West Virginia Throttles Portland, Wins Tourney

From Sportsnet:

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Da’Sean Butler scored 26 points to lead eighth-ranked West Virginia to an 84-66 victory over Portland in the championship game of the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday night.

The tournament title was West Virginia’s first in-season tournament title since 2001 when it captured the Hispanic College Fund Classic in New Mexico.

It took a while for the Mountaineers (5-0) to get going. West Virginia was just 2 of 12 shooting at the game’s outset and didn’t get control of the game until 10:09 remaining in the first half when a Kevin Jones 3 from the corner made it 13-12.

“We just didn’t make any shots early,” said Huggins. “We had good shots early – we had as good of shots as we had the whole game and we just didn’t make any of them.”

Another Jones 3 gave West Virginia an 18-14 lead and then Butler took over. Butler’s 2 with his foot on the 3-point line on the wing gave West Virginia a 23-18 lead. Then a Butler 3 from the top of the key made the lead eight and a Devin Ebanks fall away got the lead to 10.

“(Butler) came in and made huge shots for us and really got us going,” said Huggins. “When he kind of got the lid off the basket it kind of went down a little easier for everyone else.”

Ebanks second 3 came ahead of Kramer Knudson’s dunk to give West Virginia a 31-20 advantage just ahead of the 3:44 media timeout.

West Virginia led 39-25 at halftime.

This just in: Browns can score... touchdowns?

Opening up the day this previous Sunday, I woke up a bit late, having to get ready for a Thanksgiving with a different side of the family. My other half was awake and already watching the game and said "Baby! Brady scored a touchdown!". You know... Typical chick thing because they all love Quinn's dashing good looks, along with his 12 pack abs and amazing biceps....... I should stop shouldn't I? So following that statement, I looked at her and called her a "dirty liar". I mean, that couldn't be possible couldn't? I go down for some laundry, and come back up the stairs a few minutes later hearing her screaming in excitement and said "We scored again!". I see the replay, and I rub my eyes thinking that this couldn't be true. 17 points for the Cleveland Browns and it's only halfway through the first quarter? It was true.

Cleveland opened up with a 9 play drive lasting 3.5 minutes scoring a field goal. I mean, hell, I'd have been excited if I saw that. Field goal range for the Browns. INSTANT WIN! After the ensuing kickoff, I then watch the defense give up a 63 yard pass to Calvin... I mean Bryant... No, I mean Kevin Smith... You know... The running back. Yeah... Luckily, Detroit only gets 3 points out of it.

A 13 yard kickoff return later and Brady Quinn proves to Derek Anderson and all of his haters that he, in fact, CAN throw the long ball, hitting Mohamed Massoquoi in stride for a 59 yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. Stunning, right? Following that, the Browns defense played like they did against the Ravens for a drive forcing a 3 and out, allowing Quinn and Co. to come back on the field. After a few small pickups, Quinn hits newly acquired wide receiver Chansi Stuckey down the field for a 40 yard touchdown. That's a total of two touchdowns in the game so far for the Browns offense who scored I believe all of 5 touchdowns in it's first 9 games of the season. I mean, this is some record setting stuff, right?!

Browns kick off giving the Lions the ball at the 32, when Eric Wright (Eazy-E) picks off a deep Stafford throw only to return it 47 yards giving Cleveland the ball at the Detroit 13 yard line. After an a Jeff Backus unnecessary roughness call, Cleveland starts at the Detroit 6. This couldn't end up being 3 touchdowns in one quarter of play.... could it? Indeed it was. After a Jamal Lewis 2 yard scamper, Quinn hits Joshua Cribbs for a 4 yard touchdown. So not only did the Browns get 3 touchdowns, but they got them through the air. We haven't had a QB throw 3 touchdowns in a game since November 11th.... of 2007, when Derek Anderson threw 3 touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Which ironically enough ended up having a similar outcome with the Browns defense blowing a big lead). The Browns are now leading 24-3. This is exciting stuff, right?! Well, who'd of thunk it, that the Browns defense could fail? On the next 3 Lions drives, they score touchdowns, now making it squared at 24 for the day. The Browns drive down the field and kick a field goal with 4 minutes left in the 1st half, and go into the half up 27-24. Man. What a first half for the offense. They score over half the touchdowns that they have in the previous 9 games of the season. Brady Quinn provided sparks of life for the offense, making very nice throws, while still being the victim of a few dropped touchdown catches.

NFL Players Are Getting Hooked On Fantasy Football

Caught this article in the local paper & wanted to share. Very interesting. Happy Thanksgiving, Shakers!
- DJ

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK - Fantasy and reality collided at the 1-yard line for Maurice Jones-Drew.

The Jacksonville Jaguars running back passed up a sure touchdown and took a knee before the goal line, helping seal a win against the New York Jets last Sunday. It also made thousands of frustrated fantasy football owners pound their heads against their laptops.

Jones-Drew knows how they felt. He cost himself a win in his own fantasy league.

"I was actually apologizing to myself," he said. "I have myself. It was all in fun. I know a lot of people were affected by it from what I hear."

Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould was one of them. He "owns" Jones-Drew in the NFL Players Association league, which includes seven NFL players and a fan. Gould's Team Automatic lost to Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams' Memphis MudSlingers, thanks in part to Jones-Drew's kneel-down.

"I'm just glad he apologized," a joking Gould said. "I probably would have won, so MJD's got to score an extra one for me this week."

Fantasy football leagues aren't just for fans anymore. An increasing number of NFL players are hopping on their computers and agonizing over their lineups -- should I start Tom Brady or Brett Favre?

"I got addicted," Minnesota backup running back Albert Young said.

Think your fantasy drafts are intense? Imagine what happens when a group of NFL players gets together.

"Matt Forte picked me before I had a chance to pick myself," Gould said of his Chicago teammate. "He has half the Bears team."

Adam Caplan, an NFL reporter for Scout.com, is in his sixth year co-hosting a fantasy football show on Sirius NFL Radio. He estimated that about a quarter of the 60-70 players he has interviewed over the last few years participate in fantasy leagues.

"But almost all of them know what it is," Caplan said, "because at the very least, their friends and family play."

That's something Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez can attest to, because he hears all about it every Monday.

"They've all got me," he said. "It's like, 'Did you score?' They try to sit me down like they're my coach: 'If you're not going to perform, I'm going to have to cut you. I'm going to have to sit you down this week."'

Having inside information doesn't always help, either. Earlier this season, Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck benched himself in favor of Favre, thinking the Minnesota quarterback would have a huge day against St. Louis. Well, Favre threw for 232 yards and a touchdown, while Hasselbeck had a season-high four touchdown passes against Jacksonville.

That's just bad GM work there, Matt.

"I know you can't gamble," said Pittsburgh guard Darnell Stapleton, "but I think a lot of players do it just to see how well they can do, picking their roster and picking who to start this week or next week."

And, it's difficult not to get emotionally involved. New York Jets running back Leon Washington is clogging up a bench spot on his NFLPA-leading team, Jet Lizzle. He's been on injured reserve with a broken leg for nearly a month but hasn't gotten up the nerve to cut himself.

Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams drafted himself in at least one of the three leagues he participates in and has no problem sitting in favor of Houston's Andre Johnson and Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne.

"It's hard to do, but I've got to do it," he said. "I'm trying to win."
Players generally feel there's no conflict of interest.

"I don't necessarily see a problem with NFL players being involved, because technically we're already involved," said San Diego tight end Antonio Gates, who doesn't play fantasy sports. "We're the ones out here on the field either getting points or disappointing somebody's Sunday afternoon. Whether or not we play well, win or lose, it still affects us in the real world.

"The fantasy world is just that: fantasy."

Many NFL players bench their colleagues if they're playing against them in reality. That includes fantasy football studs such as Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson.

"That's just how you do it," said Jones-Drew, who lost the NFLPA league title to Cato June last year. "If I had Peyton Manning, I would have to sit him when we play them because you don't do those things. You always want the best to happen on the field. That's how it is."

Not that that stops fans from imploring NFL coaches to change their game plans to help their matchup in a given week.

"All the time, make sure I hand it to Maurice. 'He's on my team, he's my guy.' Yeah, I hear that," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "I started hearing that in the offseason, and I always told those guys, 'Your fantasies and my fantasies are different. Let's acknowledge that, all right?"'

For many NFL players, reality is more than enough to worry about.

"I see these guys every Sunday," Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "I'm trying to beat them. Why would I want to sit on the computer and vote them for my team and have to root for them?"

The Big Lead Breaks Down the 2009 Heisman Race

The article below was posted on The Big Lead, one of our favorite sports blogs. They've linked to us on several occasions, and we thank them for that.

Let’s attempt to break it up this way, since we all know the key names by now: Category 1 will be guys who will get invited to New York, with a likely winner; Category 2 will be guys that deserve an invite to New York, but have no chance of getting there; Category 3 will be guys who never had a chance, but in a more fair world would deserve a look; and Category 4 would be people to keep your eye on next year. Let’s do 4 per category. Here we go now.

The Guys That Will Get Invited To New York

Tim Tebow, Florida QB: No question here. Part of CBS’ special airing before Alabama vs. Auburn this Friday is about Tebow’s legacy at Florida. When a show before a rival’s rivalry game against a different school is in part dedicated to you, that’s big-time.

Colt McCoy, Texas QB: Will get an invite to NYC, and you can argue he doesn’t deserve it, but stats are good, his team is undefeated, he represents the “aw shucks” manner of a down-home Texas boy as well as anyone, his best friend and roommate is his WR, etc, etc. Story is good, he came in second last year, this award loves QBs.

Mark Ingram, Alabama RB: Most valuable player on Bama is McClain, probably. Ingram is No. 2, but depending on game and situation, he can be No. 4. Team is loaded. He trucks guys. No Alabama player has won it (that’s a good storyline for the media).

C.J. Spiller, Clemson RB: My actual inclination is to go with Case Keenum here, because I think it’s more likely they invite a third QB than a second RB. I’m going to put Keenum in the second category. (By the way, Heisman has chosen as many as six, and as few as three, to attend in New York.) Spiller scores from all over the field, in various ways, and with Dabo Swinney at the helm, very few people thought this squad would be a tick away from a BCS automatic berth. Spiller is beast. Gerhart might be more beast, but his team has four losses.

The winner: Whoever plays better in the SEC title game between Tebow and Ingram.

Sad Day in Columbus: Stefanie Spielman Dies of Cancer

From WBNS in Columbus:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Stefanie Spielman, whose public battle against breast cancer gripped central Ohio for more than a decade, died Thursday. She was 42.

Spielman and her husband, Chris, tirelessly raised breast cancer awareness and helped form Stefanie's Champions, raising millions of dollars for Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital.

In 1998, at 31, a biopsy confirmed her fears, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the couple began their battle.

Without hesitation, Chris Spielman put his career on hold with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to be at his wife's side.

"For me, to leave (Stefanie) in Columbus and go play football in Buffalo would be against everything I stood for," Chris Spielman said.

"It meant the world to me," Stefanie Spielman said. "That's been the hardest part -- seeing him give up what he loves -- the best, for me."

The Spielmans said that they had two options when they learned about the cancer. The first was to quit. The second was to come out and fight the disease.

The couple fought with determination and a deep love.

College Football's Lost Weekend - The Big Lead

The following article was posted on The Big Lead. I find it fascinating because of the "what if" scenarios regarding a College Football Playoff. Sigh.

TCU won convincingly Saturday against Utah. It didn’t matter.


LSU survived a massive scare from Louisiana Tech. Didn’t matter - LSU can’t qualify for the BCS.

Late Friday, Cincinnati held on to beat WVU. So what?

The Rose Bowl - which will have zero impact on the National Championship - was basically decided Saturday afternoon. Ohio State will play Oregon. Whoop-de-damn-do.

The college football season has basically been reduced to two games: The SEC Championship (Florida-Alabama) and the Big 12 Championship (Texas vs. Kansas State/Nebraska) on Dec. 5. You could miss the next two weekends … and miss nothing. (What, you think Florida State is going to beat Florida? Ha.) This coming weekend, there are no games involving two Top 25 teams. Get your Christmas shopping done early. Rake leaves? Unearth a great Thanksgiving recipe that will wow the fam.

Imagine an 8-team playoff based on the current BCS rankings:

1. Florida vs. 8. LSU

4. TCU vs. 5. Cincinnati

3. Texas vs. 6. Boise State

2. Alabama vs. 7. Georgia Tech

Injury-ravaged LSU probably would be replaced by season’s end - perhaps by Ohio State (hell, maybe even Oregon or Stanford). Cincinnati could lose and be replaced by Pittsburgh (doubtful). But here’s the problem with only having 8-teams in the mix: You don’t have a rep from the Pac-10 (which has two teams capable of running the table - Oregon and Stanford), or the Big 10 (which has been mediocre at best this season). Or does that even matter, since neither league has a team that’s been dominant throughout the season?

Would a 16-team playoff - which would only take four consecutive weeks; five if you want to take Christmas week off - be more ideal?

Bengals Defensive Stars Turning Corner

By Thomas George of Fanhouse.com

CINCINNATI -- When an NFL player begins to touch the stratosphere alongside the prized peers in his craft, well, that is an elusive, special time -- a time when, instead of the player solely looking outward, others start to look his way.

A time when a player turns the corner.

For Cincinnati Bengals cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall (pictured), it is that time.

Put aside their similar size, their quick feet and hands, and their youth. For Joseph and Hall, it is playmaking that is primary. Each has become a cornerstone of the Bengals defense -- two men on football's trickiest, most demanding island who are leaving receivers hungry and thirsty.

The Bengals (6-2) lead the AFC North after these cornerbacks choked the Baltimore Ravens' receivers last Sunday -- particularly constricting shifty veteran Derrick Mason -- in a 17-7 Bengals victory. Next up for Cincinnati are the Pittsburgh Steelers' dangerous duo of Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, along with rookie speedster Mike Wallace.

Of course, Joseph and Hall are in the spotlight, in part, because of what they have already done against this Pittsburgh group. In Week 3 on Sept. 27, Holmes was held to one catch for 18 yards and none of Pittsburgh's receivers reached the end zone in Cincinnati's 23-20 victory. Joseph added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Bengals' upset win.

At Pittsburgh on Sunday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis knows that, for Joseph and Hall, the results could be famine or feast.

Lewis is banking on the table his star cornerbacks have already set.

"One play, one game and everything can change, because that is the nature of the cornerback position in the NFL,'' Lewis said. "But they are playing good football. And having been a part of a championship team in this league, I can tell you that a team can't win it without exceptional cornerback play. You have to have that on the edges of your defense to be a special team. It is not an accident that we are getting that now and we are playing good defensive football.''

Joseph is 25 years old; Hall turns 25 in December. Joseph is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, while Hall stands 5-foot-11, 199 pounds. Each cornerback has four interceptions this season. Joseph has 24 solo tackles, Hall 34.

Joseph was a first-round Bengals pick in 2006. Hall was a first-round Bengals pick in 2007.

Their lockers are side-by-side in the Bengals locker room. Their talents are complementary, too.

"Leon is a tough guy -- great speed and he fits in run support,'' Joseph said. "I spent one year in Division I ball before I got to South Carolina and then here. Leon coming from Michigan came from a bigger school and program. We both feed off each other.''

Both are excelling in man coverage, allowing Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to be more exotic with the rest of the Bengals defense. Cornerbacks who do not need a ton of over-the-top help are a defensive coach's dream.

And give the Bengals this -- they invested highly in these cornerbacks. They spent two first-round picks on two cornerbacks who are, indeed, becoming first-rate.

"We try to keep receivers off balance, keep them guessing,'' Hall said. "Johnathan is real quick. He has make-up speed he uses on receivers. People don't know how smart he is. He tells me things on the sideline I can use. He wants to be great. We both do.

"We pride ourselves on our work. We work a lot on technique. We do a whole lot of film study, probably more than the norm. It's extreme. We really try to understand what an offense is trying to do. We get along great off the field. It seems like we've played together a lot. It's gone fast.''

It is going faster. The Bengals are tied for first place in the AFC North halfway through their season, and their standout pair of cornerbacks are a key part of their hopes for the second half and beyond.

But Cincinnati has not won in Pittsburgh since 2006 -- in recent seasons, it has been Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor who has been the prominent cornerback when these teams battle. That's no longer the case.

Lewis credits the addition of free-agent safety Chris Crocker in 2008 with boosting the maturation of Joseph and Hall. Crocker spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, two with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Miami Dolphins before becoming a Bengal.

"I don't think they [Joseph and Hall] knew what hard work was until he showed up,'' Lewis said of Crocker. "He has helped make them better players. He has challenged them.''

Now Joseph and Hall challenge others.

And the league is taking notice.

"We definitely look at other corners,'' Hall said. "But we feel like we are kind of coming into our own.'

Browns Can't Afford to Draft QB

There's much speculation as to who is going in the top 5 and top 10 in the 2010 NFL Draft. As always, there are a few QB's that shoot up the draft boards because the need for QB is so high. This year, junior QB's Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker are both being hyped up to be top 5-top 10 picks in the 2010 draft, assuming they come out because of the potential situation with the CBA, and with the weak QB draft. With the Browns looking to have a top 5 pick after starting the season 1-7, many people speculate what they need for their team.

I can tell you one thing: We can't afford to reach for a quarterback.

So our quarterback's right now haven't been able to do anything. They turn the ball over 3 times as much as they score touchdowns. Derek Anderson misses a wide open tight end that's 4 yards in front of him, on a regular basis, while throwing at players feet often.

Of course, it's not all the QB's is it. No, it's not nearly all on the QB's, and even as a Derek Anderson hater, I have to be unbiased and see how many drops this offense has, as well as how many fumbles they have. Toss in the terrible passes, and it's just a recipe for disaster. Would a great QB help this team? Sure, but not as much as you'd think. Besides, there aren't any great QB's in this draft. There are just some talented kids who are athletic and have big arms.

But no matter how athletic somebody is, and no matter how far they can throw the ball, it doesn't mean that you have to reach for them. There are so many things to judge quarterbacks on: throwing power, accuracy, touch, intelligence, as well as intangibles. You also like to see QB's have 25-30 starts in college and have a winning career if you're going to draft him in the top 10, which neither Clausen or Locker have. So what gives?

DJ's Quick Hits (World Series Edition)

Well, it looks like the Yankees are well on their way to a 27th World Series Championship...it's currently 7-3 in the bottom of the 7th, Game 6 as I type. Barring a late-inning comeback (which is highly unlikely as Mariano Rivera begins to loosen in the pen) King George will be able to die the happy, hated man he is. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Steinbrenner Yankees of the past 15 years have done everything in the power to give their fans a winning ball club. Not every fan of any team in any professional sport can say that, save maybe the fans of the Jerry Jones Cowboys or the Jerry Buss Lakers. Even though I despise the Yankees and their winter-long free-agent spending sprees, I'll admit if I owned a baseball team I'd do the very same. Alas, I make monthly payments on a goddamn Honda Civic, so we'll just spare the rest of the niceties & move on....

* For every Big Apple hotshot cover boy the Yankees have (Jeter, A-Rod) they have a Hideki Matsui & a Joba Chamberlain. Damn those dudes are f-ugly...

* Baseball managers must be the most stubborn men in sports (save a certain sweater-vested fella in C-bus). Charlie Manuel would not move the right-handed hitting Jason Werth up to hit behind Chase Utley (Ryan Howard hasn't even touched left-handed pitching vs. New York), he would not go to a 3-man rotation (Pedro again??), and Brad Lidge choked once again.

* I really struggled on a personal level with all the hype concerning the Game 6 match up of Andy Pettitte (age 37) & Pedro Martinez (age 38). The old guys out for one more fling...how much gas is left in the tank...yadda yadda. Dammit, I just turned 37 this year and I have feelings too...!

* The best thing about having Joe Buck in the booth during the MLB playoffs has meant that Thom Brennaman assumed the #1 play-by-play slot for Fox's NFL coverage. I like Thom, but only when he's NOT in the booth with Daddy/Marty.

* Who is Brett Gardner and why is he on my TV? With all that money that's the best backup centerfielder the Yanks could muster?

* When will baseball come to their senses and wrest control away from Fox & ESPN? The schedule is horrible. The Yankees have had more days off this post-season than they did the entire year! Should we call Chase Utley "Mr. November" now that he tied Reggie's single Series HR record? Would it kill them to schedule a handful of double-headers during the summer & get this thing over with before the NBA starts? Also, how is MLB going to win over the next generation of baseball fans when they should all be in bed @ what is now 11:45 p.m.?

Finally, I'll end with a non-baseball rant. Fantasy sports...whose idea was this? I've always been a big basketball fan, but never before would I as a mild-mannered chap from rural Southern Ohio have the urge to to seek out and punch Jason Richardson in the neck for throwing up a goose-egg in 20+ minutes vs. Orlando. I'm now obsessed with the assist/turnover ratio of players like Biedrens & Gallinari. Yeah I know, "...is that a vineyard?" grrrr...

(Get ready for the soundbite on Sportscenter of the annoying Michael Kay exclaiming, "Yankees win! Yankees win! Thu-u-u-u-h Yankees win!" Methuselah Rivera grounds Victorino out to second...thank God it's over.)

Jeremi's Journey

The following article was written by Geoff Hobson on Bengals. com. Good stuff.

Bengals-Ravens, 1 p.m. Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. One of those AFC North games that means everything. A win and the Bengals beat the Ravens in any tiebreaking scenario. A loss and the Bengals are back to the pack.

Heaven or hell.

This is one of the games why the Bengals last year stayed in touch with Jeremi Johnson, the one-time Pro Bowl alternate fullback that has been to both heaven and hell.