Thursday, January 31, 2008

No, I will not title this "Here's the Scoop." Well, I guess I just did. SCOOP UPDATE

So while wandering around some of the Syracuse message boards, I found this link to the official arrest report from Public Safety in the Scoop Jardine food scandal that I posted on yesterday.
[Props to Llandz on realcusefans.com, I don't know who you are, but props regardless for the report link]

Apparently, two girls, Maureen and Shannon, who are somehow not being charged and just hang up their cell phones on police officers, found a student ID card at Denny's. They then suggested to use the card, so they went out to breakfast with Jardine's 40 year old cousin in early January.

According to Robert Washington (Jardine's cousin), he got coffee, a donut, and the girls got pancakes eggs and juice. They then ordered food later that night, or the next day, from Goldstein Dining Hall on south campus. As an answer to my questions in the last post on Scoop, this was their order: gatorade, juice, philly cheese steaks and hamburgers. Washington had a philly cheesesteak and juice, and the girls ate philly cheese steaks, burgers and juice.

Take it as you will from Scoop's troublemaking cousin, but that's quite a bit of food for two girls. Also, how does a small breakfast and a dinner equal $115.65? I totaled how much food would have to be purchased to reach that total. These girls must be Kobayashi like in their consumption - there had to be numerous sandwiches and burgers (which go for about $5).


Two ridiculous things here. Washington ironically comes from Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak. He has to come all the way over to Syracuse, order some horrible college knock off of the great sandwich from his hometown, and get everyone in trouble. Second, what the hell is the deal with these girls? This is Washington's statement from the report, "I called Shannon and she told me she was in class, I handed the phone to Lt. Thompson but Shannon hung up as soon as Lt. Thompson spoke to her." So you're just allowed to do that to a police officer in an investigation with no reprecussions? Good to know.

This whole thing is getting a bit absurd. Get a statement from the girls, either charge them or don't, and figure out what involvement Scoop had. Even if he took a bite of the food, I'm pretty sure stealing laptops, getting invloved in huge brawls, assaulting girlfriends or driving drunk like these Missouri players or most other incidents leading to suspension are worse than Scoop's actions. Sure, his actions warrant a suspension...but a season long punishment or even the boot from school? As the great Bob Barker would encourage his contestants to say, "That's too much!"

-Pat

Photo credits: whatsckooingamerica.net, cbit.syr.edu

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

OK sir, your total will be $115.65

I remember during the 2004-05 school year, I was grabbing some food at Schine’s cafeteria between classes. I had about $6 or $7 worth of food and stepped in line before a mammoth white guy. It was former Syracuse Basketball center Craig Forth. Now while a Craig spotting isn’t as exciting as say, seeing Hakim Warrick, it was kind of cool. Craig was treating his girlfriend (I believe) to a nice romantic Schine dinner, and in an act of great kindness, turned towards me and said to the cashier, “swipe for him too.” After I thanked him, Craig said “you’re welcome” and walked away as if it were no big deal. When I got to class I told a friend about it, and he said that athletes get around $2,000 on their SUpercard (used for campus eateries outside of dining halls) per semester. Regardless, I still thought it was a nice gesture.

So why am I telling this irrelevant Craig Forth story? He’s been long forgotten on the Hill hasn’t he? Well, with the recent development of why SU’s latest scholarship guard is not playing, it’s quite relevant. Scoop Jardine, a freshman that had stepped in for the injured Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins, was suspended because he had knowledge of a purchase of $115.65 on a stolen student SUpercard. Apparently, according to the Syracuse Post Standard, Jardine had his 40 year old cousin Robert Washington visiting. Washington and two girls ordered a lot of food and had it delivered to Scoop’s apartment. Scoop had knowledge of the whole thing and apparently helped carry the food inside (nearly $120 of food is gonna take some extra hands).

OK, so it’s not as bad as we probably thought. But it’s pretty boneheaded. With $2,000 on your SUpercard for the semester, there is no way Scoop maxed it out a few days into the spring semester (that is if they reset it before January 13 – it may have counted for the end of the fall semester, but I doubt it). And then ordering it to your apartment, brilliant. Scoop had to know this was going to come back to him, all for some crappy Campus Delivery pizza and wings. Honestly, what did they get for nearly $120? That’s more than 4 people could eat for dinner. Were they stocking up on Campus Delivery sandwiches? Let’s be honest, their food isn’t that great. I would have at least sent someone out to Kimmel to nab a couple hundred tacos from The Bell. I believe athletes also have card access to dining halls (and if they didn’t I’m sure they’d be let in anyway), I used to see basketball players at Sadler all the time. So you really have to question why Scoop and his cousin had to splurge on Campus Delivery, when they could have easily gotten food elsewhere. Or we could just blame it on the student who’s ID card it was. You gotta cancel the lost card, and then swiping it would not work…and Scoop would still be playing.

So what do you think the order was that now has given Syracuse a rotation of 4 good players, and 3 guys who probably wouldn’t be playing normally?

First, it was a Sunday. It could have been slightly after midnight Saturday night, and they could have been intoxicated like many college students are at that hour, so I’ll consider that in my estimation here:

Judging from the Campus Delivery Menu (below), I’d say the threesome (we won’t include Scoop I guess because according to his cousin he didn’t eat anything) ordered a combination similar to this:


- 100 wings: $65.29
- 4 extra blue cheese sauces: 4 @ $0.79 each = $3.16
- 2 supreme Sbarro pizzas: 2 @ $14.99 each = $29.98
- 3 Pints of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream: 3 @ $3.59 each = $10.77
- 3 Gatorades: 3 @ $1.69 each = $5.07
- 1 bottled water (for the next morning): $1.49

Total: $115.76

So give or take a couple dimes that could be a possible order. I don’t even think ordering that much Campus Delivery is worth the risk of an indefinite suspension. Let’s hope Scoop did nothing more. It could have been a lot worse, and hopefully the SU Judicial Board will realize that and just force Scoop to take the student out to dinner. Sounds fair to me.

-Pat

Photo credits: foodservices.syr.edu, rivals.com

Toby Maguire Unstoppable?

I love media day and the coverage of it. My favorite story came from ESPN’s Hashmark blog.
Michael Strahan was asked what actor would play him in a movie. "Someone funny," he replied. When one reporter suggested Forrest Whittaker, Strahan responded incredulously. "Forrest Whittaker!?!? C'mon man." Strahan finally settled on Will Smith: "We could bulk him up and put a gap in his tooth." As for the QBs, Strahan's choices: Eli Manning would be Toby Maguire. Tom Brady would be Brad Pitt.



First of all, sorry Mike, but Forrest Whittaker is right on.

Second, can there be a less confidence inspiring comparison? Toby Maguire vs. Brad Pitt? If for some reason Pitt was cast as the villain in Spiderman 4, I’m pretty confident that it would mean death for Spidey, as there is no way a character played by Pitt is being defeated by a character played by Toby. In the rare case that Pitt does die in a movie, it’s always a cowardly sneak attack by a much lesser character (Troy, Jesse James).

The more I think about it, though, it’s actually a pretty good call by Strahan. Eli does look a lot like Maguire and they both have the same “I’m about to cry but I’m not really sure why” facial expression. Plus, Toby always plays an underdog character. Based on his Sportscenter commercial with Peyton and Archie, I’d say Eli is a little better of an actor than Spidey. Pitt always plays the hero with an air of invincibility, which Brady clearly has.

Somewhat of a tangent, but I cannot tell you how sick I am of all the articles written about how “cool” Brady is. There was the Rick Reilly article months ago about him, in which Reilly sounded like a 13-year-old girl writing about a guy she had a crush on. Jemele Hill of ESPN.com recently wrote about how Brady was so cool that it was ok for him to leave his pregnant girlfriend for a supermodel. I know he’s a good looking guy, and has been a clutch player throughout his career, but people seem to ignore the fact that his charisma level is somewhere between Tim Duncan and Janet Reno. Brady could never do any of the commercials that Peyton does. As a matter of fact, I am recasting Brady as Keanu Reeves.

Other thoughts
-Either Johan lost his pitching hand in a shark fishing accident and everyone knows about it except for Minaya, or the Mets made the steal of the century.
-Just to echo what Pat said yesterday: I hope Brady’s boot means that he has irreparable tendon damage and will not be able to play this Sunday, but realistically, it’s pretty much meaningless. Curtis Martin once said that he could never walk on Monday after a game, so the fact that Brady decided to wear a brace while walking around New York City two weeks before game day doesn’t make me want to house to bet on the Giants. And the only reason for Schilling’s bloody sock is that he didn’t put a Band-Aid on because he was afraid it would hurt ripping it off (does anyone really think Schilling is the first athlete in the history of sports to have a shot before a game?)

-Hey Pat, now you know how I felt in the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl


Andrew Vitelli

Picture Credits: http://www.ncaa.org/awards/honors_program/top_eight/2004/ManningEliHead.jpg (Eli)
http://www.boxofficepsychics.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/tobey-mcguire.jpg (Toby)
http://www.thesportshernia.com/football/images/brady.jpg (Brady)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Should We Amputate?

I am hating the upcoming Super Bowl. My co-blogger Andrew can’t wait. We’ve expressed our differences. But there’s something I think that Andrew will agree with me on. This boot incident with Tom Brady is just annoying.

Of course, a few weeks before the big game, some photographer snaps a picture of Tom Brady strolling around in a walking boot. Only hours later he’s spotted out, not limping at all, without the boot on. End of the world. He must have a broken foot! Quickly, let’s devote eight hours of ESPN and an entire NFL Live segment to it! You know what…I know that there’s a two week gap between games to kill time, but I just can’t take this story.

You may remember a few years back, in 2004, when the Boston Red Sox regrettably won a title. And, unless you were stranded on a desert island, you saw one sock dyed red with the “blood” of a Red Sox pitcher in the American League Championship Series. Curt Schilling apparently was having tendon trouble in his right ankle. Team trainers allegedly stitched up Schilling in an attempt to keep the tendon in place before Game 6 against the Yankees.

Now I know I’m a Yankee fan, but the authenticity of this sock has been questioned by more than just angry Yankee fans. I mean, if it weren’t for a sloppy job by this group of trainers that supposedly stitched it up, then it wouldn’t have been bleeding and there would be no famous sock. They probably just left a stitch open for attention. I wouldn’t put it past the Bush endorsing moron that is Curt Schilling (little side note: He’s obsessed with the video games that 12-year-olds outgrow. I don’t know how South Park missed him on their Warcraft episode but here’s a must read interview with Curt explaining his experience on a game called Everquest).

Back to this sock. Fox of course loved it and Joe Buck and Tim McCarver could not stop talking about it. It got tons of attention, just like how Tom Brady’s boot is getting 20 times more chatter than the flu that is plaguing a good deal of the Giants’ squad. So we have Schilling’s sock, and Brady’s boot. They seem like just stupid icons – icons that Boston media and fans relentlessly drool over, and then boast about if the athlete overcomes such improbable horrific odds. It’s just another annoying rally cry, and another slogan we have to hear in that infuriating accent, “but duuude, Tom Brady’s booooot!” It's lose-lose. The Patriots win, he's the next Kirk Gibson. They lose, it was because his foot was in shambles.

-Pat

Who's Calling Dan?

Last week, we posted a video of Dan Marino’s cell phone ringing during a halftime show. The question remains, however, who was calling him? While there is no way to know for sure, here are a few of our best of who couldn't stop blowing up Dan's T Mobile phone on the Sprint Halftime show:


-Cleo Lemon, reminding Marino they both had the same amount of Super Bowl rings.

-Boomer, just looking for someone to yell at.

-O.J. asking for his ****ing Super Bowl ring back.

-The Los Angeles Express, asking him when he planned on reporting to camp.

-Billy Volek, telling him to stop interrupting Bill Cowher.

Or perhaps it was just Ray Finkle, saying “Laces out!!!”

If you think you’ve got an idea who was calling, let us know by posting it in the comments section.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Barack Obama, a.k.a, Barry O’Bomber

I’m not going to flesh out much political thought on this blog, but I briefly wanted to speak about democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Personally, I think he’s the right guy for the job. With many of the candidates holding a similar stance on most of the issues, what separates Obama is his charismatic personality. He seems to be an orator and politician that can unite this country which has recently been struggling both domestically and internationally. On top of all that, and most importantly, the man can flat out ball. And yes, he’s left handed, hardy har har.

Obama, who is 46 years old and stands 6 feet 2 inches tall, is a bit removed from his organized playing days. In the late 1970s, he donned No. 23 for Punahou High School in Hawaii and was referred to as Barry O’Bomber. Apparently he didn’t see too many minutes, but Punahou is a school with over 3,000 students and impressive sports programs (in 2005, its sports program was ranked by Sports Illustrated as the fourth best in the country).
Here's a video of Obama in the state championship game, in which Punahou was blowing out its opponent (there have been some debates about its authenticity, but I believe its real). I'm impressed with his play, but he's really gotta hit his free throws.


Obama did not play in college but got back into pickup games at Harvard Law and has kept up with the sport. Although he can’t dunk anymore (he first did when he was 16), Obama still apparently has a pretty wily game.

I’ve read quite a few articles on Obama’s interest in basketball. It’s great to read these stories in outlets like The New York Times or ABC News that speak about pick-up basketball like its some sort of dark, foreign and dangerous activity. Nonetheless, they are pretty interesting.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits from the Times article, including a bit of a scouting report:

“He has been playing since adolescence, on cracked-asphalt playgrounds and at exclusive health clubs, developing a quick offensive style, a left-handed jump shot and relationships that have extended into the political arena.

Mr. Robinson, now the coach of
Brown University’s men’s team, said the 6-foot-2 senator is too skinny to be an imposing presence, but he is fast, with good wind even when he was a smoker. Mr. Obama is left-handed, and his signature move is to fake right and veer left, surprising players used to guarding right-handed competitors.

He is gentleman enough to call fouls on himself: Steven Donziger, a law school classmate, has heard Mr. Obama mutter, “my bad,” tossing the other team the ball.”


It seems as if Obama is a glue guy, a shifty guard/forward that is fundamental sound. Kind of like another southpaw and one of my favorite players, Josh Pace from Syracuse. Speaking of the Orange, as the team lost its fourth scholarship guard this season due to a suspension, maybe Jim Boeheim can make a contribution to Barack’s campaign and get Obama to suit up for a game or two (unfortunately, AD Daryl Gross has already contributed to Hillary’s campaign)

Anyways, back to Barack. I’d like to think that Americans, who have a propensity to like a leader they can relate to, will see Obama’s play on the hardwood as something that makes him a “down to earth” guy. Such a hobby is certainly more impressive than what attracted voters to George W. Bush, which was his average – cough, debatable, cough -- intellect.

Obama just seems like the man. He’s a great speaker, is very intelligent, and plays pickup games not only in fancy health clubs, but on the streets of Chicago too. I’ll leave you with a quote from a piece in Sports Illustrated, where S.L. Price played Obama one-on-one before the Iowa caucus.

"All right," I say coyly, flipping him the ball. "This is for the presidency...."
He drills a 19-footer, heels barely leaving the ground. "Did you hear me?" I say.
"Why do you think I hit it?" he says.


I mean if the man called his shot, I say it’s only fair to give him the presidency. No way Hillary pulls that off.


-Pat


Photo credits: si.com, nytimes.com

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Eli Manning Unstoppable!!

First of all, I would like to apologize for letting Pat, a Giants hater, fill the blog up with anti-Big Blue propaganda since the Giants’ historic win Sunday. I have had little free time, but will now counter Pat with a pro-Giants post.
After two weeks of the season, I was convinced that the Giants could make a realistic run at the number one pick in the draft. They then turned it around and won their next six games. Late in the season, the Giants looked like a team that would once again stumble into the playoffs and get wiped out in the first round. Amazingly, they have won three playoff road games, including two against the NFC’s elite, and made it the Super Bowl. Eli Manning, who many were doubting (some chumps went as far as to question claims that he was unstoppable), is finally looking like the franchise quarterback the Giants thought that they were getting when they traded 12 first round draft picks and Jon Bon Jovi to move up three spots.
Have New Yorkers ever seen an underdog make a run like this? The answer is yes. In 1999, the New York Knicks (RIP) headed into the playoffs as the number eight seed. They then pulled off three consecutive upsets before falling to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. How does Big Blue’s run compare to the Knickerbockers ’99 shot at the title? Let’s take a look. (Picture Credit: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2007/10/13/2007-10-13_giants_coaches_want_eli_manning_to_compl.html)
Preseason Expectations:
’98-’99 Knicks: The Knicks were coming off a solid 1998 season, and had added Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby to the mix. They were expected to be a contender in the Eastern Conference, and had a full season been played (only 50 games were played because of a players’ strike) they probably would have been a little higher than the 8 seed.
’07-’08 Giants: The G-Men lost 7 of their last 9 games in ’06, including a second consecutive first round KO at the hands of the hated Eagles. They also lost their best offensive player, Tiki Barber. Michael Strahan, the face of their franchise, had missed all of training camp. 8-8 was a generous estimate at how the Giants would finish.
Expectations Heading into Postseason Play:
Knicks: While the Knicks were considered a dangerous 8-seed, most expected the Heat to take care of business. The ‘bockers were also without franchise center Patrick Ewing for much of the playoffs, and had played uninspired ball all season.
Giants: The Giants valiant effort in week 17 against the undefeated undisputed New England Patriots got many to pick the Giants to beat Tampa Bay in the first round. However, no one thought that they could do any more than that, and ESPN had even anointed the Seattle Seahawks, with the ghost of Shaun Alexander as their starting running back, as the NFC’s underrated sleeper team. (Just a side note, but how could any player get as bad as quickly as Alexander? Does anyone still think the Giants were mistaken in passing on him and drafting Ron Dayne instead? The guy must have worked out with Eddie George after his MVP season in 2005.)
Playoff Wins:
Knicks: The Knicks shocked their bitter rivals, The Miami Heat (led by Alonzo “I sign with a title contender to play 15 minutes a game and win a ring because I couldn’t win one when I was good” Mourning) in an epic 5 game series in round 1. Two years earlier the two teams had brawled in their playoff series and the Knicks lost the series because of the NBA’s idiotic “If you stand up to tie you’re shoes during a fight, you’re suspended and thrown into a pit of lava” rule. The Knicks then beat the Reggie Miller-led Pacers in six games. In the 1990s, Miller was to the Knicks what Will Smith was to Aliens, so knocking him out of the playoffs (the Pacers were the 2 seed) was especially sweet. Oh yea, they also swept the Hawks.
Giants: The Giants win over the Cowboys was comparable to the Knicks heat series, as the two teams legitimately hated each other and the Cowboys were the heavy favorites. While the two teams hadn’t gone to fisticuffs, there had been serious trash-talking all season. The Giants win over the Packers doesn’t quite measure up to the Knicks topping the Pacers in terms of being a revenge win, but we were all pretty sick of hearing about Favre and no one was giving the Giants a chance in that game. Oh yea, they also beat the Bucs.
Defining moment #1:
Knicks: With the Knicks down 1 in the closing seconds of Game 5, Allan Houston took a short jumper that bounced off the front rim before miraculously changing course and landing in the basket. That shot going in completely defied all laws of phyisics. I take it as proof that even God did not want to see Mourning win a title, and that the refs of the 2006 NBA Finals are all going to hell.
Giants: With two weeks off, Cowboys star quarterback Tony Romo decided to take a trip to Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson. He lost the game and drew a ton of scrutiny, proving that going to Mexico is never a good idea.
Defining moment #2:
Knicks: Down three late in game three, Larry Johnson nails a trey and draws a foul. There is actually a song written about what has gone down in history as “The Four point play.”

Giants: After missing two chip shot field goals, including a potential game winner, in regulation, kicker Lawrence Tynes somehow nails a 47 yard walk off in overtime.
Player who did little all season but stepped up in the playoffs:
Knicks: Talented center Marcus Camby was acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the offseason, but for some reason got less playing time than an Orioles backup shortstop in the Cal Ripken era. With Ewing injured, Van Gundy was forced to put in Camby and as it turns out, the guy’s not bad.
Giants: Coming into the season, Ahmad Bradshaw was the 12th running back on the depth chart, behind Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Reuben Droughns, and Tom Coughlin. Ward got hurt, Droughns fell into a black hole (I think. I’m not really sure what happened to him) and now Bradshaw is flourishing in a platoon role with Jacobs.
How they fared in the Championship:
Knicks: The Knickerbockers were no match for Tim Duncan, David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs took the series in five.
Giants: TBD

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Curt Menafee, you are a patient man...

Drew DiSalvo is back again to give some insight into the NFL on FOX broadcast. When he’s not working on his new photo blog , he occasionally finds time to guest post here on Giving 111 Percent:

I'm not going to say I didn't see this coming, but Sunday's NFL on FOX broadcast from chilly Lambeau Field really was amazing television.

No, not because Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were actually tolerable for four quarters, but instead because of the fantastic winter hat sported by our favorite buzzcut host - Howie Long! Now Terry Bradshaw's driver's cap looked a bit ridiculous, and Jimmy Johnson's headband was wrapped so tight it appeared to cut off blood flow to his brain, but did Howie really feel it was necessary to rob a Russian soldier of his headgear?

It's amazing that the production staff actually let him sit in front of a camera with that thing on his head. But this is nothing new for anyone that knows the history of these co-hosts. One way or another, they are all insane. If not for Curt Menefee and his calming influence, the show probably would fall apart in the first ten minutes.

Let's take a quick look at the pasts of each of these FOX legends...

Terry Bradshaw
Undoubtedly the craziest of the bunch. In shows past he's gotten into heated arguments with Frank Caliendo and once kissed Jillian Barberie on the lips. Maybe it's all the hits he took as a quarterback, but this man sure is an odd one. He even started recording country albums in the mid-1970s. That's right, I said country albums. Surely I jest? Sadly, I do not.


Howie Long
This man is a different breed of crazy from Bradshaw. He's 15 years removed from the NFL, yet he’s enormous and still has that killer look in his eye from his playing days. He's the Private Pyle of the show, complete with military-cropped hair. He could kick the ass of any of those football-playing super-robots on FOX promos. And as an actor his choice of films has been phenomenal, from the classic "Broken Arrow" to "Firestorm". When someone in a movie is riding a motorcycle and throws a chainsaw through a car's windshield, and you still believe it’s possible in real life, then that mofo is bonafide crazy.


Jimmy Johnson
This man is probably not as crazy as he appears. Yes, he does get worked up from time to time and forgets that he's actually in front of a camera. Yes, his platinum helmet hair is a sight to behold. But supposedly his IQ is 162 and his nickname in college was the ever-popular Tank! And he's does those Miller Lite Man Law commercials. That's gotta count for something.



Curt Menefee
This man is normal. 100% normal. I searched the internet for dirt on him and nothing surfaced. Nothing. I'm pretty sure Curt's never jaywalked or even drank a beer. It's no mistake that he is in charge of asking the questions and moving the show along. I guess sometimes FOX does employ some common sense. And props to Curt for being the only member of the show without any headgear on Sunday.


Lastly, I do give the FOX crew credit for doing the show outdoors, unlike the pampered CBS crew, ringing cell phones and all.



-Drew DiSalvo

Monday, January 21, 2008

God, what have I done to deserve this?

Honestly, you may not want to hear me rant. But it's my blog and I will rant...I need to blow off some steam after these past few days.

If sports couldn't get any worse for me, Syracuse gets up on No. 9 Georgetown, only to go into overtime, and have a game winning three pointer rattle out. It would have been a nice bright spot in an otherwise dismal year (or three or four years) for Syracuse sports.

The overtime was just a tease, just a way to make it hurt even more. And the same thing happened yesterday. I despise the Giants and their fans - many of which are my friends. Of course, I would have liked to see nothing more than them be as miserable as me. But after it looked like they had their own Doug Brien incident, they snuck out a victory in overtime thanks to some vintage Favre headscratching throws. The missed Giants FG at the end of regulation? Just a tease.

So now we have Syracuse basketball plummeting toward the bottom of the Big East. And I have to sit down two weeks from now, if I can get myself to, to watch a Super Bowl played by the two teams I hate more than anything in this world. Forget representing New York, I absolutely hate the Giants. But I can't see Boston spoiled with another win. Can I root for the Giants? I tried to in week 17 when they played the Pats and I just couldn't do it - I just sat there with no emotion toward either team but hatred. Maybe I'll just root for some good commercials to appease my pain in between actual play.

Yet again, at least I have the Knicks. What a year.

P.S. - here's a funny/ridiculous video that made me laugh for a few minutes, because well, I guess I do hate Hitler more than the Giants.


-Pat

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Maryland-UNC, Giants-Packers, etc.



- It’s good to see some signs of life from Maryland, and the win against UNC puts us back into the tournament picture. Hopefully the upcoming game against Duke will be competitive; watching Duke dismantle us twice two years ago was too painful to experience again.

- As great as the UNC game yesterday was, the broadcast was abysmal. With the game going back and forth in the second half, ABC twice came back late from commercial after points had been scored. Also, every time Maryland took a lead, all Brent Musburger and Steve Lavin could talk about was how “North Carolina is capable of making a run.” Hey, guys, how about talking about what’s happening instead of what could happen?


- How much TV time did Tiki cost himself with his pre-season criticism of Manning and Coughlin? If not for those comments, he would have been on every NFL segment on ESPN the past two weeks. Now, he can’t try to praise the Giants and will seem stupid and petty if he rips them, so no one really wants to hear anything from him.

- For the record, I’d put my confidence in the Giants this game somewhere between “pessimistic” and “terrified.”


- The Knicks have won four of their last five without Starbury. Could he have really been the problem?

By Andrew Vitelli

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Syracuse Basketball...a modern day dynasty...clearly.

It's like that character in horror movies, like Jason, that looks as if he's dead, but keeps on coming back. No matter how dead it appears, it's still breathing.


What is the "it" I'm referencing? It's the Syracuse "dynasty" hand-flash and t-shirts. I thought it was dead. I thought Jimmy B said something and we hadn't seen a dynasty symbol hoisted above a head since the preseason NIT in MSG. But then, against the Big East colossus Rutgers, Donte Greene threw it up as the Orange decisively pulled away from the Scarlet Knights. Some clueless students of course returned the favor...and also still wear the t-shirt from Manny's (pictured below). And then, inexplicably, Scoop Jardine threw it up in the middle of the Villanova contest Saturday, before the Orange was dropped 81-71.




For the love of God...please stop. If the injuries, lack of depth, and overall youth are not frustrating enough with this Syracuse team, the players and some spectators feel the need to embarrass the rest of us Syracuse fans with this dynasty hoopla.


The Orange is 13-6, 3-3 in the Big East. The team has dropped three home games, including a loss to a Rhode Island team - which, despite being a solid squad, just lost to a St. Louis team that scored 20 points in an entire game. Six losses, many more on the way, nowhere close to a national ranking, countless dumb mistakes, no depth, porous defense and a struggling half-court offense. That's what I call a dynasty - or how it is defined on the t-shirt "a team that dominates their sport for a period of time."




Sure, Cuse won in 2003. And SU is still one of the most recognizable and successful programs in America. But the timing here is just off. Two years of first-round tournament losses, an NIT appearance last season, and who knows where the Orange is headed this year. Not exactly the 1990s Chicago Bulls here.


So please, for once and for all, stop this crap. Syracuse is not a dynasty. It is not something you can just invent at Midnight Madness before the season starts. That's basing it off nothing, and now, with a 13-6 record, everyone looks foolish (even people like me who have thankfully never flashed the sign). I know SU has had horrific luck, but you can't just proclaim yourself a dynasty. First you actually have to prove yourself, even if you have an incredibly talented freshman class. So while I hope to one day claim that Syracuse is a dynasty, now is not the time. End it...or at least prove me wrong and don't lose again this year.


-Pat


Photo credits: syracuse.com, mannysonline.com

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Stephen Jackson, please leave your gun at home

Pac Man Jones is back at it again. The suspended Tennessee Titan got in to trouble again at a strip club. No, not for making it rain, but for punching a woman (who is also a defense attorney) at the club in the face. If hitting a woman wasn’t bad enough, it was apparently a suckerpunch. Oh, and Randy Moss was slapped with a restraining order after he was accused of assaulting a woman. It gave us here at Giving 111 Percent the idea that we should turn the tables. Athletes go around abusing common folk. What if it were the other way around? So here we are, with our top ten sports figures we’d most love to punch in the face without any repercussions (feel free to give us your list or criticize ours in the comments section):

This list could encompass about half of the New England Patriot and Boston Red Sox lineups if we so chose. You could really just pick about anyone from those teams: Teddy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Jonathan Papelbon, Curt Schilling etc. etc. But to make it a bit harder, here is our top five without those two teams:

10. Tony Stewart – Yup that’s right. A NASCAR reference. He is a real idiot though.
9. Shannon Sharpe – Doesn’t he just seem to be a complete jerk on the NFL Pregame show? Granted, even if the punch was without repercussions, we’d still sprint out of there.
8. Reggie Miller – Sure, some of it’s for all the pain he’s caused. But honestly, maybe we could fix his teeth.
7. Joakim Noah – Anyone who watched college basketball during the two year stretch when Florida won back to back titles understands this.
6. Tim McCarver – His baseball “analysis” keeps getting worse and worse. We just found this site (http://www.shutuptimmccarver.com). This is his quote of the year on the site: “If you leadoff and you play every day, you’re guaranteed to bat with the bases empty at least 162 times.” Punching him would be fun for just listening to what statement he throws out after getting clocked.
5. Isiah Thomas – Does this need any explanation? The only negative is that after getting popped, he’d probably still have that annoying smirk on his face.
4. The 2004 Indiana Pacers – Sure the Detroit crowd provoked them. But this is for the fans who were wrongly hit…like the guy Artest goes after, while the guy who threw the drink stands by and watches. We still can’t believe this happened. You gotta watch it again. To think professional athletes lost it like this, and fans just got wrapped up in it as well, it’s lucky no one died that night. So here’s your chance kid crying at the end of the clip, or the first guy mauled by Artest that didn’t actually throw the drink, for revenge.





3. Jose Canseco – Someone just needs to knock him on his ass. He ratted out a lot of people juicing in the steroid era for his own personal gain.
2. Greg Paulus – Pat is thrilled that Syracuse didn’t get him in an Orange uniform (Paulus is from the Syracuse area). He is quite possibly the most annoying player in college basketball. It’s always easy to hate on the scrappy little white guard. But Paulus’ flopping, constant whining at every turn, and groping of his teammates at each stoppage of play is just too much. I had already decided on Paulus before last night. But now, after punching him, you’d have a shot at four other Dukies running over frantically. And maybe you can throw in a slap of Coach K for all his terrible commercials – does he really need the extra cash? And they aren’t funny…so why does he keep shooting them?
1. Bill Belichick – We said we wouldn’t include New England lineups. But their coach is a separate entity. No one bothers us more than this man. Pat is 99 percent certain that he is satan. His glare into the camera at press conferences is unbelievably cold. And he dresses like a homeless man. And he cheats. And he’s a huge ____ ...yea you can fill in the blank. Boy, that punch would be sweet.

Monday, January 14, 2008

We ain't talkin bout Mexico City, we talkin 'bout Cabo!

If you haven't seen or heard about the Terrell Owens interview after the Cowboys lost to the Giants on Sunday, it has been all over ESPN and other media outlets. After the obligatory thank you sent to God, T.O. continues on to the most referenced part, as he breaks down and begs the media not to criticize Tony Romo for taking four days off to go to Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson (starting at around 1:40). He hilariously starts sniffling and saying, "he's my teammate...my quarterback." Thankfully, he's wearing a pair of those sunglasses that cover half one's face, a favorite of Northface wearing collegiate females these days. While the quick 30-second crying outburst was surely amazing, what really stuck out for us was something that he said later in the longer clip of the interview (which can be seen below):

"I've always had good relationships with quarterbacks...I always know what type of person I am on the inside." (at 6:05)



While Andrew takes joy in seeing T.O. bounced from the playoffs, Pat has somewhat of a soft spot in his heart for the wide receiever. Pat can't help but enjoy his earnest remarks and the never-ending tragedy of errors that he provides all of us. But this quote isn't earnest, it's just hilariously ridiculous. Maybe T.O. is a reformed man after his near death overdose.

But honestly, what's next? M.C. Hammer declaring that he's always been good at managing his money? John Rocker claiming that subways have always been his perferred method of transportation? It's nice to see T.O. defending his quarterback instead of throwing him under a bus for once, but does he think that we're all going to forget him exploding at Donovan McNabb or suggesting that Jeff Garcia was gay? When he flips out on the sideline, has to be restrained by coaches and blows every gasket possible in the general direction of his quarterback, is “inside Terrell” just being kind?

Owens has never gotten along with a quarterback despite playing with some pretty good ones, and it feels like it's only a matter of time before Romo feels his wrath. Or, maybe, he's that changed man. Anyways, we just can't wait to see what's next. Getcha popcorn ready.

Another great tidbit from the chippy Giants-Cowboys game:

Brandon Jacobs has broken out as a running back, rushing for over 1,000 yards this season despite missing five games and parts of two others. However, he has also become a pretty entertaining trash talker. He and Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton have been exchanging barbs all season through the media, and after the Giants win, Jacobs made sure to pile it on: “The Cowboys are a great football team. They might have had a chance to win if Patrick Crayton didn't drop the two key passes.”

Earlier in the year, Crayton had commented on how Jacobs talked a lot of trash but didn’t truly back it up, and also how the Giants were either scared of the Cowboys or trying to talk themselves into believing they could beat Dallas.

Jacobs provided the gem of the sparring earlier this season after Crayton boasted that the Cowboys were on a different level than the Giants.
“It’s unfair for him to say that,” Jacobs responded. “He sucks, first of all.”

This is really great stuff…even if Jacobs hasn’t truly established himself as a star, there’s no reason for him to tolerate any trash Patrick Crayton throws his way. Jacobs is slowly developing into a must watch player. Not for his running, which is indeed entertaining, but more-so for quotes like these and absurd clumsy touchdowns celebrations like this (sorry for the awful quality and the d-bag Patriots fan at the beginning):



Who’s messing around with the ESPN ticker?

The only thing more absurd than the Terrell Owens post-game press conference was the bottom line scrolling on the ESPN screen. In case you somehow missed it, a score briefly flashed by that stated: Detroit 58, NY 85. Was it the Shock and the Liberty? No?! It was the Isiah Thomas led New York Knicks walloping the Pistons as the game wrapped up with the Knicks routing Detroit 89-65! Granted, the Pistons had played four games in five nights, but at this point, we’re willing to take anything. What a shocker. One can only imagine how big the victory would have been with an appearance by team leader Stephon Marbury. Too bad the one time the Knicks actually do something positive, it’s completely overshadowed.

Friday, January 11, 2008

The Best Commercial that Never Was

We’ve all seen the Coors Light commercials that use footage of interviews with NFL coaches mixed with questions posed by “reporters” asking questions about Coors Light. We’ve also all seen the video of Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy’s rant at the media after an article was published that criticized one of his players(in case you haven’t, it’s posted below). Unfortunately, Gundy is not an NFL coach so it won’t be turned into a Coors Light commercial. If it were, however, this is what I imagine it would be like.

Coors Light guy 1: Hey coach, what do you say to people who say all light beers taste the same?
Gundy: That ain’t true!
Coors Light Guy 2(pointing at Guy 1): His girlfriend criticizes him for watching too much football and drinking too much Coors Light.
Gundy: You don’t downgrade him cause he does everything right!
Coors Light Guy 1: Coach, you know the newspaper didn’t say anything about Coors Light’s great taste?
Gundy: That’s why I don’t read the newspaper!! Because it’s garbage.
Coors Light Guy 2: You know some tailgate parties have other beers, and not Coors Light?
Gundy: Are you kidding me? Where are we at in society today?
Coors Light Guy 1: Coach, how many ice cold Coors Lights do you drink at a tailgate?
Gundy: 40!
Coors Light Guy 1: 40? Wow.
Gundy: I’m a man!
Coors Light Guy 2: Well, what happens when you drink a beer that’s not a Coors Light?
Gundy: It makes me want to puke.



By Andrew Vitelli

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

What are those marijuana leaves doing on Ohio State's helmets?

We here at Giving 111 Percent constantly debate with our friends and family about sports. One of those we love arguing with is Drew DiSalvo, who is Pat’s older brother, and a Red Sox fan. He’s a New York City Park Ranger and an avid sports fan. Once in while he’ll bring his rants to the blog…when he’s not busy ticketing rowdy dog owners or chasing squirrels and pigeons.


When Ohio State's kicker, Ryan Pretorius, lined up for his 1st quarter field goal attempt last night against LSU in the BCS title game, I couldn't help but notice the exorbitant number of helmet stickers he had. It wasn't so much that I didn't think he was good - he ended up converting the 25-yard attempt, and although he later had a 38-yard attempt blocked, he did hit 81% of his attempts for the season with a long of 50 - it was just a surprise that a kicker of all position players could amass such a sticker collection. Was the Ohio State coaching staff giving him a sticker for every extra point he hit or every time he got a touchback on a kickoff? Well, it turns out there is a very specific criteria to the awarding of these helmet stickers, or buckeye leaves as they are known to the Ohio State faithful.



The following website explains the whole awarding of the stickers...and it's quite a formula. Some of the main achievements that will give a Buckeye a leaf are: wins, meeting film grade standards, big plays, defensive scores, forcing and recovering fumbles, and my personal favorite - the FG/XP team displaying 100% Mechanics as a whole for any attempt.


So no need to fret bench players; everyone gets a leaf after an Ohio State victory! And not every buckeye leaf is specifically stat driven, as after each game Coach Tressel does get to award a “Big Play in Football Game” sticker to any player. I have a pretty good feeling that after the 1990 Hall of Fame bowl game against Auburn, Ohio State’s then-head coach John Cooper gave Zack Dumas a leaf for this big play, even if Auburn did end up winning the game, 31-14.


So, what’s a Buckeye and why does it have leaves? Well, you guessed it, the Ohio Buckeye, or Aesculus glabra, is the state tree of Ohio. Or maybe you didn’t guess that, as not everyone has a vast knowledge of flora like me. Anyway, Native Americans thought the trees’ nuts resembled buck’s eyes, and the rest is history. The tradition of helmet stickers, believe it or not, began with the Buckeyes. Former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes, along with the help of trainer Ernie Biggs, devised the idea back in 1968. Since then, quite a few teams have jumped on the bandwagon, while many others (Penn State and Notre Dame) have vehemently disagreed with such actions that they feel stress individual-over-team performance as well as tamper with the tradition and history of the game. Here’s a look at some of the more recognizable, and a few obscure, helmet stickers, many of which popped up this past bowl season…


Florida State


If their team name and the arrowhead on the helmet weren’t offensive enough, the Seminoles chose tomahawks as their helmet stickers. Somewhere a Native American is shaking his head in disbelief. Florida State is also one of the few schools that actually can take away stickers, for such gaffes as missing assignments, first down penalties, and general laziness…or maybe participating in a massive cheating operation.





Hawaii

With over 4,000 yards passing and 38 TD passes, you've got to wonder how Colt Brennan didn't run out of helmet space half way through the 2007-2008 season. And in case you were wondering, the sticker is a warrior helmet with two interlocking spears beneath it.





Georgia


Georgia players are awarded bones for valiant play, just the type of thing that their bulldog mascot, Uga VI, loves to sink his teeth into...unlike the dogs at Auburn, who chew on their own players.





Purdue
The Boilermakers have recently changed their helmet stickers. When they first started awarding them, each sticker was of the train from their logo, but now they are the infamous hammer of mascot, Purdue Pete. I'm not a genius, but I'd have to guess getting hit by a train would probably be more damaging than a whack from a hammer.



Louisiana-Lafayette

Although they ended ’07 in the bottom half of the Sun Belt conference, the Ragin’ Cajuns do win the award for coolest helmet sticker, a Cajun pepper! What makes this helmet sticker even more special is that it’s taken straight from the apostrophe in the Ragin’ Cajun logo on the side of the helmet. UL-Lafayette’s jersey uniformity I love, their consistent out-of-conference results this year (0-5), eh not so much.


- Drew DiSalvo

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Giving 111 Percent's own National Championship

#3 LSU Tigers vs. #5 USC Trojans
On the eve of the BCS "National Championship" game between Ohio State and LSU, we here at Giving 111 Percent are announcing the winner of our own national championship game. Over the past few weeks, we've seeded teams and matched them up in an 8-team playoff tournament. In just a chaotic way as the BCS, we've decided which two teams will be represented in the title game. In our playoffs, LSU (the 3 seed) faced USC (the 5 seed).

LSU squeaked out a win against Oklahoma, and then walloped VT to reach the title game. USC beat Georgia by 10 and then slipped by Missouri.

As expected, this game was close and exciting to watch. The teams were evenly matched. Heading into the bowl season, LSU was 11-2 and USC was 10-2. LSU averaged 448 yards per game, while USC gained an average of 418. The Trojans gave up 259 yards per game, while the Tigers gave up 283.

Such a matchup between equally great teams came down to the last play. As USC went to the air in a quick passing attack against the LSU defense, LSU answered with its dual quarterback threat. Trojan QB John David Booty tallied numerous scores, but the Tigers' Matt Flynn led LSU through the air, while SEC Championship game MVP Ryan Perrilloux gave USC fits by running from the QB position.
The game was back and forth all night long until the USC offense finally wilted under the Tiger pressure. With the strong LSU defensive line breaking through a tired Trojan offensive line, Booty was forced into rushing a throw, which was intercepted by strong safety Craig Steltz, who entered the game tied for 12th in the nation with 6 regular season picks.

Steltz brought the ball down to the Trojan 20 yard line, where Perrilloux and RB Jacob Hester pounded the ball down into field goal range and ran the clock down for a time expiring FG

FINAL SCORE: LSU 38, USC 35

...Now if the BCS could only adopt such a playoff (a 4-team one is much more feasible), we could stop doing simulations like this and actually determine a true national champion.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Who'll Stop the Reign?

The Patriots, on bye this week, are the favorites to win Super Bowl XXLI after completing the first 16-0 season in NFL history. Which teams have a chance to beat them? Here are the five teams who have the best shot.

5. Green Bay Packers
Tom Brady received 49 of 50 NFL MVP votes. The other one went to Brett Favre, who is the one reason not to count out the Packers as Super Bowl contenders. With the breakout season by running back Ryan Grant, they are no longer one dimensional. The Packers have to be on this list just for what kind of storylines a Favre-Brady Super Bowl would have.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s almost hard to believe that this team is as good as it is. David Garrard has thrown 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew combine to give the Jaguars one of the best running attacks in the league. It’s hard to see Garrard beating Brady in a shootout, which any Patriots playoff game is likely to become. If the Jaguars can get an early lead, however, they have the type of offense that can hold it.

3. Dallas Cowboys
Want a team that can win a shootout? Tony Romo has as many weapons at his disposal as any quarterback in the league not named Tom Brady. Terrell Owens and Jason Witten are good enough to give any defense fits. And Tony Romo isn’t holding for field goals anymore. The biggest doubt, however, is whether the Cowboys defense can stop Brady and the Patriots offense. In their regular season meeting, Brady tore the Cowboys apart in the second half, turning the game into a blowout.

2. San Diego Chargers
Last January, the Patriots came into San Diego and upset the 14-2 Chargers. The Chargers would love to even the score this year. The Chargers have to be the least predictable team in the league, sometimes looking like legit contenders and sometimes looking like a team that doesn’t know how to win. I would not be surprised to see them lose tomorrow. At the same time, they have as much talent as almost anyone and are a team no one wants to catch when they are hot.

1. Indianapolis Colts
This is the game football fans have wanted all year. When the two teams played during the regular season, it was billed as Super Bowl XXL and a half. Peyton used a career-defining second half comeback to beat the Pats on the way to the Super Bowl last year. Since the Pats won the regular season meeting, the Colts will have to beat the unbeaten Patriots at Foxborough. With receiver Marvin Harrison hurt, Peyton doesn’t have nearly the plethora of options that Brady does. When these teams play, it’s always a good game and it’s hard to believe they won’t meet again this post-season.

By Andrew Vitelli

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Getting back into it

Hey all, sorry for the down-time on the blog - between the holidays, work and so forth, it's been a bit of a busy time. That being said, we're going to try to get the flow back. Therefore, here are some of my thoughts in the past week or so of sports:

The Bowl Season has not been too impressive, especially the two BCS bowls so far. Illinois showed that while it had a nice bounce-back season, they were not BCS bowl ready. It would have been nice to see another team match up with a strong USC team. And Hawaii did not challenge Georgia at all. Although they were a feel good story that by going undefeated deserved a BCS bowl bid, the only thing that Hawaii impressed me with was the number of fans the school brought to New Orleans. It's just hard to really get fired up about these games when they are occurring a month after the regular season ended. With such a long layoff, college football almost becomes an afterthought by now.


The Outdoor Hockey game in Buffalo was outstanding on a day of somewhat boring football (excluding the Michigan-Florida game and UVA-Texas Tech game). Granted, I only watched some of the game, but what a spectacle. Packing in 71,000 fans into Ralph Wilson was great to see. I went up there early in the NFL season to see the Jets play the Bills, and while I'm not sure I can say too much about the city as a whole, those Buffalonians sure can tailgate. And they were at it again in the snow for a hockey game.




The Patriots are just infuriating. It looked like they weren't going to be perfect this season several times. But they just always find a way to squeak out games. While the Giants lost a tough game, by going toe-to-toe with the Pats should give them confidence that they can get through a mediocre NFC playoff field. As for the Pats, it looks as if teams are finding ways to get to them. But it probably doesn't mean anything. They'll just tease teams into thinking they have a chance and then will beat those teams.

College Basketball is starting to get going for real, as conference play is starting. My squad, Syracuse, faces St. John's tonight. Although the NFL will steal most of the spotlight for the next few weeks, this should be a great basketball season. There are several great teams, including Memphis, UNC, Kansas, UCLA and so forth. Each seem as if they could be number one teams in years past. And with a fabulous freshmen class, I really think this is going to be one of the wilder and more intriguing college basketall seasons of recent years.
-Pat
Photos: si.com