College Football Week 4 Picks

Michigan State over Notre Dame - Even though the road team has won the last seven games in this series, I expect that trend to break today. Michigan State's running game will be the difference here. Javon Ringer has proven himself as one of the best running back's in the country, and I think he will put up big numbers today.

(15) East Carolina over North Carolina State - After last week's scare at Tulane, the Pirates will start 4-0 for the first time in nine years, beating NC State. Look for QB Patrick Pinckney to play a great game as East Carolina faces another BCS opponent.

(13) Ohio State over Troy - I have heard some thoughts about an upset here, but I really don't see Troy, even with them averaging 48 points per game, taking them down. Terrelle Pryor will probably be taking most of the snaps in this game, part because Todd Boeckman has been struggling, and part because I think OSU will have a good lead. But that's obvious.

(16) Penn State over Temple - Temple is crushed after losing on a Hail Mary play to Buffalo as the game ended last week, so Penn State will take advantage of that. Also, Penn State is better than Temple. Their deadly offense will overpower the Owls.

(9) Alabama over Arkansas - The Razorbacks will keep it close, but 'Bama will run over the Arkansas with their rushing attack. I think the tandem of Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram will have a big day.

(10) Auburn over (6) LSU - My game of the week and also my upset of the week, if you will. LSU has not won at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1998. I love Auburn's defense in this game too. LSU quarterback Andrew Hatch will be playing in his first SEC game, and the Auburn defense will be sure to let him know about it. Auburn's defense has also allowed only three -- yes, three -- third-down conversions in 46 attempts. This could go either way, and it will be a great game to watch, but I think the Tigers of Auburn take down the Tigers of Louisiana State.

Other predictions: Georgia Tech over Mississippi State, Central Michigan over Purdue, Clemson over South Carolina State, Missouri over Buffalo, BYU over Wyoming, Arizona over UCLA, Virginia Tech over North Carolina, Miami (FL) over Texas A&M, Florida over Tennessee, Wake Forest over Florida State, Georgia over Arizona State.

Interview with Jake Fehling

Jake Fehling is the Director of Media & Public Relations for USA Baseball. Mr. Fehling was kind enough to answer a couple of questions for Nick On Sports.

What is it like being apart of USA Baseball?

It’s an organization dedicated to growing the game both domestically and aboard, it’s tied into the U.S. Olympic Committee and Major League Baseball, and we just got back from medaling at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2008 IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup. Life and business are good.

What are your thoughts on the team after the Olympics?

We of course thought that we would bring home the gold. Obviously that didn’t happen and to some extent we were disappointed. However, this was baseball’s toughest field ever in Olympic competition, and finishing behind an undefeated Korean squad and Cuba isn’t anything to be ashamed of.

What did the team do to get tuned up for the Olympics?

We worked out in San Jose and played exhibition games against Canada’s team in Durham and Cary , N.C. before heading over to Beijing ..

Which pool of players is the team selected from?

Non-25-man roster players.

What do you think could be done to get baseball back into the Olympic program?

I handle the media operation for the IBAF as well, so I live this one every day. [Jacques] Rogge made it very clear at the Games – we want the best players. We’re working with MLB almost daily to try to accomplish that in some way shape or form for the four remaining bid cities for 2016. Whether we accomplish it or not does not make or break our argument, however. At the end of the day baseball is one of the most high profile sports on the international stage and with events like the IBAF Baseball World Cup and MLB’s World Baseball Classic growing like they are, the future of baseball around the world is promising.

Thank you Jake for taking these questions.

Like I said in the post earlier, I've been very busy, but please continue to check back every day for new content.

Sorry

I realize that I am doing a bad job at keeping this blog updated.

Just wanted to let you know that I am still here and will plan on being here long term.

Some things have came up like school stuff, hockey, and now a new sport I am playing -- tennis -- so those things are pretty much dominating my life right now. Which is understandable, I hope.

Hopefully I can try and get the Bob Harig interview up tomorrow. I also got some some other interviews coming up along with NHL and College Hockey previews (can't leave out my favorite sport), so stay tuned for that.

Zambrano No-No

Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano tossed a no-hitter last night at Miller Park. Which is actually quite amazing. First, the no-hitter itself. Then that he was able to do it at a neutral site, even though it was 99.99999% pro-Cubs fans.

This, of course, brings up the "Why wasn't the game played somewhere other than Miller?" It seems like every situation that involves a game being canceled is made up at Miller Park. In my opinion they might as well just played the game at Wrigley.

It is also funny that Bug Selig moves it to his hometown ballpark. They could have played the game in Arlington or Dell Diamond in Round Rock (Astros AAA stadium).

And no, this is not the main reason why the Astros lost. I don't even think it is a minor reason. But, it was just a stupid decision by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.

The thing that surprised me the most is how well Zambrano kept his emotions in check. Normally Zambrano is a fired up guy on the mound, and can lose his temper and/or control sometimes, but last night he looked calm and composed until the very end. Really the only time he showed any riled up emotion at all was after he struck out once and threatened to break his bat over his knee.

Maybe more importantly here is that it all but solidifies the Cubs as NL Central winners, as they are now up 7½ games over the Milwaukee Brewers. This also intensifies the race for the National League wild card spot, because now the Astros are two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and Brewers. Congrats Mr. Zambrano on the no-no, let's see how October goes for you.

Gone For The Weekend

No content will be up this weekend, simply for the fact that it is my grandma's birthday tomorrow and we are having a huge party, and I got a lot of tests from the days I missed school so I need to study a lot.

Check back with us on Monday.

Have a good weekend.

Interview with Paula Creamer

Continuing with the interviews...today I am posting an interview I did with Paula Creamer, who happens to be the No. 5 ranked golfer on the LPGA circuit. Judging from her responses, the 22-year old definitely has her head on straight. Here it is:

Your nickname is "The Pink Panther." What is the story behind that and what do you think of the name?

I almost always am wearing something pink, and my friend once kiddingly called me the "pink panther". It has stuck with me ever since. I really like the color pink (all shades of it) as it's soft and fashionable, yet it also can be a sign of strength, which is me when I'm in competition!

You turned pro in 2005 at the age of 18. Most kids are seniors in high school, and you were becoming a professional golfer. What was it like knowing that you rank among one of the best golfers in the world at that time?

I had a great summer of golf tournaments on the LPGA when I was 17 and still an amateur. I received special invitations to play in about 6 LPGA events. Based on those results, I knew I was ready for the LPGA Tour. It wasn't an easy decision (not going to college and turning pro instead), but I knew it was the right one for me. I don't really dwell on what my ranking is really. I just am trying to be the best that I can be. I am always working on my game and trying to be # 1. That is my goal.......to be # 1.

You have been a part of both the 2005 and 2007 U.S. Solheim Cup teams. How much does that mean to you and how is it playing with the world's best golfers as a team instead of competing individually?

There is nothing better for me than to be representing the USA. Wearing red, white and blue is so cool. I hope it's part of the Olympics soon as I'd love to compete in those games like so many other sports get to do. To be in a team environment is also neat (since golf is usually such an individual sport). I was honored to play on both victorious Solheim Cup teams in 2005 and 2007. The 2009 Solheim Cup can't get here soon enough!

In the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic this year, you shot an 11-under 60 in the first round. That was just one stroke off the LPGA record held by Annika Sorenstam. What made you so effective on that day of golf?

It sounds like a cliche, but I played one shot at a time, and really didn't know I shot 60 until after I finished my round. I made a lot of good putts that day, which really is the difference in shooting a good score and shooting a great score! If I counted up all the times my putt grazes the lip of the hole and subtracted them from my actual score, I'd shoot 60 a lot of times!! You need to be swinging the club well for sure, but it all comes down to making those putts inside 15-20 feet, which I did quite a bit that day.

You are one of the golfers that people can choose to play with in the game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08. What is it like seeing yourself in a video game and do you ever play as yourself?

I just attended the 2009 Tiger Woods PGA Tour Game in NY city a few weeks ago and they had set up all these games for people to play. It was kind of fun walking around watching people play against me. I have played the game, too, and it's a lot of fun.

The David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida played a big part in your development as a golfer. How did you know at age 13 that you were serious about playing golf?

I had already decided to get very serious about golf when my family moved with me to Bradenton, Florida to attend the DLGA. Still, I didn't know where my future was going to lead me, I just knew that I was going to put 110% into it and see what happened. As it turned out, my hard work and dedication wasn't wasted. I still have a lot of goals left to accomplish, but overall, I'm proud of these first four years of my professional career.

One of the all-time greats in Annika Sorenstam is retiring at the end of this season. Just how big of a role did Annika play on the LPGA tour (I think some of us do not know how successful she was on the tour) and was she a mentor-like figure to younger players like yourself?

Annika's contributions to professional women's golf were tremendous. I will miss competing against her in 2009. It will be kind of strange not seeing her after this year, especially at the Majors. I wish her nothing but the very best as she moves onto the next chapter of her life.

What are you expectations for the rest of this season and then the 2009 season?

I would love to win more events this year. Although it's already September, I still have about 8 or 9 events left, and I will be trying my hardest to win them all!

I'd like to thank Ms. Creamer for the interview, and Jay Burton for setting it all up.

In the coming days look for an interview with an ESPN.com golf writer (should take me a couple hours to convert into text) and what? Hockey in Algeria? Yes. So stay tuned.

Lance Armstrong is Real Serious

37-year old Lance Armstrong is now getting in on the new trend Brett Favre set. Armstrong says he is "100 percent" sure that he will be competing in the 2009 Tour de France. He then states his reasoning behind it, or implied it:

"Look at the Olympics. You have a swimmer like Dara Torres. Even in the 50-meter [freestyle] event, the 41-year-old mother proved you can do it," Armstrong said in a story excerpt. "The woman who won the marathon [Constantina Tomescu-Dita, of Romania] was 38. Older athletes are performing very well. Ask serious sports physiologists and they'll tell you age is a wives' tale."

Apparently he is trying to find his "atman," or essential self, in an ahimsa way by following the Four Noble Truths. Oh wait, World History homework, sorry.

Okay, that was lame.

But anyway, he is not signed with any teams as of now, but does he really need to be? He could be a team all by himself, he's certainly good enough (if there are certain rules as to this, please let me know).

If he doesn't win this race, it in no way affects his legacy or his mark on one of the most successful (seven Tour wins in a row) and influential (check out the amount of money he has raised for cancer awareness) athletes of our time, or at least my lifetime.

He definitely has a chance to win, and I'm not sure if you can pick against him. It's not like any of us know who else would (I shouldn't generalize, but ...)

Interview With Gery Kiss

Now, you may be asking yourself, who is Gery Kiss? But after doing some research you may find that Kiss is one of the top water polo, yes water polo, players in the world. So what does that have to do with this post? Well, Kiss was part of the gold medal winning Hungary water polo team at the Beijing Games this year, and I had the opportunity to talk to one of the star players on that team. My questions were iffy, but considering only having seen him play once in my lifetime, and coming together with the questions on the spot, I thought it was pretty good. Short, but okay. I liked some of his answers, so here it is:

You have won three Olympic gold medals in a row for the Hungarian national team. What is it like being a part of those teams?

Three gold medals, 21 players. All of them are extraordinary talents and athletes. In Sydney I was the 2nd youngest on the team, but I felt as if I had always been with these great teammates.

In the United States water polo is not followed by many people regularly. If someone asked you, “Why should I follow water polo?”, what would you say to them?

It is a beautiful sport, just for standing in the deep water, you have to practice for years. It is an interesting mixture of swimming, football (soccer) and ice hockey: goals, fights, nice movements in a very healthy atmosphere, like the clean water.

You are known for your domination during the 2004 Athens games, where you scored the game winning goal for your team in the gold medal match. Is there any greater feeling than winning the gold medal for your country?

My four goals out of Hungary's eight remains always a big memory in my mind. But to make a nation of 15 million happy, you can't beat the feeling.

How much of an affect does your coach, Denes Kemeny have on you and your play?

He has a very good gift of teaching. He knows when to say "well done" or "you have to improve a lot in this or that". He always has something in his mind to surprise the other team. He knows when to work you hard and when we need an extra break.

Most people reference to you when talking about the greatest left handed players of all-time. How much of a difference does being left or right handed make in water polo?

Thanks for the kind words! I believe that being a lefty is a big advantage in water polo. Every team needs lefties to play at the right wing, and every goalkeeper is used to seeing shots from the right handed players, because (generally) only 1 out of 10 players are left handed. We often have a special shot, a kind of unexpected, unusual style, and maybe our brain works differently, so we can serve the ball, and preview the situation a little bit better.

What is the atmosphere like before a big game against rivals like Serbia or Montenegro?

You have to be prepared like a mixture of an ancient warrior and a university student: brave, heroic, clever and calm. You and your teammates have to feel the same brotherhood, that special feeling that you are able to suffer, bleeding etc. for the others. This is maybe the only way to beat these very good teams.

My parents come home today and asked me what I did today (besides lying in bed, sick), and I got a very weird look from them when I said I sent some questions to a Hungarian water polo player.

But what may not be big here in the United States may be one of the most popular sports in a nation like Hungary.

I'd like to thank Mr. Kiss for the Q&A. It's not often you get to talk to a guy who has three Olympic gold medals. Stay tuned, because I have a couple of more interviews on deck here at Nick On Sports.

Ridiculous

This may be the only time I ever do this, but this article is in my opinion just dumb. I've been to San Diego before, I would move there in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

San Diego is a town filled with losers

What a way to start out.

It's no wonder the people there are jealous of L.A., where all the winners reside.

Do you know these people are jealous of LA? Have you spoken with any of them?

DINKY TOWN DOWN SOUTH -- What a treat for the small-town losers in San Diego, the local yokels saddled with bad football and baseball teams again, but catching a break finally and getting a glimpse of the Los Angeles Dodgers as they move toward yet another World Series title.

I really don't think that there is a city called Dinky Town Down South in California, or anywhere in the United States. Bad football? The Chargers were 14-2 in 2006, and 11-5 and made it to the AFC Championship last season. Bad baseball? Yes, this season. They won the NL West in 2005 and 2006 and missed out on the playoffs last season by one awesome Matt Holliday slide.

Arizona is only 1.5 games behind the Dodgers. They can still lose the division or not even make the playoffs altogether.

No autographs, please, the boys are busy preparing for the first round of the playoffs against the Cubs, which explains why they really couldn't take the Padres seriously.

They can still lose the division.

As for Chargers fans, they are trying to decide if life is worth living, a question they seemingly have to contemplate every year.

This team was in the AFC Championship Game last year. What game was L.A.'s team in last season? They were 2 seconds away from starting the season 1-0, and lost to a very good Carolina team.

If only the yokels had what it takes to make it up north, and enjoy what the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers and Trojans have to offer. But I guess somebody has to live down here.

Can we say the Angels are a Los Angeles team? They play in Anaheim. L.A. also has the luxury of being in the No. 2 media market in the United States. 9 of the top 10 in that list have a team in all four of the major professional sports leagues.

As a result, everyone down here got the chance to watch their heroes fold, Carolina scoring on the last play, and the Chargers sport a worse winning percentage than the Padres, who are 32 games below. 500.

It was the first game of the season. The Chargers could still go 15-1, although most of us don't see that happening.

When everyone in the big city woke up Monday, the Dodgers and Angels were in first place.

Now let's see them win in the playoffs.

L.A. has USC, and San Diego has San Diego State, losers to Cal Poly SLO recently. L.A. has the Lakers, and San Diego still has the Clippers in their background.

San Diego has a minor league outfit in the Padres and Norv Turner as Chargers coach, while the Dodgers are managed by the great Joe Torre and the media.

L.A. has UCLA and USC. Great. Detroit doesn't have a college team in the city. Does that mean they're below San Diego? The Clippers poor play was the reason fans weren't going to the games in San Diego. Looking at the Clippers history since moving to L.A., it could be safe to say that San Diego was smart to get rid of them. That minor league outfit missed out on the playoffs by one game last season. They were in the World Series in 1998 playing against arguably the best Yankee team ever assembled. The Dodgers are being managed by Joe Torre and the media?

As for Monday, it really didn't matter what happened here. The Dodgers were due for a letdown, the Diamondbacks dead and matched against Giants sensation Tim Lincecum.

It's also probably a given the Dodgers will lose every game the rest of the way Greg Maddux pitches, although he finally did make the Padres winners.

Of course it mattered. We're in the middle of a division title race that will probably come down to the end of the season. Had the Diamondbacks won, they would have been half a game out of first.

The Diamondbacks are cooked, the Dodgers' magic number is 18 and soon they will be getting BradPenny, Rafael Furcal, Andruw Jones, Takashi Saito and Jeff Kent back -- making them favorites to win the World Series.

The Diamondbacks are cooked? 15 of their remaining 19 games are against teams under .500, including six games against San Francisco, and six games against Colorado. And even though the Dodgers probably have a easier schedule, I remind you of the Mets last season.

Before Penny went down he was 6-9 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.591 WHIP. We don't know how well Furcal's back is going to be. Andruw Jones, seriously? .161/.261/.254. His OPS+ was 34. Takashi Saito can help. Jeff Kent is a great second baseman with experience but that in no way makes them favorites to win the World Series.

He then ends the article with stuff that is completely irrelevant to the beginning.

My point here? I really don't know. I've been waiting to try this out. It's fun.

Am I saying that the Dodgers won't win the division? Absoutely not. Just the content in this article was out of sorts.

For all I know, this could have been a sarcastic article. If it is, then I end up looking stupid, but please let me know.

Federer Rolls to Victory

In my last post about the U.S. Open, I said that, Serena Williams would beat Jelena Jankovic in five sets, Murray would hold on to beat Nadal, and that Federer would beat Murray in four sets to win his fifth straight U.S. Open. I was right! Granted I got the number of sets it would take wrong, but what's most important is who won.

In the women's final, Serena took down Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 to win her ninth Grand Slam and first U.S. Open in six years. With the win, Serena also regained the No. 1 ranking in the world, five years and one month in the making.

The Williams sisters are the best thing that has happened to tennis in a long time and is part of the reason that tennis is still relevant here in America. The two have won 18 majors altogether. Every time one of them step on the court you know they have a chance to win.

The last American man to win the Australian Open was Andre Agassi in 2003. The last American to win the French Open was Serena in 2002 and the last American man to win it was Agassi in 1999. Pete Sampras was the last American man to win Wimbledon, in 2000. Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003, and Serena became the first American woman to win the U.S. Open since 2002.

Anyway, Federer rolled over Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Roger said he felt invincible again, saying, "I felt like I was invincible for a while again."

Federer, who held the world No. 1 ranking for 237 weeks, probably won't be at the top again, but we certainly now know that Federer will still be dominant until he decides to stop playing.

It Is Now True. New England, Start Crying

Yep, Brady is out of commission for the rest of the season.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady will miss the entire NFL season with a left knee injury that will require surgery, leaving the New England Patriots without one of the game's great quarterbacks, their Super Bowl hopes severely damaged.

The 2007 NFL Most Valuable Player will be placed on injured reserve, the Patriots said Monday, one day after his knee was injured in the first quarter of a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

A statement issued before coach Bill Belichick's news conference said Brady will have surgery, ending his 128-game starting streak, the third longest for a quarterback.

Brady left Sunday's game against Kansas City after he was hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Brady was not available for comment, but reports circulated around the league that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.

"We feel badly for Tom about the injury," Belichick said while not confirming the exact injury. "You hate to see anyone go down. No one has worked harder or done more for this team than Tom has."

God help us all. ESPN will now be televising the surgery, his rehab, and quite possibly some of his time with Gisele.

Anyway, amazing what can happen when a guy like him goes down. A Super Bowl contender can now go 6-10 and miss the playoffs a year removed from going perfect in the regular season.

82. To Nothing. 82-0.

Slovakia and Bulgaria decided to play a nice little game we call hockey. The two women's teams participated in a 2010 Winter Olympics qualifier in Liepaja, Lativa. But this is not what you would call a normal hockey game. (This was from james mirtle via Deadspin)

Straight from the Reuters sports briefs:

Ice hockey - Slovakia crushed Bulgaria 82-0 in a 2010 Winter Olympics qualifier in the Latvian town of Liepaja.

Yes. You are reading that right. The shot total was 139-0. Every single player was +22 in the +/- department. The score was 31-0 after the first period. Two Bulgarians finished the game minus-39.

To suggest that there be a mercy rule is an understatement. Bulgaria should not be allowed to play women's hockey anymore, and Slovakia should be able to just take the rest of the qualifiers off.

BUT, I have to bring up sportsmanship here. As always. How is this game allowed to go on with a score like that. I play hockey and I have been on some horrible teams. I've played for 11 years and have won 25 games total. Slovakia scored more goals I think that any of my teams ever did combined. Yes, but don't laugh. Forward Maria Herichova scored one less point than I scored goals last season. (I missed a month, I could have gotten more, but who's counting?)

"What the Slovaks did to us was kind-of an insulting mockery, and is not at all sportsmanlike", the Chair of the Bulgarian Hockey Federation, Dobromir Krustev, said after the game.

Unbelievable. And to think I am planning on getting tickets for the 2010 Olympics, I want to see some Slovak women's hockey.

RIP Don Haskins

One of the great pioneers for the game of basketball, Don Haskins, has died.

Dr. Dwayne Aboud, Haskins' physician, told reporters Sunday that Haskins had been suffering from congestive heart failure and died at home about 4:30 p.m. He was surrounded by friends and relatives, Aboud said.

"As many of you know, Coach Haskins has had some cardiac problems. He opted not to go back to the hospital but to remain at home," Aboud said, standing outside the UTEP basketball arena named for Haskins.

No one will ever forget what he did for the game of basketball, and he will never be forgotten.

NFL Week 1

New England 17, Kansas City 10: Tom Brady gets injured, and the world comes to an end. Matt Cassel threw for 152 yards, and Randy Moss is still beastly (6 rec, 116 yards, 1 TD).

Atlanta 34, Detroit 21: I think my high school team played better than the Lions this week. Holy smokes. Missed tackles everywhere, no running game at all, and Jon Kitna blowing up on the sidelines. It's going to be a long season.

Buffalo 34, Seattle 10: Fortunately for Seattle, they play in the NFC West, where every team got thoroughly destroyed yesterday, so they still will win the division.

New York Jets 20, Miami 14: This game was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Brett Favre may or may not (depending on how you look at it) have outplayed Chad Pennington, whose arm is really made of noodles.

New Orleans 24, Tampa Bay 20: A Scott Fujita interception ended hopes for a Tampa Bay comeback, but the story of the game was Drew Brees: 343 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Philadelphia 38, St. Louis 3: Okay, so maybe I underrated this Philly team a little. Donovan McNabb was spectacular (21-for-33, 361 yards, 3 TDs), and even without their top two wideouts (Brown and Curtis), three Eagles receivers managed 100 yards.

Tennessee 17, Jacksonville 10: The Titans defense was awesome, sacking David Gerrard seven times, recovering a fumble, and picked him off twice in the Titans win. The Jags rushing attack was held to only 33 yards.

Baltimore 17, Cincinnati 10: I'm stoked. My favorite teams comes out with win #1 of the six they will win this year. And I'm being optimistic about that.

Carolina 26, San Diego 24: The shocker of the day, Jake Delhomme's last second touchdown pass to Dante Rosario gave the Panthers the lead and the win.

Arizona 23, San Francisco 13: Not a good start to his career as a 49er for J.T. O'Sullivan - two fumbles and an INT in the loss to the Kurt Warner-led Cardinals.

Dallas 28, Cleveland 10: Terrell Owens tied Cris Carter for second most touchdown receptions of all-time with a TD catch today. Tony Romo threw for 320 yards in the win.

Chicago 29, Indianapolis 13: The Colts did not look very good, their defense let rookie Matt Fortre run all over them for 123 yards, and the Colts allowed their first safety since 2000.

Tom Brady: Torn ACL?

Big news out of the National Football League.

Thanks to a tip from Stupid Sideline Reporters, Tom Brady may have a torn ACL, which would end his season.

We'll have more information on this when it is available.

EDIT: It's true. He's done. (Yahoo! Sports)

Pats fans - 0
Everyone else - 1

NFL Week 1 Picks

Lions over Falcons - Falcons are too inexperienced to take down Detroit.
Bills over Seahawks - Marshawn Lynch leads the way for Bills.
Jets over Dolphins - Game #1 of Brett Favre era ends with a win.
Patriots over Chiefs - Come on.
Saints over Buccaneers - This could go either way, but Saints passing game wins the game for NO.
Eagles over Rams - Even with the wideout problems, Westbrook is too good for Rams.
Steelers over Texans - Steelers tough out a win against Houston.
Jaguars over Titans - Jags powerful RB tandem will be very good in this game.
Ravens over Bengals - Most questionable pick, but Baltimore defense wins the game for Ravens.
Chargers over Panthers - San Diego opens with solid win over Panthers.
Cardinals over 49ers - The 49ers offense just isn't good at all.
Cowboys over Browns - Big game for Tony Romo in Dallas win.
Colts over Bears - Colts win again in rematch of Super Bowl XLI.
Vikings over Packers - Tough Minnesota defense stops Aaron Rogers' debut from being a win.
Broncos over Raiders - Bronco defense stops inexperienced Raiders offense.

Enjoy the games!

Week 2 of College Football Action

Aside from ECU, the big story of the day is the controversial call that took place during yesterday's game between BYU and Washington, a game that possibly could end coach Tyrone Willingham's tenure at Washington.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker scrambled for a potential game tying touchdown. In the end zone, Locker was penalized 15 yards for what the officials called "excessive celebrating" with two seconds left. The penalty pushed the extra point back, and the PAT was blocked by BYU, preserving the victory.



This could end up being the worst call of the college football season. In no way should this have been a penalty. I want one of the refs to score a game tying touchdown with two seconds left in a game and see how they react. Any kid would have done the same thing Locker did. Absolutely horrible call.

Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators ended their slide against Miami, winning 26-3. I think every person living in America now knows that Tebow went to the Philippines in the off-season.

Michigan survived a scare from Miami (OH), winning 16-6. The offense looked a little better but still needs a lot of tweaking. I also think that Rodriguez should dump the two quarterback system. Bringing in Sheridan yesterday killed all the momentum Steven Threet had which led to Miami threatening to score multiple times.

You know who also survived a scare yesterday - Notre Dame. I can not believe this team almost lost to San Diego State, who as you might know, lost to Cal Poly.

ECU Can Go Undefeated

Who would have thought that after two games of this years college football season, East Carolina would be 2-0 after beating Virginia Tech 27-22 and West Virginia 24-3, teams that both won their conference (ACC and Big East, respectively)?

Well, believe it. After a last-minute upset of Virginia Tech and a thorough beat down of then ranked No. 8 West Virginia, the Pirates proved that it wasn't a fluke.

So, how have they done it, you ask?

It all starts with the play of their quarterback, Patrick Pinkney. Only 10 of his passes have gone incomplete (41-for-51) and he has not throw a pick so far. Pinkney outplayed Sean Glennon and Pat White, neutralizing White's hopes for a Heisman trophy. He marched the Pirates down the field by controlling the ball and taking what the defense has given him, the formula for success. In the game against the Mountaineers, the Pirates had the ball for 35:41, while WVU only had it for 24:19.


The defense has also been punishing, holding White to only 72 yards of passing. The Pirates defense was able to hold the Hokies and Mountaineers under 250 yards of offense (Okay, West Virginia had 251 yards). What is perhaps most amazing is their play on third-down, stopping 16 of 24 tries.

Now, the only question remaining is: Can they run the table? Let's take a look at their remaining schedule.

at Tulane (0-1)
at NC State (1-1; win over William & Mary)
vs. Houston (1-1; win over Southern)
at Virginia (1-1; win over Richmond)
vs. Memphis (0-2)
at UCF (1-1; took South Florida to overtime)
vs. Marshall (1-1; win over Illinois State)
at Southern Miss (1-1; win over Louisiana-Lafayette)
at UAB (0-2)
vs. UTEP (0-2)

Looking at that schedule (Conference USA play), I do think that they can run the table. They are favored in all of their remaining games, and get to face teams like Memphis and UTEP at home. The only game that will be tough for the Pirates is UCF. Central Florida took South Florida to overtime, and shut out South Carolina State.

The one team I can compare ECU to is last years Kansas team. That team was a BCS buster, expect ECU to be one this year as well.

(At this time I would also like to admit that I was ridiculously wrong about ECU in the West Virginia game.)

U.S. Open Update

Because of College Football and the start of the NFL season, nobody is talking about the U.S. Open tennis tournament that is being played. And it actually has turned out to be a great tournament so far.

Rain from tropical storm Hanna has postponed the women's final to tomorrow night and the men's final to Monday.

Serena Williams will take on Jelena Jankovic in the women's final. It has been six years since we have seen Serena in a U.S. Open final, which is pretty remarkable.

Roger Federer took down Novak Djokovic today, and Andy Murray took two sets from Rafael Nadal before the match was suspended because of rain.

My predictions:

Williams beats Jankovic in five sets
Murray holds on to beat Nadal
Federer beats Murray in four sets to win his fifth straight U.S. Open

Upset Alert

Currently Ohio is beating Ohio State 14-6. Ohio just recovered a fumble in the endzone off of a bad Buckeye snap to increase their lead to 8.

There's about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Now we have to bring up the question about where this upset would rank. Is it bigger than Appalachian State over Michigan? We'll have to see.

Earlier Marshall was beating Wisconsin but the Badgers have taken the lead, 17-14.

EDIT: Michigan is up 16-6 after a 87-yard scoring drive, which was in my opinion the best drive of the season so far for the Maize and Blue.

In Today's College Football Action....

None of the games today are ones that would cause you to miss something important to watch. But there are some potential upsets that could happen today. In no particular order...

Ohio at Ohio State: This is just a tune-up game for the Buckeyes before the big game aganist USC. The only storyline for this game is that Chris "Beanie" Wells will not play in this game because of that toe injury, which I think is the right move by coach Tressel. I also think that if OSU gets out to a big lead at halftime, Terrelle Pryor should play the entire second half. OSU gets its 800th all-time victory.

Miami (Ohio) at Michigan: See my preview a couple of posts below. Let's hope Steven Threet starts today.

Connecticut vs. Temple: My upset for today. Temple will end the year being one of the most improved teams in the country, and it starts with beating UConn at home. I see a big game from quarterback Adam DiMichele today.

Oregon State at. Penn State: I think that the recent off the field issues and suspensions will distract the Nittany Lions, but they will still beat Oregon State. This will be the first time the school's have met, and Penn State is 22-11 all-time against Pac-10 teams. QBs Darryl Clark and Pat Delvin will lead the way for Penn State.

Cincinnati at Oklahoma: This won't be a walk in the park for Oklahoma, although I see them winning by a couple of touchdowns. This game pits two of the best offenses in the nation, so expect a high scoring game. Look for a good battle between the two offenses today.

Mississippi at Wake Forest: Wake Forest is the cream of the crop in the horrible ACC this year. Coming off a win against Baylor last week, the Demon Deacons will beat the Rebels in Houston Nutt's second game with Ole Miss.

Central Michigan at Georgia: I would love to see CMU beat Georgia at Georgia, but I don't see that happening. The game will be closer than you think though. I think Dan LeFevour is one of the best QBs in the nation (he ran and threw for more yards than Tim Tebow last year) and will help the Chippewas keep it close, but Georgia is just too good.

West Virginia at East Carolina: I think that the wind will play a big factor as will precipitation (100% chance of it) in this game. I am not hopping on ECU's bandwagon. West Virignia is considerably better than Virginia Tech this year, and I tihnk that Pat White carries the Mountaineers to victory. No upset #2 for ECU.

Other predictions: Notre Dame over SDSU, Flordia over Miami, Buffalo over Pittsburgh.

Still Fast

100 and 200 meter dash Olympic gold medal winner Usain Bolt is still fast, and still very good. This time though he actually had to come from behind to win in Brussels. Asafa Powell got off to a great start but Bolt passed him to win in 9.77 seconds. (Video from AA)

What is amazing about this is that he was last out of the blocks and still won!

Let's hope there's no drugs in him. Right now he is all Track and Field has got and they are relying on him to stay clean to help the sport get back to where it was before the steroid era.

NOS Top 10 Poll

I don't particularly want to make a long post on this week's college football action, so you will probably find that tomorrow along with a Week 1 NFL preview. Anyway, here is my NCAAF Top 10:

1- USC
2- Georgia
3- Oklahoma
4- Ohio State
5- Florida
6- West Virginia
7- LSU
8- BYU
9- Missouri
10- South Florida

That's it for today, unless something worth posting happens. Remember to send all tips to nickonsports@gmail.com. Have a good night.

By the way...the logo. Not so flashy. Probably because I made it. Until I can find someone who will make a new one and make it a billion times better, that is what I will be using.

Michigan vs. Miami preview

Every week (I hope) I will add a post in about my Michigan Wolverines. I try to keep a non-bias opinion here, but that’s not possible. So whether you like us or not, you’ll find it here every Thursday, along with notes from other games on the slate for the weekend.

Last week the Utah Utes defeated the Wolverines at the Big House, leaving fans doubting about how this season will go. This week, we are back at Michigan Stadium to take on the Miami RedHawks.

In years past we most likely would have treated this as a blow off game, because, well, it’s the MAC. This year is obviously different, a new coach and new offense so we have to take this game seriously.

Miami lost to Vanderbilt 34-13 last week in their opener. Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Nickson was the star of the game, running all over the Miami defense for 166 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns.

This is why Michigan needs to utilize the running game more than they did last week against Utah. Brandon Minor and Sam McGuffie will be vital in this game. Kevin Grady will be back to help out the offense too. Versus Utah, 36 total yards were gained on 25 carries. Minor and McGuffie combined for 29 yards on 12 carries, and if they saw or learned anything from Nickson's domination, it means we need to take advantage of the Miami defense and run the ball well. Since relying on either Nick Sheridan or Steven Threet’s running ability isn’t an option, as shown last week, the running game and in particular Minor, will be huge in this game.

Rich Rodriguez hasn’t announced the starting QB for the game, but if he is judging off last week’s play, Threet will and should be the starter. He made a lot less mistakes than Sheridan who started the game, and brought us to within two points of tying the game. Wide receiver Greg Matthews is questionable for the game, so if he is out that would put a lot riding on young guys Junior Hemingway and Darryl Stonum.

Aside from the offensive struggles, the defense was equally as bad in the first half. At halftime thought something must have sparked into their heads as it was great in the second half, holding the Utes to three points. The defense will have to take advantage of any mistakes that QB Daniel Raudabaugh makes.

Now, I know I am making this game sound like Miami is USC. I do expect Michigan to win this game by two or three touchdowns, but it will be no walk in the park. As long as the Wolverines do what they need to do, and utilize the running game effectively, they should win.

Michigan – 24

Miami - 10

The OKC...Thunder

It has been known since around mid-July that the team moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City would be nicknamed the "Thunder." Today it was made official. From TrueHoop:

Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett made a very low-enthusiasm presentation, saying how enthusiastic he was. There was some talk about how hard it is to keep a secret, and even a line about character. I smirked at this man, whose double-dealing e-mails and bold-faced lies have been well-documented, telling me about character. I felt all that bitterness at how things went down in Seattle.

And for Sonic fans, today was the day that they really lost their team. For much of the summer, to me, it seemed like the Sonics had been stolen, and were out there somewhere, perhaps to somehow be returned.

Obviously the way that Bennett handled this was wrong, and now the city of Seattle is left cheering for the Mariners, which is basically just like cheering for the Sonics seeing as how both teams are at the bottom of the standings.

Anyway, the logo is absolutely horrible. It looks like a WNBA logo. The Thunder text is too boring and I really don't understand why there is so much light blue in there. When you hear thunder, isn't the sky dark?

The name is alright with me. I know that thunder is a part of Oklahoma, with all the tornadoes and Indian heritage. We got the Lightning teams, why not have Thunder.

The AC/DC song "Thunderstruck" was played during the ceremony, which is fitting I guess.

One Labor Day Post

Today is Labor Day, so this will more than likely be my only post of the day. On weekdays starting tomorrow, you will find that my posts will be either before 6 am or after 3 pm because (ouch) school is starting. Those are my messages for the day, let's get to it.

* The big story of the day is the issue surrounding CC Sabathia and his 1-hitter last night. As you know, Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Andy LaRoche hit a weak infield grounder to Sabathia who bobbled the ball with his bare hands. This is a play Sabathia routinely makes because of his athleticism, and if you watch the replay, LaRoche wasn't even halfway to the bag when Sabathia reached the ball. The Brewers are sending in a DVD to Major League Baseball with all the replay's they can find of the play in hopes of having the official scoring overturned, which would give Sabathia a no-hitter.

Now, even if he didn't have a no-hitter going at the time, I would still say that the play should have been ruled an error. I think he LaRoche would have been out by 6-10 feet. But, at the same time I think that Sabathia should have known that LaRoche isn't the fleetest of foot and probably should have used his glove instead of his bare hand. Apparently the Brewers had a call overturned earlier this year, so they are hoping it happens again.

Either way, if it stands or doesn't, the Brew Crew have now won eight of nine games overall, and went 20-7 in the month of August.

* If you haven't been keeping up with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I think it is time you tune into a race. Last night Jimmie Johnson won the Pepsi 500 last night in dominating fashion, leading 228 of the 250 laps. Johnson has stealthily (is that a word?) slid himself into the Championship picture (not that he wasn't in there before...), and now people are actually talking about him instead of the newly born rivalry between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.

Actually, the Busch/Edwards rivalry is what I wanted to comment about. I think that it is great for the sport. It's good guy versus bad guy. Edwards is the good guy in NASCAR, well-spoken and actually a very good driver. Then we have Busch, the closest thing to the late Dale Earnhardt the sport has. And frankly, he doesn't care what people think of him, he just wins, with eight wins on the circuit this year.

The two have said in the past that they are best friends, but that may have changed after their altercation at Bristol which caused NASCAR to put them on probation. Let's hope that this rivalry can stay a not-so-friendly one, because that is certainly more entertaining to see.

* Lastly, the Montreal Canadiens are planning on retiring legendary goalie Patrick Roy's jersey this year.

I have, and always will, think that Roy is a jerk. Even though I was only two years old at the time, the way he handled the Red Wings complete schallacking of the Canadiens 12-1 on December 2, 1995 was selfish (although I do think the coach should have pulled him earlier). When you give up that many goals and say "It's my last game in Montreal" pretty much shows that he didn't care about the team and only himself. The best Red Wing games ever were the ones when Ozzie and Mike Vernon pummeled Roy during those center ice fights. Then with the latest incident with his son and the junior league fight pretty much shows what kind of guy Roy is. Am I being too harsh? Maybe. But in my opinion Roy is the NHL's version of Barry Bonds, minus the steroids.

Oh yeah, he was good. Which in part is probably the reason why I dis-like him so much. But anyway, I think that the Canadiens should retire his jersey, seeing as he led them to Stanley Cup's in 1986 and 1993.