2010 NFL Draft Preview

With the Senior Bowl today I thought it'd be a good idea to look at the top player at each position and see where they might wind up come the draft in April. We'll look at one player at QB, RB, WR, OL, DE, DT, LB, CB, and S and one wild card player. I'm going to take the top player at each position according to Scouts Inc.'s list on ESPN.com

QB: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: Jake Locker from Washington is the highest rated player by Scouts Inc., but since he's returning to Washington Bradford becomes the next player. Bradford in my mind could go anywhere from first to the Rams, fourth with the Redskins, or sixth to the Seahawks. He's an accurate passer and has great mechanics. I think the injury has to bring some sort of skepticism but NFL scouts and doctors will poke and prod and make sure Bradford is healthy. My guess is that he goes #1 overall to the Rams.

RB: C.J. Spiller, Clemson: Spiller is a home run threat in every sense of the phrase. He's could be a nice compliment to a power back and would be a great asset in the return game for any team. I'm starting to think he'll end up in San Francisco to compliment Frank Gore and really provide another weapon for the 49ers on offense. I think they also are able to make this pick because they have 2 first round picks.

WR: Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State: Bryant is a great talent who got caught up in a NCAA power play. I think scouts know what they have with Bryant and I think he winds up in Denver if the Broncos trade Brandon Marshall. If Marshall for some reason isn't traded before the draft I see the Bengals taking Bryant to slot him in the #2 across from Chad Ochocinco.

OL: Russell Okung, Oklahoma State: There are a lot of quality offensive tackles in the draft this year and we'll likely see a lot of them taken in the first round. The Chiefs will be the team to start the Tackle run and why not start it with the best one in the draft.

DE: Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech: Morgan is a highly rated prospect but his performance in the Orange Bowl could hurt where he goes on draft day. He is a great pass rusher and good against the run. Jacksonville desperately need a player like Morgan and I think he winds up there.

DT: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska: Here's the big boy of the draft, he has the ability to draw a double and triple team at times which will really help a pass rush. With the Rams taking a quarterback, the Lions will jump and run to the stage to claim Suh and try to wreck havoc on the NFC North on defense against the stable of quality quarterbacks the division has.

LB: Rolando McClain, Alabama: High motor, intense and hard working are ways to describe McClain and I think he can step in immediately and make a difference. The Dolphins seem to be a fit, I think Bill Parcells really likes players like McClain.

CB: Joe Haden, Florida: There is usually a player that doesn't get a lot of hype before the draft but still is an incredible player who will make a difference for his team. A.J. Hawk comes to mind with the Packers and I think Joe Haden is this for the Browns.

S: Eric Berry, Tennessee: Compared to Ed Reed, Berry has some huge shoes to fill to live up to all the comparisons being thrown his way. He was an amazing talent at the college level and I think he is able to live up to most of the comparisons in the NFL. I think the Bucs are the perfect fit since they need to upgrade a questionable passing defense.

Wild Card: Tim Tebow, Florida: Ah Tebow, the man so many people love to hate. Is he an every down quarterback in the NFL, nope, not yet anyway. I think he can learn the things necessary to make himself a serviceable quarterback in the NFL, he'll be a true weapon in the wildcat for whoever picks him. If he goes in the first round it will be to Jacksonville, I don't see the Jaguars making that reach early but I think he still ends up in Jacksonville but in round 2.

Weekend Soccer Preview

Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview!
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern. Click on the league name to see the league table.

Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
11:00 ET Sunday (English Premier League)
(7) Arsenal v (T5) Manchester United
This is a massive match of two of the top three teams in what has turned into a three-horse race in the English Premier League. Manchester United is a point off Chelsea in second, while Arsenal is just one back of United in third. Manchester United will likely go with the 4-5-1/4-3-3 once again with Nani (or Park Ji-Sung), Antonio Valencia, and Wayne Rooney up top to offer pace and the high-performing Darren Fletcher-Michael Carrick-Anderson combination behind them in the midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that this is a vitally important match for United so expect them to come out attacking, and if there are goals early it will be a high-flying game that will be a thrill for all fans to watch.
16:00 ET Saturday (Spain’s La Liga)
(T21) Deportivo La Coruna v (4) Real Madrid
Real Madrid sits in 2nd and Deportivo La Coruna in 5th in La Liga, 5 and 15 points respectively behind leaders Barcelona. Deportivo is in a tight battle with Mallorca and Sevilla for 4th place and a Champions League spot as the three are separated by a mere point. Real Madrid will be without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who was given a 2-match ban after he was sent off for elbowing Patrick Mtiliga in the face against Malaga last weekend. That will hamper Madrid’s attempt to win for the first time at Deportivo La Coruna since 91-92, according to club legend Fran who claims, “I think it would be difficult with Cristiano (In Madrid’s team), but if he doesn’t play then the curse will continue; they will go away empty-handed once more. I have faith in Depor.” Madrid will also be without Pepe, top scorer Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Mahamadou Diarra and Fernando Gago.
Prediction: Deportivo La Coruna 2-2 Real Madrid

English Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Birmingham v (T11) Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: Birmingham 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham v (18) Aston Villa
Prediction: Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa
Hull City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: Hull City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool v Bolton
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Bolton
West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: West Ham United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Wigan v Everton
Prediction: Wigan 1-2 Everton
12:30 ET Saturday
Burnley v (2) Chelsea
Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Chelsea
8:30 ET Sunday
(T13) Manchester City v Portsmouth
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Portsmouth
11:00 ET Sunday
(7) Arsenal v (T5) Manchester United
Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United

Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Saturday
Hamilton Academical v Celtic
10:00 ET Saturday
Rangers v Falkirk

Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
Espanyol v Athletic Bilbao
14:00 ET Saturday
Sporting Gijon v (1) Barcelona
16:00 ET Saturday
(T21) Deportivo La Coruna v (4) Real Madrid
11:00 ET Sunday
Villarreal v Osasuna
Xerez v Mallorca
13:00 ET Sunday
Atletico Madrid v Malaga
15:00 ET Sunday
Sevilla FC v (9) Valencia

Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
(T21) Napoli v Genoa
9:00 ET Sunday
(T5) AC Milan v Livorno
(16) AS Roma v Siena
Cagliari v Fiorentina
Parma v (3) Inter Milan
14:45 ET Sunday
Juventus v Lazio

German Bundesliga
14:30 ET Friday
Hamburg SV v VfL Wolfsburg
9:30 ET Saturday
(T11) Bayern Munich v Mainz
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen
(17) Schalke 04 v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund
11:30 ET Sunday
(10) Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg

French Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
(8) Bordeaux v Boulogne
Le Mans v Toulouse
Lille v Lens
15:00 ET Saturday
Montpellier v (24) Marseille
11:00 ET Sunday
AJ Auxerre v St. Etienne
15:00 ET Sunday
(25) Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain

Dutch Eredivisie
13:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v FC Groningen
14:45 ET Saturday
ADO Den Haag v Heerenveen
6:30 ET Sunday
Feyenoord Rotterdam v (19) Ajax Amsterdam
8:30 ET Sunday
(15) Twente Enschede v Roda JC Kerkrade
Vitetsse Arnhem v (T13) PSV Eindhoven

Portuguese Liga
15:45 ET Friday
(21) Braga v Sporting Lisbon
12:00 ET Saturday
CD Nacional de Madeira v FC Porto
14:15 ET Saturday
(20) Benfica v Guimaraes

Turkish Super League
13:00 ET Friday
Antalyaspor v Besiktas
8:00 ET Sunday
Sivasspor v Fenerbahce
12:00 ET Sunday
Denizlispor v Galatasaray

Greek Super League
9:45 ET Sunday
Panionios v Olympiakos
12:00 ET Sunday
Panathinaikos v AEK Athens

Belgian Jupiler League
14:30 ET Friday
Germinal Beerschot v Anderlecht
14:30 ET Sunday
Standard Liege v KV Kortrijk

African Cup of Nations
In the semi-finals, Egypt embarrassed eight-man Algeria 4-0 and Ghana squeaked by a tough Nigerian team 1-0. Egypt and Ghana will meet up in the finals at 11:00 ET on Sunday.

An Apology to Derrick Rose

When the Bulls were fortunate enough to win the NBA Draft Lottery that eventually landed them Derrick Rose, I'll admit it, I wanted Michael Beasley. Boy was I wrong, and I'm glad that I was. I figured the Bulls could get by with Kirk Hinrich running the offense and point guard wasn't the most pressing need for the Bulls at that time, they needed an inside presence and I thought that Beasley made more sense. It was by no means a knock on Rose, I figured he'd be a great talent but I thought that Beasley could be as good and would suffice a need. Fast forward to today and Derrick Rose has blown me away in the best way possible, already earning a spot on the Eastern Conference all-star team.

I figured he was set up to fail in Chicago, he was coming home and had the heavy burden of putting a franchise once led by the greatest player to ever play the game on his shoulders and leading them back to the playoffs. What Rose has done in a short amount of time is nothing short of remarkable, he's becoming a leader, a superstar, and what is seemingly a legitimate role model for young fans. Sure he had those issues last summer about the ACT and the pictures of him at Memphis, but guess what, he's still only 21, he's my age, and let me tell you, we make mistakes. He's handled those mistakes well as well as handling the responsibilities that come with being the point guard of an NBA team and the new face of a franchise desperate for a star. Joakim Noah has said that Rose's efforts are the reason the Bulls are winning games right now and that's what a superstar does. He's not there just to put up big points and make flashy moves, he's there to make everyone around him better and Rose is doing that.

DRose is becoming a special player, one that I didn't think the Bulls needed but I'm now glad he's back home where he belongs. So Derrick Rose, I'm sorry that I ever doubted your abilities and what you would bring to the Chicago Bulls and I thank you.

Chicago Sports Tidbits

We'll start with the sports that are in season and move on down:

• I'm fully supporting the Chicago Blackhawks nowadays, but this goaltending situation is starting to worry me. That coupled with the difficulty of the Western Conference doesn't seem like a promising mix heading into the playoffs. I like to think that Huet or Niemi will figure it out and the defensemen will continue their incredible shot blocking to make the goaltending as much of a non-issue as possible. The offense puts me at ease and I hope this is just a bump in the road it what is turning into a promising season for the Blackhawks as they continue to recapture the love of Chicago.

• The Chicago Bulls are once again turning it on as the season progresses. I'm one of the few people out there who are thinking (delusionally or not) that the Bulls have a decent chance at landing Lebron (Akron Hammer) James and DWade together if the cap issues work out. But I also think that doesn't happen if the Bulls struggle the rest of this season. Derrick Rose is turning into a scorer and the energy that Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas are bringing really help. Truth be told, this team is only going to go as far as their shooting takes them and lately they've been shooting the ball a lot better.

• The White Sox decided it wasn't a good idea to bring back Jim Thome in a part-time DH capacity, and I have to say I disagree. With a rotation of Mark Buerhle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Freddy Garcia, the time to go for it all is right now and the Sox arguably are a left handed power bat away from being a legitimate World Series threat. A DH rotation of Mark Kotsay, Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Quentin scares me, make a splash and go for it all, ownership has to remember that Sox fans come to the ballpark to support a winner, spend the money and you'll be rewarded later. My suggestion is Johnny Damon for the DH role and keep Vizquel, Kotsay, and Jones on the bench and rotate Damon, Rios, Quentin, and Pierre in the OF and at DH. Just my thoughts.

• When the Bears season ended, Lovie Smith's seat was uncomfortably hot, he saved his job and in the process fired numerous offensive coaches. That was about a month ago, now if you're going to make such a drastic change, don't you think it would be smart to have a plan in place? Clearly the Bears weren't thinking because they can't convince any coach to come to Chicago for what could be only one season. When the Raiders are a better option than the Bears, you have to realize that a mistake was made in not firing Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. No one wants to come into what is a likely dead end scenario. It's getting to the point where keeping Smith and Angelo should be reconsidered and just blow this whole thing up and start again with Leslie Frazier or Bill Cowher at the helm.

If I were a Cub fan I would probably write something about them, but I'm not so get over it.

A Comprehensive Weekly Look at the Top Teams in European Soccer

Big week of soccer! If you can’t figure out who wrote this intro…well then you probably don’t know us, in which case welcome to the blog!!

Shalom, and a warm welcome to another breakdown of the week’s European football action as told by Tom and Blaine. This week saw a fair number of upsets, grudge matches, Herculean efforts, and flops, so the rankings have been shaken up just a bit. The first big match of the new week occurred Tuesday (at 4:00am Hong Kong time, mind you), when Manchester United battled Manchester City in a Carling Cup match. It was the first leg, held at the City of Manchester Stadium, and City was able to pull off the 2-1 victory over the Mighty Reds. Both City goals were scored by Carlos Tevez, the former Manchester United striker who’s been no stranger to controversy since him move to City. During Tevez’s celebration, United legend Gary Neville let him know his displeasure at his antics by giving him a one-finger salute, which will likely lead to a fine by the FA. The second leg is due to be played in a couple of days. On the weekend, Manchester United bounced back with a 4-0 trouncing of Hull City to put them at the top of the table, albeit with more games played than Arsenal and Chelsea in second and third. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Liverpool showed that they aren’t complete garbage with an impressive, 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs continued their poor week with a draw against Leeds United in the FA Cup after conceding a 96th minute equalizer. Another enormously important match this week was the always intriguing Milan derby between Internazionale and AC Milan. AC Milan was coming into the match playing as well as any club on the planet, acting as more or less a freight train running through opposing defenses, and as a steel reinforced wall holding out their offenses. Inter was playing reasonably well, and sitting at the top of the Serie A table. A win for AC would have put them 3 back of Inter with game in hand, very much within striking distance. Inter went ahead early on with a 10th minute Milito goal, but then were dealt a blow when Wesley Sneijder was given a red card. That didn’t change much though, as Inter went up 2-0 on a 65th minute Pandev goal before a meaningless 90th minute red to Lucio and missed PK by Ronaldinho ended the match 2-0. Inter now sit 9 points ahead of Milan, although Milan does have a game in hand, making first a possibility, albeit an unlikely one. The 2 huge Spanish clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, both rolled to easy wins in La Liga, with Madrid beating Malaga 2-0 and Barca beating Valladolid 3-0. Sevilla regained some semblance of dignity with a 1-0 win over Almeria, which was their first La Liga win in like 8 months or something, and as a congratulations to them I’ve decided to rank them 25th. For those who are paying close attention (and I doubt very much anyone is paying this close of attention), Sevilla was ranked 4th awhile back in these very rankings (or at least in mine). AS Roma continued their very hot form with a win over reeling (and my God, do I mean reeling) Juventus. Juve has now dropped to 6th in Serie A, with Roma and Napoli sitting in 3rd and 4th, respectably, and dark horse Palermo in 5th. Roma have still not lost a Serie A match since October. Not a whole lot of note happened to our Dutch representatives, as Ajax and PSV Eindhoven both won, while Twente drew. This moves PSV into 1st in the Eredivisie, putting Twente in 2nd and Ajax in 3rd. Bayern Munich enjoyed a respectable away win vs. Werder Bremen at 3-2, and Bayer Leverkusen extended their stay at the top of the table with a 3-0 win over TSG Hoffenheim. Bayern Munich is breathing right down their necks, though, only 2 back of first and playing in brilliant form. Also, don’t count out Schalke 04, who are only 3 back of Leverkusen and have been hanging around the top of the table all season. That’s about it for this week. The Champions League knockout stage starts in a couple of weeks, that should be absolutely epic. In the meantime, just remember, don’t eat the yellow snow (I sure won’t be, cause its 60 degrees here every day, in January!)

Biggest Riser: AS Roma from T19th to 16th.

Biggest Faller: Schalke 04 from T12th to 17th.

There was very little movement at the top this week. All that happened was Arsenal falling into 7th and Manchester United moving into a tie with AC Milan for 5th place.
Here are the rankings:

Rank Team Country Points
1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Chelsea (Eng) 47
3. Inter Milan (Ita) 46
4. Real Madrid (Esp) 45
T5. AC Milan (Ita) 40
T5. Manchester United (Eng) 40
7. Arsenal (Eng) 38
8. Bordeaux (Fra) 35
9. Valencia (Esp) 31
10. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 30
T11. Bayern Munich (Ger) 28
T11. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 28
T13. Manchester City (Eng) 24
T13. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 24
15. Twente Enschede (Ned) 23
16. AS Roma (Ita) 22
17. Schalke 04 (Ger) 20
18. Aston Villa (Eng) 17
19. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 16
20. Benfica (Por) 12
T21. Braga (Por) 6
T21. Deportivo La Coruna (Esp) 6
T21. Napoli (Ita) 6
24. Marseille (Fra) 5
25. Lyon (Fra) 4

Also Receiving Votes: Mallorca (Esp) 3, Genoa (Ita) 2, Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 1, Sevilla (Esp) 1

Rank	Tom	Blaine
1	Barcelona	Barcelona
2	Chelsea	Inter Milan
3	Real Madrid	Chelsea
4	Inter Milan	Real Madrid
5	Manchester United	AC Milan
6	Arsenal	Valencia
7	AC Milan	Manchester United
8	Bordeaux	Arsenal
9	Bayer Leverkusen	Bordeaux
10	Bayern Munich	Tottenham Hotspur
11	PSV Eindhoven	Twente Enschede
12	AS Roma	Manchester City
13	Schalke 04	Bayer Leverkusen
14	Tottenham Hotspur	Bayern Munich
15	Valencia	Ajax Amsterdam
16	Manchester City	Aston Villa
17	Benfica	PSV Eindhoven
18	Twente Enschede	AS Roma
19	Aston Villa	Schalke 04
20	Deportivo La Coruna	Napoli
21	Ajax Amsterdam	Marseille
22	Lyon	Braga
23	Mallorca	Benfica
24	Braga	Benfica
25	Borussia Dortmund	Sevilla

Next five in for Tom, in reverse alphabetical order of the team’s country: FK Rubin Kazan (Rus), Napoli (Ita), Montpellier (Fra), Liverpool (Eng), Anderlecht (Bel)

Next five in for Blaine, in order of how many goals the team (or player) scored on the weekend: Wayne Rooney (Eng)-4, Galatasaray (Tur)-1, Juventus (Ita)-1, Lyon (Fra)-1, Fiorentina (Ita)-0

FA Cup Roundup
Full Results from Round 4:
Home Team Listed First
Preston North End 0-2 Chelsea
Reading 1-0 Burnley
Southampton 2-1 Ipswich Town
Aston Villa 3-2 Brighton
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-2 Birmingham
Portsmouth 2-1 Sunderland
Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Sheffield United
West Bromwich Albion 4-2 Newcastle United
Notts County 2-2 Wigan Athletic
Cardiff City 4-2 Leicester City
Derby County 1-0 Doncaster Rovers
Accrington Stanley 1-3 Fulham
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Leeds United
Stoke City 3-1 Arsenal
Stoke humbles a somewhat weakened Arsenal side, leaving Chelsea as the only remaining "Big Four" club remaining in the competition.
Scunthorpe United 2-4 Manchester City

Round 5 Draw:
Wolverhampton Wanderers/Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Manchester City v Stoke City
Derby County v Birmingham
Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur/Leeds United
Chelsea v Cardiff City
Fulham v Notts County/Wigan Athletic
Reading v West Bromwich Albion
Southampton v Portsmouth

NFL Overtime Rant

This will be short and sweet, but I have to put this out there and I'm sure most of you agree.

                                                                         (Bob Rosato/SI)

We witnessed a great NFC Championship game tonight, back and forth and the Vikings fought back even though they couldn't hang on to the football this evening. Sure enough it was a game meant for overtime, and it just is a shame that a game of this caliber had to come down to a ridiculous set of rules. For as much as I dislike Brett Favre, he deserved a shot at winning the NFC tonight and he didn't get that opportunity in overtime. The NFL needs to come up with a new set of rules for overtime that allows both offenses to take the field. Like I said, short and sweet, it was just bothering me and I had to get it out there.

Weekend Soccer Preview

Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview!
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern.

Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
14:45 ET Sunday
(3) Inter Milan v (T5) AC Milan
14:45 ET Saturday
(21) Juventus v (T19) AS Roma
This is a match-up of two teams going in different directions in the Serie A table. Juventus has been dropping points left and right lately, and sit in 5th with 33 points, 2 behind AS Roma who is in 3rd. Roma is still 12 points behind leaders Inter but has not lost in Serie A since late October.

Top of the Table Clashes
14:45 ET Sunday
(3) Inter Milan v (T5) AC Milan
AC Milan sits in second place in Serie A, only 6 points behind Inter Milan with a game in hand. A win in the Milan derby for AC would effectively pull them into a tie with Inter for first place. Inter won the first match 4-0 when AC Milan was the “home” team, and another win for Inter would go a long way to continuing their stranglehold on the Serie A title.

English Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
(7) Manchester United v Hull City
The only Premier League match of the day is between two teams who lost in Round 3 of the FA Cup and thus have nothing better to do this weekend.

English FA Cup (Round 4)
All matches of the round are shown.
7:45 ET Saturday
Preston North End v (2) Chelsea
Reading v Burnley
10:00 ET Saturday
Accrington Stanley v Fulham
Aston Villa v Brighton
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Cardiff City v Leicester City
Derby County v Doncaster Rovers
Everton v Birmingham
Notts County v Wigan Athletic
Portsmouth v Sunderland
Southhampton v Ipswich Town
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace
12:15 ET Saturday
(T10) Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United
8:30 ET Sunday
Stoke City v (T5) Arsenal
11:00 ET Sunday
Scunthorpe United v (15) Manchester City

Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Saturday
Motherwell v St. Mirren
10:00 ET Saturday
Rangers v Heart of Midlothian
10:30 ET Sunday
St. Johnstone v Celtic

Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
Sevilla FC v Almeria
14:00 ET Saturday
Valladolid v (1) Barcelona
16:00 ET Saturday
Deportivo La Coruna v Athletic Bilbao
11:00 ET Sunday
Tenerife v (9) Valencia
Villarreal v Real Zaragoza
13:00 ET Sunday
Getafe v Atletico Madrid
15:00 ET Sunday
(4) Real Madrid v Malaga

Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
(21) Juventus v (T19) AS Roma
9:00 ET Sunday
Livorno v (T24) Napoli
Palermo v (T22) Fiorentina
14:45 ET Sunday
(3) Inter Milan v (T5) AC Milan

German Bundesliga
14:30 ET Friday
Freiburg v VfB Stuttgart
9:30 ET Saturday
VfL Bochum v (T12) Schalke 04
Werder Bremen v (T12) Bayern Munich
12:30 ET Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Hamburg SV
9:30 ET Sunday
Wolfsburg v Cologne
11:30 ET Sunday
TSG Hoffenheim v (10) Bayer Leverkusen

Dutch Eredivisie
14:45 ET Friday
(16) PSV Eindhoven v NEC Nijmegen
13:45 ET Saturday
Heerenveen v Willem II Tilburg
6:30 ET Sunday
(18) Ajax Amsterdam v AZ Alkmaar
8:30 ET Sunday
FC Groningen v (14) Twente Enschede
VVV Venlo v Feyenoord Rotterdam

Turkish Super League
13:00 ET Friday
Fenerbahce v Denizlispor
12:00 ET Saturday
Besiktas v Istanbul Buyuksehir BSK
12:00 ET Sunday
Galatasaray v Gaziantepspor

Greek Super League
9:45 ET Sunday
Aris Salonika v Panathinaikos
12:00 ET Sunday
Olympiakos v PAOK Salonika

Belgian Jupiler League
12:00 ET Sunday
KV Mechelen v Standard Liege
14:30 ET Sunday
Racing Genk v Club Brugge

African Cup of Nations Quarterfinals
Sunday January 24
Angola v Ghana
Cote d’Ivoire v Algeria
Monday January 25
Zambia v Nigeria
Egypt v Cameroon

The Angola/Ghana winner will face the Zambia/Nigeria winner in one semifinal, while the Cote d’Ivoire/Algeria winner faces the Egypt/Cameroon winner in the other semifinal. Thus far the leading goal scorers are Flavio of Angola and Seydou Keita of Mali, each with 3 goals.

Top Free Agents Available

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in just a few weeks I thought it'd be a good idea to highlight some of the free agents that are shockingly still available:

1. Orlando Hudson: I'm really surprised he is still available. Granted the O-Dog was lost playing time at the end of last season, but he was still productive with an OPS of .774. He is probably overvaluing himself right now which is why some teams aren't eager to sign him because he is 33. I still think he could be productive and unfortunately I see his destination being Washington.

2. Johnny Damon: Damon hit a career high 24 home runs and had a career high .854 OPS last season, so on the surface it's hard to see why he doesn't have a job yet. But when you look a little deeper, the question has to be asked how much help did Damon receive from the new Yankee Stadium being a launching pad for home runs? Is he worth his desired $13 million? No, but he definitely deserves a pretty good pay day because he isn't showing signs of breaking down and being unproductive. I see Damon and the Yankees striking a deal in the near future.

3. Jermaine Dye: Jermaine Dye doesn't want to DH full time yet, but his defense is declining so he's put in a tough situation. The Cubs have called and seem interested in him as a 4th outfielder, I don't see Dye taking that unless there are no other options. I think he's better suited to be a DH/4th Outfielder type, a logical choice would be the White Sox, but I don't see it happening.  I don't really have a clue where he could wind up, but I'll just guess that it's the White Sox or the Cubs.

4. Erik Bedard: If you're like me, you'll notice that you probably haven't seen much on Bedard this offseason since he had surgery in August and won't be ready for the the first half of the season it looks like. When healthy, Bedard is a very good starter and could have a Pedro Martinez like impact this season for the club that signs him. I have nothing to suggest this will happen but my guess is that Bedard ends up in St. Louis, he just seems like a Cardinals like signing to sure up the back of the rotation down the stretch.

5. Ben Sheets: Sheets has been throwing for clubs recently and looks to be close to signing somewhere with a lot of interest. Sheets is a lot like Bedard in that he can be filthy when healthy, he's just never healthy. The Mariners have been touted as the winner of the off-season and I think they really think they can win it all and will look at Sheets to fill the rotation out after King Felix and Cliff Lee. The Mariners are my guess but the Dodgers or Mets might not be far behind.

Tiger Woods Theory

I know that the whole Tiger Woods fiasco happened a long time ago but he came back into the news this week with the discovery that he's in a sex rehab facility. I thought it would be a good time to write about a theory and a plea I have come up with regarding El Tigre. The first one is one that I've been thinking up for a few weeks now and probably a little more thought out.

I want to suggest to Tiger that he has a dual personality. The man already has the potential for two different aliases, Eldrick and Tiger Woods. We've all seen Tiger on the tee box, throw his driver and curse and in that instance is where we see the Tiger side of his personality. It's the side that's intense and somewhat scary. And clearly the Tiger side is the side that got him into a wee bit of trouble with his wife. Tiger can get away with anything, He's also not the golfer everyone admires. Tiger is the best athlete of the past decade and is the reason golf is more popular when he is playing. The best image that sums up the Tiger personality would be his cover on Vanity Fair:

Eldrick comes into play when he deals with sponsors and when he's his normal superior self on the golf course. When Eldrick comes out he is professional and very protected of his image. Eldrick is the one we're seeing now (well I guess he's the one we're not seeing since he is in seclusion). Eldrick is the person with numerous endorsements and is the one that will win all the endorsements back that Tiger lost.  Eldrick is the one golf fans see dressed in red on Sundays, and the one that accepts all the trophies that he has won. Eldrick is the little boy we saw on Johnny Carson and the person that golf purists love to watch. Here is the Eldrick Woods we all know:

We don't usually see the Tiger side outside of cursing and club throwing which is why his faithlessness towards his wife is such a shock to the entire world.

My other theory is more of a plea to the American Public. We've been told before that history repeats itself and this whole Tiger situation is another instance of that. When Babe Ruth was in the middle of saving baseball after the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, he was also notoriously womanizing and drinking. It's a widely known fact and yet people cared more about his ability to hit home runs and that's what he's known for today. I ask all of you to do the same for Tiger, he's the reason golf is remotely popular and will be talked about for generations and maybe just maybe it will be for his golf ability, because we all know history repeats itself.

Also mentioning Babe Ruth allows me to post my favorite scene from one of my favorite movies:

A Comprehensive Weekly Look at the Top Teams in European Football

Good day and welcome to yet another edition of the Weekly Top 25 European Football Clubs. This week saw a few interesting matches, starting with Chelsea’s 7-2 massacre, drubbing, manslaughter, or whatever else you want to call it, of a respectable Sunderland club. To make that score even more correct, one of Sunderland’s 2 goals was more or less a stoppage time charity goal, so let’s just call it 7-1.5 or so. Manchester United finally got back to their old ways with a convincing 3-0 win over Burnley, although their unimpressive first half (0-0 at halftime) left much to be desired. It’s tough, however, to complain about a 3-0 win, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was a good solid match. Juventus continued their remarkably bad form with a 1-0 loss to Chievo Verona, making that 4 losses in their last 5 Serie A matches. They now sit in 5th, 13 points behind leaders Inter Milan. AC Milan, on the other hand, continues to look like the AC Milan of 2004, with an impressive 4-0 win over Siena where Ronaldinho scored a hattrick. This could bode as bad news for Manchester United, as they’ll be playing Milan in the Champions’ League knockout stages. Another club who appears to be sneaking up on the Serie A leaders is AS Roma, who won their 6th straight Serie A home match this weekend to move into 3rd. New signing Luca Toni had a brace, and they comfortably won 3-0. In Spain, Real Madrid suffered a crushing defeat to Bilbao, 1-0. This defeat was made even worse by the fact that La Liga leaders Barcelona crushed Sevilla 4-0. Speaking of Sevilla, what the heck happened to them?! After climbing as high as 3rd in La Liga (possibly 2nd, not entirely sure), they’ve now lost a whopping 4 in a row and sit in 6th, 16 points behind Barcelona. Valencia continues to scorch anyone brave enough to play them, with a 4-1 win over Villareal this weekend. They’ve now climbed to 3rd, and David Villa appears to be playing on another planet with the form he’s been on lately. In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen continued its unbeaten run on the season with a 4-2 win against Mainz. They remain a point ahead of Schalke 04, who were 1-0 winners against Nurnberg, and two points ahead of Bayern Munich, who is on a five-match win streak in the Bundesliga after a 2-0 win against TSG Hoffenheim. Bordeaux remains far atop Ligue 1 in France after a 1-1 draw against a strong 4th place Marseille team. Sitting seven points behind Bordeaux in second place is Lille, who won 3-1 over Paris Saint-Germain. One point behind Lille is Montpellier who defeated Nice 1-0 after a tough midweek loss to AS Monaco in Ligue 1 action. Rangers extended their advantage in the Scottish Premier League to 9 points over second place Celtic. Rangers defeated Hamilton Academical 1-0 and Celtic drew last-place Falkirk 1-1.

Biggest Riser: AS Roma, who went from receiving 1 vote to 19th place in the rankings on the heels of a 10 game unbeaten streak in Serie A.

Biggest Faller: Juventus, who fell from 12th to 21st after their 4th loss in 5 games, 1-0 at Chievo Verona. AS Roma and Juventus meet up in Turin next weekend in a match-up of teams going in opposite directions at the moment.

1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Chelsea (Eng) 47
3. Inter Milan (Ita) 45
4. Real Madrid (Esp) 44
T5. AC Milan (Ita) 42
T5. Arsenal (Eng) 42
7. Manchester United (Eng) 38
8. Bordeaux (Fra) 34
9. Valencia (Esp) 33
T10. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 31
T10. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 31
T12. Bayern Munich (Ger) 26
T12. Schalke 04 (Ger) 26
14. Twente Enschede (Ned) 25
15. Manchester City (Eng) 20
16. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 18
17. Aston Villa (Eng) 16
18. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 15
T19. AS Roma (Ita) 12
T19. Benfica (Por) 12
21. Juventus (Ita) 10
T22. Braga (Por) 9
T22. Fiorentina (Ita) 9
T24. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 4
T24. Lyon (Fra) 4
T24. Napoli (Ita) 4

Also Receiving Votes: Mallorca (Esp) 2, Marseille (Fra) 1

Rank	Tom	Blaine
1	Barcelona	Barcelona
2	Chelsea	Inter Milan
3	Real Madrid	Chelsea
4	Arsenal	AC Milan
5	Inter Milan	Real Madrid
6	AC Milan	Arsenal
7	Manchester United	Manchester United
8	Bordeaux	Valencia
9	Bayer Leverkusen	Tottenham Hotspur
10	Schalke 04	Bordeaux
11	Valencia	Twente Enschede
12	Tottenham Hotspur	Bayer Leverkusen
13	Bayern Munich	Bayern Munich
14	Benfica	Ajax Amsterdam
15	PSV Eindhoven	Manchester City
16	Twente Enschede	Schalke 04
17	Manchester City	Fiorentina
18	Aston Villa	Aston Villa
19	Braga	PSV Eindhoven
20	AS Roma	AS Roma
21	Juventus	Juventus
22	FK Rubin Kazan	Napoli
23	Ajax Amsterdam	Lyon
24	Mallorca	Braga
25	Lyon	Marseille

Next five in for Tom, in order of how much I want to visit the team’s home country: Deportivo La Coruna (Esp), Hamburg SV (Ger), Lille (Fra), Anderlecht (Bel), Dynamo Kiev (Ukr)

Next five in for Blaine, in order of how much I want to attend a match at that team’s home stadium: Galatasaray (Tur), Werder Bremen (Ger), Genoa (Ita), FK Rubin Kazan (Rus), Benfica (Por)

Abbreviated Weekend Soccer Preview

The craziness of the first week of school has delayed this far too long!

English Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Stoke City 1-1 Liverpool
90th Minute goal by defender Robert Huth stuns Liverpool.
10:00 ET Saturday
(3) Chelsea v Sunderland
(T7) Manchester United v Burnley
(9) Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Wigan
12:30 ET Saturday
Everton v (T15) Manchester City
8:30 ET Sunday
(T15) Aston Villa v West Ham
10:00 ET Sunday
Blackburn Rovers v Fulham
11:00 ET Sunday
Bolton v (5) Arsenal

Scottish Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Hamilton 0-1 Rangers
A 78th minute Nacho Novo goal wins it for Rangers.
10:00 ET Saturday
Celtic v Falkirk

Spain's La Liga
14:00 ET Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v (2) Real Madrid
16:00 ET Saturday
(1)Barcelona v (T21) Sevilla
13:00 ET Sunday
Atletico Madrid v Sporting Gijon
15:00 ET Sunday
(T10) Valencia v Villarreal

Italy's Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
Bari v (4) Inter Milan
9:00 ET Sunday
(6) AC Milan v Siena
AS Roma v Genoa
Atalanta v Lazio
Chievo Verona v (12) Juventus
(T21) Fiorentina v Bologna
Sampdoria v Catania
14:45 ET Sunday
Napoli v Palermo

German Bundesliga
Friday
(T17) Bayern Munich 2-0 TSG Hoffenheim
Martin Demichelis and Miroslav Klose score for Bayern to continue their hot streak.
9:30 ET Saturday
(T10) Bayer Leverkusen v Mainz
Eintracht Frankfurt v (T19) Werder Bremen
Hamburg SV v SC Freiburg
Hannover 96 v Hertha Berlin
12:30 ET Saturday
Stuttgart v Wolfsburg
9:30 ET Sunday
(T13) Schalke 04 v Nurnberg

France's Ligue 1
15:00 ET Saturday
AJ Auxerre v Boulogne
AS Monaco v Sochaux
AS Nancy Lorraine v Lyon
Lille v Paris Saint-Germain
Montpellier v Nice
15:00 ET Sunday
(T7)Bordeaux v Marseille

Dutch Eredivisie
8:30 ET Sunday
FC Utrecht v (T13) Twente Enschede
NAC Breda v (T19) Ajax Amsterdam

Portuguese Liga
14:15 ET Saturday
FC Porto v Pacos de Ferreira
16:15 ET Saturday
Sporting Lisbon v Nacional
13:00 ET Sunday
Academica de Coimbra v (T24) Braga
15:15 ET Sunday
Maritimo v (23) Benfica

Greek Super League
12:00 ET Saturday
Iraklis v AEK Athens
9:45 ET Sunday
Panathinaikos v Panthrakikos
12:00 ET Sunday
Kavala v Olympiakos

Belgian Super League
14:00 ET Saturday
Club Brugge v KVC Westerlo
8:30 ET Sunday
Standard Liege v Anderlecht

Lane Kiffin to USC Signals Necessary Change

When I got a text this evening from the World Wide Leader saying that Lane Kiffin was leaving the University of Tennessee to take over the same position with the USC Trojans, I was in disbelief. I thought to myself, "self, there is no way Kiffin is leaving UT after only one season of terrorizing SEC coaches with his immature actions." I didn't think a coach would leave a program as big as Tennessee for another huge program. So you can imagine my surprise upon the confirmation that Kiffin was heading to Southern California. This just isn't right and the NCAA needs to start changing the way coaching hires are handled at the FBS level of college football. Before I go on I'm going to say that I'm all for people going after jobs that pay them more money, if someone is willing to dish out a lot of cash for someone's services then by all means that person has the right to accept it.

Interested, I checked out the NCAA's website to look for their mission and sure enough I found it. You can click on it if you wish, but I'm going to highlight one part of this explaining why these coaching changes are becoming a problem. One of the bulleted items that the NCAA says they share a belief in and a commitment to is "the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship." Now I don't know about you, but if someone is to believe in integrity, doesn't that mean that they honor contracts and are truthful when they speak? Coaches sign contracts not just with their employer but they also enter into an agreement with the student-athletes they recruit to come play for their school for 3 or 4 years. When a coach just gets up and leaves for a "better" job, he gets to do so with no penalty, he sends in a letter of resignation and moves on with a new group of players. Where's the integrity in that? We're seeing it more and more now too, when programs are facing possible NCAA sanctions the coaches leave for new jobs and avoid any punishment that they could be possibly responsible for. The NCAA needs to start holding coaches accountable for their actions or we're just going to see this coaching carousel get turned up to high speed.

When a student-athlete wants to leave a school for whatever reasons, he or she has to sit out a full year in order to play for that school if they are staying at the same level. There has to be some form of punishment suitable for coaches that leave a program before his or her contract is up. Forcing them to not be able to coach for a season would be an interesting move but non-effective in the long-run. And I don't think fines are suitable either because Universities will find ways to pay the fines for that coach.

When a coach goes through this:

 
Lane Kiffin Press Conference Part 1 from R Mitchell on Vimeo.


and then leaves after only a year, there's something wrong with that and change is needed to prevent it in the future.

A Comprehensive Weekly Look at the Top Teams in European Football

Finally, another edition of the European Soccer Rankings! Most leagues have been taking their winter break and some are still off but soccer is starting to heat up in what should be a thrilling end to the season and lead-up to the World Cup. Here are some words from our world-traveler Blaine:
A wonderful Cantonese evening to you all in the west still suffering through Monday morning. After a brief break that coincided with the winter break of every European league not called the Barclays’ Premiership, we’re back on this week with some new rankings. Firstly, however, I’d like to address on a very serious note the deeds that took place last week at the Africa Cup of Nations. For those who haven’t heard, the Togolese national team bus was shot up by rebels while traveling to a match vs. Angola, resulting in 3 deaths and multiple injuries. While I don’t care for getting up on the podium and talking about other people’s business, I’ve just got to say that it’s really getting old when people use sports as an outlet for their political and social views, especially when it results in the loss of human life. I’m about done with that rant, so now that that’s over with, let’s look at the glorious side of the Africa Cup of Nations. Last night, Mali was losing 4-0 to host Angola in the 78th minute of the match. 78th minute, as in there were 11 minutes left plus stoppage time. Mali had been gaining strength all match, but any logical person would have thrown them to the dogs by this point. However, in a most improbable comeback, Mali was able to rally off 4 straight goals to draw the match 4-4, completing one of the most incredible matches in the history of the tournament. In European play, there haven’t been a whole lot of huge matches going on, due to the layoff of winter breaks in almost all leagues. Some highlights, however, included a match of Serie A superpowers when AC Milan took on Juventus. It looked to be a match that would prove who had the best shot at dethroning league leader Inter Milan, and it very much showed which team was better. AC Milan absolutely smashed Juventus, 3-0, in a very convincing victory. This bodes well for a Milan side that is facing Manchester United in the knockout rounds of the Champions’ League. While Milan has looked so good, United has looked absolutely abysmal. After a stunning 5-0 win vs. Wigan before New Year’s, United crashed out of the FA Cup far too early against old rivals Leeds United, who currently play in League 1 (third level of English football), losing 1-0 at Old Trafford. After that, United played a fine Birmingham squad at Birmingham, drawing 1-1 in a thoroughly unimpressive manner. It appears that their huge defensive injuries are not their only problem, as they’ve just been generally ineffective and sloppy lately. Additionally, they received more bad news, as Dimitar Berbatov may need knee surgery. Real Madrid and Barcelona both appear to be the class of Europe, and both continue to crush opponents with relative ease. Barcelona had a bit of a hiccup with a Copa del Rey loss to Sevilla, but have still looked dominant the vast majority of the time. Chelsea continues to be the favorite to win the Premiership, but Arsenal is creeping up, and currently sitting in 3rd, 3 points back of Chelsea 2 back of United with game in hand vs. the Reds. At any rate, that’s about all there is to say about these last few weeks, hope you enjoy the rankings!

1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Real Madrid (Esp) 48
3. Chelsea (Eng) 45
4. Inter Milan (Ita) 44
5. Arsenal (Eng) 42
6. AC Milan (Ita) 40
T7. Bordeaux (Fra) 36
Bordeaux continues to run away with Ligue 1, a staggering 9 points ahead of second place Lille. They have not lost in the league since November 21, and that has been their only loss on the season in France. Bordeaux quietly dominated their Champions League group, winning it by 6 points over Bayern Munich and 8 points over Juventus, both ranked in the top 17 of this poll.
T7. Manchester United (Eng) 36
Since December 19, United has lost to Fulham 3-0, Leeds United 1-0 at home in a stunning FA Cup 3rd round match, and drawn Birmingham 1-1. The important Carling Cup semifinals against Manchester City loom around the corner, as does what is looking like a more and more difficult Champions League match-up against AC Milan.
9. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 34
T10. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 30
T10. Valencia (Esp) 30
12. Juventus (Ita) 23
T13. Schalke 04 (Ger) 22
T13. Twente Enschede (Ned) 22
T15. Aston Villa (Eng) 20
T15. Manchester City (Eng) 20
T17. Bayern Munich (Ger) 16
T17. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 16
T19. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 13
T19. Werder Bremen (Ger) 13
T21. Fiorentina (Ita) 11
T21. Sevilla FC (Eng) 11
Sevilla has hit a terrible run of form as of late, losing three consecutive matches in La Liga 2-1 to Getafe, Atletico Madrid, and Racing Santander. As a result, Blaine has dropped them from 8th to unranked in his personal rankings. They did score a decent 2-1 win at Barcelona in Copa del Rey action, but that was in front of a crowd of 20,000, showing how much Barcelona fans care about the competition. Still, Sevilla would welcome a midweek win in the second leg of that competition.
23. Benfica (Por) 8
T24. Braga (Por) 7
T24. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 7

Also Receiving Votes: Napoli (Ita) 5, AS Roma (Ita) 1

Rank	Tom	Blaine
1	Barcelona	Barcelona
2	Real Madrid	Real Madrid
3	Chelsea	Inter Milan
4	Arsenal	Chelsea
5	Inter Milan	AC Milan
6	Bordeaux	Arsenal
7	AC Milan	Tottenham
8	Manchester United	Manchester United
9	Bayer Leverkusen	Valencia
10	Schalke 04	Bordeaux
11	Tottenham Hotspur	Twente Enschede
12	Juventus	Manchester City
13	Valencia	Bayer Leverkusen
14	Aston Villa	Bayern Munich
15	Sevilla	Ajax Amsterdam
16	Werder Bremen	Fiorentina
17	PSV Eindhoven	Juventus
18	Benfica	Aston Villa
19	Twente Enschede	PSV Eindhoven
20	Manchester City	Schalke 04
21	FK Rubin Kazan	Napoli
22	Bayern Munich	Braga
23	Braga	Werder Bremen
24	Ajax Amsterdam	FK Rubin Kazan
25	Fiorentina	AS Roma

Next Five in for Tom, in order of my perceived quality of their domestic league: Deportivo La Coruna (Esp), Hamburg SV (Ger), Lyon (Fra), Fenerbahce (Tur), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr)

Next Five in for Blaine, in order from greatest to least population of team's home city (or country): Mali, Marseille (Fra), Genoa (Ita), Lyon (Fra), Parma (Ita)

That's all for now, hope everyone has a great week! Keep an eye on FA Cup replays and the African Cup of Nations.

Final and Preseason Top 25 for College Football

The last top 25 I have for College Football has a heavy emphasis on what the top 25 should look like to start next season.

1. Alabama: The Tide return numerous offensive players, but they have to replace seven starters on defense. A difficult road slate in the SEC coupled with a non-conference game against Penn State makes it difficult to see Alabama back in the National Championship game next season.

2. Ohio State: In what I'm declaring the year of the Big Ten return, Ohio State could be the best of the group. If Jim Tressel opens up the offense like he did in the Rose Bowl, Pryor and Co. will be extremely hard to shut down. Road games in Madison and Iowa City will be tough tests as well as a non-conference game against Miami. If they get through those tests, the Buckeyes will be well prepared for a National Title game.

3. Boise State: This could also be the year the BCS gets its shakeup. Boise State plays a fairly difficult non-conference schedule, and if they make it through that unscathed, another undefeated season is well within reach and a very good shot at playing in Glendale but for the National Title instead of the Fiesta Bowl.

4. Texas: The best thing that happened in Pasadena on Thursday night? Garret Gilbert getting valuable playing time as he takes over for Colt McCoy next season. The defense should be superb, and Mack Brown knows how to recruit. Texas loses Shipley and McCoy, but they should be alright.

5. Oregon: Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael (is spanish for The Michael) James will be back next season behind an experienced offensive line and with an improved defense. Road games at USC and Oregon State towards the end of the season stick out as potential road blocks to a Pac-10 Championship.

6. Iowa: Don't be surprised to see the experts down on the Hawkeyes going into next season. Iowa has to replace 4/5 of the starting offensive line and 2 key LB's in A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer. That being said, the Big Ten Title runs through Kinnick Stadium with Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin all coming to Iowa City this fall. With 2 linemen getting significant playing time last year the rebuilding of the O-Line shouldn't be as daunting of a task as some will make it out to be, the Hawkeyes could be in Pasadena come Bowl season.

7. Florida

8. Nebraska

9. TCU

10. Wisconsin

11. Virginia Tech

12. Pittsburgh: Pitt could be the school in the best position after Brian Kelly left Cincinnati. Dion Lewis will certainly be in the Heisman discussion next season, but Pitt has some major holes to fill before next season. If those holes are filled adequately, Pitt should win the Big East.

13. Oklahoma

14. Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson has to be thankful that teams don't have multiple weeks to prepare for his offense before every game. The 'wreck will likely lose a few key juniors, but they only had 6 seniors on scholarship, but if Josh Nesbit is able to throw the ball with more accuracy the offense will become even harder to defend and they might be able to win a BCS game.

15. LSU

16. Cincinnati

17. Arkansas

18. Miami

19. North Carolina: If North Carolina finds any sort of offense they could be dangerous (a tall task to ask for as John Schoop is their offensive coordinator). The defense is stacked and the ACC isn't very good, they'll be many people's sleeper pick to make a BCS game.

20. Penn State: Penn State has quite a few holes to fill on defense as well as the need to break in a new QB. The defense shouldn't be a problem to rebuild and the return of Evan Royster with a solid offensive line should help the growth of a new QB. I don't think the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten this year but they'll be a difficult opponent every week. The biggest surprise is that the Nittany Lions scheduled a non-conference game outside of State College and against a school that doesn't play like a high school team (Alabama).

21. Houston

22. Utah

23. USC: With Pete Carroll all but out of Southern Cal, the Trojans will likely face losing a number of great recruits. That being said this is probably a pretty low ranking as the new coach will inherit a great number of starters and a more experienced defense. A road game in Minnesota stands out as the most difficult non-conference game, and the only other possible stumbling block for the Trojans looks to be possibly Notre Dame towards the end of the season.

24.  Florida State: With Jimbo Fischer officially taking over the Seminoles I think recruiting will get instantly better. Mark Stoops comes from Arizona to fix the defense and if he succeeds, the offense will be able to use their talent to put up some points. I think this is the season the 'Noles will start to make a return to their glory days.

25. Oregon State

Weekend Soccer Preview

As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern. No games of the week this weekend, but more leagues are coming back. There will be a full ranking coming on Monday!

English Premier League
Note: Five Premier League games have been called off so far due to terrible weather in England. The matches are: Hull City v Chelsea, Liverpool v Tottenham, Burnley v Stoke City, Sunderland v Bolton, and Fulham v Portsmouth. There may be more postponements before all is said and done. The weather is so bad that not one League Two or Conference match will be played.
10:00 ET Saturday
(T4) Arsenal v Everton
Wigan Athletic v (T12) Aston Villa
12:30 ET Saturday
Birmingham v (T4) Manchester United
8:30 ET Sunday
West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Scottish Cup (Round 4)
Hamilton Academical v Rangers

Spain’s La Liga
14:00 ET Saturday
(9) Sevilla FC v Racing Santander
11:00 ET Sunday
Deportivo La Coruna v Osasuna
Xerez v (16) Valencia
13:00 ET Sunday
(2) Real Madrid v Mallorca
15:00 ET Sunday
Tenerife v (1) Barcelona

Italy’s Serie A
12:00 ET Saturday
AS Roma v Chievo Verona
14:45 ET Saturday
(6) Inter Milan v Siena
9:00 ET Sunday
(22) Fiorentina v Bari
Genoa v Catania
Napoli v Sampdoria
14:45 ET Sunday
(T12) Juventus v (7) AC Milan

Coupe de France (9th Round)
13:00 Saturday
AS Monaco v Tours
14:45 ET Saturday
(8) Bordeaux v Rodez Aveyron
Strasbourg v Lyon
11:30 ET Sunday
Trelissac FC v Marseille

Greek Super League
9:45 ET Saturday
FC Xanthi v Panathinaikos
7:30 ET Sunday
Olympiakos v Larissa

Portuguese Liga
15:15 ET Friday
(T24) Braga v CD Nacional de Madeira
16:15 ET Saturday
Rio Ave v (23) Benfica
15:15 ET Sunday
FC Porto v Uniao de Leiria

Andre Dawson is Voted into the Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame announcements were made today, and a big congratulations goes out to Andre Dawson!! Dawson was the sole player voted in, while Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar were just on the outside. Here is a run-down of Dawson and some of those who did not make it in.

Andre Dawson – 77.9% of the vote
This was Dawson’s 9th year on the ballot and he has been getting more and more support every year. Dawson was an 8 time all star and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1977 and the MVP on a last-place Cubs team in 1987. He was a fantastic fielder as well, winning 8 Gold Gloves from 1980-1988. Dawson is one of three players all-time with 400 HR and 300 SB, with only Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. In his career, Dawson had 438 HR, 2774 H, 1591 RBI, 314 SB, and he hit .279/.323/.482/.806. Statistics-minded baseball people (including myself) will cringe at the .323 OBP, but his rare combination of power and speed is certainly worthy of Hall of Fame induction.

Bert Blyleven – 74.2%, 5 votes short
Bert Blyleven has been on the ballot for an excruciatingly long 13 years. The last four years he has received 53.3, 47.7, 61.9, and 62.7% of the vote, and it appears he will be inducted next year as he was only 5 votes short this year. From 1960-2009, Blyleven had the 3rd most shutouts (7th most complete games), 5th most strikeouts, and 4th most 200+ IP seasons. The “Average Hall of Fame Pitcher” According to Baseball-Reference.com has a career 251-175 record with a 2.95 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Blyleven had a 287-250 record with 3.31 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, which accounting for the eras pitchers pitched in, is not all that bad. Also according to Baseball-Reference.com, the ten most similar pitchers to Bert Blyleven are (in order) Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Fergie Jenkins, Tommy John, Robin Roberts, Tom Seaver, Jim Kaat, Early Wynn, Phil Niekro, and Steve Carlton. All of those except John and Kaat are Hall of Famers, which says that Blyleven is in the company of Hall of Famers based on his numbers. He has nothing to worry about, as it would take a miracle for him to not get inducted next season, and he will deserve his induction when it happens.

Roberto Alomar – 73.7%, 8 votes short
In his first year on the ballot, Roberto Alomar came agonizingly close to being elected into the Hall of Fame. Alomar was the consummate five-tool player, and in his career he amassed 2724 hits, 210 HR, 474 SB, 12 (consecutive) all-star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves (most ever for a 2B), and 4 Silver Sluggers while hitting .300/.371/.443. There aren’t necessarily any eye-catching numbers but he is in the top 15 all time in hits, HR, RBI, AVG, and SLG among second basemen. He was considered by some to be a sure-fire Hall of Famer and probably did not get elected this time around due to the somewhat foolish belief of players not deserving to be a “first-ballot Hall of Famer.” There was also the spitting incident, in which he spat in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck and then after the game said Hirschbeck was bitter because one of his sons had died of ALD and another was just diagnosed. Eventually Alomar apologized publicly and donated $50,000 to ALD research and all was well between the two. This incident may have led some voters to not vote for Alomar due to the “high integrity and character” criteria. Still, like Blyleven, Alomar will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall next year.

Jack Morris – 52.3%
Jack Morris was the MVP of the 1991 World Series, which his Twins won over the Braves in 7 games. Morris made three starts and went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA, 23 IP, and a 1.17 WHIP. The most famous of those starts was game 7, where he threw 10 innings of shutout ball as the Twins won in the 10th on a Gene Larkin single. This is the moment that defines Morris’ good, but not great career. Morris was in the top 5 in the league in ERA only twice, and both times he was in 5th. Similarly, he was only in the top 5 in WHIP twice, once in 4th and once in 5th. He has career numbers of 254-186 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, averaging 157 K, 88 BB, and 242 IP per season. This is Morris’ 11th year on the ballot and this is just his first time receiving above 50% of the vote. For Morris to get in he will have to get in with the weak classes of the next two years, as there are huge classes coming in 2013 and 2014.

Barry Larkin – 51.6%
Larkin had an injury-prone but accomplishment-filled career. For his career, he hit .295/.371/.444 with 198 HR, 379 SB, 2340 H, an MVP award in 1995, 12 all-star appearances, 9 Silver Sluggers (most ever for a SS), and 3 Gold Gloves. He may have won more Gold Gloves but the beginning of his career coincided with the end of Ozzie Smith’s, and Smith may have won some based on reputation more than merit late in his career. In 1996, Larkin joined the 30-30 club with 33 HR and 36 SB to go along with a .977 OPS, the only season in which he hit more than 20 HR. Larkin should make the Hall in short time.

Sitting Starters Should Cost $$$

The past two weeks we've heard a lot about whether or not NFL teams should sit their starters when they have clinched everything there is to be clinched. Now we're seeing the NFL's Competition Committee meet to discuss the issue and come up with possible incentive to playing your starters all season. Quite frankly that's garbage, no one should have to be persuaded to play their best players to win a game, they are paid a ton of money for that purpose alone. Reports are out there that some possible ideas to get teams to play all their starters are giving them a compensation draft pick at the end of the first round or if you play all your starters throughout the season, the league will reward you with a better playoff seeding.

While both of those would provide great incentive to play all your starters, you know what will really keep the stars of the NFL on the field? Money. No, not giving teams money for playing their starters, but taking money from teams who bench their starters. Sports today operate as a business and in business the thing that speaks the loudest is money. By withholding revenue from teams or flat out fining teams, the NFL sends the message to teams that the product they have is expensive entertainment and they want to give the fans the experience equal to the cost.

Now clearly there would be exceptions to this because if a player is hurt or banged up then he has every right to sit out and get healthy to help his team win a championship. But if a player is a regular starter and healthy then he needs to be out there. And if teams lie about who is and isn't hurt and it's later found out that they did lie then the fine would have to be more severe.

Draft picks and playoff seedings might seem like a good idea to some people, but in all reality it makes a mockery out of the NFL. A team shouldn't get anything extra for playing its best players for an entire season. Front office personnel and head coaches are paid to bring in the best talent, coach the best talent, and win football games and when they make moves where the best talent isn't playing they need to be fined for it.

Weekend Soccer Roundup

There were not enough games in big leagues again this weekend for another edition of rankings, so they will make their much anticipated comeback next weekend! Also, Blaine happens to be in Japan at the moment (follow his blog here) where apparently the internet is not as reliable and/or available so that makes him sending rankings and keeping up with the football world more difficult. In any case it was still a fun weekend in soccer with FA Cup 3rd round matches and a round of La Liga in Spain.

-Leeds United stunned Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in FA Cup action. As described last Thursday, this is a huge historical rivalry and Leeds United is not your average League One team. Jermaine Beckford scored a neat 19th minute goal and Leeds were able to hold off some late attacks from Manchester United for the great win. Leeds simply out-played a high quality Manchester United squad that included Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov and quality youngsters Danny Welbeck and Gabriel Obertan on the wings. Welbeck and Obertan were removed for Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs in the 57th minute, but it was not enough for Manchester United.

-Chelsea defeated Watford 5-0 at home and Arsenal enjoyed a good 2-1 win at West Ham. Liverpool was held to a 1-1 draw at Reading, leading to a money-making replay at Anfield that cash-strapped management will not be upset about.

-Preston North End dismantled Colchester United 7-0 at home with 5 second half goals including a second half hat trick for Jon Parkin. Preston North End is currently without a manager after the sacking of Alan Irvine on December 29th.

-Aston Villa defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-1 at home and Wigan Athletic won 4-1 at home against Hull City in matches of Premier League sides.

-Remaining Premier League team results (home team listed first): Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Lincoln City, Fulham 1-0 Swindon Town, Middlesbrough 0-1 Manchester City, Milton Keynes Dons 1-2 Burnley, Nottingham Forest 0-0 Birmingham, Portsmouth 1-1 Coventry City, Stoke City 3-1 York City, Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Peterborough United, Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers.

-The only Premier League team to bow out to a non-Premier League team was Manchester United, while Liverpool still needs to hold of Reading in a replay.

- The lowest team left on the Football League ladder is League Two Accrington Stanley, who has yet to play their 3rd round tie against League One bottom-dwellers Gillingham. The lowest team that has already advanced to the 4th round is Brighton, who is in 20th in League One. Brighton won 1-0 at League Two Torquay United.

-Barcelona and Real Madrid were both held to draws in La Liga, 1-1 home to Villarreal and 0-0 at Osasuna, respectively, so Barcelona is still on top of La Liga by two points over Madrid.

-Celtic and Rangers played to a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, so Rangers still lead the Scottish Premier League by 7 points over Celtic, with one more game played.

FA Cup Draw
Draw for the 4th round, home team listed first. Matches to be played the weekend of January 23rd. Replays of 3rd round matches will be played January 12th and 13th.

Accrington Stanley/Gillingham v Fulham
Aston Villa v Brighton
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United/Queens Park Rangers
Bristol City/Cardiff City v Leicester City
Everton v Nottingham Forest/Birmingham City
Millwall/Derby County v Brentford/Doncaster
Notts County/Forest Green Rovers v Wigan
Portsmouth/Coventry City v Sunderland
Preston North End v Chelsea
Reading/Liverpool v Burnley
Scunthorpe United v Manchester City
Southampton v Ipswich Town
Stoke City v Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United
West Bromwich Albion v Plymouth/Newcastle
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace

The Road to Miami: Who Will Play in the Super Bowl?

 Saturday is the start of the NFL Playoffs and we have 3 of the 4 games this weekend as rematches from last weekend. Here's how I see the playoffs shaking out:

Wild Card Weekend
Cincinnati Bengals over New York Jets: I know the Jets took it to the Bengals last night, but I think Cincinnati was looking to rest more starters than to win. I know Chad Ochocinco was held in check by Darrelle Revis, but I think Ochocinco breaks out of Revis Island this Saturday and the Bengals defense loads the box to force Mark Sanchez to throw the ball for the Jets to win.

Dallas Cowboys over Philadelphia Eagles: This is an interesting game to pick, I'll say it right now that I just flat out don't like the Cowboys but they have been playing well as of late and I think they'll find a way to win a playoff game.

Baltimore Ravens over New England Patriots: The loss of Wes Welker is huge for the Patriots and I think it will make this game even easier for the Ravens to win. Expect the Ravens to pound the ball with Willis McGahee and Ray Rice.

Green Bay Packers over Arizona Cardinals: We've seen lately that when teams get hot they are very dangerous in the playoffs. It's hard to argue that the Packers aren't the hottest team in NFC or NFL for that matter. A top 5 defense coupled with the weapons on offense make the Packers an extremely dangerous team.

Divisional Round
Baltimore Ravens over Indianapolis Colts: I don't think the Colts are going to be sharp after basically giving their starters 3 weeks off. That paired with the Ravens' defense and running game, I like Baltimore to advance to the AFC Championshp Game.

San Diego Chargers over Cincinnati Bengals: If the Packers aren't the hottest team going into the playoffs then it has to be the Chargers. Phillip Rivers has played extremely well and will make it hard for anyone to go into San Diego and win.

Minnesota Vikings over Dallas Cowboys: The Vikings look to have figured out what was bothering everyone, or at least realized to cover it up for the playoffs and come together. Playing at home will help immensely, and the Vikings should win.

Green Bay Packers over New Orleans Saints: As a Bears fan it pains me to pick the Packers over the Saints, but again, they're clicking on offense and defense and the Saints are struggling.

Championship Weekend
San Diego Chargers over Baltimore Ravens: Ron Rivera has improved the Chargers defense and when you get to the playoffs a running game and a defense is what is needed to win and the Chargers and Ravens both have that by the boatloads. I think playing at home will benefit the Chargers and I think Phillip Rivers will make a few more plays than Joe Flacco and that will be the difference.

Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings: I'm not even factoring in how difficult it is to beat the same team three times because I don't think these are the same Green Bay Packers as when the Vikings played them. The offensive line has played a lot better for the Packers and I think the aggressiveness of Favre and the fumleitis that Adrian Peterson is prone to will hurt the Vikings at some point.

Super Bowl Sunday
San Diego Chargers over Green Bay Packers: Did you really think I'd pick the Packers to win it all? Child Please! While I don't like Phillip Rivers, I think he's a good quarterback and will cement himself in people's minds that he is a very very good quarterback and he belongs in the conversation with Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and Jay Cutler as the next tier of great quarterbacks behind Brady and Manning as the game's elite.

Last Bowl Picks of the Year

This miserable experience is nearly over, we have 4 games left starting tomorrow night and heading to Thursday night.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: TCU (-7) over Boise State: In the game that should have never been scheduled I like TCU to win and to win fairly easily. I really think the Horned Frogs would play either Alabama or Texas extremely tough and even possibly win. Defense wins championships and in this case defense will win the Fiesta Bowl.

FedEx Orange Bowl: Iowa (+5) over Georgia Tech: I'm still not entirely sure how Georgia Tech is favored in this game, but they are and I think it's a mistake. Iowa's defense led by Pat Angerer and Adrian Clayborn will be able to contain the vaunted triple option of the Ramblin' Wreck. The Hawkeyes are fully healthy on offense and expect the offense to click against a subpar Yellow Jackets defense.

GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan (-3) over Troy: I'm not analyzing this game because this game should not be played in between BCS games.

CITI BCS National Championship Game: Texas (+4) over Alabama: I still have no idea who is going to win this game but I think the 4 points is too high and I see this game definitely coming down to a field goal. I think this game will rival the excitement that the Texas-USC 2006 Rose Bowl had.

Why New Year's is the Best Single Day for Sports

A lot of people argue that April and October are the best months for sports because in April you have the conclusion of March Madness, Opening Day in baseball, NFL Draft, NBA, and now the NHL all in action. October has playoff baseball, and there is college football and NFL action starting up. While both of those months are great in the world of sports, sitting here on my couch on New Years Day got me thinking that today could be the greatest day of the sports year. Here are the reasons:

New Year's Day Bowl Games: Before the college football that we know today where if you go .500 you will be playing in a bowl game, there were only a handful of teams playing in the postseason in college and most of the premier games were played on New Year's Day. Even though there are way too many bowl games now, the majority of the best ones are still played on January 1. If we have to sit through these bowl games in the future, I want to see all the BCS games moved to January 1, it would make this great day even better.

Winter Classic: This is the one thing that the NHL has gotten 100% right, moving one game outdoors a year is a great way to honor the way so many players started their hockey careers. There has been talk about adding a second Winter Classic game and I'd be all for it as long as it was also on New Year's Day and one of the games was always played somewhere in Canada.

College Basketball: This may just be an anomaly, but West Virginia and Purdue are set to play today in a battle of top ten teams. Having a marquee college basketball game on the first day of the year is awesome, there is something special about college sports and having both college football and basketball on TV is a great way to relax after a long night the night before. Watching college athletes compete in sports they love is truly enjoyable to watch because they are playing for the love of the game, not because they are being paid millions and millions of dollars.

Having a day full of sports is great, having the first day of a new year full of sports is just  a spectacular way to start a new year that will be full of great sports moments. Happy New Year to everyone!