Madden Curse Preview

So as I was playing superstar mode, I started browsing my website, and I noticed the list of injuries. I checked to see who was injured the worst, and it was none other than coverboy Shaun Alexander. He was out for career with a complete PCL tear. Is this a preview of what is to come?

In all seriousness, Alexander is a great guy, I really hope nothing happens to him.

Baseball: Who's Hot

Here are some unknown guys who've been hot recently. They're worth checking out and maybee picking up, as most of these guys are probably still free agents.

Shin-See Choo, OF - In his last 10 games he's had 14 RBIs, 6 runs, and is hitting .395. He's really young and still learning, but this is a very nice hot streak.

Mark DeRosa, 2B, OF - In his last 10 games, he's hitting .385, 20 RBIs, 11 runs, and 5 homeruns.

Joe Saunders, SP - He's 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA, with 18 Ks and a whip of 1.04. Hes on the Angels who are making a run at the division, so he'll be a good pickup.

John Maine, SP - In his last 4 games, he's had 3 shutouts and 21 strikeouts.

Chad Billingsley, SP - He had a slow start but has been hot recently. Its not certain if he'll continue to be in the rotation, but as long as he is, he's a good pitcher.

Madden NFL Films Miami Dolphins 2005

Took me about 10 hours total to script, film, and edit. Its an NFL films type movie about the Dolphins last year. Almost all of the plays in the movie are real plays. If not exactly real, similar to real. It was pretty fun making it. I'm definately going to do one for this upcoming season. What you guys think? What did you guys like/dislike? This is my first ever movie, I'd appreciate some feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1lu9DJUG9s

Steve Nash Shaves His Head

"I don't really have a rhyme or reason. I felt like taking it off." Not much to say about that. Now he looks like a old man who just came out of the hospital. Personally, I liked the hair better.

My Cheatsheet

Rankings first, then explanation, then some other stuff. I play in Yahoo leagues with default settings. 6 points for any touchdown, 50 yards passing is 1 point, 20 yards rushing or receiving is 1 point.

1. Larry Johnson, RB
2. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
3. Shaun Alexander, RB
4. Clinton Portis, RB
5. Tiki Barber, RB
6. Peyton Manning, QB
7. Steven Jackson, RB
8. Edgerrin James, RB
9. Rudi Johnson, RB
10. Steve Smith, WR
11. LaMont Jordan, RB
12. Ronnie Brown, RB
13. Terrell Owens, WR
14. Carnell Williams, RB
15. Chad Johnson, WR
16. Brian Westbrook, RB
17. Marvin Harrison, WR
18. Torry Holt, WR
19. Randy Moss, WR
20. Larry Fitzgerald, WR
21. Anquan Boldin, WR
22. Julius Jones, RB
23. Chris Chambers, WR
24. Hines Ward, WR
25. Willis McGahee, RB
26. Tom Brady, QB
28. Antonio Gates, TE
29. Domanick Davis, RB
30. Reggie Wayne, WR
31. Carson Palmer, QB
32. Eli Manning, QB
33. Tony Gonzalez, TE
34. Plaxico Burress, WR
35. Reuben Droughns, RB
36. Corey Dillon, WR
37. Darrell Jackson, WR
38. Roy Williams, WR
39. Jeromey Shockey, TE
40. Willie Parker, RB
41.Warrick Dunn, RB
42. Matt Hasselbeck, QB
43. Jamal Lewis, RB
44. Joey Galloway, WR
45. Santana Moss, RB
46. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR
47. Reggie Bush, WR
48. Donald Driver, WR
49. Nate Burleson, WR
50. Thomas Jones, RB

The Chargers lost Drew Brees last season and Philip Rivers is new starting QB. LT will get alot more carries, he'll also be a nice target for Rivers. With Yahoo's messed up default scoring settings, Manning will be money. With a much weaker running game, Manning will need to pass to score and win games. Rhodes and Addai are both small guys, they won't be pounding it in the trenched very often. Alot of people have Barber as the number 4 guy. But he's getting older now, and the Giants will be using powerback Brandon Jacobs more and more in goalline situations. Theres not really much else to explain.

Guys to Avoid
Willis McGahee-The offense has no passing game and a bad offensive line. McGahee is a playmaker, but in the situation he's in, no playmaker can shine. Defenses will stack the line, he'll be mediocre.
Antonio Gates-He's been one of the most productive TEs for the past two years. But he had Brees throwing to him. With Rivers now in the drivers seat, Gates won't be as good as past years.
Domanick Davis-In 2004 he had 13 TDs, but only 1100 yards and less than 80 yards per game. In the next year, he had 2 touchdowns. Although his yards per game increased to 88, the Texans won't be seeing the redzone very often. You'll need to pray every gameday for him to get 10 TDs. However, if he falls past the 4th round, he'll be a steal. If you really have no one to pick, you should get him in the 4th.
Kevin Jones-Just like McGahee, theres no QB, and the line isnt very good. They both had down years last year for this reason.
Denver Wide Runningbacks-First, they all split carries. Although Bell will probably get around 15-20 carries a game. Second, the denver o-line isn't built for the goaline runs. Most of their TDs will come on long runs. Bell will probably go somewhere in the 6, 7, or 8th round. He'll be a good pick in the 7th, 6th if you need a RB.

Sleepers
Jamal Lewis-He spent last years training camp in jail. He's back 100% this year. With an actual threat at QB, lewis will have alot better runs. We all know what he is capable of, he's only 26 years old. He'll probably go in the 5th to 6th round.
Chester Taylor-The Tony Richardson from the Chiefs to block, Hutchingson, one of the best run-blocking lineman. They have an average offense, and he will be carrying it.
Fred Taylor-When he was healthy, he produced. He's had a yards per carry in the high 4s all his life. He'll be healthy this year. He's 30 years old, and the way he runs, he's got plenty of seasons left in him.
Steve McNair-Everyone thinks he's done. He knows this is his last chance in the NFL. He's fragile, but hes healthy. Plus he'll be reunited with his old widereciever. And now, unlike the last few years, he'll have a running game to take off pressure. He'll be an excellent backup QB.
Aaron Brooks-He didn't play badly when he had Deuce. Now he has a chance to ressurrect his career. He's only 30 years old, and has 4 good receivers to throw to, 2 of which are great. If Kerry Collins can get 3700+ yards, and 20 TDs, anyone can. Plus Moss is completely healthy this year. And what Moss said was true, Brooks can run around and that gives time for Moss to get open deep and make plays.
Braylon Edwards-This will be his 2nd year, and he will be Fryes 2nd favorite target. He's a decent backup WR for the late late rounds or even free agent.
Deuce McAllister-He's been injured every year for the past 3 years so people really have low expectations now. Bush and Deuce on the field at the same time will give defensive coordinators headaches. They can split in the backfield, or Bush can lineup as WR. Either way, it'll open up lanes for Deuce, he'll be better than previous years.

Best Dunks Ever

On the And 1 Tour, a guy named "Air Up There" made one of the best dunks ever, a 720. It was really more of a 540, but he eventually landed having done 2 full spins. This is a MUST see. Is it the best dunk ever? You can decide that for yourself.

Butthead Headbutt by Zinedine Zidane

In sundays World Cup final match with France against Italy, superstar Zinedine Zidane was red-carded for headbutting an Italian player. Supposedly the Italian player said racial slurs to Zidane.

*Updated* First defender Marco Materazzi spoke in Italian - a language understood by Zidane who once played for Italian side Juventus - grabbed his opponent and told him 'hold on, wait, that one's not for a n***** like you.'

But she saw that as the players walked forward Materazzi said: 'We all know you are the son of a terrorist whore.'

Then, just before the headbutt, he was seen saying,: 'So just f*** off.' Full Article.

Materazzi has a long history of playing dirty. Heres a highlight reel of his dirty moves. What he said was very low. Its completely understandable what Zidance did. It definately wasnt smart, but it was reasonable. Hopefully in a few years, or decades, people will forget about the headbutt and remember Zidane for the great soccer player he is.

Miner League Manager Goes Berserk

The Asheville Tourists(minor league team) manager Joe Mikulik went absolutely crazy when the runner stole second base and was called safe. There've been some pretty crazy meltdowns in baseball, but this tops it all. Some pull out the base, some spread dirt onto the plate, and some just scream at the umpire one centimeter from his face. But he did it all, while inventing some new antics.

While refering to pouring water on home plate he says,"This ain't my first rodeo. ... I didn't touch anybody. I never bumped anybody. ... I actually cleaned home plate for them, so they should give me a tip for that."

Lou Pinella would be proud.

Players to Pick Up

Francisco Liriano, SP - He's been a reliever up to now this season, but is finally ready to be a starter. He gets his first start on friday. He is going to be one of the elite pitchers in the league. Jim Thome said of him, "That is as good a stuff from a left-hander as I've ever faced. The only comparable stuff I can think of is Randy [Johnson] when he was young. That kid is unbelievable."

Kerry Wood, SP - He makes his first start of the season this thursday. He pitched perfectly in the minors to get back into pitching mode. His fastball was clocked at 97 MPH. He's probably taken in most leagues, but theres always a few where you can find him in the free agents.

Brett Tomko, SP - He's been pitching great so far. He's not worth picking up and replacing a good pitcher, but if you have someone to get rid of on your team, then get this guy.

Wily Mo Pena, OF - He had that long 9 game hitting drought that messes up his total stats. But he's been hitting well ever since. Learning from Manny and Ortiz makes him a much better hitter.

Cole Hamels, SP - If he's still availible, get him. His first start was great. He doesn't have amazing speed like some of the other young pitchers, but he has amazing command and control. His stuff is great and his numbers have always been amazing, they say he can turn out to be the next Johan Santana.

Reggie Evans Has His Hands Full

"He went behind my back, went through my legs and grabbed my nuts and tried to pull them backwards,’’ Kaman said. "In my mind at first I? wanted to punch him. I wanted to hit him. I thought to myself, ‘Don’t be stupid.’’’ Well if I was him, I would've socked him right on the face multiple times. This was just uncalled for and one of the dirties moves I've ever seen. Reggie Evans, welcome to my Hall-Of-Shame.

My NFL Mock Draft

The NFL Draft is next saturday, a chance for teams to gamble for their future. They might pick a 6th round QB who leads they're team to 3 superbowls, or a 1st pick player who ruins the franchise. Everyone has predictions on who will be taken by who, but thats all mostly bullshit stolen from ESPN. I can gaurantee two things about my mock draft, Reggie Bush will be first, and my draft will be twice as good as Sean Salisberry's.

1. Houston - Reggie Bush, RB USC - Its basically either Bush or Young. Bush is perhaps the greatest college runningback ever. With Bush, pressure will be taken off Carr. With a second round offensive lineman, they're offense will be set.

2. New Orleans - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, T Virginia - Ferguson is one of the highest rated lineman in the draft in a while, they can't go wrong here. Ferguson can play on the right, while Brown can switch to the right, where he played in college. With those two elite lineman, they will have the foundation of the team set for the next decade.

3. Tennessee - Matt Leinart, QB USC- The Titans are disrespecting McNair and McNair deserves better. He'll most likely end up in Baltimore. Titans have to pick between Young and Leinart. Neither would start in the first week and both need work. Leinart already knows the offense of Norm Chow, his former offensive coordinater at USC, so the transition will be much easier for Leinart.

4. N.Y. Jets - Mario Williams, DE North Carolina State - He's been compared to Peppers by many, and already stole the nickname 'freak' from Kearse. He's a playmaker on defense, and with the loss of Abraham, Williams will be a perfect pick.

5. Green Bay - A.J. Hawk, OLB Ohio State - This is the most obvious pick in the draft. Packers need defensive support. They need an outside linebacker. It looks as if Arrington is going to sign with the Giants. They're pass defense was the best in the league infact, but thats probably because they couldn't stop the run.

6. San Francisco - Vernon Davis, TE Maryland - Alex Smith showed some potential in the last few games of the season. He needs support around him to develop. Davis has great speed and hands. He will Smith's best friend by the time the season ends.

7. Oakland - Vince Young, QB Texas - Al Davis could care less about already having signed a QB. Still, Young will be perfect for Oakland. He has the big arm, and oakland has the stretch receivers. Plus, Young is the kind of explosive guy that fans can get excited about, and trust me, if Oakland gets young, there will be parties all over the bay area. Young jersies will sell faster than you can say Marquis Tuiasosopo.

8. Buffalo - Winston Justice, OT USC - The Bills pass protection has been horrible, one of the worst in the league. Lossman and Holcomb got sacked a total of 43 times. Justice is a big powerful guy who can block for both the run and pass. He's the best tackle that the Bills can get.

9. Detroit - Michael Huff, CB Texas - The Lions need some help in the secondary. Huff is a hardhitting, fast playmaker. He flys all over the field, and will improve the secondary dramatically.

10. Arizona - Jay Cutler, QB Vanderbilt - The only think lacking in the cardinals' offense is a QB. Warner obviously isn't they're future. Cutler can learn under warner and take over the year after. He is a carson palmer type of QB, and has all the tools around him to succeed. He had basically nothing around him at vanderbilt and still put up great numbers. This will be a perfect fit.

11. St. Louis - Jimmy Williams, CB Virginia Tech - The Rams need defensive help. Williams is the best man-to-man corner availible. They could also be looking at Jason Allen in round two.

12. Cleveland - Chad Greenway, OLB Iowa - The Browns need a good linebacker next to McGinist. Greenway is a fast linebacker with great tackling skills. He's all over the field, and fill be a good fit in the 3-4 defense.

13 . Baltimore - Haloti Ngata, DT Oregon - Ngata is a huge defensive tackle. He is exactly what Ray Lewis is asking for. Lewis wants a big guy up front to occupy the gaurds so he can rome free. They need either a defensive lineman or offensive lineman, and because of Lewis' recent comments, they will go for D.

14. Philadelphia - Santonio Holmes, WR Ohio State - The Eagles need a replacement for Owens. Holmes is a Santana Moss or Steve Smith type of player. He's small, quick, fast, and has great hands. He would be a good fit in that west coast offense.

15. Denver (from Atlanta) - Chad Jackson, WR Florida - The Broncos need another target for Plummer. Jackson is an ideal wide receiver for the Broncos.

16. Miami - Ernie Sims, OLB Florida State - The Dolphins need an outside linebacker with the departure of Seau. Sims is an explosive hardhitting linebacker. He is somewhat undersized, but when has size ever held a dolphin linebacker back

17. Minnesota - Bobby Carpenter, OLB Ohio State - The Vikings have a good secondary, but need linebacker help. Carpenter is the best linebacker availible, better than any other inside linebacker. This will be a good pick for the vikings.

18. Dallas - Donte Whitner, S, Ohio State - Next to Roy Williams, the Cowboys need a saftey. Whitner can cover extremely well. He's alot like Ed Reed. This will be the ideal pick for the Cowboys.

19. San Diego - Antonio Cromartie, CB Florida State - Cromartie is an excellent cover corner. The Chargers need help at corner and Cromartie will be perfect. They struck gold last year with defense, this year they will too.

20. Kansas City - Tye Hill, CB Clemson - The Chiefs need a good corner opposite of Surtain. He's one of the fast players in the draft, and will be a good cover corner. He is somewhat undersized, but his effort more than makes up for it.

21. New England - DeMarco Ryans, OLB Alabama - He is a really smart player, one who belichick will ike. They need outside linebacker with the departure of McGinist. Ryans will be a good fit.

22. San Francisco (from Washington through Denver) - Mathias Kiwanuka, DE Boston College - He is an overall excellent defensive end. He has all the physical tools to be great, and the instincts. He will be a good pick for the niners.

23. Tampa Bay - Marcus McNeil, OT Auburn - McNeil is a huge offensive tackle, and exactly what the bucs need. Be blocked for Cadillac two years ago, and will do it again. He is raw, but has the tools

24. Cincinnati - Marcedes Lewis, TE UCLA - The Bengals don't have a star tight end as most winning teams do. Lewis has great hands, alot like heath miller of last years draft, and we all know how that turned out. Lewis will definately be on the board by this pick.

25 . N.Y. Giants - Tamba Hali, DE Penn State - The Giants need another defensive end. Hali is a good replacement for Strahan in a few years. The giants already improved they're pass defense with Sam Madison, and are probably going to get Arrington. With Hali, that defense will surprise alot of people.

26. Chicago - Sinorice Moss, WR Miami - The Bears need a widereciever opposite of Muhammad. They've been extremely inconsistant. Moss is a playmaker that the bears desperately need.

27. Carolina - DeAngelo Williams, RB Memphis - The forgotton runningback of the draft. Carolina has had too many injuries at runningback, infact its the only reason they didn't go to the superbowl. Williams will probably be behind Foster, but even then he'll definatly see at least 5 starts.

28. Jacksonville - Eric Winston, OT Miami - The Jaguars need an offensive lineman like Winston. He'll improve their offense overall. This will be a good pick is Winston falls this far.

29. N.Y. Jets (from Denver) - Ashton Youboty, CB Ohio State - With the departure of Law, the Jets need a corner. Youboty is a good corner who can get the job done. Hes a smart player who can make plays.

30. Indianapolis - Lawrence Maroney, RB Minnesota - With James gone, this will be a perfect opportunity to snag a great RB in the draft. Maroney is 1st round material. Hes a balanced runningback who will be perfect for the colts.

31. Seattle - Jonathan Joseph, CB South Carolina - Other than Trufant, the Seahawks don't have a reliable corner. Joseph is ideal size and has everything you look for in a cornerback. He will be a starter from week 1.

32. Pittsburgh - Lendale White, RB USC - Big smash mouth runningback on a smash mouth football team. This is probably the draftee-team fit in the entire draft.

I Actually Used to Like the Titans

The other day Steve McNair was told to go home by the Titans. He is no longer allowed to workout in the team facilities. McNair has 28.46 million dollars on the salary cap, 9 million this year. If he gets hurt this season, the Titans have to pay him the whole 9 million. The Titans tried to restructure his contract, but McNair and the team aren't coming to any agreements.

This is a classless move by the Titans. I've lost almost all respect for the team. McNair is a guy who gave 120% every game. He's played through injuries, all for the team. He led them to the super bowl, coming one yard shy of leading one of the greatest comebacks ever. He was MVP of the league just 3 years ago, and he's been the face of that organization for so many years.

McNair has all the rights to refuse giving up more money. He had repeatedly restructured his contract in the past just to get the Titans under the cap. He's been playing for less than he's worth for all these years, less salary, less bonuses, all because he was promised his money in the future. McNair has earned his money, so why would he restructure his contract again, only to get screwed next year?

I actually used to like the Titans, all because of one guy, McNair. The Titans front office just can't manage the team, and McNairs getting screwed because of it. The Titans are officially the first members of my Wall of Shame.

My Elite Fantasy Baseball Team

C: Ivan Rodriguez
1B: Adam Dunn
2B: Ricki Weeks
3B: Alex Rodriguez
SS: Omar Vizquel
OF: Ken Griffey Jr.
OF: Hideki Matsui
OF: Jeromy Burnitz
Ut: Sean Casey
BN: Julio Lugo

SP: Roy Halladay
SP: Randy Johnson
RP: David Weathers
RP: Dan Miceli
P: Brad Penny
P: Esteban Loaiza
P: Justin Verlander
BN: Orlando Hernandez
BN: Jarrod Washburn
BN: Aaron Harang
BN: Todd Jones
DL: Eric Gagne

My team is not great, but its pretty good. With good managing, I can win it all. I have inconsistant batters with Casey and Burnitz. Vizquel is my expendable player, hes only had 2 games with RBIs. He hits second in the lineup, so he'll mostly be getting runs and steals. But those are stats that Lugo or other free agents can give me. He won't be on my team much longer. Weeks is also interesting, hes the same as Vizquel, he gets steals and runs, but not RBIs. Weeks is supposedly an emerging star, which is the only reason I'm keeping him, hoping he gets hot. However, if I drop him no one will pick him up, so I might just do that. I'll probably pick up Jose Lopez and Khalil Green. One Burnitz gets cold, I'm going to drop him too.

Obviously my weaknesses are steals and saves. One Todd Jones is back I'll start generating more saves. Jones is only going to stay on my team if he's the starting closer when he comes back. He's old, but if he starts, he'll get many save opportunities. Gagne has a while to go, but I need to keep him for the second half of the season and playoffs. The two pitchers I'm seriously questioning are Washburn and Loaiza. What really made me keep both those players are Mariner and A's biases, Mariners, my favorite team, and A's, my home team and second favorite team.

Detroit Tigers

As I was reading a blog entry on the debate over a salaray cap in baseball, I thought to myself, every bad team becomes good eventually. I thought of the Brewers, a young and confident team that can surprise many people, then I thought of the Tigers, and that got me thinking, the Tigers really aren't that bad any longer.

What really amazes me is the Tigers' pitching. Their rotation includes Kenny Rogers, Bonderman, Robertson, Maroth, and the young superstud Justin Verlander. This is the type of rotation a team that an elite team has. Plus they're all under 30, except Rogers. This team has sucked for so long, now they are finally ready to make their run for the playoffs. All of these pitchers can win 10 games and get 150+K this year. Whats more impressive is their bullpen. Rodney has pitched perfectly thus far. The young Zumaya is a great setupman. Not to mention they have three relievers injured, two of which are able to be closers, Jones and Percival. The bullpen's average WHIP is 1.03, with a 3.17 ERA. Just to show how impressive those numbers really are, the whitesox average 4.75, the redsox average 4.31, and the brewers average 4.11.

But on the other side of the ball, the hitting is mediocre. However it is good enough to take them to the playoffs. Shelton is the hottest player in the league right now. Old players cool down, guys who are 26 and lead the league in homeruns, BA, and RBIs, do not. They also have the future star Granderson. He's only 25 years old and producing average to good numbers. Later in the season when analysts begin realizing that the Tigers are a force to be reckoned with, he will heat up. Plus they have my man Pudge. You can't go wrong with Pudge. The Tigers will be a world series caliber team in 3 years tops. They have the pitching. A few big name signings are all they need. They're a confident team and they believe they can win, and they will.

Milwaukee Brewers

The first thing I think of when I hear of the Brewers is failure. They've only won the division once in their history. They've been just another small market team who can't get it straight. But over the course of spring training and preparing for my fantasy drafts, I realized that the Brewers can no longer be ignored. This is a young team that will probably make the playoffs in the next few years.

They're pitching is as deep as any team in the league. Ben Sheets, Doug Davis, and Chris Capuano are all great pitchers who can win 15+ games a season. Davis is in a contract year, which means he'll have a great season. Then theres Dave Bush and Tomo Ohka who are good too. The Brewers' old closer, Dan Kolb, who got traded to the Braves last year, is back as a setup man for Derrick Turnbow who hasn't allowed a run all season. With starting pitchers who'll take the lead deep in the ballgame, and a setup man like Kolb, Turnbow will be best closer this year, fantasy-wise. Vice-versa, with a setup man like Kolb and a closer like Turnbow, the starting pitchers will be getting alot more wins than people expect. Under pitching coach Mike Maddox, the Brewer pitchers will carry this team far.

As for batting, the team is not as great. But like the whitesox last year, they have enough to win games. They have guys that can get the job done, but no outstanding players. Carlos Lee and Overbay are good cleanup hitters, and Weeks, the future star, is a guy who can get on base and score. The Brewers are doing it all with their great farm system. They have one of the best farm systems in the league, and now after years of sucking, they are seeing it payoff, and are proving that it doesn't just take money to build a winning team.