Bored

Might as well post this today with the t.v. schedule for the week since there are no national games today. Majority of the country starts up conference play this week. TV Schedule for the Week of 12/31 - 1/6 TUESDAY Cincinnati at Louisville, 2:30 PM/11:30 AM, ESPN WEDNESDAY Rutgers at South Florida, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 Kent State at #1 North Carolina, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN Penn State at Northwestern, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 THURSDAY West Virginia at Notre Dame, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 Ohio State at Illinois, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN #17 Villanova at DePaul, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 #5 UCLA at #24 Stanford, 10:30/7:30 PM, FSN SATURDAY #3 Kansas at Boston College, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN Michigan at Purdue, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Oregon at #21 Arizona, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, FSN Louisville at Kentucky, 4:00/1:00 PM, CBS Oregon State at Arizona State, 4:00/1:00 PM, FSN #5 UCLA at California, 6:00/3:00 PM, FSN Connecticut at Notre Dame, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN SUNDAY Cornell at #9 Duke, 5:30/2:30 PM, FSN #1 North Carolina at #19 Clemson, 7:30/4:30 PM, FSN

Kansas State is about to hand Kansas their first loss of the year.

I seriously doubt it would get more viewers as it will get just get swallowed up in the pre-Super Bowl hype. Also logistically it wouldn't work as for one obviously none of the players who are in the Super Bowl would play and you'd likely have to change the way the coaching staffs are picked as I seriously doubt any coaches from the conference title game losers would want to turn around and coach another game a week later. In light of the hell freezing over return of Chris Webber to Golden State, is there one active, former player from your favorite team who you would never welcome back?

I see Chris Leak didn't get drafted until the 6th round. Ouch. Draft Results Fun to pick out random names from the past like Tee Martin, Chris Doering, and Kliff Kingsbury but I'll be damned if I recognize even 2% of these players. This league has no chance. And now I see Peter Warrick, picked in the 7th Round!

Chris Webber back in a Warriors uniform and being coached by Don Nelson are a couple of things I never thought I'd ever see again. Their feud in '94 sent this franchise into a tailspin that it didn't get out of until last season and now they're reunited. Hopefully it doesn't send the season into a tailspin.

It's time for the Tecmo Super Bowl, uh Super Bowl, extravaganza! Here's recap of the playoffs. San Francisco 49ers Regular Season Results (13-3) 1: L – Giants 21-24 OT 2: W – Chargers 34-14 3: L – Vikings 24-27 OT 4: W – Rams 35-21 5: L – Raiders 14-21 6: Bye 7: W – Falcons 31-14 8: W – Lions 28-3 9: W – Eagles 27-9 10: W – Falcons 24-17 11: W – Saints 35-24 12: W – Cardinals 21-10 13: W – Rams 35-34 14: W – Saints 21-20 15: W – Seahawks 31-21 16: W – Chiefs 28-17 17: W – Bears 21-10 Offense Rankings Total: 2nd Pass: 2nd Rush: 23rd Defense Rankings Total: 9th Pass: 18th Rush: 3rd Offense QB: Joe Montana - 150/222, 3810 Yards, 41 TD, 12 Int RB: Roger Craig - 68 Att, 540 Yards, 2 TD RB: Tom Rathman - 114 Att, 726 Yards, 16 TD WR: John Taylor – 22 Rec, 510 Yards, 8 TD WR: Jerry Rice - 75 Rec, 1955 Yards, 21 TD TE: Brent Jones – 15 Rec, 365 Yards, 2 TD C: Jess Sapolu LG: Guy McIntyre RG: Harris Barton LT: Bubba Parris RT: Steve Wallace Reserves QB: Steve Young RB: Dexter Carter, Harry Sydney WR: Mike Wilson, Mike Sherrard TE: Jamie Williams Special Teams K: Mike Cofer – 58/59 XP, 6/10 FG P: Barry Helton – 11 Punts, 43.1 Avg Defense RE: Kevin Fagan – 15 Sacks NT: Michael Carter – 2 Sacks LE: Pierce Holt – 7 Sacks ROLB: Bill Romanowski – 1 Sack RILB: Keith Delong LILB: Matt Millen – 1 Sack LOLB: Charles Haley – 13 Sacks RCB: Don Griffin – 2 Int LCB: Darryl Pollard FS: Ronnie Lott – 6 Int SS: Dave Waymer – 8 Int Houston Oilers Regular Season Results (10-6) 1: L – Raiders 21-30 2: W – Bengals 23-21 3: W – Chiefs 21-17 4: L – Patriots 17-35 5: Bye 6: W – Broncos 10-7 7: W – Jets 30-24 OT 8: W – Dolphins 35-14 9: W – Bengals 44-24 10: L – Redskins 24-27 OT 11: W – Cowboys 21-10 12: L – Browns 21-24 13: L – Steelers 20-28 14: W – Eagles 31-28 OT 15: W- Steelers 21-9 16: L – Browns 21-30 17: W – Giants 30-24 OT Offense Rankings Total: 3rd Pass: 1st Rush: 26th Defense Rankings Total: 19th Pass: 24th Rush: 15th Offense QB: Warren Moon – 153/226, 3959 Yards, 38 TD, 20 Int RB: Lorenzo White – 86 Att, 620 Yards, 6 TD WR: Ernest Givins – 45 Rec, 1191 Yards, 13 TD WR: Haywood Jeffries – 32 Rec, 838 Yards, 7 TD WR: Drew Hill – 31 Rec, 701 Yars, 9 TD WR: Curtis Duncan – 43 Rec, 1176 Yards, 9 TD C: Jay Pennison LG: Mike Munchak RG: Bruce Matthews LT: Don Maggs RT: Dean Steinkuhler Reserves QB: Cody Carlson RB: Allen Pinkett, Victor Jones, Doug Lloyd WR: Tony Jones, Gerald McNeil Special Teams K: Tony Zendejas – 48/50 XP, 10/13 FG P: Greg Montgomery – 6 Punts, 47.3 Avg Defense RE: Sean Jones – 11 Sacks NT: Doug Smith – 3 Sacks LE: William Fuller – 11 Sacks ROLB: Johnny Meads – 2 Sacks RILB: Al Smith LILB: John Grimsley – 2 Sacks LOLB: Ray Childress – 12 Sacks RCB: Richard Johnson – 4 Int LCB: Chris Dishman – 3 Int FS: Terry Kinard – 1 Int SS: Bubba McDowell – 2 Int Super Bowl XXVI: San Francisco 49ers vs. Houston Oilers 1st Quarter 49ers won the coin toss but would turn it over immediately as Dexter Carter fumbled the opening kickoff as the Oilers recovered on the 49ers 30 yard line. They couldn't move the ball at all though and settled for a Tony Zendejas 45 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. 49ers moved the ball into the Oilers territory on their first possession but Mike Cofer missed a 53 yard field goal. Warren Moon would hit Ernest Givins on a 46 yard catch and run on the next play which would eventually lead to another Zendejas field goal. Houston 6, San Francisco 0 2nd Quarter Mike Cofer missed another long field goal, this time 59 yards, and the Oilers looked to turn this into a rout early as they march down the field and Warren Moon takes it in himself from the 1 for a 13-0 lead. 49ers finally answered though with a quick drive that ended with a Tom Rathman 15 yard touchdown run. On the ensuing kick off Gerald McNeil is tackled in the endzone for a touchback...no wait it's Tecmo Rules so it's a safety! 49ers get the ball back and pull within a point on a Cofer field goal near the end of the half. Houston 13, San Francisco 12 Halftime Best. Halftime Show. Ever. 3rd Quarter Oilers offense scuffles in the quarter as they fail to pick up a first down. After a long run by Rathman, Jerry Rice begins to make his presence felt as he catches 19 yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana to give the 49ers their first lead of the game. San Francisco 19, Houston 13 4th Quarter Oilers retake the lead on their next possession in part to a 29 yard Moon run and then Hill makes a leaping 39 yard touchdown grab. It's the 4th quarter though, and it's the Super Bowl, so you knew Montana would march the 49ers right back and it wasn't without drama. Oilers stuff Rathman on 3rd and Goal at the 1 but on the 4th and Goal Rathman scores the go ahead touchdown. Oilers still had enough time to comeback but they would lose 18 yards on three plays and then on 4th and 28 the great Tecmo computer logic shows up as they run the ball. It did catch the 49ers off guard as Lorenzo White rumbled for 13 yards but well short of the first down. As the 49ers tried to run out the clock Rathman fumbled on the Oilers 30 but it went out of bounds. The next play Rathman would take it the distance for his third touchdown of the game, wrapping up the Super Bowl MVP honors and a third Super Bowl title in four years for the 49ers. The 49ers ended the season on a 14 game winning streak.

Yes, touchbacks were added on the 16-bit version that came out in '93. Aww at least the Oilers didn't blow it against the Bills this time around.

By matter of attrition Stanford jumped to #14 to both polls this week and that officially makes them overrated. They have no non-conference or road wins against anyone currently in the RPI Top 50 and with a home win against Arizona being their only win against the RPI Top 25. I much preferred them being on the outer edges of the Top 25 where they've been most of the year but enough teams in front of them have been losing the last couple of weeks. They can justify their ranking if they sweep the Washington schools on the road but I'll be happy with a split.

TV Schedule for the Week of 1/28 - 2/3 Arizona/UCLA on Saturday will be the first Pac-10 conference game on ESPN since 1995. MONDAY Louisville at Connecticut, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN Cal-Poly at Pacific, 11:00/8:00 PM, ESPN2 TUESDAY Ohio State at Penn State, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN VCU at George Mason, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 #7 Tennessee at Alabama, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN WEDNESDAY Virginia at Maryland, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Cincinnati at West Virginia, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 #10 Texas at #23 Texas A&M, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN THURSDAY Boston College at #4 North Carolina, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Providence at Notre Dame, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 #11 Indiana at #13 Wisconsin, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN N.C. State at #3 Duke, 10:00/7:00 PM, ESPN2 Arizona at USC, 10:30/7:30 PM, FSN SATURDAY Syracuse at Villanova, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN Maryland at Georgia Tech, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN2 #18 Pittsburgh at Connecticut, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, CBS* Kentucky at Georgia, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, CBS* Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Rider at Siena, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN2 #14 Stanford at #9 Washington State, 3:00 PM/Noon, FSN #2 Kansas at Colorado, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC* Miami at #3 Duke, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC* South Alabama at Louisana-Monroe, 4:00/1:00 PM, ESPN2 Arizona at #5 UCLA, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN SUNDAY #4 North Carolina at Florida State, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, FSN

Not too often you get legitimately surprised by a result in wrestling anymore but that was a complete shock. Two years in a row for #30 winning so next year they can play up that angle of getting the #30 spot as important again.

I had to housesit for my parents this week and they left this book for me, and yes it's pretty awful. The greatest thing about it is the foreword is done by Bill Madden of all people who immediately goes on a rant about "stat geeks": And it's all downhill from there, although I agree baseball's offseason would more entertaining if we had more GMs making trades while their drunk. What's also great is when it came to ranking his Top 10 players by position the author incorporated MVP Shares which immediately eliminates any objectivity in the results. It seemed to me he probably didn't like the original results his formula produced so he felt he needed a subjective measure to throw in there to make them look better to his own pre-conceived notions. He also thinks Jim Rice was better than Joe Jackson and Tim Raines.

Everyone knows Australians can only be killed by stingrays.

Coming from somebody who takes Tylenol PM on an almost daily basis for four years now there's nothing harmful with a normal dosage of any type of sleep aid. Now watch me die in my sleep tonight...

QFT ESPN's going to be unwatchable for the next 2 weeks. I don't think there's a single media outlet that is watchable during the seemingly endless pre-Super Bowl coverage. If your favorite team isn't in it, all of it is to be avoided.

I'd have to say the last time the Giants were the Super Bowl would be the worst ever in my opinion. At least with some of the other blowouts there was some historical significance to the games.

Mayo is definitely not NBA ready but there's still no chance he sticks around for a second year. TV Schedule for the Week of 1/21 - 1/27 MONDAY Syracuse at #9 Georgetown, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN #12 Texas at Oklahoma State, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN San Francisco at Gonzaga, 11:59/8:59 PM, ESPN TUESDAY Michigan at #11 Wisconsin, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN #3 Tennessee at Kentucky, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN WEDNESDAY Iowa State at #2 Kansas, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Georgia Tech at N.C. State, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 THURSDAY #4 Duke at Virginia Tech, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN Seton Hall at Providence, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2 #10 Michigan State at Northwestern, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 #8 UCLA at Oregon, 10:30/7:30 PM, FSN SATURDAY Gonzaga at #1 Memphis, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN Connecticut at #7 Indiana, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, CBS #18 Texas A&M at Oklahoma State, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN Southeast Missouri State at Murray State, 3:00 PM/Noon, ESPN2 Washington at Arizona, 3:00 PM/Noon, FSN #11 Wisconsin at Purdue, 4:00 PM/1:00 PM, ESPN UNLV at San Diego State, 4:00/1:00 PM, Versus Utah State at New Mexico State, 6:00/3:00 PM, ESPN2 #9 Georgetown at West Virginia, 7:00/4:00, ESPN Creighton at Southern Illinois, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2 USC at Oregon, 9:00/6:00 PM, FSN SUNDAY Michigan at #10 Michigan State, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, CBS Georgia Tech at Virginia, 4:30/1:30 PM, FSN #4 Duke at Maryland, 6:30/3:30 PM, FSN

Hey how about that, they had a back up plan for once.

Now that was something. I really didn't want either team to win but I suppose this is better than the MSM Quarterback Wet Dream Bowl. For the love of God, let them go to the locker room to celebrate and not to do the on the field trophy presentation nonsense. Never understand why they do this when the road team wins.

Going into the final week of the regular season it seemed the majority of us were excited about the possibility of a fresh MNC match-up of West Virginia vs. Missouri that would a program defining game for both teams. Well it didn't quite workout that way and we ended up with two traditional powers who pretty much backed their way into it. That being said after the lackluster slate of BCS games to this point I'm convinced this will end up being an instant classic that Ohio State eeks out (just like the 2003 Fiesta Bowl) and then everyone can say "Hey the BCS works!" The game does have potential historical significance as if LSU wins they would become the first two loss MNC since 1960 (Minnesota) and the first ever two loss, post-bowl MNC. Personally I think that would be a good thing as I think one of the reasons some are squeamish about the idea of a true playoff system is that two or three loss teams would have a shot at winning it. MONDAY BCS Championship Game: #2 LSU vs. #1 Ohio State, 8:00/5:00 PM, Fox LSU Bowl History (19-18-1) 1/1/36 Sugar: TCU 3, LSU 2 1/1/37 Sugar: #6 Santa Clara 21, #2 LSU 14 1/1/38 Sugar: #9 Santa Clara 6, #8 LSU 0 1/1/44 Orange: LSU 19, Texas A&M 14 1/1/47 Cotton: #8 LSU 0, #16 Arkansas 0 tie 1/2/50 Sugar: #2 Oklahoma 35, #9 LSU 0 1/1/59 Sugar: #1 LSU 7, #12 Clemson 0 1/1/62 Orange: #4 LSU 25, #7 Colorado 7 1/1/63 Cotton: #7 LSU 13, #4 Texas 0 12/21/63 Bluebonnet: Baylor 14, LSU 7 1/1/65 Sugar: #7 LSU 13, Syracuse 10 1/1/66 Cotton: LSU 14, #2 Arkansas 7 1/1/68 Sugar: LSU 20, #6 Wyoming 13 12/30/68 Peach: LSU 31, #19 Florida State 27 1/1/71 Orange: #3 Nebraska 17, #5 LSU 12 12/18/71 Sun: #11 LSU 33, Iowa State 15 12/30/72 Bluebonnet: #11 Tennessee 24, #10 LSU 17 1/1/74 Sugar: #6 Penn State 16, #13 LSU 9 12/31/77 Sun: Stanford 24, LSU 14 12/23/78 Liberty: #18 Missouri 20, LSU 15 12/22/79 Tangerine: LSU 34, Wake Forest 10 1/1/83 Orange: #3 Nebraska 21, #13 LSU 20 1/1/85 Sugar: #5 Nebraska 28, #11 LSU 10 12/27/85 Liberty: Baylor 21, #12 LSU 7 1/1/87 Sugar: #6 Nebraska 30, #5 LSU 15 1/2/89 Hall of Fame: #17 Syracuse 23, #16 LSU 10 12/29/95 Independence: LSU 45, Michigan State 26 12/28/96 Peach: #17 LSU 10, Clemson 7 12/28/97 Independence: #15 LSU 27, Notre Dame 9 12/29/00 Peach: LSU 28, #13 Georgia Tech 14 1/1/02 Sugar: #13 LSU 47, #8 Illinois 34 1/1/03 Cotton: #10 Texas 35, LSU 20 1/4/04 Sugar: #2 LSU 21, #1 Oklahoma 14 1/1/05 Capital One: #12 Iowa 30, #11 LSU 25 12/30/05 Peach: #12 LSU 40, #8 Miami 3 1/3/07 Sugar: #4 LSU 41, #11 Notre Dame 14 Ohio State Bowl History (18-20) 1/1/21 Rose: California 28, Ohio State 0 1/2/50 Rose: #6 Ohio State 17, #2 California 14 1/1/55 Rose: #1 Ohio State 20, #17 USC 7 1/1/58 Rose: #2 Ohio State 10, Oregon 7 1/1/69 Rose: #1 Ohio State 27, #2 USC 16 1/1/71 Rose: #12 Stanford 27, #2 Ohio State 17 1/1/73 Rose: #1 USC 42, #3 Ohio State 17 1/1/74 Rose: #4 Ohio State 42, #7 USC 21 1/1/75 Rose: #5 USC 18, #3 Ohio State 17 1/1/76 Rose: #11 UCLA 23, #1 Ohio State 10 1/1/77 Orange: #12 Colorado 27, #11 Ohio State 10 1/2/78 Sugar: #3 Alabama 35, #9 Ohio State 6 12/29/78 Hall of Fame: #7 Clemson 17, #20 Ohio State 15 1/1/80 Rose: #3 USC, #1 Ohio State 16 12/26/80 Fiesta: #10 Penn State 31, #11 Ohio State 19 12/30/81 Liberty: #15 Ohio State 31, Navy 28 12/17/82 Holiday: #17 Ohio State 47, BYU 17 1/2/84 Fiesta: #14 Ohio State 28, #15 Pittsburgh 23 1/1/85 Rose: #18 USC 20, #6 Ohio State 17 12/28/85 Citrus: #17 Ohio State 10, #9 BYU 7 1/1/87 Cotton: #11 Ohio State 28, #8 Texas A&M 12 1/1/90 Hall of Fame: #9 Auburn 31, #21 Ohio State 14 12/27/90 Liberty: Air Force 23, #24 Ohio State 11 1/1/92 Hall of Fame: #16 Syracuse 24, #25 Ohio State 17 1/1/93 Citrus: #8 Georgia 21, #15 Ohio State 14 12/30/93 Holiday: #11 Ohio State 28, BYU 21 1/2/95 Citrus: #6 Alabama 24, #13 Ohio State 17 1/1/96 Citrus: #4t Tennessee 20, #4t Ohio State 14 1/1/97 Rose: #4 Ohio State 20, #2 Arizona State 17 1/1/98 Sugar: #4 Florida State 31, #9 Ohio State 14 1/1/99 Sugar: #4 Ohio State 24, #6 Texas A&M 14 1/1/01 Outback: South Carolina 24, #18 Ohio State 7 1/1/02 Outback: #14 South Carolina 31, #25 Ohio State 28 1/3/03 Fiesta: #2 Ohio State 31, #1 Miami 24 OT 1/2/04 Fiesta: #5 Ohio State 35, #10 Kansas State 28 12/29/04 Alamo: #25 Ohio State 33, #24 Oklahoma State 7 1/2/06 Fiesta: #4 Ohio State 34, #6 Notre Dame 20 1/8/07 BCS: #2 Florida 41, #1 Ohio State 14

AFC Championship: Houston Oilers vs. Los Angeles Raiders Scoring Summary HOU: White 4 Run LA: Allen 7 Run HOU: Dishman 12 Interception LA: Jackson 46 Run HOU: White 1 Run LA: Horton 29 Pass from Schroeder HOU: Hill 57 Pass from Moon Chris Dishman had two huge interceptions as the Oilers advance to their first ever Super Bowl. With the game tied, on the last play of the first half and backed up on their own 9, the Raiders inexplicably chose to pass instead of running out the clock and Jay Schroeder threw a pick six to Dishman to give the Oilers the lead going into the half. Then on the Raiders final possession in the 4th quarter, Dishman picked off Schroeder again on a 3rd and Goal to go to seal the game. NFC Championship: Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers Scoring Summary SF: Craig 17 Run (Kick blocked) Scoreless 2nd Quarter SF: Cofer 52 FG Min: Reveiz 56 FG Scoreless 4th Quarter Pierce Holt had seven sacks in a defensive struggle as the 49ers win their third NFC Championship in four years. The Vikings had absolutely nothing going on offense amassing a pitiful 46 yards in total offense. This negated a superb effort by the Vikings defense that held the 49ers’ juggernaut of an offense to single digits.

And UCLA also loses at home today as the Trojans get a win in Pauly.

I was initially fascinated by the original BALCO bust, in part because it was right here in the Bay Area, but I'm in the same boat now as I just simply can't give a shit anymore about any of it. All of what is going on now just shows the incredible double standard towards baseball in these matters. I'm still waiting on Shawne Merriman being called to speak to Congress about his steroid usage.

My Keepers (subject to change) Carl Crawford (Round 1) Takashi Saito (Round 5) Adam Wainwright (Round 8) James Loney (Round 14) Rafael Betancourt (Round 19) Travis Buck (undrafted)

Oh they're going to suck. Unless Eric Chavez starts hitting and fielding like he did from 2001-04, Rich Harden pitches a full season, and Bobby Crosby stops hitting like Dale Sveum this team has no chance of competing in 2008. They might better off holding on to Blanton and Street until the trade deadline when they might find a desperate contender as a trade partner. Right now it appears the market for Blanton isn't very strong.

I was holding off on Kotsay passing his physical until commenting and he has, and the Braves even threw in Single-A pitcher Jamie Richmond. From the Braves side of the trade this might be the worst trade made all offseason. Giving up a pitcher who could contribute in 2008 out of the bullpen and a low level pitcher for a center fielder who is toast at this point is mind numbingly stupid, even if they are only on the hook for $2 million. Kotsay in a span of three years went from a very good defensive center fielder to one of the worst due to his back problems. He was never a great hitter, had a few good years, but now he's utility infiedler bad at the plate. There wasn't anyone who thought the A's would get anything of value for Kotsay let alone get two players for him. Sure they now have $5.5 million in dead money on the payroll for 2008 but better than $7.5 million for a washed up vet who's taking up a roster spot and potentially help their bullpen, not that Devine isn't without question marks.