Football variety: Super Bowl edition
Welcome, everyone, to Super Bowl Weekend. We have a lot to discuss so let's get down to it.
NBA SNIPPETS
- The New Jersey Nets are 4-43. No need for me to make a joke.
- Kobe Bryant has become the career point's scorer for the Lakers. Becomes uber impressive when you consider that Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have played as Lakers. What else has Kobe done that they didn't? He raped a girl.....so there's that.
MARCH MADNESS
It's all but for certain that the NCAA tournament will expand to either 68 or 96 teams next year. If its 68, then four games would be added to the current format, but if it is 96 then something like 31 games would be added. The 96 scenario is too much. You would be letting everyone with a .500 or winning record in. Also, how are they doing this but will not even hear out a football playoff scenario?
BIG TEN
Now, take this with a grain of salt, being as how I have already heard that Missouri was joining the Big Ten: Pitt seems to be the new leader for the 12th spot in the Big 10. A good source has told me that its already a done deal and that an announcement should be coming by the end of the week. It would actually work pretty well since Pitt is directly in between Ohio St. and Penn St. The Big 10 could go back to the old Thursday/ Saturday road games. Play Pitt on Thursday and drive up to Penn St. and play them on Saturday. At any rate, we will know by the end of the week.
Update: The Big Ten is denying this.
Just yesterday (for me), Wisconsin knocked off Michigan St. by 18 points. That's not even close. They also injured Spartan leading scorer Kalin Lucas, who suffered an ankle injury. It's unknown how long he will be out but this deals a huge blow to M State. If he is out for the season or even for just a small time they will suffer, especially on the road. Them dropping another two games is highly likely and that will open up the door for Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Ohio State. This will easily become a wide open race. The real test will come Saturday. Michigan State will travel down to good ol' U of I and take on the Illini on national television for ESPN's College Gameday. All of the Big Ten will be watching to see what kind of condition the Spartans will be in as it could make for an interesting February.
MMA
UFC 109 Relentless is this weekend. Anytime they give the event a name that doesn't include anyone who's fighting in it, you know the card will be suspect. Randy Couture will take on Mark Coleman in what is basically a Hall of Fame match. These are two of the oldest men and longest running fighters in MMA today. BORRING. Neither of these men will compete for a championship again and they are both only slightly younger then my father. I respect them...but I would respect them more if they'd retire with some dignity. Matt Sera and Frank Trigg will face each other in one of the other fights. Neither of these men will ever be contenders again and the only reason people remember Sera is because he got lucky in his fight against St. Pierre.
There is a little saving grace though and that will come in the form of two fight between up and comers. Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago and Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller will have my undivided attention. The four have a combined seven losses (Main eventer Couture has 10) and 48 wins. Anyone of these men could be fighting for a title by the end of the year and will both make for exciting fights.
NFL SNIPPETS
- Kurt Warner and his amazing comeback story (wank wank) have officialy retired. Told you so.
- Rex Ryan (Jets coach) flicked off a camera at last weekend's Strikeforce (Diet UFC) event in Miami. He has now "officially" apologized for it. Really, is that neccisary? These must be the same people who are aghast at the people who drink beer at a Nascar race.
- The NFL will be Salary Cap-free next year. This means teams won't have to cut good players to free up space; the bad news is that whenever a new cap is signed in a year or two a lot of players will have to take a huge pay cut and the free agent market will be insane.
- The Pro Bowl is a joke. Some thirty-something players elected to not play and the ones who did showed no effort.
- Mike Martz has an impossible task in front of him. He takes over as Bears Offensive Coordinator with no draft picks in the first two rounds and a quarterback that just isn't living up to his potential. Cutler is no Warner, but Martz has showed genius before so it will at least be an interesting clusterfuck.
SUPER BOWL SPORTSBOOK
Colts -6
Saints +6
Over/Under 57
Both Quarterbacks have been stacking points all season, especially Brees. The Saints are loaded with recievers on offense. Each man would be a star on any other team but with the Saints they are just another piece of the puzzle. Back in '09, seven different people caught 35 passes or more from Brees and 10 had TD catches; that's a staggering number. This postseason Brees also has yet to commit a turnover. The Colts rely more on a smaller set. Not to take anything away, they are a very good set and with a QB like Manning all you have to do is be where you are supposed to be because the ball definitely will.
Both defenses take a back seat to the offense. The Saints defense was outgunned by about 200 yards against Minnesota two weeks ago. That's actually more of a testament to the power of their ofeense to still pull off the win. This - 200 yards is a big deal considering Manning is coming off a killing of the Jets, the number one defense Jets. The Jets hadn't allowed a 320 yard passer all season, Manning threw for 377, and hadn't allowed a 420 yard day all season: Colts had 461. The Colts defense the last half the season was so-so. They havnt had to put up with a test like Brees all season so its hard to guess how they will do.
Straight up I think the Colts win it.
When it comes to the spreadi am not too sure. If you have the ability to buy a point and make it a +7 then you should take the Saints. I guess even at +6 you should still take the Saints and the points.
The over/under is going to be tricky. Both QB's are explosive and the last couple superbowls have been in the 40's for total. Ill say take the Over 57.
Final score prediction: Saints 28 Colts 34.
With that being said I hope the Saints win.
SPORTSBOOK
Randy Couture over Mark Coleman: Nursing Home Duel.
Nate Marquardt over Chael Sonnen: This one could actually be a surprise. Nate is an amazing fighter but few people have heard of Chael. He is actually really good.
Demian Maia over Dan Miller: Miller is starting to look washed up.
ISU girls over U of I girls: I was surprised too but it's true.
Hurt Locker over The Field: Oscar Race for best Picture.
Most Recent Sports Comments
Jamie, you gave me goosebumps talking about the race with Rachel Alexandra and Life at Ten, wish I could be there!! Go Rachel!!!!!
Hope for the best, expect the worst. 81-126-2 FIRE RON GUENTHER
Beat Missouri and there is validity here, but until this team wins a game it should not, it is all speculation.
Gret pix, Jamie!
I think any conversation about the limits of the human body are innately limiting. As a non-yoga guy, seeing a skilled yoga person twist his or her body in unthinkable ways challenges my ideas of what the body can and cannot do. Heck, seeing George Clooney double over and…
But couldn’t you receive the same benefits (balance, muscle strength, etc.) from doing yoga barfeoot? From everything I’ve read, the Vibram Five Fingers seem to limit the distance you are able to run, and I am not convinced that is such a good tradeoff. Heck, Pheidippides…
The thing people don’t realize about barefoot running/ five fingers before they try it is that they have been completely isolated from their environment by their shoes. For example saying that hard surfaces like concrete are a recent invention., In the summer trails with a lot of…
Rob, Zola asks you to read further: “I no longer run barefoot,“ she said. “As I got older I had injuries to my hamstring. I found that wearing shoes gives me more support and protection from injuries.“ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/aug/10/southafrica.past1
Many people, including myself, run barefoot on concrete, asphalt, grass, and dirt. No problems. You actually end up with LESS impact than if you were shod in crazy cushioned/supportive shoes. Your body adapts and you land with less force. Think short, quick strides with bent knees. I…
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Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.
Jason, Savoy could easily join the CPL tax district, which is probably closer to most Savoy residents than the Tolono library is. But my impression is that Savoy residents as a whole don’t want to pay the cost of the CPL (Tolono’s library taxes are cheaper), even…
Sorry, but I am lagging behind on updates to the map. Also, some construction projects were delayed from their original start date. On a more positive note, I am putting together a map of haunted houses in Central Illinois. I have a few plotted already, and I…
I’ve never gotten the privilege of all the services CPL cardholders get. I just want to be able to go out of my way to drive to the CPL to check out books, pay fines, maybe buy some coffee, and enjoy the library. None of those activities…
These days, there is more to using a library than checking out books. At one time, paying into the Lincoln Trails system probably would cover the expenses incurred by other libraries in the system. Now, with Internet, videos, coffee shops, wireless Internet hubs, etc., I suspect the…
(speaking as a Savoy resident) By paying taxes to support a member of the LTLS, we are paying our “fair share” to use any LTLS library—Tolono, Champaign, Urbana, etc. This is how library systems work. The 6% of CPL’s circulation represented by Tolono users is NOT significant…
I read Timbo’s argument. I think the key word is “speculating.“
I would be interested to hear more about the “word on the street”—how are individual hauling companies fulfilling their promise to recycle?
Timbo makes a smart, sound argument. Reread it.
I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…
And, I might add, no one is being prevented from using the Champaign library. They are just being asked to pay their fair share if they are going to use it as their primary library.
The equation is pretty simple here. If you want social services, then pay the taxes required to run those social services. These things only work if everyone puts in their fair share. As a heavy user of the Champaign Library, I say bravo to this new policy.
Curtis Orchard is always good for an hour or three, especially if you have rugrats.
What is the increased marginal cost of serving a resident of Savoy or Mahomet? I suspect negligible. What is the increased revenue to be realized by this new policy? I suspect very little. Aside from these financial aspects, what are the most probable results from this new…
Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…
Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
good call on that Herring recording, Josh. Love that version of Exit Music….here’s a clip of the Cinco de Mayo show (from about six months prior). As I recall, this Shakedown went on for roughly a half hour, while getting into the Trampled Underfoot jam in the…
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Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.