Monday, January 31, 2011

Three 2 End It

Final Thoughts on January 31st....

1.  Texas looks to be the real deal.  A beat down on the road on Big Monday is no small task.  They might be looking at a one seed come tourney time with Duke, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh.  That is as of right now though.  Who knows who could get hot in the Big East, win the tourney, and get a one seed.

2.  21 straight losses for the Cavs, wow.  They were 5-5 at one time also.  Now a good 8-40.  They haven't won since December 18th.  They really could be looking at 70 losses, that would be an amazing turn around.

3.  Ohio State has all 96 first place votes in the combined AP Poll and Coaches Poll, and they should.  They are clearly the best team right now.  Starting Saturday they have at Minny, at Wisconsin, MSU at home, then at Purdue, and home vs. Illinois.  Not great teams but I have to imagine they'll slip up in one those. 
- Michigan State is finally kicked out of the polls, thank God. 
- Somehow though Illinois is still ranked 24th with a 14-7 record. 
- Syracuse has lost four straight and has only fallen to 17th. 
- Louisville is the big mover this week, all the way up to 13th.  Although they lost tonight to Georgetown. 
- Right now 7 of the top 17 teams are out of the Big East, that is crazy. 
- Three teams are ranked from "non power conferences".

Don't get caught out in the weather guys.  Haley and I laid out by the pool Sunday and Tuesday it is suppose to be a high of 78.  Good luck. 

Curt

A10 Update

Not a big week this week in the A10.  No marquee matchups.  Here are a few matchups that at least could be good and will shake up the standings for the tourney... 

Wednesday Games...
Temple at LaSalle
Big five game so it'll be a close one.  Temple needs to continue to take care of the bottom of the league.  Should win.

George Washington at Xavier
GW is decent this could be a trap game for Xavier.  I see Xavier winning but wouldn't be surprised if this is one they slipped up in.

UMASS at St. Louis
UMASS is out to a 5-2 start and need to beat these kind of teams to keep it going.  I see them losing this one.

St. Bonaventure at Dayton
Dayton should roll but who knows.  Both teams are 3-4 and games like this could help in seeding later on.

Saturdays Games...
Rhode Island at Temple
Big game for both teams.  Temple has won 17 straight at home and it is Hooters Birthday so look for Temple to win.  Rhode should be 5-3 coming into this game so they are no pushover.

Duquesne at St. Bonaventure
Duquesne shoots poorly in this one and the Bonnies could capitalize.  I see this being a close one but Duquesne probably pulling it out.

Dayton at LaSalle
Again, Dayton is probably the better team but they can NOT win on the road.  Who knows what happens in this one.  Another one where it will matter in seeding.  Remember, as of last year, teams 5-8 get a home game in the first round of the A10 tourney.

Standings as of today....

Xavier, Duquesne  7-0
Richmond, Temple, UMASS   5-2
Rhode Island, George Washington   4-3
Dayton, St. Bonaventure, LaSalle   3-4
St. Louis   2-5
Charlotte   1-6
Fordham, St. Joseph's   0-7

St. Joes fall is epic.  They are terrible.  No doubt them and Fordham will be left out of the tourney this year.  Right now Xavier, Duquesne, Temple, and Richmond would receive the byes.

In today's bracketology's Temple was a 7 seed in one bracket, and an 8 seed in the other.  Xavier was a 10 seed in one and a six in the other.  Richmond was an 11 seed in one bracket.  Still no love at all for Duquesne.  They will have a chance if they keep taking care of business.

Will check in next week.  February is a boring month for college basketball.  Wake me up when March gets here, which will be soon.

Spreads for Tonight

Louisville at Georgetown (-4.5)
Well let's see.  Georgetown had a big win last week and Louisville was actually ESPN's team of the week.  Tough game.  My guess is you would have to go with the points and take Louisville to cover in a good game like this.  So my official prediction will be Georgetown to cover, Im just going with the opposite of what I think.

Texas at Texas A&M (+2)
Texas is hot, plays great D and they are definitely the better team.  So, I'm going to not only take A&M to cover, I'm taking them for the outright win.

No other good games tonight.  Like really, look at the schedule, nothing.  After I take the dog to the field and eat some dinner I'll post the weekly A10 update and breakdown the new rankings, which have a couple laughers on there.  Late.

Curt

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Quick Spreads Update

Standings through Sunday's games, we'll do some more this week....

Fiser (5-3), 63%
Klose (9-10), 47%
Thobe (2-3), 40%
Neil (9-14), 39%
Curt (8-15), 35%
Nagel (4-9), 31%

Three 2 End It

Final thoughts on January 30th.....

1.  Nice finish to the Farmers Insurance Championship.  Phil needed to dunk one from 80 yards to tie and dropped it about a foot short and almost spun it back.  Funniest thing was that he walked all the way to the green, picked out where he wanted to land it and even had his caddy go up and tend the flag.  Pulled it out when the ball was in the air, awesome. 

2.  The Pro Bowl is a joke.  Tried to watch it but couldn't.  Best part was when Rivers threw one deep to Lloyd and Lloyd didn't even go up to get it and it got picked off.  I hope he did that on purpose, fuck Rivers.

3.  Duke gets dominated.  They were 1 for 21 from three point range at one point.  They don't have any low post presence to counteract their shooting when it goes south.  This will hurt them in the tourney, or they could get super hot and ride it to the title again.  I'm betting against it, but Im an awful bettor so who knows.

A10 Update coming tomorrow along with a rankings breakdown.

Curt

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Three 2 End It

Final Thoughts on January 29th......

1.  11 top 25 teams lose on one day.  Crazy.  Xavier demolishes Richmond, weird.  We sucked on our picks again, starting to get super embarrassing.

2.  Tiger fades, he sux.  Ha, clearly not true but that is what the media is going to say.

3.  Gasparilla was a success.  Saw one kid passed out puking everywhere with his high school friends looking around in complete shock, knowing that they were all going to get arrested.  So many smashed people, awesome event.  People that live around here that don't go make me feel really bad for them, you know who you are. 

More tomorrow, maybe some updates and previews, need to get some rest.  Later.

Curt

Friday, January 28, 2011

Three 2 End It

Three thoughts on January 28th....

1.  Great weekend coming for golf.  Top 15 includes: Kim, Mahan, Daly, Watson, Mickelson, Fowler, Woods, and Dustin Johnson.  Going to be good, hopefully Sunday is sweet.

2.  NHL going with the recess kickball picking teams plan for the All Star game.  Pretty sweet really.  At least they are trying.  No one likes the Pro Bowl at all and they don't care, at least the NHL is trying to get attention and get people to notice, good for them.

3.  Gasparilla on Saturday.  Beads, floats, chics, drinking, pirates, and more.  Should be sweet.

- Curt

Spreading for Saturday

Eight games for Saturday and my predictions....and random alumni comparisons from the past....

Ohio State at Northwestern (+11.5)
Ohio State to cover.  They are rolling and Northwestern is weak, like the rest of the Big Ten.  Zero NCAA appearances Ever?  That's tied with New Bremen state appearances in 35 years.  Who was better?  Evan Eschmeyer or Lawrence Funderburke?

Louisville at UCONN (-3)
I like UCONN, they are pretty good.  Kemba can take over games, and he probably will again.  Who was better?  Francisco Garcia or Ben Gordon?

Kansas State at Kansas (-11)
I'll take Kansas State to cover.  They suck but it's a rivalry game and Kansas has struggled lately.  Who was better?  Michael Beasley or Greg Ostertag?

Georgetown at Villanova (-4.5)
Villanova to cover, they just had a bad game last time.  Who was better?  Allen Iverson or Kerry Kittles?

Missouri at Texas (-7)
I think Texas is getting hot at the right time, probably too early actually.  But they should cover this at home.  Who was better?  Kareem Rush or Daniel Gibson?  Both can only do one thing.

Syracuse at Marquette (-2)
Marquette in a romp.  Syracuse sux, im convinced they are overrated like most years.  They play every game at home early and then struggle down the stretch.  Who was better?  Gerry McNamara or Steve Novak?  Both could only do one thing also.

Minnesota at Purdue (-9)
Minnesota to cover.  And who cares, Big Ten is boring and a waste of my time.  Who was better?  Voshon Leonard or Glenn Robinson?

Xavier at Richmond (-4)
Big game.  Xavier to cover but I think Richmond wins.  I don't know any past players from Richmond.  And whoever the player you want to name from Xavier is, I guarantee you he is a thug.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Three 2 End It

Thoughts on January 27th....

1.  Knicks played really well.  I know they aren't that great and they aren't in the top 4 of the East but I like them.  They have quickness, size, and shooters.  Dwayne Wade is a beast, made 13 straight shots at one point.  Lebron just stood around and slowed the game to a halt.  I don't like him.  Klose's pick for the over wasnt, well, close.

2.  Big Ten makes me laugh.  A true Big Ten honk would tell you that they look great because even the bottom of the league can beat the best in the league.  Well, sorry, but you're wrong.  When two of your preseason top 5 are losing to Michigan and Indiana, that just shows that your conference is super weak.  Ohio State, Wisconsin, and on certain nights, Purdue, are the only good teams in that conference.

3.  As Klose pointed out earlier, the South Course at Torrey Pines is ridiculous.  7569 yards.  Shortest par four is 387 and six par fours are over 450.  One hole is 613.  Mickelson -5, Tiger -3, some Japanese guy leads at -8.

Curt

Spreads Update

Michigan wins.
Duke only wins by 16 and doesnt cover by a point.  That would have been a sweet one to watch in Vegas.
Heat get beat.
Illinois loses at Indiana, ha.  Big Ten is pathetic.
UCLA gets beat pretty badly by Arizona.  Arizona might be ready to join the big picture again.

Looks like I was the only one that won more than half.  We suck, but we can only get better.

Standings....
Neil (7-8)  47%
Thobe (2-3)  40%
Nagel (2-3)  40%
Klose (4-7)  36%
Curt (5-10)  33%

Spreads of the Day

Can't get worse than yesterday.  No really, it's impossible.  Post your picks, we'll keep a tally...


Boston College at Duke (-17)
Boston College to cover.

Michigan at Michigan State (-10.5)
Michigan to cover.  Michigan State just isn't that good to win by 11.

UCLA at Arizona (-7.5)
UCLA to cover.  They have some good talent.  Arizona is good though, but won't cover.

Illinois at Indiana (+5)
Illinois to win and cover.  No faith in the Hoosiers.

Heat at Knicks (+4.5)
Knicks to cover.  Big fan of the Knicks, they have some scorers.  I heard the Heat has some scorers too though, so we'll see.

Standings....
Neil, 5-5, 50%
Klose, 2-3, 40%
Curt, 2-8, 20%

Three 2 End It

1.  That BYU vs. San Diego State game was good.  They covered to close out my 0 for 5 night.  Jimmer Fredette is amazing.  Finished with 43.  I'm telling you all right now, if you haven't watched him play, you need to make it a point to watch him.  He is the first player in quite some time, that makes me just watch where he is on the court at all times.  I think the only way you can stop him is to hope he gets tired.  He plays like we all wish we could play.  He plays like we all have played in open gym once or twice before, but it's consistent for him.  He is hitting fadeaway threes, driving layups, threes from 25 feet, ridiculous.  He jumps about three feet in the air on every jump shot.  My only issue with him is that he seems to be one of those guys that has something to say to the ref every time he misses, every time he gets stripped, like he wants to get bailed out and it couldn't possibly be his fault for the turnover or something.  Gets kind of annoying. 

2.  Villanova loses to Providence.  I was telling people that I thought OSU was the best team and that Villanova was probably the second best.  Well, that's wrong.  Look at all the top teams that have fallen lately.  Duke doesn't have a lost post game.  Kansas loses to Texas.  Syracuse gets crushed by Seton Hall.  I think it might be OSU and the field this year, at least for now.

3.  NASCAR reveals new point system tonight.  Talk about unintentional comedy.  First, the guy at the press conference was struggling, not much of a public speaker.  Then he continues to say how they changed the points to 43 for first, 42 for second, 41 for third, and so on with last place getting one point.  He says how they needed to make it simpler for their fans to understand.  He then says, for example, if you are behind by 10 points, then you know you need to pass 10 cars to catch up.  Wow.  Why doesn't he just say, hey, our fans are redneck idiots that don't know simple math?  That's basically what he was saying, it was awesome. 

- Curt 

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Spreads Update

Awful night, but again, I'm use to it, doesn't faze me....

WVU covered at Louisville, should have beat them, sweet game winner by Louisville.  Huggins was super pissed at his guy for taking a terrible last second shot, pretty comical.

Texas waxed OK State, that was a stupid pick by me.  Texas is proving to be pretty good and they are young and getting better.

Georgetown waxed St. John's also, way off of that one too.  Every Georgetown win helps Temple's RPI so I'll take it.

Temple only won by 9 at home, so again, another loss. 

BYU vs. San Diego State to come later, might keep me from being shutout on the night. 

Look, as if you all didn't know, if you just listen to who I pick and pick the opposite, you'll make money, everybody knows this.  I have the worst sports betting luck ever.  I was in Vegas when the Reds blew the 9-1 lead in Atlanta this year, lost money on that one.  One year I had Golden State in a pick and they set the record low for points in the fourth quarter, scoring only two, and they lost by three.  For the World Cup I picked a team to win it, a longshot, me and my buddy picked Greece.  I get home and learned that Greece had never scored a goal in the World Cup, EVER!!!!  I thought for sure their plane wouldn't make it to South Africa. 

At least I didn't wake up one morning in Vegas and look at my betting tickets and noticed that I made multiple duplicate bets along with multiple bets on spring training games.  Nagel.

Spreads of the Day

Today's top five games.  Lets see if we can do better than 2 out of 5.  Doubt it....

Texas at Oklahoma State (+5.5)
Texas looked good at Kansas, but I don't think they cover on the road.  I'll take OK State.

West Virginia at Louisville (-7)
Louisville to cover.  WVU is weak this year.  They lost at home to Marshall, that one sticks with me. 

St. Johns at Georgetown (-7.5)
St. Johns will cover.  Georgetown is not playing well right now.  They don't have any scorers.  They got beat by OU last year, ha.  They suck.

Charlotte at Temple (-16.5)
Temple to cover.  Why?  I don't freaking know.  But they have to get going sooner or later, its starting to get depressing.

San Diego State at BYU (-5.5)
Biggest game of the night.  SDSU will cover, they are really good.  BYU is a one man team.  But Jimmer is a stud.  Best white boy shooter since, I don't know, Dickau maybe?

Send your thoughts.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Three 2 End It

Three thoughts on January 25th....

1.  Like I said, Dayton looked really bad.  25 attempted threes?  58% from the line?  Looked really sloppy.  They definitely won't be looking at a bye in the A10 tourney.  Looks like their record is just masked by out of conference wins over Northeastern Southwestern, St. Mary's School of the Blind, and others, yet again. 

2.  Ohio State is the best team in the land.  I hate it, I really hate it, but it is painfully obvious.  They will lose but I don't know when and I don't know to who.  Like every year, the Big Ten is weak so it might not be until the tourney.  Their depth is the only issue, if they get behind they might be in trouble, but that happened at Illinios and they still won.

3.  Top 50 MLB Prospects came out today.  Chapman (6), Mesoraco (46), and Alonso (49) were the Reds that made the list.  Chapman is going to be a real stud this year.  Mesoraco needs to wait another year.  Alonso is in a tough situation.  Do you bring him up and let him pinch hit?  Or keep him in Louisville to get at bats?  I think you keep him down, to keep him hot for trade bait, sad, but true.  Only 18 days until pitchers and catchers report.

Oh and one other thing.  How about Syracuse losing by 25 at home to Seton Hall?  Wow.

Curt

Spread Update

Well, 2 out 5, that's about right, probably my lifetime percentage.  Dayton looked awful, like really bad.  Ohio State is dominant.  That Georgia game, cmon, how do you not foul when up by three with 6 seconds to go?  You foul there and they don't get a shot off to tie, common sense.

Neil also went 2 out 5.  Lost Kansas but won the OSU game.  We both have to get better, this is unacceptable.  Nagel called me after the Florida game and said he would have taken Florida for sure.  Oh course you would have, ha. 

Spreads of the Day

Top games of the day.  Posting who I would take if I gambled.  Since we are going to Vegas for March Madness I have to get use to losing.  Here is who I have and a sentence on why....

Richmond at Dayton (-3)
I'll take Dayton, they usually don't blow teams out but they don't lose at home so I think they will cover.

Florida at Georgia (-3)
I'll take Georgia.  Florida isn't that good and they have bad games.  This will be one of those games.

Kansas at Colorado (+7.5)
I'll take Colorado.  Too big of a game to get blown out at home.

UCONN at Marquette (-4)
UCONN on the road.  They are tough and Marquette isn't that good.  Marquette might win, but I doubt they cover.

Purdue at OSU (-7.5)
Don't see how they cover that, but you never know.  I'll take Purdue to cover in a tough game.

Let's see how I do.  I'm guessing 3-2 at best.  Let me know what you think.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Three 2 End It

Three thoughts on January 24th......

1.  The rankings are at it again.  Michigan State and Illinois are still ranked with 7 and 6 losses respectively.  Are you kidding?  Just put another team up there, it's ok, the Big Ten won't tell on you.  Utah State is 18-2 with losses to only Georgetown and BYU, maybe they could get a number by their name?  Would that be ok?

2.  The Jay Cutler thing.  Seems that everyone has a high threshold for Jay Cutler's pain.  I hate the guy more than most people being a Bronco fan but this whole thing about him quitting is ridiculous.  If the players say he didn't quit on them, then how can the media say he quit on his team?  Give me a break.  He just has poor body language, thats what kills him.  And he doesn't open up to the media, so they will take any chance to tear him down, just like the Tiger thing.

3.  Cavs lost their 17th straight tonight.  That's pretty embarrassing.  I guess Lebron was that good.  Where are Dougherty, Price, and Ehlo when you need them?

Later,

Curt

A10 Update

Well, the new bracket projections came out today.  In one of them, Temple is a 7, Xavier is an 8, Richmond is an 11, and Dayton is a 12.  In the other Temple is an 8 and Xavier is an 11.  Doesn't look good for the A10 this year, currently they have zero teams ranked in the national polls.  Seven weeks to go before Selection Sunday but I can't imagine them getting more than three bids at the most.  Temple should be a lock with their out of conference wins and Xavier just dominates in conference so they should be a lock too.  If Duquesne stays hot then they have a chance but I would guess it will just be Temple and Xavier, and whoever wins the A10 Tourney if one of them slips up.  Dayton always wins at home so I guess they are in the discussion but its a longshot right now.  And Richmond, blah, they suck, Im not giving them a chance.

This weeks important games....

Richmond at Dayton (Tuesday)
Big game, could go a long way in determining a first round bye in the tourney at the end of the year.  Dayton gets every call at home so they'll win.

Temple at St. Joes (Saturday)
Big 5 game so you never know.  Last time they played Temple had to score at the very end to pull it out.  That stupid Hawk will be flapping his fake arms the whole time like he's cool, what a loser.  That kid in the costume is probably retarded, not actually retarded though. 
"You don't call retarded people retards, thats poor taste.  You call your friends retards when they are acting retarded." - Michael Scott

Xavier at Richmond (Saturday)
Big week for Richmond, they take both of these games and they are the team to beat.  However, I see them losing both, being out of it, and their fans will turn to watching cars drive around in circles and call it their national pastime, rednex.

Dayton at Duquesne (Sunday)
Big week for Dayton too.  They take them both and they are right in there and could be looking at an at large bid.  I actually see them taking both, we'll see.  Duquesne just shoots threes and shoots well at home, Dayton will just miss shots and play scrappy, since all they have are athletes and not basketball players.  But, Duquesne doesn't have much height so I think they may overpower them.  Who knows though, college kids, you don't know what dumbshit things they will do.  Why again do we even put any emotions into this?

We'll update this weekly and see where we stand.  If anyone cares though, Temple is riding a 16 game home winning streak, top ten in the nation. 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Three 2 End It

Final 3 thoughts on January 23rd......

1.  Packers look unstoppable at times.  Rodgers is great with play action.  Cutler is going to be drilled the next few days about the knee, probably not fair, but it will happen.

2.  Steelers ride the luck wave again.  I know they are good, but the things that happen to them, just don't happen to other teams, its amazing.  One of these days it'll all come back to bite them in the ass.

3.  Jhonny Vegas wins the Bob Hope Classic in a three way playoff.  Two straight wins by rookies on the Tour.  Mickelson and Tiger start their seasons next week at Torrey Pines.

Question to think about:  What will happen with Carson?

- Curt

Lucky???

Lets count the ways....

1.  Dropped pick.
2.  Roughing the kicker, should have been blocked.
3.  Drop the snap, fall on it.
4.  Tipped ball at the goalline that would have been picked.
5.  Fumbled punt that rolls out of bounds.
6.  Third down catch that the guy steps on the line.

Just doesnt end.

Disgusted

I don't know about you all, but I really really don't want to watch the Super Bowl.  Everything about them makes me want to vomit.  Going to be a lot of Packers fans in two weeks. 

I guess the only positive spin you could put on this is that if for some miracle the Jets came back and won, it would be the greatest thing any of us had ever seen.  0.4% chance of that happening though.

"So you're telling me there's a chance?" - Lloyd Christmas

Title Game 3

AND THE STEELERS FANS CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!  Imagine that again. Dude, you can't have your hands on the receiver the ENTIRE TIME!!!  Give me a break.

Have you ever seen a more ridiculous measurement?  That was awesome.

Title Game 2

Well, that first drive couldn't have gone any worse.  Steelers scored first against the Ravens last week though and then gave up 21 straight.  It's 7:05 and the Jets haven't even had the ball yet.  Steelers have lost their starting center though and Ben has a Charlie Horse.  Those don't go away.  Jets need to answer now.  Playing from behind won't work well for them.

Hall Pass

I think that movie will be pretty good.  How could it not be?

Title Game 1

That has to be overturned right?  The ball hit the ground and he didn't have control.  Not rocket science.  So far this drive has it all.  Lucky plays, timely flag, Steelers football.  I'm bitter already.

AND THE STEELERS FANS CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!  Imagine that.

Shut up!

OH PLEASE STOP THAT CHANT ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim Nance

He's ridiculous.  I don't like him, but I like him.  He wishes he was at Augusta.  Anyone see him in that episode of How I Met Your Mother?  Awesome.

Jets at Steelers

Ok, I'll get an official prediction in here.  I'm saying Jets will win 20-16.  Not sure if that is what I really think, I just really really want the Steelers to lose, so my bias will not let me pick them.  I think the Jets receivers will make some big plays and the Steelers D won't have a big play to change the game like they usually do.  Either way, it'll be a comical game with the Steelers fans in attendance, they are the worst, and everyone knows it.  Get ready for disgusting smiles from Hines Ward, Phil Simms gushing about Big Ben, and Polamalu getting about 15 isolation replays, it'll be awful, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.  Let's all pray for the Jets.

Jay Cutler

I don't like him, no doubt about that.  But does he really need to lay on the ground writhing in pain to please us and make us believe that he is hurt?  Either way, karma's a bitch dude.

Todd Collins

Poor Todd Collins.  He wasn't suppose to be in this game, he doesn't want to be in this game.  He knows he sucks.  Everyone is booing him because they know its over.  It shouldn't be on him.  But too bad man, you are going to be booed and ridiculed.  Sorry, it's the bad part of being a clipboard Quarterback.

Introduction

One of my favorite things to do is watch sports with my friends and banter back and forth about what is happening, what should happen, and what is going to happen.  Since I live in Tampa and don't live close to very many friends, I don't have much of a chance to do that anymore.  Instead I post on facebook and twitter occassionally but it's not the same and I don't like cluttering everyone's pages with thoughts.  So instead we're going to try this blog thing.  I'm just going to watch games that I know other people are watching and post my thoughts.  Some will be funny, some will be stupid, some will be informative, and some will probably make you want to hit me, but thats ok, I just want to have some fun while doing what I love to do, write and watch sports.  After you read, go ahead and post your thoughts.  If you think I could do something different, let me know. Like I said, this is just for fun, I'm not taking it seriously and hoping it becomes a big hit or anything, so any comments are fine.  Thanks for reading.  Later.

Test

Testing out the blog....