Rays Tie ALCS Series 1-1

Tampa Bay Rays v/s Boston Red Sox

ALCS Game 1 Recap:

Boston's Jason Bay (former L.A. Dodger) slammed a HR in the 5th.

Tampa Bay's Pitcher, James Shields had a shaky start but survived Red Sox run in 7th, stranding 2 on base.

Rays started a rally in the bottom of the 7th as Carl Crawford singles for the Rays first hit of the game. Next up, Floyd hits a single moving Crawford to third with no outs. Unfortunately the Rays failed to score with Carl Crawford on third base and nobody out in the seventh inning, stranding runners on the corners.

Boston answers back in the top of the 8th as Kevin Youkilis hits a stand up double and scores Pedoria while advancing Ortiz to third with 1 out. J.D. Drew was hit by the next pitch to load the bases for Boston. Fortunately the Rays survive inning catching a pop up stranding Boston with bases loaded.

FUN FACT: Tampa Bay has out scored Boston 19-4 from the seventh inning on at Tropicana Field this season. Tampa Bay has 45 come from behind wins. ALCS best of 7 series Game 1 Winner has won 55% of the series.

Tampa Bay hopes this isn't true as the attempt to come back in game 2. Experience wins out as Boston leads series 1-0

ALCS Game 2 Recap:

From the very beginning this game was going to be a L-O-N-G shoot out. Both Boston and Tampa Bay quickly put up 2 runs a piece in the first inning.

The Rays Floyd, Longoria and Upton homered off Boston's struggling Josh Beckett in the 5th inning. Bostons answered back with three home runs of their own. "It's very frustrating any time you get eight runs for you and you can't win the game," Beckett said.

The game then slowed down a bit as each team only scored 1 additional run in the game making it 8-8 after 9 innings. Extra innings were needed to decide this thrilling Game 2.

After only 5 hours, 27 minutes, the Rays wound up winning Game 2 when Perez tagged up on BJ Upton's one-out fly and beat right fielder J.D. Drew's throw home.

"Like I said, in a straight-up race, I've got him over Seabiscuit," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm dating myself a bit. I'm sorry, but that's the first horse that came to my mind."

"We did not want to go to Boston down 0-2," said Evan Longoria, who homered for Tampa Bay. "It's 1:30 in the morning and we pulled it out."

Tampa Bay evens the series 1-1 going into Bean Town.

ALCS Game 3 Preview:

Jon Lester #31
W-L: 16-6
ERA: 3.21
K: 152











Matt Garza #22
W-L: 11-9
ERA: 3.70
K: 128

Former Raiders Speak Out

Greg Garber reported on ESPN.com that under Raiders' owner Al Davis, they have five straight seasons of 11 or more losses. They are 1-3 heading into their Week 6 game at New Orleans. Wow, must have been all those coaches, right?

I loved this article and wanted to share some key points I found that seals my dislike for Al Davis. It really says a lot when past players come forth and speak out about Davis, now that he doesn't have his crusty hands on their careers. Like Darth Vader in Star Wars, Davis is out for one thing, total control no matter the cost.



Star receiver Tim Brown (former Raider 1988-2003) said that he blames for the team's demise largely on Al Davis. Brown commented that The Raiders' organization was a family unit. He even said, "That meant whatever happened outside that building stayed outside that building. Whatever happened inside stayed inside. I would have liked for [Davis] not to have gotten into the personal things that happened between them. That family bonding thing, that can't be there if you have different coaches coming in week after week after week it seems like. That was the great thing about Gruden when he came in. He established a program. We knew he was making some calls and doing some things that he wanted to do, and guys responded. Until they get back to that, it's going to be very difficult to be consistent on the field, winning games."


Former Raider Super Bowl Quarterback Rich Gannon stated, "It's not a tough place to work, it's an impossible place to work, It's an organization that is, in my opinion, dysfunctional."

Heck yeah it's dysfunctional, there's a control freak at the helm!








Warren Sapp (former Raider 2004-2007) said, "You take him (Al Davis) out, put him at home watching film or whatever he is doing, you have a functioning football organization. Al Davis knows football, it's just '60s and '70s football. That's what he is.

I agree with Warren, he's stuck in an era were football wasn't as complicated and it was possible to have the control he does and succeed. Football should be run like a business and there is a track record of organizations that do it this way and have tremendous success.




Everyone cheered when Detroit Lions President, Matt Millen (former Raiders linebacker), was fired after Detroit went 26-57 over the last five-plus seasons. Get rid of the problem, easy fix right? Oakland is 20-64 which is worse since reaching Super Bowl XXXVII, which includes 5-28 in the AFC West. Sounds horrible and needs to be fixed like Detroit, right? Well Al Davis is team owner AND team general manager AND cannot be fired. Anyone see a problem here?

In recent press release about his recent firing of Lane Kiffin, Al Davis said, "It didn't have to do with winning, it had to do with personality. It's the first time I ever let anyone go based on what I call [being] a flat-out liar. It didn't have to do with winning."

Maybe not winning but, definitely, it had everything to do with Al Davis. Davis continued by saying in a recent dramatic news conference, "We'll be back. The Raiders will be back. I just know that the fire that burns brightest in this building is the will to win, and we will win. We will win."

Hey Al, I thought you said, "It didn't have to do with winning"? So which is it? Speaking of winning, since reaching Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003, the Oakland Raiders have won only 20 of 84 games which is the worst record in the NFL over that period. Obviously there is one possible reason for this type of record, the revolving coaching door since they've had five different head coaches in less than 5½ seasons.

Here's the numbers on recent Raiders coaching records:

Bill Callahan ('03) went 4-12
Norv Turner ('04-05) went 9-23
Art Shell ('06) went 2-14
Lane Kiffin ('07-08) went 5-15
and now interim head coach Tom Cable ('08) so far 0-0, the best record to date!

I see a pattern developing here!

Japan to Ban Baseball Players seeking more.

I recently read a story on ESPN.com reporting that Japan's professional baseball teams agreed to ban players who return to Japan after leaving to play for overseas pro teams, like MLB. They mentioned the executives of Japan's 12 professional teams decided on this ban for players who had graduated from high school. Get this, college or company players must wait for three years from playing overseas to be able to return to Japanese baseball. Professional Japanese players must wait nine seasons before becoming free agents.

Japanese baseball officials really hope to discourage their top prospects from skipping Japan's pro leagues to play in the majors here. So far there are only a handful of Japanese players to have played in the majors without playing in Japanese pro baseball first.

Well, if Japan only has 12 professional teams what the heck do they expect. There's more opportunity here, that's why our "friends south of us" come up to play. Imagine what would happen if we introduced a similar ban on our NBA players who wanted to skip the pond and play in Europe. The stuff would hit the fan then.

Fair Weather Fans

What can be said about sports fans? They are a very dedicated group, which suffer highs and lows with the teams they love to follow faithfully. Spending billions each year on sports related entertainment, fans feel they are part of the team and demand a lot from their investment. From merchandise to concessions fans pour out money to over-priced pieces of their team.

Fan loyalty is so important to the sports industry that some teams go as far to employ "Customer Relationship Management" techniques to collect information about their fans. They gather information on demographics and psychographics of fans which some have started using devices like loyalty cards, that are swiped through card readers at kiosks around arenas and stadiums. This way, the organization gathers much needed data on their fans while the fans collect reward points, which are redeemable against tickets, merchandise, and concessions. What a great marketing strategy.

I've been a Chicago Cubs fan and a Carolina Panthers fan all my life. Neither has produced a championship for me but that’s OK, I still enjoy watching them and will never turn on either team. One thing I cannot stomach is a fan that turns on their beloved team when times are hard. These fans are known as "fair weather fans" or "band wagoning". These fans only show support when their team is doing well. Even during hard times they skip to other teams that are doing well. These fans have no real loyalty to their "supposed" team. They vanish off the radar when their team struggles at the first sign of trouble. These troubled fans only watch games that peak their interest or when it's championship time like The Super Bowl, The World Series, or Playoffs in general.

Earlier this year after the New England Patriots QB, Tom Brady, went down with a season ending injury fans started stirring in their seats getting ready to jump. They knew they wouldn't have the same level of success with a quarterback who hasn't started a football game since high school, Matt Cassel. While the Patriots were struggling these fans got up and walked out in the third quarter. I’m not a Patriots fan by any means but that disgusts me.

I've even seen fan loyalty dwindle right here in Bishop country. The football crowds were bigger last year when they were setting records and crushing the USA South conference. I look around now and see parents still cheering on their offspring but the handful of students who come are sitting there talking, giggling, and carrying on with no regard for the game. This is ridiculous and absurd. Show up because you want to show support for "your" team and don't flip flop when times are bad, this isn’t politics.

True fan loyalty should continue even when your team that you support performs poorly year after year. Let's take the Chicago Cubs for example, which has tremendous fan loyalty. These fans spend their hard earned dollar to support their team even though they haven't won a World Series in 100 years. This was "their" team and they deserved the best.

This loyalty was tested at the end of their playoff run this season. It seems 100 years may be too much for fans to stomach and some swear to never follow the Cubbies again. One fan even went as far to sell his "loyalty" on eBay (Item number: 140273969564). The seller, jerryb6hmm goes, as far to say, “I can’t watch the bleeding anymore, I’m a 30 year season ticket holder and after this year I sold them!! You are bidding for my loyalty to the team of your choosing." Sounds like a great deal right? The winning bidder will actually receive an official signed document from the seller swearing off his Cubs loyalty and stating that he will be a fan of whatever team you choose. Oh wait there's more! He'll even throw in an autographed picture with the seller wearing the hat of your selected team with a "huge" smile on his face if you bid more than $30. Well now, what do you say to that?

I say it's repulsive! Just like I mentioned before, either be a fan or don't. Why waste your time to invest your heart and soul, part time. Being a fan should be a full time commitment. You shouldn’t loose sleep if things are going wrong either; it’s just a game for some but an occupation for others. These athletes use our excitement to fuel their performance. It pains them when they look up and notice empty seats when games are going bad. As fans we owe it to our teams to support them no matter what.

Pacman goes retro

Unlike vintage video games, maybe some things don't get sweeter with time, like previously suspended NFL corner backs. Everyone thought when Adam Jones dropped the Pacman nickname and was reinstated by the NFL it was a sign of better things to come. Not so much.

If you can believe this, Jones got into a fight with one of his body guards at a downtown Dallas hotel, according to Dallas police. It's been thought that Pacman was staying at the hotel and may have been drinking. You think? Although, there was no police report filed and no one was arrested or will be charged in connection with the fight.

What a thug! This retard was suspended for the 2007 season for off-field problems. One revealed instance involved a fist fight and another involved a shooting in a Vegas strip club. So let me get this straight, he was already involved in a fist fight altercation and for some reason there is no filed police report for this most recent incident. He must be paying this body guard a lot of money, I guess the punches are considered part of the job with Pacman.

How many times do we give this convict a chance? Maybe once someone dies then we will do something about it.

The following is a Adam Jones timeline reported by The Tennessean:

Since the Tennessee Titans drafted cornerback Adam Jones in 2005 he's been questioned, named or arrested in connection with at least eight off-field incidents:

• Strip club incident-
Where: Atlanta
When: April 2005
What: Jones' name appeared on the police incident report after a fight broke out in a strip club. The female involved said she had no plans to pursue the case and it was dismissed.

• Hotel incident-
Where: Nashville
When: June 2005
What: Security officials at Regal Maxwell House Hotel had trouble getting two of Jones' friends to clear their room after checkout time. Police arrived, smelled marijuana and found some on a tabletop. Jones was in the room, but one of his friends took full responsibility for the evidence.

• Nightclub arrest-
Where: Nashville
When: July 2005
What:Jones was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor assault and a felony count of vandalism after a fight at a Nashville nightclub. Charges were dismissed less than a year later.

• Vehicle confiscation-
Where: Nashville
When: April 2006
What: Metro Police said a vehicle registered to Jones was involved in a drug trafficking ring. "Pac Man" was embroidered on the leather seats of a 2004 Cadillac XLR which was confiscated from a friend of Jones. Jones later bought the car back at an auction.

• Shots fired-
Where: Nashville
When: April 2006
What: Jones was at the scene where gunshots were fired following an altercation at a Nashville gas station at 1:50 a.m. Police questioned Jones but labeled him only as a witness. The incident occurred just three days after the vehicle confiscation.

• Nightclub arrest-
Where: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
When: Aug. 2006
What: Jones was arrested and charged with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, for an incident at Sweetwater Saloon. With six months of good behavior the charges will be dropped, a judge ruled last month.

• Spitting incident-
Where: Nashville
When: Oct. 2006
What: Jones was issued a citation for misdemeanor assault after being accused of spitting in the face of a Tennessee State student following a verbal exchange at a downtown nightclub. The charge was dismissed in general sessions court earlier this month.

• Triple shooting-
Where: Las Vegas
When: Feb. 2007
What: Jones took a plea deal to reduce felony charges to a gross misdemeanor. He got probation in return for his testimony about the triple shooting that left one man paralyzed.

Panthers @ Bucs Prediction

It's time for a NFC SOUTH showdown. The Carolina Panthers travel down to the Sunshine State to take on the Buccaneers. This is a very important game for Carolina, wheich a potential to create another three way tie for #1 in the NFC South with a Panthers loss, Bucs win, and a Falcons win.

Tampa Bay's QB, Brian Griese, left with a right elbow injury against Denver. This makes Grieses questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina. If Griese where able to play his stats are very close to Jake Delhommes. So far this season, Brian Griese attempteda total of 147 passes while completing 84, threw for a total of 804 yards with 4 TDs. Jake Delhomme has attempted 142 yards completing 86. Delhomme has a grand total of 1096 yards for 5 TDs which is bette than Griese. If Griese isn't able to suit up then bring on Jeff Garcia who has staggering 58 attempts for passing with 37 complete. He also has a total of 314 yards with 2 TDs.

Advantage: Carolina

The Rushing game for Tampa Bay is split between Earnest Graham who had 67 carries for a total of 393 yards with 2 TDs and Warrick Dunn had 53 carries for a total of 271 yards with 1 TD. Carolina, on the other hand, has DeAngelo Williams rushing for 75 carries and 324 yards with 2 TDs and Jonathan Stewart carrying 64 times for 269 yards with 4 TDs. Both teams have similar yards and average carries while Carolina produces more TDs which is the goal.

Advantage: Carolina

Last but not least, let's talk receiving. The Bucs have Antonio Bryant who recorded 24 receptions for a total of 278 yards with 0 TDs. Then you have Ike Hilliard who has 22 receptions so far for 193 yards and 3 TDs. Carolina's Mushin Muhammad has 25 receptions for 358 yards with 2 TDs. Then there's Steve Smith with 16 receptions for 262 yards and 1 TD. While both Carolina and Tamp Bay have the same amount of TDs total, the ball is spread out better for the Panthers. If something were to happen to Ike Hilliard then Tampa Bay is out of production and Antonio Bryant would really have to step up. Carolina also has more reception yards total so there is more production coming from the Panthers receiving duo.

Advantage: Carolina

I'm sure by now everyone knows I'm a Panthers fan and for good reason this year. The team is really coming together after the return of Jake Delhomme. With our rotating QB situation last years it feels good to be stable. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay their QB situation is shaky.

Final Prediction: Carolina 24, Tampa Bay 17

AIFA Fayetteville Guard Open Team Tryouts

Fayetteville, NC- Think you can play professional football? Put you money where your mouth is and strap on tight.

Encouraged to tryout: all athletes who feel they have the ability to play professional arena football. The Fayetteville Guard professional Indoor Football Team is holding their first open team tryouts for the upcoming 2009 season. They are a member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) and look to take on the league for the 2009 Championship Campaign. Kickers will not work-out at this tryout. There will be another tryout for kickers at a later date.

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Where: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, NC.
Registration: 10:00 am
Work-outs: 11:00 am
Cost: Pre-registered $50.00, $60.00 at the door. (Cash or Money Orders Only).
What to Bring: shorts, t-shirt, athletic shoes (turf field, no cleats or track spites), all other equipment will be provided by the Guard.

Get ready to rumble for a pro-style combine work-out!

Drills:
1) 40 yard dash
2) 20 yard shuttle run
3) Broad Jump
4) 225lbs Bench Press Reps
5) Individual position drills and one on ones.

For more information:
Head Coach Charles Gunnings
910-583-0576 or 919-671-7124

Email Coach Gunnings

Be sure to fill out and bring with you:

Registration Form

Tryout Waiver

Panthers Tomahawk Chop Chiefs

The Carolina Panthers recorded their largest win in franchise history passing their 1996 win over Tampa Bay 24-0. This came compliments of Offensive MVP, RB DeAngelo Williams who scorched the grass with three touchdowns and 123 yards. This is Williams fourth career 100-yard game and lucky for the Panthers, they are 7-0 all-time when Williams gets 80 rushing yards.

Steve Smith had a beautiful 38 yard reception with 12:27 left in the second quarter which was his first reception of the game. This set the momentum for the game and in the second quarter, Smith had back to back 15 yard catches in the second quarter.

*FUN FACT: Jake Delhomme is the first NFL QB top have Tommy John Surgery and return to start in the NFL.

Carolina held Kansas City to just 28 total yards in the first half which was the fewest they had since 9/08/91. The Panthers combined for a total 291 first half yards which contributed to 21:00 time of possession. They recorded 12 play for over 10 yards.

It only took Carolina 13 seconds into the third quarter for Julius Peppers to cause a fumble and big man Lewis recovering the fumble. Jake Delhomme led with Panthers down the field but ultimately had his pass to Steve Smith intercepted in the end zone. "Anything you can do, I can do better!" is what Jon Beason said as he intercepted a Chiefs pass the very next play which led to a John Kasay FG that put Carolina up 24-0.


*FUN FACT: Carolina's Head Coach John Fox and Kansas City's Head Coach Herman Edward were college football teammates in 1976 at San Diego State.

The day was not over for the defense as Ken Lucas had his first interception of the year (23rd overall). This led to a Muhsin Muhammad 47 yard TD catch with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Defensive still held strong has Charles Johnson had 2 sacks on the day.

Traded by Miami to Carolina in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice, Josh McCown came in the game to relieve Jake Delhomme who finished the day going 14/22 with a total of 236 yards and 2 TD passes. This makes Josh McCown's first appearance as a Panther. McCown marched Carolina down the field which led to a John Kasay 43 yard FG.

The Running backs, Williams and Stewart, finished for a combined total of 192 yards on the ground for 2 TDs. The dynamic duo, Smith and Muhammad received a total of 167 yards with a TD. As the game came to a close, the crowd roared as their team was victorious 34-0, the only shut out in the NFL on this day.

Historic Fields: Build New or Renovate?

Stadiums come and go in the sports business. Teams change venues constantly looking for a better deal to save their bottom line. I've asked myself this question countless times. Is it better to tear down just to build new or to renovate? It seems the sports world is split on this decision. With historic parks like Yankees Stadium and Shea Stadium seeing their last season this brings to mind past field of dreams that have been changed to accommodate modern crowds.

In the NFL, Jerry Jones is ready to get started in his brand new, state of the art Cowboys Stadium to replace beloved Texas Stadium. According to the Dallas Cowboys website, their New Stadium will play host to Super Bowl XLV in 2011. They look to seat about 80,000 raging fans but can expand to up to 100,000 maniacs for major events like the above mentioned Super Bowl. Like Texas Stadium there is a retractable roof with huge arches that span the length of the stadium. Another cool feature is the open-air end zone plazas, looks like some NASA would use. I'm not sure why more Domes don't add this nice feature, a center-hung video board. Well I'm not really a fan of taking out the old to build new but after looking at the plans for this stadium myself, I must say that it's very impressive.

The Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field was renovated in 2003 This project cost an astounding $295 million to basically update the facilities, adding more premium seats and increasing more luxury suites. This brought seating capacity to 72,928. I believe that Lambeau Field was done right preserving the seating bowl and keeping the natural grass playing field known as the "Frozen Tundra." Definitely the right choice in my opinion.





Chicago Bears' Soldier Field was another NFL renovation project. Originally the field was built to seat roughly 74,000 fans. Plans to renovate were brought fourth in 2001 and they created a beautiful Greek style arena with columns which make for a very distinguished appearance. The only problem I have the new stadium bowl rises above and hangs over the columns and doesn't flow in my opinion. This was the second rebuild in team history with opened back up in 2003. On a good note, a 10 member federal advisory committee unanimously recommended that Soldier Field be listed as a Landmark on September 23, 2004. Well, I feel the Greek design was great but was cheapened by the stadium bowl that doesn't look like it's apart of the overall design.

What can I say about Yankees Stadium? There is so much history in this stadium that tearing it down is a disgrace. Ironically this is the first year they haven't made the playoffs in 14 years. I like the look of the new stadium and they did try to keep the historic feel but let's face it, the prestige is gone. Eighty Five years was a lot of history to accumulate and the new stadium has big shoes to fill. At least the new stadium is right across the street from the old one.





Another NY iconic park goes down as the Mets take down Shea Stadium (constructed in 1964) and build there new stadium, Citi Field which is located adjacent to each other. This venue will host 45,000 screaming New Yorkers. iti Field cost $850 million.





As of right now, Citi Field will Host the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. The Mets will hold their first regular season home game April 13, 2009 verses the San Diego Padres.






Let's all pray that the Sports Gods to not intend to take, what I feel is beyond historic, Wrigley Field. As a little boy growing up in western NC, I can remember watching the Cubs play ball on TV on WGN. This is what ball parks should be, the atmosphere is prime and ready to play ball. This field was constructed for a bargain of $250,000 which now days that not much but back then it was state of the art. This field originally opened it's doors in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales. Whales in Chicago? Then they decided to be the home of the NFL Chicago Bears from 1921-1970. In 1926 the stadium was renamed for then Cubs team owner and chewing gum wizard William Wrigley Jr., there you get Wrigley Field.

Bottom line, I love old historic parks and the way they feel. This conflicts with my business side and wanting something state of the art for viewers to enjoy. I'm definitely in favor of renovating over tearing down to at least keep some of the historic feel with the comforts of new.

The Cryptkeeper Speaks

As Halloween quickly approaches, The Crypt keeper crawled out of his vault to speak to the mortals. Al Davis wanted to explain the firing of head coach Lane Kiffin in great detail so he covers himself. Unfortunately I don't believe this helped his case. Davis said he was "embarrassed to watch" the Raiders play under Kiffin and that he even reached a point where he felt that the whole staff was compromised and he felt the best thing to do was to make a change. Davis still criticized Kiffin by saying. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."

Al Davis was kind enough to read us a story during his very lengthy press conference. This story told the tale of a late head coach making mistakes he made on and off the field. Davis said he fired Kiffin because he "disgraced" the organization, citing a variety of issues, including conflicts over personnel moves and outright lies to the media, according to Davis. Kiffin didn't need to disgrace this organization, Davis does that all on his own

Some more fairy tale lies I loved hearing was when Davis said, "I wanted to make it work, to be real honest. It's my belief that it could work. I wanted to make it work. Maybe I didn't want to admit that I'd made a mistake. And to be quite frank with you, I'm firing him for cause right now. I'm not firing him for anything else other than cause. I think he conned me like he conned all you people" .

Oh really Al? Are you firing Kiffin because his puppet strings were getting too long for you to control? Heaven help the next head coach that Davis starts controlling. Luckily for Kiffin, past Raider head coaches that left have been very successful, like Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan.

Another One Bites the Dust!!!!

It seems the NFL chopping block is still in high demand. Another coach bites the dust but no need to worry, he was the youngest head coach in the NFL. So he still has plenty time ahead of him to make an impact and he will.

Of course this news didn't take Kiffin by surprise because he was informed by a team executive that he would be fired after the Raiders 24-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills in week three. Let's get one thing straight, it's not Kiffin's fault. If you had a boss who was constantly hoovering over you, taking your decision making abilities away, and defensive coaches who won't even talk to you. You simply couldn't succeed with that team. Get this, Oakland's Offense actually improved 9.5 points better with Kiffin. Defense, not so much.

Unlike the St. Louis Rams firing Scott Linehan, the news was not delivered by Davis in a face-to-face meeting. Kiffin was notified by a team executive that Davis would call him. This proves that Al Davis is a schmuck because he actually fired Kiffin over the telephone and without pay. What type of "Business Man" would stoop so low to not fire someone face to face.


Congratulations Al Davis on winning the "NFL's Lamest Owner of the Year Award".

Penalty Flag thrown on Hochuli

Dan Loumena from the Los Angeles Times made a recent report on NFL referee, Ed Hochuli. This guy has been refereeing in the NFL since 1990 and I've been watching him ever since. However, there does come a time when one needs to step back and evaluate performance which I'm sure they do all the time.

I was watching the Broncos/ Chargers game two weeks ago. Broncos QB Jay Cutler dropped back to pass and the ball slipped from his hand while he was raising his arm. No big deal huh? The Chargers then recovered the "alleged" fumble which is the logical choice but Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass by blowing the ball dead. This was clearly an error on Hochuli's part which he later admitted that it was the wrong call. This "wrong call" allowed Denver to retain possession, scored a touchdown, get the two-point conversion and presto, WIN the game. Chargers head coach Norv Turner later voiced his disgust for this call.

Well this weekend it hit a little closer to home. Hochuli made another questionable call when he called Carolina's Julius Peppers for a "roughing the passer" penalty which wiped out Carolina's CB Richard Marshall's interception TD return in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. This call erased the touchdown and gave the Falcons a first down on a drive which luckily ended in a punt. A replay later showed that Peppers hit Ryan as he released the ball and appeared to make contact first with his shoulder.

How many more bad calls do we have to see this season before the NFL takes notice?

Linehan Out, Haslett in... for now

Who would have thought Scott Linehan would be fired before Oakland Raiders' Lane Kiffin? I certainly didn't, knowing how loopy Al Davis is in his old age. Well is seems that too much loosing in the NFL is a bad thing and can loose you a pretty sweet head coaching job. The win-less St. Louis Rams fired coach Scott Linehan a day after a fourth straight this season. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will replace Linehan on an interim basis.

ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen first reported, "Scott Linehan's tenure as Rams coach will go down as the third-worst in Rams franchise history. Linehan was fired after the Rams started the season 0-4." This axing was made heading into the Rams' bye week, perhaps giving them time to regroup. Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said, "I have enormous respect for Scott Linehan as a person and believe under the right circumstances he will be regarded one day as a fine head coach, Unfortunately, the situation with the Rams as they exist today is no longer acceptable and we have to make a change."

His first year showed promise as the Rams finished with an average 8-8 record. Some of his players and the media questioned some key calls in games which may have the Ram's ending on a better note. Perhaps this was just "first year head coach" jitters as he was still learning on the job. Those darn jitters must have continued into Linehan's second year which was much worse. It may not have been completely Linehan's fault as injuries plagued the offensive line, and a record of poor drafting and crummy free-agent acquisitions landed the Rams to a 3-13 season.

Linehan recorded a 11-25 overall record in his first head-coaching job. Unfortunately for him, the Rams have been outscored 147-43 this season, and have allowed at least 30 points in seven straight games dating back to last year.

Who's next on the coaching chopping block?

Panthers Pluck the Falcons

The Carolina Panthers were out for blood in their first NFC South Division game of the year against their rivals the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers started early when CB Richard Marshall intercepted a Matt Ryan pass and ran into the end zone. This TD was called back when DE Julius Peppers was flagged for a 15 yard personal foul with a helmet to helmet on QB Matt Ryan. Replays later revealed that Peppers hit Ryan with his shoulder first just as he released the ball. This would make a long game penalty wise for the Panthers as they combined for 11 penalties for 90 yards.

Steve Smith's 56 yard TD reception with 2:31 in the quarter marked a great game for the Carolina receivers. After the play, Smith gave his TD ball to teammate Ken Lucas on the Panthers sideline. The Carolina defense set the tone for the game shutting down the #1 rusher in the NFL, Falcon's RB Michael Turner. Carolina lead the game 14-9 at the half.

Jake Delhomme went 20/29, 294 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 interceptions. Carolina had great success rushing the ball as DeAngelo Williams had 16 carries for 57 yards and Jonathan Stewart had 14 carries for 52 yards. The Carolina Receiving duo Muhsin Muhammad had 8 receptions for 147 yards and 1 TD while Steve Smith recorded 6 receptions for 96 yards and 1 TD. Muhsin Muhammad broke a Panther's Franchise record for All Time Leader in TD Catches passing former Carolina TE Wesley Walls.



When it was all said and done Carolina had a good game against an average Atlanta team. The Falcon's QB Matt Ryan was playing like a rookie being bullied by the Panther's defense all day. On the other side of the ball, Carolina's RB Jonathan Stewart was looking like a pro battling through the Falcons defenders.