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Video: Oklahoma State Coach Goes Off [David Stefanini]
2007-09-26 05:35:00
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Ranking the Top 5: NFL Week 3 [David Stefanini]
2007-09-25 00:56:00
Well it has been a very long time since I have written for this blog. I'm sorry for that, but school has taken control of my life and won't give me any free time. With that out of the way here is how I see the NFL after Week 3.1 - New England Patriots: There isn't even a team in the NFL that I can honestly say has a chance of beating them. They are far superior in every aspect, and they are playing undermanned right now. I think they'll finish the regular season at 15-1. They'll lose a game, maybe 2, because of Brady having an off day. But come playoff time he doesn't have bad games, they will walk away with the Super Bowl Ring again this year.2 - Indianapolis Colts: A very distant 2nd place. They are the Super Bowl champs and are once again a force to be reckoned with. They seem to have figured out how to stop the run, and their offense is led by Peyton Manning. They will make it to the AFC Championship with a record of 14-2, but lose to the Pats.3 - Dallas Cowboys: This team...
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PSU Loses First Of Season [A.J. Cordi]
2007-09-23 03:10:00
As I predicted, Penn State lost their first game to Michigan . The score was 14-9 and Penn State didn't score a single touchdown. But predictions aside, this game truly showed the areas that Penn State needs to improve on - mainly their offense.They held Michigan to just 14 points, which is very impressive against any ranked college team. But in the end, Anthony Morelli needs to complete more than half his passes, the receivers need to work harder on getting open and ready for the pass, and Austin Scott needs to stop fumbling. Needless to say, the offense needs work!But overall, the team is in good shape. The defense stepped up and did all they could do. This game was their first real challenge of the season, and I believe that there will be better things to come from here on out.For an article on the game, click here.For the box score, click here.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
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AL Cy Young Award: Beckett or Sabathia? And Let's Not Forget Santana. [Addi
2007-09-22 20:19:00
The final stats aren't in quite yet. But we do have a pretty good sense of who might win the AL Cy Young award (the NL Cy Young is a no-brainer in Jake Peavy of SD). The two obvious candidates seem to be Beckett and Sabathia. In Boston, it seems to be a slam-dunk for Beckett. I'm not so sure. Here are their lines:W L GS CG IP H ER HR BB SO ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP20 6 29 1 194.7 179 68 15 40 188 3.14 4.54 145 1.12518 7 33 4 234.0 230 83 19 36 205 3.19 4.41 138 1.137You can probably tell who is who. But just glancing at these stats, they are for all intents and purposes identical. Similar wins and losses. Similar Strikeouts. Similar ERA. Similar WHIP. There's one BIG difference though. One pitcher has thrown 234 innings and the other has thrown only 194 innings. That's 4 extra starts. And that's an average of 7.1 and 6.7 innings per start respectively. If you didn't know already, Beckett's line is the one on top and Sabathia's is the one below. It'...
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Bloggers React to Mets Decline, Phillies Rise [J. Mark English]
2007-09-21 15:35:00
Wow, where did that win come from? It wasn?t a brand new Phillie that provided the spark as I thought, but it was another amazing finish. Jayson Werth?s 3-run blast into the upper deck of left field to bring the Phils within one run was certainly reminiscent of the Russell Branyan shot. More impressive though was the Phillies bullpen which salvaged Kyle Lohse?s pitiful two inning performance as Durbin, Davis, Condrey, Romero (W), Gordon, and Myers (S) combined for seven scoreless. The Phillies now have 47th come-from-behind wins. That is the most in the majors and with 83 wins overall, that means the Phils come-from-behind in more than half their games (57%). Elsewhere in the National League, the Marlins held off a Met rally to escape with a win in ten innings. As fans were walking out of RFK last night, the concourses erupted when we found out the Fish had tied it in the ninth. I expect there to be even more fans at the stadium this weekend - you can?t beat $5 tickets. Unfortunat...
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And as a Mets Fan this is How I Feel... [J. Mark English]
2007-09-21 15:33:00
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Once Again, Need I Say More? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-21 15:31:00
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Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 3 Picks
2007-09-20 19:52:00
Feel free to add your picks to the comments (rules below). My picks are in red:Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens: This one is not as obvious as it appears on paper. Regardless, the Ravens should still win a squeaker.San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers: I predict a painful day for Lord Favre.Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: If WR Andre Johnson was playing, the Texans might have a chance. Without him, take the Colts.Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs: If there's a more boring matchup this weekend, I don't see it.Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: I don't need the video to know who's going to win this one.Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: If Mangini is half the coach he's supposed to be, the Jets should win.Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles: When Donovan McNabb made his comment about how hard it is for black quarterbacks, I doubt he had the Lions in mind, but he'll definitely be thrown (and throwing) to them this week.San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Stee...
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The AL East: Does It Even Matter? [Addison Quale]
2007-09-20 18:02:00
First off, props to the Yankees for coming back--almost all the way--from being 14.5 games back in late May. I never doubted the fact that this team was good and knew that the Sox lead wasn't ever that safe. But, does the victor of the AL East really mean anything? Call it a case of sour grapes or what have you, but the Sox are in the playoffs. They have a 1.5 game lead on the Yankees and a 7 game lead on the Tigers with about 9 games to go. It's pretty much a sure thing. And does it really matter that much what regular season record a team ends up with as it heads into the post-season? I can recall two teams in recent memory which limped into the post-season. One was the 2000 Yankees who stumbled to an 87-74 record losing a string of games in their last week. I think we can all remember how that juggernaut of a team bowled through the playoffs to its third consecutive WS title. Then there is 2006, last year. The Cardinals were all set for the playoffs--that is until an big losing...
More About: Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Matter , World Series

Need I Say More? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-19 17:27:00
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Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 2 Results
2007-09-18 12:36:00
The final results for week 2 are:J. Mark English - 12Robert A. George - 11EdMcGon - 9David Stefanini - 9Dave O'Leary - 8Bill Barker - 7Rigel - 5Congrats Mark!For our year-to-date results (with weeks won in parentheses):David Stefanini(1) - 20J. Mark English(1) - 17EdMcGon - 17Bill Barker - 13Robert A. George - 11Dave O'Leary - 8Mike - 8Rigel - 5I will post the week 3 picks later this week, so stay tuned! http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif
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The Best Rivalry in Sports; And Give Props to Jorge Posada [Addison Quale]
2007-09-16 07:39:00
Did you see last night?s game between the Sox and Yanks? I?m sorry, but this has got to be the best rivalry in sports hands down. Just when we can?t imagine any more drama between these two teams, it just keeps getting better. First of all, Friday night was pretty much a disaster for Boston. Ahead 6 runs late in the game, and they can?t hold it? It?s pathetic. And as I heard one sports writer say, ?Just as the Angels are in the Yankees? heads, the Yankees are in the Sox heads.? The Yankees KNOW they can beat the Sox. And not only that, A-Rod knows he can beat Papelbon?the biggest defensive weapon the Sox have, who has been terrorizing AL hitters for the last month. So Friday?s game was huge.And then last night?s game featured the 2 winningest pitchers in the AL in Wang and Beckett. The stakes were high for that matchup and considering the Sox were still intent on breaking up the Yankees ten year stranglehold on the AL East. The game was deadlocked at 1-1 for most of the game. That i...
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Satire: Two Cartoons via the New York Post [J. Mark English]
2007-09-14 23:33:00
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Did O.J. Simpson Break into a Casino? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-14 15:06:00
Police seem to think he may have been dumb enough to do so. Maybe this will finally get him behind bars. Here is more from NBC:NBC5 has learned that Las Vegas police are questioning O.J. Simpson Friday morning in connection with a burglary.The Las Vegas NBC affiliate confirmed that Simpson is accused of breaking into a room at the Palace Station Casino sometime Thursday.Police confirmed that they are questioning Simpson and several other people.No other details were available early Friday.A statement is expected to be issued by police later Friday.Simpson's book, "If I Did It," hits store shelves Friday amid much controversy.http://img68.imageshack.us/my .php?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
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NFL Discilpines Belichick and the Patriots [J. Mark English]
2007-09-14 03:58:00
The happy go lucky days in the NFL of Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been replaced by the disciplinary age of Commissioner Roger Goodell.Goodell and the NFL have come down hard on the New England Patriots . Here is the latest from CBS:The NFL has fined New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the team a total of $750,000 for videotaping an opponent's signals. The team also has been told to forfeit draft choices.The Pats were caught videotaping the New York Jets' defensive signals during last Sunday's 38-14 win at the Meadowlands.CBS 2 HD has learned Belichick was hit with a $500,000 fine by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The team will have to hand over $250,000.The Patriots will also have to forfeit at least one draft pick in 2008, but that will depend on how they finish this season. If they make the playoffs, they will lose a first-round pick. If they don't make the postseason, they will give up their second-and third-round picks. Belichick will not be suspended.Thats n...
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NBA: Greg Oden to Miss the 2007-2008 Season [J. Mark English]
2007-09-13 23:52:00
Well, this is never good. You gotta feel bad for Portland.This is from the NBA:An exploratory arthroscopic surgery performed on Greg Oden today revealed cartilage damage to the Portland Trail Blazers rookie?s right knee. Oden is likely to miss the 2007-08 NBA season. "Greg had an arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery today," said team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who performed the surgery. "He was found to have articular cartilage damage in his right knee. The area of injury was not large and we were able to treat it with micro fracture, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal. All those are good signs for a complete recovery from micro fracture surgery." Oden is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Recovery time from micro fracture surgery varies from person to person, but generally takes between six an...
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Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 2 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-09-13 13:59:00
Time for our week 2 NFL game picks! My picks below are in red:Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers: This is what is typically referred to as a "no-brainer".Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: Is this "no-brainer" week?Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars: While the Jags aren't great, the Falcons still have Joey Harrington, who makes David Garrard look good by comparison.Green Bay Packers at New York Giants: The Giants new motto: "Is there a doctor in the house?"Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers: Expect the Bills to give the Steelers a tough time this week, but the Steelers should squeak by them.San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams: The Rams REALLY miss Orlando Pace, otherwise they might win this one. Regardless, it should be close.New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Expect the Saints to put a smackdown on the Bucs. After losing to the Colts last week, this should be a monster bounce-back for the Saints.Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans: The AFC South teams al...
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7 / 11 is Heaven for the New York Mets [J. Mark English]
2007-09-13 04:14:00
A few weeks ago after the Mets lost four straight to the Phillies, I said that it was time for them to "stand their ground" and prevent further "free fall". Of course those quotes came from Tom Petty's repertoire. Not only did they "stand their ground" but they went to down to Atlanta with a "Damn the Torpedo's" full speed ahead attitude.Over the past two weeks they have begun to run away with the division. They have won 10 of 12 games including 5 of 6 from the Atlanta Braves. They tied the season series against the Braves. They have built their lead against the Phillies to 7, and now have a magic number of only 11. The countdown can begin towards a second division championship in a row.Soon, once the division has been clinched, the Mets can turn their attention to doing what they could not do last year. Advance beyond the NLCS, and win a World Series for the first time since 1986http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?ima ge=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
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RAGGED Sports Break [Robert A. George]
2007-09-13 03:56:00
This is from Guest Blogger, Robert A. George , of Ragged Thots:1) Golden Dome in black and white. Those Notre Dame boosters who thought they were so Weis three years ago look fit to be Ty-ed right about now. Pat Forde nails ND perfectly.2) Who'd a thunk it? Baseball isn't the only sport that uses the wonders of modern technology to, uh, "gain a competitive advantage" (AKA "cheat"). So does the NFL!! So, if the Patriots weren't stealing signs, they might have only scored 24 points on the Jets!Don't laugh, the Jets did beat the Pats up in Foxboro late last year -- admittedly, Randy Moss wasn't there.It also appears that this isn't the first time the Patriots pulled this, given that Green Bay's GM claims they pulled something similar last year. Which causes more than a few people to wonder whether Bill Belichik is a true "genius" -- or just another boob tube junkie like the rest of us.Rather than dunning New England a few draft picks, how about just sending Tom Brady to the Jets?...
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Breasts, Exercise, and Bras [J. Mark English]
2007-09-13 03:34:00
Guys, do I have your attention? Actually its really the girls who should be paying attention now. The following story is based on research that was actually performed...by scientists...wow, they must have been really bored. Anyway, this is from Women 's Health News :Researcher Dr. Joanna Scurr from Portsmouth University conducted a study on women and found that during exercise a woman's breasts move in three directions, including forwards and back, whereas bras are designed only to stop up and down movement.Dr. Scurr says an estimated 60 per cent of women suffer breast pain when doing even a gentle form of exercise, and others are embarrassed by the bouncing caused when running.As a rule bras are designed to stop the bounce but according to the researchers breasts also move side-to-side and in and out.Biomechanical data of 70 women of varying breast sizes was studied and Dr. Scurr says a "smart fabric" is needed that can provide custom-made support for each woman which would conta...
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CameraGate? SpyGate? Patriot Games? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-13 03:28:00
Call it what you want, but the New England Patriot s being caught cheating is bizarre. Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, has more:For the past 24 hours, since Camera Gate was exposed, I've been trying to think of a good excuse for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. There has to be a good excuse, right? So why couldn't I think of one? How could I save them from America's scorn? How could I remove those three asterisks from the Super Bowl titles? Even when I channeled my inner O.J. and decided, "If Belichick did cheat in the Jets game, it's only because he loved the Jets too much," it didn't quite work.The truth is, there's probably no saving the Pats. Everyone outside New England was searching for a legitimate reason to hate them for the past four years, and now they have an excellent one. Spying on opponent's signals is just plain seedy. It's one step above playing footsie with someone in an airport men's room. It's a disgrace. It's embarrassing. Even though everyone probably ch...
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Good News: Everett Moving Arms and Legs [David Stefanini]
2007-09-12 14:47:00
One day after all of us heard how Kevin Everett is still in serious condition and how the likelyhood of him making a full recovery was slim, doctors are reporting today for the first time since the hit; Everett is moving his arm and legs. Kevin Everett might walk again after all.The doctor who performed the spinal surgery on Everett told Buffalo TV station WIVB on Tuesday that Everett has voluntary movement of his arms and legs and as a result he is optimistic that Everett will walk again.Dr. Andrew Cappuccino told WIVB that Everett's sedation levels were lowered on Tuesday, allowing him to respond to verbal commands. WIVB also reported that Everett's latest MRI shows only a small amount of swelling on his spinal cord.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
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Septemeber 11, 2001: Never Forget [J. Mark English]
2007-09-11 14:05:00
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Patriots Spying on the Jets? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-11 13:33:00
The Jets and the Pats really are fighting a cold war right now. Espionage is the only the latest in the continuing saga of bizarre tales of competitive spirit gone awry. This is from ESPN:NFL security confiscated a video camera and its tape from a New England Patriots employee on the team's sideline during Sunday's game against the Jets in a suspected spying incident, sources said.The camera and its tape were placed in a sealed box and forwarded to the league office for investigation, the sources said. "The rule is that no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game," the league said in a statement from spokesman Greg Aiello. "Clubs have specifically been reminded in the past that the videotaping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals on the sidelines is prohibited. "We are looking into whether the Patriots violated this rule."The Patriots' cameraman was suspected of aim...
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Kevin Everett: Keep Him in Your Intentions [J. Mark English]
2007-09-11 05:09:00
This is from the Buffalo Bills website:It was eagerly anticipated news when the Bills provided an update on Kevin Everett Monday afternoon, following his game halting spine injury on the second half kickoff of Sunday's loss to Denver. But the update only gave a clearer picture as to the severity of what is still a potentially lethal injury, and the steps that were taken to give him the greatest chance for recovery. Everett suffered a fracture dislocation between the third and fourth cervical vertebra. So there was an injury to the cervical spine and cervical spinal cord. But the spinal cord was intact. There was disc material pushing on the cord and bone was applying pressure as well. "The vertebrae were out of alignment," said team orthopedist Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, who specializes in injuries of the spine. "The vertebrae of the spine line up like box cars of a train. The third cervical vertebra had translocated completely over the front of the fourth cervical vertebra causing a...
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Darth Federer? [J. Mark English]
2007-09-11 05:01:00
Just how good is Roger Federer , whom won his 12th grand slam yesterday? Sean Randall of the Tennis X Blog breaks down just what a phenomenal athlete this man has become: Roger Federer has never lost a match in his career in the all black Darth Vader look. After the US Open final today that will still be fact. Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a great US Open, with great wins over Radek Stepanek and David Ferrer, he?s also shown us his personal side with a pair of memorable impersonations Thursday evening. But today?s going to be too much for the 20-year-old Serb. While Federer will be comfortable in playing in front of 23,000 plus and in his 10th straight Slam final, this will be Novak?s first go round in a major title bout. The lack of a day off also hurts Novak. Fed?s used to it, not Novak. The heat could also play a role. Djokovic has had problems with conditions and injuries in the past, and even yesterday he looked somewhat sluggish at times in the heat and had to summon the trainer....
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A Giant Infirmary [J. Mark English]
2007-09-11 04:56:00
Oh man, talk about a game of attrition for the New York Giant s . The Jints suffered so many injuries in the game last night against the Dallas Cowboys that their trainers were nearly performing triage on the field. This is the latest from the Giants website:Here are the results of this afternoon's MRIs on quarterback Eli Manning , defensive end Osi Umenyiora and running back Brandon Jacobs. Manning has a contusion to the right A-C joint. His status is day to day for this week's game against Green Bay. Umenyiora has an irritation to the lateral meniscus of his left knee. His status is also day to day and he will be re-evaluated later in the week. Jacobs sprained the MCL of his right knee. He will be evaluated on a week to week basis. The results of the MRI on cornerback Kevin Dockery's ankle were not available as of 5 p.m. today.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?i mage=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif
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Pigskin Pick'em - Week 1 Results [EdMcGon]
2007-09-10 13:06:00
The first week's NFL results are in, as well as the results for our Pigskin Pick'em contest.Even with two games remaining to be played, David Stefanini has already got enough wins to claim victory in the first week (tonight's picks are shown after the weekly totals):David Stefanini - 9 (Bengals & 49ers)EdMcGon - 7 (Ravens & 49ers)Mike - 6 (Bengals & 49ers)J. Mark English - 4 (Bengals & Cards)Bill Barker - 4 (Bengals & 49ers)I will be tracking correct picks for the entire season, so be sure to play when I post later this week.I must admit that my Browns over Steelers pick was a truly bad one, for which I received a ton of grief. I overestimated the Browns, mostly due to the fact the team played with a lot of heart last year, even when they were losing games. On the other hand, I underestimated the Steelers because of Tomlin installing a new playbook. If you look at the Steelers on paper, they simply outclass the Browns as far as talent.That said, I feel quite vindicate...
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NFL Uni Notes [J. Mark English]
2007-09-09 22:24:00
The "C" on the uniforms look kinda cheesy. I mean is the NFL trying to mimic the NHL? Why not just stitch up an "A" on the uniforms for the assistant captains as well!Notice the plethora of patches being worn by teams this year marking some sort of anniversary year? The Redskins, the Packers, and the Eagles so far have them on. I'm sure there are other teams as well, but I haven't watched every game yet. (And I won't be, but I'm just making a point...)The Jets wore their away whites at home today. Was that to make them cooler in the summer heat? Man, Mangini and Belichick really despise each other.The Chargers new uniforms look sleek and yet old school at the same time. I just wish they'd put the numbers on the helmets like when they used to wear the baby blue jersey.Oh and are the green dots on the back of the QB helmets really necessary? The green dot designate the player on the field that can communicate through a wireless device to the sideline. But we all know it...
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Happy New Years! NFL Style! [J. Mark English]
2007-09-09 21:22:00
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