September 2008 Archives

Have you ever wondered if Al Davis is just a robot now? Like it is his body, but his mind has been invaded by aliens or something? I was a big Raiders fan growing up. You know I am already anti-everything, so of course I was attracted to the Silver and Black, so it pains me to see the franchise become such a laughingstock. The press conference today firing Lane Kiffin to me seemed more like a WWE or Floyd Mayweather press conference than an actual professional event. You could almost hear the reporters laughing in the back.

I am confident that Lane Kiffin wanted to get fired and every probably went about trying to get fired, but could you really blame him? It was a no win situation which makes you wonder why Davis hired him in the first place. I think Kiffin had a little too much Jon Gruden in him for his liking. But instead of looking at the past it is time to look toward the future if I want to be able to wear my Tim Brown throwback with pride we are going to have to fix the situation. Here are three things that need to happen for the Raiders to get back to prominence:

I don't know about you, but I can think of one person who is happy the Mets missed the playoffs this year. For the second consecutive season, the New York Mets choked in the clutch, and threw away an opportunity to advance to the playoffs.

This comes after interim skipper Jerry Manuel promised that they would make it to the postseason, and that the Mets would not fold under his watch.

This also comes after the wrongful firing of Willie Randolph. I'm sure you remember the story. Following a late night west coast trip, GM Omar Minaya had Willie coach the team as a lame duck coach. He easily could have given Willie the axe one day earlier at Shea stadium because Omar knew he was going to fire Willie as early as that Wednesday. To add insult to injury, Willie won his last game.

We knew he could dance, but who knew that Emmitt Smith was a big fan of Young Jeezy and Kanye West? Emmitt obviously not paying attention to his producers seemed to be enjoying the song "Put On" a little too much. Hey Emmitt were are live!!! Save that for the club. I find it fascinating that he was able to mouth the line:

"B*tches Still Owe Me Sex"

According to the Associated Press, Richard Collier is paralyzed from the waist down and will never walk again. Now when you usually hear of something like this you think its a football-related injury. As we all know that is not the case, but as a result of being shot earlier this month. He was shot 14 times. I repeat 14 times. Clearly we are not all naive enough to think this was a random act of violence because it clearly wasn't. He managed to survive being shot at 14 times but not without having his: left leg amputated due to blood clots from the shooting, five bullets removed from his urinary bladder, bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs, and right buttock, a bullet severed his spinal cord which caused the paralysis, suffering bouts of pneumonia, infections, and renal failure.

Going forward if I was Terrell Owens I would watch very carefully what I say over the next few weeks because the vultures are starting to circle. T.O. made some comments following the victory over the Packers and the ensuing loss against the Redskins that could be spun as selfish and it took the media all of 32 seconds to hope all over those comments to paint him in a negative light. The comments while misplaced were direct answers to direct questions, but when shown the way the question was asked was not shown.

The Rapper they said he is the best rapper alive Weezy F. Baby is guest blogging over at ESPN The Magazine and his first entry is about the NFL. The article is about how he use to play football while growing up in Louisiana. The article sounds boring and stupid, but here is the full article below.

Hello, everybody. This is the first entry in the blog I'm doing for ESPN The Magazine. I don't watch nothing but sports--no movies, no news, no television shows--so I thought this would be fun. Because I watch so much sports, I like to think I know what's gonna happen. But with the NFL this year, some things have shocked me, some things have been just terrible. Like the Bengals. Damn. I kind of had a feeling things were gonna be bad, but I didn't want them to be this bad. And oh my God the Chargers. I grew up playing football. Believe it or not, I was a fullback. When I was nine, ten, eleven, I was a great blocker. I knew how to block real good and the other kids didn't. So there I was. One game when I was ten years old we were on the goal line about to score, and coach called the play for me. I was supposed to go one way, but I ended up sneaking around the other side on a sweep. Everybody thought I was already tackled. The ref was already blowin' his whistle. But I was still up and I stutter stepped one way and beat the last guy trying to get me and scored that touchdown.

A combination of zero wins for the Rams and Al Davis finally doing what he's been reportedly threatening to do everyday since the season has started could equal firing the coaches.PRO FOOTBALL TALK notes that the firing of Scott Linehan, which Peter King reported yesterday would happen on Monday should the Rams lose today's game against the Buffalo Bills, combined with a Monday firing of Lane Kiffin could be the first time since the AFL-NFL merger that two NFL head coaches in the same season were fired before their team's fifth game. Only five other coaches have been fired this early in the season and it's never happened in the same season.

Each week of the NFL Season I will break down every NFL Game as they are happening. The early games will be posted first. Then the afternoon games. Then the Sunday Night Game and finally the Monday Night game, so check in often.

Arizona Cardinals 35 vs. New York Favres 56

I shutter to think of what the headlines will be tomorrow for the "God" coming off of 6 TDs performance. Sometimes you forget Favre is going on 39 years old. He is still a good QB when he can keep the boneheaded mistakes in check which after the 1st quarter he did. If you take the 2nd half of the San Diego game and now this game you see how the Jets can be explosive on offensive and if they can ever get Favre fully up to speed they can be a dangerous team later on the season if they can keep their head above water.

Say what you want about the Cardinals they are at least entertaining. They didn't have one or two receivers go over 100 yards they had three. Kurt Warner aka Mr. Fumble had a hard time holding on to the ball, but when he had time he was carving up the Jets secondary. Defensively well that is another case, but it is very much feast or famine with their offense. It is definitely must see TV.

Anquan Boldin took a vicious and dirty helmet to helmet hit at the end of the game and had to be carted off on stretcher we definitely wish him well and hope everything is ok.

Washington Redskins 26 vs. Dallas Cowboys 24

Simply put the Redskins just kicked their ass. From the beginning of the game they outplayed Cowboys the entire game. I am shocked at how much improvement the Redskins have made since their opening night loss to the Giants. It is like they are a totally different team. Defensively they have been stout, but offensively it has been a total 180. Santana Moss is playing more like a prime Randy Moss. Jason Campbell is playing like a QB who isn't wearing a Tom Selleck mustache.

Just impressive all the way around. Just like the Eagles, the Giants and the Cowboys you have to put the Redskins up there as the class of the NFC. You might as well call the NFC East the SEC of the NFL.

Tony Romo still has a little too much Brett Favre/Peyton Manning in him for my liking. What I mean by that for those who don't understand is that while Romo is obvious a very talented QB he just seems to make 1 or 2 mistakes a game that have you shaking your head. During the regular season it may not be so obvious, but during big games it can cost you the game. His INT which he had no business throwing was one of the main reasons they lost the game. Great QB but until he shakes that habit it makes you wonder about the Cowboys.

Definitely a dirty hit, but it looks like Boldin will be ok.

Missed any of Favre's TDs? We have them all here.

These rankings are not based on off who I think can beat who, but the top 10 teams in the country strictly based of their play. Comments are welcomed.

1- Oklahoma: Will be tested to see if they are legit soon.
2- Alabama: Reminds me of the old school Alabama teams.
3- Missouri: Road to the BCS Championship is simple..Beat Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma in Big 12 Championship Game. Easier said than done.
4- LSU: You get the feeling they are the next to get clipped.
5- Penn State: Best team in the Big 10?

The fight overall was ok, but the finish was spectacular. Sugar Shane definitely closed the show.

It is not unusual for an athlete to have a nutritionist or be on some diet plan to stay in shape for the upcoming season. It is a first however to enlist Jenny Craig to help you out which is what Baron Davis has done. In this clip he is being interviewed about being the spokesperson and how he hopes Charles Barkley is the next person to try Jenny Craig. Now that would be a great reality show all on its own....

As soon as USC loss to Oregon State I marked in my handy dandy notepad:

"The BCS is BS"

The reason being I can already see what is going to happen before it even happens. There will be multiple one loss teams at the end of the year that will be bitching and moaning that they didn't get their chance to play for the "Fictional" National Championship. Normally I don't condone bitching and moaning, but in this case it would be warranted for all parties involved including the fans of those teams.

Just imagine a 1-loss USC team being picked over a 1-loss SEC Team. If you don't think it can happen you haven't being paying attention to college football over the last decade. Someone is going to get screwed and more importantly the fans are going to get screwed by not having a real playoff system in place.

It was almost a month ago when I posted the following article:

As far as the game last night, I dont think its fair to say they upset USC. The Trojans are often a victim of hype and play a far easier schedule then the schools on the East. But Trojan fans shouldn't worry. Its what, week 3/4?

Merrill Hoge has been one of Vince Young's biggest critics ever since Young was getting ready for the 2006 NFL draft. It's like it his life's quest to tear down Vince. Hoge has even gone so far as to say that the Titans are stuck with Vince no matter how much they want to get rid of him, and this was in a pre season game.

OK, so we all know that Matt Millen was fired, and that he was a terrible GM. But just what were the real mistakes that he made while he was there? Now before I get to that, I have to take my hat off to the man because anyone who can suck that bad at what they do and still manage to get paid big dollars for seven years knows how to get over if nothing else. But I digress. Here are the things that I think we can take away from the Matt Millen experience and keep for posterity.

Don't hire crappy coaches

First there was Marty Morhnenwieg (I know I butchered that one), who was an absolute disaster. He took a team that had just went 9-7 the year before, brought most of the same principal players and coached them to a 2-14 debacle where they were shut out twice (24-0 and 35-0), lost two other games 47-14 and 28-6, and at the other extreme lost another seven games by five points or less. Marty got run after two seasons and was replaced by Steve Mariucci, who Millen had wanted all along. Mooch had developed a rep for being really easygoing and soft on his players, and he lived up to it in Detroit. While they weren't as bad as Marty's teams, they still weren't very good. Mooch was gone after two years and some change. Then came the current guy Rod Marinelli who went 3-13 in his first year the improved to 7-9 last season. The only problem is that most of the credit for the improvement went to o-coordinator Mike Martz, who is no longer there. Now they're 0-3 in Rod's third and likely final year.

17-3? 17-3? I dare you to find a better record anywhere in the world..

Season: 17-3
Last Week: 4-1

#8 Alabama Crimson Tide 21 vs.#3 Georgia Bulldawgs 24
#22 Illinois Fighting Illini 30 vs. #12 Penn State Nittany Lions 33
Tennessee Vols 10 vs. #24 Auburn Tigers 16
NC State Wolfpack 27 vs.#13 South Florida Bulls 34
Michigan Wolverines 13 vs. #9 Wisconsin Badgers 24

You remember my girl V6 don't you? One of King's Magazine Web Girls of The Year. One of the hottest if not the hottest web model in the game. I am sure at this point you have stop reading what I have to say and you are just staring at the picture, but I digress.

Her brand new forum is debuting today Vickie6Forums.com and I told her that I am positive all of the readers of BlackSportsOnline would sign up and check it out.

She will be providing exlusive content on the forum that you won't be able to see anywhere else online. Plus you will be able to conversate and interact with her on a daily basis. You will get to know the real Vickie6 the person behind the pretty face. Plus I hear there is a "Sex Talk" section. Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?

You can click the link above or the banner below. When you introduce yourself to the board tell them you came from BlackSportsOnline you never know that might get you some brownie points with Queen V.

Want to know the real reason Monta Ellis got hurt earlier this summer that has sidelined him for about four months? According to the San Francisco Chronicle it was all due to a moped accident. I repeat amoped accident. It was a "low speed" accident according to the report. You would think he did something cool to have this happen but nope. There is no word on how the Warriors are going to punish him but I would suggest something really humiliating for doing something this stupid like sending him to the Clippers and suffer in basketball hell. However they already did that to Baron so they may have to think of something else. I would suggest terminating his contract since he did violate it by riding a moped and covering this up however the Warriors broke the bank on him for a reason so why cut the nose to spite the face?

This is Amare Stoudemaire's appearance on today's show of "Yo Gabba Gabba" on Nickelodeon. Now I haven't watched Nickelodeon in years back when shows like Salute Your Shorts and Welcome Freshman were on. Those days are long gone of course, but this is my first time watching this show. Now, I must say Amare either got paid a lot to do this or he really wanted to be on something that appealed to his two year old son. After I stopped laughing, I realized it was kind of cool. He's not afraid to poke fun of himself and its a lot better reading about something like this than the latest DUI bust, paternity suit, or shooting. Of course he'll never hear the end of this in the Suns lockerroom though.

Reports are coming in that Matt Millen is leaving his position as GM of the Detroit Lions. This would similar to a pilot resigning after he has crashed five planes. Meaning yes it is a good thing that he is gone, but it is about four years to late. If it wasn't for the Al "The Crypt Keeper" Davis turning the Raiders into a circus the Lions would get more attention as one of the worse franchises in the NFL.

One stat that sums up the Millen era:

The Lions are 8-50 in there last 58 road games.

Let me repeat that the Lions are 8-50 in there last 58 road games.

The fact that he has lasted as long as he has explains why the Lions are garbage. They can't blame Mike Martz for getting behind 21-0, 21-0 & 21-3 in their first three games of the season. That is a poorly coach and organized team. While Millen isn't entirely to blame he brought in all the players and the coach so a lot of blood is on his hands.

I would congratulate the Lions on doing the right thing, but since it took them so long it proves that they have no idea how to run a professional organization. No wonder Barry retired early.

Thanks to our friends at PFT.com for breaking the story. Are we going to have a T.O. situation in the NYC? Here is the story. I will speak on it more later when I have more info, so be sure to come back to the site often as I will get the inside scoop of what really went down.

The New York Giants, who have followed their Super Bowl championship with a strong start to the 2008 regular season, have suspended receiver Plaxico Burress, according to Jay Glazer of FOX.

Stay tuned.

Chris Bosh and Baron Davis are having themselves a little competition to see who can put together the funniest skit. Baron's will appear on IBeatYou.com, and Chris's will appear on AOL Sports. Here's a clip of the two talking a little smack to get things rolling. May the best skit win. (Although I think that Bosh will have a more successful NBA season this year than Baron).

Are you kidding me? Seriously how far can one man fall? Still can't believe you can get two years for dog fighting and Patriots lineman Nick Kazur was caught with 202 OxyContin pills and get a slap on the wrist but I digress. It is hard to feel bad for the "Dog Whisperer", but if he doesn't come out of prison a change man there will be no hope for him. Here are the details of the auction.

Courtesy of AJC.com

A storage facility employee told the station that the unit was rented by a Michael Vick and that it was put on auction because the bill hadn't been paid in the very long time.

They have blown several calls this season and it has to be a concern for the NFL. The latest blunder is not calling the Denver Broncos for being offsides on this 3rd & 1 play against the Saints. The Saints would fail to pick up the first down and proceed to have Martin "Not Automatica" missed the game winning field goal. If the proper penalty was called the Saints would have had a first down, more time to kill the clock and a shorter field goal attempt. Not saying that he would have made it, but that is not the point. The point is they should have been awarded a new set of downs.

From the phantom pass interference calls in Indy to the horrendous non-personal call against the Bucs the refs are doing the one thing they can't do and that is help decide the outcome of the game. Makes you wonder if someone is in their pockets if you know what I mean.

Michigan State officials took a laptop from the Notre Dame coaches' box Saturday, as having one in the pressbox is against NCAA rules.

Notre Dame says there was no cheating involved with it being up in the box. Irish coach Charlie Weis said the laptop was there because a student had it and was using it to record the down-and-distance information for game-tapes.

Funny thing is that I believe him. I think he may have just been looking for another job.

He is married, but what does that matter as long as he is following the "10 Cheating Commandments for Athletes" he should be good.

Thanks to our friends at Deadspin.com for the pics.

Each week of the NFL Season I will break down every NFL Game as they are happening. The early games will be posted first. Then the afternoon games. Then the Sunday Night Game and finally the Monday Night game, so check in often.

Miami Dolphins 38 vs. New England Patriots 13

The worse thing about this game is that now we are going to have to hear Joey "50 Cent" Porter gloat for a week and that has to hurt New England Fans more than the beat down. It was a beat down of Margarito vs. Cotto proportions. You have to give credit to the Dolphins offensive coaches for coming up with very creative ways to confuse the Patriots defense. It appeared that the Patriots have never seen a version of the "Wildcat" formation because Ronnie Brown did his best Darren McFadden impression and just torn them apart.

5 Touchdowns? 5 Touchdowns? There is some fantasy owner who had Ronnie Brown stashed on his bench who are throwing a brick through their laptop right now. Big confidence booster for both Brown and the Dolphins that they can play with any team in this league.

This is the reality shot that Patriots fans needed to realize they are not going back to the Super Bowl. Matt Cassell is an ok quarterback, but here are the facts even though Tom Brady was an afterthought as a 6th round draft pick he did play at a big time college program at Michigan with success. Cassell hasn't started since high school it is amazing he has played as well as he has. He isn't a game changer and into he becomes one the Patriots are going to have to grind out victories.

Also keep a close eye on Randy Moss because there are signs that he is starting to loaf a little bit. Remember a motivated Randy Moss is a dangerous one, but an unmotivated Randy Moss is a "DANGEROUS" one. You feel me?

New Orleans Saints 32 vs. Denver Broncos 34

The good news for the Broncos is they look unstoppable on offense. The bad news is their defense can't stop anyone.

Two weeks two thrilling down to the wire games where the Broncos were up big and then had to claw there way to a victory. I think it is safe to say:

Cutler>Leinart/Young

The Saints are very similar to the Broncos. They can score on anyone but can't stop anyone either. With that being said they should have won this game but of course when you leave the game in the hands of a kicker on the road in a hostile environment you are taking a chance. Add in that kicker was Martin Gramatica well it was anything from automatic.

Dallas Cowboys 27 vs. Green Bay Packers 15

I think we learned that the Packers and specifically Aaron Rodgers are not quite ready for primetime. They are a very good team that is only going to get better as the year goes along, but right now they just aren't there yet. Packers fans should be patient Rodgers is going to have a few games like these throughout the year and it is only going to help him become a better player.

I think it is safe to say that the Cowboys are the best team in the league. The scary thing is considering what had happened last week defensively against the Eagles to hold the Packers pretty much in check the entire night was impressive. I don't think it is a coincidence that their defense played better without Roy "Horse Collar" Williams in the lineup. Horse Collar should be permanently benched even when he comes back healthy because he is nothing but a liability at this point.

Tony Romo still has a little bit too much "Favre" in him for my liking, but you have to be impressed with how even when a defense bottles up his best weapon (Green Bay was hell bent on making sure T.O. didn't beat them) he stay patient and spreads the ball around. I mean Miles Austin was the receiving star. Marion Barber III and Felix Jones are the best 1-2 punch in the league. Cowboys are the class of the league.

These rankings are not based on off who I think can beat who, but the top 10 teams in the country strictly based of their play. Comments are welcomed.

1- USC: Cakewalk to the BCS Title Game, but will they slip up?
2- Georgia: Winning tough games shouldn't be a penalty.
3- Oklahoma: Sleeping Giant?
4- Missouri: Can anyone stop their offense?
5- Florida: Offense still seems a bit shaky.
6- LSU: Great come from behind win on the road.
7- Alabama: Yeah I know another SEC team conference if good.
8- Texas: Showdown with Mizzu lurking.
9- BYU: BCS buster?
10- Penn State: Ohio State should be afraid. Very afraid.

You don't have too many days like that as a player.

B-Easy, as he is known, has an opportunity to be Derrick Coleman and I don't mean that in a good way. Derrick Coleman should have been the best power forward to ever play the game but lack of commiitment and arrogance did him in. Derrick Coleman was a lefty Tim Duncan with athleticism. He was a 6'10 PF with a soft shooting touch, and the mentality to bang the paint but his attitude towards the things that make you great and not his talent did him in. Enter Michael Beasley, a young man who was drafted lower than his talent and college production dictate that he should have been who provides that same concern. I admit I somewhat defended Michael Beasley because I had a problem with the media saying that there were concerns about his character and yet would never identify what those concerns were (i.e. does he have drug problems, anger management issues, high maintenance with the coaching staff). Nothing other than he likes to pull childish pranks materialized. But now we know that he was involved in the incident with Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur. In fact, he was fined $30,000.00 more dollars than they were which leads me to speculate if he was the one who had the weed in the room (the other 2 deny smoking marijuana). It leads to some concern whether he was the one flushing something down the toilet as NBA security entered the room. I hope B-Easy gets it because his talent is unreal. I hope he doesn't go the way of the Derrick Coleman's, Glenn Robinson's, and other talented players who short change themselves because they fail to ever get it.

Tavaris Jackson? Benched. Vince Young? Benched and injured. Daunte Culpepper? Retired due to lack of employment opportunity. Mike Vick? In Jail. Steve McNair? Retired. Byron Leftwich? Forced to take a backup job in Pittsburgh. Aaron Brooks? Missing in Action for no good reason. Jason Campbell? Starting for now but never safe in QB contorversy loving Washington. Troy Smith? Lost his spot due to illness, and may never get it back.

What's happened to all the Black quarterbacks? As of today only Donovan McNabb and David Garrard are in position as the unquestioned starting quarterback for an NFL team. That represents a dramaitc shift from just two seasons ago, when you had seven (McNabb, Leftwich, Vick, McNair, Brooks, Culpepper, and the rookie Young) starters, a few backups (Garrard, Charlie Batch), and another (Campbell) who'd be starting by season's end. As the 2006 season closed out there were eight black starting quarterbacks and six at the end of 2007; now we're down to three. What's going on here? Is this a blip on the radar, or a sign of things to come? The prospects aren't looking too good here. With no big prospects coming out of college since Young, the future doesn't look too bright unless something changes. Leftwich may get a starting gig somewhere in 2009, and Vick will likely play again once he's a free man, but if Campbell, Young, and Jackson, don't pan out then it will be slim picking once McNabb calls it quits in a few years.

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As we roll along with a 13-2 record get your popcorn ready for another week.

Season: 13-2
Last Week: 4-1

#15 East Carolina 21 vs. North Carolina State 31
#4 Florida 28 vs. Tennessee 13
#18 Wake Forest 17 vs. #24 Florida State 19
#6 LSU 24 vs.#10 Auburn 7
#3 Georgia 38 vs. Arizona State 17

The Phillies first baseman is making a serious late push for NL MVP. The boy is hitting the cover off the ball in the month of September when his team needs it most. The man leads major league baseball in homers with 45, Adam Dunn a distant 2nd with 37 long balls. He also leads the majors in RBI's with 137 and remember he had a slow start. The next best NL run producer is David Wright with only 114 RBI's. He's simply the games best power hitter and has been since his rookie year.

You'll hear haters chirping that he strikeouts too much and his batting average is low. Yes he does, but the problem with that arguement is the fact that he hits in the four hole and his sole objective is to produce runs and he does that better than anybody in the game. Maybe it's good that he does strikeout some because if he cut down on them and made more contact, he'd probably hit a consistent 60 homeruns and drive in 170 runs per year. Imagine that? He still wouldn't get any props because they'd say he's definitely on 'roids.

No signs of steriods with this man, he's just country-boy strong and he's actually has brothers that are bigger than he is. He has put the Phillies on his back and got them back into first place in the NL East. No one is more clutch them him in the month of September since he came up to the bigs and to think the Phillies we're trying to crying about paying the man more than 7 million dollars. Phils management should consider the 10Mil they pay him a year a bargain. I understand that he's not in the top 10 in slugging % and his on base % could be better but if Philly wins the division again you just have to give him a serious look.

According to ESPN.com, the Houston Rockets organization purchased four tractor trailers full of food, water, and toiletries for the Hurricane Ike victims and unloaded them at a distribution center today which was a total of 80,000 pounds. Players such as Rafer Alston and Luther Head amongst others helped out and greeted the people who came to pick up the supplies. Fortunately the Toyota Center did not suffer any damage like Reliant Stadium but the rest of the city was not nearly as fortunate. Regardless I give the Rockets credit for putting something like this together. I hope that other teams in the Houston area like the Texans and Astros do the same thing. Hopefully in the aftermath of a natural disaster no matter what city, there can be teams who can take a cue from the Rockets and do their part. I mean without the fans they wouldn't be where they are today its nice to realize the Rockets wanted to return the favor.

Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis admitted that he lied to the organization about his injury. My question is why do these athletes continue to insult our intelligence? Don't we deserve a bit more?

Here's a YouTube clip of Shaq teaching his sons how to dance. I must say despite his size Shaq can bust a move. Let's hope he doesn't end up challenging Kobe to a danceoff...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3592734

At about 1:43 into this video, Josh Howard proves what we kind of already knew: He is a Dumb Ass.

(sigh) Black people took 2 L's on this one.

...Not fall meaning August - November, but fall as in responding to gravity via an accidental occurrence....

The Ohio State Buckeyes are an intriguing team. Perhaps in the history of the BCS, no team has garnered the type of attention and favoritism that Ohio State has. I do have a little bias towards them after Clarett and his '02 teammates were victorious over my Hurricanes, but I can put that on the shelf next to Beanie Wells for the time being to point out the consistent inconsistencies with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

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50. "I can be bought. If they paid me enough, I'd work for the Klan."

49. "You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."

48. "I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime."

47. "We better not be doing the Bulls this year. Man, they suck! Bunch of high school kids with $70 million contracts. Damn! I hate my mother for having me too soon."

46. "You can talk without saying a thing. I don't ever want to be that type of person."

45. After retiring from basketball "I'm just what America needs - another unemployed black man.

44. Ernie: "Did they recognize you in South Dakota?"
Charles: "Yes, they did. It was easy because I was the only black person there. When they see me walking down the street they say 'There he goes again'. And when I come back the next year they say 'He's back yawl!'"

43. Right after Peja won the 3-point contest: "Kenny said it was going to be an all-international night. I want to know which international brother is going to win the slam dunk contest."

42. On the Enron scandal investigation: "Almost all those politicians took money from Enron, and there they are holding hearings. That's like O.J. Simpson getting in the Rae Carruth jury pool."

41. "I had to explain to my daughter why that skank Monica Lewinski has an hour special on HBO this weekend."

40. Ernie: "Auburn is a pretty good school. To graduate from there I suppose you really need to work hard and put forth maximum effort."
Charles: "20 pts and 10 rebounds will get you through also!"

According to SI.com, Chris Cooley of the Washington Redskins issued an apology for posting a nude picture of himself on his Web Site. Cooley accidentally revealed more of himself than he wanted when he took a picture Sunday morning while preparing for the game against the New Orleans Saints. Cooley wanted to show the readers of his popular blog some of the study materials the players were given by coach Jim Zorn.

Cooley, however, was studying in the nude, and he didn't examine his photo closely before posting it. Apparently this was up while the Saints/Redskins game was going on he didn't realize it until after the fact. Regardless this was a mistake on his part but this is one of the many pitfalls of the Internet you always have to be careful of everything.

Here at BlackSportsOnline we liked to think we are a site for the people by the people. So when I get a submission from a reader that is worthy of posting I try to post it. Here is a submission from:

Jabari Beverly from Washington DC

You can check out Jabari on his myspace (hope this get him some chicks): http://www.myspace.com/jjb1213

5 Reasons You Want Michael Turner on Your Fantasy Team.

1. When Ladainian Tomlinson set records with 31 total touchdowns in 2006... who was his back-up?!

Adrian Peterson?! NO!
Clinton Portis?! NO! NO!!
Marshawn Lynch? NO!! NO!! NO!!
Brian Westbrook??? NO!! NO!!! NO!! NO!!!
MICHAEL TURNER made those 31 TD's possible.

Tomlinson would have never been running that hard unless he knew he had a future Hall of Fame running back behind him.

2. Turner rhymes with Burner... he's gotta be fast!

3. When you're named Michael... you're destined for greatness. Let's examine, shall we?

Michael Jordan
Michael Jackson
Mike Tyson
Michael Moore
Michael Richards (He inspired Nas' last album!!!)
Michael McDonald (He should have done a hook on Nas' last album!!!)

4. Did you see the stats Michael Turner compiled during Week 1?

5. Did you?!

Each week of the NFL Season I will break down every NFL Game as they are happening. The early games will be posted first. Then the afternoon games. Then the Sunday Night Game and finally the Monday Night game, so check in often.

San Diego Chargers 38 vs. Denver Broncos 39

Before I get to "The Fumble That Never Was" let me talk about Mike Shanahan. It is no secret I have had my share of criticisms of Wile E. Shanahan over the years because the fact of the matter he hasn't won jack since Elway left the building. Regardless of his failures he seems to be made of Teflon when it comes to being criticized. Now that probably isn't going to change but let me be the first to give him a big round of applause.

I am so sick of coaches playing not to lose as oppose to playing to win. I am so sick of coaches who are more concerned about with what the media will think the next day as oppose to what is best for the team. Shanahan didn't care about any of that. He only cared about showing confidence in his team by going for the win and not playing for overtime. These are the type of decisions that catapult teams to greater heights. Great decision by Shanahan.

I am not going to blame the ref. He made a mistake he is human and things happened. I am going to blame the NFL for not correcting the rule. They made a rule for just this type of situation, but who knows why they only applied it to runners not quarterbacks. That has to be the dumbest decision made in the history of mankind considering that fumbles by the Quarterback are the hardest to determine. The Chargers are 0-2 because the NFL powers that be are idiots.

LT is killing my fantasy football team and he is probably killing yours so I suggest you pick up Darren Sproles who looked magnificent and to be honest more dangerous than LT.

Indianapolis Colts 18 vs. Minnesota Vikings 15

One phrase can sum up this game:

Kicking FGs don't win NFL games.

Adrian Peterson beast, Tavaris Jackson not so much. The Colts should consider themselves lucky since they were outplayed badly by the Vikings for the majority of the game, but a win is a win. Peyton Manning finally started to look like Peyton Manning in the 4th quarter. He will get better as the year goes along.

The interpretation of the rule was correct it is just stupid in my opinion. Watch Jay Cutler's fumble that was called an incomplete pass that was then called a fumble, but since the whistle blew Denver gets to keep the ball. Did that make sense? The NFL is a multi-billion dollar enterprise but sometimes they are so dumb it is ridiculous.

I still can't believe Torry Holt made this catch. This will probably be the one highlight of the Rams season.

These rankings are not based on off who I think can beat who, but the top 10 teams in the country strictly based of their play. Comments are welcomed.

1- USC: Destroyed the Alma Mata.
2- Florida: Should be the favorite in the SEC.
3- Oklahoma: Easy road to the BCS title game
4- Missouri:Can any team hold them under 50?
5- Georgia: Are they ready from primetime?
6- East Carolina: Sneaky BCS contender.
7- LSU: Might sneak up on some people.
8- Alabama: Will come down to earth soon.
9- Penn State: Ohio State should be concerned
10- Texas: Sleeper?

This Vince Young story is getting crazier and crazier. Now we find out that he mentioned suicide to the therapist he spoke with. Of course we don't know the details; talking about it could simply mean that he said 'no, I'm not suicidal', but we'll never get all of the info there. But now the war of words has begun, with a major grenade being thrown by the always controversial Jason Whitlock. Whitlock, as he is wont to do, criticized Young in the same vein that he rips into a lot of young black men and athletes for their style of dress and choices of whom to associate with. He also rang the alarm for the millionth time about the day when white team owners and general managers will permanently close the door on professional athletes who dress, talk, and run around with rappers and/or thugs. He even went as far as to refer back to a piece he wrote for ESPN.com where he predicted failure for Young based on he saw from him in the days leading up to the 2006 draft. He saw Young walking around with a crew of his boys and thought there could be trouble down the road, and spoke of Young's use of an untested associate to negotiate his contract as being unwise. So is Whitlock a prophet here or is he adding up two plus two to get ten?

He led the Philadelphia Eagles to 3 NFC Championships game before T.O. got there. He has put up great numbers despite spending much of his professional career with the likes of Todd Pinkston, James Thrash, Freddie Mitchell, and Greg Lewis. I think it's time for us to recognize just how good Donovan McNabb has been as a NFL quarterback...and just how childish Terrell Owens behaved in Philadelphia. There is a danger is putting any faith in the rhetoric that comes out of unstable characters like T.O.'s mouth because they always see things from (as was said in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins) a "Team of Me" perspective. For those of you who didn't see the movie, Roscoe (Martin Lawrence) became very self centered after growing up feeling picked on and persecuted. Thus, when adversity hit, he turned away from family and appeased self. Because of Terrell Owens "Team of Me" view point on life, he sometimes confuses what actually happened because again, everything starts and ends with himself.

Here are a few quotes from Owens made to the Associated Press about his relationship with Donovan McNabb and why he didn't think it worked out in Philly.

"I will say that Donovan made me a better receiver in Philadelphia, but I think Donovan would have a hard time admitting I made him a better quarterback," he said.

When asked about how it seemed Philly dominated the NFC East when he was an Eagle, much as the Cowboys are doing now, Owens suggested it was largely because he had changed teams. "The common denominator was me being in both places, but I will let you make that assessment," he said.

As someone who had contact with both T.O.'s inner circle and members of the Eagles around that time what Owens is saying it completely true. Many players on the Eagles felt that McNabb who has always been overly sensitive was jealous of the shine Owens was getting and was secretly the reason he was suspended by the Eagles in 2005. The numbers don't lie though since T.O. left the Eagles have been an average team and Dallas has been elite. When T.O. was with the Eagles they were elite and went to the Super Bowl. So who do you think was right and who do you think was wrong?

1- Beanie Baby

First let me phrase this how my Journalism professors at The Ohio State University would want me to:

"My sources inside the Buckeyes locker room have confirmed contrary to popular belief that star running back Chris Wells is no where near 100% and even though he will play don't expect him to have the same impact as if he was healthy."

Now that my former professors are happy let me break it down to you BSO style:

"I got homies that get me the inside scoop down at OSU and they are telling me that Tressell is lying his ass off and Beanie is still jacked up."

No 100% Beanie=no victory.

2- California Dreaming

By the time "Ya Boy" is in Cali to shoot a commercial on the 18th (I am a superstar critically acclaimed) the Buckeyes will have tumbled down the rankings. It is not unheard of for OSU to go on the road and beat a highly ranked team (see: Texas a few years ago), but it is highly unlikely they are going to catch a highly motivated USC by surprise.

9 of 10 not bad is it? The BonaFide Sports Expert is proving why he is one of the greatest prognosticators of all time.

Season: 9-1
Last Week: 5-0

#5 Ohio State 21 vs. #1 USC 31
#13 Kansas 28 vs. #19 South Florida 30
UCLA 17 vs. #18 BYU 32
#2 Georgia 35 vs.South Carolina 14
#10 Wisconsin 13 vs. #21 Frenso State 17

For once, I agree with Peter King.

18 games would be way too many; 16 is about all these guys can handle. From the sound of things Roger Goodell and the owners want fewer preseason games and more real ones, because even they've seen that the preseason games have become a near total farce and must have some statistical data that's showing an erosion in fan interest for them. Indeed, the preseason has become a 'don't get our best guys hurt'-fest now, and even that hasn't prevented big injuries from happening to important players. But the answer to all of this isn't more regular season games. After all, the teams that have clinched their playoff spots are mailing in the last week or two of the regular season as well. Adding two more games means that we'll be seeing Peyton Manning wearing the headset while Jim Sorgi plays during games 17 and 18 instead of 15 and 16. And god forbid someone clinch their division and home field after 14 games; that means you get four games of backup quarterbacks and running backs instead of two. No thanks.

Michael Vick will be back!

After watching the likes of JT O'Sullivan and Matt Cassell take snaps from center, does anyone doubt that once Vick is free and has served whatever suspension the league hands him, he will be playing again? Yeah, I know that Daunte Culpepper could not find work and Aaron Brooks is in his second straight year of unemployment but you'd better believe that someone will take a chance here. Remember, Vinny Testaverde got off his couch at age 43 last year and started for the Panthers. It will happen; there are too many sorry quarterback picking up a check for it not to.

This picture as well as story was provided by BSO tipster BRoe. It appears that Ric Flair's daughter boyfriend honestly believed:

TO BE THE MAN YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE MAN!!!

From the looks of that picture he beat the man pretty good.

More details for the beat down are below, but before you get to that any story involving Ric Flair just gives me an excuse to post this:

About two and a half years ago when everyone was gearing up for the 2006 NFL draft the two big questions were who would get picked first and which quarterback would go first. The debate over the number one pick was mainly between Reggie Bush and Vince Young and the QB debate was down to Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. While everybody knew about Young and Leinart, only the more serious college football observers knew just how good Cutler was. Shortly before the actual draft, Cutler's stock shot up among a lot of scouts and GMs, and most of us on the outside really didn't know why (myself included). It was around this time that ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL running back Merrill Hoge dropped the bomb that he felt Leinart and Young weren't going to be very good at all and that only Cutler had a real shot at making it. Like most people who remember hearing him say that, I shouted down Hoge and proclaimed him an idiot who was going al Skip Bayless on us and making a ridiculous argument just for the sake of appearing contrarian to the conventional wisdom. Boy, was I wrong.

Cincinnati Bengals:
What a rough week for the Bengals. First, they are beaten by the Ravens and their rookie quarterback, running back and coach. Then later in the week the coach basically tells the fans of the team to be a fan of the team if they want to. Not a good way to start the season. Looks like the Bungals are back in action. Of course things can change with a victory this week against the Titans (who have issues of their own). Even Chad Ocho Cinco (Johnson) has run into a brick wall. Word is that Reebok wants 4.8 million from Chad if he wants his new name on the back of his jersey. So don't hold your breath waiting to see a jersey in stores.

Baltimore Ravens:
Rookie John Flaco gave the fans of Baltimore what they craved for years, stability at the quarterback position. But let's not kid ourselves here, he was in against a team that looks lost on both sides of the ball. This week he will get a tougher test against the upstart Texans who will look to shake off a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Steelers. The defense looked tough and energized, but again it was the first week of the season.

Cleveland Browns:
To be blunt I think Braylon Edwards had money on the Cowboys game. I mean the man dropped EASY passes. Ok Ok, I take that back, maybe he just wanted to give the Steelers a false sense of security going into their week 2 match-up. Whatever the case, he and the Browns looked rough in their loss to the Cowboys. Their only bright spot was Shaun Rogers, who was basically unblockable. To add even more difficulty to this week's game, starting safety Sean Jones is out 4-6 weeks following knee surgery. This is a major blow considering the other starting safety, Brodney Pool, is out already following a concussion he suffered after getting blown up by Brandon Jacobs in a preseason game.

Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Steelers laid claim to being the class of the AFC even before the news broke of Tom Brady's injury. They totally manhandled the hapless Texans in their week one game. Fast Wille became relevant again, and the defense was killer. LaMarr Woodley introduced himself to the national scene in a big way and James Harrison ran reckless in the Texans backfield. Even old man Hines Ward looked impressive. The Steelers will go into their divisional game with the Browns with a swagger again and will look to take the Browns out early. Their only cause of concern is the knee and shoulder of Ben Roethlisberger, who was banged up.

Yes folks, Yoko Romo a.k.a. Jessica Simpson is at it again. According to Philly.com, during her Good Morning America appearance while she was killing what was left of country music, she predicted that the Cowboys were going to kick the Eagles' butt on Monday Night Football. See right there she pretty much doomed the fate of the Cowboys of course if she shows up like she did last season well, its another repeat of the past two years the Eagles visited the Cowboys and beat them. You know the media will run wild with this and I can't blame them. We all suspected Jessica is an idiot but she then opens her mouth and removes all doubt. I mean do you see Gisele Bundchen, who is considered "Jinxele" by some Pats fans I'm sure, talking smack about how the Pats are going to smack the Jets ? Of course considering her man is out for the season she may actually look dumber than Jessica for saying that. I mean to be dumber than Jessica Simpson is no easy feat. Between Jessica Simpson, Romo, T.O, PacMan, and Wade Phillips its a crapshoot to determine who will cause the inevitable implosion of the Cowboys season.

Tom Brady is going to be fine. He is going to recover and he still has a life most of us are envious of. With that being said I think it is very low class that the owners of "The Bernard Pollard Fan Club" are selling these t-shirts (see above). Regardless of your hate for a player on the field no one should be cheering an injury. Furthermore the fact they are profiting off of it is a bit sleazy to say the least. I will not link the site because I don't want to be a part of putting money in their pocket. I don't know how they can look themselves in the mirror and be proud of what they are doing.

Shawne Merriman did the right thing by shutting his season down. I was watching him carefully on Sunday and while he wasn't playing badly you could just tell he was not the same guy and it wasn't even close. I have some sources who told me the day after the game that the pain was so intense he knew it was time to give it up for the year. I commend him for trying for his teammates (and/or contract).

The problem that is still bothering me is that it was Merriman that had to make the decision when from the beginning it should have been the Chargers organization. In the end I believe karma will catch up with them for being so reckless with someone's career. Then again you have had to win something to have karma bite you in the ass and in the AJ Smith era they haven't won jacked unless you count losing playoff games they were heavily favored in.

The NFL season gets kicked into high octane in the second week with the Eagles and the Cowboys facing off this week. NFL fans know this is must-see tv, these two squads have been rivals for decades, they both look to be good teams this year and they play in the best division in football to complete the trifecta.

From the Eagles fans cheering a hurt Michael Irvin as he lay on Veterans Stadium turf, to T.O. throwing shots at McNabb as his relationship deteriorated with the Eagles, there's no love lost between these teams. In Philly there are 11 commandments, somewhere in between 'Thou shall not kill' and 'Thou shall not commit adultery' you'll find: thou shall not show up at Eagles game or sports bar in a Cowboys jersey. The hate is a little more serious than the hate for the Giants or the 'Skins. It stems from the nature of Philly fans because of the city's inferiority complex and blue collar attitude. "America's Team" represents the total opposite in the eyes of Philadelphia fans, Romo, Jessica, Jerry Jones, T.O.= Hollywood... you get the point. The underline battle is the have's verse the have not's, at least this is how Philly fans view it. Of course the T.O. saga is still a thorn in the side of the die-hard Eagle fans, not to mention the Super Bowl count is 5 to none in favor of the 'Boys.

In the first week the Eagles stumped out a bunch of average dudes who obviously stole the St. Louis Rams uniforms this past week, while the Cowboys breezed by the Cleveland Browns. Well this week should be a test to see where both teams are at. It's a hard game to call because of the fact that the Rams refused to play anything that can be passed off as defense. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why the Rams still haven't fired anyone yet? I'm not yet sold on the Eagles offense being this good with questions at the receiver position coming into the season, and putting up 38 points with backups.

By now you have heard various reports about Titans Quarterback Vince Young. Let me provide a timeline of the events for you to get an idea of what is going on and then give my thoughts.

Late Sunday Night: Reports come out that Vince may have told Jeff Fisher that he did not want to reenter the game after being booed lustfully by the home crowd. After some prodding Vince goes back in and injuries his knee that will keep him out for 2-4 weeks.

Around 7ish Monday Night: Young leaves his house in what was describe as an "emotional" state and family members very concerned about Young's mental state contact the Titans.

Around midnight: After the police put out a bulletin on Young's vehicle. Young came to the Titans facility and were met by Jeff Fisher and the police.

Here is a quote from the police:

"Given the totality of the circumstances, a bulletin was issued to all on-duty officers to be on the lookout for Young's vehicle," Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said. "Police negotiators were also placed on stand-by not knowing what his emotional status was."

Aaron also acknowledged that "Young had been emotionally [sic] all day when he abruptly left his Williamson County home without his cell phone and sped away."

Today: The Tennessean reports that Young had an "unloaded" gun in car at the time he was found.

Now that you have a complete and total idea of the events that happened let me give you my take on the situation.

I am a big fan of Tony Kornheiser. I love PTI. I love his radio show. When I was younger I read his columns in the Washington Post. I think he is a refreshing voice in a very bland sports media and has been like that for years, but with that being said:

HE SHOULD BE FIRED FROM MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IMMEDIATELY!!!

Sometimes you have to admit when something is a failure and without question after last night ESPN has to realize that Tony has to go. I turned in to see the Vikings vs. Packers not a Brett Favre lovefest. I turned in to see how Aaron Rodgers would do in his 1st start not how his every pass would be compared to Favre. I turned in to see how Adrian Peterson would do in his 2nd season not to hear how if Favre was running the ball he would already have 2000 yards after week one.

Now I made that last part up, but you get what I am saying. It was a disgusting display of Favre worship by Tony Kornheiser that even had John Madden saying:

"Boom!! That is a little much"

Thank god for Ron Jawroski saving an otherwise unbearable broadcast. At one point even Jaws had to tell Tony:

"You have to let it go."

You can find Amber Fox way down at the bottom and you will see "Ya Boy" at the top. Imagine that.

1 RLLCEO, R. Littal 11
1 Dcell, D. Cell 11
1 PeeZee, P. Zee 11
1 Curran, O. Curran 11
5 Fool, E. Fool 10
5 Brooks from The T-dot, K. Brooks 10
5 Spin Doctor, L. Lee 10
5 STRONGPIMPHAND, C Simon 10
5 GP Platinum Playas, T. Ballance 10
5 ShoePrincess, S. Princess 10
11 Showtime, T. Wallace 9
11 DCMC, T. DCMC 9
11 Benjamin Linus, J. One 9
11 Smashus Clay, D. Brynat 9
11 Broadway , j. parson 9
11 northpole, M D 9
11 m, j m 9
11 Havoc, n. name 9
11 penetration, v. penetration
20 Mich Panthers, A. WRIGHT
20 kelley, t. kelley 8
20 Treazy Radio Show, t. christ 8
20 D Arrah, D. Dickson 8
20 darealtystik, t. brooks 8
20 Amber Fox, A. Fox 8
25 houroc @ sportfiends.com, L. Gaiter 7
25 Mighty, L Mighty 7
25 Dubique, Y. Dubique 7
29 Davis, T. Davis 6
30 MCBRO, M. Briston 1

I have been meaning to talk about this for a couple of days but between NFL players being shot and Floyd Mayweather getting robbed among other things it has been pushed to the back burner. Now that I have a little time let me make something clear.

"Oscar De La Hoya is scared of Antonio Margarito"

I am a huge Manny Pacquiao and if I had to put money on it right now I would predict he would beat De La Hoya even though he is coming up in weight. De La Hoya who is always claiming that he wants to fight the best decided it was better *coughs* easier *coughs* to fight a "Lightweight" as oppose to the true "Welterweight" champion.

The reason is simple:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Manny is going to bring in big dollars which is great for Manny he deserves to get his piece of the pie but De La Hoya already has big money. If Floyd has 7 million dollars worth of jewelry hanging around De La Hoya owns the Jewelry store he bought it from and all the jewels in it if you are feeling what I saying. So what is more important for the sport of boxing a bigger payday or the most interesting matchup?

Fact of the matter is De La Hoya is taking the "easy" fight for the most money which won't be the first time he has done such a thing and even though he has hinted at retirement probably won't be the last.

Now that Tom Brady's knee has been "McGaheed" who are now the top contenders in the AFC?

1- Indianapolis Colts

If we take at face value that what happened last night was an anomaly the subtraction of their main foe's franchise QB would be very beneficial for the Colts. With that being said they looked horrible and if that is to continue New England will be the least of their worries. Getting Peyton Manning and the offensive line straighten out should be their main concerns, but they aren't crying over the Brady going down.

2- San Diego Chargers

As long as Norv Turner is their coach I will be hesitant to install them as a Super Bowl favorite. The one thing in their favor is they have the Colts number who are their main competitor for the top spot. If they can stay healthy they will be a very strong contender, but the possibility of an implosion can happen at any time.

3- Pittsburgh Steelers

QB- Check
Running Game- Check
Wide Receivers- Check
Defense- 10 Checks

Any reason why they couldn't blow through the AFC? If I had to put a good money bet down on a team the Steelers would be that team.

Each week of the NFL Season I will break down every NFL Game as they are happening. The early games will be posted first. Then the afternoon games. Then the Sunday Night Game and finally the Monday Night games, so check in often.

Kansas City Chiefs 10 vs. New England Patriots 17

I don't know if you believe in Karma, but from the time they found out the Patriots were cheaters after Week 1 last year it appears the Football Gods have been toying with them. Let them go 18-0 before losing in the Super Bowl to a team that had 6 losses in the regular season. During the preseason they had to deal with the mysterious Brady injuries and the horrible play of Matt Cassel.

Now in the first game of the season Brady blows out his ACL. Coincidence? I think not.

It appears the Matt Cassel to Randy Moss era will be starting in Week 2 and in turn a dynasty maybe coming to an end. The fact they won the game doesn't mean much it isn't like the Chiefs are the Colts because now every team in the AFC are all thinking the big bad bully has been transferred to another school.

If the Giants gave teams hope this injury gives them belief.

As for the Chiefs all I have to say Huard>Croyle.

Carolina Panthers 26 vs. San Diego Chargers 24

This game started out extremely boring. I never felt it would be the game of the day, but it was. The Chargers should be ashamed of themselves. There is no way that the Panthers with their best player sitting at home contemplating who is the next teammate he is going to beat down should be able to roll up over 400 yard in total offense or a so-called elite defense.

I mean who in the blue hell is Dante Rosario?

The Chargers window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl is closing and not to beat a dead horse, but with Brady going down that can't let games like this happened. There are people who believe that the Chargers will never be a Super Bowl winner with Norv Turner as their coach. Count me as one of those people.

I always liked Jake Delhomme because he isn't the most talented guy, but he just has a lot of moxie. You can tell his teammates believe in him. That was a great 2 minute drill considering his receiving core was minus Steve Smith. The pass to Rosario was a thing of beauty and will be the highlight of Week 1 for me.

New York Favres 20 vs. Miami Dolphins 14

I have been a critic of "God" Favre's decision making in the past but the one thing you have to give him is he has a gun. His TD pass to Cotchery was a thing of beauty. His "hail mary" on 4th down is why you both love and hate him. It is going to be an interesting year in Jersey.

Man-Genius I don't want to hear your kicker was hurt you never ever go for two that early in the game. It almost cost you.

The Dolphins played hard and had an opportunity to win the game that is all you can ask for. Chad Pennington is an upgrade but it is going to be a long year. It was good to see Pretty Ricky Williams out there playing well.

I know we are football heavy, but had to take some time out to congratulate Serena on her 3rd US Open Title. She had a great match against Jelena Jankovic that was entertaining all the way to the finish (more entertaining than the Bears vs. Colts). Serena is now the #1 female player in the world. I still don't think the Williams Sisters get as much credit as they should considering how dominant they have been since they have been on tour. But that is another article for another day I know what you are waiting for.

Check out the old dude, I know he sees that. lol

You always have to have to your popcorn ready when T.O. scores a touchdown. Another classic celebration from Mr. Owens.

No matter how quickly you got up Steven you still got destroyed.

I wanted to get at least 2 weeks into the season before I came out with the Official BSO Top 10 College Football poll.
Just so you know for new readers to the site this isn't a good old boys polls. I call them as I see them, so it is flexible and not a rigid poll. If your team plays like crap expect them to drop even if they win and if your team has a big victory over a ranked opponent expect them to jump. The rankings are not based on off who I think can beat who, but the top 10 teams in the country strictly based of their play. Comments are welcomed.

1- USC: Big statement game against OSU coming up.
2- Georgia: Loaded, but will they survive the SEC schedule?
3- Florida: Defense is scary took care of The U.
4- Ohio State: If they beat USC automatically go to #1, but they played horribly last week.
5- Missouri: Defense is still suspect.
6- Oklahoma: Sneaky BCS contender.
7- East Carolina: Didn't just beat West Va. They kicked there ass.
8- LSU: Waiting for their shots against the big boys.
9- Alabama: Understandable let down after big win against Clemson.
10- Penn State: Looking very good

Some years after the injustice was done to one Tyrone Willingham, both coaches are in equal deep waters. Don't be fooled by Notre Dame's 1-0 record. They scraped by a team in San Diego State who lost to Cali Poly the week prior (Cal Poly just lost to Montana for perspective on this). I watched in shock as I saw a Notre Dame team that frankly isn't very good. Willingham is now 0-2 in a season that he entered into with his job already in question. Of course I have two different feelings on the 2 coaches. With Weis there is almost a little bit of joy. Its not personal Charlie; its just that they fired a guy in an unprecended manner, hired you, then gave you a fat contract extension at a point when Willingham actually had a better or as good a record as you do and yet didn't receive the same support. And what have you done since then except lead a team that has looked inept, not very talented, and unprepared in a lot of cases. On a side note; anyone else think that all that hype Jimmy Clausen had has not manifested itself? He looks like a regular quarterback with a last name of some brothers who had some college success. Willingham on the other hand is also in trouble. As nice a guy as he is, he simply is not winning enough. I want him to win in the worst way but it simply has not come to pass. Each may yet turn their team's season around but after watching each on yesterday, these teams having a massive turn around looks very unlikely. Notre Dame couldn't dominate that terrible San Diego State team and although Washington played better against BYU (and got jobbed with that terrible unsportsmanlike penalty), they got blown out by Oregon the week before. Although both men will be forever linked because of the injustice of one and how the other benefited from that injustice, it looks like both are in a lot of trouble unless they can get their season turned around.

First Liddell has been washed up for years, so I don't know why they keep acting like he is a contender. Secondly.

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did he miss the memo? Did Tatum Bell decide to make a career out of stealing bags? Is this is what hot in the Hall of Fame streets? Someone please let me know.

Thanks for to the kind people of RADAR ONLINE for providing us with the link and the pics to our favorite Olympic Swimmer "Poseidon" Phelps getting his "Pimp Focus" on in the Playboy Strip Club in Vegas.

Life is good for Phelps as you can see. Wonder if he would allow me into the Entourage? I mean every good entourage needs a Bona Fide Sports Expert right? Personally I like my ladies with a little more junk in the trunk, but I am sure I could make it work. Pimp on MP. Pimp on....

Dear Daunte,

I got your email homie, well actually I didn't it looks like you blackballed BSO the same way you claimed NFL teams have blackballed you, but I digress. Anyway I read your email about retiring from the NFL and I thought it would be best that we had a little chat.

First we can stop beating around the bush. You don't have to be politically correct with me. You can say what you really want to say. You don't have to be scared I can read between the lines. What you really are trying to say is:

THE NFL IS SCARED TO EMPLOY A BLACK MAN WHO REPRESENTS HIMSELF.

Unfortunately Daunte you are a little off with that one. While trust me there is a lot racism and prejudice in the NFL and there is a lot of bias in the mainstream media the reason you aren't employed has a lot more to do with you that it does with them.

NFL Owners can be considered a "Good Old Boys" club. A bunch of rich white guys sitting on top of their thrones looking down at their highly paid gladiators do there bidding.

But lets be real here to NFL owners it doesn't matter if you are red, white, green, yellow or black if you can help them win football games they don't care. Now if you want to own a team, be a general manager or even a coach you may have a harder time because they like to hire people that look like them, but when it comes to on the field all they care about is if you are going to perform.

For years Black QBs have had a hard time breaking into the league but in 2008 while I am sure some people (mostly fans) are not totally comfortable with a black man leading their team I am confident the organizations themselves are going to put the best player out on the field regardless of color.

So which begs the question Daunte why don't you have a job? In my opinion there are a couple of reasons.

Brandon Jacobs is a beast. Was I the only one last night kicking myself for not drafting Plaxico Burress on my fantasy football team? I had a chance to draft him on all 11 and passed him by each team. What type of BonaFide Sports Expert does that make me?

Very good first half of the game. It got as boring as John McCain acceptance speech in the 2nd half but it is great to have football back.

It's gonna be a long year....

for us Redskins fans. Judging by last night's debacle, our guys are going to suck really bad. I don't know what was worse, watching the Skins struggle to move the ball or seeing Joe Gibbs on stage at the Republican convention. 4-12 looks like a real possibilty right about now.

Don't get too happy, though, Giant fans

You man Eli would have had at least two more picks if the Skins DBs could hold on to the ball. The G-Mens offense got shut out in the second half after ringing up 16 points in the first half, and other than the one sack Justin Tuck got in the first quarter, they had little pass rush going on. This still looks like a long year for them, too. in other words, if they'd been playing somebody good they'd have lost. From the looks of things, the Eagles and Cowboys will be the class of the division unless something changes.

Look don't tell her because it is a secret. She doesn't know I am doing this, but she has been nominated for model of the year at the 2009 Southern Entertainment Awards. I want to help her out because she has been a big asset to the site since she has come aboard, so what I need everyone to do is click the link below and be sure to vote for Kami2Hot for the 2009 Southern Entertainment Model of The Year and when she wins we will throw a party. Now I can't make it rain, but I will at least make it partly cloudy.

Week 1 saw The BonaFide One start off strong going 4-1 and calling the UCLA over Tennessee upset will he keep the momentum going in Week 2?

Season: 4-1
Last Week: 4-1

#24 South Carolina 24 vs. Vandy 26
#15 BYU 30 vs. Washington 27
Miami 10 vs. #5 Florida 38
#10 Texas 31 vs. Nevada 14
#17 South Florida 21 vs. UCF 17

I just received an e-mail earlier this evening in regards to my post about how the American Cancer Society is coming down on Michael Jordan. A representative from PETA emailed me the following:

As sure as Michael Jordan could hit clutch jumpers, the ACS has seen all this evidence. In fact, your Web site even admits that "..studies have linked vegetarian diets with a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and colon cancer." In his letter to Jordan, your spokesperson wrote, "When high-profile athletes publicly display unhealthful habits, they can mislead young people to emulate their behavior." Isn't it safe to say that when a high-profile health group publicly promotes unhealthy habits like meat consumption, it is also misleading Americans, young and old?"

I found it interesting how she mentioned that the American Cancer Society was selective in who they criticized. Which I guess could be said for a lot of organizations it seems that they go after who gets them the most publicity. I mean criticizing Jordan for smoking a stogie would get more hits than the drawbacks of meat consumption. Regardless it is good to know that many types of people read this blog.

In fact here's more information about what she wrote:http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/09/american_cancer.php?c=pfmjacs08.

Although this substance has a mythological existence, the aura surrounding the object is mind-blowing. For those who are familiar with Kryptonite, it is "any surviving fragment of the fictional planet Krypton, birthplace to Superman". Whenever it got into the proximity of Superman, he became discombobulated and could not function at full strength. But lets be for real: No green substance that lights up can be detrimental, right? Right?

Former college teammates and current NBA rookies Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers were dismissed from the NBA's Rookie Transition Seminar for Marijuana and women, both violations of the policy in place during the four-day conference. These seminars are used to help the current crop of rookies with adjusting to NBA life. I find it contradictory that they got sent home for doing what many players (according to Josh Howard) do anyway, but that's neither here nor there.

But, what I am quickly discovering is that Superman may not be on only person with paranormal ability that can be handicapped by the power of a green substance. The old joke use to be that the Black Man's Kryptonite use to be white women. But its becoming more apparent that Weed just may be the front runner for that distinction. And whats in a second place? Vagina.

However, in this case, Terence Newman is a rollercoaster virgin. Yes the same man who spends at least 16 weeks out of the year to clock receivers is afraid of a little rollercoaster. I must say he's a good sport asking the Dallas Morning News to film him while he's on the rollercoaster talking about "Dear Sweet Baby Jesus" (and of course the fact he's wearing his uniform while he's on the ride). A prayer I'm sure many in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and to the Cowboys fans beyond will be using this season in hopes that a Super Bowl run won't implode this season.

LeBron James will be featured in a documentary chronicling his rise to stardom and how he and four childhood friends overcame long odds to win a national championship in high school. According to Yahoo.com, this is set to be featured at the Toronto International Film Festival which he will be attending this weekend. This film involves footage taken during James' career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron, along with one-on-one interviews by writer/director Kris Belman, home videos, and personal family photographs, the film is about much more than basketball. At its core is a story of friendship, loyalty and love.

In the end LeBron wants this to be a lesson to youngsters to dream big and never give up.

This is a candidate for either the funniest story or saddest story of the year first reported by our friends at Profootballtalk.com. When Rudi Johnson was at the Lions facility to finalize his deal he left some luggage outside of Matt Millen's office. When he came out of the office later the luggage was mysteriously missing.

Millen proved he was a much better detective than he is a GM by immediately pulling the surveillance cameras to see who was the culprit which was none other than:

Tatum Bell

Yes the Tatum Bell who was getting cut upon Rudi Johnson's arrival, but the story doesn't end there. Bell after he steals the luggage drops them off at one of his "Bust It Babies" (for my non hip-hop readers type in Bust it Baby in Google and you will find out what it means) house for "safe keeping".

After Bell explained to the Lions that he thought the bags belong to someone he knew (by the way Bell also thinks O.J. is looking for the real killer) the young lady in question told the Lions that she hadn't seen Bell in months and he showed up at her door asking her to watch the bags for awhile.

Suffice it to say it will be hard for Bell to find work after this. It is one thing to be a below average running back but it is a whole another thing to be a below average running back who steals his competitors underwear and leaves them with a random jump off.

Mark the tape "Ya Boy" Robert Littal is back with 50 Guaranteed NFL Predictions for the 2008 NFL Season: Check out "Ya Girl" Amber Fox NFL predictions in the youtube video.

1- The Patriots won't go undefeated.
2- The Giants won't repeat.
3- Adrian Peterson will kill your fantasy football team.
4- Both Green Bay and The Jets will go 8-8
5- Brett Favre consecutive starting streak will come to an end.
6- So will Peyton Manning's streak.
7- This year's "on the radar" team the Vikings won't make the playoffs.
8- Ricky Williams will lead the Dolphins in rushing.
9- Rookie of the year won't come from anyone taken in the 1st round.
10- Matt Ryan will throw 20+ Ints.
11- By the end of the year ATL will want Michael Vick back.
12- Chad Johnson will have an incident by Week 8 and ESPN will blow it out of proportion.
13- Emmitt Smith will butcher the English language at least 10 times on Monday Night Countdown.
14- T.O. will cry.
15- Roy Williams will get fine.
16- Tony Romo will be caught cheating.
17- The Cowboys will still go 12-4.
18- The Raiders will be good.
19- The Jaguars will be great.
20- Cable companies still won't have the NFL Network.
21- Reggie Bush won't average 4 yards a carry, but will help someone win a PPR fantasy league.
22- NFL Sunday Ticket will still be the best decisions the NFL ever made.
23- Even with Mike Martz the 49ers offense will suck.
24- Vince Young will regress and Matt Leinart won't last the season.
25- The Broncos won't have a 1000 yard rusher.

When I first read this story on Boxingscene.com about how in August someone broke into Floyd Mayweather's bedroom window proceeded to steal seven million dollar worth of jewelry some many things came flooding into my mind.

"That's some damn expensive jewelry"

"You would have thought if they were coming to steal some stuff they might have taken something a little easier to pawn off than custom made diamond encrusted jewels or find some of those money stacks Floyd always has on him"

But the #1 thing I thought of above all else and excuse me if I get a little hood right here:

"If this fool has seven million dollars worth of jewelry in his house why wasn't it in a damn safe?"

I mean seriously Floyd is worth at least 20-30 million maybe more and he doesn't have a safe? You can go to Walgreens and buy one for $20. Who has seven million dollars worth of jewelry just lying on the bed? If I have $7 lying on my bed and left home I would be nervous about someone breaking in.

Ironically Floyd is put out a $100,000 reward for the return or arrest of the people who stole his property. Seems pretty cheap considering:

YOU HAD SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR WORTH OF JEWELS LYING ON YOUR BED!

I like Floyd but considering some of the senseless violence that has been happening against athletes lately it maybe time to take a little shine of the bling before he ends up being buried with it.

*Here are additional details of the story*

Las Vegas, NV - One afternoon in late August, someone broke into one of Floyd Mayweather's homes and made off with his personal jewelry. This week Mayweather issued a $100,000 cash reward for information leading to the return of his property.

Anyone with information on this crime can call Sherbrooke, Jelan and Associates at (678) 457-5858 or (404) 786-1321. Callers could be eligible for an immediate cash reward of $100,000 and may remain anonymous.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!

Here is an exclusive pic of the one of the robbers breaking into Floyd's mansion.

Will the real contenders please stand-up? It was only a matter of time before the Fish from Florida gracefully bowed out of the National League East Division contention. Finally the baseball god's came to their senses and realized you can't win in baseball with the Marlins brutal team ERA and a error filled defense.

To no one's surprise the Phillies and the Mets are neck and neck for the division crown. Last year the Amazin's pulled off an amazing choke job to help the Phillies win the division. As we're now approaching September, it's time for one of these teams to sieze the division. Lets look at who has the edge at the end. For Mets and Phillies fans alike here's a couple of things to hang your hat on.

Why the Phillies will win:
The Phillies have the better bullpen and the better team when you size up the roster from top to bottom. Brad Lidge hasn't blown a save all season, and J.C. Romero is as nasty as it gets for left-handed specialist. J-Roll is starting to hit again, he's the engine that starts the car and if he gets hot he can carry the squad. The one-two punch the Phils in Hamels and Myers envisioned that would have enabled them to run away with this division to begin with, is starting to come together like Voltron. Even with the offense struggling, the team can ride on the back of the Hamels-Myers machine because right now, their as good as it gets. This along with the 3-headed monster Utley, Howard and Rollins hitting and there would be nothing the Mets could do but accept the silver medal.

Look, I'll be upfront: I hate Michael Jordan. I have never liked him at all and I grew up near Chicago feeling this way. He's probably my most hated athlete ever. Now putting that aside the American Cancer Society is out of line here. According to TMZ.com, who posted images of Michael smoking a cigar while playing some softball, the American Cancer Society responded with this:

[quote]"When high profile athletes publicly display unhealthful habits they can mislead young people to emulate their behavior. According to the American Cancer Society tobacco use in this country is responsible for 1/3 of all cancers and remains the most preventable cause of death in our society. 8.6 million Americans suffer from chronic smoking-related disease. Since 1964 smoking has cause more than 12 million premature deaths in the U.S."[/quote]

Now I'm personally not a smoker I mean I never understood the appeal and I too am bothered when people smoke in front of me. Look I could care less if you want to increase your chances of lung cancer and emphysema but that does not mean I want that for myself. As long as you don't smoke in front of me I could care less what you do. So why exactly is the American Cancer Society up in arms over Michael Jordan smoking a cigar? I guess they were not around when Red Aurebach smoked a victory cigar at the Garden back in the day. Or with expectant fathers who have that honorary cigar when their kid is born. The fact is if Michael Jordan wants to smoke a cigar then he has the right to do so and nobody should tell him otherwise. He's a grown ass man what other reason should there be? To me this is nothing but a cheap attempt at publicity and if they really wanted to go after smokers how about Amy Winehouse or someone of her ilk. One look at her and that should scare anyone away from a cigar or cigarette.

As you have probably heard by now Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot last night and is facing life threatening injuries before giving you my thoughts here are the details of the story.

http://news.jacksonville.com/justin/2008/09/02/jaguar-shot-faces-life-threatening-injuries/

Richard Collier, 26, an offensive tackle in his third year with the Jaguars, was shot about 2:45 a.m. while sitting in a vehicle parked in the 2300 block of Riverside Avenue, said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson.

While waiting outside the Riverside apartment, Jefferson said, someone walked up to the Cadillac Escalade and fired off a number of shots striking Collier, who was behind the wheel. Pettway was not injured in the attack.

I am not a preacher and I not trying to tell anyone how to live there life, but please and this doesn't go just for athletes but people in general be careful dealing with people you never met before especially if it is at 2:30 in the morning. Athletes even have to be more careful because to be honest they are easy targets for individuals who are jealous of their success or even on a lower level just criminals who are looking for an easy score.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Collier and his family I hope he pulls through.

Just wanted to thank all the readers and viewers of BlackSportsOnline for making August our biggest month ever in terms of unique visitors, overall visitors, page views, hits and YouTube views.

Not bad for a site which was once described as one that could never succeed under minority ownership. But we have to keep the momentum going so take a quote from Jay Z:

Go farther
Go further
Go harder
Is that not
Why we came? and if not,
Then why bother?

We hear you Hov.

Want to test your skills against Super Model Amber Fox and The BonaFide Sports Expert Robert Littal join our NFL Pickem League.

http://games.espn.go.com/pigskin/group?groupID=11260

Password: bso

If the above link doesn't work try this one.

http://games.espn.go.com/pigskin/group?groupID=11260&selGrp=11260&entryID=217479

This isn't about Chad Johnson or Ocho Cinco the player. Chad Johnson, as I will refer to him, is a heck of a NFL receiver. You see, you must pay attention to him when he is on the field by rolling your coverage towards him or simply applying double coverage. He catches the deep ball extremely well, runs after the catch with the best of them, and is probably one of the top 3 receivers in the league right now. But no one really thinks about that anymore. You see, Chad Johnson should have changed his name to Dennis Rodman because that is who he is becoming. What an ignorant and attention seeking thing to change your name to Ocho Cinco? During the offseason he embarassed himself during interviews (the interview with Stephen A. Smith was embarassing) by talking tough but really not holding firm to anything he said. Now, he has gone from a guy I used to think was entertaining to a guy that has probably taken things too far. For those that have defended Chad, and I was one of them, here is what should have been our worst fear. He has become at least as much concerned with being a show than providing one. Changing your name to your jersey number screams that you want attention in the worst way. I used to defend Chad because when he danced on the sidelines I could see that he did it because he played football with joy. Now, as I stated, I think he has tried to be a show instead of providing one with his play on the field. Chad, you used to be funny and people laughed with you, Now Chad, people are laughing at you.

Suns.com sat with Amare Stoudamire to talk about the upcoming season, what he did this summer, and how he feels about the new coach Terry Porter. In this clip he also mentions how he has been taking piano lessions, you know "strictly for the ladies". While it is nice to see an NBA player making a concerted effort to expand his horizons, even if it is to snag the ladies more than anything, is he for real? I only say this because he is an NBA player. NBA Player = $$$$ to most women anyways. One would think he would not have a hard time getting a few chicks to notice him. I mean as long as you have money and have game, an NBA player does not need to go out of his way to get a woman to notice him. Usually it is the other way around.

I do not consider myself a reality TV show fan. I feel that its an increadibly cheap alternative for networks to fill the airwaves without investing in quality because "shock value" is all folks want these days. Putting that aside, according to AM 570 in Los Angeles, Jose Canseco continues to extend his 15 minutes of fame by agreeing to appear on the FOX reality TV show "Moment of Truth".The way the reality show works is the contestant in the chair takes a polygraph test prior to going on stage and is asked the same questions. If the anwsers the contestant gives on stage matches the polygraph then, they continue to advance and get more money. This episode has already been taped and is slated to air late September/early October and what I find interesting about this is that according to a source from AM 570, he was asked if he ever injected Mark McGwire with steroids and various other baseball related questions. Bud Selig is breaking into a cold sweat just reading about this I'm sure. Regardless hearing that money is involved explains why Canseco is taking part in this since he has money issues right now. Despite that it is rather interesting to see a celebrity, well one that's a washed up baseball player, participate in something like this. It makes one wonder if this is the beginning of a major trend in various sports stars past or present who would agree to this? I mean who could be next?

This may be the year we finally get some real shakeup in the baseball playoffs. I took a look at the standings (I'm not an avid everyday baseball follower; I know the Yankees are doing bad but I didn't know just how bad) and to my surprise, I saw the following:

AL East

Tampa Bay 84-51
Boston 79-57, 5.5 games back
New York 72-64, 12.5 games back
Toronto 70-66, 14.5 games back

Now seeing as how they all only have 26 games left to play it's pretty obvious that the Yankees are done as far winning the division goes. But the idea that they could finish as low as fourth in their own division is just crazy. And right now they're seven games out of the wildcard spot; we're getting really close to stick a fork in 'em time. A postseason without the Yankees is darn near unfathomable; it hasn't happened in a decade and a half.