August choice: Tennessee Titans. Present choice: Tennessee Titans

Washington @ Oakland
This game does not appeal to me at all. Maybe it's because both teams have a disappointing inability to build a good team. August choice: Washington Redskins. Present choice: Oakland Raiders.

San Diego @ Dallas
Dallas has the most unfortunate last 4 games in the league, at least in my humble opinion. San Diego, New Orleans, Washington, Philadelphia. And San Diego is very dangerous. August choice: Dallas Cowboys. Present choice: San Diego Chargers

Philadelphia @ New York Giants
Last week, I said Philly would win the NFC East. And this week, they can take one more step to making that a reality. I know the Jints played a good game against the Cowboys last week, but I am still afraid they haven't fixed what's broken. August choice: Philadelphia Eagles. Present choice: Philadelphia Eagles

Arizona @ San Francisco
Arizona is looking good. They dismantled the Vikings last week. San Francisco, meanwhile, got beat by the Seachickens. Not so inspiring. August choice: Arizona Cardinals. Present choice: Arizona Cardinals

There you have it sports fans. And not, it is far too late for me to be up any longer. Until next I write, happy sporting...

No comments: