Monday, July 16, 2007

Guess Who's Back....

....back again. Thatguy's back. Tell your friends.




Its that time of year that we told you we'd be back. With the first rookies in the NFL reporting to camp 3 days from now (Jets fans rejoice) thatguysportsblog is making its comeback.


As we told you some short time ago, we're all set and ready to go for football season. Full bore, full tilt, full time. Just like Bruschi.

What can you expect to see this season?



  • The best Fantasy NFL Football analysis in the game.
  • The best gambling analysis in the game.
  • The smartest and most insightful opinions on the game.
  • Reactions to all things NFL and CFB
  • A lot of making fun of Peter King
  • No ESPY's coverage though
oh and a very, VERY slanted stance on all things football, both college and professional - with a little high school mixed in.


If you love Notre Dame, you won't love this blog. You'll read it, you'll argue with me, but you'll be wrong. SEC fans? You've come to the right place. Patriots fans? likewise. Not so for the Colts, Chargers, or Dolphins though.


You'll see some of the most beautiful women associated with the game of football, like her:






















So what's next?

Sit back and enjoy....that's what. Because your favorite blog that nobodies heard of is back.
Check out NFL Training Camp reporting dates for your squad here.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

THATGUY SPORTS UPDATE!!!!!!

************************************

Much to your surprise, and potentially you're chagrin, thatguysports is NOT dead.

In fact its just the opposite. As we type this, our creative minds are coming up with a new and improved format that will cater to the real sport in our lives, football.

When NFL training camps begin, thatguysports is back.

What you can expect to see this year, an NFL Cheerleader of the week, College Football insanely hot fan of the week, training camp reports, weekly college and professional picks against the spread, and a weekly fantasy breakdown.

In short, thatguysports will be YOUR one-stop shop for all things football.
Stay tuned.......here's a taste of the women in store for you (courtesy of Southernfriedfootball.com)




Wednesday, May 09, 2007

An Open Letter to Professional Golfers

Dear Professional Golfers (a.k.a. guys I'd give anything to be),

I realize you are really nothing more than other pampered professional athletes, but sometimes I seem to forget that. Thank you for reminding me that when the Boston Globe prints articles like this one today.

I realize you guys think you're something else, and there's no doubt that you're all very gifted, but by my count, the vast majority of American's aren't born to families who can afford expensive golf memberships to clubs that many of you essentially grew up in. So while you're clearly gifted, you also have had a TON more ability to, well, not have to work a single day in your life thereby allowing you to practice golf your entire childhood and making you nasty at it.

But what you fail to realize is that being nasty at golf doesn't entitle you to playing the game by different rules.

You already have the luxury of having your fairways lined by "man-made hazards" which allow you to basically hit a ball anywhere and not ever worry about losing it. Furthermore you can even take an free drop where ever you like.

But this quote goes over the line for me:

"I know it's exciting and adds a lot to the tournament," said Jack Nicklaus, "but maybe almost a little bit too much, at times, because it really becomes such a big factor -- where a guy has played great all week and all of a sudden he can go from first into about 10th."

Don't think Jack Nicklaus is alone in this thinking...there are a ton of quotes in there from golfers about this.

Newsflash: THAT IS GOLF. Welcome to the world of a 18 handicap! I was 3 over after 6 holes last week and wound up getting an 8 on a par 3. Why you ask? Because that's what happens.

So stop crying about it, stop complaining, and just once triple 17 this weekend and think to yourself:

"Wow, this is what its like to be an everyday working man, weekend warrior golfer."

Yours truly,

That Guy

Friday, May 04, 2007

That Guy Sports Take on Cycling

After an intense discussion with some haters at lunch yesterday, thatguysports today is exposing the biggest athletic frauds in the entire world. Cyclers. Or as I prefer to say, "Bi-cyclists." a.k.a. "anabolic bodybuilding on a bike."

These guys are the biggest frauds in the world. They ride a friggin bike for Christ's sake. 3 year olds ride bikes. Half the time they're riding downhill.

But they'll tell you the bikes they ride are somehow different from other bikes, and that they have, stop me if you've heard this one, "Higher Lung Capacity" than other athletes. In reality - they're just on steroids.

With that, here's my list of guys that would win the Tour de France blindfolded, but they play real, other sports.

Football players:

Antwan Randel El
I just think he'd be a good cyclist. He's obviously quick, has speed, and isn't going to be hampered by his size. Randel El, easily win the tour de bike race.

Wes Welker
He'd be my favorite to do so actually. He'd destroy Lance and Floyd.

Ladanian Tomlinson
There is legitimately nothing he couldn't do.

Reggie Bush
See Tomlinson.


Majore League Baseball Players

Jose Reyes
He'd be nasty on a bike. He could possibly outrun a bike.

Honestly, any lead off hitter with speed could easily win the tour de bike race.

Pick one. Any of them.

Hockey

Ovechkin, Crosby, Patrice Bergeron.

All could do it easily.


Boxing

Floyd Mayweather could gamble, talk trash, and call his uncle while winning a bike race like the tour de france.

Basketball

Baron Davis, Chris Paul. Easily.


The thing that makes cycling the worst, is that you couldn't put any cyclist in another sport and have them do well in it. They ride bikes!

Anyway, I'd love some more athletes that could easily win the tour de huffy race in France. Post away.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Baseball Update: April month in review

Disclaimer:

I'm really much more of a football guy. Even though my buddy shoota refers to me as "Mister Baseball" at times, its really more of a joke than anything else. So take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. As mh says, its much more of a "Coco sucks" mentality here.

With that, let's take a break from wishing the summer away so the Patriots can go 16-0 and walk through the playoffs, and lets get into some great moments from the month of April.


Best thing to watch as a Red Sox fan:

The Yankees starting rotation dropping like flies - Now every Yankee fan knows what it was like to be a Red Sox fan last year. When you start trotting guys out like Kyle Snyder and Kason Gabbard to start games, you just don't care anymore. That's what Yankee fans are saying now about these guys that they trot out night after night.

And the Phillip Hughes injury last night just HAD to hit a nerve for the bombers, no?


Worst thing to watch as a Red Sox fan:

JD Drew wearing Trot Nixon's jersey number. Because it is REALLY starting to look like we've seen this movie before. scal may have hit the nail on the head with this one.

Story that nobody cares about:
Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron. As much as ESPN is trying to get us to care, we just don't. And won't. Ever. So stop talking about it, and stop trying to make us care. We don't care that nobody cares even. Just move on.

Best team nobody really notices:
Milwaukee Brewers. Trust me on this. When you're at about a 20 game per week betting clip, you find things out like "JJ Hardy can kill the ball" or "Prince Fielder is a HR just waiting to happen." If only their starters would stop getting hurt in afternoon games. This team is good.

Worst team nobody really notices:
St. Louis Cardinals. Get Pujols out and you win. Plain and simple. The bottom half of that line-up flat out stinks.

Best saying I invented:
"Riding the Meche-train."

Second story that nobody really cares about:
Where the fat slob Clemens will wind up (Mind you he is on my bench of my fantasy team).

Best pitching coach performance:
Shoota from the Sheppard Hill Rams.

Leading team to win it all:
Red Sox. They have the best pitching top to bottom and Manny and Ortiz haven't even really gone off yet.

Worst team to make the playoffs:
Any team from the AL West. It stinks so far this year.

Best pitcher nobody knows about:
Hideki Okajima. Lights out reliever so far this year.

Worst titled blog:
Thatguysports blatant ripoff of thatguysportsblog. screw them. They should get their own site. Clowns. Besides. Who the hell cares about Oregon State??

2nd best team to root for:
Arizona Diamondbacks. A great late night wager for any day of the week.


That's folks.

Coming soon: Bad announcer fantasy point system. I think its a great idea.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

News and Notes

Seeing as how we're basking in the glory of another NFL Draft weekend we'll be ready to tackle the Major League Baseball season starting tomorrow.

I just don't have it in me to go at it right now - and besides, does anybody really care about baseball right now except for those losers who bet baseball moneylines? And in all seriousness, who would do that?

Anyway, there's another thatguysports. Which kind of sucks. I really don't want to give out the web address but I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out what it is. Regardless, his site sucks and this one is legit. I'm 100% starting an e-feud with him. e-feud = ratings.


Check out some of these stories from the last few days:

Ryan Glasper has every right to hate Tom O'Brien.

Fatso still hasn't decided where he's playing next year. He's also telling us for the fifteenth time since March 1 that May is the month he'll decide. Thanks for checking in you toad.

The Panthers screwed up a good draft a little bit today. Why cut Keyshawn now? It takes a LOT for a rookie WR to produce in his first year.


Look, more reasons to hate the Boston media.


Check back tomorrow for some good'ol MLB talk. At least MH will have something to read.

Monday, April 30, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Draft Grades

When it comes to grading a draft I tend to look at things a little bit differently than guys like Mel Kiper and such. For example, if you have to go to the 7th round to find a great pick, I'm not going to rank that draft as a good one. You shouldn't make your best pick with your 6th, 7th, or 8th overall pick in an entire weekend of picks.

I'm also not going to give credit to a team for picking a good player if I think they could have picked a better one. Its just that simple.

Lastly, I'm not looking at next year's draft. Trading a pick this year to get something next year has nothing to do with my grades and vice versa, you're not getting knocked any grades for trading next years picks to move up this year. Its all about this past weekend for me.

Without further ado, thatguysports draft day grades.

Arizona Cardinals: C+
Some nice picks late, but I don't like Alan Branch at all, and Levi Brown in my opinion isn't a lock to be a superstar. Would've like to have seen them work on their defense a little bit more - they have an offense that is decent. Their defense is swiss cheese.

Atlanta Falcons: D
I hate this draft. I think Jamaal Anderson is overrated and Chris Houston is going to be a bust. They didn't help their offense at all - another raw WR is NOT what they need (Laurent Robinson), and they didn't help their offensive line much at all.

Baltimore Ravens: C
I'm not big on drafting a return specialist early in a draft unless its a Daunte Hall type, but I don't think Figurs is that guy. Grubbs is a Guard, and no doubt he is a good one, but how hard is it to develop a Guard?
Their best pick? Lleron McClain. Guy's a stud.

Buffalo Bills: B-
I like the Posluszny pick where they got him but I despise the Marshawn Lynch pick. He didn't do squat against teams that had defenses more stout than the crap the Pac-10 rolls out week in and week out. That being said, John Wendling was a great pick where they got him.

Carolina Panthers: A-
Great draft. Beason is a stud. Dwayne Jarrett and Ryan Kalil will be solid contributers if not Pro-Bowlers. Georgia DE Charles Johnson is solid as well.

Chicago Bears: C
I hate Greg Olsen. Their best pick was Beekman from BC.

Cincinatti Bengals: C
Leon Hall was their best and only solid pick.

Cleveland Browns: A+
Sorry folks but you don't worry about next year's draft when you find a QB you love, AND who wants to play for you. Case and point with Cleveland.
Joe Thomas to anchor the line, Brady Quinn at QB, and Eric Allen at Corner.

Dallas Cowboys: B-
Anthony Spencer is a good counterpart to Demarcus Ware, and James Marten at Tackle is solid.

Denver Broncos: C+
Jarvis Moss and not a whole lot else. Not enough improvement for a team that really faded down the stretch last year.

Detroit Lions: C-
Sure, they got Calvin Johnson. But Drew Stanton SUCKS with a capital SUCKS. Matt Millen continues to have pictures of somebody - as that's the only way he keeps his job.

Green Bay Packers: D+
Not a big Justin Harrell fan. Not for where they drafted him.
Nobody else of merit.

Houston Texans: F
Okoye may be good, but if he becomes a pro-bowler, he's the only solid player they picked up yesterday.

Indianapolis Colts: B
As much as this pains me, its a good draft for Indy. I obviously love Gonzalez. Daymeion Hughes will be a solid corner in their Tampa 2 system.

Jacksonville Jaguars: C-
Reggie Nelson and a bunch of guys who went too early. Not the kind of draft you write home about.

Kansas City Chiefs: B-
Dwayne Bowe and Turk McBride will be solid players for them. Nice draft with limited picks for them this weekend.

Miami Dolphins: F
It doesn't get much worse for this team. Sure, Beck was one of my sleepers at QB but if you're going to pass on Brady Quinn for a WR why not pick up the best one available? They basically used a 9th overall pick to replace Wes Welker. I'm not kidding.

Minnesota Vikings: A-
Adrian Peterson, enough said. Sidney Rice, enough said. Brian Robison will be a Patrick Kearney/Jared Allen type in the NFL and they got him late. Great draft for Minny this year, although the fact they got their draft card in on time is still a feat for this franchise.

New England Patriots: C+
I'm not talking about the Randy Moss trade. They had two top 28 picks and only have Brandon Mayweather to show for it. Why not take an LB with 28? You need youth at that position. Instead they trade for next year. I don't love what they did, but trading the 28th pick for a 1st next year AND Randy Moss is ok....i just wish they got younger on Defense.

New Orleans Saints: C-
Robert Meachem and nothing else.

New York Giants: D+
Why not take Joe Staley???? You NEED an OT for Eli Manning to succeed and you give him nothing. They only avoided an F by getting DeOssie and Steve Smith. But passing on Staley will haunt them for a long time.

New York Jets: B+
Granted, only 3 picks, but Darrelle Revis was my top corner, and David Harris is one of the young LB's I wanted to see the Patriots draft.

Oakland Raiders: C-
Jamarcus Russell will be a bust, and the rest is history. Best pick was Michael Bush.

Philadelphia Eagles: F
Horrible draft for this team. Kevin Kolb will suck and you already have McNabb. Abiamiri isn't my guy, and Tony Hunt will be useless at the next level.

Pittsburgh Steelers: B
Timmons will be great in their 3-4 and Wodley is solid. Add to that a sleeper in Dallas Baker who is only hampered by his 40 time.

St. Louis Rams: B+
Another draft I real like. Typical "lunch pail guys" in Carricker and Brian Leonard.

San Diego Chargers: C-
Craig Davis in the first round? Gross. Weddle is their best pick.

San Francisco 49ers: B+
Patrick Willis, my man Joe Staley anchor a great draft. This team will be solid next year (which is why I don't love the Patriots trading for their 1st rounder next year). It should surprise nobody if San Fran wins 11 games next year.

Seattle Seahawks: D
Useless. How's Deion Branch you losers?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C+
Gaines Adams seemed to turn it on and off last year, but Sabby Piscitelli was arguably the most "My guy" in the entire draft this year.

Tennessee Titans: D
Chris Henry is god awful. He'll actually make Lendale White look like a good pro. Then draft 3 WR who are below average. Sick draft. I can't wait for Vince Young to fall on his face next year. Tennessee will be the most overrated team in the league next season.

Washington Redskins: C
1 for 1 is good. Blades may be a player if he can overcome his physical limitations.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: That Guy Sports Mock Draft

Here we go ladies and gentlemen, the 2007 That Guy Sports mock draft. Now, we're not shooting for 100% accuracy for teams and spots, if we get a team right but the spot wrong, we're calling that a win. Team wrong, but spot right, another win.

Onto the draft.

1. Oakland Raiders, Jamarcus Russell
2. Tampa Bay (via trade), Calvin Johnson
3. Cleveland, Brady Quinn
4. Detroit, Gaines Adams
5. Arizona, Joe Thomas
6. Washington, LaRon Landry
7. Minnesota, Adrian Peterson
8. Atlanta, Amobi Okoye
9. Miami, Levi Brown.
10. Houston, Darrelle Revis
11. San Fran, Adam Carriker
12. Buffalo, Patrick Willis
13. St Louis, Jamaal Anderson
14. Carolina, Greg Olson
15. Pittsburgh, Lawrence Timmons
16. Green Bay, Marshawn Lynch
17. Jacksonville, Jarvis Moss
18. Cincinnati, Leon Hall
19. Tennessee, Ted Ginn, Jr
20. Giants, Joe Staley
21. Denver, Alan Branch
22. Dallas, Robert Meachem
23. Kansas City, Dwayne Bowe
24. New England, John Beason
25. Jets, Aaron Ross
26. Philadelphia, Reggie Nelson
27. New Orleans, Justin Harrell
28. New England, Michael Griffin
29. Baltimore, Ryan Kalil
30. San Diego, Steve Smith
31. Chicago, Dwayne Jarrett
32. Indianapolis, Tony Gonzalez


Things that wouldn't surprise us. Adrian Peterson to Browns, Miami trading up for Brady Quinn.
Rams go Leon Hall.
Patriots at 28 go Lorenzo Booker.
Adrian Peterson to Houston.

that's all we have. there's no doubt I forgot about someody good. So hit me with it.

NFL Draft Spectacular: "My guys"

Every sports fan has "his guys." You just have to. Todd Walker for the Red Sox, "my guy." Trot Nixon, NOT "my guy." Eugene Wilson after the Philly Superbowl, "my guy." You get the picture.

Well, here are my guys for the upcoming NFL draft.

John Beck, QB, BYU.
I love everything about this guy. Prepared, can make just about any throw, and he was a GREAT factor in BYU games going over quite often this past season. He's just a solid QB who has Tom Brady written all over him.

Brian Leonard, FB/RB, Rutgers.
Anybody who brings up images of Mike Alstott clearly has to be one of your guys. How can he not be?

LeRon McClain, FB, Alabama.
You knew you weren't going to see this list end without a Tide player on here did you? Well McClain will be the next great lead blocker. He is a stereotype fullback. Block, run for 1 yard, and catch the ball out of the backfield. He can do it all. Punishing is an adjective to describe McClain.

Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina.
Pro-bowl receiver for a long time to come. Good hands and great play making ability.

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State.
See above. Great route runner, tremendous hands, and always plays big in big games. I'd take him over Ted Ginn in a heartbeat.

Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan.
I had him and Joe Thomas on this list until I heard that Joe Thomas is fishing w/ his dad instead of going to the draft but is still letting a camera on the boat. Lame. Staley is legit though. He is down in Daytona w/ his cousin drinking right now. He said so last week on the NFL Sirius channel.

Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska.

Brian Robison, DE, Texas.

Zak DeOssie, ILB, Brown.
Trust me, the next solid Ivy League Linebacker.

Zach Latimer, ILB, Oklahoma.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE!!! YOU TRYING TO LEAD ME ON!??!?!

Latimer.

John Beason, OLB, The U.
Skeet skeet!

Ramzee Robinson, CB, Alabama.
Roll Tide.

Michael Griffin, S, Texas.
Will be able to play Strong, Free, and even Nickel. Plus special teams.


So there you have it. "My guys." Who are yours?

Coming tomorrow.....Mock it up baby!!!.....

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Defensive Backfield

In all honesty this is where I am a stud. Just know that going into it.


Cornerbacks

Darrelle Revis, Pitt
Total complete stud. Gretat ball skills and a guy who had few opportunities to make plays b/c teams didn't go at him, but when they did, they paid for it, big time, when he'd convert an INT into a touchdown. Also returned punts.

Aaron Ross, Texas
Size, physicality, speed. Ross has it all. He supports the run very well and obviously played in a high level in college. He's going to be a stud in the NFL.

Leon Hall, Michigan
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the top 3, and Hall is right there. Dwane Jarrett exposed Hall a little in my opinion in the Rose Bowl and he also didn't fare very well against Ohio State. That said, Hall has the size and speed to be a player at the next level.

Eric Wright, UNLV
Talent and skill, but character issues. Enough said. I mean the guy left USC. Who the hell does that???

Chris Houston, Arkansas.
I don't love Houston. SEC isn't really a passing conference, so I question the cover skills of Houston.

Marcus McCauley, Fresno State
Another guy I don't love. He got benched in 2006. That takes a lot. Pat Hill guy though, which usually translates well in the NFL.

Tanard Jackson, Syracuse.
Don't knock the player because of the program. Tanard Jackson can play. It just may not be at corner. He may need to move inside, or get considerably faster.


Sleepers:

Ramzee Robinson, Alabama. Football player. He will be heard from.
David Jones, Wingate. Solely a question of competition.
Corey Graham, UNH.

Busts:
McCauley, Houston



Safety
(One of the deepest positions in this year's draft)

Laron Landry, LSU.
My #1 guy defensive player in the draft. He is a stud. 100% stud. I'd give anything for the Patriots to have a guy like this.

Michael Griffin, Texas.
Only reason I put him above Reggie Nelson is the special teams, punt block skills he has.

Reggie Nelson, Florida.
Another stud.

Eric Weddle, Utah.
Versatile is his middle name. He reminds me of the guy from the Bengals who has the weird last name. He's a holder too.

Aaron Rouse, Va Tech.
No questioning his skills. Needs to be more consistent - classic underachiever.

Brandon Meriweather, The U.
He beat a guy over the head with his own helmet. I'm all set with this guy. Pacman Jones.

John Wendling, Wyoming.
Skilled, athletic and intelligent. He has the Patriots written all over him.

Sabby Piscitelli, Oregon State.
May be a LB, regardless, he's obviously skilled. Just need to find a place for him to play.


Sleepers:

Piscitelli, Wendling.

Gerald Alexander, Boise State . Versatile and incredibly athletic.

Busts:

Meriweather.

Monday, April 23, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Linebackers

The play makers of an attacking defense. And one of my favorite positions.

Inside Linebackers

Patrick Willis, Mississippi
The only thing that concerns me about Willis is that a lot of his plays were made after a gain by the offense. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he played for a poor team and that's more the reason than anything else. That said, he's a sideline to sideline guy who has size and can move.

Originally most mocks had the Patriots landing him but there's really no way he's there when they pick.

Buster Davis, Florida State.
If David Harris didn't play for Michigan I'd have David Harris here. Instead of Greg Olson's disappearing act playing on a lesser team than in the past, Buster Davis elevated his game. He's a great 4-3 MLB.

David Harris, Michigan.
Great run stopper that seemed to have improved on his coverage skills and his speed. Granted he played in an inferior conference in the Big-10, but he's obviously very good at playing against teams that run straight ahead with no real rhyme or reason. He'd be perfect for the AFC North.

Zak DeOssie, Brown.
Smarts, good size and great athletic ability. DeOssie has a ton of upside. I love saying upside.


Bust: HB Blades. I think he sucks. Don't draft him. Undersized.

Sleeper: DeOssie and Justin Durant of Hampton.



Outside Linebacker

Lawrence Timmons, Florida State.
Stud outside guy who can play the edge, get after the qb, or drop into coverage. A complete player who played against very good competition in the ACC. A stud.

John Beason, The U.
Member of the 7th floor crew, the greatest rap group of all time:

"(What's your name?) Big Beast. (What you do?) Skeet skeet. (How you do it?) Bust a nut, aim for her mouthpiece.

I mean how can that guy NOT be a solid player. Regardless, Beason is not a character issue - he's a very good player. Versatile and quick with good size. I love this guy.

Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma.
He flat out makes plays. And you can't coach that.

Stewart Bradley, Nebraska.
Typical 3-4 OLB guy, Bradley is a "worker." He does his job, brings his lunch pail to work, and just gets it done. Nothing flashy, but solid performance.

Paul Posluszny, Penn State.
I am not high on Posluszny. The reality is that he could be the 2nd guy taken and be a horrible player. Injured two years ago, who knows how he'll play when he gets to the NFL. I don't like this kid - but the Patriots may take him which I'll have to be ok with. In Bill I trust.


Bust: Posluszny

Sleeper: Stephen Nicolas, South Florida

Sunday, April 22, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Defensive Lineman

The heart and sole of any championship football team is its defense. Except for this year's championship team who won solely because the NFL officials deemed it so. But I digress. Here's a look at the Defensive Lineman and how we at thatguysports have them ranked. By the way, DE is LOADED this year. DT, not so much.

Defensive End

Gaines Adams, Clemson.
Stereotypical 4-3 DE. A monster against the pass who's only knock is that he seemed to be bored at times. Will make an impact immediately (In so far as a DE can when he winds up on a bad team like Adams probably will).

Adam Carriker, Nebraska.
Versatile player, a lot like Richard Seymour of the Patriots. Tall for a DE but with bulk on top of it. Could be a DT as well if called on.

Jarvis Moss, Florida.
For my money, Moss will be the best player in this position of this draft. He's not a classic tweener b/c of his 6'6'' height but would it surprise anybody if he wound up playing the role that a Willie McGinnist or Adalius Thomas fell into?

Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas.
Here's what bothers me about Anderson: I don't really remember him. Jarvis Moss, remembered. Gaines Adams, remembered, but Anderson - not remembered. Maybe that's just my inability to remember things, but I just don't. Thus, he's in the 4th spot.

Anthony Spencer, Purdue.
Classic tweener. Will provide TREMENDOUS value in the late 1st into the 2nd round.

LaMarr Woodley, Michigan.
Another tweener guy. Most Michigan defensive players worry me because of the lack of speed in the Big-10 (see: State, Ohio getting destroyed in the national title game when they finally played some speed). He's "long" not in that way, but in the football way, and he has a "motor."


DE Sleeper

Brian Robison, Texas.

DE Bust

Tim Crowder, Texas.



Defensive Tackle

DT in my opinion is really a 2 man race.

Amobe Okoye, Louisville.
If this is the first time you've heard of him, ESPN is channel 849 on HD in the Boston marketplace, and I suggest you check it out. They do shows about sports. He's a great story, and some have commented that he's almost the Greg Oden of this NFL Draft.

Justin Harrell, Tennessee.
Coming off an injury, Harrell isn't where he could have been if he played all year. That said, I think he'll be a good pick for a team who may not need him to bring his A game immediately.


DT Bust:
Alan Branch, Michigan.
I think he flat out sucks. Classic guy w/ the tools who can't compete on the field.

Sleeper:
Walter Thomas, NW Mississippi Juco
Coach him up and watch a guy who apparently has talent grow and watch him sprout to stardom.

Friday, April 20, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Offensive Lineman

Look, I'm 5 foot nothing and I don't get game tapes sent to me. I have no real idea who has good footwork and who can deliver a blow when pass blocking.

So I don't have a ton of comments on the OL here.

Guys I like - there are two of them at the top of the list.

Joe Staley Central Michigan and Joe Thomas of Wisconsin.

Staley was on Sirius yesterday and he was hilarious. No way he fails in the NFL

Thomas, well...he's a stud and he's going fishing with his father on draft day instead of New York or anything else. That's a stand up guy in my opinion.

That's all for the OL.

OL is all coaching anyways in the NFL. Up this weekend: The Defensive side of the ball. Where I am a borderling GENIUS.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: Tight Ends

This position is easy for me to sum up.

There are three top prospects in my view and there are 3 categories for them all.

My rankings:
1) Zach Miller, Arizona State
2) Greg Olson, Miami (Fl)
3) Ben Patrick, Delaware


Patrick is a sleeper, and the bust (in my opinion THE bust for the entire draft) is Greg Olson of Miami.

He went from game-breaker to afterthought when he wasn't surrounded with superstars. Needing decent role players around you is one thing, but Olson only thrived when he had superstars around him. No thanks.

NFL Draft Spectacular: Wide Receivers

Wide Receiver is absolutely LOADED this year in my opinion. No fewer than 5 guys could be legit superstars in the NFL. Here's how we rank the candidates.

1) Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech

If you don't know a single thing about this guy then you need help. Not because you should know who he is, but more because it appears that you're getting all of your sports information from this website. And if that's the case, you need help.

Johnson is the total package with size, speed, hands, and intelligence. He should be the first player taken on the 28th.

2) Sidney Rice, South Carolina

I know most reports show Ted Ginn or Dwayne Bowe in this spot but I put a lot of weight behind a complicated Steve Spurrier offense. Rice will be passed on by a lot of teams and they'll soon regret it.

3) Dwayne Bowe, LSU

Size, hands, strength. Best competition possible. Bowe has it all and legitimately had eye surgery that improved his vision and pass catching. Maybe Reche Caldwell can get help after all.

4) Ted Ginn, Jr., Ohio State

Ginn's injury is the only reason he isn't ranked higher. That and in my opinion he wasn't asked to run complicated routes in the Ohio State system. If he can run his 4.3 range after his injured foot heals then he's the #2 guy available. But I have my doubts. One setback this off season and he's behind the 8-ball to learn an offensive system.

5) Steve Smith, USC

Produced at a high level all through college on a top team. Ran a great 40 time and just makes plays. You can't put enough of an emphasis on a guy like that.

6) Robert Meachem, UT

See: Smith, Steve. Its just too bad he played for a piece of crap like Phil Fullmer (roll tide).

7) Dwayne Jarrett, USC

His 40 time scares me. There are TE's that run faster than him.


Bust potential:

Jarrett, Ginn if he becomes injury prone.


Sleeper:

Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio State
Fundamental stud at WR. Great hands, runs great routes, and plays with some speed and spunk. Yeah I said spunk. Love Gonzalez.

David Ball, UNH
Break any record of Jerry Rice and you're a sleeper in my book.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

NFL Draft Spectacular: The Runningbacks/Fullbacks

1) Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

As close to a can't miss guy as there is at RB. He's going to be an absolute monster even though Chris Brown was as impressive as Peterson at times in the Big 12 and Peterson runs high like Brown does. Let's look past that, ok?

2) Antonio Pittman, OSU

Can run inside and outside and doesn't dazzle anybody. But is rock-solid. What's the difference between him and Lawrence Maroney? Another Big-10 back who played on a big stage. Always seemed to break a big run when it counted.

3) Brian Leonard, Rutgers

Mike Alstott. Enough said.

4) Marshawn Lynch, Cal

I hate Lynch for the record. He's my pick for "Most likely to celebrate draft day in a strip club VIP room like Pac-Man Jones." Maybe its the dreadlocks, or the fact that he does look JUST LIKE PACMAN JONES.

5) Michael Bush, Louisville

I know, I know...injury prone. But isn't a broken leg a lot different from a "hamstring" guy?

6) Lorenzo Booker

Ok this may have something to do with the fact that he could wind up a Patriot. Why not start the "spin" machine early?


Busts:

Marshawn Lynch, Chris Henry, Arizona (came out early and "raw" isn't something that works in the NFL typically).

Sleeper:

Kolby Smith, Louisville.

Made the loss of Michael Bush tolerable. Which is not an easy thing to do.

NFL Draft Spectacular: The Quarterbacks


1) Brady Quinn, Notre Dame.


Sorry folks, but I'm not on board the Jamarcus Russell bandwagon. My NFL Draft source said something to the affect of "Russell looked like he was lifting donuts not weights" after he saw him at the combine in Indianapolis. That tells me that this guy isn't ready.


But Quinn is. Playing under a very solid offensive mind in a pro-style offense will make Quinn ready immediately to grasp any NFL system. Not to mention that his 6'4'' frame makes him a stereotypical quarterback.


2) Jamarcus Russell, LSU.


The only reason he isn't 3rd is that I'd lose all credibility if I put him there. That said, Russell reminds me a lot of the guy in Boys in the Hood who gave Little-Ricky (little meaning pre-high school ricky - when he had the red mesh shirt on) his football back. The one who was shirtless with sweatpants and a do-rag on. That's what I see when I see Russell at QB.


Someone tell me how he's any different from Byron Leftwich or Daunte Culpepper? Sure he may put up some good #'s like they do, but the next big game they play in the playoffs will be their first. Same for Russell.


3) John Beck, BYU.


Pro system, seems like a very good leader, and he's described as taking a backseat to nobody when it comes to preparation. Sounds like a winning combination to me. Hopefully he goes to a team with an aging or mediocre starting quarterback and Beck picks up the slack mid-season.


Green Bay ring a bell?



Best chance to be a bust:

This is a tie. 3 way tie. Russell b/c he'll be the first QB taken and he won't be the 3rd best, and Kevin Kolb and Drew Stanton.


Stanton is a classic underachiever. I don't want a guy with that stigma leading my hopes and dreams every fall.


As for Kolb? Well...when was the last time a Texas Tech QB amounted to anything in the NFL?


That's what I thought.



Sleeper:


Jeff Smith, Georgetown (KY)


6'6'' with a cannon for an arm. You can't coach that. Put this guy with a solid Quarterback coach and watch him blossom in 2 years. Think he'd do well learning from a Peyton Manning?

Monday, April 16, 2007

That Guy Sports NFL Draft Spectacular


It's that time of year, ladies and gentlemen. NFL Draft fever has captured thatguysports with just two weeks until one of the best days of the year for an NFL fan.


thatguysports will be your home for all things NFL Draft. Positional breakdowns of our top prospects at each position will be posted in the coming days. Sleepers, busts, and "my guys" will be highlighted, and we'll end the week with a full mock draft that will surely be mocked by many of you.


So stick around because this is where thatguysports shines.


Friday, April 13, 2007

We'll Be Back

Don't worry sports fans, thatguysports isn't dead in the water.

We're coming back with a vengance for a solid two weeks of NFL Draft coverage.

Stay tuned.....

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

What did I miss?

Sorry fans, thatguysports went on a brief hiatus. I think I blacked out for a full week.

What did I miss?

I think the Final Four was meant to end. Can somebody let me know what powerhouse from the Big-10 won? I'm sure the top conference in the land must have had a winner in some sport this year.


What's going on with the NBA? The Celtics obviously keep losing right? I mean there's no way they'd string together a .500 record to make sure they don't sniff Greg Oden in any manner, right?

The Bears traded Lance Briggs by now I'm sure. The last I heard, the Redskins were ready to mortgage their draft and trade them the 6th pick in a loaded draft. I'm sure they took that deal. No way they'd hold on to a guy who legitimately doesn't want to play for them. Especially with that sweet of a trade offer on the table.


Anything else I miss??

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Reality Check

Ok so not really a reality check, but work is busy for the next couple days so I'm not really able to post. I'll try to get something out tonight.


in the meantime read these cool sites.


Barstool Sports

I'm Bringing Blogging Back

Awful Announcing

Deadspin

The Big Lead

Monday, March 26, 2007

Boston Media Members Hate Bloggers

Attention all who write on the Internet: Dan Shaugnessy hates you. With a passion.

Check out the hatred in this article from the Boston Globe today. To all you non-Boston area readers (3 of you I think) this is what the Boston media does. They take shot after shot at people that they don't like (Schilling being one of them mind you), until that person runs out of town.

Now I'm not the biggest Curt Schilling guy on the planet. Not by a long shot. I think he loves the spotlight as much if not more than winning games. But his whole blog, 38pitches.com, is completely harmless. Of course, not to the pricks that work for the Boston Globe.

Theismann OUT

Joe Theismann is off of Monday Night Football. And an entire nation of Monday Night Football watchers rejoice. I'll be honest though, this is bittersweet for me. I really enjoyed the genuine dislike that Theismann had for Kornheiser and the things he said.

Jaws will be a great addition though.

Maybe Theismann will be the anchor for Arena League coverage.

Gilbert Arenas Is Awesome

Just another reason why Gilbert Arenas is thatguysports favorite athlete right now.

Farewell to the ACC

What a weekend in college hoops. What a day yesterday for games.

Kudos to Georgetown. MAJOR kudos. They beat 8 guys yesterday. Between the 5 they were playing in white and Carolina blue, and the 3 they were playing in black and white stripes.

34 fouls shots to 18. And anybody who watched that game yesterday knew that the physicality of the game was the same for both sides. Just an embarrassing example of officiating.

That said, is Roy Williams able to look himself in the mirror today? I can't figure out if he just thought his team was supremely talented compared to Georgetown, or if he thought that they'd just stop the bleeding themselves, but to the best of my observation yesterday, he just watched the game slip away.


The ACC has to be the biggest disappointment in collegiate athletics this year.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

OSU or OCD ?


Check out this article about Thad Matta.




Before every game, he has to have a piece of Juicy Fruit or Orbit — “I don’t
know which one he chews currently,” associate head coach John Groce said —
presented to him by a team manager. Matta has to unwrap it himself, then wad up
the wrapper, then shoot it into the trash can behind the bench.
Every game.
Without fail. Lest the Earth split open and swallow him on the spot.
Or maybe
it’s the tie choice that has kept the Buckeyes rolling. Before each game,
Matta’s daughters, 8-year-old Ali and 6-year-old Emily, have to pick out dad’s
neckwear.
“Sometimes it might not match,” Groce said. “But if it doesn’t,
that’s OK.”
At this point, Matta would wear a maize-and-blue tie if his
daughters selected it. There is no going against the established ritual.
“He
is the most superstitious person I’ve ever met,” said Xavier coach and longtime
friend Sean Miller. “It’s really bizarre.”

I'm reading this to my wife so she doesn't think the fact that I need to check the locks on the door of my house 3 times before I come to bed isn't so weird.


There's more stuff in the article, or just read where I got the story from - Here.

Vick Rejoices

After reading this story I think Michael Vick may be the only person happy about the trade of Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans.

Think about it, Texan fans can't be happy. They just lost more early draft picks and this team still has many holes, most of which lie directly in front of or behind the quarterback.

Falcons fans can't be happy. They still have Vick as their quarterback and are now being told that his backup may be Anthony Wright. All of this after bringing in a QB guru in Petrino to coach. Schaub was penciled in as the starter by week 5.

Schaub can't be too happy. He has to compete for the job with a nearly identical starter, who in reality isn't that bad - when he has an opportunity to actually throw the ball and not run for his life. Now Schaub gets to learn a new offense, one that has a bad running game, and poor pass protection. The Texans have given up 100 sacks in the last 2 years when the defensive team has rushed 4. That's pitiful.

Carr isn't happy. For obvious reasons.


This one blows my mind a little. Take an OL, take a DL, take a corner. Do anything other than trade the pick away for the same player you already have.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Roethilsberger on Roethlisberger: "I'm just extremely overrated."

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ben Roethlisberger refused to say that injuries were the reason he had such a bad year last year.

"Coach Cowher always came to me and asked me how I felt, and I was always
100 percent honest with him. I was always honest with the doctors. Everybody
knows that Pittsburgh has some of the best doctors in the country -- look at my
face for instance," he told the Post-Gazette, referring to the injuries he
sustained in the motorcycle accident. "We have an unbelievable medical staff.
They cleared me and, if they gave me clearance, we never hushed anything."
"No, I don't think anything was rushed. I think I just didn't play well. I
had a bad year. I'm sure [Whisenhunt] had a bad year once in his career,"
Roethlisberger told the newspaper.
"I think that a lot of times, I got
caught being a little too confident and knowing the offense too well and trying
to force things a little too much," he told the Post-Gazette. "I wouldn't change
a thing. I learned from it, it's a learning experience, and you know what, it's
going to make me better."

I've been saying this since mid-season last year. When a Quarterback is playing behind stud Offensive Lineman and a running game that averages 5 ypc and he has to throw between 15 and 20 times a game anybody can put up good numbers.

Roethlisberger is like a bigger version of Joey Harrington. Only with a less-gay name.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

NBDL Future Star, "Big Baby" Davis

Here's something different in professional sports:

An athlete opting to stay in school when his value is at his peak, but opt to go to the NBA the year after a mediocre season for you personally and your team as a whole.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is declaring for the NBA draft.

I am speechless. I am without speech.

Who is advising him on this? Please please please please PLEASE can a reader of mine get in touch with him somehow and advise him that this isn't a great idea? Please?

The Chicago Bears Fear the Superbowl

That can really be the only explanation I can come up with. They let Ron Rivera go, a guy who many felt was next in line for a great head coaching job. They trade Thomas Jones so they could go with more of a 1 running back system when everybody else is going towards a dual running back system (and winning with it).

They piss off Lance Briggs to the point that it wouldn't surprise anybody if he really didn't play next season.

And now they trade for Adam Archuleta. The same Archuleta who found himself on the bench after signing a lucrative free agent contract.

I know that they didn't trade much for him, but is he even any good anymore? I feel like Archuleta peaked in his 2nd year.

They say they want Archuleta to play closer to the ball, but doesn't Mike Brown do that for the Bears? Archuleta failed alongside another solid Safety in Sean Taylor this year, why would he do any better next year?

Thank God I'm not a Bears fan.

CBS is Idiotic

I first heard about this on barstoolsports and I had to see for myself. There's no way that it was true, and there's no way that CBS consciously decided to do this. But in reality, there is and they did.

Gus Johnson isn't announcing any basketball games this weekend.

Here's who is.

What's the over-under on how many times Jay Bilas has to correct a drooling Dick Enberg on a player's name? I have 7 in the early game and 17 in the night-cap. Enberg has to be a 5 pm dinner, 7:30 pm sleep guy.

I have him calling Southern Illinois "the Illini" by the 2nd TV timeout. I have him calling Brandon Rush Brendan Roy by the 2nd half, and there's a good chance Jay Bilas kills himself in between games.

Its amazing to me how stupid television networks are.


I realize there's no way to rid ourselves of Billy Packer the miserable grandparent, but I was really hoping the senile one (Enberg) would be put to pasture.

Wow.

Steroids in the WWE?

No way! (No kidding).


According to this AP report on ESPN.com, there are several WWE wrestlers who are implicated in the Mobile, Alabama pharmacy steroid scandal. Apparently Edge, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero (shocking), and The Hurricane were on the list.


The first 4 I understand, but The Hurricane? This seems more improbable than MannyAlexander using steroids while on the Red Sox.


NIT Hoops, its FANNNNNNNtastic!

Found this over at Awful Announcing.


Billy Walker, star of Kansas State hoops who tore his ACL is clearly into the NIT. Admittedly, the kid is hurt, but come on. Eating on the bench?

This brings me back to my days of riding the pine on a D3 football team. By mid-3rd quarter me and Z-balls would be discussing where to go to eat after the game.

Can't Get Enough of This

The "Great Greg Paulus Flop."


Worst Sport Ever?


Open water swimming. Easily.


Read this.


I'm a big ocean guy. Really, I am. Fishing is fun, cruising around is fun, even the beach can be a little fun, but swimming through schools of stinging jelly-fish = not a good time.


Some chick lost her goggles and hand to cling on to a buoy in order for a person on a jet-ski to bring her another pair. That sounds like a sick time.

Best Story of the Year

You can have your Superbowls, you can have your March Madness and any other story you want.

I'll take this one. I love Vegas stories. But I love Joey Porter in Las Vegas stories even more.

This is like back in high school when you got into it with your Thanksgiving Day rivals. I wonder of Porter talked trash to Levi Jones about Carson Palmer's knee. Or did Levi Jones talk trash about last year's Steelers team being the worst Superbowl champion of all time.

Either way, I love the fact that these two duked it out at a casino in Vegas.


Thank GOD the Patriots didn't wind up with Porter. Its impossible to root for this guy. Oh and the fact that its another incident for a Bengal player - its reached the point that you can't make this sort of thing up.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Peter King, Again

Man I feel like I repeat the same blog entry every week.

Some gems from his MMQB today.



e. What language is it that Bill Raftery speaks, actually?


Hey Peter. If you want to make fun of an announcer your best bet is to NOT make fun of THE best in the business. Let me guess, you'd rather listen to Billy Packer and his incessant rambling and complaining? Or perhaps some of the no-name color commentators that CBS throws at us in the 1st and 2nd round.

I can't wait for the day Gust Johnson, Raftery, and Jay Bilas announce a game together. That's my dream team.

g. I missed it. When did Kentucky stop being Kentucky?


Thanks for keeping up with college basketball this year Peter. They haven't been good all year long. Please tell me he thought Kentucky would beat Kansas. That would be awesome.

k. Just discovering the iPod, one of the great inventions of all time, and my
one recent find was Norah Jones. What an incredible voice. Shows what a music
dolt I am that I barely knew her.


Yeah Norah Jones resonates well with fans of the NFL.


Can't Peter King just stick to the NFL??

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Non-Madness Sports News

I think I know what being post-partum is like now. I'm suffering from Post-march madness depression. We'll never have 4 games playing at the same time for a long time. Regardless, here's some non-madness notes.

- This week seemed to be a turning point in the world of the NFL Draft. With more and more free agent signings, teams needs are starting to change. Check out NFLDraftcountdown for their latest Mock. Their links page is another great way to find solid draft coverage. I love the fact that the Raiders have the #1 pick in a draft where the top QB is no lock and the best player is a WR that if they draft him, they'll have no way to get him the ball.

- Roger Clemens still loves the limelight and just can't seem to stay out of the headlines. For the fifth time since pitchers and catchers reported, he is announcing that he has nothing to say. Until May. No kidding you fat toad.

- I'll consider my fantasy draft a success this weekend if I don't get sucked into Eric Bedard like half of humanity did last year. Even if he is starting the Oriole's opener.

- Don't wind up sitting next to a freshman in college's family if you want to avoid a $30k fine.

- Pretty interesting article from the Boston Globe's football notes yesterday.

Pardon me if I don't bleed for the NFL players who retire and don't get their tuition reimbursed under the current program. Here's an idea: Put 50 grand away out of the $10 million signing bonus that you just got to pay for your tuition.

Professional athletes are unbelievable to me.

Here's a novel idea for the NFL: Take the money that you pay for tuition reimbursement and invest the hell out of it. Then use it to fund pensions for pre-AFL/NFL merger players. You know, the guys in the Hall of Fame that get 800 bucks a month from the league?

I think Michael Vick can do without his Va Tech education. I had a buddy who knocked up his girlfriend the summer after his Junior year and had to drop out of school...who's reimbursing his tuition for him to go back to school.

- The iditarod is idiotic.

- Check out ESPN.com's San Diego Chargers draft preview article. I love this stuff.

Here's something you should take into account when you're handicapping next season. When a team's Key Addition reads like this:

Key additions
The biggest addition is head coach Norv Turner, who has his third head
coaching job. While he is generally regarded as a solid offensive coordinator,
Turner's teams in Oakland and Washington underachieved with him as head coach.

Then that's a warning sign for the season. "Underachieved" is an understatement.

-*****BREAKING NEWS*******

Roger Clemens still fat, and still un-decided on future plans. Will make announcement in May. Still.

March Madness: Reaction to the First Two Rounds


Some are calling the first weekend of the NCAA tournament boring. Here at thatguysports, we're not quite as outraged. The weekend went a lot like we thought it would.

There seemed to be quite a difference between the top 4-6 seeds in a bracket and the bottom seeds in the bracket. More-so than ever.

No 5/12 upsets. No 14/3 upsets. 2 6/11 upsets (both very "popular" upset picks). Even the 10/7 games went the way of the seeding.

Now the fun starts in my opinion. Look at today's games - many spreads under 5 points. Here is where the cream will rise to the top.


Some knee-jerk reactions to the weekend:

- Tough tournament for the ACC. Many had Georgia Tech as an upset but they didn't last day 1. Maryland doesn't get to the sweet 16 either, and Va Tech takes the pipe as well. What an overrated conference.

- Great tournament for the SEC so far. Vanderbilt with an upset to get into the Sweet 16, beating a very good, "hot" Pac-10 team in Washington State. Tennessee overwhelming Virginia. Florida surviving a scare. 3 teams in the Sweet-16.

- Kudos to Butler who came under fire for not winning their own conference tournament. Clearly their schedule throughout the year and winning the pre-season NIT helped them tremendously en route to their Sweet 16 birth.

- Ohio State should become the independent and Notre Dame should join the Big-10 instead of the Big-East as an "also-ran" with the rest of the losers. Every major sport is Ohio State and everybody else.


- Looks like I was wrong about the Pac-10. 3 teams in the Sweet-16 if the USC score holds up. Solid showing thus-far.


- Does Billy Packer talk to everybody as if he's permanently annoyed, or just during times that he broadcasts games. I feel like he announces as if he's a perpetually annoyed senior citizen. Wait, I think he actually is that. Can't CBS make Raftery their #1 color guy? He just called a horrendous travel call by the officials in the Nevada game with a very dry "Where?"


- How does Gus Johnson not become CBS's #2 play-by-play guy for every sport? Take over for Dick Enberg and his senility in football PLEASE.


- Its nice to watch a series of games on CBS and not hear Randy Cross or any sort of "Cross Talk."


- Right now I'm hanging in there on my bracket pool. Riding Kansas for all I can, Texas A&M and Georgetown are my keys. Florida is almost a lock for everybody - G'Town and KU are fairly split. A&M is a 2nd top choice out of that bracket.

Need Nevada to pull off an upset right now - that would be HUGE.



More to sometime on Monday, but for now this is it.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

A Break from the Madness



This is like the calm before the storm for college hoop fans everywhere. Last night, my wife got to control the remote.....because she certainly isn't going to control it from 12:25 tomorrow until Sunday late afternoon.



Wednesday was a great sports day though, I'll tell you that much. Where do we start?






Somebody needs to coach-up Alex Rodriguez. Lets see here....if I'm the highest paid athlete in a certain sport who hasn't won anything in my life, and I'm already not very well liked by most fans, and its getting worse because I said I may opt out of my already insanely high deal in order to leave the biggest sports market in the country, on my list of "what NOT to do," I think should be this.






"It's a do or die situation," he said on WFAN-AM's "Mike and the Mad Dog" show.
"Either New York is going to kick me out of New York this year, say 'I've had
enough of this guy, get him the hell out of here,' and we have an option. Or New
York is going to say, 'Hey, we won a world championship, you had a big year, you
were a part of it and we want you back.'"




Seriously A-Rod? You're "leaving it up to the fans????" New York fans seem like the type who are pretty good at rising to the challenge. So I say: CALL HIS BLUFF....for the headlines alone.


A-Rod saying that is like an old SNL Bad Idea Jeans comercial.








"This is a big bump I have to overcome. I'm going to deal with it like a champ.
I've got to make sure people know I don't hate gay people."
-- Tim Hardaway




Ok Tim.






The Big Lead has their own cultural NCAA tournament. I think a bigger snub than Syracuse this year is the fact that PacMan Jones Making it Rain got snubbed in this one.






Friend of thatguysports, Manzo over at barstoolsports identifies a critical aspect to the NCAA Tournament. Where is Gus Johnson announcing?






Someone wake me up when people no longer care about Pete Rose, or when Pete Rose doesn't have to leak a story to the media or agree to do an interview in order to make himself relevant again. For the record, I always pick my high school team in the Thanksgiving Day Massachusetts High School Football pool that we do every year. I see nothing wrong with that.






I finally read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback today. I'll leave you with this:






a. Craig Biggio has some Tom Brady in him. Same kind of superstar -- accessible,
team-first, thoughtful.




Wow...too easy.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Picks Picks Picks!!!

If there's anything we're good at here at thatguysports its the early college postseason. Nobody was better than thatguysports during the pre-real bowl game period, and we're going to do our best to kill it this Thursday.

So here goes, all games for Thursday, broken down and analyzed. And failing that, we'll flip a coin or just bet against the team we hate.

Davidson (13) vs Maryland (4) -7

I can't figure this Maryland team out. They suck at the beginning of the season, get hot near the end and then lose to Miami in the ACC tournament. Davidson, a mid-major obviously trying to make a statement here. I don't think they do.

The pick: Maryland -7

Texas Tech (10) vs. Boston College (7) -3

Gene Wojciechowski wrote a great piece about watching the selection show in Las Vegas after spending the day with them. This is what he repeatedly said about Texas Tech and Boston College:

"I'm shocked they got in," when Texas Tech is named a No. 10 seed. …
"[Boston College] and Texas Tech -- both of those teams are so weak," said Coach
of the first-round matchup.

Ringing endorsement huh? BC at least wasn't a "I'm shocked they got in" scenario.

The pick: BC -3

Stanford (11) vs Louisville (6) -5

I think the Pac-10 is one of the most overrated conferences in the land, and I think the Big East doesn't get enough respect. Go to covers.com trends for this game and you'll see that Stanford sucks as a dog, and Louisville is solid as a favorite. That's good enough for me.

The pick: Louisville -5

Oral Roberts (14) vs. Washington State (3) -6.5

Wazzou isn't really an offensive machine, winning most of their games because of their defense. That to me says that 6.5 is too much to give to a team that beat Kansas outright earlier this season.

The pick: Oral Roberts +6.5 (In reality I just wanted to type "Oral" again)

Butler (5) vs. Old Dominion (12) +1

Arguably the hottest topic in the first round. ODU vs Butler. The public opinion I'm reading is very pro-ODU. At that point, and with that issue, I think I'm leaning the other way.

The pick: Butler -1.

Belmont (15) vs. Georgetown (2) -16.5

Hoya Paranoia is back. Belmont defends the 3 very well but the Hoyas are just physically dominant at almost every position. You don't need to throw up from behind the arc when you have this much of an advantage physically. Look for Belmont to hang for 5 min, but its not going to last.

The pick: Georgetown -16.5

Penn (14) vs Texas A&M (3) -13.5

Its tough picking against what seems to be an always semi-competitive Ivy League, but A&M has the defense to stymie Penn, and the explosiveness in Acie Law to score in bunches.

The pick: A&M -13.5

George Washington (11) vs Vanderbilt (6) -3.5

Vandy beat Florida which is impressive, however less so when you look at the fact that at one point Florida put the season in cruise control and let down their guard for a bit. GW can defend, Vandy is hit or miss offensively.

I say they miss.

GW +3.5 is the pick here.

Duke (6) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (11) +6.5

People think VCU will be overlooked by some in this match up, and its quite possible that they will be nationally. But as much as it kills me to say, Duke typically doesn't overlook teams. I think Duke wins this one easily. Lay the number.

The pick: Duke -6.5

Central Conn. St vs. Ohio State -21.5

Ohio State can blow you out, and Central Connecticut State is ripe to get blown out.
This one hits 30.

The pick: OSU -21.5

Michigan State (9) vs. Marquette (8) +1.5

The Big 10 is overrated and Marquette is a phenomenally coached team that still played well without arguably their best player.

Marquette +1.5

Weber State (15) vs. UCLA (2) -19

Weber State was actually a good team against the spread this year (17-7). That says something this time of year. I think UCLA is playing with a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing end to their season. Unfortunately for them, I think UCLA is looking ahead to the 2nd round, if not the sweet 16 already.

Weber State keeps it close in the first half, and loses by 16.

The pick: Weber State +19

BYU (8) vs. Xavier (9) -1.5

Xavier seems to always win their first round game. I don't see them winning by 1.

The pick: Xavier -1.5

Wright State (14) vs. Pitt (3) -10

I don't have a ton of analysis for this one. Call it a hunch. Dashaun Wood does enough to keep Wright State closer than the number.

The pick: Wright State -10

Eastern Kentucky (16) vs. UNC (1) -26

I actually think its going to be difficult for the Tar Heels to keep it close even with emptying the bench. UNC covers this one.

The pick: UNC -26


Gonzaga (10) vs. Indiana (7) -1.5

IU has enough to cover the number against a Gonzaga team that is still being viewed as if they're anything close to the solid team they were in the past. That's not the case though.

IU -1.5



Good luck to all.

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Real Bracketology: How to Run a Successful March Madness Pool

Trust me when I tell you this....Running your March Madness pool can be one of the classic examples of "No good deed goes unpunished." That is, if you don't run it correctly. Follow my rules and guidance, and you'll be in the clear.

Lesson 1: Know your Audience

You want to re-create slamming your head against a brick wall? Try to explain to a 50-60 year old how to create a Yahoo or CBS Sportsline ID, find a private password protected league, and join it. Then make it worse by trying to teach him how to pick his teams, and make damn sure he doesn't forget to hit "Submit" (Multiple the frustration by 100 if you're talking about a FEMALE in this situation).

The moral of the story, know you audience and make it easier for the toughest entrants to deal with. Let the young population bitch rather than alienate the older generation. Participation is key for these, and you don't want to drive people away.

Young population? CBS/Yahoo/other Internet pool is a-ok.


Lesson 2: Don't require a PhD to determine points

a.k.a. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Escalate points by round (I feel as though they have to be doubled, but that's just me) but 1 point per right answer regardless of round is not the way to go.

Other possibilities:
"Upset pool:" 1 point per correct answer, bonus points for the difference between the seeds for an upset. 12 seed beats the 5 seed, 7 bonus points.

"Takeover pool:" 16 or 32 entrants, 2 or 4 teams, if the losing team covers the spread, the loser takes over the winning team. Winning team wins and covers, that player moves on. Its enjoyable to make fun of the person who has the 1 seed when the 1 seed beats the 16 seed by 30, but the spread was 30.5.

"Auction:" This is a wonderful pool for a bar. Promote the shit out of it, get people to show up, and auction off teams. You'll see some #1 seeds go for upwards of $500. Pay off something for each win to give a 10 seed some value, and have at it. Great way to watch the tournament.

"Fantasy Basketball:" Draft a team, 5 players, 10 players, whatever you want. Standard scoring system, and there you go.

Lesson 3: No such thing as too much information

Communicate, communicate, communicate. Give standings as often as possible, and invest a little time in telling people who has what team from the Sweet 16 on. Trust me, you'll do the work eventually, so why not do it when you're sitting down watching games a few beers deep.

Make sure to tell the pool what your picks are ahead of time. If/when you win, it'll be less questionable.

Lesson 4: Be a prick collecting money

Because if you don't, you'll be paying the winner out of your own pocket.


And there you have it. Do it well, and you'll be the hit of your office. Screw it up, and you're all done.

March Madness: How to Fix the System

One of my 10 (up from the prior # of 9) readers brought up the idea of this ridiculous "play-in game," and why are legitimate tournament qualifiers playing against each other rather than at-large bids. It got me thinking.

Here's how you fix the idea of teams getting "snubbed" year in and year out.

For the most part, you're talking about 4-5 teams that have legitimate gripes. This year, I'll give you Florida State, Syracuse, West Virginia, K-State, and Drexel. Last year you had Maryland, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Miami of Ohio. Don't give me the crap that Appalachian State got hosed this year. That's crap.

Anyway, why only have one play-in game? And why have it be the winner gets a 16 seed and becomes fodder for the #1 team?


Who would be opposed to this:

Florida State vs. Texas Tech - winner is the 10 seed to play Boston College

Syracuse vs. Old Dominion - winner is the 12 seed to play Butler.

West Virginia vs. Arkansas - winner is the 12 to play USC.

You get my point.

Why not take the bottom 8 teams, and have 4 play-in games. Or the bottom 7 and have 3 play-in games.

Go to Dayton on Tuesday, and make them worth something. 4 games on the first Tuesday just like normal NCAA sites on Thursday and Friday.

Obviously its not going to happen - its just makes too much friggin sense.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

March Madness: Keys to the 2007 Men's NCAA Tournament


Thatguysports had a fairly decent NCAA Bowl Season if you ignore the mid point of the season (which I obviously am) so stick with me and I'll teach you how to win your NCAA March Madness pool.


I'll try to channel horrendous color commentator Randy Cross for a little thatguysportsblog version of Cross-Talk.


1. Avoid the ACC.


I know some of my 7 readers truly think the ACC walks on water, but I'm here to tell you that you should view the ACC this tournament season as the Big-10 during football. Over rated. Avoid them and you'll be in much better shape in this year's tournament than those that believe in the blatantly average mid-Atlantics (Maryland, UVA, Va Tech.)


2. Ride the Big-12.

Its entirely possible that 3/8 of the Elite 8 is from the Big-12. Nobody would be surprised if 3/4 of the Final Four is from the Big-12.


3. Forget about George Mason.


I'm here to tell you that there will be no George Mason this year. George Mason can't even be George Mason. No mid-major this year will threaten the Final Four. The parody that the country is seeing is not on the elite level. You hear far more discussion this year about mediocre teams that got left out than seedings for the teams that made it. Because this year there' s a clear-cut iron to the tournament. And the parody that you see, is at the "also-ran" level.


4. Get lucky.


If my calculations are correct, you're going to win your tournament pool this year by "guessing right" when it comes down to the Elite 8. I think there will be a lot of similar brackets from the 3rd round and on.


5. Remember that the Big-10 is extremely overrated.


In everything that it does.


6. The Big-East can't score.


Almost every team in the Big East would fall under the category of "can struggle scoring" at times. That is KILLER for the NCAA tournament. Granted the 6 fouls vs 5 fouls issue is long gone, but the style of play is the same. Oh and for along the same lines, please see: Ten, The Big.



So there you have it. 6 keys to your tournament.


You can thank me later.



Look for my complete brackets on Thursday.

Friday, March 09, 2007

What are the Buffalo Bills Doing?

Can somebody do a coherence test on Marv Levy? Trading Willis McGahee to the Baltimore Ravens for 2 3rd round picks and a 7th is absolutely idiotic.

Hey Marv, why don't you find a QB and an Offensive Line to help out your offense rather than trading a guy who with those two things will put up absolutely HUGE numbers this year.

Does Marv Levy realize that his team legitimately has nothing right now? Get this:

The Bills, whose remaining running backs are Daimon
Shelton
and Shaud Williams, are now in the market for multiple backs. They have shown interest in the Colts' Dominic
Rhodes
and the Titans' Chris Brown, and both have visited the team. Former Patriots running back Corey Dillon has not visited Orchard Park, but the Bills are said to be interested.


Um...what? Daimon Shelton, Shaud Williams, and 3 guys who can't hold down a starters job full time are the potential answers for Willis McGahee.

Wow.

I'm convinced I could do a better job than Levy. He has to be senile, no?



Lots of positive feedback on the news and notes post from the other day. Good times!




Duke lost last night. It was awesome. Coach K can't lose enough. I wonder if they'll be a 5 seed or lower in the tourney - if they lost in the first round this year that would be sweet. I don't understand how anybody can like that program.


Does UCLA lose its 1 seed after yesterday? I say yes.


Mike Hampton got hurt yesterday. In related news, the sun is rising today, and will set tonight. And its cold in the northeast in winter. Carl Pavano and Mike Hampton should be forced to return money to the Yankees and Braves. These two are prime examples for why baseball and baseball contracts suck.


I can't wait for Pitt to win the Big East tournament, win a #2 seed, then have a ton of people pick them. Only to realize that they can't score.


The LSU Womens Hoop coach resigned because she was outed as having a relationship with a player. I can't comment on this story until I know if the player is hot. That's obviously very important.




I'd imagine this is going to make it difficult to bond with your teammates.

The paper said junior linebacker Clay Matthews created the group, "White
Nation." Teammates David Buehler, Brian Cushing, Dan Deckas and Dallas Sartz
joined the group.

"This group is not for the faint of heart," read the group's
description, according to the paper. "All members are athletes of Caucasion
(sic) descent. DISCLAIMER: In no way are the following memebers (sic) intolerant
of others, we are just doing our duty of protecting the Arian (sic)
brotherhood."


Ummmm yeah. The "Arian brotherhood" isn't intolerant of others.