Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1123 of 1503)

      NFL Week 6 Primer

      October 10, 2008 /

      Jake DelhommeSunday’s Best: Panthers (4-1) at Buccaneers (3-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      This isn’t the sexiest matchup on the Week 6 schedule, but it’s a battle for first place in the NFC South. Carolina is coming off a 34-0 rout of the Chiefs, a game in which they held Larry Johnson to only two yards rushing, while Tampa dropped a close one in Denver. The Panthers can thank a healthy Jake Delhomme and a stingy run defense for their hot start this season. With Delhomme back under center and a nice 1-2 punch of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart in the backfield, the Panthers’ offense has been incredibly balanced this season and therefore, hard to stop. And Carolina’s front seven has kept opponents from averaging over 100 yards on the ground. The Bucs will go back to Jeff Garcia at quarterback with Brian Griese nursing an injured arm. It’ll be interesting to see if the Panthers take away Tampa’s 8th-best rushing attack, because the last time the Bucs couldn’t run the ball was against the Bears – a game in which Griese attempted 67 passes. Will Garcia have to do the same this week?

      Upset Watch: Cowboys (4-1) at Cardinals (3-2), 4:15 PM ET FOX
      I’m going right back to the well. In my primer last week, I warned to watch out for the Cards upsetting the previously unbeaten Bills. I’ll do the same this week as the Cowboys roll into the desert after almost blowing a 17-point lead to the Bengals last Sunday. Dallas has more talent than any other team in the NFC, but they’ve proven to be as fragile as T.O.’s emotions. Arizona flat out plays a different brand of football at home and could have wideout Anquan Boldin back this week, although it’s doubtful. Even without Boldin, the Cards have more than enough weapons to score on a Dallas defense that is giving up close to 23 points a game. The key obviously will be whether or not Arizona can stop the Cowboys’ high-powered offense. Dallas is racking up over 400 yards and 30 points a game and the Cards are just two games removed from surrendering 56 points to the Jets. Even if ‘Zona can’t pull off the upset, I would expect one wild shootout.


      LaDainain Tomlinson      Intriguing Matchup: Patriots (3-1) at Chargers (2-3) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Remember when New England mocked Shawne Merriman’s “Lights Out” dance after a playoff win in San Diego a couple of years ago and hurt LaDainian Tomlinson’s feelings? The Pats return to the scene of the crime and no team plays with a bigger chip on their shoulder (and for really no reason) than the Chargers. Even though they won in convincing fashion against the 49ers last week, this is clearly a different Patriots team without Tom Brady. (What a statement, I know). It’ll be interesting to see if Matt Cassel can have a coming out party this weekend, because no team in the entire NFL is playing worse against the pass right now than San Diego.

      Other Notable Games:
      Bears (3-2) at Falcons (3-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The last time rookie QB Matt Ryan faced the Tampa 2 defense he had his worst outing as a pro, throwing two interceptions in a loss to the Bucs in Week 2. He’ll get a chance for redemption this week against Chicago, a team that has typically owned Atlanta in the past.

      Jaguars (2-3) at Broncos (4-1), 4:15 PM ET FOX
      Big Ben and the Steelers lit up Jacksonville’s defense last week. Will Jay Cutler and the Broncos’ offense do the same on Sunday?

      Ravens (2-2) at Colts (2-2), 1:00 PM ET CBS
      Peyton Manning vs. Ray Lewis is always fun to watch.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The perfect stocking stuffer for Packer fans

      October 10, 2008 /

      I’m going to get fellow TSR writer and Packer buff John Paulsen this for Christmas. (Thank you FANIQ.com for the link.)

      I’m not sure what the best thing is about this ad. That I can get a completely worthless coin for only $9.95 as opposed to $29.95, or that I can potentially get 8 of them, or that it’s officially licensed by, um, I’m not sure who exactly, or that after every time one of Brett Favre’s career highlights is rolled off, some guy yells “FAVRE!” in the background.

      Apparently this commercial is running in, uh, I’m guessing Wisconsin, because no one else in the world would ever buy this worthless hunk of scrap.

      I just hope that someone eventually tries to buy something with this coin, then gets beaten for their stupidity…multiple times.

      I can’t think of anything more worthless than a Brett Favre coin for $9.95. It has to be one of the most overpriced coins in the history of America.

      Humor, NFL

      NASCAR meets MMA? Harvick, Edwards throw down.

      October 10, 2008 /

      Carl Edwards & Kevin HarvickRule No. 1 among NASCAR racers: You don’t call another driver a pansy. Apparently Kevin Harvick forgot that rule when he called Carl Edwards said pansy, and the two tussled following a “heated verbal and physical altercation” at a recent NASCAR practice session.

      Witnesses said the incident started in the garage stall where Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet was parked. Edwards had walked over from his area, two stalls down.

      The conversation appeared to start amicably, but soon heated words were exchanged, the witnesses said. At one point, Harvick appeared to turn away from Edwards, who then reached for Harvick’s shoulder, as if to turn him back around. Harvick responded by shoving Edwards, who landed on the No. 33 Chevrolet, denting the right-front section of the hood.

      People who saw the altercation, including the driver of Harvick’s motorcoach, Jeff Smith, jumped in to separate Edwards and Harvick, the witnesses said. At one point, Smith had Edwards in a headlock, they said, but the drivers apparently exchanged no punches.

      Photos were taken of the incident, but were not made available.

      Both drivers declined to comment on the incident and NASCAR officials said they considered it a “non-issue.”

      In the interview following wreck at Talladega, Harvick called Edwards a “pansy” for riding around in the back of the pack before eventually moving to the front and running with the leaders. Soon after joining the lead pack, Edwards’ car hit teammate Greg Biffle’s car, touching off the 12-car wreck that collected another teammate, Matt Kenseth, and Harvick, among others.

      I don’t know what I’d rather watch less – a NASCAR race on TV or two NASCAR drivers fight in a garage but throw no punches.

      General Sports

      The pitch that turned around the Rays’ season

      October 10, 2008 /

      When people look back at the June brawl between the Red Sox and Rays, they’ll remember the James Shield’s punch that Coco Crisp so eloquently dodged out of the way of. But as John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times writes, it wasn’t Shield’s punch that affected the Rays’ season – it was his message pitch.

      Red Sox-Rays brawlIn case you have forgotten, the underlying cause of Tampa Bay’s brawl with the Red Sox in early June was Crisp’s cheap shot on Aki Iwamura at second base the night before. Crisp was annoyed that Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett had blocked the base earlier in the game, and he took his frustrations out on Iwamura.

      Obviously, there is no manual on how to deal with such a transgression. And there is no one in charge of dispensing justice. It is simply expected that someone hold Crisp accountable.
      And, at times, that had been a problem in the Rays clubhouse.

      Over the years, Rays hitters have not always felt protected by Tampa Bay pitchers. The point was driven home most publicly in the spring of 2007 when Ty Wigginton yelled at his own dugout after being hit by a pitch.

      And so it was that Shields, 26, took the mound on June 5. The Rays had lost two in a row, had fallen out of first place the night before, and Shields had not won a game in nearly a month. And, at that moment, none of it mattered.

      On his second pitch to Crisp in the second inning, Shields drilled him in the hip.

      In a lot of ways, this fight was costly to Tampa Bay. Shields was suspended for six games, Gomes for five, Edwin Jackson for five, Carl Crawford for four and Iwamura for three.
      But for all the Rays lost, they say they gained far more.

      Much like the brawl with the Yanks in spring training, the Rays believe the fight with the Red Sox was a statement, both in their dugout and the opposite dugout.

      You could argue whether Shields chose the right moment. Yes, maybe he could have waited until later in the game, so he wouldn’t have put such a burden on the bullpen. But loyalty doesn’t work on such strict timetables.

      The brotherhood in baseball is part of what makes the game so great. Players in other sports obviously come to their teammates’ defense, but in baseball it’s different – it’s an unwritten rule. When 25 guys are together virtually every day from March until late fall, there’s going to be a bond that’s forced. And it’s kind of cool to see that bond unfold like it did in the Rays-Sox brawl, although obviously I don’t advocate teams fight nightly to show their unity.

      MLB

      Think you’re accident-prone? You have nothing on this guy.

      October 10, 2008 /

      Clint MalarchukFormer NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the chin with a rifle.

      Malarchuck, by the way, was the player who once had his jugular vein slashed by a skate in a 1989 game with the Buffalo Sabres.

      Malarchuk’s wife Christy told sheriff’s deputies that the .22-calibre rifle discharged after her husband placed the butt on the ground between his legs. He had been shooting rabbits.

      The 47-year-old former player, now a goalie coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was flown by helicopter to a Reno hospital for treatment Tuesday.

      “Our concern is with Clint and his well-being,” the Blue Jackets said in a statement Thursday. “We are optimistic that he will have a full recovery very soon.”

      Getting your damn throat slashed once in a lifetime is bad enough. But shooting yourself in the chin with a rifle, too? I think it’s well past the time that Clint picks up safer hobbies.

      NHL

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