Officially Ocho Cinco

What has the NFL coming to? Each day, the wide receivers of the league prove themselves not only as the divas of the NFL, but also as the most mentally unstable. The player formerly known as Chad Johnson has officially changed his name, now being recognized as Chad Ocho Cinco. Really? You have got to be kidding me. He is now Chad [Spanish 85]; in Mexico, he'd just be a number. He's a top receiver in the league, but Agent 85 is plain psychotic. Hell, he might as well change his first name to Agent. Or just Number. If he wants to be consistent, Numero Ocho Cinco. Psycho.

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Fantasy Football With the Pros

So world-class football players should have world-class fantasy football minds, right?  Wrong, Colt Brennan.  Wrong.

HAHAHA I can't believe he said gay pick...

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NBA Corner

A quick look into the NBA.

Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur (pictured right) were excused kicked out of the NBA rookie program after violating unspecified league rules. The Heat and Grizzlies did not give additional details, but everyone knows that they were booted for smoking pot with a couple groupies in the hotel room. Chalmers and Arthur said the weed belonged to the women. Good try.

The New York Knicks are managing Isiah Thomas’s blunders and desperately trying to recreate the winning ways of the 90’s. Step 1: Acquire Patrick Ewing...… Jr.
Check.
Junior is not anywhere near his father's talent, but beggars can't be choosers.





Donyell Marshall agreed to a one year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, which added another veteran to their studded lineup. Marshall’s effectiveness is in question after three sub-par years with Cleveland and Seattle, but then again, playing with good players makes everyone better.

Former all-star Jamaal Magliore signed with the Miami Heat. Since his all-star year back in 2004, Magliore has worn 5 different jerseys and been subjugated to a back-up roll. The 30 year old veteran should be able to start and be effective for the Miami Heat this year.

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US Open Aesthetics

Ana Ivanovic

World Rank: 01

Age: 20

Nationality: Serbia

Ivanovic had a shockingly disappointing second round loss to Frenchwoman Julie Coin. It looks like Ana will be losing her #1 ranking once the Open ends.

Daniela Hantuchova

World Rank: 12

Age: 25

Nationality: Slovakia

Daniela had an equally surprising upset. The 11th seed at the open fell in the first round to German Anna-Lena Groenfeld.

Elena Dementieva

World Rank: 06

Age: 26

Nationality: Russia

Dementieva is blooming late. Now at the ripe age of 26 she has just won Olympic gold and is set to face Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals of the open. (mistake edited out thanks to tennisany1us) I'll take Dementieva who is riding a huge wave of confidence right now.

Nicole Vaidisova

World Rank: 22

Age: 19

Nationality: Germany

Vaidisova hasn't been on top of her game this year and it showed at the Open. She lost in the second round to Severine Bremond in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

Alona Bondarenko

World Rank: 31

Age: 23

Nationality: Ukraine

Alona played well in the open but was unlucky enough to run into the steamroller that is Venus Williams. Venus has played brilliantly in the Open even in her close loss to her sister Serena in the quarter final. Btw, Alona lost 6-2, 6-1.

Maria Kirilenko

World Rank: 19

Age: 23

Nationality: Russia

Maria like many of our other featured players in this post hasn't fared too well. She made a quick exit in the first round losing to Tamira Paszek 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

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NFL Opening Week: Priority List

The NFL season looms, with question marks everywhere throughout the league. How badly injured are the Super QB Duo of Brady and Manning? What is Brett Favre going to do in a different shade of green, and can he shift the New York spotlight from the champion Giants? How are the Saints going to deal with Hurricane Gustav? Individuals face new challenges and teams fight for supremacy, all while mother nature wreaks more havoc than Justin Tuck facing that porous Patriot line. Some solutions will be found immediately, while others need an entire season's worth of information. We here can only go week by week, however, thus the seven games to watch for during week one of the NFL season:

• Washington Redskins at New York Giants (Thurs., Sept. 4): The opening game of the season, featuring the newly crowned kings of New York. The Giants have done a bit to cover the loss of Osi Umenyiora, but is it enough to uphold the previously dominant D-line? And can the ever-inconsistent Eli Manning continue to shine and actually earn his Oreo commercial contract? If Clinton Portis runs all over New York and Jason Campbell runs his offense efficiently, the Champs are going to have all they can handle.
  

• New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (Sun., Sept. 7): Brett Favre is manning a new ship; for the first time in FIFTEEN years, we'll see Favre in something other than a Packers jersey. To add to this drama, the quarterback the Jets shunted away due to Favre's presence faces his old team in the very first game of his season. Chad Pennington will be out for revenge against the team he had spent his previous eight years with. With a downgraded Dolphins defense, Pennington will need to step up, as Favre shouldn't be too challenged; if Brett is, however, he might need yet another retirement ceremony this year.
  

• Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (Sun., Sept. 7): The 18-1 Patriots. Never before has one loss meant so much. Brooding in his hole all summer long, one can only assume that Darth Belichick has another evil plan lined up for this year. Then again, if Brady, Moss, Maroney, and the gang can get even close to their play last year, Darth over there won't have to boil up anything too diabolical. Oh yea, the Chiefs aren't too bad either, barring another injury to Larry Johnson. This should be a fun game.
  

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (Sun., Sept. 7): What's going to happen with Gustav still blowing? The Saints offense is fully loaded, but if they can't even take the field, what's the point? Tampa Bay survives year after year, plowing along with a team that no one ever expects much out of. This would be a great game, but will the city of New Orleans be ready? Most of southern Louisiana has evacuated, so say Gustav does blow over, will anyone even be present at the game?

• Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (Sun., Sept. 7): The game most likely to be immensely competitive. Dallas is being listed as a Super Bowl favorite, while the Browns figure to go deep into the postseason. Tony Romo vs. Derek Anderson. Terrell Owens vs. Braylon Edwards. Jamal Lewis vs. Marion Barber. Both defenses are also quite talented. Hell, I'd watch the game on the sole hope that Pac-Man Jones goes crazy and starts choking TO on the sidelines. Oh yea, and Josh Cribbs is a ridiculously entertaining player to watch.

• Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts (Sun., Sept. 7): A rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago sees a game likely to be nowhere nearly as exciting. The Bears offense is in shambles, though the defense can still compete. The Colts are as powerful as ever, as long as Peyton is healthy. Devin Hester's increased presence on the field can only make things more exciting, however, as he's a potential score with every touch.

• Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (Mon., Sept. 8): The Vikings are reloaded on D, and Adrian Peterson is ready to show how good he really is. The Packers face a Favre-less backfield for the first time in over a decade. It's time to see if the Green Bay receivers were as talented as they played like last year, or if last seasons deep run was just a fluke. Aaron Rodgers faces an extraordinarily difficult test to begin his career; not many people face such a stacked D while under the pressure of replacing the face of a franchise, all of this happening at home. Half of Green Bay worshiped Favre as a god, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the boo birds coming out early of Rodgers can't produce.
  

Good luck stopping this man GB.

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Football Monopoly Over?

Call Rick Neuheisel a fool for his newspaper ad in the Los Angeles Times, but it is hard to argue with his results. In arguably the biggest upset in college football’s first week, Neuheisel led the depleted UCLA Bruins past the 18th ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

In the 27-24 overtime victory, UCLA’s on-field play showed the nation exactly what the Bruins were capable of doing.

Kevin Craft, California junior college quarterback of the year, displayed the poise and talent to lead a D-1 team to victory. UCLA’s defense played solidly as they kept Tennessee’s touted quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, to an abysmal 19-41 passing (46.3%). And UCLA’s special teams shined as they blocked a punt for a touchdown, averaged 46.8 yards per punt, and hit every kick between the uprights (3XP, 2 FG).

But then again, does UCLA deserve to be ranked 23rd in the nation after a performance that reeked of mediocrity (at best)?

Kevin Craft played like the third-string quarterback that he was, throwing for 4 interceptions (in the first half; HALF!!). If UCLA was playing a legitimate opposing team with a competent offense, the game would have been over at half time; but the lead was only seven and Tennessee is no longer ranked.

UCLA ran the ball 31 times and managed to gain a whopping 29 yards. 0.9 yards a carry. After focusing so heavily on the run last season, you would imagine that the Bruins would have retained some of that ability. Even more surprising is that this came underneath the play calling of Norm Chow, that USC offensive coordinator that called plays for Reggie Bush and LenDale White. And if you cannot run the ball, you cannot control the clock, you put more pressure on third-string Kevin Craft, and then all hell breaks loose. Unless by some outside chance, Kevin Craft is as legendary as his fourth quarter drives.

On the other side of the ball, UCLA’s defense was effective except when it mattered. After only allowing 7 points through the first three quarters (7 were from a defensive touchdown), UCLA allowed the Vols to score twice in the final 6 minutes.

Despite the long-list of weaknesses that were exposed, UCLA deserves to be ranked in the top 25. Coach Neuheisel and his “mantra of relentless optimism” have inspired his athletes to exceed their low expectations and perform at championship levels. UCLA may not have the star power often associated with championship teams, but with a top-notch coaching staff led by Norm Chow and DeWayne Walker, UCLA can more than make-up for their short comings and potentially setup camp in the top 25.

The mantra might be spreading throughout the blue and gold nation (including myself), but UCLA still faces one of the toughest schedules in college football. The Bruins must face (18) Oregon, (15) Arizona St., and a rising Cal team on the road, while also playing (1) USC in what can be considered a mutual home game. UCLA will also be forced to take on (21) Fresno St. and at (15) BYU.

So as much as I want to put my heart into Neuheisel’s mantra of relentless optimism and say that the Los Angeles football monopoly is officially over, I will reserve judgment until this week’s BYU game. The Mormons from Utah have managed to screw over Ben Olson’s talent and potential, their team might do the same to UCLA football.

So until Saturday my Bruin friends! Go Kevin Craft!
{fade into 8-clap}

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Why I Love the BCS

Just as September marks the beginning of the college football season, it also marks the beginning of the BCS whining season. The two simply go hand in hand, and so long as there is a BCS, there will be people complaining about it. From what typically gets said about the BCS, it has become patently obvious that the BCS is more universally disapproved of than President Bush. But let me tell you something: the BCS is wonderful. Sure it has its flaws, but even the most beautiful women in the world have their blemishes.


The most common complaint heard against the BCS is that it doesn't get the championship game right. In 2004, Auburn went undefeated, but Oklahoma and USC were chosen to play for the championship, where USC proceeded to dismantle Oklahoma 55-19. The last two seasons, Ohio State breezed through their schedule into the national championship game only to get completely annihilated in both games. Shouldn't the two best teams in the nation be more evenly matched?

Well, let's consider the alternative. The other option from the BCS would be to partake in a playoff similar to NCAA Basketball's 64 team March Madness, but even then, how many teams would we limit it to? 4 teams? 8 teams? How long would we be willing to extend the college football season? And with March Madness, does anybody even really pay attention to the regular season of college basketball? The BCS really gives college football that added dimension of "do-or-die" every single game, every single week. It is an exciting roller coaster ride, and nobody can predict the outcome. Hell, after USC lost to Stanford last season, many wrote USC's chances off - but they still ended up in contention, ending the season ranked #6 and blowing out Illinois in the Rose Bowl. Were there a "plus one" format, who would have been invited? LSU obviously, but after that? Georgia? USC?

But beyond any drawbacks to the alternates, what about the positives of the BCS system?

The BCS system gives mid-major schools the chance to shine on a big stage in a way that they would not be able to in a playoff system. With playoffs, it would undoubtedly be limited to 4 or 8 teams for seasonal/scheduling purposes, unlesscollege football were to become a 2 season sport. When was the last time a non-BCS team not named Notre Dame was in the top 4? The BCS system gives the Boise States of the world the chance to knock off the Oklahomas of the world, and nobody can tell me that there was any college football game as exciting as the Boise State-Oklahoma bowl game. Of course, it also gives us games like Hawaii vs. Georgia - and while most neutral fans watching that game were not exactly into it, just the opportunity to be in a bowl game for Hawaii was such a huge lift to the state and such a huge source of pride that I couldn't help but feel like they had the right to be there.

Of course the BCS has problems and controversies, but considering the alternatives of a "plus one" or a playoff, I say give me the drama, cinderella stories, and regular season madness of the BCS any day.





I just wish they'd figure out a way to punish the SEC for playing such pansy non-conference schedules.

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Gael Monfils is Awesome

If only he'd beaten Mardy Fish... that celebration would have been amazing.

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The Heff Has Competition

Often known for his flamboyancy in games and his ridiculous blog tirades, it's not a surprise that Gilbert Arenas is making his very own Playboy Grotto. It's planned finish date was in August, so it should be up and ready by now.
Gilby apparently has million-dollar mountains carved from rock, several sharks in a giant glass aquarium near the pool, and multiple waterfalls to accompany the fully decked out Agent Zero Grotto; Hugh eat your heart out. Wizards fans can only hope that this three million dollar pool gets more partying in it due to winning than due to off-time shenanigans. Thank you to the Washington Post for pictures and information. More pictures can be found there.

He even has the robe to battle Hugh.

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The Bads' Goods

Bad News: Monta Ellis of the Golden States Warriors suffered a severe ankle sprain after some “off-season work outs” in Jackson. The team has questioned the actual source of Monta’s injuries, but however you look at it, the ensued surgery will require at least three months to recover from.

The Golden States Warriors are now in an absolute horrible position (i.e. having both legs tied behind your head with a train rapidly approaching as the Joker tortures your family). Their only legitimate point guard is the unproven Marcus Williams who will most likely fail at running the one full-time.

Good News: There is a chance that the Warriors will look into acquiring Shaun Livingston, the injury prone point guard formally of the Los Angeles Clippers. His stock is extremely low, his talent is really high, and I have this feeling that he might actually stay healthy this year. With Livingston, I expect the Warriors to be significantly more competitive in the West.

The Good's Bad: Shaun Livingston, if miraculously healthy, will not help the Warriors win too many extra games. Sorry GS, not your year.

Bad News: Manu Ginobli of the San Antonio Spurs will also require surgery to repair a ligament in his left ankle. The surgery will force Ginobli to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks and have him miss a few regular season games.

More Bad: Ginobli’s absence may require extended playing time from the increasingly ineffective Michael Finley. With the extended time, the 35 year old veteran will be at a higher risk of earning himself a handicap placard. Michael Finley. Handicap placard.

Good News: Manu plays on a solid Spurs team that can pick-up the slack for the 30 minutes-a-game bench player. The Spurs have Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, who will give opposing teams more than a handful already. The Spurs also have newcomer, Roger Mason, who will be eager to prove his worth after a breakout season with the Wizards.

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