shagztoriches

First I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Tony Dungy and his family. I lost a brother about 5 years ago, and I know there has been a change in not only my brothers and sisters and me, but even more so with my parents. The fact that Tony's son died of an apparent suicide makes this even harder to swallow. The Dungys will be in my thoughts this holiday season.

I came across an article on ESPN poker club about the most recent WPT event being held in Las Vegas at the Bellagio. It was reported that Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Andy Bloch refused to sign the waiver. Their issue seems to be with how their likenesses are being used, with Ferguson taking issue with his likeness being used in a video game. Apparently, he has signed on for his own video game (Oooh, I'm sure it will be different). I came across a quote from Barry Greenstein (I am not his biggest fan) who I think put this in perspective: "We were all degenerate gamblers until TV came along, and now we got made into celebrities and we're complaining to the people who made us marketable and famous that they don't want them to show us anymore without our approval.'' Here is my take on this. First off , who the fuck is Andy Bloch, and who is fighting for the use his likeness? Secondly, and most importantly, the medium where these tournaments are played will always be bigger than the players. The poker show you are watching is a cross between reality TV and a game show (hmm...outwit...outplay...outlast...sounds familiar). The well known poker players are important pieces, but what really makes these shows are the Chris Moneymakers, the Joe Hachems, the common man who walks off the street and wins an insane amount of money. You look at these TV shows on the game show network that puts on nothing but pros, and nobody cares! And these professionals are going to turn around and bite the hand that feeds them? You can go to any $10/$20 No Limit game at a Vegas Casino and grab some drunk fuck, throw a Full Tilt jersey on him, tell the TV audience he is a pro, and he instantly becomes just as marketable as Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, or John Juanda. If it wasn't for this medium, most of these "celebrity poker players" would be broke, grinding their way through a 6/12 Limit game. If you are not one of the elite players in the world (Doyle, Chip, Ivey, etc.), you better hope and pray to God that ESPN and the Travel Channel find these tournaments marketable enough to keep putting them on. Go out and get it while the getting is still good, because the poker boom's 15 minutes will eventually be up.

Oh Nelly, It's Bowl Season!!

It is the most wonderful time of the year, or at least that's what Andy Williams and the sponsors for the Capital One Bowl Week would have you think.While there are a fair share of pitiful fucking games (Houston vs Kansas...come on now!!), there are some interesting matchups you might want to look for in the next 2 weeks.

Insight Bowl Arizona St. vs Rutgers Dec 26th 8pm

Okay, this could be seen as a shitty game. I just wanted to give props to Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights for making their first bowl appearance in 27 years. The last bowl game they played was the Garden State bowl, which oddly enough is the last bowl game Temple went to 26 years ago. Rutgers does have a really good offense, but ASU might lay 70 on this team. Score 62-38.

Alamo Bowl Michigan vs Nebraska Dec 27th 8pm

What a game this would have been 10 years ago. This is a game with 2 teams who have improved as the year went on, and are looking forward to big years the following season. Both teams sport strong defenses and inconsistent play on offense, but I'll give the nod to RB Michael Hart and the Wolverines 24-17.

Holiday Bowl (6)Oregon vs Oklahoma Dec 29th 8pm

Oregon fans are not happy about this game. I sympathize, but did you really expect the pollsters to keep Notre Dame out of the BCS. The fact that I can only tell you they have the ugliest uniforms in the college football should give you an idea as to why Oregon is in this game. Hey, at least you guys don't have to pump your own gas. Since I know nothing about Oregon, I will use the Dwayne Nelson (from "What's Happening") full proof betting formula. Okay, got it. Oregon wins 1,676-438. Take the over.

Sun Bowl Northwestern vs UCLA Dec 30th 2pm

These are two of the most exciting teams in college football today. All offense, zero defense, I love these games. Both teams have superb Quarterback play, great running backs, and the worst defenses in the country. Not to trot out an old cliche', but whoever has the ball last will win this game. Final score 63-57, and the winner will be, (eenneyy-meeneey-mineeey-mo, catch a doggie by his toe, if he hollers let him go, eenneyy-meeneey-mineeey mo) UCLA.

Peach Bowl (9)Miami (Fla) vs (10)LSU Dec 30th 7:30pm

2 of the most overrated teams in college football meet. Both offenses are inconsistent, and both have great defenses that seem to fold under pressure. I'll take LSU 14-13, only because I have to pick a winner. Wake me up when it's over.

Fiesta Bowl (5)Notre Dame vs (4)Ohio State Jan 2nd 4:30pm

I will admit this might be the most interesting matchup of the year, even though Penn State got screwed out of a game with one of these teams. More on that later. It is Notre Dame's high powered offense against Ohio State's vaunted defense. Those Notre Dame receivers are just sick. Maurice Stovall , number 21 in your programs (Philly Guy) reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald, and Jeff Samard...Samart...he's the tall white kid wearing number 83, is a deep threat. Nobody runs an offense more efficiently in college football this year than Brady Quinn. Can Ohio State answer the bell on defense? As long as Ohio State's offense keeps them off the field, they can. Score 28-21 Ohio State.

Sugar Bowl (11)W. Virginia vs. (8)Georgia Jan 2nd 8:30pm

The only reason to watch this game is to watch D.J. Shockley. He has been off my radar this year, but I am looking forward to watching him play. Other than that, it's a meaningless game pitting two teams that do not deserve the national spotlight. *yawn*. Georgia 45-20.

Orange Bowl (3)Penn State vs (22)Florida State Jan 3rd 8pm

You have the number three team in the country, one second from being undefeated, and running away with what is arguably the most competetive conference in the nation, and PSU gets Florida State. It's a no win situation. Who gives a shit if PSU beats FSU, they beat a team with 4 losses. 4 FUCKING LOSSES!!! The number three team in the nation should garner a tad bit more respect. They should of put together FSU and W. Virginia, and let them fight it out for the worst team in the BCS and give the Nits Georgia. At least then the win would mean something. PSU 48-17.

Rose Bowl (1)USC vs (2)Texas Jan 4th 8pm

The most high powered offense in NCAA history takes on the most dynamic player in the last 25 years in what is being termed as the game of the century...that is until next year. Texas boasts an extremely talented defense, that might be a moot point, considering that , in my opinion, half of the NFL would have problems matching up with USC's offense, much less Texas. I think Texas will keep it close for a half, but a fresh USC defense will capitalize on a mistake and the USC offense will blow them out of the water. USC 56-34.









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For the third time in four years, I have made the championship game in my fantasy league. That's the good news. The bad news is, I have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. They had to drop that fucking game didn't they? Well, this puts me in quite the quandry. Do I take a chance and see if they can put up numbers in one half, or do I turn to David Gerrard and "Well-Dressed" Amani Toomer? Seattle is in the bottom half in pass defense, so there is a real good chance that we could see a possible long touch down pass, and that alone would put me over the top. I think I need to go with Manning and Harrison. I also have Rudy Johnson, and he should run apeshit this weekend against Buffalo, who happens to have the worst run defense in the league. My second running back is a question mark, as Michael Bennett didn't excactly have his best game of the year, and he faces a Ravens defense that looks pretty fucking good tonight against the Pack. I picked up Aaron Stecker this week. He did have 100 all purpose yards last week, and he is facing a Lions defense at home who is just going through the motions. I have a similar problem with my second receiver. I plugged in Koren Robinson two weeks ago, and he has been very steady. However, just like Bennett, he faces a tough matchup against the Ravens. I do have Toomer, but I am not real happy with his match-up against the Redskins, who are in the top half in passing defense. There is one pick up that I can make that does intrigue me, and that is Derrick Mason. This is a guy that has 800 yards receiving with two of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Boller looks like something clicking tonight in this offense, but the problem is he's clicking mostly with Todd Heap. Mason has three catches for about 50 yards. They are playing Minnesota who is 25th in pass defense. I may not make my mind up until Friday.