Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Showing Love To The Cretins Of The Left Coast


Yes, the title is making fun of the fans of the Raiders. But our fraternity of piss poorly-run teams has to make fun of each other, so the title remains. If you take a look at the standings in the AFC, you see an unfamiliar team at 2-1 in the West. For most of us, seeing Oakland having a winning record is something you thought about in the 70's and 80's. Otherwise you expect them to maybe win 5 or 6 games a season. And lord knows that some fans of the Silver and Black aren't what your would call mentally stable because they pick the Raiders to win the West each and every year.

But something is happening in Oakland. I will give credit to Mark Davis. Even though the Raider Nation wanted Reggie McKenzie's head on a silver platter for the past year if not 2, he stuck with the GM and it looks like there is a plan that will bring winning back to O-Town. (Remember that sucky Boy Band?) Anyways, look what Reggie has done for the team.

He has a QB that can man the position for the next decade. Derek Carr looks like he will develop into a better than average QB at the very least. He has the respect of the veterans, at least according to Justin Tuck and Charles Woodson. The Raiders drafted Amari Cooper who looks like he can turn into a good pro. To help the receiving corps, they brought in Michael Crabtree who has been on good and bad teams and could help steady the ship. A smart move was letting Darren McFadden go to Dallas and drafting Latavius Murray in 2013, I believe. He was the 16th RB taken in that draft. You find a player like that late in the draft, develop him, and have him shock people with his play. That is how the successful franchises stay on top. Now if they can find more stability on the Offensive Line and get a top flight TE, you could have an offense that will score in bunches.

On defense, it is slower going to build. Khalil Mack looks like a monster. I am a Ray-Ray Armstrong fan. Justin Tuck and Charles Woodson bring the veteran leadership.There are still some upgrades that need to be made to get the defense to the next level, but the one thing that it does have going for it is that the team ranks in the Top 15 of rushing defense. That is going to keep the Raiders in games that the offense might be able to steal.

The AFC West is up for grabs this year. The Broncos are 3-0, but is anybody really scared of that offense? The Chiefs are 1-2 and finding ways to lose. The Chargers are also 1-2 and both lines are a weakness for the team. Why not the Raiders? The young stars aren't afraid of anything. And if the bounces go their way, they could pull out 9 or 10 wins. There weren't many people that were looking at the team winning that amount this year. In fact, I read a publication that had them saying that the Raiders had the least amount of talent in the NFL.

So to R.J. and the rest of Raiders Nation: The rebuilding plan that you have is looking good. You can also look at it this way. Your team is better now and probably will be better in the future than Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Miami, Washington, Chicago, and St. Louis. That means that you are better than 25% of the league already. Continue with the improvement and the Raiders can get back into a position of prominence. But don't go crazy and think Super Bowl for the next couple of years at the very least.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

500

Not going to let this moment go by without at least posting something.  David Ortiz, the greatest clutch hitter of all time, hit his 500th career home run tonight, as well as his 499th.

I was out sightseeing today wearing my #34 t-shirt.

33 HR and 94 RBI at 39 years old. The greatest clutch hitter ever. Some of the greatest players of all time got nervous, tighten up trying to get by these milestones. Not this guy. He's hit a ton the last few weeks and needed two HRs going into tonight to get to 500 and hit both of them tonight and hit 'em hard!



2015 College Football Point Spread Picks - Week 2




Well, this hasn't happened in a few years. The first week went decently with a 6-4 record. If Boise State hadn't let a offensively-challenged Washington team back into the game, we would have been off to a rocking the start of the season. Well, let's continue with the prognostication and have an even better Week 2.

Saturday, September 05, 2015

Found On Twitter: Things Of Beauty

I don't mean to be the resident Fashion Police around here, but somebody's gotta do it. In this case, I'm already in love with these new San Diego Gulls jerseys that were unveiled yesterday at the Fox Sports Grill. Yours truly has something called a job, so unfortunately I couldn't make it across the county to see them firsthand. If you click on the image above a couple of times, or follow this link, you'll see a larger picture of the home and away jerseys.

I love how the Ducks have allowed the Gulls to keep their familiar colors. They look great with today's jersey designs. I especially love the white jerseys. I've only seen one AHL game on TV, so I don't remember if they follow NHL rules and wear white jerseys on the road. But if they do, they will be very fashionable in places like Ontario, Stockton, Bakersfield and San Jose. I still have to get used to the Anaheim Ducks logo patch on the left shoulder, but otherwise I love these jerseys more than the ones the Gulls have worn in the past.

Looks like I need to do some shopping later this month. Originally, I was only going to buy a t-shirt, a hat, and a hoodie but now I need to see if I can squeeze a jersey into my monthly clothing budget.


Friday, September 04, 2015

2015 College Football Point Spread Picks - Week 1





A new year and a new sense of hope for picking college football games. Last year's unflattering record against the spread is a distant memory. This year could be a little tricky to pick because of the amount of teams that the experts think could reach the playoffs. So without further ado, let's pick 10 games .

Thursday, September 03, 2015

#BiteMeNFL

You got what you freakin' deserved, Goodell.  Hate all you all want...we will kick your fucking asses again this year too.  You should be trying to fix your shit instead of calling others cheaters.  If you can't beat 'em, call 'em cheaters.
And you know the other owners pushed this idiot to do this as much as his own stupid pride and arrogance.  Go ahead, Roger, appeal it again.