College Football No. 2

Sorry about the lack of posts this week, but here's my predictions for weeks six through eleven of college football. For week six, I think that the game of the week is No. 1 Florida versus No. 11 LSU. This is Florida's first real test after stomping their first two opponents so far. I'm going to take them to win the game, because right now it isn't smart to bet against Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer.



For week seven, I picked two games. First, No. 14 Virginia Tech versus No. 15 Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech lost a tough game to Alabama, so I like them to win. The second game is No. 3 USC versus No. 18 Notre Dame. Notre Dame lost a heart breaker to Michigan, but USC looked too good against Ohio State for me to pick against them.



The next week, No. 13 Oklahoma plays No. 24 Kansas. Although Kansas is a very good team, Sam Bradford will be returning from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the first game of the year, which Oklahoma lost. I expect him to be on a tear and predict an Oklahoma rout.



In week nine, No. 2 Texas plays No. 5 Oklahoma State, who just lost to my new favorite team, Houston. I expect this to be a high scoring game. If my Heisman pick Colt McCoy doesn't amass at least five hundred yards, I'm going to be dissapointed.



In week ten, we have a rare SEC showdown that doesn't involve Florida. No. 11 LSU plays No. 4 Alabama. I'm liking Alabama to win, and Julio Jones is the best wide receiver in the country, but this game doesn't even matter because Florida is going right through the SEC on their way to a championship.



The next week, in an ACC game, No. 20 Miami plays No. 19 North Carolina. There are rumors the Miami is going back to being a good program, and I'm a Duke fan so I'm going to pick Miami.

College Football No. 1

Tonight, college football officially began the 2009 season. College football is similar to college basketball in the fact that the players work harder and controversy in playoff decisions. In college, athletes have something to prove and tend to work a little harder than in the pro's, when they're guaranteed money. Also, the selection committee for both basketball and football has made some questionable decisions. Anyone remember Texas last year and Syracuse in 2006-2007.



Tonight, the only really notable game is No. 16 Oregon versus No. 14 Boise State. Boise State has been very successful the past six years, winning a bowl game against Oklahoma a few years back. Oregon is an up and coming team that has produced a few NFL players the past few years. Both teams are very exciting, and I'm expecting an interesting and fast paced game. Also, the game is played at Boise State, which has probably the coolest field in the NCAA.



In this post, I'm going to look at some of the most exciting games of the year, starting with day one and going until the end. To begin with, I'll start with Saturday's Minnesota at Syracuse game. Neither team is ranked, but this marks the debut of Greg Paulus as the Syracuse quarterback. With Paulus having fragile confidence after coming off of a horrible senior season at Duke, this game will probably be an indication of the season to come. I'll take the Paulus flop.



The next game that I really noticed was No. 4 USC at No. 6 Ohio State. Last year, USC won but there was some controversy at quarterback for Ohio State. This year, Terrelle Pryor is the definite starter for Ohio State and Usc is the one with some quarterback drama. Also, both teams lost key players on both sides of the ball. This game should be more competitive than last years, and I'm predicting an Ohio State victory.



Om September 19th, Texas Tech visits No. 2 Texas. Even though Texas Tech isn't rated, they're always dangerous with their spread offense and Mike Leach coaching. Last year, Texas Tech beat Texas in what was probably the game of the year and ended up keeping Texas from going to the national championship game. This should add more heat to the game, and I think that Texas should win in favorable fashion.



The next week is a little bit quiet, but I think that the game of the week is No. 12 California against No. 16 Oregon. This is a Pac-10 game that will probably have playoff implications. Both teams have been said to be over-rated, but they could easily win the Pac-10 if USC slips up. I"m taking California over Oregon, although they have the best uniforms in the country.



On October 3rd, No. 11 LSU goes to No. 13 Georgia to play in a typical SEC rivalry game. This game will probably implicate who plays Florida in the SEC final. I'm going to take Georgia in an upset because of a gut feeling I have about them and a hatred of LSU.



This concludes the first of my college football trilogy. Check back the next few days to see the next two.

College Football Prologue

After being stumped about what to write about for the past few days, I found a genuine pot of gold and decided to write a trilogy describing the top game each week of college football. This is basically the run-down for the trilogy of college football.



There are seventeen weeks of college football, so to split that up I'll pick the best games of the first five weeks for my first post. The next two posts will be for the next six weeks.



Every week, I'll check my predictions and compare them to what really happened. If at the end of the season, my ratings are negative, I refuse to watch the National Championship.

The End of an Era

Today, Teddy Bruschi retired from the NFL. This ends an era of Patriots football that is best described as dominating. With three NFL championships, twelve years, and an undefeated season it could be argued that the Patriots teams during Bruschi's playing career were one of the best ever.



Bruschi's retirement also creates some fear that that era is over. He's done, and everyone is getting older, including Bill Belichick. Also, Tom Brady is still recovering from an injury and hasn't looked great in pre-season. This year could be one of the last if not the last of the Patriots recent era.



Yesterday, California won the Little League World Series in comeback fashion, continuing the trend of American teams winning the tournament over international teams. I feel just a little bit un-American for not watching the final, but I was set on a Curacao versus Georgia final and decided that the championship game couldn't live up to my expectations of a Curacao-Georgia final, but I was wrong.



California, after falling down three to nothing, came back to beat Chinese Tapei three to six. This was a typical World Series final, and I've made a vow to watch every game of the LLWS next year. Last thing, I noticed that one kid on California was six foot tall two hundred and twelve pounds, which is gigantic for a thirteen year old.

Michael Vick's Debut and Sport's Return

After two months of sub-par sports and running out of ideas, sports are finally returning to their usual exciting self. After two years of watching quarterbacks wait it out in the pocket, Michael Vick finally returns to the NFL and brings back an exciting and unpredictable quarterback.



The past two months, there hasn't been a lot of sports to watch, with basically only the MLB going through its most boring months. However, the NFL and College Football are returning, and following them are then NBA and College Basketball seasons. There are finally story lines to follow and money to be taken through bets. On top of all this, the MLB Playoffs are coming soon. Even better is that the Yankees are in them. That one hundred eighty million dollars we spent this summer really did work!



Also, tomorrow night Michael Vick makes his debut for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though it's pre-season, it will be a sign of what's to come this season for Vick. Will the Eagles run some wildcat for him, will he be as good as he was, and how much will he play are all questions to be answered. However, wherever Vick goes, even in Philadelphia, he'll be greeted by boos and stuffed dogs along with very mean taunts. Just handling himself in the midst of this will be a big step for Vick.



Pictures like the above are common on the internet, but in person it's going to be much worse. No matter what happens, the Michael Vick situation will be entertaining. I think that people are in for a surprise when they see him tomorrow night.



Nobody knows how several story lines will play out, but there is no doubt that it will be more entertaining than the past two months have been. Sports are finally kicking into full swing.

Shaq Versus

The past two Tuesdays, from eight to nine,I've been watching a new ABC show, Shaq Vs. In the show, Shaq takes on the top pro athletes in their sports. So far, the results havn't been great for the Big Shaqtus.



The first week, Shaq took on Ben Roethlisberger at football. He didn't do as bad as I thought, staying with Big Ben for most of the game. The only thing was that Shaq got a stipulation. He only had to go from the twenty yard line while Big Ben had to go from the forty, which isn't unreasonable considering how good he is. Each player got the chance to score three times, with each touchdown counting as seven points. After each player got two chances, the score was fourteen up. On his third try, Shaq threw an interception while Big Ben scored. Game, Big Ben. Even though he lost, Shaq was pretty funny and the show was entertaining.



Last night, the show's second episode aired. This time, The Big Freeze took on Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. He didn't have any advantages this time, and got to pick a partner. He chose Todd Rogers, an Olympic Gold Medalist. He also brought in Casey Jennings, Misty May Treanor's husband. However, he and his partners lost both games in a best of three series. As a bet, Shaq had to walk down a California beach wearing a pink speedo.



In next week's show, Shaq takes on Albert Pujols in a home run contest. Shaq only needs to hit it two hundred feet while Pujols needs to hit it four hundred feet. The episode will be on next Thursday on ABC. Shaq also plans to take on Oscar De La Hoya, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Phelps. If Shaq can win any of these contests isn't known, but it's entertaining to watch. One thing I would like to see added is the other athletes taking on Shaq at a basketball game.

Greg Paulus: From Scapegoat to Savior

Greg Paulus has always been the player Duke fans blame for everything. I did it, and you probably did too. He was everything Duke basketball has resembled over the last ten, horrible, years. White player? Check. Slow? Check. Small for his position? Check. Role model was Coach K? Check. He was all these things and was hated for four years. Finally, Coach K made a smart decision and benched him.



Images like the one above embodied Paulus' career at Duke. About five seconds later, Paulus would get beat to the basket by a much quicker, bigger, and stronger player and then try to flop. What most people don't know about Paulus is that in high school he was a better football player than basketball player. He was the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and had scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Miami.



After his basketball career at Duke didn't work out. Let me re-phrase that sentence. After his basketball career at Duke failed miserably, like a two year old trying to ride a bike for the first time, Paulus decided to try football at Syracuse University. Syracuse is his hometown, but it's also my second favorite college.



At first, I wondered why Greg was trying to ruin college sports for me. Then, I realized that Syracuse football is absolutely terrible. He, as a hometown hero, could actually help. Help? Usually when Greg Paulus and help are in the same sentence it results in a picture like this.



However, yesterday he was named starting quarterback for Syracuse. With the return of wide receiver Mike Williams, Paulus could actually form a good connection. Now I don't expect Syracuse to go to the Rose Bowl, but I expect an improvement over last year.



Paulus also finally gets a chance to redeem himself for four years of mistakes and flops. There isn't a football equivalent to a flop is there? Paulus can prove that he really is an athlete, and he can do it in front of his home crowd just like he did in high school at CBA.

The Worst Acquisitions of the Summer

You thought it couldn't get any worse. Pedro Martinez to the Phillies. The Yankee killer back in the MLB. His first day back he's casting spells on the Yankees and injuring Derek Jeter's foot. Oh well, spells only go so far and we don't play the Phillies again this year. Then the single most exciting player in the NFL returns, and to one of our division rivals no less.



Mike Vick will be a member of the Eagles for the 2009-2010 season at least. I could criticize Vick's poor decision making and choices of his past all day. But that was then and this is now. He's done his time and seems like a different person who's sorry for his decisions.



The two years in jail more than punished him. But let's face facts, this guy was THE MOST EXCITING player in the NFL. He changed games with a single play. He made the defense wonder what just happened. He was like something we had never seen before and most likely won't see again.



I had forgotten about Michael Vick and his exploits. He was amazing. But this mix reminded me. Have you ever seen something like 2:47-2:50.

I don't doubt that Michael Vick can still play. He gets the chance also. The Eagles backup are well, backups and Donovan McNabb is injury prone. For those fans of the Yankees and Giants, like me, we are in the paths of the returns of possibly the two most exciting and intriguing athletes in their respective sports.

Tim Tebow and Psycho T: Competitors of the Century

It is rare that a successful college athlete would turn down the millions of dollars that are guaranteed with the signing of a contract. Why go back to school for a year or two and risk being injured and having all your success and future fortune taken away? The answer is a shot at glory and history, not to mention your dedication to your college and desire to win. Not many athletes see this. They play in leagues where one day it can all end and your career and aspirations are over. They want to get the money now while they're healthy. It takes a special person to realize this and an even better player to achieve it. It takes a player like this.



Gotcha. Or a player like this.



Tim Tebow and Psycho T both came back to school for their senior years, turning down the money and fame of the NFL and NBA. They also are very similar. Both are white men who often look like they don't belong in Division One sports. They also share three common traits, hustle, desire, and intensity. I'm a Duke fan, but it's easy to see that Psycho T just plain and simply outworks his competition. I don't even need to say anything for Tim Tebow.



Tim Tebow and Tyler Hansbrough just seem to be so alike. Both have(and will)star at major Division One colleges who have great tradition and programs in their respective sports. Both were very successful, each so far having one player of the year award and at least one national championship. They were both very successful in their college endeavors. They both share a look that says they don't belong playing but yet both dominate games. They're hated by opposing teams but loved by their own and I don't think that there is a program in the country who wouldn't want either.



Going into their senior seasons, both of their squads were ranked number one. Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tarheels won the championship after a few letdowns, none of those were at Cameron by the way. It will be interesting to see if Tim Tebow can finish the season where he started it and win a National Championship, which will be his third. He could also win his second Heisman trophy if he plays like he did the second half of the season.



The only thing that's different than last year for Tim is that the BCS is much stronger and one loss almost certainly derails your championship dreams. Last year, the one loss was what fueled them. Tebow gave a speech at the press conference that fired up him and the rest of his team mates and fueled them to go on and eventually win the National Championship.

Am I a little worried about Tim Tebow taking a few more snaps under center than last year or our games on October 10th and 31st against LSU and Georgia? A little bit, but one fact drowns that fear out. The fact that Tim Tebow, and Tyler Hansbrough, always find some way to get things done.They are the players that everyone wants but can't have and therefore are the most hated players in their respective sports. They are plain and simply competitors and winners before they are football and basketball players.



I'll end this blog by making my prediction about the upcoming college football season. Florida Gators 14-0 and National Champions and Tim Tebow Heisman Trophy winner.

State of the Yankees

Ever since I've started seriously following the Yankees, I've always felt as If I've been let down. There has always been a what could have happened feel. It's almost hard to put into words.

First learning about the Yankees, I was mesmerized. Why not? Twenty six world series wins, countless Hall of Fame players, Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and a field full of countless memories. They were THE team. Not to mention our obvious advantage in our rivalry with Boston. The world as a Yankee fan was perfect.

But then, for nine years absolutely nothing. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Nada. What happened?

Was it boredom? Was it happiness? Was it possibly aging. Was it the acquisition of players that are low in character, cheaters, don't perform in clutch situations, demand insane amounts of money they don't deserve, are often injured, and usually distracted players?



To tell you the truth, It seems like a combination of all the afore-mentioned things and some others that we don't even know. You simply can't pinpoint one thing, and even five would be hard. However, since our last championship several things have changed.

We moved to a different stadium for one, although it is about the same size. Why abandon the place where all of our memories occured. The Great Bambino calling his shot, Lou Gehrig's "I'm the luckiest man alive" speech, and countless others.



Joe Torre went to the Dodgers, in one of my deepest nightmares. Love or hate Torre, you had to respect him and the job he did. His replacement, Joe Girardi, has at his best been "questionable" as a manager. What makes the fact even worse is Torre voicing his pleasure over being in Los Angeles in a State Farm commercial. Yes Joe we also agree it is great to drive, something most of us say when we get our license at sixteen or seventeen years old!

Some people would say none of this would matter If we played like we know we can. However, Jeter has been getting older and not as electric and exciting as he once was. Mariano is still his same great self, but age is catching up to him and his decline should start to happen. Have you seen him without a hat on these days? His hair looks like an eighty year old Senate member.



Whats next for Mariano, shooting his hunting partner by accident? But to top this off, the Yankees have been importing top talent that has greatly disappointed. That's right Mr. Clutch and Rocket I'm talking about you.



Although, It could also be the fact that we have begun to accept losing and have no fire. Derek Jeter is my favorite player, and I know that he has his clean-cut image, but there is a point where you show emotions to fire up the rest of your team. He is an absolute professional, but he can still be one while making statements and showing more emotion than Yao Ming. We are accepting losses that we wouldn't have during our championship years.

However, despite all these things we're number one in the AL East by three and a half(possibly four), Mariano is the saves leader, Texiera is playing well, our new stadium is pretty nice, our pitching has been rather good, and other than his 0-6 at bat Friday night(so far), including several at bats with the game on the line, Derek Jeter has been his usual clutch self. As for Alex Rodriguez, I've plain and simply lost all hope.

The Beginning

Welcome to my blog, I've Given Up All Hope On Duke and Other Memoirs. As you can probably tell, I am a Duke Blue Devils fan and am not always proud of it. However, there will be several posts later in my blog existence to tell you about that.

My blog posts won't just be criticizing-and on some occasions praising-the Duke Blue Devils, I watch almost all sports and will voice my opinions on them. My favorite teams in respective sports are as different and unique as Michael Jackson's childrens' names are. Blanket, really?



I should end this blog soon, so before I do, I'll say the for the NBA my favorite team is the Miami Heat but I also like the Denver Nuggets. My favorites player is Dwayne Wade. When I watch the NFL, I root for the the New York Giants and my favorite player is Brandon Jacobs, an absolute beast.



And, although sometimes to my embarrassment, My college basketball team is the Duke Blue Devils. My MLB team is the Bronx Bombers, who are like a roller coaster.

Well this is the end of my first blog, and although it is short more will come in the following days.