Top 25 Picks- What you've been waiting for all week

Another edition of the top 25 where we have a couple of great matchups and here how I see the games happening.

1. Texas-at 7. Texas Tech- What a month this has been for the Longhorns. Playing their fourth straight top 15 opponent and this time its on the road in Lubbock, Texas in a big rivalry game. First off, its obvious to me that this will be an absolute shootout coming down to the very end but I really think the key to this game is for Texas to get pressure on Graham Harrell because if not, Michael Crabtree is going to make Texas look silly. This one will be close all the way but Colt McCoy gets it done on a last second drive. TEXAS 45-41

2. Alabama-vs. Arkansas State- Well this is a tune-up for next week's big game as Nick Saban returns to Death Valley. The Tide should have no problem in this one. BAMA 48-0

3. Penn State-BYE

4. Oklahoma-vs. Nebraska- Ah one of the oldest rivalries in college football as these two teams clash for the first time in a couple years and this one could go either way as the Cornhuskers put up a great fight against the Red Raiders but got blown out at home against Mizzou so really it depends what Blackshirt team shows up. I dont think it matters as Sam Bradford gets done all game long. OKLA 38-17

5. USC-vs. Washington- Tyrone Willingham announced that he is done as Huskies coach at the end of the year and I hope he finds work at a smaller school in the WAC, or maybe goes back to coach in the NFL like he did for awhile in the early 90s. Doesnt really matter in this one as USC will roll. USC 45-3

6. Georgia-vs. Florida (played in Jacksonville, Fla.)- The World Largest Cocktail party and this game figures to be a doosy. The Dawgs are 3-15 in the last eighteen against the Gators and realize if they want to make a push for the BCS, this is a must win. Same goes for Florida and defending Heisman Tim Tebow could make his case stronger for a repeat performance if he takes care of Georgia. I doubted Georgia last week and I will again this week as I am just not too sold on the Dawgs. UF 35-31

7. Texas Tech-see 1. Texas

8. Florida-see 6. Georgia

9. Oklahoma State-vs. Iowa State- Shouldnt be a problem for the Cowboys as they look to bounce back after Texas last weekend, I think the Cyclones are the perfect team to do against. OKST 31-3

10. Utah-at New Mexico- I am putting the Utes on Chuck's Corner Upset Alert. This Lobo team isnt too shabby, they havent been good enough to get over the hump of beating a big time team. The Utes win but it will be very close. UTAH 24-21

11. Boise State-at New Mexico St.- Rough weekend if you live in New Mexico facing off against the two BCS busters. The Aggies arent as good as the Lobos and the Broncos should roll again in this one. BOISE 41-10

12. Ohio State-BYE

13. TCU- at UNLV- God another non-BCS team that I have waste space on as they play the Runnin' Rebels who gave BYU a ball game last weekend. I dont think they can do it two weeks in a row. TCU 31-20

14. Missouri-at Baylor- The Bears arent as bad as once were, they have some talent and could give Mizzou a game for awhile that is until Chase Daniel decides its time to take over. The Tigers win pulling away in the fourth. MIZZOU 41-20

15. Florida State-at Georgia Tech- How about the Noles? Finally back in the top 15, it feels like the late 90s again but since they play in the buzzsaw that is the ACC, they might have some trouble with the Yellow Jackets. Lost to an upstart Virigina team last weekend and I think they will come out hungry in this one. GT 24-20

16. Ball State-BYE

17. Minnesota-vs. Northwestern- Also who would think this would be a top game this weekend? I think this is going to be a classic Big 10 battle between two teams that are very good and I continue to be impressed with the Gophers. I think the Wildcats have too many injuries to overcome to win this one on the road although they desperately need to which a tough remaining schedule. MINN 17-10

18. Tusla-at Arkansas- This is an interesting matchup as we have a non BCS going up against a BCS team late in the season. Even with my awful bias aside, I still like the Razorbacks in this one because they have been improving week by week and I think this is another step forward. ARK 24-20

19. LSU-vs. Tulane- This game which is an annual rivalry figures to be another blowout for the Tigers as they try to bounce back after their defeat by Georgia last weekend. LSU 42-0

20. Brigham Young-at Colorado State- The Cougars get another great Mountain West opponent to play this weekend as they should easily destroy the Rams. BYU 45-6

21. Michigan State-vs. Wisconsin- I never thought I would be talking about the Badgers as an unranked team but thats how it goes sometimes. They go to East Lansing which has been a house of horrors for many years for the Badgers but actually I think they are playing inspired football lately and will get done late against the Spartans. UW 24-21

22. North Carolina-BYE

23. South Florida-at Cincinnati- I told you I wasnt that impressed with the Bulls and they didnt fail to disappoint me last weekend and as much as I would like to pick the upset again, I dont think the Bearcats have enough to beat the Bulls. USF 34-24

24. Oregon-at California- The Pac-10 is pretty poor this year with having the two worst BCS opponents to beat up on and with the Ducks only having one lost in the conference is pretty shocking to me after they were demolished by USC. Good news for them is I dont think too highly of Cal and see them getting done on Saturday. ORE 28-21

25. Connecticut-vs. West Virgina- Lots of talk about how the Huskies remember the drubbing that the Mountaineers put on them last year and something tells me they can beat West Virgina as Pat White gets hurt every other play and Donald Brown is the real deal. UCONN 31-23

Other Games to Watch
Miami at Virgina
Auburn at Mississippi
Kansas State at Kansas
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
Clemson at Boston College
Iowa at Illinois

Phillies are your World Champions

Well at least this was the team the Brewers lost to. That makes me feel better and the fact that they have Geoff Jenkins on their team so he gets a ring which is good to see, class guy. But to be honest, the Philadelphia fans suck. They are right up there with Detroit fans.

I dont know maybe its just me, but I never have liked a team from the Detroit area or the Philadelphia area. And the Philadelphia one could be completely Wisconsin related as the Eagles beat the Packers on a 4th and 26 to get the NFC Championship game (screw you Bhawoh Jue) and the 76ers beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals where Allen Iverson won an Oscar for all the flopping he did in this game. So thats probably where my Philadelphia hatred comes from.

Congrats to Philadelphia Phillies, and Cole Hamels on winning another MVP award which in my opinion, could have gone to Ryan Howard as he tied up game 3 and had two homers in game 4. But who really cares.

Now on to the baseball offseason, where I am sure I will have an article or two a week involving that topic.

-Charlie.

Ken Macha to be Brewer Manager

And there you have it, the new Brewer manager.

I know that he has been good in the regular season but not so solid in the postseason which to me, granted I would love a World Series title but consistently getting to the playoffs would not be a bad thing either. Also look at guys like Terry Francona, and Charlie Manuel. They got their starts somewhere else and the second time was the charm. So who knows maybe this team will be answer for Macha, he knows how to manage a small-market team and he's a winner.

So in doing some research some of the things I am reading about Macha seem to be very familiar to one Ned Yost. A couple tidbits were frustrations over his lineups giving guys like Jason Kendall too many at-bats. And also describing how he left pitchers on their toes in hopes of something more. Granted this is coming from a Fire Ken Macha blog but still, he didnt seem too popular with the fans.

Wouldnt be too surprised if the same Yost haters are back at it again with Macha.

-Charlie.

NFL Weight Loss Bust

I am sure you have all heard by now that they have busted several NFL players for the using a weight loss tool called diuretic. There are some big names on that list such as Deuce McAllister, Will Smith both from the New Orelans Saints, reportedly both Pat and Kevin Williams from the Vikings are on the list as well.

I guess the one positive thing is that its not a steroid bust that they are dealing with, rather something with weight lost which begs the question, how much pressure are these guys under to keep their weight at the same level? At first, I was like maybe teams are asking to much but then I realized this is their job so who gives a damn, they should have a focus losing weight.

The four I listed are all big name players for their respective teams and if the Vikes lose the Williams' boys in the middle then they can kiss the playoffs goodbye and if they Saints lose Deuce, it might not be as severe but still Pierre Thomas is expected to carry the load with Reggie Bush also out.

I dont look at this as a "Shame on so-so" because weight-loss is a tough thing but its too bad they had to go to extremes to get the results they needed. Now if they were using this to hide substances they were taking, thats a whole another story.

-Charlie.

NBA Preview Western Conference

Sorry it took me a three days later but i had an exam to study for so lay off my ass. But here we go in the West

1. Los Angeles Lakers- Who else? I think they are very deserving of the top spot now having Andrew Bynum healthy as well as having Kobe Bryant on the MVP helps alot. His assists will be way up this year just dishing to either Bynum, and Pau Gasol. They very well could repeat as the Western champs again. Biggest worry for the Lakers is if Lamar Odom becomes unhappy with his role as the 6th man.

2. New Orelans Hornets- They have one of the best players in basketball in Chris Paul and a formidable front court with Tyson Chandler and David West. They are going to push the Lakers for the top spot all year long and there will be a race for MVP like one we havent seen in a long time. Also the addition of James Posey very key.

3. Houston Rockets- Here is a team that has all the tools IF they stay healthy. Also Tracy McGrady has to get it out of head that he cannot win in the playoffs and actually give a shit for once as he has a team that is a legit finals contender. I think Artest will be able to stay within himself and have a good year.

4. Utah Jazz- I like the talent they have in Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and could be a force to reckon with if they do not see the Lakers in the second round which according to me they will. I think Williams will have a big year and everyone is talking about Ronnie Brewer being a sleeper as a great player this year.

5. San Antonio Spurs- First off Greg Popovich's beard is the coolest thing he has done even though he looks like Jigsaw from the Saw movies. Anyways, Manu Ginobili is a huge lost for them early in the season and the Spurs are close to being done from a contender. They wont finish better than fifth in my opinion and it could be alot worse.

6. Portland Trailblazers- Maybe I like this team so much because they remind of the Milwaukee Brewers of the NBA. They have so much young talent and I think in a long NBA season, plus a year of experience they will be a great team for years to come. Brandon Roy is on the verge of becoming a superstar in the NBA.

7. Los Angeles Clippers- I really like the Clippers in Baron Davis, Al Thornton, and Marcus Camby. I just think Davis is a player that can make a team into a playoff team see Charlotte, Golden State, and now it will be the Clippers. I expect big things out of Davis.

8. Phoenix Suns- I think they are no longer a contender and if this works out with get a Kobe-Shaq matchup in round one. I think O'Neal is washed up and is nowhere near as dominant as once was. Steve Nash is getting old and he was not an MVP by any means in a non D'Antoni system. I think they will be a playoff team but barely.

9. Dallas Mavericks- Another guy whose career has faded is Jason Kidd, sure he gets assists but rarely ever scores. They have guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard but really dont have enough to be any better than a 7th seed. I think they just miss the playoffs.

10. Denver Nuggets- They better hope they can beat a team 130-120 because no one on that team plays defense whatsoever. Melo will have another good year same with AI but its nothing that will take them to be a playoff team. They do not have enough off the bench and the lost of Marcus Camby is huge.

11. Golden State Warriors- This team is a mess. I loved Monta Ellis and his 30 game suspension was huge to the players and everyone else. Al Harrington demanding a trade and everything seems to be going to hell. I would be shocked if they make the playoffs.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves- The T-Wolves have a bunch of great young talent that hasnt developed just yet. The hype for Kevin Love is ridiculous because he will never be better than a second guy off the bench although Al Jefferson will be an All-Star this year.

13. Sacramento Kings- Another team thats pretty boring, they got a couple guys like Kevin Martin whose a complete workhouse and also have Francisco Gracia who I wouldnt be surprised if he puts a dagger in Milwaukee because he is an asshole like that.

14. Memphis Grizzlies- I will tell you these last three teams I have mentioned could all be contending for a playoff spot in two years so many good young players in Mike Conley, OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay, but they really have no one else.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder- Really a spot where this team belongs after the snake Clay Bennett brought them there. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are good but Durant still needs muscle on his body to be effective. Watch out for Russell Westbrook this year too.

Thats all I got, probably an NBA article once or twice during every week.

-Charlie.

NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

Well its already the NBA season again where who knows what will happen. I will rank teams from the best to the worst in the east and give you my thoughts on all of them.

1. Boston Celtics- Can it really be anyone other than the Celts? They bring everyone back minus James Posey and they are poised to make another run at the title. Also another thing to watch for this year is the maturity of Rajon Rando at the point guard.

2. Detriot Pistons- I think 2 through 5 is a complete toss-up despite the new coach in Michael Curry, I think the Pistons have the most expeirence out of any of the teams that will be mentioned and Rodney Stuckney is the 6th man of the year this year, sorry Manu.

3. Orlando Magic- They are number three because they are in final conference in the East, otherwise that would belong to the Cavaliers (more on them in four). The Magic are the best team in the Southeast conference with a good guard play and Dwight Howard controlling the middle, they should run away with the Southeast.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers- I think it will be battle all year between the Cavs and Pistons for the second spot in the east and I dont think Lebron will be MVP this year although I think his three-point shot has improved. Just remember Mo Williams is now your point guard, he is no different than the other shoot-first PGs you already have.

5. Philadelphia 76ers- This team could be the second-fourth seed but I dont think they are good enough to challenge the Celts for the Atlantic title. They have a really good makeup of players in Elton Brand, Andre Miller, and Andre Iguodula to name a few but Brand has to stay heathly, and the same goes for anyone else. A big injury could derail this team.

6. Toronto Raptors- Almost the same concept goes for the Raptors as they have an addition in Jeremaine O'Neal whose oft-injuried is a concern but if they do stay healthy this team will be a force. I think Jose Calderon is underrated as a point guard and they have the best tandem of big men in the east.

7. Miami Heat- I am very high on the Heat this year and maybe its my own bias hoping my boy Dwayne Wade is going to have an MVP-like year after his performance in the Olympics and that Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion is enough to get this team to the playoffs. I think they might be better than this but it will depend on if they can find a soild point guard out of Mario Chalmers and Shaun Livingston.

8. Atlanta Hawks- This is truly a crapshoot from 8-12, anyone of these next four could be in the playoffs but I think its going to take at least a .500 record to it. To me, I like the makeup of the Hawks with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and others. Espically Smith, I was very high on him last year and I think he will show you why he needs to be in the conversations of superstar players.

9. Chicago Bulls- With the addition of Derrick Rose this year and getting Vinny Del Negro as their coach, the Bulls may be a playoff team but they have no force down low with Drew Gooden or Joakim Noah also you wonder how Del Negro will keep all the guards happy. I dont see much out of the Bulls this year.

10. Washington Wizards- Now they are missing Agent Zero once again for almost the whole year and in my opinion, the East is better than last year so they will not be able to get by without him this year. Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison are good players but they arent superstars which maybe is a reason why they can never get by Cleveland or the first round.

11. Charlotte Bobcats- Oh would you look at this? Larry Brown is again coaching and I am sure I will have a couple articles berating this prick when he wants his entire team to be traded away, they have yet to win a game in the preseason. They have the make-up of a low-seed playoff team but that will probably not happen. DJ Augustin will be great for them off the bench.

12. Milwaukee Bucks- I know you are asking yourself where is the Bucks preview? No go, I really cannot put together a Bucks' analysis since I cant watch most games in Eau Claire and frankly, I really cant call myself a loyal Bucks fan. I always hope they do well but I dont pay that much attention, kind of like some Brewers fans I know. I think they could make the playoffs but they play in a tough Central divison.

13. Indiana Pacers- The Pacers have a okay squad TJ Ford, Danny Granger, and others. But they dont have that great of coaching and the big men suck as well. The Central once again, is one of the tougher division in the East so they or the Bucks will find themselves at the bottom.

14. New Jersey Nets- Oh but they have all these tools! Yeah, yeah. Yi isnt that good, Vince Carter is close to being washed up and Devin Harris/Josh Boone are both good young ball players for them. But they are really making way for one Lebron James.

15. New York Knicks- Whats good about the Knicks, just wait til 2010 to make that push for LeBron. Sure Mike D'Antoni will help but nowhere near what they might expect.

NFL Picks Week 8

I am back for this week of NFL picks and we have a couple good key matchups....

Tampa Bay (5-2) at Dallas (4-3)- This is our first critical game because if the Cowboys lose, they might kiss their playoff hopes goodbye and Wade Phillips might be saying good-bye. Although I actually like this matchup in the favor of the Cowboys, I just havent been all that impressed with Tampa. DAL 28-24

Washington (5-2) at Detriot (0-6)- Oh the Lions, they might not win a game all year as the road ahead is not good to say the least and the Redskins will not drop another game to a winless team. WASH 34-3

Buffalo (5-1) at Miami (2-4)- Many are saying the Bills are unproven because they havent played anybody inside their conference but they will get to prove themselves in the next couple of weeks. They shouldnt overlook the Phins as they get up for good teams, I think the Bills win by a field goal. BUF 24-21

San Diego (3-4) vs New Orelans (3-4) (at London)- "Oh you say your from London, dont ya?!" Many people are not fans of this international style but no matter what, this a huge game for both teams. I think the Saints without Reggie Bush, and Jeremy Shockey will lead to a defeat against the Chargers. SD 31-17

Kansas City (1-5) at New York Jets (3-3)- This game will get ugly as the Chiefs dont have a quarterback again and the Jets will want to respond after a defeat against Oakland. NYJ 31-0

Atlanta (4-2) at Philadelphia (3-3)- Early 2000, the Eagles were the thorn in the Falcons side during the playoffs as they could not beat them and with a damn-near must win for the Eagles, they will get it done as I am still not convinced with the Falcons. PHI 24-14

Oakland (2-4) at Baltimore (3-3)- I dont see much out of this game but the Ravens have been dealing with distraction from one guy in Terrell Suggs talking about bounties and Joe Flacco not being his quarterback. Something tells me it comes and bites them. OAK 17-14

Arizona (4-2) at Carolina (5-2)- Somewhat of a surprising matchup with two divison leaders but I think the Carolina is much tougher than people are talking about and that will create problems for the Cardinals. CAR 20-10

Cleveland (2-4) at Jacksonville (3-3)- Both teams could use a win in this one as the Browns try to stay above water and the Jags are just trying to keep pace with the Titans. I think the Browns have too much distractions going on. JAX 28-14

Cincinnati (0-7) at Houston (2-4)- How lucky are the Texans, get to rebuild that schedule with the Lions and now the Bengals, should be smooth sailing for the Texans. HOU 35-17

New York Giants 5-1) at Pittsburgh (5-1)- Battle of two very good teams but to me, I think this one will get out hand as the Steelers do not have four of their starters and the D-Line of the Giants is one of the best. NYG 31-17

Seattle (1-5) at San Francisco (2-5)- First game under the Mike Singletary era and the Seahawks will be without Matt Hassleback this week. Really hard to predict which is team is better off, I will take the home team in an ugly one. SF 14-10

Indianapolis (3-3) at Tennessee (6-0)- Probably the most critical game of the weekend as the Colts could see the change of power in the AFC South and which they will as they cannot stop the run as the combo of Chris Johnson/LenDale White will go nuts. TEN 28-17

Top 25 College Football Preview

Another big week in college football as we are starting to separating the contenders from the pretenders, lots of massive showdowns this week. Here we go... By the way, we are now using the BCS rankings for the top 25 because its much easier to follow on ESPN.

1. Texas-vs. 6. Oklahoma State- The Longhorns have had a very workmen-like attitude in the last couple of weeks and Colt McCoy has to be the favorite for the Heisman so far. But they face a Cowboy team who went into Columbia and beat Mizzou somewhat handily. I think the Cowboys need to have a perfect game to win this one, I think the Longhorns will catch a couple turnovers and win. TEXAS 42-31

2. Alabama-at Tennessee- Ah the third Saturday in October rivalry between the Tide and the Volunteers. I dont think I can put the Tide on upset alert as the Vols have looked awful on offense and the Tide should do alright without Terrence Cody. At least this weekend. BAMA 20-7

3. Penn State-at 9. Ohio State- For the love of God, do not like the Buckeyes win this one and have them make another run at the BCS second place, because you know damn well they will not win it. I think this game is a true toss-up and whoever has the ball last will probably win the game as a battle between two great Big 10 teams, it will be a good one, with Kevin Kelley nailing one from 50+. PSU 24-21

4. Oklahoma-at Kansas State- The Sooners always have one game that seems to be a true letdown and if the Wildcats were better it might be this weekend. Expect Josh Freeman- the Wildcats QB to give them troubles but it will not be enough as the Sooner offense rolls. OU 42-21

5. USC-at Arizona- This is the Chuck's Corner Upset Alert. I dont think the Trojans will lose but let me tell you this game is going to be close all the way through as the Wildcats play well at home and know how to knock off a top 5 team (Oregon last year). The Trojans by a FG. USC 31-28

6. Oklahoma State-See 1. Texas

7. Georgia-at 13. LSU- First meeting between this two since 2005 and it should be a good game as the Dawgs head into Death Valley against the Tigers. LSU is going to need a great performance out of Jarrett Lee to win this game because Charles Scott will not be enough. I think Lee will put up a good effort but Knowshon Moreno is too much for the Tigers. UGA 24-14

8. Texas Tech-at 23. Kansas- Another big test for Kansas' defense as they play another top offense and they did not have enough to keep up with the Sooners. I am afraid that will be the same result for the Jayhawks this week as you will see at absolute definition of a shootout. TTECH 45-35

9. Ohio State-see 3. Penn State

10. Florida-vs. Kentucky- The only team in the top 10 that doesnt have a challenge this weekend as the Gator invite the Cats to the swamp and Kentucky wishes Andre Woodson was still there because they sure as hell will need it. UF 42-14

11. Utah-Bye

12. Boise State-at San Jose State- Uh oh, the two Cinderellas are getting closer to the top 10 and its a rule that the Broncos dont play on Saturday, just on Friday. The Spartans are not a bad team by any means and could pull of this upset. Although the Broncos are too good and will win by a teeder. BOISE 31-24

13. LSU-see 7. Georgia

14. TCU-vs. Wyoming- Well seeing as the Cowboys are horrendous and the Horned Frogs are pretty good, this will be ugly. TCU 42-7

15. Missouri-vs. Colorado- Pretty rough couple of weeks for the Tigers but they should dominate this weekend against the Buffs. Mizzou wins this one big. MIZZOU 48-12

16. South Florida-at Louisville- Havent heard much about the Cardinals this year and I am not that impressed with USF the couple of times I watch them this year. I am taking the Cards in a minor uspet. UL 34-31

17. Pittsburgh-vs. Rutgers- Oh how the Scarlet Knights miss Ray Rice, they will be no match for the Panthers of Pitt as they should roll. PITT 31-13

18. Georgia Tech-vs. Virgina- How insane has this year been for the Cavaliers? They had a horrendous start and now have turned it around after being North Carolina last weekend. Its on the road against a good Yellow Jacket team and it amazes me a BCS team could run the wishbone but they are doing it and will win again. GT 24-10

19. Tulsa-vs. UCF- Who plays college football on a Sunday?! I nearly miss this one and really I could careless about it. The Golden Knights arent a bad team, just cannot capitalize late in games which will hurt them again this week. TULSA 31-24

20. Ball State-vs. Eastern Michigan- This shouldnt be any challenge as the Cardinals will win another one in the MAC. BALL 49-3

21. BYU-vs. UNLV- HAHA. Finally it was proven how much a shame the Cougars were last weekend and now they will beat Utah which will make life good again. BYU should take care of business this weekend against the Runnin' Rebels. BYU 41-7

22. Northwestern-at Indiana- I dont think if you ask a lot of people, you would see the Wildcats and Minnesota in the top 25 instead of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Wildcats shouldnt slip up in this one against the Hooisers. NW 35-14

23. Kansas- see 8. Texas Tech

24. Minnesota-at Purdue- The Gophers better be careful in this one as they head to West Lafayette to play a Boilermaker team whose record shouldnt fool you. The Gophers by a touchdown. MINN 28-21

25. Florida State-vs. Virgina Tech- The Seminoles find themselves again in the top 25 and it probably will not last as the last time they face a tough defense, they ran into a lot of trouble and I see Saturday being no different. VT-20-13

Others to Watch
North Carolina at Boston College
Illinois at Wisconsin
Wake Forest at Miami
Michigan State at Michigan
Notre Dame at Washington
Oregon at Arizona State

-Charlie.

Suggs' Bounty

The reason for the title is because on the radio this week, Terrell Suggs the outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens said that they had a "bounty" on Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward. Interesting, since Mendenhall got knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury in the game against the Ravens. Also to add to the evidence, Mendenhall made comments about how he would have a "breakout game" against the Ravens and Suggs basically told him "Rookies cannot talk that way." So what he got here is an NFL investigation.

I personally think nothing will come out of it because this seems to happen once a year- last year the Packers were questioned about after their corners had put a "bounty" on Adrian Peterson. Mark Scherleth of ESPN who I think is one of more intelligent people at ESPN said in his twelve years, he had never heard anything about purposely wanted to hurt a player. I somewhat agree, you always want to stop certain players but you never what to hurt the guy. You might have some sort of goal like hold him to 50 yards of rushing and use that as motivation. I am pretty sure thats what we have here.

The final note on this one is why do the Ravens think they are the hardest team in the NFL. They act like they are the baddest MFing defense you have ever since when in reality, they gave up 31 points to the Colts two weeks ago. Also another thing that pisses me off is ever since 2004, Ray Lewis always comes in late on tackles and then struts around like he made the tackle.

I dont know the Ravens were just a team I have never really enjoyed watching, maybe its because they got Trent Dilfer a Super Bowl ring, ew.

-Charlie.

Teams Taking Suspensions into their Own Hands

This in regard to the NFL and how some teams like the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and the Kansas City Chiefs are not waiting for commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend some of their top players for conduct detrimental to the team. I dont know in any of the three cases, you could say that Goodell would of suspended them but I applaud them these coaches for doing it.

First off the Giants suspended Plaxico Burress earlier on in the year which included two weeks completely away from the team because according to the Giants, Burress has missed over 60-70 meetings during his time as a Giant. Burress is a classic professional athlete who has all the talent in the world but could give two shits about anyone else but himself. I love his athleticism and the way he plays on Sunday although I do not think I would like to be his teammate. He is a step below of some of the other NFL distractions.

The Chiefs were the next team to do something when Larry Johnson was bitching about not being a competitive team and there were reports coming out that he had slapped a women in the face. So that has led Herm Edwards to inactivate him for the last two weeks which is the right thing to do and finally it seems like LJ has turned the corner. He had a press conference today basically apologizing for the things he did in the past and hopes to turn it around in the next couple weeks. Too bad for the Chiefs, Tony Gonzalez cannot have that same attitude.

The Browns announced this week that they were going to suspend Kellen Winslow aka The Soldier after he told the media that the Browns hid the Staft Infection he had and that other Browns players have it worse than him. In true Winslow fashion, he is appealing the suspension but he has no reason to, the Browns asked him to keep it to himself and he had to run his mouth to media to look like a victim.

The team that is starting to look real bad is the Dallas Cowboys and no I am not talking about the way they play haha. They refused to suspend Pacman Jones when they were ask to and let the NFL take in their hands and they did just that, suspending him indefinitely. They should of just suspended him for four weeks and Goodell might have lighten up then again its Pacman Jones we are talking about.

As the season progresses we shall see if this is a new trend for teams to do.

-Charlie.

The Death of Kimbo Nation

Its over.

No more Kimbo Slice at least for awhile as EliteXC folded after losing 60 million dollars and Slice got his ass kicked in thirteen seconds in one of the better Gus Johnson calls in history, gotta get to about the four minute part of the video. Also it proves that UFC is really the only MMA company that has their shit together when it comes to making money. I read an interview with Dana White, UFC President who turned the company from 2.5 million to a 125 billion dollar franchise. Although to me, I think all MMA is highly overrated. Its like the next level up from professional wrestling so the people who have lost interest in WWE, have now attracted themselves to MMA. I do enjoy the "Ultimate Fighter" thats not a bad reality show at all.

Kimbo Slice needs to go back to just backyard fighting and make some money that way because I think the MMA is gone for now or another thing would be for him going to WWE that would be badass. But at least for now, the hype has went away from Kimbo. Another suggestion for Kimbo is to go try out for the NFL again, why the hell not Brock Lesnar did and it makes solid money.

-Charlie.

Can the Rays do the Improbable?

In a perfect world when I dont have homework, I would of love to have this post done on the Sunday when the Rays clinched but as you can see that didnt happen so I have it here with my World Series prediction.

The Rays were a team who I had told some people "Yeah they will win 75-80, there not as bad as the years past and they might overtake the Blue Jays for third" And I was really big on Evan Longoria, but I had no idea they would be this good and be in the World Series. It all starts with Joe Maddon who Doz called "Rick Vaughan 20 years later". Great comparison, anyways he has brought this relaxed sense of baseball with the whole focus being a "Team Effort". To me thats a remarkable thing to do with such a young ball team who could get selfish at times. The thing that makes this a better story that the Marlins of the past years is they have so much more young talent than the Marlins did. Florida at both times had some young talent but there were some great veteran leaders sprinkled in as well. The Rays have some in the bullpen and with Cliff Floyd, yet its nowhere near what the Marlins had. Even if the Rays dont win, they will be a threat to contend for years to come.

Now on to the prediction, I dont know I have picked against both of these teams and I honestly think the Rays will do this thing but they are going to be pushed like none other. The big key is how they handle Cole Hamels tonight but they have enough lefty-pitching to deal with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley as well. Also Philly always chokes in the World Championship for examples see Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies (Remember Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams). Tampa in 7.

-Charlie

Benedict Brett

Well look what he have here.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported on Sunday that Brett Favre- the great American Hero that he is, was in talks with Matt Millen before the Packers-Lions game in the second Sunday of the year. The talks werent about how Millen was getting axed, no they were about the Packers strategies going into that week.

One word describes this actions: Pathetic.

What an asshole, I could care less if its Brett Favre or some no-name college player letting other teams know about strategies that you run is awful and nowhere is it needed in the realm of sports.

What I do find funny is that how will people who thought we should have kept Brett Favre respond now? Because this has nothing to do with the organization, this just has to with Favre being a baby-back bitch. He being a baby because the Packers wanted to take a step forward with Aaron Rodgers. Even my good friend Dozer who was in Favre's support called him "Benedict Brett" which is true, Favre is a traitor and has lost some of the luster he once had here.

Cullen Jenkins said something after the Packer-Colt game which is so true and he said something along the lines of... "If you mad at the organization, thats one thing but at least you can be a class act about it." Favre has called everyone else except for ARod, why is that? Dont you think he could use some confidence?"

Face it people, Brett Favre isnt the guy we all knew and loved growing up in Wisconsin, thats just a fact.

-Charlie.

Brewers News: No More Easter Miracle and Here We Go CC

The Brewers announced this past weekend that they will not even put Dale Sveum in the interview process which has broken Coach P's heart and he has said if they resign Sheets, he might denounce his Brewer fandom which I believe as he hates Sheets more than anyone. To be honest, he must of really screwed something up for the Brewers to not even give the guy a chance because he got the job done no matter what anyone said and got the Brewers season turned around. My only reason why I think they might have distanced themselves was because they wanted to get away from the 82' team and go with new blood outside of the Brewer organization. It shall be interesting.

They also announced that they will make an offer to retain CC Sabathia. Someone on WSN made a claim because "he knows a guy at the accounting office for the Brewers" that it will be 5 years for 130 million. You better be damn sure his arm is okay from all those innings in September if you are throwing around that much money. I have always said go for it and will continue to say that, he is the modern Brett Favre. I dont care if I have to drop 20 dollars for upper deck seats to see CC pitch every five days if that what it takes, do it Mark. Everyone rallied around this guy and wanted to watch every pitch he threw. The TV was on the Brewers no matter what, but if CC was pitching it was guar-damn-tee it would be glued for nine. Trust me, he will not be a Yankee if anything he will be a Dodger maybe even a Padre as they look to free up space by trading Jake Peavy which might not happen as he has a full no-trade clause..

By the way, these sorts of things will pop up probably every two weeks or so.

-Charlie.

I'm Sorry

I apologize for not getting the NFL Picks in this week as I said in the post before it was just sheer laziness or I had alot of homework to do on the last couple of the days so I will give my post weekend thoughts.

How about them Packers?- I thought they were going to get their asses kicked w/o some of their top secondary players and instead they pick off Peyton Manning for two interceptions for touchdowns. Also the Colts look as if they are fading away and have put themselves in a must win against the Titans Monday.

Wade Phillips, See ya?- The Cowboys get blown out by 20 without Tony Simpson who got some encouraging words from Benedict Brett (more on that guy later). But he is definitely on the hot seat with players who seem to feel their team is falling apart.

Kyle Orton =Fantasy God?- He has changed around my fantasy team as we are now 4-3 after starting off 0-3. I would never think that I would be thanking a Bear quarterback. Granted they were two special teams plays away from losing that game but they did put up 34 points nonetheless.

Mike Nolan- Say Buh-Bye- Just announced today, he has been fired from the 49ers. I didnt feel it needed a full blog post as he hasnt been good as a coach but his biggest mistake was the way he handed Alex Smith. Mike Singletary is ready to be an NFL Coach and it will be interesting to see how he handles a Niner team that could still win the NFC West which is about as awful as Paris Hilton's My New BFF.

-Charlie.

Number 100

Man I wanted to do this on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But I am getting to it on Monday Night because I am lazy and been playing a lot of NCAA Football so it takes up my time. I will have about 4-6 posts in the next couple of days but I just want to thank the people that read this because I know there are about 12 of you and please keep reading as I will try to update this to the best of my ability and spread the word about Chuck Nation please!

Thanks again and heres to another 100

-Charlie.

NCAA Top 25 Picks

1. Texas-vs. 11. Missouri-Somewhat disappointing that the Tigers lost last weekend but how about the Longhorns. Colt McCoy is looking like a Heisman candidate and they dont seem like they will have their typical "laying of the egg". Texas gets it done at home. TEXAS 41-35

2. Alabama-vs. Ole Miss-Beware of the Rebels. They knocked off Florida and they could easily take down Bama with them. I dont think it will happen because Nick Saban's defense is better than Floridas' and will create problems for Jevan Snead. BAMA 24-10

3. Penn State-vs. Michigan- They havent been the Wolverines in 12 years and this will be their year. If it was any indication during the Badger game, Penn State is for real and they will handle Michigan like a MAC team. PSU 42-21

4. Oklahoma-vs. 16. Kansas- Things for the Sooners do not get any easier as they see the Jayhawks come to Norman although this one will be a blowout in my opinion. Kansas has not seen a team this good in a long time and its on the road so it will get ugly. OKLA 42-24

5. Florida-BYE

6. USC-at Washington State- Oh god. This one will be uglier than Amy Winehouse. USC 56-0

7. Texas Tech-at Texas A&M- Mike Leach's squad almost made me look silly as they were pushed to the edge by Nebraska. Now this game should be a laugher but I think going to Kyle Field things will not be as easy as imaged. The Red Raiders win by a field goal. TTECH 31-28

8. Oklahoma State-vs. Baylor- The Bears are much improved from last year but the Cowboys will not let down as they look like a team that here to stay in the top 15 as they went into Columbia and beat Mizzou. OKSTATE 34-24

9. BYU-at TCU- Please for the love of God, let this be the last time we hear about the Cougars. I am putting all my chips on the Horned Frogs to knock them off as they play inspired to win this baby. TCU 28-17

10. Georgia-vs. 22. Vanderbilt- Poor Vandy, I said I wouldnt be surprised if Miss State won their matchup last weekend and now they have the daunting task of trying to beat the Dawgs in Athens. Uh oh. This one could get out of hand, Vandy needs to a strong effort out of their defense. UGA 28-10

11. Missouri-see 1. Texas

12. Ohio State-at 20. Michigan State- This in my opinion is one of the more underrated matchup as seeing they always have good battles against each other and that we could see the second defeat of the Buckeyes. I really like the chances of the Spartans in this one, they are a scrappy ball club looking to make their move and this will be it. MSU 24-13

13. LSU-at South Carolina- As one once said "Shouldnt been talking shit!" as Tim Tebow demolished the Tigers last weekend and now they travel to South Carolina to face a solid Gamecock team. The Ole Ball Coach will have the Gamecocks ready but the Tigers will end up winning this up on a late TD drive. LSU 28-24

14. Utah-vs. Colorado State- Another day in the Mountain West, another blowout. Utes big. UTAH 41-6

15. Boise State-vs. Hawaii- A big rivalry between these two and dont doubt the Warriors they beat Fresno on the road and could do it again on the blue turf then again the Broncos dont lose on Smurf Turf. BSU 31-28

16. Kansas- see 4. Oklahoma

17. Virgina Tech-at Boston College- The Eagles are a real unknown with not playing any major teams yet and the Hokies seem to be heating up. I think the Hokies shouldnt have a problem with BC. VTech 28-14

18. North Carolina-at Virgina- How about these Tar Heels, they look stronger each week and play a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde team in the Cavaliers, so I think there is not middle ground, it will be a blowout or a close one. I will take the blowout. UNC 35-9

19. South Florida-vs. Syracuse- I havent talked to my friend Shannon about Syracuse football in awhile and it probably wont be a discussion we have any time soon since they suck. The Bulls win big. USF 48-3

20. Michigan State- see 12. Ohio State

21. Wake Forest-at Maryland- Out of any team in the top 25, this is the team I think doesnt deserve to be there. The Deacons will find trouble at College Park as the Terps pull off the minor upset. MARY 35-23

22. Vanderbilt- see 10. Georgia

23. Pittsburgh-at Navy- Beware of the Navel Academy, they could knock off another top 25 team this week but I think the rushing game of Pitt is too strong. The Panthers hold off a scrappy Midshipmen team. PITT 20-17

24. Ball State- BYE

25. California-at Arizona- Dont know too much about the Golden Bears although they beat Michigan State earlier this year and they looked as the second best team in the Pac-10. Too bad the Wildcats will come ready to play and get it done. ZONA 34-21

Others to watch.
Wisconsin at Iowa
Georgia Tech at Clemson
Miss State at Tennessee.

-Charlie.

Wont the Cowboys Go Away

Every big story this week has seemed to deal with the Dallas Cowboys and for me, I am sick of it. Its just like the Yankees, Red Sox, any other big market team when there are big stories on them, ESPN just hounds us with all the information possible but there are so many news/notes about them that I have to cover.

-Pacman is suspended indefenitly which will be reviewed in four weeks. Which probably means he will get suspended for the rest of the year. He also has entered rehab so who knows maybe he cleans up and gets one more chance, although time has almost ran out for him. Once again, this guy is proving he is a cancer and as I said before, the Cowboys will struggle in pass defense aspect.

-Tony Romo is taking the sand outta the you know where and deciding he might be able to play. I figured out why that is. Its the St. Louis Rams, he thinks hell I can even have a good game against the Rams no matter how shitty my pinky finger feels. Then when they play Tampa Bay, he will go out.

-Cowboys acquire Roy Williams from Detriot, the Lions first off must be trying to get the worst record in football and the Cowboys now have the best wideouts in the league. I honestly see this not working with T.O. bitching about not getting the ball as much as he wants. But, basically even a guy like Brad Johnson can get it done with these guys.

Shout-Outs of the Week

1. A Shout-Out to my buddy JS who got me on the Shonn Greene bandwagon. The guy is a true athlete and a great running back that is being underlooked by the entire NCAA right now. He told me last week about him and I go "hadnt heard of him." JS was in shock because his numbers are right near the top and gets no looks for the NCAA. Also for me to miss a great NCAA player, its like me missing a meal, it doesnt happen much. I suggest that all Badger fans this week remember the number 23 in Iowa's backfield, he will create havoc. Good call Josh.

2. The other one is to my boy Mitch Pratt whose out of Wausau starting the a blog Mitchy at Large. Its good stuff, he has better grammar than me as well. The only think wrong with Pratt is an Oakland Raiders fan and we know that's a sinking ship. Hopefully, we can get together on a podcast or something.

-Charlie.

Trouble on Howard's Rock

As I had said during the last issue of the Top 25 picks that if Clemson didnt win against Wake Forest that Tommy Bowden could be on the hot seat. I never expected the Tigers to fire their coach this week. So many times in Bowden's career, people have claimed that he was this close to getting fired. Well now it actually happened.

He has been the coach of Clemson for 10 years but there is really nothing to be excited about. He saved his job multiple times with big wins against rivals and ranked teams. Bowden only had a .615 winning career is alright, also he never won/share an ACC championship. The last ACC championship for the Tigers was 1991. Bowden never provided the results that the Tigers expected when hiring Bobby Bowden's son and after Terry Bowden was somewhat successful. He was just an alright coach in most regards, I mean pretty successful against South Carolina their rival and did pretty solid against Bowden daddy's Florida State team. A couple bowl wins here or there with the Humanitarian Bowl, Peach Bowl, and the Champs Sports Bowl which we all know are all just minor bowls.

The one other thing that I would like to point it is how cold the starting quarterback Cullen Harper who said "he deserved his fate." Now that sounds like either an egotistical quarterback (Bowden just benched him after the Wake Forest game) or the fact that Bowden had no respect from the players. Another thing is they have lost some of their biggest recruits, one being losing the #1 safety in the nation.

Bowden is likely going to get another job somewhere because he is an alright coach but remember just alright.

-Charlie.

Aww Tony Hurt his Finger

I will start this blog article by a comment by JS said to me today......

"so tony homo has a broken finger, that means he must sit out 4 weeks. Favre, broken thumb, plays rest of the season because hes the man. the NFL is full of wussys man"

If you havent heard which you probably have since ESPN loves the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo broke his pinky finger and is out for four weeks. Give me a break. This guy isnt an elite quarterback for so many reasons and this is just one of them.

Big time athletes play through big-time pain. Brett Favre played through a broken thumb, Kobe Bryant played with a torn ligament in his pinky, and Aaron Rodgers is playing through a bum shoulder right now (not an elite player but just providing a point). Why cant Mr. Romo play through this so-called pain? Probably just because he wants sexual favors from Jessica Simpson or that he cannot play through pain like the great ones.

The Cowboys now have the 90 year old, Brad Johnson at quarterback and you got a T.O. whose rattled already as it is and it will only get worse. The T.O. problem will be the worst thing that will happen to the Cowboys, it will just slowly infect them. To add to that, Pacman might be suspended as well. They have Wade Phillips as their head coach whose never been good in the NFL. Good news is they play St.Louis and a bye week during the four weeks of Romo absence although I bet he doesnt make it back until 6 weeks. This is such a bad situation for a team that could easily be out of contention in the tough as nails NFC East.

Some say Chuck why do you hate on this guy, he's from Wisconsin? Yeah but Romo is what I would like to call a Media Whore. He wants to look like the All-American boy, the good ole Midwestener, all of the BS of having midwest values. ESPN does a great job of this too. When in reality, he just loves the attention of media outlets in sports and entertainment. That is the reason why he dates Jessica Simpson, and he had this huge cast on his hand yesterday although doesnt say shit to the media. A guy like Favre would of said something about his problem.

Enjoy the picture of Jessica instead of Tony

-Charlie.

Whats Wrong with Bucky?

Let me say this before I start writing; that I am not full-fledged Badger fan by any means but I still always hope their football team does well. I had high expectations for them this season as did others (Lee Corso before the Michigan game thought they were "good enough to play in the National Championship"). But now, they will be lucky to get a bowl game this year by the way they are playing.


So what are the issues you might ask yourself. I think it starts
with coaching. Bret Bielema brought in his own guys to show Athletic Director Barry Alvarez that I can do "without your help." Well both of the coordinators look to be in jeopardy of losing their jobs in my opinion. On the offense side, Paul Chryst does not realize that they are a "north-south" football team and they have no wide receivers, therefore why the hell arent they running the ball straight up the gut against Michigan. If they are passing, it should be short 5-10 yard dump off giving Allen Everidge as little a chance to screw it up.



On Defense, Dave Doeran has been garbage in the last two weeks especially. Granted Penn State is a great team but to give up 41 points (one Special Teams TD) is just absurd. Furthermore, the Ohio State game, why not send one of the great linebackers in on a blitz once in awhile on Terrelle Pryor. He would be so rattled and the Badgers might have come out victorious in that one.



The other looming problem is recruiting. It seems like Bielema isnt getting the recruits that Alvarez would and that could come from the guys he has recruiting for him but it has alot to do with Bielema. I will quote a line from Always Sunny in Philadelphia to describe Coach Bielema, "Nobody likes you because..... You're an Asshole!!!!" I like the whole swagger Bielema carries but he asks like such a prick around reporters and doesnt seem like a coach that you could enjoy watching football with such as Pete Caroll, Urban Meyer, or even Jim Tressel. Alvarez wasnt the nicest guy either but he sure made it seem that way when the media spotlight was on him. Bielema has no idea how to handle the media therefore gives the media a better reason to beat up on Bielema.



Also its clear proof to me that Allen Everidge should be sitting on the sidelines with a clipboard. I didnt watch the debacle after it got to 24-7 but I heard from sources that backup QB Dustin Sherer was pretty solid. He deserves to start, try something new. The other thing is PJ Hill is a shell of his old form and John Clay needs to be involved at least 35% of the time if not more, he is the future and whenever he is in, good things tend to happen.



Now a look at how the Badgers might fair the rest of the year.

@Iowa-a toss-up because they have played awful in Kinnick but did win three years ago. Plus Iowa is led by fantastic runner Shonn Greene (more on him later). But I think the Badgers will play inspired. So could go either way.
vs. Illinois-win- If not for the Badgers, they could be the most overrated team in the Big Ten, their defense is not that good and the Badgers will want to win big in Camp Randall.
@Michigan State-Loss- Never play well in East Lansing and with Javon Ringer and Co., it could get ugly.
@Indiana-Win- Even though they dont play well in Bloomington, the Hoosiers are pretty bad and this should be a big win for the Badgers.
vs. Minnesota-Toss up- I think the Badgers have the slight advantage because the game is in Madison but the Gophers are a better team than anyone expected.
vs. Cal Poly-Win what a joke.



So I only have two real wins for the Badgers right now based off the way they are playing but probably four is realistic. So 8-4 on the year which would get them into a minor bowl game or 6-6 which would put them on the bubble yet probably in based off how well Madison travels.



Here is the big question, does Brett Bielema get the axe? Probably not but his seat has got a whole helluva alot warmer.



-Charlie.

NFL Picks for Week 6

Chicago (3-2) at Atlanta (3-2)- Earlier on in the year, you wouldnt have thought this game would have been much to talk about but now it seems like one of the bigger games of the week. The key for the Falcons will be if they can run the ball against the Bears defense. I dont see it happening enough. CHI 24-20

Baltimore (2-2) at Indianapolis (2-2)- The Colts could be 0-4 right now and I really think it shows that they are getting old which is weird to hear but its true. They go up against a good Baltimore team with a strong defense and good enough offense to take care of the Colts as they remain winless in the new stadium. BALT 20-10

Detroit (0-4) at Minnesota (2-3)- As one of my friends whose a Vikings fan said to me, "You know this is a game I could see the Vikings losing just because they tend to lay one egg all year." First off typical Viking pessimistic attitude and second off, it will not happen as the Lions are the worst team in football. Also how much does it suck in two of my four leagues I play AP, dammit. MIN 31-10

Oakland (1-3) at New Orleans (2-3)- Many people are talking about how Reggie Bush is having a great year and I would agree slightly, it just happens he has a huge game in special teams in primetime. The numbers when a team from the west goes to east are awful. Granted, I think the Raiders could win this one as their defense is good enough to hold this offense but they cannot close, which will be their downfall again. NO 31-27

Cincinnati (0-5) at New York Jets (2-2)- The Jets dont have to worry about Carson Palmer and that probably wins this one will get ugly because I think no team can win with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Favre throws 7 TDs. NYJ 49-14

Carolina (4-1) at Tampa Bay (3-2)- This game is a good one as two of the top teams in the NFC South go at. Jeff Gracia also gets his chance for revenge as he starts this week, and I think that will propel the Bucs to victory since Gracia is the better quarterback out of him and Brian Griese. Although do not expect much scoring in this one. TB 13-9

St. Louis (0-4) at Washington (4-1)- One of the surprises of the NFL, and they get easy pickings this week as they play the awful Rams. Every player on the Redskins offense should be licking their chops as they will dominate on Sunday. WASH 38-6

Miami (2-2) at Houston (0-4)- How about the Dolphins? Beating two of the best teams in football but I think they will let down in this one as the Texans were a dumbass play away from winning last weekend, they will get their revenge in this one. HOU 24-20

Jacksonville (2-3) at Denver (4-1)- Remember when the Jags came into Denver and stunned the world in the 1996 playoffs? Not to say this would be any upset if the Jaguars do win here and I think they will because they have a strong running game and Larry Johnson has already shown how bad Denver's run defense is. JAX 28-21

Dallas (4-1) at Arizona (3-2)- How about this matchup, no one seen this one as being a primetime showdown that is and you know what? The Cardinals are going to take this one because the Cowboys' secondary sucks just as much as the economy right now and they will get lit up by Air Warner and the boys. ARI 31-17

Philadelphia (2-3) at San Francisco (2-3)- Make or break game for the Eagles with all of the NFC East playing at such a high level. No Brian Westbrook for tomorrow's game and that will really have an effect on them but I dont think the Niners have enough to pull out the upset. PHI 20-13

Green Bay (2-3) at Seattle (1-3)- It isnt a do or die game for the Pack although they could sure use a win. They never play well when they go to Seattle and always seem to get the shittiest refs there as well. I think the Packers will do just fine as they face a banged-up Seahawk team, this could be the thing that gets the wheels turning for the Packers. GB 31-20

New England (3-1) at San Diego (2-3)- Well these two teams have one thing in common... they both lost to Miami haha. This should be a good one as its Matt Cassell first game in the national spotlight and the Chargers have to make sure to keep their heads above water. The Pats seem to have a perfect game plan whenever facing the Chargers. NE 34-28

New York Giants (4-0) at Cleveland Browns (1-3)- I am sure this is the first time for the Browns on Monday night in a long while and I think they will be playing inspired football. Too bad, they play one of the best in the NFL and will continue to show dominance against the Browns. NYG 24-14

Pacman Just Being Rebellion

If you are wondering why I didnt say rebellious is because those were the exact words of Pacman Jones after Roger Goodell told him to stay out of the strip clubs. Well our friend Pacman is in trouble again as he got into a fight with his "bodyguard" whose a team official of the Dallas Cowboys.

Wow, this guy has been playing pretty good for the Cowboys and now he does this. Its such a shame because this guy has a true talent in the NFL but just cannot keep his nose out of trouble. Of course, the Cowboys will not suspend him because they are the Cowboys, they like Michael Irvin snot coke at halftime, and let Nate Netwon deal more drugs than most Columbian drug lords. Jerry Jones only cares about one thing and thats winning, and you just have to look no further than the 90s.

Will he done for the year by Goodell? I think its about a 60 percent to chance to be honest with you. After, he has already suspended for the year by Goodell, it wouldnt be any shock to me if he does it. Which if that does happen, the Cowboys are completely screwed in the secondary since Terrence Newman is done for at least a month and their rest of their secondary hasn't done jack shit.

Good news is he wasnt in a strip club and didnt make it rain.

-Charlie.

Brewers Season Wrap-Up

Well it was a once in a lifetime year for me as a Brewer fan. Only missing around 30-40 games all year, enjoying most of the summer ones at the Clubhouse and just so many memories for the 2008 season. So I am going to first grade the Brewers

Pitchers

CC Sabathia-A+ -If there was a grade higher, I would give it to him. This man is the reason why the Brewers went to the playoffs and carried the whole team on his shoulder throughout July, August, September. Granted his playoff appearance was shaky but who gives a shit, he is the NL CY Young and please come back to Milwaukee.

Solomon Torres-A -Torres is one of the reasons that the Brewers are in the playoffs and he became a very good closer despite the September swoon. He got 28 saves I believe which was huge as he became a reliable closer when the Brewers needed one the most.

Ben Sheets-B+ -This grade may be a little high for Sheeter as he had another pathetic second half of the season but he was lights out throughout the entire first half of the season. I wonder how healthy he was in the second half and I think the Brewers could have been so much better if he was.

Dave Bush-B -Bush had a solid season this year and has really seemed to turn the corner as at one point in the mid-summer he became unhittable. I expect big things for him next year as he will continue to get better.

Seth McClung-B -Big Red Nasty was a key part of the Brewers this season as he provided some solid spot starts in June/July and he was a great pitcher out of the bullpen. He finally figured out his control and I think he will be apart of the starting rotation come next April.

Brian Shouse-B -He was one of most reliable guys out of the bullpen all year and when not put in for an entire inning, he did his job as the situational lefty very well.

Manny Parra-B- I would love to give Manny a higher grade but he really displayed his youth during the late part of August and September but next year he will grow into a better pitcher who will do major things for the Brewers.

Guillermo Mota-B- Some might say that this grade is a little high but to be honest, Mota was lights out in the final two months of the season when they needed him the most. If we can keep him for a cheap price, I would say do it.

Jeff Suppan-C+ -Soup had some good games throughout the year but he did not stay consistent at all. He had one good month but when he was suppose to be clutch (September) he was awful and that isnt why the Brewers paid him.

Carlos Villaneuva-C+ -Probably makes a B- if he didnt have some really bad innings in the bullpen. He needs to work on another pitch to rival his change-up and I think he would be a great player for the Brewers.

Eric Gagne-D+ -Some might grade him even lower than this but he did do some alright things when he pitched in the 8th inning but when the chips are down, we paid him to pitch in the 9th and that didnt happened whatsoever.

Batters

Mike Rivera- B -Granted it is probably not fair to grade him on his limited play but whenever he was in the game, he played like a damn-near starter. He needs to be more in the lineup next year and I think the only worry with him must be that he calls a bad game.

Jason Kendall- B+ -His hitting after April was shotty at best but the real thing he did was manage the game for the pitchers plus he got outs on the basepads. If I am the Brewers, I would probably sign him on for one more year.

Prince Fielder-A- Now he didnt have the 50 homer year that he did last year but when we needed our superstar to step up, he did. He carried this team down the stretch and I think no one can really look past that.

Rickie Weeks-D -Isnt it about time for Rickie Weeks' coming out party? He is awful at defense and he still cant hit worth shit. He has one more year left if that, to prove himself to this organization.

Ray Durham-B -For his time as a Brewer, he put in work as he was a big run-producer whether getting on base or providing the big hit late in the season for the Brewers. I dont know if I want him back on the Brewers, he cannot be a starter anymore because his hamstrings dont seem to let him.

JJ Hardy-B- JJ did alot of things on defense and lets not forget he had not been producing runs at all until his major hot streak in mid-June. His offensive expolosion helped the Brewers get into the playoffs but a big thing for him is he needs to find a way not to hit into so many double plays.

Bill Hall-D+ -Billy really didnt do anything for the Brewers except for the St. Louis series where it looked like maybe he could of turned the corner same with Weeks, and I blame Ned Yost for not giving them enough starting time to keep them hot. If we can trade Hall, I say go for it. JJ would be a solid third basemen and could then pave way for Alceides Escobar.

Craig Counsull-C+ -He was the only Brewer who had some paitence at the plate during the year but did not hit for average at all. He gets a high grade because of his defense for the most part.

Ryan Braun-A+ -I had a tough time with this one but when you hit a walk-off grand slam plus the homer to put the Brewers in the playoffs, you have proven you the Brewers future. Braun did everything he could for the Brewers this season and I hope he will continue his dominance.

Mike Cameron-C- Mike really had only one good stretch during the year and he didnt play the defense I think we all expected. Although, I still think it wouldnt be a bad idea to pick him up for next season because we dont have anyone else that is better.

Corey Hart-B- Some might say that is way too high but this guy was an all-star in the first half of the season. I have no idea where his patience, his opposite-field hitting went and I think he will be just fine. People who are saying to trade him are just insane.

Gabe Kapler-A- He deserves this grade because he did everything ask of a fourth outfielder. I hope they keep around for next year because I think he still has a couple years left in him.

Until next year...

-Charlie.

Top 25 Picks- Showdown Saturday

This seems to be one of the better weekend to sit at home and enjoy football all day because there are great games all over both sides of the coasts, it should be a fun weekend.

1. Oklahoma-vs. 5. Texas (at Dallas)- The Red River Rivalry which has been very one-sided in the last five years but when the Longhorns have won this showdown, they went on to the National Championship. This game is going to be a grind it out battle and I think the running game of the Sooners is what will be the difference maker although dont doubt Colt McCoy. OKLA 17-13

2. Alabama-Bye

3. Missouri-vs 17. Oklahoma State- Do you realize that the Missouri's offense hasnt had a 3 and out yet this year? That is absolutely absurd and they face a tough test against the Cowboys. Although the fighting Mike Gundys (I'm a man!) haven't played one good team this year yet so they are truly unproven, they wont be ready to win this one in Columbia. MIZZOU 42-31

4. LSU-at 11. Florida- This game has already been escalated as Ricky Jean-Francois, a defensive end for LSU told reporters "We are going to take him (Tebow) out whenever we get the chance." He claimed that it was meant to just to get pressure on him alot and not get him hurt... yeah okay Richard. Now on to the game, I dont know if I can fathom the fact the Gators could lose two of three in the Swamp but it will happen. Percy Harvin is banged up and LSU has the running backs to control the game. LSU 21-17

5. Texas- see 1. Oklahoma

6. Penn State-at Wisconsin- Remember when the Badgers were a top 10 team? How the mighty have fallen and its because their coaches have their heads so far up their asses, I would be surprised if they saw daylight now-a-days. I have been joking with people this week saying "You know, now that they have lost two, they might win this one." I honestly could see have no stress and just playing loose, they could prevail. Then I remember, Allen Everidge is their quarterback. It is going to be a rough year for the Badgers. PSU 27-23

7. Texas Tech-vs. Nebraska- Good news for the Cornhuskers... Texas Tech offense isnt as good as Missouri...... just slightly. Uh oh. The Red Raiders will have their absolute way with a defense that could rival Canada's military. TTECH 49-3

8. USC-vs. Arizona State- Both quarterbacks for each team (Matt Sanchez-USC, and Rudy Carpenter-ASU) might not play in this one. I think this will be a bigger dent for the Sun Devils as the Trojans have Mitch Mustain, the once-herald quarterback so it would be interesting to see him start a game for the Trojans. Even with the game sort of up in the air, the Trojans dont lose in the Coliseum. USC 31-17

9. BYU-vs. New Mexico- Another powerhouse of the Mountain West in the Lobos. Once again, the Cougars roll. BYU 48-3

10. Georgia-vs. Tennessee- The Volunteers once again play another top team in the SEC, could the third time be the charm? False. Georgia will want to make up for the disappoint they gave all the fans two weeks ago. UGA 24-7

11. Florida- see 4.LSU

12. Ohio State-vs. Purdue- The Buckeyes did look impressive on the defensive side of the football last Saturday and I think they are going to want alot more out of Terrelle Pryor as the season moves on. This matchup is always a close one, the Boilermarkers seemed to get up for this one although I dont see the Boilermarkers making too much a game of this one. OSU 28-14

13. Vanderbilt-at Mississippi State- What a turn around for the Commodores in both football/basketball. Although football especially, playing in one of the best conferences in the nation. Vandy can ill afford to slip up on this one against the Bulldogs, and I think this one will be closer than most think. VANDY 24-21

14. Utah-at Wyoming- Looks like the undefeated season continues for the Utes as they should be in full control in this one. UTAH 42-7

15. Boise State-at Southern Miss- Wow, I didnt realize when I wrote the article below that the Broncos are in the top 15 as well. This game could be very difficult for Boise as they travel a far way to play the Golden Eagles. This one will be close to the very end and I think the Broncos win in a squeaker. BOISE 35-31

16. Kansas-vs. Colorado- Not much has been said this year about the Jayhawks yet this year but they are still fighting in the Big 12. They have a tough game against a solid Colorado team whose looking to at least keep it close after the Longhorns dismantled them. They might keep it close but Todd Reesing is the difference maker in this one. KU 31-20

17. Oklahoma State-see 3. Missouri

18. Virgina Tech-Bye

19. South Florida-Bye

20. Auburn-vs. Arkansas- Well the Tigers have fired their offensive coordinator Tony Franklin this week who was all the hype going into the season. The Tigers have a chance to figure out their offense as they go up against a pathetic Razorback team. AUB 35-14

21. Wake Forest-vs. Clemson- Beware of the Thursday night upset. Last two weeks, two top 10 teams have fallen on Thursday night, now the Deacons are not a top 10 team, but still ranked facing a Clemson team whose proving to be one of the most overrated all year. Although, I think the curse remains as Tommy Bowden was once again on the hot seat will have his kids inspired. CLEM 23-20

22. North Carolina-vs. Notre Dame- Alot can be said for guys like Nick Saban, and Butch Davis who both have brought teams back from the dead as the Tar Heels find themselves ranked for the first time in a long while. Although they will be tested by the Fighting Irish who I think many people are overlooking and the inexperience at quarterback for the Tar Heels comes back to haunt them. ND 28-21

23. Michigan State-at Northwestern- This game is one that I think many are overlooking. This should be a great game between these Big 10 teams and a chance for the Wildcats to prove they are a legitimate team in the Big 10. I think it will be a typical Big 10 game with Javon Ringer being the difference in a victory for Sparty. MSU 20-14

24. Pittsburgh-Bye

25. Ball State- at Western Kentucky- First time ever the Cardinals are in the top 25, and this wont be a short visit as they will get it done against Big Red. BSU 31-10

Others to watch...
Iowa at Indiana- I have been told by Joshie that Shonn Greene of Iowa is "one of the best RBs in the nation"
Minnesota at Illinois

BCS Just Say No.

This is my public service announcement to the BCS to exclude the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Utes. Brett, a friend of mine hates, despises, (think of any other word) non-BCS teams in either football and basketball. He applies this opinion to both sports, "Non-BCS teams should not be involved in the Final Four/BCS what have you, but there is no reason why they should be playing when they are going against weak teams."

Basketball in my opinion, its a playoff to get to the Final Four and you arent playing easy opponents to get there. Although for football, its all based off who you play. So you are telling me that right now BYU is worth a BCS game when their toughest game has been UCLA whose a mid-level Pac-10 team. Now Utah is a different animal because they did go to Michigan to play despite the Wolverines being a mid-level Big 10 team and the Oregon State Beavers did beat USC but they still arent a top 25 team. Nonetheless, Utah at least has played two solid opponents to BYU one decent opponent.

Nevertheless, whoever wins the game between these two teams shouldnt be in one of the five BCS bowl games. Both of these teams might be top 3 in the Pac-10 but they arent one of the top ten teams in the nation by any means. Boise State who was the originator (sidenote I dont even count Utah's first time because the Pitt Panthers were just as worthless so it doesnt count) of this whole thing and they made everyone believe that a non-BCS team could beat a top-tier team any day of the week. In my opinion, you play this game 10 times, Oklahoma wins 9, it was just that Rick Moranis "One Time". It was a phenomenal effort and an amazing win but it didnt give me a huge reason to believe every year needed one of these teams. Just take a look at Hawaii, they are the bad example of this and if one of these teams gets in this year, it could be the exact same thing which if that were to happen, it will probably almost end this whole talk of getting a non-BCS team in the BCS Championship series.

Lets just hope they all lose for the sake of good football.

-Charlie.

MLB Predicitions

There will be alot of things being covered in the next couple of days with the top 25 picks, NFL Picks, MLB Predictions, Brewers Wrap-up includes grades and what should be done in the off-season. We will start with the MLB....

AL: Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays- This series and this new rivalry reminds me so much of the late 1990s and early 2000s rivalries between the Yankees and the Red Sox which were so heated and some of the best baseball. The Rays have zero playoff experience to the Red Sox but they have found ways to win against the Red Sox in Fenway and Tampa also unlike the Angels, they have been able to beat Jonathon Paplebon. I really see this one going down to the wire and the Rays need to have Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and BJ Upton to all hit the ball and their pitching to stay consistent. I doubted the Rays last series and as much as I am pulling for them to win this thing, I just dont see it happening. BOS in 7

NL: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies- To me, this series will not be half as good as the ALCS because in my personal opinion, I think the Phillies had 3 good innings against the Brewers in addition with the struggles of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Say what you want, but they could easily not be here right now. The Phillies starting pitching was dominate but nowhere near how good the Dodgers have looked so far. Against the Cubs, they looked like the best team in the big leagues plus they have Manny Ramirez whose arguably the best postseason baseball player in the last fifteen years. He has come up huge over and over again. I think Philadelphia could probably win two games, probably both at home but it will be Man-Ram and the Dodgers taking it. LAD in 6

Then there you have it, the showdown that everyone is looking forward to. Manny versus the Red Sox, you know MLB wants it and to be honest I want it to. Although especially in baseball, you never seem to get what you want.

-Charlie.