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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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A Weekend To Remember By Ron Jumper One of the busiest but best sports weekends in a long time for yours truly. Other than the fact I’m still exhausted from it all, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect sports week. The only thing that could have made it better was if I could have ran into Jessica Simpson or maybe Carmen Electra. There was a point where I was thinking to myself, “I could die happy right now.” For me, when my sports teams are playing well and I’m picking games almost flawlessly, I couldn’t be happier. For most people, sports is a hobby or something they enjoy. A great weekend for them is a weekend they have free to go to the lake or go hunting/fishing, etc. Nope, not me, that just isn’t what makes me tick. Give me good seats to a game or a interesting match-up on television and I’m good to go. Give me all my sports teams winning in the same weekend and you might have to slap me silly. Thursday Rutgers upsets Louisville The Scarlet Knights upsetting the Cardinals virtually assures there will be no Big East team in the BCS Title Game. I love Louisville’s offense and I’m even a big enthusiast for Rutgers getting some national recognition, I just couldn’t sleep at night thinking their could be a Big East team in the National Championship! Granted, Rutgers has an outside shot of creeping in. I don’t see them beating West Virginia, regardless. (Note: As a Hogs fan, I was happy to see Louisville go down because it helps clear the way for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Little did I know what the rest of the weekend had in store…) Dallas Mavericks Win At The Phoenix Suns The Mavericks got back on track. They finally got a W. As you know, I picked the Mavericks to make the finals last year and I picked them again this year. Safe to say I wasn’t too thrilled to see them stumble out to an 0-4 start. If there was ever a time to struggle, it would be now. The NBA analysts haven’t been as confused as to who the contenders are since Jordan retired. With the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz leading their divisions, it is safe to say this season should be interesting as it unfolds. However, even with the Suns, Mavericks, Pistons, and Bulls struggling, I’d still take them if to finish higher than the Hawks, 76ers, or Jazz. Friday ESPN GameDay Begins! After standing in the cold for three hours, I had witnessed for the first time, and probably the last time, ESPN’s College GameDay. With the Hogs surprising everyone this season and having a critical game against Tennessee coming up, ESPN decided to come to Fayetteville, AR. Friday afternoon they taped segments that would go on Sportscenter and various ESPN shows that night. My friends and I got to shake hands and get autographs from Desmond Howard, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit. Arkansas’ Hoops Team Beats SEMO By 40 With this year’s roster being full of new faces, I wasn’t sure what I would get Friday night. I have been both excited and skeptical at the same time about this team. I have been very excited that they have a “true” point guard in Gary Earvin, who transferred from Mississippi State. I have been skeptical of the incoming recruits ability to contribute at an SEC level. I have been even more skeptical of Stan Heath’s decision to move Charles Thomas to small forward. Thomas has always been an energy guy that hits the boards, I just don’t see him playing the 3 in the SEC. After watching the team in person Friday night, I couldn’t help but fall in love with freshman Patrick Beverly. Beverly was a big recruit out of Chicago that blew up on the recruiting scene late. In his Arkansas debut, he had a smoking hot 29 points. However, what you have to love about him is pure passion for the game. He jumps in excitement after every shot, slaps his teammates hands at every opportunity, and is always looking to pump up the crowd. He looks like he is having the time of his life playing the game he loves. I see this team being explosive at times, but should have plenty of stretches this season where they struggle to score. There isn’t a go to guy inside or out and there isn’t an abundance of good shooters. If they fail to speed the game up or force turnovers, they could struggle against anyone. That being said, if they get the ball up and down the floor by forcing turnovers and controlling the glass, this team could hang in there with anyone in the SEC on a given night. Saturday ESPN College GameDay If you would have told me that ESPN would even care about a Razorback game in November I would have laughed at you just a few weeks ago. Remember this is a team that got demoralized by USC and only beat Utah State 20-0. At the end of the Utah State game, I honestly felt sick. I couldn’t for the life of me come up with anything positive to say. Utah State had been slaughtered 35-7 by Wyoming the previous week, nothing against the Cowboys but are you kidding me? However, this team just kept winning no matter how awful it looked. Ask any Razorback fan and they will tell you we didn’t beat Alabama, Alabama beat Alabama. Watching that game was exciting but, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but feel like we had received a gift. Going into the Auburn game, I was just hoping the game would be close. Arkansas came out and dominated the Tigers and the rest is history. I have to say that seeing Lee Corso put the Hogs hat on was enough to give me chills. Having Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit talking about the Arkansas Razorbacks and the BCS in the same breathe was almost more than I could handle. Going into the stadium prior to the game, I couldn’t help but think the Hogs were going to stumble, I mean this is Tennessee we’re talking about. For those who don’t remember, the Vols ruined our undefeated season late in 1998. Arkansas did not stumble nor did they give Tennessee a fighting chance at leaving Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium victorious. Darren McFadden kept the Vols defense confused all night, they never knew how Razorbacks offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was going to use the SEC’s best weapon. He took handoffs, lined up at quarterback, and even completed a touchdown pass to Marcus Monk. Phillip Fulmer, whom many Razorback students went to town on making comical signs about, didn’t seem to make any adjustments to stop the vaunted Razorback run defense. To say the Vols couldn’t stop the Hogs on the ground was like saying Fulmer has had one too many twinkies. It is a vast understatement… As the scores ran across the screen, Hog fans couldn’t help but be more and more excited as top 10 teams fell. Auburn, California, Louisville, and Texas all went down. Suddenly, our hopes of Sugar turned into hopes of taking on the Buckeyes in the national championship game! Amazingly enough, we still have Ohio State-Michigan, USC-Cal, USC-Notre Dame, and Rutgers-West Virginia that should help pave the way for the Hogs. Not to mention, the Hogs can take out Florida in the SEC Championship. Hopefully you can do the math and realize every title contender is accounted for. It won’t be easy and, to be honest, it is very unlikely. If the Razorbacks can beat Mississippi State and LSU just to keep their title hopes alive, the Florida Gators are a very tough match-up. The spread offense of the Gators should be able to have big plays against the aggressive single coverage ran by the ever so stubborn defensive coordinator Randy Herring. It would probably be easier to convince Dr. Christian Troy (Nip/Tuck) to date men than get Coach Herring to throw in some zone coverage every once in a while. The man is set in his ways, which does have some positive twists to it. He brings an attitude of toughness and aggressiveness that has become a staple of playing the Razorbacks. As an opposing team, you know you are going to get hit in the mouth early and often. It also helps in recruiting, what defensive back doesn’t dream of playing in-your-face press coverage? Herring has the ability to inspire, which a lot of coaches don’t have. I’m a believer that a coach being able to recruit and his ability to coach are equal. If Herring can bring in better defensive backs than the next guy, doesn’t that at least balance out his coaching flaws? Sunday How The NFL Became The Casino’s Biggest Income My advice to anyone betting on the NFL would be to run. Get away as fast you can. Cash in your winnings and don’t look back until playoff time. There hasn’t been a more unpredictable season that I can remember. Divisions are completely upside down, take the NFC South for example. New Orleans was picked by anyone with a brain to come in dead last in that division. Carolina was ESPN’s consensus Super Bowl pick. Tampa Bay had all the makings of a good team, the returning #1 defense in the NFL, Carnell Williams, and plenty of optimism after winning the division last season. The Atlanta Falcons are hard to figure, they have looked both amazing and ugly at times as they’re starting to lose their playoff positioning. The fact that road teams win more than the home team on weekly basis is just icing on the cake. I really don’t see that as a big issue. I see that as the NFL making schedules ridiculous and completely unfair across the league. The only team with a losing record the Bucs have faced this season is the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Saints have 8 teams on their schedule with a losing record! When you can explain that one to me, let me know… The Gelling of the Houston Rockets With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady healthy, it seemed logical the Rockets would improve upon last season. Watching the Rockets defeat the Miami Heat Sunday night, I had to make something clear. Tracy McGrady isn’t a selfish player or bad teammate, he has learned how to create and make his teammates better. In the games where his shot hasn’t been falling, which has been killing my fantasy team, he has increased his rebounding and assist totals significantly. The more complete his game becomes the more the Rockets win. Winning is the cure for everything in sports, just don’t overlook the ingredients. Well, I think I’ve covered everything that sparked my interest this weekend. This was one of the more memorable weekends for me, Razorback football at its finest to go along with the beginning of the hoops season. November 15, 2006 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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