Ive got two of these and Peyton's got only one!!! Nyah-Nyah!!!

Greetings from the Hoodwood, the locals are already suffering from football withdrawal.

Its an anniversary…Musings from  the Hoodwood, celebrates a year at Yougabsports.com!!!

Well last night was the capstone of another great season for the NFL. A thrilling Super Bowl and the New York Football Giants are kings for the pro football world for the 2^nd time in four years. Clown on Eli Manning all you want, but the youngest of the Manning boys is fast cementing his place as one of the better quarterbacks of our generation. My boy Jonesie dogs him relentlessly and I still say he looks like he couldn’t get past the doorman at most nightclubs. You have to give him dap, twice now outdueling the redoubtable Tom Brady for a Super title. Now the wonks are starting to rail on Brady and Belichick having not won a Super Bowl since the spygate incident and many like my homie Jinx are getting louder with the phrase If you cant beat ‘em cheat ‘em. I think its an unfair tag, and unlike the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings the Pats have Super Bowl rings to show to counter the four losses that they have.

To be sure the Pats had their chances and you know that tough drop by Wes Welker in the 4th will haunt Pats fans for awhile, but real talk here. The Giants played the same formula that they have in winning 4 Super Bowl, a grind it out offense that limits the opposing offense and a punch you in the mouth defense. The G-Men didnt pound Brady like they did four years ago but they hit him enough to make him uncomfortable. Give credit where its due the G-Men are the Champs

First Spec of the Season

Yeah, yeah I know it’s a little late getting started but here we are a little over a month out from selection Sunday, the day where the 68 NCAA dance tickets are officially issued. So the time has come for the now legendary Tournament Speculation Update. Or Spec Sheets, I break down by conference who I think will qualify for the NCAA tournament. Of the 50 schools Power, Major, & Mid-Major conferences that qualified last year I correctly picked 50 of them. Since its still early I break the teams into two categories. Teams listed as solid are on a good course to make the tournament those with Work to Do are teams that need to get some resume building wins or simply bust out an extended win streak. Keep in mind that this list is speculation for now, the predictions on who gets in won’t be till March. Lets get started

Atlantic Coast 
(Conference Class-Power) 
Solid: Duke, North Carolina, Florida State 
Work to do: North Carolina State, Miami, Virginia 
Skinny on the ACC: Duke got caught looking ahead to their showdown with UNC and their vaunted home winning streak went by the boards with a stunning loss to Miami. The Canes will need a few more wins like that to solidify their status. The Noles and Heels are cruising along. The Wolfpack and Cavs aren’t doing anything to hurt themselves but hitting 20 wins before Valentines Day would look real good on the resume 
Key Game: Duke at North Carolina Wendesday 9p (ESPN) If I have to explain why, move on from reading this blog now.

Projected Bids: 5 

Atlantic Ten 
Conference Class-Mid Major 
Solid: Temple, Saint Louis
Work to do: Xavier UMass, Lasalle 
The A-10 Spec is: Temple is the only team on this list with any real street cred, a win agains Duke as their shiny bauble on their resume. The Billikens are a tough squad to figure but have some credible wins over ACC and Big 12 teams to boast on. Xavier is in all kinds of trouble 7-8 since their brawl with crosstown rival Cincy the Muskies are in real bubble danger and a loss to Memphis did them no favors. UMass and LaSalle lack marquee wins since beating X carries less weight than in years past

Key Games: Saint Bonaventure at UMass Wednesday 7:30 The Bonnies want to get into tourney talk a road win at a tough venue is a good way to get noticed

Projected Bids: 2 

Big East 
Conference Class-Power 
Solid: Syracuse, Georgetown, Marquette, Louisville, Notre Dame, Cincinnati

Work to do: South Florida, UConn, West Virginia 
Big East Skinny: It’s the same ole same old here. Dominant team at the top in the ‘Cuse and then a morass of good but not great teams beating each others brains out like crabs in a barrel. Lunardi of ESPN has 9 teams coming out of here, but truth be told after Cincy Im not sold past six and my beloved Bearcats are tottering. The Blazers, Huskies and Mountaineers all have some shaky patches  

Key Game: Georgetown at Syracuse Wendesday 7p The Cuse is on top and will stay there win or lose, but the Hoyas could really make a big splash with a win in the Carrier Dome

Projected bids: 7 

Big Ten 
Conference Class-Power 
Solid: Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana 
Work to do: Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue
The word on the Big Ten is: Ohio State leads the pack after a tense win at Madison and Michigan State hot on their heels after beating Michigan. Weep not for the Badgers and Wolverines as they are very much in the picture. Indiana has looked shaky at times but that win over #1 Kentucky will get them massive mileage. Is it me or does Illinois have permanent residence on the bubble, whining about respect but playing down to their competition will get them no love here. Losing four of five aside from an brutal to win watch slugfest over Michigan State doesn’t help. The Boilers and Gophers lack a signature win and

Key Game: Wisconsin at Minnesota Thursday 7p (BTN) The Gophers as mentioned before lack a signature win, beating their despised eastern neighbor would do very well to that end

Projected Bids: 6 

Big 12 
Conference Class-Power 
Solid: Kansas, Baylor, Missouri 
Work to do: Iowa State, Kansas State 
Skinny from the heartland: The Tigers, Jayhawks, and Bears are pretty much safe as long as they don’t drop too many. Iowa State is the one to watch, they have big wins over Kansas and have a leg up on the Wildcats whom they’ve already beaten.  
Key Game: Kansas at Baylor Wednesday 7p (ESPN2) The Bears got housed in Allen Fieldhouse last month and are itching for payback but the Jayhawks, stung by a shootout loss at Mizzou needs a bounceback. 
Projected Bids: 5 

Conference USA 
Conference Class-Major 
Solid: None 
Work to do: Tulsa, Southern Miss, Memphis 
Oh Say Can You C-USA Spec: Southern Miss is the leader here and with 20 wins are the team to beat, Memphis, as is their wont, hangs around the top though they lack a real resume booster, especially with the win over Xavier not carrying as much weight and losing at the aforementioned Golden Eagles last Wednesday. 
Key Game: Southern Miss at UAB Wednesday 8p The Eagles had better take care going into Bartow is never a fun assignment, the Blazers are always tough at their quirky loud venue.

Projected Bids: 1 


Horizon 
Conference Class-Mid Major 
Solid: Cleveland State 
Work to do: Valpo, Wright State,
Spec on The Horizon: Always a favorite of mine, the Horizon is a fun league to watch. Unfortunelately Butler is a long shot at best to be around much longer than a token win or two in the Horizon tourney this year. Cleveland State is the bully on the block this year and though Valpo is contending it’s the Vikings title to lose. 
Key Game: Valpo at Cleveland State Thursday 7p Valpo knocked off the Vikings earlier last month and stands a half game out of first in the Horizon a win in Cleveland gives them a crucial tiebreaker

Projected Bids: 1 

IVY 
Conference Class-Small 
Solid: Harvard 
Work To Do: Princeton 
Spec on the Ivy Vine: Harvard is ranked getting close to bulletproof. If the Yalies or Quakers cant slow them down soon the auto bid might be locked up without much more of a fight 
Key Game: Harvard at Penn Friday 7p Expect the historic Palestra to be at its rockin’ rowdy best with the ranked Crimson in town.

Projected Bids: 1 


Missouri Valley 
Conference Class-Mid Major 
Solid: Creighton 
Work to do: Wichita State,
Missouri Valley Skinny: Another of my favorite conferences has a ranked team at the head of its class though the BlueJays took a stunning pratfall at UNI and though they are still ranked have a hard charging Shocker team even with them in the standings now. I still think both teams are tourney worthy.

Key Game: Northern Iowa at Wichita State Wednesday 8p The Panthers fresh off their upset of Creighton are the Shockers problem now.

Projected Bids: 2 


Mountain West 
Conference Class-Major 
Solid: San Diego State, UNLV 
Work to do: None 
Spec from the Mountains: Without a certain Mormon squad casting a shadow the MWC is a two team struggle.  
Key Game: San Diego State at UNLV Saturday 4p A super huge matchup, winner gets inside track on MWC top seed 
Projected Bids: 2 


Pacific 12 
Conference Class-Power 
Solid: Washington, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona
Work to do: Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State 
Spec from the left coast: This is a messy situation as usual. Though unlike years past there are at least a a couple teams that are good enough to make the tourney without a host of snickers from the peanut gallery…maybe.The Huskies are grinding out ugly but effective wins. As soon as you get sold on the Bears they take a stupid loss, witness losing 2 of three winnable home games. Colorado is new to the Pac12 mess but they fit right in with puzzling play and a tendency to play bad on the road. Arizona? Well…they are in the mix for now…but stay tuned. The working teams in the Cardinal, Bruins and Beavers need to string some wins together to stay on this list

 Key Games: Washington at Oregon  11p (FOX Sports) Thursday The Huskies head into the woods to take on a Ducks squad needing a signature win. 
Projected Bids: 5



Southeastern 
Conference Class-Power 
Solid: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida, Mississippi State 
Work to do: Arkansas, Alabama Ole Miss, 
Spec is Down South: The Wildcats looked almost bored in thumping South Carolina and are pretty safe right now. Beyond Florida, the SEC looks pretty humdrum though the Commodores and Bulldogs haven’t done anything to not be included on the Solid list but Vandy had better right itself fast.

Key Game: Florida at Kentucky Tuesday 7p (ESPN) The Gators are maybe one of the few SEC teams that could stop the rampaging Wildcats…maybe. 
Projected Bids: 4


Western Athletic 
Conference Class- Major 
Solid: Nevada
Work to do:  New Mexico State,
Spec on the WAC: Nevada took its first loss since since Thanksgiving but is still in pretty good shape, though the Aggies are still very much in the hunt 
Key Game: Nevada at Hawai’i Friday 1a (ESPNU) The Wolfpack head to the Big Island with a big target on their backs.

Projected Bids: 2 

West Coast 
Conference Class- Mid Major 
Solid: St. Marys 
Work to do: Gonzaga, BYU 
West Coast Spec: The Gaels are the bully this year and have been playing like it. The Bulldogs and Cougars are jostling for a 2^nd spot here. 
Key Game: St. Mary’s at Gonzaga Thursday 11p (ESPN2) The Gaels are heading into an extremely hostile venue in the Kennel

Projected Bids: 2 

There are others in the mix to be sure. Teams from the always dangerous Colonial and Big South always are in the mix and can send multiple teams. Of course the champions from the following conferences get an automatic bid: Amer. East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big West, MAC, MAAC, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Sun Belt, Summit, and SWAC 

Since this is still early spec, nothing here is solid and we haven't even brought up the possibility of upsets. But those never happen, right? 

Next Spec on Friday!

Phat Dap Head Slap

Phat Dap

To Knicks Guard Jeremy Lin, who had enough to overcome being Asian-American playing basketball but also coming out of Harvard (Harvard???) he scored a career high 28 points to lead the Knicks to a win Monday night as he filled in for Amare Stoudamire who had to leave the team due to the death of his older brother (condolences to the Stoudamire family) Dap to Lin for perserving and becoming a possible new option for the Knicks offense off the bench.

Head Slap

Never a favorite of mine, Steelers LB James Harrison leading those that were chortling about the Pats loss in the Super Bowl. Saying "I told you, Cheaters never win."  Ummm im sorry, Mr. Harrison were you there...oh thats right your team got Tebowed and were out the first round. Do the sporting world a favor and keep your yap shut unless you are winning Super Bowls you have no place to shot call

Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans!

Comments?(8)

Gather round chil’ren and let the Bandit tell you a football tale. About 50 years ago, there was a man named Lamar Hunt he was a son of an Oil Baron and was a sports fan, so much so that he wanted to own a football team. He approached the one team that was in fairly dire financial straits the Chicago Cardinals (yes Chicago had two teams at one time). The Bidwell family was casting a longing eye to moving to St. Louis though and more or less rebuffed Hunt’s inquiries. With the NFL at the time showing no signs of expanding beyond its 12 teams, Hunt looked to be out of luck. Undaunted he recruited five other businessmen (they were call sportsmen at the time) to form what they called “The Foolish Club” Their aim was to create a new football league in cities that didn’t have them. At first the NFL was happy to lend a hand and even gave a copy of its league charter and rules for the new league to base itself from. With the addition of owners in New York and hotel magnate Barron Hilton creating a Los Angeles team the new christened American Football League looked ready to go. But the NFL seeing that the AFL was a viable threat moved quickly, expanding by two teams with one going to the would be owners of the Minnesota AFL franchise and putting another in Dallas in direct competition with Hunt’s team. The move nearly killed the AFL before its first game. But after finding owners in Oakland the AFL started with 8 teams in 1960. Its first game was between the Denver Broncos and the Boston Patriots. After showing its viability over their first five years, the AFL garnered a big TV contract with NBC in the mid-sixties and started a bidding war for players. It wasn’t uncommon to see top name players drafted by teams in both leagues. Joe Namath was drafted by the Cardinals, Gale Sayers by the Chiefs (Hunt’s team moved to Kansas City in 1963) but when Charlie Gogolak was signed by the Giants in 1965 after playing out his option in Buffalo the war for established players was on. And it got costly real fast. With one time Oakland Raiders GM Al Davis was  named AFL Commissioner with the sole intent on a high priced bidding war with the NFL, peace had to be found. Leave it to Lamar Hunt and Cowboys GM Tex Schramm to broker a peace deal. When the deal was brought to NFL commish Pete Rozelle he was initially against it but when told that the NFL owners were going to go with it with or without him was at the forefront of getting the merger approved. The result of the merger would be a newly created championship game between the two league champions. Rozelle initially thought of calling it the Pro Bowl but the NFL’s All-Star game already had that title. So an unwieldy AFL-NFL World Championship Game title was used for the first two. Though some journalists were calling it the Super Bowl. Hunt coined that name from watching his children play with a Super Ball. Rozelle thought the term too slangy and not regal enough for a “World Series of Pro Football” Rozelle however couldn’t come up with another name and going forward from the third game the name was made official. After the first two games being blow outs by the Packers there was talk about reseeding the teams like a tournament, especially given that the Baltimore Colts were looking like a stone cold lock to throttle the AFL champ New York Jets, but led by their brash but talented QB Joe Namath the Jets turned the football world on its ear with a 16-7 upset win, add a 23-7 win by Chiefs over a supposedly superior Vikings team in the last AFL-NFL game and the AFL and Super Bowl had arrived. For many a player their career is defined by this game and there are legendary players who have never even got to this point while no-names sport the gaudy baubles that go to the winning team. “If it’s the ultimate game, why do they play it next year?” The famously withdrawn Cowboys RB Duane Thomas asked before the 6^th Super Bowl. But he is one that proudly displays his Super Bowl Ring. The winners share is about $90K but it’s the championship ring, which to the man seems to be the overriding thing. 49ers reserve RB Johnny Davis summed it nicely saying “The money is nice but I’ll spend that, the ring is what lasts forever.”

Fast Facts about the Super Bowl after 46 games.

There has never been a shutout or overtime. The Dolphins 3 points in the 6^th game and the Vikings 6 in the 9^th game the lowest totals and the only time a team has been held without an offensive touchdown. The Patriots won two of their three Super Bowls on last second field goals to avert overtimes.

The two combatants have played in 12 of the past 26 Super Bowls (Giants 21, 25, 35, 42, 46) Patriots (20, 31, 36, 38, 39, 42 & 46)

This is the 5^th Super Bowl Rematch (Mia-Was, Pit-Dal 3x, SF-Cin, Dal-Buffalo)

There have been a number of kickoff and interception returns for touchdowns, but never a punt return.

Super Bowl 46

NFC Champion New York Giants (12-7) vs. AFC Champion New England Patriots (15-3) for the NFL Championship and the Vince Lombardi Trophy

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis 6:30 (NBC)

Favorite Patriots by 1½

Coaches NY: Tom Coughlin 81-57 in 8 seasons in New York 153-121 overall in 16 seasons in Jacksonville and New York 1-0 in Super Bowls

NE: Bill Belichick 153-58 in 12 seasons in New England 202-103 in 16 seasons with Cleveland and New England 3-1 in Super Bowls

How they got Here

New England: AFC #1 seed 13-3 AFC East Champions

Earned First Round bye as AFC’s top seed

Defeated AFC West Champion Denver Broncos 45-10 in Divisional Round

Defeated AFC North Champion Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in Conference Championship

New York:  NFC #4 seed 9-7 NFC East Champions

Defeated  NFC Wild Card Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in Wild Card Round

Defeated  NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers 37-20 in Divisional Round

Defeated NFC West Champion San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in OT in Conference Championship

Fast Facts NE: Only the third team to reach the Super Bowl without beating a team with a winning record in the regular season (74 Steelers, 99 Rams who both won their respective Super Bowls)  NY: Coach At 65, Tom Coughlin is oldest to coach a Super Bowl

Key Players:  NE: Tom Brady 5235 Yds Passing 39 TDs, Rob Gronkowski 90 Rec 1327 17 Rec TD , Wes Welker 122 Rec 1569 yds, Vince Wilfork 52 Tackles 3.5 sacks Andre Carter 10.5 sacks, Jerrod Mayo 95 tackles

NY Eli Manning 4933 Yds Passing 29 TDs , Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz 82 Rec 1536 9Tds, Jason Pierre-Paul 16.5 sacks, Justin Tuck 5 Sacks 37 Tackles

Last Meeting (regular season) Giants won 24-20 in week 9, (Super Bowl) Giants beat Patriots 17-14)

When the Patriots Have the Ball

Without question, Tom Brady is the heart and soul of the Pats offense, his deft touch, strong arm and leadership are what makes the high powered offense run. The two tight end set is a real headache to plan for but with Gronkowski hobbled with a high ankle sprain a key cog is slowed. The fearless and dependable Welker seems to always make the clutch catch. The Pats have no real burner threats as the again Deion Branch and little used Chad Ochocinco have been little used. The Giants have a solid pass rush with the freakishly athletic Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and run clogger Osi Umenyiora providing push up front. The Giants will employ much of the same strategy that they did in their Super Bowl meeting four years ago. Hit Tom Brady as often as possible, knock him down make him as uncomfortable as possible

When the Giants have the Ball

Eli Manning has shed the “little brother” status and has stepped into his own as a bona fine big money quarterback. He doesn’t look the part to be sure, but time and time again he makes the big plays, hits the key throws and has become the indispensible part of the Giants offense. In any other year his nearly 5000 yards passing would be lionized and celebrated. But with the exploits of Rodgers, Brees and his counterpart Brady; Manning has toiled in the shadows. As many shadows as can be as a New York QB. But in the playoffs he has sparkled and with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw giving him a decent running complement, the Giants offense while not flashy can put points on the board. The Pats defense while much maligned bends deeply but doesn’t break often. Vince Wilfork is a dependable run clogger while Jerrod Mayo and Andre Carter have become solid defenders in their own right. It’s easy to point at the frightening amount of yardage the Pats defense gave up in the regular season at north of 400 yards a game. But in two postseason contests they have given up a more tolerable 325 yards per contest

Coaching

Bill Belichick seems to keep coming up with a winning formula, aside from Brady you can shuffle players in and out and the Pats machine keeps rolling with it laconic almost brooding coach. A win here will only solidify his position as this generation’s best coach. Tom Coughlin always seems to be under fire for his job but unlike his preening grinning jeering Gotham coaching counterpart, can win the big games and steal the thunder.

The Final verdict

Contrary to the records this is a fairly even matchup. Both teams have big game quarterbacks who have won this before. Both are fairly veteran laden teams who have experienced the hubbub of footballs yearly Holy Grail, the question is which teams defense will step up. The Giants defense has been stellar over the playoff run but they have that tendency to turn in a snoozer in games you expect them to play big. The Pats defense hasn’t been that much to write home about themselves but seem to hold up just enough to allow Brady and the offense to cover the points. Conventional wisdom is playing up the Giants being the underdog again, but I’m not buying it. Manning is far from the wide-eyed QB he looked to be in the last Super Bowl matchup. Brady is looking to join a very exclusive fraternity with a fourth Super Bowl win. I’m seeing a tight duel between two of the league’s best QB’s against defenses that while serviceable can be strafed. Whoever gets last licks may take the hardware home. Flip a coin as this one is really too close to call but for some reason the Manning winning a trophy in the house his brother built seems a little too hokey and storybook. Just on straight gut my pick is…

Patriots 27 Giants 23

Comments?(3)

Aww quit yer bellyachin' Dwight you will go somewhere and get paid!

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where some of the locals do know why they call it the Super Bowl…

The preview of the Super Bowl is here plus the first bare bones Spec Sheet. But first I have to start this weeks musings with real musings.

Your humble scribe spent the weekend in Columbus, where the lovely Lady Bandit lives and was mildly amused by the so-called protest from the Columbus Blue Jackets fans who seem to be rather fed up with the direction or lack of their team. As a Red Wing fan, I entertained myself by wearing the colors proudly on Saturday and relished the dirty looks I got from the jealous fans. I heard a fan say that the Jackets were the laughingstock of the league. I would dare surmise that the Jackets are one of the most ignored teams in the league. Most of the hardcore fans don’t think much of the potential of this team or franchise. Having been in the NHL since the 2000 season, the Jackets have made the playoffs all of one time and got a quick gate from the Red Wings in four games. The Jackets and their expansion cousins, the Minnesota Wild came into the NHL in 2000 but the Wild have been way more successful and have made deeper playoff runs. I have heard more than a few rumors that the owners of the Jackets are looking to other venues Kansas City and Houston have new state of the art arenas with big better scoreboards and more revenue. But with the new casinos going up the west metro, the runoff could make them stay. The Lady Bandit was very succinct in her assessment. “Folks in Columbus have no tolerance for losers.” The hiring of Urb Meyer at THE Ohio State University to shore up a fallen program backs that theory up.

How to be loyal to a team that you aren’t close to

I grew up in Cincinnati and for a time, I was a Bengals fan. I lived and died with the stripes. Keep in mind, that this was the days of Forrest Gregg and Sam Wyche coaching. Kenny Anderson & Boomer Esiason at quarterback, Pete Johnson, James Brooks and Ickey Woods running the ball; And Issac Curtis, Eddie Brown Tim McGee and Cris Collinsworth making catches. I soured on the Bengals not long after the 1991 season. It was the first season of the dark ages for the Bengals. They went 3-13 and were just horrible. My favorite player (James Brooks) got released and Sam Wyche was unceremoniously dumped. The Bengals then started on their path of stupid draft picks, picking wunderkind David Klingler. Nevermind that they still had a very serviceable quarterback in Esiason and hiring David Shula as coach. Klingler was pressed into service and was simply put not ready for the pro game. But then again, neither was David Shula. For reasons that only Mike Brown knows, Shula was allowed to coach 4 ½ seasons before being fired in 1996. I gave up on the Bengals not long after the Shula era began. I began to search for a new team to root for. My homeboy Guido was a Bills fan and talked about going to Buffalo to catch a game and in 1993 we did. This was the Jim Kelly-Thurman Thomas-Bruce Smith era. The Bills were everything the Bengals weren’t and I enjoyed the trip, though the Bills lost the game I had a great time and a had a new team to root for. Ironically the last of my four trips to Buffalo the Bills stomped the Bengals not too long after they had fired Dave Shula.

I had a small problem not too long after I moved from Cincinnati to Minnesota in 1997, the Bills were now much further away than an 8 eight hour drive that me and Guido made and add to boot the Bills got stomped on opening day of 1997 by the Vikings. I had to sit glumly in a suburban Twin Cities sports bar and listen to Vikings fans go bonkers as Robert Smith ran hog wild on the Bills. I tried to resist the people telling me that I needed to back the local team, but the Vikings looked like a team that was always in contention. I decided to change my allegiance and follow the Vikings, it didn’t hurt that Bills were slowly coming apart and that they had acquired a player I wasn’t too fond of. I would be damned if I was going to be a Flutie fanatic. So after four years and two painful NFC title game losses. I moved back to the Hoodwood in 2000, but did I switch to the home team??? Are you kidding? The Bengals were still adrift in loser land. I kept my Vikings gear on and watched the Bengals flounder and my loyalties deepened. Even though, I got to see the Vikings live on the rare occasion that they got close enough. Detroit and Chicago are makeable 5 hour roadies but both are quite hostile to the opposition. I went to see my first Bengals game since 1998 and as usual I was rooting for the visitor the problem, was the home Bengals were much improved and laid a 37-8 woodshed whooping on my beloved Vikings, Carson Palmer found Chad Johnson on a go route 2 plays into the game and I spent the better part of 3 hours listening to the taunts of a giddy crowd. But the question still begs itself, how do you live in one area and your favorite team is not only in another state, area and time zone but the other conference? The answer, you learn to find watering holes that have Sunday ticket. Now I got lucky for the most part the last three years. The Vikings and their chapter in the Favre saga made them prime TV so they were on often. This year with the home stnading Bengals rarely on TV when they were home, I got to see plenty of Vikings games. The problem was now, they suck. A 3-13 season was tough to take. But unlike other season and teams I followed when I was younger, I will stick with my teams. Its funny, other than the minor league hockey team I root for no pro teams in the area. I long turned away from the Reds, going only because I love baseball. My loyalty is with the Twins. I have no favorite pro basketball team having long since grown disillusioned with the Timberwolves and if you think Ive ever been a Wild fan in hockey you’re sadly mistaken. Im a Red Wings fan which as previously mentioned, is a fun way to irritate the locals when the Lady Bandit and I are out on the town in Columbus.

Requiem for a fallen Bearcat

The flags are at half-staff for a fallen Bearcat. Greg Cook passed away late last week of pneumonia at the age of 65 was simply put a Bearcat football legend. His passing helped the Bearcats lead the nation in total offense in 1968 and his 554 yards passing against Ohio U was a national record at the time remains a Bearcat single game record. Cook was the Bengals top draft choice in the 1969 AFL/NFL draft and was so talented and prepared that he earned the starting job in training camp and was the Bengals opening day starter. The Bengals steamed out to a 3-0 start in 1969, equaling their win total of their inaugural season. But Cook was sacked in 2^nd quarter in their game against the Chiefs, he left the game after throwing one more pass and then sat out all or parts of the next four games before returning against the then unbeaten Raiders. Cook played well and the Bengals beat the Raiders 31-17, this was no mean feat. The John Madden coached Raiders went  12-1-1 in 1969 and wouldn’t lose again until they lost the penultimate AFL title game to the Chiefs. Cook, however would not play again in that or any season. He had what was later diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, which in effect ended his career; this was before Tommy John surgery. Drew Brees had a similar injury but with modern surgery was able to recover and has had a pretty decent run since.  Cook returned in 1970 but didn’t play and was on the Bengals roster till 1973 but never played again. The Bengals drafted Kenny Anderson in 1971 and he was the franchise QB for the next 14 years. Cook never threw another pass as a pro again. Many old time Bengals fans lament at what could have been with the strong armed Cook piloting the Bengals in the 1970s. Likened to the arm strength of Terry Bradshaw and the offensive mind of a Joe Montana, Cook might have been one of the best that never was.

College Champeenship

Two weeks ago I whittled a 16 team field down to two. Alabama and Oregon. I loaded the teams into the NCAA simulator on the PS3 and came up with this final...

Alabama 41 Oregon 23

Bama’s offense while not spectacular, wore down the Ducks with a methodical meat and potatoes offense. Almost Big Ten like. Keeping Oregons high speed offense on the sidelines for much the game. The Crimson Tide pounded the ball relentlessly and forced the Ducks into three turnovers into which was cashed into 17 points. The game really wasnt that close it was 34-10 at the start of the 4th. The Ducks had four straight series in which they went 3 and out and barely used a minute on the clock cause their quarterback kept missing passes or was getting climbed by the relentless Tide pass rush. The Tide was never headed as they jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead and rolled the "National Championship" in an almost boring game.

Okay, you're saying So what Bandit, I got the same national champ as the real world. But the fact remains that a tournament would be a smashing way to end a season and would be a great opening act to the Super Bowl. .

Phat Dap/Head Slap

Phat Dap

Dap to Novak Djokovic who outlasted Rafael Nadal in a greuling five set Aussie Open Final. Five hours and fifty six minutes.  5:56! I could drive to Chicago from Cincy in that amount of time and be in the hotel in that time. Djokovic fought off a game rally by Rafa to win the longest final in the Open era. A match that will grow in legend like the Born-McEnroe Wimbeldon epic in 1980 or the Nadal-Feder marathon in that same historic venue in 2008. Nadal seems to like these long match and Djokovic does too, that win comes a day after he outslugged Andy Murray in a five set semifinal epic. Djokovic is the best in the game right now and won two thrillers to prove it.

Head Slap

Head Slap to the Orlando Magic who in the span of three days got housed by the Boston Celtics in Boston 87-56 last Monday. The Magic then played the Celtics the following Thursday and raced out to 58-37 halftime lead and lost that one too and it wasnt even close. The Magic scored all of 25 points in the fucking second half! The Celtics blew past the Magic and won by 8 91-83. The Magic look like a team that has just faded away after a fast start and are getting worn down by the where Dwight going chatter (More on that in a bit). Ive never been a fan of Stan Van Gundy, his whining over the top hysterics have always annoyed me and just the fact that hes the older brother of Jeff Van Gundy (someone I like as an analyst but never as a coach) is just that much more are reason. A small slap goes to Dwight Howard who continues to spin the rumor mill of teams he’s“ interested“ in. Now its the Bulls, I think Howard is a good player but he’s getting like some of these other players that want to team up with a bunch of others to win a title. Not good enough to do it on his own, so he will whore himself out to the highest bidder or the team that he thinks may be the closest to a title.

Super Bowl Preview and Spec Sheets...delayed.

You want the dope on who the Bandit thinks leaves Indy with the Super Bowl Trophy? Im still writing it...Check back on the NFL page on Friday for the Super Bowl preview that will be chock full of info stats and history.

The dribbling sound you hear in the distance is the spec sheet coming as February starts so will the return of the now legendary almost mythical spec sheet. Started in 2005 as a way of speculating to coworkers who would make the NCAA tournament that year, the Spec sheet grew to must read status after posting on a once well read blog. It comes back to Yougabsports and the Hoodwood starting Friday and will be part of the Musings every week until Selection Sunday.

Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans!

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You bet your bottom dollar that these are not the last trophies that they want to be holding... Pats owner Robert Kraft holds the AFC Trophy while Giants owner John Mara and QB Eli Manning examine the NFC trophy...Nice Baubles to be sure but its the solid silver football named after Lombardi that each of them want to be holding in Indy in two weeks time.

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where the locals are still debating if the flags should be lowered for JoePa...

And Then There were two.

Indy isn’t too far from the hoodwood, I can leave my house and be in front of Lucas Oil Stadium in about 100 minutes. The dream of every NFL player is to get to this point. Some like Tom Brady have been there often. Some like his underused teammate Chad Ochocinco may play a whole career as a star in one city and never get close, yet play sparingly in another city and have a shot at something that so few players get. There are two teams left, and they are headed to the biggest game of the year. The Super Bowl

The Pats went to the wire dealing with a bruising Ravens squad and escaped with a 23-20 decision to go to their 7^th Super Bowl and 5^th in the Brady-Belichick era. The Patriots salad days have been because of a 6^th rounder and a coach on his second go-round, the other parts have been interchangeable from the running game to receivers to defense to even the stadium. But the QB and coach have been the constants in one of the best teams in the NFL over the past decade. Also, can we please please please start giving Ravens QB Joe Flacco some much needed dap? Flacco did nothing but get um flak from the so-called experts who continue to knock him and his playing ability. He outplayed Tom Brady Sunday, yes he did. Flacco threw for better than 300 yards, and were it not for Lee Evans showing why the Bills gave him the gate, Billy Cundiff would not start being metaphor for gaffled kicks and Flacco would be a celebrated hero as one of the few that took Brady down in the playoffs. The Pats much maligned defense did just enough to get the win. Vince Willfork (where has this guy been all season?) played like a possessed man, making tackles belting Flacco and cause enough havoc to get the Pats the win.  Watching the end of the game, I honestly thought that the Ravens would go for the knockout late and the win and the Anquan Boldin seemed to keep making catch after clutch catch. But the Pats head to Indy after dodging a kill shot by the Ravens.

The G-Men are like that lop eared mutt, messy ungainly and rough around the edges. My man Jonesie openly despises Eli Manning. He used words like overrated, whiny ass and punk bitch in describing the laconic Giants signal caller. The younger Manning seems to rub most fans outside of Gotham the wrong way. Not glamourous like his older brother, Eli looks like a mutt and a goober. The problem with the assessment is that he wins and takes and ungodly amount of punishment doing so. Ive rarely seen a QB stand in the pocket,  get hit like he does yet seem to get the ball where he is supposed to get it to. In the the NFC title game against the Niners Manning just seemed to get the job done. I know, he has the pedigree of Brady but doesn’t look the part. He has the grit of a Flacco but doesn’t have an up from nowhere story. He’s a top draft pick like Alex Smith  but thru the orchestrations of his daddy, never had to really face tough adversity. New York’s notoriously fickle and harsh fans notwithstanding. So Manning has taken more shit for who he isn’t than any quarterback, but dig this. If he comes out on top he will be only one of 9 quarterbacks to have led his team to multiple Super Bowl wins and separate himself a great deal from his more celebrated brother. In any case, the Giants had to battle not only a game Niners squad but a hostile environment in crowd and weather.  A game for grinders, the first half was marked by sluggish play interrupted by a burst of lightning. Vernon Davis got loose on a sideliner and raced 73 yards for a score in the 1^st and again dented the end zone with a 28 yard score in the 3^rd, this sandwiched around a Manning touchdown pass to McKenna “Bear” Pascoe (Pascoe’s first TD) and a field goal. The score 14-10 going into the 4^th was a portent of my own prediction of a tight taut game. But you knew something was bound to turn it. Kyle Williams made the mistake of getting to close to a punt in the 4^th and it brushed his knee enough for the Giants to pounce and cash in. Manning to Manningham gave the G-Men the lead in the 2^nd half. The Niners tied it late and with no late scoring the game went to OT. The whole possibility of a controversial OT ending died when both teams traded punts.  The Giants 2^nd punt of the OT was the turning point when Kyle Williams fielded this punt and had the ball punched out of his grasp. The G-Men used their oft-maligned running game to pound the ball close and for the second time in 4 years Lawrence Tynes sent a hostile crowd home sad with a field goal. This one much shorter at 31 yards and we now have the first Super Bowl rematch since the Cowboys and Steelers in Super Bowl 30. Of course I’ll preview it but not now…The preview comes next week with the college finale and the first Spec Sheet.

Joe Paterno 1926-2012

Joe Paterno passed away Sunday at the age of 85. Paterno will forever be linked with the one school he coached Penn State. His 409 coaching wins and 46 coaching seasons are D-1 records that will never be broken.  I can name on one finger anyone that I know that worked at one company as long as Joe Paterno was the head coach of Penn State. My Grampy worked for Ford for 47 years and if you want to get real technical Paterno started at Penn State as an assistant in 1950, 2 years before my Grampy started at Ford and coached 12 years past my Grampy’s retirement.  The numbers just boggle the mind.  The countless young men that donned the simple blue and white unis of Penn State and came out of Happy Valley will speak reverently of Paterno and by and large he was a good man, a man of character and a man of principle. But it will be the sad coda of which his career at Penn State ended, under cloud of scandal, ignorance and coverup that may be the legacy that many may remember him.

Myself, I was never a big Penn State fan. They were too boring for me. I thought that  their fans were too snooty and were a public school version of another school I despised Notre Dame. Joe Paterno was the coach with the pop-bottle glasses that never sounded like he was very happy with his team. I especially grew to loath Paterno after the Nittany Lions hung an 81-0 decision on my school in 1991. Paterno said with shrugged shoulders that he wasn’t trying to run up the score that he was just giving his 3^rd and 4^th stringers an opportunity to play. But Paterno seemed like he was settling an old score for a 14-3 upset the Bearcats hung on them in 1983. I was really not a fan.

As I got older I grew to respect Paterno because he fought the good fight, he was a man who stuck doggedly to his dogma and principles. He just seemed like someone that was really one that pushed education and made the business of  a student athlete focused more on the student. The story of injured DB Adam Taliaferro near fatal injury and how Paterno stuck by his side and made sure that he continued to get the education that his scholarship afforded even after it was clear that he would not be able to play anymore is something that warms the heart and illustrates why so many of his players were so fiercely loyal. The problem with lionizing a man is that a man has foibles. Paterno became such an institution, became so ingrained, was so much of the culture that he became insular and insulated and the sickening allegations that were brought on by the Sandusky matter painted him as someone who was playing by the old boy network.  Had this happened in 1999 and Paterno was out front of this, slammed Sandusky and repudiated any and all actions by the man, it would have burnished his image further as the coach who was the dean of fair play and morality. If shit like this happened in Happy Valley JoePa would be on the front lines leading the charge to get rid of it and the perpetrators. But instead he passed it along, did nothing and hoped it would go away and when that boomerang came back. As shit like this tends to do, Paterno looked more like someone who was out of touch had no clue and was trying to do more covering and hiding than leading the fight.  Paterno was a great coach and for the most part a great man. But the way his coaching career ended was sad if not tragic and when he was dismissed it was hard not to be fatalistic and think that he would not live long enough to see another coach lead what he always thought of as his team out of the tunnel onto the field at Beaver Stadium. Im wondering how long it will be before Penn State names the venue after Paterno and tries to blot away the final stain on an otherwise stellar coaching legacy and career.

Phat Dap/Head Slap

Phat Dap

The only good thing about the Pro Bowl being the week before the Super Bowl instead of after is that it gives some players a shot at going to Hawai’i that would not have before. With Eli Manning and Tom Brady headed to Indy, hot rookies Cam Newton of the Panthers and Andy Dalton of the Bengals got the call to fill their place. Dalton and Newton were first alternates and since Brady and Manning who were initially named to their respective conference squads have other pressing matters on the 29^th, the deserving rookies head to Honolulu. Geno Atkins and Jermaine Gresham of the Bengals also get to fill in the Pro Bowl slots for Vince Willfork and Rob Gronkowski . I still think that the Pro Bowl should be after the Super Bowl but you know that players would be asking out anyway.  Give some players that want to go a shot.

Head Slap

The Head Slap goes to the dumbass that sent the twitter post threatening 49ers Kyle Williams for his miscues in the NFC Championship game. Williams was hit by a punt and fumbled another both leading directly to points and in the case of the 2^nd miscue the winning field goal for the Giants. Williams who is the son of White Sox GM Kenny made tough mistakes but to single him out and worse still to threaten his life over a game is inane and stupid. It’s a game…that’s all…get a life   Another head slap goes to Bruins goalie Tim Thomas who decided to skip the Bruins visit to the White House and meeting with President Obama.Thomas, who apparently has political ideological differences with the President, made a statement that he had no intentions of meeting the president and was pointedly skipping the trip. Obama nevertheless spoke glowingly about Thomas’ performance during the Bruins run to the 2011 Cup.

I know this week was a bit short, but next weeks edition will be chock full of Super Bowl info, the College finale and the first Spec Sheet along with anything else I can think of. Until next post fellow Sports Fans!

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To four teams, the beacon is there just beyond the horizon. The ultimate goal of getting to Lucas Oil Stadium in the first Sunday in February is within grasp. The conference championships bring four teams that have won 13 of the 45 Super Bowls played to date and  5 in the last 12 years. The 49ers have the longest drought, having been 16 years without and their opponent the Giants most recent Super Bowl winner. The conference champions will get hardware The Halas trophy for the NFC champions and the Hunt Trophy for the AFC winners, but you can be sure that to a man that is not a trophy that they want to hold for long. The winners get a shot at that awe-inspring Tiffany silver football. This is the conference championships the winners head to the Super Bowl. Updated odds are provided by bodog.net for comparison and entertainment purposes only. If you get took, don’t ask me for a ride to Indy because you spent your gas money on the lines and got hosed.

Sunday January 22

American Football Conference Championship

#2  Baltimore Ravens  (13-4) AFC North Champ  @ #1 Patriots (14-3) AFC East Champ

Gillette Stadium; Foxboro, MA 3:00 (CBS)

Favorite Patriots by 7½

Last Week Ravens beat Texans 20-13, Patriots beat Broncos 45-10

Last Playoff Meeting Ravens beat Patriots 33-14 in 2009 AFC Divisional Round in only postseason meeting

Fast Facts BAL: Ravens only allow 16.6 points and 288.9 yards a game both 3^rd ranked in the NFL. NE: TE Rob Gronkowski set TE records with 1327 receiving yards and 17 TD’s

The Ravens won a rugged contest with the tougher than advertised Texans and move on to face an even tougher adversary. The Patriots thrashed the media darling Tebow-led Broncos without breaking a sweat and QB Tom Brady has been playing with the “Ya’ll must’ve forgot ‘bout me” mentality in throwing a record tying six TD passes in the rout. It comes down to the Pats high powered offense against the Ravens aging but still talented and hardhitting defense. Defensive stalwart may have ruffled the pride of his own QB Joe Flacco woth comments earlier in the week which may portent a dissension on both sides of the ball. Brady has a pair of solid TE’s to work with and a bevy of veteran WR’s at his disposal. Look for him to spread the ball around and keep the Ravens defense guessing. The Pats defense while much maligned needs only to keep Ray Rice from having a big day and force Flacco to beat them something I don’t think that they will do. The Ravens jumped on the Pats fast in their first playoff meeting. I don’t see that happening.

Pick-New England

National Football Conference Championship

#4 Giants (11-7) NFC East Champ @ #2 49ers (14-3) NFC West Champ

Candlestick Park, San Francisco 6:30 (FOX)

Favorite 49ers by 3

Last Week Giants beat Packers 37-20, 49ers beat Saints 36-32

Last Playoff Meeting 49ers defeated Giants 39-38 in 2002 Wild Card Round (8^th overall playoff meeting 49ers lead the postseason series 4-3)

Fast Facts: NY: First playoff team to start as a wild card and win more than one playoff game by double digit. SF: Lead the NFL with 77.3 rushing yards per game allowed and 38 takeaways

The fact is neither one of these teams were expected to be here at season’s start or the start of the playoffs for that matter. The Niners used a late drive engineered by Alex Smith echoing Montana and Young to stun the Saints. The G-Men woke up echoes of an equally stunning upset to knock off the heretofore invincible Pack at Lambeau. I still have a hard time believing that the Giants running game can do what it did the last two games against the rugged Niners defense. Yes, Drew Brees did throw for better than 450 yards against them but the defense also forced multiple turnovers. I don’t think that Alex Smith will have the type a game that he did against the Saints but he will play a solid low mistake game, and Frank Gore is way overdue for a breakout game. The Giants have been playing with house money for a while and I think the road woes will catch up with them. The Niners will head to Indy looking for an unprecedented 7^th Super Bowl title after winning the NFC title in a tight taut thriller.

Pick-San Francisco

Last Week: 2-2

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