Finally…

Finally the Daddy has come BACK to the Sports Rag!!!!

Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!

I’ve been gone a long time in Blog years but it is good to be back.

Since I’ve been gone the Green Bay Packers have become World Champs.  Well that’s just great.  The big silver football is a town where the biggest building is a corn silo and the players look like they work for John Deere.  The fans all wear big pieces of foam cheese on their heads and the big G on the side of the helmet stands for GIVE ME A BREAK!  Hey Matthews!  Thor called and he wants his hair back.  Or was that Pamela Anderson?

The multi-millionaire dollar Miami Heat are off to a good start with King Douche and company but let’s count 1, 2 , 3…17 losses already.  Some return on investment.  The Bulls, Celtics and Knicks have all kicked their candy asses so far this year.  Sure, they’ll make up excuses like oh LeBron and D Wade missed some time.  Well, waaaaaah!  Cry me a river.  You think that’s it?  Do you really think that’s it?  IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!  The Bulls have missed one of more of their big three all season and they are right on your asses.  The Knicks and Celtics have made themselves stronger as well.  So Miami sHeat, enjoy your time in the sun.  Relax, order some more mojitos and get ready for the beat down of your lives come play off time.

If you smellllllllalalalala what the Daddy is cookin’!

Oh, and yes, thank you Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for you return and inspiring me to write this.

 

NFL Championship Games

This Sunday the nation watches as two teams will advance to SUPERBOWL XLV.  In the AFC you have the steel-city bruisers versus the trash-talking boys from the Big Apple.  In the NFC you have the leagues oldest rivalry.  The opportunistic Bears versus the aggressive, high-scoring Pack.  Both games should be fantastic and fans of these four teams will be on the edge of their seats as both games should be close.

NFC

Chicago v. Green Bay

These two teams don’t like each other very much.  They respect each other, but don’t like each other.  The fans can’t stand one another.  The back and forth between fans through the media and online has reached new heights.  Who knows, there could be more action in the stands on Sunday than on the field.  To analyze this game really doesn’t go much further than Jay Cutler.  Bottomline, how he plays will dictate if Bears are prowling the streets of Dallas in two weeks.  As a Bear QB he is 1-3 versus the Pack with 9 interceptions.  That of course scares me big time but I won’t necessarily put that all on him because last years Bears were not very good.  Conversely, Jay Cutler is 22-0 as a QB when he concludes the game with a 100 QB rating or better.  That is a very telling statistic.

Green Bay will rush everyone at Jay all day long.  Jay will run, Jay will fall and Jay will not collect $200.  The best thing Jay can do under rough circumstances is not turn the ball over.  Mike Martz has to help Jay by running the ball and keeping the passes under 15 yards.  Quick looks in the slot and passes to the back out of the backfield will make any pressure Green Bay brings negligible.

On Green Bay’s side of the ball Aaron Rodgers will do well, he always does.  The Bear simply have to do what they did in Green Bay a few weeks ago which was stop the run and put pressure on Aaron without blitzing too much.  The Bears D is almost unbeatable if Peppers, Harris and Idonije are able to put pressure on the QB.  It allows Briggs and Urlacher to stay back and do what they do best which is filling the running lanes and taking away the intermediate passing attack.

There are two other intangibles worth noting.  If Hester and Manning get the ball on special teams the Bears should have great field position all day.  So, even if the Bears don’t score much, Punter Brad Maynard should keep Green Bay inside their own 20 most of the day.  If Green Bay has to play up hill all day they won’t win.  One other one worth mentioning is the matchup between Matthews and Webb.  LB Clay Matthews is Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus and Thor all rolled into one.  He makes a huge difference on that defense.  On the Bears side is very green rookie OT Webb.  He has shown steady improvement all year but he will be staring down the blitzes from Clay all day.  If he can contain him even a little that will help Chicago.  If he can’t than Chicago could be in trouble.

MY PICK – Chicago 17 Green Bay 13

AFC

New York v. Pittsburgh

This is going to be a great game.  Pittsburgh has been tough as nails since Big Ben’s return and the Jets have been like a boulder rolling downhill.  Both teams, on the surface, are very equal.  Both defenses are very tough, the QBs don’t make too many mistakes and the running games are very good.  Both teams are also well coached.

NY is facing a better running team than they did last week.  Rashard Mendenhall is vastly underrated.  He is very tough.  The one thing that the Steelers have going for them and this should come into play this weekend is the knack for the big play.  At almost guarantee at one point in this game when things are tight Big Ben is going to hook up for a big TD with Wallace, Sanders or Ward.  It will more than likely be a difference maker.

The Jet offense is good but has been inconsistent.  While Pittsburgh making big plays is almost a guarantee, I don’t feel the same way about the Jets.  I don’t think the offense can break open a game or come from behind late to win.  Their recipe for success is their defense holding the opposing team to under 20 points.  That is pretty much the bottom line.  I don’t want to knock Sanchez or the couple of weapons he has at wideout but that offense doesn’t scare me much.  I can see them moving the ball decently enough against Polamalu and the boys but I can’t see them making big plays and scoring too much.  LT could be a difference maker and open up the passing game but it isn’t likely against Pittsburgh.

Some intangibles worth mentioning might be the Jets pass rush.  They were able to disrupt any sort of passing attack from Tom Brady last week by keeping constant pressure on him.  That will be their plan against Ben as well.  The only difference is if they bring too many of their talented LBs on the rush it could open up for a big run or pass play.  Big Ben always played well under pressure.  The final intangible I can think of would be Pittsburgh’s depth and experience.  This is their fourth AFC championship in 7 years.  They have a great coach and an amazing system that works.  They can plug in and rotate guys all over the field and not lose too much.  They Jets are close but on the road against a team like Pittsburgh is going to be tough.

MY PICK – Pittsburgh 27 NY 16

NFL Divisional Playoffs

The NFL playoffs are in full swing.  It is a wonderful time of year, but sad at the same time because we know the glorious game of football is coming to an end for the year.  To make matters even worse there is that pesky issue of the CBA which has next season up for grabs.  Well, I guess none of us can control what the NFL does in the off season.  Obviously we hope it is the two sides playing nice and coming to terms.  But, if they don’t it is going to be a long time until we see football again.  SOOOOO, let’s enjoy the hell out of these playoffs.

NFC

The miracle Seahawks v. the Jekyl and Hyde Bears.  This should be a better game than most people think.  The Bears came off of a flat game against Green Bay in their finally while the S’Hawks are on a roll with wins over St. Louis and New Orleans.  Seattle is mostly healthy.  Matt is back at QB and Marshawn is running like Earl Campbell.  All of those things do work in the S’Hawks favor.  What doesn’t is the brutal weather expected for Chicago.  Snow showers and a high of 14 degrees.  Now Tom Brady torched the Bears a month ago in similar weather but that was Tom Brady and the Patriots.  They’re awesome and Brady plays ridiculously well in poor weather.  The S’Hawks are used to the moderate climate of Seattle.  So, what other than the weather is against the S’Hawks?  How about the Bears staunch run defense.  They are among the league leaders and if Seattle can’t run, Seattle won’t win.  For Chicago not to blow this game on offense is simple.  They have to NOT turn over the football and convert on 3rd Downs.  If they can do this than it will be an uphill battle for the S’Hawks.  PREDICTION – Chicago 24 Seattle 14

The Green Bay Packers are on fire.  They beat the big, bad Bears in a brutal defensive game and then the GB defense whooped up on Vick and Philly.  On the downside they are entering the Georgia Dome to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons.  Simply put they don’t lose much at home.  Actually, they have only lost once there so the odds are against GB right out of the gate.  Both QBs are great so they cancel each other out.  Green Bays defense is good and ATLs is underrated so they cancel each other out.  That leaves special teams, receivers and runners.  ATL wins each of those battles.  Weems should be able to give ATL great field position all day.  Michael “the Burner” Turner is better than, well, just about anything Green Bay has.  Finally GB does have some good receivers but ATL gets the edge with TE Tony Gonzalez.  Other intangibles?  Can’t see any really.  It should be a close game with the home team squeaking out a win.  PREDICTION – Atlanta 20 Green Bay 17

AFC

This is going to be a hate fest from the word GO!  Rex Ryan has his boys playing well.  They have a chip on their shoulder and they’re daring just about anybody to knock it off.  The J E T S are talking smack, especially Cromartie who called Brady an “asshole”.  Wow!  That is some hate.  Now, I like confidence.  Heck, the 85′ Chicago Bears were as brash as they came but they NEVER disrespected another player and they always backed up their talk.  Now the J E T S might want to pipe down a bit because Brady and company are healthy and rested.  Why do I get the feeling, if I may make this analogy, the NY Jets are the Japanese after Pearl Harbor and the Patriots are the sleeping giant.  I so have this feeling Brady will tear up that NYJ defense and the Patriot defense will treat Sanchez like their bitch.  PREDICTION – New England 35 NY Jets 10

This should be the game of the weekend.  I have gone back and forth on this matchup.  Baltimore looked spectacular against the Chiefs last week.  The defense looked like the Ravens defense we recognize.  Flacco and company are efficient.  They run and pass and last week made it look easy.  However, their opponent this week is just a little bit tougher in Pittsburgh.  The Steelers haven’t done any one thing superbly this season but they have been so solid all around since Ben’s return.  RB Rashard Mendenhall is a key guy for the Steelers.  He can wear down the aging Raven defenders with his physical in-between the tackles running and take pressure off of Big Ben.  If however the Ravens are able to contain Mendenhall they will begin teeing off on Ben.  The Steeler D should be able to keep Baltimore in check.  Once again it isn’t a great defense but they do everything very well.  They don’t make too many mistakes.  The final stat if you will is that Pittsburgh has a 6 game winning streak over the Ravens.  That may be something too difficult for this Ravens group to overcome.  PREDICTION – Pittsburgh 21 Baltimore 16

College Hotties – Bowl Game Edition

The College Football season is coming to a close which is always a happy/sad time for me.  I love the heart of the season when the best of the conferences square off in October and November.  The sad part is when it comes to an end.  We get more than 30 bowl games (not sure if that is a good thing) to conclude the season but it always leaves us somewhat disappointed.  Do the best teams always play for the title?  Why can’t we have a playoff?  Why can’t we have a playoff and keep our holiday bowl games?  None of these questions will be answered any time soon.  All we can do as college football fans is sit back, watch the games AND say a fond farewell to our college hotties.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Georgia Tech has some unbeatable hotties but I think the Air Force Hottie Squad is going to have a lot to cheer about in this game.

MUSIC CITY BOWL

How either of these teams made a bowl game is a miracle.  At least we get to see these southern hotties one more time.  UNC should beat Tennessee but who knows.  Blah Hum Bug!

SUN BOWL

Catholics v. Convicts re-visited!  The midwest “girls next door” v. the South Beach hottie squad.  I give an edge to Miami’s girls but not the guys on the gridiron.  ND should take care of business on the field.

MEINEKE BOWL

One of the dumbest names for a bowl game, right?  Clemson and USF have some of the hottest fans and cheerleaders in college ball.  I wish the action on the field was as hot as what’s in the stands.  Both teams were disappointments for sure.  Clemson wins.

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL

The old Peach Bowl now named after the frickin delicious chicken sandwich should be a good.  FSU Cowgirls v. the girls who like Cocks.  You really can’t go wrong here.  I call this matchup a draw and the action on the field should be close too.  FSU by a field goal.

ROSE BOWL

The hottest girls of the Big 10 face off against the hottest of the Mountain West.  Both are amazing but I have to give a slight edge to the girls down south.  The ‘Sconnies’ are bundled up most of the year and that’s just not nice.  The Wisconsin men should get revenge on the field with a pretty solid victory over TCU.

FIESTA BOWL

These UConn hotties are the best I’ve ever seen.  Oklahoma is FULL of hot hotties and gets my vote in this matchup.  Oh, and the football team should kick the snot out of the Huskies.

SUGAR BOWL

Once again we have a top 10 matchup of hotties.  I love the OSU girls and the fact they party like they major in it.  However I am a sucker for SEC girls and the RazorHotties get my vote.  The game should be one of the best of the major bowl games.  OSU by a point or two.

ORANGE BOWL

Stanford girls certainly win the IQ award and these cheerleaders are certainly cute, but VTs hotties are awesome.  The action on the field should be awesome.  This is going to be an excellent game.  Stanford is probably just a bit better than the Hokies.

BCS BOWL

Auburn v. Oregon.  Auburn’s fans are smoking hot and Oregon’s cheerleaders are the best.  The game should be good and high scoring but I think Auburn should be able to handle the Ducks.

Playoff Needed

Despite the title of my post I do love college bowl games.  Ok, maybe not the Preperation H Toilet Bowl but a good 12 to 15 bowl games have competitive and/or intriguing match ups.  However, I think to get a true champion in NCAA Football you do need some sort of playoff.  Now, in the past, I have suggested keeping the bowl games within a playoff structure.  I really think this can work.

After Thanksgiving weekend but before the bowl games start you have the best 16 teams as decided by the BCS, coaches poll, writers, fans…whatever.  You break them into NCAA Basketball style brackets.  #1 v. #16, #2 v. #15 etc. with the top seed getting the home game.

You are now down to 8 teams which fits perfectly into the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange.  Those 8 teams play in the bowl games and now we are left with 4.  Now, after bowl season, you can have a FINAL 4 for Football.  You can have it at alternating venues like the Georgia Dome, Ford Field, the Rose Bowl and the Superdome.  You hold one game at 3PM and the other at 8PM.  After that weekend the NFL Playoffs get into full swing.  You would wait an extra weekend until the NFC and AFC Championships and have the NCAA Championship the night before or the Monday night after.

Doing it in this fashion extends the season which would be great for the schools and the NCAA.  It also gives fans and the sport what it truly deserves and that is a TRUE champion.

College Hotties Vol. 3 – 2010

Ohhhhhh Oh Ohhhhhhh  Tomahawk chop!  I know where I want to plant my spear.  :-0

TCU is looking good all the way around.  Oh, and love the boots.

Clemson Tigers!  The Jekyll and Hyde team of NCAA 2010.  No Jekyll or Hyde in her though.  Too bad for Jekyll and Hyde. 😉

Football!  Football!  That is all I can think about.  Damn product placement.

They might be on probation but at least the USC players have hotties like this cheering for them.

The Golden Knights are getting new digs.  This should make their hotties very happy.

Thank you Maxim for bringing us Erika, queen hottie of the Aztec Nation.

So, for fun, the students at ASU (and UCLA) run in their underwear.  OK!

Things are looking might HOT for the Canes.

Some wear their heart on their sleeve, some swallow their pride.  She wears her heart and pride on her ass.  Gotta love the Badger girls.

 

Imma Feelin’

…pretty good about the Chicago Bears in the 2nd half.  I thought the 2nd half was going to be a bear but not so much.  Green Bay and New England are going to be very tough but the rest of the games are win-able.  10 or 11 wins looking good but that probably means another year of Lovie.

…pretty excited about the Bulls.  They didn’t look so hot in the 2nd half of that San Antonio game but they are 6-4 without the Booze.  If they can come home from the circus road trip at .500 I’ll be happy.

…pretty disappointed in the Hawks effort so far.  Granted they are banged up and have a bunch of new guys but they are going to have to do better than .500.  I guess I’ll be patient, for now.  After all they started slow last year and we know how they finished.

…pretty unimpressed by the Cubs efforts on and off of the field.  They aren’t going to spend any money this off-season which means no Adam Dunn or Cliff Lee.  We need to unload some dead weight and no go so far.  Then they can’t seem to get the momentum behind a Wrigley re-build.  Ugh!

…pretty pissed at Governor Quinn and the City of Chicago playing BS politics with the Cubs.  The Bears and White Sox got public money to help finance a new stadium.  The Cubs are told to take a hike despite the fact more people go to Cubs games than any other major sport in Chicago.  They are watched by the one of the largest nationwide audiences on the Superstation WGN.  They draw mega-millions in tourist and commercial dollars to the city, specifically the Wrigleyville neighborhood.  If they want to play politics and I were a Rickett, I’d pay a visit to Buffalo, N.Y. and visit their beautiful little Wrigley replica.  I hear the upper deck can be expanded at a reasonable price tag to accommodate 38,000.  The Sox threatened to move, I sure would.

…pretty tired.  Time to go home and watch the Bears v. Dolphins.

NFL Hotties Vol 2 – 2010

These two certainly look a lot better than their football team.

Did you really think we weren’t going to show a pic of the Jets hottie Jenn Sterger?

I am feeling a bit…Patriotic right now.

Meeeeeeeow!  Get it? Bengal…cat.

Where do I sign up for VIP?

I am loving the new addition to the Bills.  Hey, let’s face it, she couldn’t do any worse than the losers they have out there now.

Redskins cheer team, always one of the hottest in the NFL.

Steelers are indeed looking “super” again.

Arrrrgh!  I want me some of that booty.

The Jets get a two-fer this week.  This Jet model is too f***ing hot to pass up.

College Hotties Vol. 2 – 2010

Well BPD hottie fans I am certainly slacking.  This is only my second entry since the beginning of the season.  Many apologies.  Enjoy!

 

System of a Downer

The Chicago Bears are half way through the 2010-11 season and it certainly has been a roller coaster ride.  One minute the Monsters of the Midway are 4-1 and at the top of the NFC North and the next minute they are a jumbled mess on the verge of collapse.

I don’t think there is anything more frustrating than being a Chicago Bears fan right now.  You have seen this play over and over again.  You had hoped with the addition of Martz, Peppers and Chester T. that maybe the worst was behind us and we could compete for a playoff spot.  That hope has been dashed.  To come up with two crappy performances in a row against Seattle and Washington is pathetic.  These were games they had to win and they didn’t.  If they go into the half at 7-1 with a three game lead over nemesis Green Bay the chances are really good that they are going to win the division.  However, they pull up lame against two mediocre NFC opponents and that speaks volumes of not only the players, but the organization.

Some people slam on the offensive line and others enjoy roasting Jay Cutler.  Some even blame it on Lovie Smith alone while some will go as far as to blame management and ownership.  I have to say they are all right.  The offensive line is the worst I have seen in my 30 some odd years of being a Bears fan.  Jay Cutler, who I like, needs to calm down.  Take a sack and don’t force the play.  It is hard for him to do that  because he is a competitor and he has already taken a seasons worth of sacks, but he has to try.

The organization certainly has the biggest bullseye.  Let’s not kid ourselves, the Bears of 2006 won in spite of Lovie.  He has done very little as a head coach.  He doesn’t inspire confidence, his mid-game adjustments suck and he can’t throw a RED FLAG to save his life.  Most of his coordinators are God awful too, although I’ll give a pass to Marinelli and Taub at this time.

Finally Jerry Angelo has to be the worst GM in the NFL on the first day of the Draft.  We have a terrible record with 1st and 2nd Round picks.  He is great finding gems in the middle rounds and maneuvering to acquire more picks however, to be a great team and compete for Superbowls you have to find those future NFL stars on  Day 1 of the NFL Draft.

I’d go on and on about how inept President Ted Phillips and the McCaskey clan are but I’ve covered that many times. And, let’s face it, they aren’t selling any time soon.

I hope that a huge win over Buffalo in 2 weeks can catapult this team to a 3 or 4 game streak.  That would be fantastic.  I don’t wish this team any ill will for I am a HUGE fan.  However, if they should happen to finish the season with only 7 or 8 wins like I suspect then it is time for the firing squad.  Paging Coach Cowher!  Coach Cowher needed at Soldier Field STAT!