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      The MAC will be well represented at this year’s Super Bowl

      January 25, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is all smiles after the Steelers defeated the New York Jets 24-19, winning the AFC Championship, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 23, 2011. The Steelers will face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      Quick, name the conference that will have the second most representatives at this year’s Super Bowl.

      The MAC? Damn. You read the title didn’t you? You little title reader, you…

      That’s right, the MAC, with its 15 players, is second only to the SEC (18) in terms of representatives at Super Bowl XLV. According to Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun writer and fellow TSR contributor Drew Ellis, the Packers have nine former MAC players on their roster, including Central Michigan’s Cullen Jenkins, Frank Zombo and Josh Gordy, Western Michigan’s Greg Jennings, Buffalo running back James Starks, Miami of Ohio’s Tom Crabtree, offensive lineman T.J. Lang of Eastern Michigan, safety Atari Bigby of Central Florida and linebacker Diyral Briggs of Bowling Green.

      Of course, the most recognizable name to come out of the MAC is Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who played at Miami. Pittsburgh also rosters former MAC players Antonio Brown (CMU), linebacker James Harrison (Kent State), quarterbacks Charlie Batch (Eastern Michigan) and Byron Leftwich (Marshall), as well kicker Shaun Suisham (BGSU).

      According to a former MAC player, it is the constant disrespect the conference gets on a national stage that could lead to the players succeeding in the NFL.

      “It really speaks volumes about the conference,” former CMU quarterback and teammate of Zombo, Brown, and Gordy, Brian Brunner, said. “This conference used to be know for being a quarterback-conference, but it has really become much more. National pundits may dog the MAC but when you see numbers like these you realize that a lot of MAC players that get a chance to play in the NFL, they come into the league with a chip on their shoulder and they are going work hard and push themselves and prove they belong.”

      Obviously the number of players that represent a conference in the Super Bowl doesn’t reflect its status in college football. I hardly doubt we’ll hear anyone campaign for Northern Illinois to play in next year’s BCS title game if the Huskies go 11-0 and the MAC won’t suddenly be viewed as an elite conference.

      But it’s nevertheless interesting to see that the little ol’ MAC – not the Big 12, Big Ten or ACC – has only three fewer players at this year’s title game than the SEC. It just goes to show you that talent is talent.

      College Football, External Sports, Super Bowl

      Marvin Lewis takes another shot at Chad Ochocinco

      January 25, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (85) talks with head coach Marvin Lewis during the second quarter of their game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis on November 14, 2010. UPI /Mark Cowan

      The battle between Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and receiver Chad Ochocinco is turning into a tale of two scorned lovers.

      Early last week, Ochocinco sent the Boston Herald’s Ian Rapoport a Twitter message suggesting that he’d welcome a trade to the Patriots this offseason. A couple days later, Lewis took a shot at his star receiver by saying: “Nobody was talking about him. He didn’t stand that,” which was in reference to Ocho’s desire for attention. Lewis then went on to say: “You want them to talk about you, win football games.”

      At the Senior Bowl on Monday, Lewis again took a swipe at his receiver, this time saying that Bill Belichick is “smarter” than to acquire a player like Ochocinco. So in one week, Lewis basically called his best receiver an attention-starved diva and then suggested that one of the league’s best coaches was smart enough to stay away from him.

      For a guy who reportedly wanted out of Cincinnati because of the circus-like atmosphere, Lewis sure is turning up the drama lately. And if Belichick is too smart to take on a headache like Ochocinco, then what does that make Lewis for keeping him on the roster? If he’s that much of a distraction, why doesn’t Lewis convince the higher ups to get rid of the Ocho?

      Ochocinco and T.O. both said on their latest episode of “The T.Ocho Show” that they would love to play for the Jets next season. So while Ochocinco continues to lobby to play for other teams, his head coach is taking not-so-subtly jabs at him.

      This situation is turning ugly.

      External Sports, NFL

      Al Davis puts down Calvin Johnson

      January 25, 2011 /

      Listen, don’t talk to Al Davis about no Calvin Johnson. Because while drafting JaMarcus Russell may have been a mistake, it’s not like that lousy Megatron has helped the Lions win many games over the years.

      Or so says Davis.

      From Mlive.com:

      Here’s what Davis said about Oakland’s recent draft success:

      “I think we’ve been very successful the last four. I think we’re always pretty good. The thing that hurt, is the question someone asked, JaMarcus hurt a great deal. But the ones they wanted to take instead of JaMarcus, Brady Quinn, hasn’t played yet.

      “There was some talk of Calvin Johnson. But you can take a look at Calvin up at Detroit. How many games did they win this year, Detroit, do you know? Six? Yeah. But up until now, Calvin hadn’t done anything for them. He had been eulogized, but he hadn’t made a lot of indelible impression on the won and lost. Listen, someone asked the question, it’s there. The JaMarcus thing hurt.”

      Oh, brother. Only Al Davis could admit to a mistake but then try to rectify it by saying something stupid.

      Hey, I blew it by drafting JaMarcus Russell but it’s not like anyone else that we wanted panned out – especially that Calvin Johnson kid. After all, football is a one-man sport and Johnson only helped the Lions win six games last year so it’s not like he would have helped. And don’t forget people, we drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey two drafts later so we got our own Calvin Johnson eventually.

      Johnson has 4,191 yards and 33 touchdowns thus far in his promising career. Russell is out of the league already. Big difference.

      External Sports, NFL

      Ten Things Learned from UFC Fight for the Troops 2

      January 25, 2011 /

      E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com shares 10 things he learned from UFC Fight for the Troops 2.

      UFC Deserving of Praise for Fundraising Efforts
      For all the crap the UFC (and mixed martial arts in general) takes from opponents, name me another major sports organization that has brought their product directly to the men and women who protect us?

      Fight for the Troops 2 gave more than 3,200 soldiers the chance to watch the sport first-hand, and the fundraising efforts attached to the event generated more than $650,000 in donations during the broadcast alone. The initial Fight for the Troops event held two years ago raised over $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and Saturday’s event should eclipse that number when all the dollars are counted.

      While other major professional sports leagues honor soldiers during regularly scheduled games and show their support for the troops in various ways, the UFC is the only organization to bring their product onto an Army base and give those soldiers a night away from their everyday stresses.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      FSTA Fantasy Baseball Experts Draft

      January 25, 2011 /

      I don’t follow baseball, but I snapped this photo of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association fantasy baseball experts draft and thought a few readers might get some use out of it.

      Click on the picture for a bigger version.

      Anthony, maybe you can comment about this?

      Anthony’s Take: I sure as heck can, John. Nice work on the photo.

      The first thing that jumps out to me is Braun being selected with the second overall pick. With guys like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford on the board, I’m a little surprised to see Braun taken that early, although he certainly contributes across the board (he hit .304 last year with 25 HR, 103 RBI, 101 R and 14 SB). It’ll be interesting to see what Car-Go does for an encore after hitting .336 with 24 home runs, 117 RBI, 111 runs and 26 SB in a breakout 2010. He plays at a shallow position so I can see why he went early, although taking him ahead of Longoria and Crawford may have been a stretch. The team I really like is “Team 3,” which scooped Hanley Ramirez in Round 1, Matt Holliday in Round 2 and then went back-to-back young pitchers in Lincecum and Kershaw in Rounds 3 and 4. He also added some solid contributors in Ichiro and Swisher, and if Morales can bounce back from the injury he suffered last year, then he might be a steal in Round 5. In a 13-team draft, the talent gets watered down quickly, but he did well with his first five picks. “Team 8” looks strong too, with Tulo, Josh Hamilton, King Felix, Morneau (if he can stay healthy) and Hamels. He did very well to nab Matt Cain in the 8th round, although he needs good seasons out of Hudson and Jurrjens if he’s going to finish in the money this year.

      This is a great peak at an insider’s board. It’s interesting to see who the so-called experts picked in the first couple of rounds.

      External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

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