Walker-Sports Top 25 Poll:Who Doesnt Love UGA?

The week is done, and for once Georgia actually did something to deserve their rank (congrats to them). Elsewhere, with SEC action kicking off, that almost guarantees there will be some movement in the Top 25. Let’s see how things shook out.


1)Georgia Bulldogs: They went on the road across the country and beat a good ASU team. And why the score was 27-10, the win was much more impressive than that. The Georgia Bulldogs made a statement and their defense dominated the opposition.


2) USC: The Trojans enjoyed a week off, and for all intents and purposes they can put it into cruise control till January when they play in the BCS Championship game. The key will be maintaining focus and not allowing a mishap like they had against Stanford last season.


3) Oklahoma: The Sooners rested this weekend, and are gearing up for another tough Big 12 schedule. Although Stoops won’t admit it, it is my belief that he has a very special team on his hands this season. Let’s just hope they can avoid their annual pitfall to Oklahoma State.


4) Florida Gators: What a show the Gators put on at Neyland Stadium in Tennessee. I knew they Gators could beat the Vols, but they way they dismantled that team was very impressive. That is why they managed to jump the Mizzu Tigers in this week’s poll. Impressive wins are always rewarded.


5) Missouri Tigers: The Tigers got the big win last weekend against Buffalo, but it looks like some of their players may be reading too many of their own press clippings. The Tigers had a very sloppy game that saw three fumbles by their wide outs. This is a talented team, but they will need to tighten up if they want to survive the Big 12.


6) LSU: Gutsy Gusty Gutsy performance this weekend against Auburn. Hell, scoring 26 points against that team was impressive in its own right. LSU may be the quietest big name player in the title hunt today. They are playing very good football, and largely have been overlooked by most. The win over Auburn gives them the leg up on a trip to ATL to play for the SEC Championship.


7) Wisconsin: The Badgers are about to go one a one month stretch that will determine their entire season. If they win all their games, they will factor into the national title race. If they lose even two of them, then it’s back to the Capital One Bowl. At Michigan, followed by home games against Ohio State and Penn State. All three games are anything but a give men (yes I realize Michigan is on that list). October could be a big month in Badger country.


8) Texas: Okay they destroyed another mediocre school from the state of Texas. I’m beginning to think that Mack Brown is taking all his scheduling hints from the king of the Ohio Cup Jim Tressel and OSU. Texas rolled Rice, next week they take on a horrible looking Arkansas team. The test for the Longhorns begins in two weeks when they face the Sooners, and turn around and have to play Missouri the following week. That could make or break the Longhorns season.


9) Alabama: I cannot believe Nick Saban made this turnaround this quickly. I don’t like the guy but he is a helluva coach. A balanced attack that is explosive on offense and special teams, and a defense that knows how to go out and find the ball. Saban is making me a believer that his Alabama team could factor into the SEC Championship race.


10) Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are here because I cannot demote them for having the most cupcake schedule in the world. In all honesty this is a team that still barely cracks the top half of the Big 12. Another big win over UMass (I didn’t know they played football) and now the Red Raiders are ready for a reality check in the Big 12 season.


11) South Florida: There is a disturbing trend with this team they give up way too many points late in games. Last week they gave up 9 points in about 3 minutes in the fourth and all of a sudden a lock game becomes a close one. Lucky for the Bulls, they play in the Big East and WVU has proven they can’t beat anyone.


12) BYU: Another week and another shutout victory. The most impressive part of this BYU team may be their defense which now has back to back shutouts. They are just waiting to play cross state rival Utah and then punch their ticket to crash the BCS. The Rose Bowl committee should be looking at this team.


13) Penn State: Much like Alabama, this years Penn State team is a squad I am gaining confidence in. Granted beating Temple is something that any Div IA school should be able to do. PSU opens its Big 10 schedule next week, against Illinois. From then on it will be full throttle for the Lions who will need to win each week to keep pace with the Badgers.


14) Auburn: They may have lost to LSU at home, but one thing Auburn can take away from Saturday’s football game is they have settled on a QB. Chris Todd actually had a good day at QB. Now Auburn will have to build on that and put last week’s game behind them. There is still a lot of football left to play on the season.


15) Ohio State: Terrelle Pryor is looking to make his impact be felt immediately at Ohio State. He got the first start of his career only four games into his freshmen season, and more importantly he got the win. With Beanie Wells’ health still in question Pryor gives the Buckeyes more options on offense due to his athleticism. Granted a 28-10 win over Troy is not what you expect from OSU, it is a building block.


16) Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons placed their mark on the 2008 ACC season by knocking off FSU in Tallahassee. What’s even more impressive is how the Deacons did it, they were held to just 59 yards on the ground, and their normally reliable kicker was horrible missing 4 attempts. Yet somehow they came away with the win.


17) Utah: It took a late TD run with 58 ticks left on the clock to keep Utah’s magical season alive. They have not been able to blow out teams the way BYU has, but somehow the Utes are finding away. Maybe they can recapture the glory of their 2004 run to a BCS game.


18) Clemson: Finally we saw the Clemson team that was ranked inside the top 10 in all the preseason polls. Too bad the Tigers had to step down and play a Div IAA team, to get the blow out victory. The Tigers travel to Wake Forest next weekend; this could be an interesting game and will have a long term affect on the ACC standings.


19) Kansas: QB Todd Reesing is the hero of this Jayhawks team, and they will go as far as his arm can take them. That being said, they probably will not finish higher than fourth overall in the Big 12. Just not enough firepower out in Kansas this season.


20) Illinois: Lying dormant this past weekend, Illinois could be facing a rude wakeup call next week when they take on a hot PSU team. Illinois may not be the cream of the crop this year, but they can play spoiler to plenty of Big 10 teams. Do that enough and they could luck up and be in a BCS game again like they were last year.


21) Fresno State: 55-54, last one out turn off the lights. That was the story last weekend when Fresno St. took on Toledo, in one of the highest scoring football games you will find anywhere. I like the Fresno team, they just have toughness about them, and I love that they will go anywhere to play anyone.


22) TCU: Every couple years TCU pops up with a surprising season, and this year could be one of those. Next week they have the chance to play spoiler against the Oklahoma Sooners. The result of that game could vault TCU into the top 15 or drop them from the poll, it could be very interesting.


23) Vanderbilt: Undefeated… Ranked in the Top 25? This is not your typical Vandy team. After a 24 year drought Vandy is here, and they are ready to stay, well at least for one more week. A game against Miss St. next week should allow Vandy to remain ranked till the hit the meat of their SEC schedule.


24) Boise St.: They got their first road win against a BCS team this weekend and now they are back in the top 25. Once again Boise seems ready to make their typical run. While it is doubtful this one will have the magical ending they experienced a couple years ago, it is always fun to watch them play on that blue turf.


25) Oregon: The Ducks are accepting all applications for QB’s who have any experience at the D-I level. Oregon dropped a home game to Boise St. last weekend and now they are trying to find their way. Injuries appear to be ready to decimate this team once again.

Daily Links: September 23, 2008

What's up everyone? I'm filling in for Justin today, as he said that he's a little busy for the next couple of days. I apologize for the lack of football news. I couldn't seem to find anything; maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Baseball

“He’s a little tender.” Those were four words that Terry Francona said once he realized what Julio Lugo’s new situation was. According to RotoWorld, it was said that Boston Red Sox’ former starting shortstop felt “optimistic” about playing again this season. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Lugo was feeling pretty good about “possibly” starting again during this season… until he pulled his left quadricep once again while taking infield practice [fielding groundballs]. According to Boston Herald, if he gets the chance to play, the shortest time he’d have to wait is after the first round of the playoffs.

It looks like Joe Crede has played his last game for the Chicago White Sox. A free agent after this season, Crede’s locker has been cleared out already, as well as his nameplate. He is currently trying to recover from back problems. For more information, go to this link that leads to the Chicago Tribune.

Pedro Alvarez has agreed to a new deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The no. 2 draft pick for 2008 have reworked a guaranteed $6.355 million according to a Monday report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Alvarez will sign the contract following a physical later on this week. For more information, click on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link here.

Many of you know Wally Joyner as a baseball player in the ‘80s to early 2000’s. However, in case you didn’t know, he was the San Diego Padres’ hitting coach this season. Anyway, getting to the point, he turned in his resignation letter to GM Kelvin Towers on Monday. The Padres’ main problem, according to many people, has been their offense, so I’m surprised they didn’t let him go since they were able to win 89 games last season, and have only been able to win 61 with 6 games left to play. “It bothers me a lot that I have come to the point where it is clear that I need to move on,” Joyner said. “I came to the job hoping to put my experience and ideas to good use in teaching and coaching the Padres' hitters, but it has become obvious to me in the past few months that the organization's approach is different from mine.” Click on the San Diego Union Tribune link here.

Basketball

Sacramento Kings’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim has officially announced his retirement. The 12 year forward played with the Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trailblazers, and of course, the Sacramento Kings. He made the 2002 All-Star team, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2000 (who won it all that year). We thank you, Shareef, for your diligence on and off the court. Here is a link that leads to more information about his retirement, his accomplishments, and what he had to say.

In other news, The New York Knicks just can’t seem to get rid of Zach Randolph. Knicks president Donnie Walsh was most recently in discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, it has been said that the Grizzlies decided to pass on Randolph. Poor Knicks…

Until next time, this is Romi Ezzo, saying goodbye.

This is Bad News Bloggers, with the Daily Links. We hope you enjoyed it.

The Weekly F.U. to Peter King Daily "Linkin' Logs" (9/22/08)

Admittedly, I missed last weeks "Weekly F.U. to Peter King," but only because I'm such a self-absorbed prick that I won't really write much about it unless I have my own football motivations. Rest assured, I do today (sorry Stillers' Fans).

Talk about a fantastic week of football and Peter backed it up with a pretty mild lead in for his MMBBQ. Regardless, even when King appears to have some bias, he backs off it the next week (well, except for some general NFL biases, such as pre-season pricing...but we all have opinions). Even his "holier-than-thou" attitude was slightly off today (what's wrong Peter?).

I suppose the game of the day would be Miami over New England, but as a general rule, a romp is hardly entertaining, even at the expense of a wounded Patriots squad.
Peter's fine 15 is always an exercise in futility. Including the blowjob given by Peter to the Eagles last week, he now ranks them 2nd (in the NFL) just behind the Cowboys with the belief that those two might make it a lot more interesting in their week 17 matchup (and they will), though he dropped New England like a rock and has little faith in unbeatens like Tennessee (6), Denver (7) or Buffalo (8) - with Buffalo, in my opinion, being slighted the most...laughed at Donte Whitner a few years ago, guess what, you're a dumbass.

I am rather confused by Peter's own confusion over the draw that is the NFL. Peter was convinced (admittedly by others, as he claims) that the NFL would somehow suffer (as a marketble product) without Tom Brady. Turns out, he provided insight to the contrary, suggesting that without Brady, the games are more compelling (and yes, people prefer not to see blowouts). Its all fairly factually accurate and understandable, but what I don't get is how someone so close to the NFL hasn't yet realized that the NFL runs on parity, on a league where a team like the Giants can topple a juggarnaut for the championship.

He's also got a nice jab at Warren Sapp (sorry Peter, but Warren's right)

And finally, he brought up some nice facts on Jeff Pearlman's new book Boys will be Boys. Namely, the players we thought were total dicks were indeed total dicks. Namely proving how respectable characters like Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith coped with the bad guys like Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin (and yet, some people think booing a guy, admittedly while he layed on the field, who stabbed another man because he wouldn't get up mid-haircut, is somehow wrong...Irvin, at least in my opinion, clearly is every bit the asshole I've always thought he was). Clearly, there was at least a contingent of the Dallas Cowboys squad that was total scum. It really has to make you wonder, what even today's lockerrooms are like.

• ArmchairGM, for those of you who don't know, is a sports wiki. Its a website where anyone can blog, but it represents a consortium of growing writers that, for lack of a better team, encourage growth. The writers themselves are affiliated only because they use the same site and its possible you may never seen the same writer again. That being said, today it appears to have a varitable cornicopia of good stuff: A Keltner List on David Cone, our own Manny Stiles gives us his Eulogy for Yankee Stadium, And the Steroids Hall of Fame's newest member, Hulk Hogan.
• Its a great idea, but honestly, who falls asleep as Shea, I just assumed all the fans would leave by the 7th with the assumption they'll lose.
  
• Merrill Hoge is a dick
• Copy it all you want, but everyone knows 1/3 of the earth is covered by land, the rest is covered by Brian Dawkins
• Remember, its only partially wrong to make fun of Mike Golic's son.
• That chatter you're hearing, is Eagles fans living up on the Ben Franklin...
  
• And Finally, If you didn't watch any baseball this weekend, TheFightins can give you a simple summary on what happened

Want to send me hatemail: Justin@badnewsbloggers.com

UPDATE: Apparently, What Would Tyler Durden do is reporting that Eagles Receiver Hank Baskett and Girl Next Door, Kendra Wilkinson are engaged...Needless to say, we'll work on sexual innuendos later on this week...

Double UPDATE: Since I'm going to be away from the internet for the bulk of tomorrow and Wednesday, our new BNBer Romi will be filling in for me as much as he can (the poor college kid already has to fit this, schoolwork and drinking into his college schedule, so we'll give him some credit). If things aren't up to par...well...I'll let you know when his BNB e-mail is set up...

Pigskin Jeopardy: Horrible GM/Owner Edition

By Josh Galligan

NOTE: The following is a parody. It is entirely fictional and in no way accurately represents how the given person would act/react. If you don't like these types of things, then just simply turn the other way.

The Jeopardy theme song plays and the camera swoops in to show a setting similar to normal Jeopardy’s but with football jerseys and pictures of players all over the place. The camera focuses on a man in an all white suit. Wait, is that…

Lynn: “Hello, I’m Mike Lynn and I welcome you to Pigskin Jeopardy. This edition is focusing on horrible GM’s and owners and a deal has been struck where all four contestants are competing to keep their job. Only the winner will remain employed – the remaining three will be fired on the spot, live on this show. It sounds promising, I know! So go and grab your popcorn, call down your family, and get yourselves ready for some good old fashioned redemption!

“Now let’s introduce our contestants! First up is a jolly old GM from up north. He is a BIG fan of wide receivers, jelly beans, and Enron! Here he is, the Detroit Lions GM – Matt Millen!”

Millen comes jogging out wearing a Herman Moore jersey and waving to the crowd. They boo him but either it’s not fazing him or he’s just learned to filter it out over the years.

Lynn: “Welcome to the show, Matt! Planning on saving your job today?”

Millen: “Oh I definitely plan on proving I’m the best today, Mike. GOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!

Silence falls over the crowd and if there were crickets present, they would likely be the only audible sound. The booing eventually commences.

Lynn: “Sure. Um, next up is a high roller from our nation’s capital. He enjoys bubble baths, being ridiculously wealthy, and wasting some of his money on multiple, unnecessary, assistant coaches. That’s right folks; let’s hear a big round of applause for Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder!

Snyder comes out dressed to the nines in a suit, and walks towards his podium. He is incredibly stoic and if one didn’t know any better, may have guessed that he was in a supermarket or something. More boos are issued for Snyder, although they aren’t as loud and passionate as they had been for Millen.

Lynn: “Dan! Good to see you. You’re looking sharp as usual!”

Snyder: “Yes.” He looks at his watch.

Lynn: “Charming as ever I see. But moving on to our next contestant… he’s been around longer than dirt and you can absolutely notice that when looking at him. He enjoys complaining, firing people, sardines, and prune juice. Here he is, the corpse formerly known as Al Davis!

Davis zooms out on a motorized scooter, shooting dirty looks at all on path to his podium.

Lynn: Al, good to see you again. How are you?”

Davis: “WHERE ARE MY SLIPPERS!?!?”

Lynn shrugs, with a look of worry spreading over his face as he realizes that it’s going to be a LONG day.

Lynn: “Anyway, on to our last contestant. He enjoys lasagna, fine wine, and bargain shopping. You got it, it’s Jerry Angelo!

Angelo comes out sporting a Ryan Leaf jersey to the bewilderment of all. He looks a bit smug as he moves towards his podium.

Lynn: “Jerry, welcome to the show! Is that a Ryan Leaf jersey you’re wearing there?”

Angelo: “Yes I actually just finalized a four year contract with him. He will be battling it out with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton for our starting QB position. I think I can speak for all of Chicago when I say that the excitement will be palpable.”

Some gasps can be heard. Lynn holds in his earpiece and mumbles something into his breast pocket. He nods.

Lynn: “Jerry, I’m sorry, but I’ve just checked with the producers of the show and they said that we have the authority to do this since it was in the contracts you all signed. You’re fired. I suggest you leave immediately with all of the Bears fans we have in the crowd.”

The Bears fans in the crowd look unsure of how to react. On one hand, they’re happy Angelo’s been fired, but on the other – the team was now stuck with Ryan Leaf for the next four years. Still though, they start celebrating as Angelo is happily led backstage by… uh-oh, is that Lance Briggs?

Lynn: “Okay, down to only three now!”

Snyder: “I would like to offer the show one million dollars if they declare me the winner.”

Lynn: “Denied Dan. Sorry.”

Snyder: “Two million.” His tone Is very monotonous.

Lynn: “No, shut up. You can’t buy your way out of this one my friend. Let’s get started, though. Just press the buttons in front of you when you think you know the answer to the question.

Davis: “Haven’t I fired you before, boy?” Davis is squinting, trying to get a better look at Lynn.

Lynn: “No. OKAY! The categories are going to be: Business, scouting, strategy, and roster moves. We will go in order and pick the categories for you, starting with $100. Let’s start with business for $100.”

Snyder smirks.

Lynn: “You are currently $2.5 million dollars UNDER the salary cap heading into the regular season. An aging, veteran QB has become available but wants at least $3 million. You could probably get by with your current backup QB. What do you do?”

Snyder buzzes in.

Snyder: “Offer him a $5 million dollar contract and have him over for dinner on my yacht.”

Lynn: “Um… no. That… is incorrect. That is VERY incorrect.”

Millen buzzes in.

Millen: “Sign a WR for about $6 million from the free agent list instead. You can never go wrong with wide receivers you know.”

Lynn: “Uh, not quite. That is also very incorrect. Al, would you like to take a shot?”

Davis does not respond. He appears to have dozed off.

Lynn: “Wow. Okay, well, an acceptable answer would have been anything that didn’t involve going over the salary cap.”

Millen shakes his head, pounding his podium with his fist as if he had JUST missed the question.

Lynn: “Next up is scouting for $100.”

Millen looks up excitedly and turns to Snyder and Davis.

Millen: “A ha, that happens to be my best subject!”

Lynn: “You have two running backs available to you in your draft slot. One is from a BCS school and flirted with being a Heisman candidate during his junior year, although he has had some significant injury problems in the past. The other player is from a mid-major who didn’t win too much while he was on the team, although he did put up some solid stats and his injury history is practically empty. Which selection is the SAFER pick? And you have to choose one or the other, you can’t choose to select a wide receiver instead Mark.”

Snyder buzzes in as Millen does an Eli Manning ‘Aw-shucks’ impersonation.

Snyder: “The first one.”

Lynn: “I’m sorry, but that is incorrect.”

Snyder: “Why?”

Lynn: “Because the SAFER pick would have been the player without an injury history.”

Snyder: “But the first player would be a safer pick if you wanted a better player.”

Lynn: “Perhaps, but that was definitely not the question. So it’s incorrect.”

Millen buzzes in excitedly.

Millen: “THE SECOND PLAYER!?”

Lynn: “That’s correct, but will not count since it was the only other option. Nice effort though, Matt.” Lynn rolls his eyes and looks at the ceiling.

Millen mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ‘Herschel Walker’.

Lynn: “Next up is strategy for $100. Your offensive coordinator that you hired just last year has improved the offense by leaps and bounds, however, he’s impressed so much that he’s outshined the head coach and the local media is demanding he be made the head coach. What do you do?”

Millen buzzes in.

Millen: “Fire the offensive coordinator!”

Lynn: “Wait – what? Why in the world… No, that is disgustingly incorrect.”

Snyder buzzes in.

Snyder: “Give both the offensive coordinator and head coach larger, more lucrative contracts with signing bonuses and an option to join me for dinner on my yacht a few times.” He looks at his watch, as if this was the most obvious answer in the world.

Lynn: “No. No! NO! That is incorrect! The correct answer would have been anything EXCEPT what you two have just said. This is ridiculous – Al, are you awake?”

Davis appears to still be sleeping.

Lynn: “AL!!”

Davis jumps up, startled.

Davis: “AH -- JUST WIN BABY!” He looks around. “Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I?”

Lynn: “Okay, get him out of here. He’s in no position to be overseeing an NFL franchise either. None of these geniuses are!”

Davis: “Neither are you!”

Millen: “Yeah! Why don’t you go trade in your car, mortgage off your house, and sell all your belongings so you can get a signed Herschel Walker helmet!” He snickers.

Lynn: “Okay, fine! HAVE AT IT WITH THE HERSCHEL WALKER JOKES! Everyone acts like I traded away for some bum. IT WAS HERSCHEL WALKER! Did you see what he looked like back then without pads on?”

Snyder: “So? You still gave away nearly half the teams assets.”

Lynn: “Whatever! I’m not getting into it. I made a mistake, but it was the only major one that I made. You guys average one dumb decision every two weeks!”

Davis is escorted backstage, still yelling about slippers the entire way.

Lynn: “But since there’s only two of you left, and because I now have a migraine, we’re going right into Final Jeopardy. Whoever answers it correctly wins. It’s open-ended, so the better answer will be slated as the winner. The category is roster management. It is the Friday before week seven and your current starting QB has been struggling to consistently play well. Although your 3-3, the team has dropped the past two games and he hasn’t looked very good at all. The backup QB is young as well as a fan favorite. Putting him in for the rest of the season may do you well in the long run, but you would likely spoil your chances of a shot at the playoffs that year. What do you do? You have two minutes. Go.

Jeopardy music plays… for two whole minutes.

Lynn: “Times up, let’s take a look at your answers. Matt, you wrote:

‘I would trade the young promising QB for a solid and proven wide receiver. Then the struggling QB would obviously get better with a good WR to throw to.’

Why am I even surprised? I should have known. What is it with you and wide receivers? Seriously? Did a psychic tell you to try and involve them in as many roster moves as you can? Never got to be one but wanted to? What? What is it?! You just traded away the future franchise QB for a ‘solid’ wide receiver! WHY?”

Millen: “Uh, how can you NOT like wide receivers? They’re the best, most exciting position. They are the most integral position in building a championship contender in my opinion. If being a fan of wide receivers and getting as many of them as I can is wrong, then I DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT!” He runs backstage, looking incensed.

Lynn: “Wow. Okay, well – Dan, you’re the last one left. That means that you win, I think. Let’s take a look at your answer though, just for fun… you wrote:

‘I would scan the free agent market and sign the best QB to a contract that he couldn’t refuse. I would offer him about double what he should have been offered so that he’ll sign quickly and there will be no problems. Then there would be one more option at QB for the coaches to go to.’

Wow, that’s a good idea Dan – make the QB situation even MORE complicated than it already is. And offer the QB double what he would normally get? Wow. Just, wow. Bravo!”

Snyder: “When will people realize that I have so much money that it doesn’t matter whether I overspend or not? I overspend because it makes everything go by quicker and I’m a very impatient person. I want things done when I want them done. Not three weeks later, not five hours later, not even five minutes later. I want them done right THEN because my name is Daniel Snyder and I get my way no matter what. If I don’t then I just spend more money.”

Lynn: “Such a nice alternative to pouting. That’s it though, I’m done. I’m not even going to try and comprehend how you can believe what you just said or else I think my head may explode. Congratulations, but your still an idiot. Goodbye!” He walks backstage.

There are several moments of awkward silence. Snyder looks at his watch and turns to walk off backstage as well. The Jeopardy music then cuts in and the credits roll as the crowd appears like they’re trying to wrap their minds around everything that was just said. Then it dawns on them that they are now free of Matt Millen, Al Davis, and Jerry Angelo and they all break into a ruckus applause.

Baseball Report: September 20, 2008

I apologize for the unoriginal title, but for right now, that was all I can come up with. And I apologize for this being [kind of] late, but it's better than nothing. I'm still trying to get used to this. Anyway, moving on to what this is all about: the first, the inaugural, Daily Sports Report!

Warning: This isn't the best I could do. I just didn't have enough time to write my best blog. Plus, I'm new at this, so bare with me.

Baseball

Turning Things Around in Turner Field

The New York Mets recently lost their [first place] lead recently to the Philadelphia Phillies, but the Mets were determined to regain that spot once again, as they were facing the Atlanta Braves in Turner Field. Prior to this game, Atlanta won all six contests against New York this season. That winning streak was stopped yesterday thanks to a rookie named Daniel Murphy. The former Jacksonville alumnus hit a two-run double in the 8th inning, which broke a 5-5 tie. Jose Reyes, who hit a leadoff home run on the fourth pitch of the game (his 14th career leadoff home run to start off a game) would eventually drive him in. A couple of defensive difficulties also sparked the eighth inning. A missed catch by Kelly Johnson and a rundown gone wrong led to thee unearned runs scoring.

Phillies Fall out of First

With the Mets winning, the Phillies needed to end the Florida Marlins' eight-game winning streak in order to keep their [5 day] first place lead. However, that was not the case, as the Phils dropped back into second place after losing to the Fish in a 14-8 slugfest. Ryan Howard added one more home run to his Major League leading total, as did Gregg Dobbs (9) and Shane Victorino (13). Brett Myers surrendered his 29th long ball to Dan Uggla, who has now tied his career best season total of home runs with 31. Alfredo Amezaga also hit a three run shot in the contest for his third of the year, and Jorge Cantu hit a solo shot in the 8th inning for his 29th of the year.

*Cameron Maybin has been RED HOT! He reached base in 10 consecutive at-bats until he popped out to Ryan Howard in the eighth.

Rays Make History... Close to Making More History

Can you say "AMAZING"? The Rays are closing in on history,and you probably know why. After crushing the Twins in an 11-1 landslide, including a three-run shot by Carlos Pena that was reversed from a two-run double to become the first call reversed in baseball's replay era, Tampa Bay needs only one more victory to clinch the first playoff berth in franchise history. Edwin Jackson threw 7 2/3 innings and only surrendered the solitary run that the Twins were able to score last night. If they win that one game, they'll become the first team to ever end up with the worst record one year, and make the playoffs the next.

Curt Schilling Rips Manny

Curt Schilling apparantly can't shut up, nor can he stay out of the headlines. Although Schilling hasn't thrown one pitch in the 2008 season, he is still on the news for what he does off the field. In a recent interview on Boston's radio station "WEEI", Schilling said, "Manny's level of disrespect to teammates and people was unfathomable."

Expect More Roger Clemens News Soon

Remember Brian McNamee? Yes, he is the former trainer of Roger Clemens who is trying to get Roger Clemens to drop his defamation lawsuit. There is going to be a ruling pretty soon. If the Clemens vs. McNamee case moves on, things are going to get ugly fast, as both parties threatened to take depositions from people who know intimate knowledge about the two men. What a way to focus on something other than the postseason, huh?

Thanks for reading, everyone. I look forward to writing more blogs soon. Hopefully, they'll be a little more creative, organized, and more diverse; maybe next time, I'll talk about something otehr than baseball.

TGIF Daily "Linkin' Logs" (9/19/08)

Yesterday was a special day for BadNewsBloggers. First of all the Phillies won, so I get to gloat for another day (not that I am gloating, its just that I could if I wanted to).

More importantly, we've witness the illustrious entry of a new BNBer, that of Romi Ezzo. Amongst the things the "Linkin' Logs" writer believes Romi brings to the table is our ability to keep up on news throughout the day (he's in college, so as long as its after 12, he'll have time) and to keep BNB from going totally insane. Besides, he's generally non-confrontational, unless you piss him off. So join us in welcoming him to Bad News Bloggers.

The DJIA and S&P are off equalizing the week's losses (the S&P closed last Friday at 1251.7 and is currently at 1249.88) and I believe those investors that pulled out (generally in Mutual Funds) are getting absolutely porked right now. Long term investment folks...so relax.

• ArmchairGM writer "Cityhockeyfever" ponders what effect the financial "crisis" will have on Arena Naming rights
• 8 Deadspin writers, 8 hilarious thoughts on Erin Andrews
• Epic Carnival gives us 10 dumb sports arguments
  
• Jerry Jones just won't let this Ed Hochuli thing go
• Serious note from AA, ESPN and Politics...resulting in John McCain on Mike & Mike
• Its pretty awesome when the way to get news is through an athletes blog...particuarly via Gilbert Arenas
• Bill Simmons thinks the NFL is all about Fantasy...I think Bill Simmons is all about himself
  
• And Finally, Via Deadspin: Jose Jose Jose Jose...Jo-se, Jo-Se

Question and Answer Session: Romi Ezzo

Name: Romi

Nickname(s): "The dude from Kuwait" (I don't think I need to explain why), "Ezzo!" (well, it's not a nickname, but everyone pronounces my first name wrong; it's pronouced RAW-mee. So I figure that they could at least get my last name right), and Crackajg's latest addition: "Romz".

Favorite Sports Team: The Boston Red Sox... by FAH! (favorite sport + my home team). I'm a home rooter. However, I appreciate the sport more than the team. (Ex. I appreciate the sport of baseball more than the Red Sox, I support basketball more than the Celtics, etc.)

Favorite Player of all time: I haven't been around that long to pick my favorite player of all-time. There are a lot of people I admire. I hate to say it (no wait... I don't hate to say it: I just hate the people's looks on their faces once I say it), but my favorite player is Derek Jeter. (Don't hate me, Stiles.) Whether you think he sucks or not, he just has great passion for the game. If there was one person I'd say I wanted to copy at one point in time, it was Jeter. He's a good leader and a good role model (well, with the exception that he's dated 437460346 women). And yes, I'm aware that he is "defensively challenged" at times, but from what I've seen, he gives 100% every time...

Favorite food: I don't have a favorite food. It just has to be good (really good) to be considered on my list of "favorite" food.

Favorite drink: Alcoholically? Nothing (I don't drink... and apparantly, I suck). Non-alcoholically? I tell everyone that it's a tie between Dr. Pepper, Cream Soda, and Glacier Freeze Gatorade. However, I probably love water more than any drink. You can never get sick of it.

If you could take three things with you on a deserted island, what would they be?: A laptop, the internet, and a baseball...

Favorite word: BADOU! (Don't ask... it's a long story)

If you could be an animal, what animal would you be and why: I think I'd be a horse. I don't really know why, besides the fact that they're strong, majestic beasts. Plus, I like to work.

Favorite sporting moment of all time: The 2004 Red Sox winning the World Series. Sorry for being so unoriginal. I try not to be.

What do you bring to the table?: Me, I guess.

What do you take off the table?: My feet (if I forget my manners).

If you could have lunch/a beer/insert preferred social occasion here with any three people in the world, who would it be and why: It wouldn't be with anyone really famous. I think I'd faint or kick his ass if I did. 

The first two guys would be my two best friends: Salman and Amir. The funniest guys I've ever met in my life, and two great friends who will be in my heart for all eternity. If I didn't meet them, my life would be pretty boring.

And the third person... hmm... okay: it would be one of two people:

Manny Stiles (Erik... Stiles?). I know I said I wouldn't want to meet anyone famous, but I'll make one exception). Do I really have to explain why? It's MANNY!

Either Stiles, or Andrew Neely. Many of you know him as Falcon02520. Great guy who I could talk endless conversations with about baseball. In our interviews, I usually do most of the talking, but I'm sure he doesn't just ask questions.

Describe yourself in one word: Ezzo (I'd describe myself as Romi Ezzo if I had an unlimited amount of words).

Favorite sport and why: Baseball... by far; sorry basketball, football, and soccer. Baseball isn't just a sport... it's my life. I'm more passionate about it than anything else (besides family). There is so much that I love about it, and so many memories I've had with it. When I was two years old, I used to go out in the backyard with my mom in Ohio and she used to toss me that ball that you used to get when you ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut. My mom said that when I hit the ball my very first time, my face lit like never before. It's funny because when I moved to Kuwait, I just loved baseball even more.  I begged my mom to leave the house and go to the only baseball field there was in the country in 125 degree weather and just throw the ball back and forth. My two best friends were people I met during my early childhood in the Kuwait Little League. Baseball was the only thing I talked about with my grandfather until this year (we threw in a little bit of college here and there); he loves it just as much as I do. Anyone who knows me well would know that my sleeping hours were really weird during my last two years of high school. I used to sleep at about 7:00 PM and wake up at 2:00 AM just to watch a reular season game on ESPN (don't razz me; it's the only sports channel I had access to at the time); then ArmchairGM came along. Lastly, the biggest dream I've ever had in my life is to become a baseball player; I'm not thinking Big Leagues... just professionally. Baseball is my life. Without it, I wouldn't be me.