Beef Is When I See You...

Da Realist:

and you wonder why there are no more rivalries...

it's because of players like ray allen apologizing for something he said LAST YEAR. c'mon...

do you think isiah thomas ever apologized for leading a pistons walkout with 5.9 seconds left when chicago eliminated them in 91?

do you think michael jordan ever apologized for saying that playing reggie miller was akin to chicken fighting?

do you think scottie pippen ever apologized for calling charles barkley a fat slob who'll never win a title?

do you think nick van exel ever apologized for stating that san antonio would never win a title with avery johnson at the point?

ray allen was right with what he said. he just got scared when he realized kobe was gonna get at him on national tv. dude is soft...

Waldini:

Like I said B4, the best rivalry the league had was Shaq-Kobe, now they at least acknowledge one another. I miss the regular season days on Sunday when you had a big rivalry game on, like the Knicks-Bulls. Even though it was regular season, it felt like the playoffs cuz you knew both teams were gonna bring it.

I was watching part of the Cavs-Heat earlier and no such aura around the game. I read a few mins ago that Bron Bron dropped 47. But what does it matter if he's gonna hug and kiss D Wade after the game. I want more non peace dammit :-).

Da Realist:

i agree. you let your team lose a 15 point game and you are cool enough to kiss and hug the victor afterwards... (???)

what in the world happened to the nba? well, at least we got artest vs kobe on tuesday night. is that game on national tv?

Gangsta D:

Kobe vs Ron isn't a rivalry...yet. Could be, but it doesn't trip my trigger just yet.

Read more!

The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Played...

Waldini:

Man, it doesnt even feel right that we have gone almost 5 days without dropping something about sports??

- What no comments on Kirby Puckett dying this week? Pretty tragic to me considering how his life started ! going downhill after he was hit by the fastball. I dont watch baseball but suprisingly i watched all of the Twins-Braves WS back in '91, mainly cuz of him and Terry Pendleton. Weird

- No comments on the pending book about Bonds and steroids?

- No comments on the Clippers coming on strong in the 2nd half of the NBA season? And also solidifying their claim as the best pro NBA team in LA this year? (No realist this is not a misprint from a Lakers fan :-)

- No comments on Vargas-Mosely?

- No comments on the World Series of Base - er what I am saying, who cares about that?

- No comments on early March Madness predictions?

Anyways, let's get the Sports Reporters via email going again

Gangsta D:

Kirby was a great player, but he was a wild boy. Using a chainsaw to cut through the bathroom door? That's some Debo type ish right there.

Don't mistreat your mistress. Barry should've known better.

The Clips are the LA team that's PLAYING the best right now. They're not the best team in LA. You need to learn how to parse statements Waldo.

Boxing is deader than Dillinger.

Too early for predictions. But UConn is beasting and they're not even playing that well as of late.

Da Realist:

i feel bad for kirby. my man got CRUCIFIED when it came out he had a few mistresses. rich, popular, athletic star traveling the country for most of the year without his family...what do you expect? and yeah, there were those accusations of physical abuse... ??? i don't know. but now all of a sudden he's an angel. maybe death is the best way to polish your image.

what's this about the clippers and lakers? didn't i tell y'all it's 1990 again? last night mike dropped 47 on the pistons to pull within 2 games to 1. game 4 is tomorrow night.

Gangsta D:

Is Pippen playing or is he still out with the migraines?

Da Realist:

are you trying to get a rise out of me, agent kujan?

Gangsta D:

You're right Verbal. I am smarter than you. One way or the other, you're gonna tell me what I wanna know!

Waldini:

Hilarious :-). Long live Kaiser Soze Read more!

AK-47 Assault Rifle

Gangsta D:

Just heard on the radio that Andrei Kirilenko's wife is "allowing" him to have one night a year with another woman. She feels prohibition fosters temptation, so she's giving him a mulligan in a matter of speaking. I'd love to hear the married man's perspective:)

Da Realist:

maybe i ought to pass this on to Da Wife... try to convince her that by allowing this, she is SAVING our marriage :-)

Waldini:

As XXL would say, I have the following in response for AK-47....NEGRO PUHLEASE
Anybody knows a black woman scorned is hell for any person but a married black woman scorned?? You talking a special combo of hot grits and sausage if you catch my drift :-) Read more!

The Olden Days

Waldini:

Realist, I remember when you brought this up and ironically NBA Coast to Coast discussed this 2nite. Whatever happened to the great NBA rivalries. Coast to Coast went through the following rivalries 2nite

Wilt's Sixers vs Bill's Celtics
Julius' Sixers vs Larry's Celtics
Magic's Lakers vs Larry's Celtics
Isaiah's Pistons vs Michael's Bulls
Patrick's Knicks vs Michael's Bulls
Patrick's Knicks vs Reggie's Pacers
Patrick's Knicks vs Alonzo's Heat

After that, they ask, What has happened to the rivalries? And the only one I could think of that was as heated as the one above was the Kings-Lakers and I'm reachin on that one. Man...it was all a dream

Da Realist:

isiah's pistons vs larry's celtics

and what about the lesser rivalries like

kj's suns vs magic's lakers
drexler's trailblazers vs magic's lakers
payton/kemp's sonics vs stockton/malone's jazz

they were all interesting to watch. i don't know why rivalries no longer exist because the decline of the quality of play doesn't matter if every team is basically on the same playing field.

my guess would be this: i don't think the players care as much about winning as they did back then. i like how you assigned each team to its marquee player because that's where it ultimately starts. those guys had enough pride to make them compete every year against that team they
couldn't get past. marquee players today just don't care. tracy mcgrady, vince carter, dirk nowitzki, ray allen, etc just don't care enough to compete extra hard against that team they couldn't beat the year before. kobe and iverson are probably the only real superstar
competitors out there. can't have rivalries without willing competitors.

the closest thing we got is pistons/spurs today.

Gangsta D

Someone made the point that NBA players are too nice nowadays. They share agents, hang out during the regular season, etc. There's just no sustained animosity any more. You'd think that after Rasheed "Clubber Langed" Big Z, that that might inspire something in the Cavs. Not even
close. I think the clamp down on fighting and not being able to leave the bench has a lot to do with it. Look at the 80's and early 90's rivalries. they were always getting into it. that inspired passion and animosity. Just don't have it nowadays.

Da Realsit:

yep. the nba is so prosperous that everyone has a huge piece of the pie. what's there to be mad about when you're a multi-millionaire? in the 90's, at least some of the endorsements available were given to players that had experienced some success. michael was the only one with his own shoe deal, for instance (other players like magic, larry and dominique endorsed shoes). now EVERYBODY got their own shoe. c'mon, remember the spreewell's with the spinning rims? c'mon...

oh by the way, y'all know i'm LOVING that new jordan commercial!

Waldini:

New Jordan commercial is tight

I'm not saying I want the NBA to turn into WWE and cats are fighting every night but if you get elbowed in the face (see Zydrunas) and get a home game the next night against the same man (see Sheed) who did it to you, you gotta give a lil payback

But more than likely, those cats prbly ended up at the club 2gether that night talking about life. I mean I miss times like when the Rockets came back from a 2-0 and 3-1 defiicit to beat the Suns. I remember AC Green saying when it was 3-1, the series was over and no way the Rockets come back. Well they did and Kenny Smith was like "AC may be religious but he
aint a prophet." Subtle but hilarious....

The sad part is the NBA was hurt from a marketing standpoint when Shaq and Kobe squashed their feud in Jan

Da Realist:

nah, not really. those guys weren't gonna meet in the playoffs (finals) anyway. i never read that kenny smith quote. very good quote.

y'all remember (and i know you do) back in 93, the lakers had the suns down 2-0 going home for games 3 and 4? a #1 seed losing 2-0 to a #8 seed? game 5 went to overtime before the suns pulled it out. classic, although i was hoping the lakers pulled off history. this was the year before motumbo's nuggets beat the sonics.

Gangsta D:

Of course we remember! I mas talking mad ish after game 2. We should've won game 4 and 5, but Worthy just couldn't pull it out...

Waldini:

Dayum right. I remember being in Physical science and some clown was trying to insinuate I wasnt a true Laker fan. I said oh really...here's starting 5 for that squad

Sedale Threatt - PG
Byron Scott - SG
Big Game James Worthy - SF
Big Easy Elden Campbell - PF
Vlade Dodi Divac - C

Shoot, I was heated about Game 5 b/c Big Easy was going off. I got too excited when LA won the first 2 games and was already talking about playing Seattle :-) Read more!

All Star Weekend...I Love This Game?

Da Realist:

i completely agree with this.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jay_mohr/02/22/mohr.sports/index.html

Waldini:

I dont completely agree with this. I thought TNT did a decent job on Sat leading up to the actual events. This year's game was boring (even though the score was close) but 2003 (Jordan's last year) was really good. They need a marquee name that white folks can relate to. Shaq is funny but he isnt viewed in the same light as Jordan, Magic, and Bird. PERIOD.

Other thoughts

Dunk Contest - Do agree it has lost its relevance since no major names participate anymore. Gone are the days where 7 folks including His Airness, Human Highlight Film, Skywalker, Larry N! ance, Glide, etc would participate and make it exciting. Plus they give cats too many chances (see Lil Nate) to win. It's a mockery compared to the 80s. The dunks have been tight but it's
taking these guys 15-20 mins to do them.

Skills - Actually liked it b/c they did have marquee names participating

3 point - no opinion

I will keep saying this until I'm blue in the face....today's NBA players are not embraced like the ones from 80s.

Da Realist:

the last real good all star game was 88. or maybe that's just when i started to view the weekend differently. this was the one in chicago, mike got 40 and the mvp, nique almost came away with it because mike outdueled nique in a slam dunk contest that really could have gone either way (but since it was in chicago...) and larry legend won the 3 point shooting contest for the 3rd straight time on the last shot. i cannot recall who won any other game except 1992 (when magic was allowed to play despite his hiv status).

dunk contest is almost garbage now. it's really only so much a contestant to do. how many variations of the between the legs dunk are we going to see? it's mildly entertaining, but not must-see tv. although it's better than all that other stuff. didn't even watch the other stuff. heard dwayne wade won the skills contest and dirk won the 3pt contest, but so what?

another thing. these t! hings shouldn't be prime time tv. this should come on at 1 or 2 like it used to, instead of bleeding into the night like monday night football. the nba needs to be trying to reel in the 12 years olds (like us in '88) instead of trying to chase every single dollar. this should be the one weekend all year long that can begin and end during the hours a normal child can stay up.

now, the all star game. the way the all star game is played now is really a microcosm of how the overall game has been adapted. the players today looked at and practiced all of the "sportscenter" plays they saw their idols doing yesteryear, but didn't pay attention the the real substance of the game. sure isiah used to throw a bounce pass alley oop from half court to dominique wilkins back then or magic will somehow find a teammate with a no look behind the back pass through traffic for the easy score, but it was still a *real* game with all the intangibles (defense included). now, it's understood that no one really plays any defense and everyone averages at least one alley oop pass per half. it's got all the flair, not none of the substance that it used to have. Read more!

Joe D...HOF?

Da Realist:

what do you guys think of this article, particularly t! he argument against joe dumars? agree or disagree?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5348924

Gangsta D:

I'd have to agree. Dumars was a good player and a very good player in the '89 Finals. But he was never a great player. He may get in as an executive in 20 years, but not as a player.

Da Realist:

i found the article against ralph sampson interesting (and i agree with it). but it was interesting because all i've heard about ralph was that he was a flop while i heard bill walton is one of the 50 greatest. their stats aren't *that* far apart. i'm not a stats guy and i know stats don't tell the whole story, but do stats lie THIS much? one guy is a flop, the other guy is a great. similar numbers. i know bill was hurt and maybe i had to actually see him play but even the highlights don't offer much. the only thing we see of bill walton is the 1977 championship over the sixers and him waving the towel from the bench for the 86 celtics. we know ralph doesn't belong in the hall, but does BILL???

Gangsta D:

Bill Walton is the greatest center to ever lace them up. 22 of 23 in the '74 title game. The best passing big man in hist! ory. Come on, the guy is a giant...literally and figuratively. Plus he's Luke Walton's dad, the greatest 2nd round draft pick in history....

Waldini:

I agree Joe D is not a HOFer. He was a good not great player. I dont know if you guys saw TNT's list of the next 10 players that should be added to the top 50 lists. Charles Barkley said he would select Joe Dumars, Reggie Miller, and Dennis Johnson for that list b4 Kobe Bryant

Realist, thats your apocalypse for the day.

Da Realist:

did he say why?

Waldini:

He said right now Kobe has not done enough in his career to surpass those 3's accomplishments. He did say that in a few years, he believes will surpass those guys.

I still was like Kobe has surpassed those guys. Kenny Smith took it a step further and asked him "So what you're telling me is if you had a build a franchise around the guards on this list, you would pick those guys ahead of Kobe Bryant"....Charles never answered the question :-)

Da Realist:

kenny the jet made a good point

Read more!

Mamba my ass

Da Realist:

more like a chameleon Read more!

The Empire Strikes Back

Waldini:

Now I know you saw 'Mamba' go off for 98 in his past 2 games. You dontthinkhe's teed off after being suspended by the league. On a side note, Kwame is starting again and posted a double double in one game.

Gangsta D:

Dude I saw the game against the Clippers. He had 10 at halftime. In the third qtr, he went OFF. He hit like 5 3's in a row from just ridiculous distance. Even the Clipper's announcing team had to give it up. He was just throwing up crazy shots. If Lamar can figure out his role, we'll be OK.

I just saw that we play the Cavs this January. So you know what that means. Kobe's gonna get hurt again and miss 10-12 games just like the last two years:)

Waldini:

Is it this Thursday or next Thursday they play? I know it's on TNT and I have been waiting for the day that Kobe and Lebron play one another for a full game. We've already seen D-Wade, T-Mac, and Penny's best against #8, now I wanna see #23.

Gangsta D:

It's this thursday, but it doesn't matter because Big Z is gonna inadvertantly hit Kobe with an elbow, knocking him to the floor, causing him to break his wrist when he lands. Just accept it. cleveland is Kobe's kryptonite:)

Waldini:

You have jinxed the Lakers and now Kobe will be hurt. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, j/k Read more!

Ron "New" Mexico

Da Realist:

SHOULD marcus vick have been kicked off the team for speeding and driving w/o a license? i only ask because i visited v-tech this year and i told y'all how uncomfortable we felt there. i wonder if v-tech has less patience with black players or is this a legit reason to kick someone off the team.

Gangsta D:

It was an accumulation thing, not just the recent problems. He got suspended for his first game, was suspended all of last year, and his recent troubles; all this added up.

Da Realist:

makes sense. but let's not discount the fact that he was somewhat exposed this year. if he had the kind of career his brother had, do you think he would have been kicked off?

Waldini:

If Vick had taken them to a BCS bowl, he would have just gotten probation, 100 hrs of community service, and given a public apology to Lousville, the athletic department, Dumervil and Dumervi's family, etc.... Read more!

Young Vince

Waldini:

So he made it official....now the big question, where does he go?Unofficially, Houston has said that they will still take Reggie Bush andwill give Carr the extension.And how do you think he will do? I'm still not sold on the throwing motionbut he did slightly change my perception of him with his Rose bowlperformance.

Gangsta D:

Get used to that release, cause Mel thinks the Titans are taking Vince at #3. Steve may be done for in Titan Land.

Waldini:

Pasquerelli is saying Steve is leaning towards deferring his bonus and staying on. If that;s the case, then Vince will be mentored by his idol (just like Steve was mentored).

Da Realist:

they're good friends anyway. steve has been mentoring vince the last couple of summers. Read more!

Who You Wit?

Da Realist:

who ya got tonight?http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/stewart_mandel/01/03/why.texas/index.html

Gangsta D:

'SC by 10.

Waldini:

Mandel failed to mention that Troy Smith wasnt the starter of that Ohio St-UT game (Justin Zwick was). He also failed to mention that Ohio St in 2003 had a tougher schedule than Texas in 2005. We can throw team defense rankings, stats, etc all over the place but bottomline, that 'SC offense is a beast. I say USC wins b/c I dont see UT holding Leinart, Bush, White and Co below 31 points (which I said is the benchmark for beating USC).

Da Realist:

stewart missed a lot of things. but the biggest exclusion...miami was still one late flag away from winning the game anyway. i agree with d. sc by 10. Read more!

What Dreams May Come

Could the Lakers get Artest and Jalen Rose? If they only have to give up Devean and Von Wafer, could this be true. After this three game debacle, I'm ready for a change. I'll take "Crazy-Ass" Ron and the "Black Rose" and will be happy about it. Read more!

All The Roses

Da Realist:

does texas have a chance to knock off usc in the rose bowl?

Gangsta D:

They got a chance, but I don't see it happening. Texas hasn't seen a team like 'SC all year. Will they get blown 55-3, probably not. It'll be a shootout, but 'SC should handle it. Oh yeah, I still don't trust Mack Brown in a big game.

Waldini:

Ditto here....I dont think the Longhorns can hold USC behold 31 points, which I think that is the only way you can beat this team.

Da Realist:

good point. but it can be argued that usc hasn't seen a team like texas either. but the mack brown rule definitely applies here. i don't even think it will be close. 42 - 21 or something like that. usc's offensive line is a BEAST. they don't get any credit because of the big 3, but there is a reason bush and white are running at full speed 5 yards deep before they get touched -- IF they get touched. and with a dominant line like that you can't stop all 3 weapons. usc will have a month to shore up it's defense for vince young. contain him and texas is done. make vince have to throw for 300+ yards to beat them.

on the other side of the ball, the teams that have given usc trouble this year we teams that had short, controlled passing attacks that kept the usc offense off the field. texas plays a risky, home run deep passing attack that is designed to score quickly, but is also prone to turnovers. i don't think vince is a) gonna have the time he's used to getting behind center to make those throws and b) isn't going to be accurate enough within the allotted amount of time he will have to be successful over the course of the game. Read more!

Lupica Sucks!!!

Waldini:

Did you guys watch Sports Reporters yesterday?? Realist's favorite, JasonWhitlock was on and he and Lupica got into a heated discussion about EliManning. After that, they both kept using Mitch Albom as their sounding board, saying things like "Mitch had a great point" or "Mitch is right". Butnever did they refer to each other after that standoff....Business never personal gentlemen :-)

Gangsta D:

I love how Lupica was all "Will you let me finish?" Hilarious. This guy cuts more people off than a New York cabbie. What a dick...

Da Realist:

yeah i saw it. lupica's a verbal bully. he will always get the last word even if he has to shout over everyone else to get it. it sure seemed like lupica is on the manning payroll or something because he took it personal when jason said eli was (basically) overrated.

here are a couple things i think SR needs to address:
i really do wish they would do a better job of rotating the talking heads. john saunders should be the only given every sunday. i'm sure there are columnists all over the country that would love to participate in the show. these guys they keep trotting out there makes the show seem old and stale.

it could also move to vary up the topics every once in a while. every sunday there are 3 main segments - the first 2 are about the nfl and the last about whatever the current news worthy topic is. there are other things to talk about than TO and what td celebration chad johnson did LAST sunday.

the fact that the show only comes on once a week makes it look outdated.

Waldini:

I'm with you Realist..for the majority of this year, it was Lupica, Albom, and Ryan with Saunders as the host. Considering Lupica is as Gangsta put it, "a dick", they need someone who is less objective to criticism.

I did love how Whitlock did not let his emotions get the best of him even when Lupica kept goin on and on about all these stats he knew. And Whitlock simply replied "52% completion rate". He;s right, that wont get it done in the playoffs Read more!

Ron Ron

Waldini:

You know, I am curious, we haven't talked at all about Crazy Ron and his antics this week. Are we tired of him as a whole? Or do we simply not care about his actions?

Da Realist:

i don't care. good player, not great player. who cares?

Gangsta D:

He has potential to be great. He also has potential to go on a kill crazy rampage. It's a trade off...

Da Realist:

what potential to be great? he plays hard and he can do a number of things well but i don't see nothing "great" about him.

Gangsta D:

The ability to lock down the opponent's top scorer and the ability to score 25-27 points and grab 8-10 boards. If he averaged 26 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, and 3 stl and won Defensive Player of the Year, you don't think that qualifies as great?

Da Realist:

there is NO WAY that dude can average 26 points a game. "average" is the key word here. 26 ppg? those are dominique numbers. and he's not quick enough! to lock down the ELITE guards in the game (kobe, dwayne wade, iverson...)

Gangst D:

You don't think so? Based on what? He's averaging almost 20 now as the second option. You don't think he can put in another 6 when he's the #1 guy. "Lock down" is a relevant term. No one can truly stop an elite player, but he can keep 'em from getting 30-40. And I'd take him on my team over a lot of other players if I had to play the Lakers, Heat, or Sixers.

Da Realist:

pros and cons, my dear watson. sure he'll have a few more opportunities to score if he was "the man" somewhere, but he will also have to deal with the pressures of being the #1 guy. right now he's what, the 2nd or 3rd option for indiana? teams scouting indiana are not trying to come up with creative ways to stop ron artest, i assure you. he gets his shots when teams are double teaming jermaine o'neal or collapsing on tinsley. you think he could become an elite player if given his own team. i don't. he'll always be better at being #2 or #3.

wait a minute....i think i hear something.... is that a stampede of ! teams willing to trade marquee guys for ron artest??? do i hear minnesota willing to trade kg for artest? no, must be contract considerations. what, is that something i hear from LA? kobe for artest? no? what about even odom for artest? really??? maybe dallas will part with dirk...no really, artest is a good player. but if teams could really see 26, 10 and 6 coming out of him every team in the league would be selling their souls to get him on their team.

Gangsta D:

Dude 15 teams, at the least, want him. The thing is it's all hypothesis. If he does become the focal point of a team, we'll see. Remember what I said, he has potential to be great. All the tools are there. But he's crazy, so we'll just have to see:)

Da Realist:

you actually think this dude can put up dominique numbers while being the number one guy. :-) Read more!

Too Much Heat For The Hedgehog

Da Realist:

we all know svg was forced out. but aside from that, is this a good move?will pat create a better team than svg did?

Gangsta D:

Nope. It's hard to make blueberry pancakes with strawberries. I'm sure Riles thinks he can push them in the right direction, but they are not compatible as a team. It would take Wade going off and Shaq playing like 2000 Shaq in the playoffs. Don't see it happening, but sometimes strange shit happens...

Waldini:

Well they should be better simply b/c Shaq is back. We honestly won't know if it was Shaq's return or Riles' coaching that did the trick IF the Heat go on a tear. I am reading reports now that players like Wade, Mourning, and Payton had become unresponsive and lackadaisical to SVG's coaching. Again coincidence :-)

Da Realist:

and it's a coincidence that one game after shaq comes back, svg suddenly remembered he had a family. what a load of bull

Waldini:

You already knew the conspiracy was in effect once Riles blew up the whole team and the rumor leaked out that he wanted to return to coaching. The sad part is if the Heat dont win the title this year (which I still dont think they will do), Riles' return will be seen as a complete failure and my instincts tell me he will blow the team up again....

What folks dont see is that the Heat are going to be very Laker/Sixer like in about 2 years when Shaq truly has declined and has a hard time playing 60 games a year. That will leave a maximum paid Wade to do his best impersonation of so many other 2s that were left without a good big man to help them Read more!

We've Got Bush (Part II)

Da Realist:

if you're reggie bush, do you come back after this season win or lose? remember, no leinart next year...

Gangsta D:

That's a trick question right?

Waldini:

gotta be a trick question. He aint white kid, he's going pro :-)

Da Realist:

hey leinart chose to come back last year...

Gangsta D:

That's because Matty needed elbow surgery. This year his elbow is fine, and he has increased velocity. It was a good move, even though he's not gonna get as much money this year as last, because Mr. Bush is going #1. He has no incentive to come back. He'll sign a $40-50 million contract, play for a suck team, and break people's ankles.

Da Realist:

ahhhh, i see... play another year because of physical ailments but cite your school pride and willingness to be "just" a college student to the media as the reason for coming back. pretty smart. Read more!

Predictions, Prognostications, & Failures

Da Realist:

navy at army - i hear people say this is the greatest rivalry. i just don't see it. maybe it used to be, but... anyway, navy is like the nebraska of the academies - option, option, option. army has won 4 straight games but navy's rushing attack will be too much. NAVY

colorado vs texas - colorado just choked in it's last 2 games so of course i'm going to go with...TEXAS

fsu vs virgina tech - bobby is STILL defending his boy. vt is stronger in every area. to borrow a phrase from moses malone, it's gonna be fo,fo,fo for bobby and his boys. VIRGINIA TECH

ucla at usc - i was itching to call the upset in this game. noting ucla's 3 week layoff to prepare and their motivation to knock off ! "big brother",i would have picked the bruins to win this game. but fresno state didn't do them any favors. usc has had to hear for 2 weeks how they should have lost to the bulldogs and how weak their defense is. i think this game will be close and i still wouldn't be surprised to see ucla win, i'm just not picking them. USC

georgia vs lsu - you can't find two more evenly matched teams. i've been wavering on this game since last week. one day i'm sure lsu will win, then i'm convince georgia will find a way. tonight i'm in a bulldawg kind of mood. when 2 evenly matched teams go at it, i usually look at the coach as the difference. although he can be a little conservative at times, i believe in mark richt. i think dj shockley will find ways to avoid the lsu blitz and punish the secondary. GEORGIA

Waldini:

Navy vs Army - Navy's the one with the winning record right? So I pick the Midshipmen. The real choice for this should have been are you going to or not going to watch this game. I know I will not be. MIDSHIPMEN

Buffaloes vs Longhorns - The battle of the four legged animals is on. MackBrown says there are no similarities btw this game and the 2001 Big 12 title game when these 2 teams met (The favored Longhorns lost). Gary Barnett says there are similarities. Who do I believe? Mack Brown b/c he has Vince Young this year who is better than the QB they had in 2001. HOOK'EM HORNS

Noles vs Hokies - I really don't want to pick as I think the Canes should be here. Damn you cats for losing to FSU so early :-). FSU is in a tailspin, the critics are calling for Jr's head, the fans are writing negative slogans on schoolgrounds, etc. That is a lot of off the fieldstuff for a young team to overcome and get mentally prepared for Va Tech. On the flip side, will the real Marcus Vick, please stand up, please stand up. Yea his boys won last week but he still looked rattled at QB last week. Thankfully the defense will get to feast on another hapless offense. HOKIES

Bruins at Trojans - Aw, the Men of Troy vs their cross-town rivals. Likethe Realist, I was going to pick the Bruins to win but I think the Trojans are motivated again. I'm thinking it will be like the first game after they beat ND when they beat the stuffing out of their opponent. White is hurt, so what? They got a multitude of weapons of offense including the 2005 Heisman Trophy Winner/2006 NFL #1 Overall draft pick on their squad (They call him Mr Bush). Plus does anyone think the Bruins defense can hold the Trojans offense below 31 points. Hell naw...Like I said before the only way you are beating USC is if you hold them below 31. TROJANS

Bulldawgs vs Tigers - The game that will separate the men from the boys. If you are checking the score count, Realist and I are tied heading into this week and up until now I have picked the same winners as him. The buck stop shere my friend as my pick for the SEC is LSU. Yes, Georgia has the "homefield" advantage playing in the Ga Dome. Yes, Georgia has an offensive wizard in Mark Richt. Yes, Georgia has a good qb in Shockley. But overall LSU has better talent and they have played much, much better since the 9/26 debacle when they lost to the lowly Vols. TIGERS

Gangsta D:

Navy vs Army - If this was 1905, the game might matter. But since it's 2005, it don't. Army.

Ralphie vs Bevo - Young Vince is about to take that next step. The Buffs back their way into the title game after losing the last reg season game. Texas is firing on all cylinders and have KILLED the Big 12 this year. So obviously I'm picking the Buffs. (Gotta to have any shot at the title)

Noles vs V Tech - Another who cares game. Miami should be here, but we couldn't get out of our own way so we'll be coming to Jax as Gator Bowl participants. Yippeeeeeeeee! Jeff Bowden is done. Bobby is a few degrees off himself. If they don't show up like they at Florida, Bubba may have to put in for early retirement. V Tech

UCLA vs 'SC - I like the 'SC football team more than the UCLA football team. I like the UCLA basketball team better than the 'SC football team. I don't like the clippers. So that means the UCLA basketball team is the only LA team that I like with a winning record. Therefore I'm picking the Bruins in an upset. Make sense? Yeah, not to me either but I need the pick.

Tigers vs Dawgs - OK, actual analysis. LSU is more talented than UGA but they don't come anywhere near their potential. UGA is not as talented, but they play at a higher level. So they're even. This is Jamarcus' first truly big game. This is the first time Shockley has started in the title game, but he threw a TD in the Sugar Bowl as a freshman so he's been in pressure situations before. Nevertheless, LSU will come after him and he will have to have a 21-30 250 yds passing, 50 yds rushing kind of day. Could happen, but LSU is tough on defense. All things are equal except for coaching and home field. UGA has the advantage in both. The Georgia Dome will be quite red on saturday. So I'm going with the Dawgs Read more!

Darth Waldini....Riiiise!

Waldini:

Did either of you catch the Duke/Indiana game last night. Personally, not a fan of either but I found myself rooting for Duke after one moment. The camera crew found a guy in the stands who was wearing Duke gear surrounded by nothing but Hoosier fans. You dont think he was shit talking with those cats the entire game. From that point, I was like, aw, I would love to be that guy talking smack and walking out talking more smack after my team won. It would have been similar to an incident I experienced a few years ago....

2 yrs ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Lakers/Rockets game during the time everyone was hyping Shaq vs Yao. I purposely broke out my Laker Van Exel jersey (one of my all time favorite Lakers) to wear for all the Superfans in Houston. Now to give you the quick background this was the season that Kobe had been accused of rape but had not gone to trial yet. I caught a few glares and heckles from fans as I came in but you know me, I'm not fazed. My wife and I calmly took our cheap seats (won them in a company raffle) and 3 dudes happen to come and sit next to us.

The 3 cats are young, white, and in their early to mid-20s. They do the usual, talk about work while they drink their beer. As the game starts, one guy is just infatuated with hating on Kobe. During the pregrame, he repeatedly points out that "Kobe is a rapist", "Kobe is a jerk", etc. Early in the game, he keeps saying how Kobe is not that good, he's overrated, yada yada yada. Now my wife is looking at me b/c she knows I am about to say something and I mentioned to her at halftime that I gotta be. I'm gonna start talking....

So 3rd quarter begins and the guy again continues to scream "There goes therapist, there goes the rapist" everytime Kobe shoots the ball. So I decide to talk out loud too and say "It's amazing how people can judge a person even though Kobe has not been found guilty nor is he in jail. I mean how would a person feel if I said 'There goes the alcoholic, there goes the alcoholic' every time he drank his beer". The guy's face is bright red, my wife's eyes are rollin, and I've got the biggest grin on my face. That was probably one of my more satisfying evenings. Another one would be the standoff btw me and this dude during Game 3 of the 2001 Finals but that's another story.

The only thing missing from that evening was D being there to provide more commentary :-). I guess I just love being on the dark side and rooting against people who makes asses of themselves. Read more!

Realist Is Busy Saving The World

Waldini:

- I watched the Lakers-Spurs last night and Kobe was forcing the issue. It was interesting b/c when he was in the game, it was everybody watch Kobe, Kobe dribble forever and take a bad shot with little time on the shot clock. When he was out in the early 4th qtr, the Lakers made a run. Keep in mind they had Odom, Bynum, Vujacic, McKie, and Green on the floor. And that squad cut the lead to 4.

- Does anyone think the Clippers are for real? They're off to a franchise best for Ws in November and currently lead the Pacific. They have beaten quality teams on the road. I'm hesistant to pencil them in for the playoffs b/c Sam I Am is older and tends to break down over a season

- Who is the best team in the NBA right now? Spurs, Pistons, Mavs,etc....there's a lot of parity right now

- The Stan Van Gundy conspiracy is in full watch right now. Shaq comes back next week and if that team doesnt go on a roll, then's he toast by Jan

- Chris Paul, Channing Frye, Andrew Bogut are the truth.

- Dwight Howard is going to be a beast in 2 yrs

- Remember when experts said Tim Thomas was going to revolutionize his position. I guess those guys never forsaw him being placed on the inactivelist.

- My oh my how the Wiz have fallen since their fast start

Gangsta D:

Bynum may turn out to be a player, and I mean by the end of the year. He showed me something last night. I'm not gonna shout hallelujah over 6/6/2 but he made some nice moves in the post, had a real nice assist to Smush, and got some strong rebounds. If he can figure out what to do 30% of the time in the triangle, he will be an asset.

Waldini:

Yea, he did look decent last night. Sasha didnt look that bad either. I know folks will say I am crazy but the Lakers should have beat the Spurs last night. The Lakers forced the issue too many times on a number of different possessions. When they played under control, they were running neck and neck with the Spurs. Classic example of forcing...Smush steals the ball has a 2 on 1 break (Odom on the wing) with another Laker trailing. Brent Barry is trying to stop Smush from pushing up the court. Instead of Smush passing the outlet to Lamar early, he decided to dribble behind his back. Yea he got fouled and fortunately hit both free throws but it made more sense to give up the ball early

I'm optimistic though b/c it's early in the season.

Da Realist:

sorry guys...putting out fires this morning...

Gangsta D:

Don't know if you saw on NBA TV sunday, but they showed Game 4 of the 2002 Finals. It's wierd to see that team play with poise, play agressive defense, and precision on offense. The 2005 team pretty much lacks in all categories:) But, they have talent and potential. They just have to find a way to put it all together. Lamar went off and picked up the slack due to Kobe's bad shooting night. Sasha had a couple big threes. They played very good defense at times, and horrible defense at other times. The only personwho knows how to win is Kobe, but he often tries to do too much by himself. They just need a good win against an upper echelon team, to give themselves confidence. I think they can do it, but I hope the season doesn't devolve into a tailspin before they can figure it out.

Waldini:

Naw, but I got it on tape :-)

Well we both can do math. The Lakers lost by 6, Kobe made 9 of 30 shots. He shoots at least 45% the Lakers win. I agree with you. They need a win against a top tier team to give them confidence. I think they are more talented than they show at times but they have to believe it. Amazing how different they look now vs that first week huh :-) Read more!