So last night, during halftime of the Miami-Georgia Tech game, my roommate starts flipping around the channels on the top TV while the Phils were showing on the bottom television. Suddenly, he stumbled on The World's Dumbest Confrontations on truTV. With a title like that, how could we not watch?
Well, to our amazement, this happened:
Listen, I'm one of the whitest people who ever whited, so I'm not the most well-versed person when it comes to others' cultures, but, uh, can anyone on the planet honestly explain to me what the hell is going on here? Seriously, I'm completely baffled. Sure, it didn't help our understanding last night when we saw it that the sound was off because we had the sound on for the Phillies game, but honestly, sound doesn't help. I don't get it. I'm not sure I want to get it. Some things are simply beyond explanation.
HIs name is C.J. Olaniyan, and he'd like very much to play for Larry Johnson Sr.
-Turns out Cornelius Ingram wasn't surprised he needed a second surgery. I hope he doesn't plan on ever going back to that doctor who performed the first one.
-Charlie Manuel says Brett Myers isn't ready to close. I say neither is Ryan Madson. Guess Brad Lidge it is. Ugh.
-Surprise, surprise, the Eagles don't want to eat any money if they don't have to. That's why they won't cut or trade Reggie Brown. Yeah, because an inactive player is more valuable than a special teamer if he saves some cash. What a bunch of scrooges.
-Apparently, Chris Pronger and Matt Carle are playing well together as a shutdown defensive pair. The most exciting part to me is that this means Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn will be reunited. I likes the sound of that.
Ready for wild, uneducated declarations? Miami quarterback Jacory Harris will be the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He'll be just like JaMarcus Russell, only he'll be good instead of grossly obese.
-Just click here, via TBL. You can thank me later.
-Kobe Bryant's best dunks, because I know how much everyone else here loves Kobe so much.
-SLAM's Fresh 50 2010, starring local product Dion Waiters and Penn State-bound Taran Buie:
Waiters with Nova's Roman Catholic grad Maalik Wayns
17 Dion Waiters 6-3 SG Life Center (NJ) Syracuse Philly product still bullies smaller guards, but has added more of a playmaking mentality.
43 Taran Buie 6-2 SG State College (PA) Penn State Buffalo-area transfer will give his future college supporters a preview of his explosive all-around game.
The Keepers James van Riemsdyk(notes), Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers are deeper than Jim Balsillie's pockets, which is the only reason why JVR won't be an impact player this year. However, he has come as advertised and he will be a star forward very soon. He should get into a lot of NHL contests in 2009-10, but the numbers game will hold him to the third line.
“This is a tease, man,” Guillen said. “It’s like when you have a girlfriend and you are kissing her all over … and she says no. That’s where we are right now. That’s the way we are. Like I say, it doesn’t matter what Detroit does. It only matters what we do.”
-Brent Barry may retire, seeing as the Rockets are trying to trade him. Please, please don't retire, Brent. I'm not ready for an NBA without you.
3. Lou Williams, Sixers - As the starting point guard in Philly, it’s time for Sweet Lou to step up. Last year he averaged a respectable 12.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in only 23.7 minutes a night. With increased playing time, those numbers should increase as well. If he can become the player we all saw in high school, the League better watch out.
I personally don't see it, but it would be nice if that happened.
Finally, I'd just like to make it known that D' Anton Lynn, the sophomore starting cornerback for Penn State (No. 8), is now my next new favorite Penn Stater.
Of course, Jerome Hayes is and always will be my guy, and Navorro Bowman isn't far behind, but mark my words, you will know D' Anton Lynn before it's all said and done.
As a Penn State fan and graduate, I'm supposed to hate the University of Miami. At least, that's what I'm told by my father and scores of older Penn State fans. Miami represents the cocky, arrogant, selfish athlete, or so I'm told.
But the funny thing is, I've never had any problems with Miami. None. Maybe it's because I'm too young to remember No. 1 Miami showing up in fatigues, proclaiming themselves champions before they took the field against the underdog Nittany Lions. Of course, we all know Penn State picked off Vinny Testaverde five times and won the game.
The funny thing is, I was 2 years old at the time, meaning that's not something that registers in my memory at all. No, to me, Miami represents the university that has produced some of the most freakish athletes ever to strap on the helmet. Many of those guys I can't help but like, guys like Jerome Brown, Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Sean Taylor, Jon Beason, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss, just to name a few. Players like that make me marvel at the type of athletes, the type of frighteningly good football players that school has produced.
On top of that, in two of the most memorable national championships matchups in recent memory, Miami took on teams that I truly despise, teams that I hate way, way more than I ever would Miami. The first came in the 2002 Rose Bowl, when Miami took on, and defeated, Nebraska, a team I hate with every fiber of my being. I vividly remember 1994, and I'll hate Nebraska forever because of that. Penn State was the best team that year. I know it, you know it and everyone else knows it. They had the best quarterback in the nation (Kerry Collins), the best running back (Ki-Jana Carter), the best tight end (Kyle Brady), the best wide receiver (Bobby Engram) and the best offensive line. They were unstoppable and undefeated. Yet not national champions, because the voters gave it to an inferior Nebraska team. Bullshit.
Anyway, I wanted Miami to destroy Nebraska, and the Hurricanes did just that.
How can I hate a team that completely embarrassed Nebraska, exposing them for the frauds they are? Short answer, I can't.
The very next year, Miami was taking on another team I can't stand, matching up with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl for the title. The last thing I wanted to see was Maurice Clarrett's fat ass and Jim Tressel's lying, cheating, scumbag face win a national championship. Unfortunately, this time Miami couldn't pull it out. And this happened:
All of this is just a long of saying that I don't hate Miami. In fact, I actually kind of like the Hurricanes. And frankly, I think college football is better off when Miami is good. That's why I've been excited by the first two performances by the Hurricanes this season, especially the play of sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris.
Heading into this season, there was a lot of talk of Miami beginning to turn things around, but expectations were tempered. The class of the ACC was supposed to be Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, with Miami making strides this season and perhaps contending next year. Rumor had it that Miami could very well have a good team and start 0-4 because their schedule was so brutal, starting out with Florida State in Tallahassee, then Georgia Tech at home, at Va. Tech and home vs. Oklahoma. Brutal start.
But a funny thing happened. Instead of waiting around for next year, Miami went out and topped the Seminoles on the road in one of the most entertaining games I've ever seen.
The main reason Miami was able to upset Florida State 38-34 was the play of Jacory Harris, who threw for 386 yards and two touchdowns on 21 of 34 passing, looking more like a senior than a sophomore with his calm, cool demeanor.
Then last night, Harris did one better, completing 20 of 25 for 270 yards and three touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets in a 33-17 rout.
Ladies and gentlemen, Jacory Harris is for real. There is no doubt about it. In two games so far this young season, against two teams that were supposed to be the class of ACC, the sophomore signal-caller has thrown for 656 yards and 5 touchdowns while completing 69.5 percent of his passes. This is only the beginning. Jacory Harris is the real deal.
Harris is not just a freakish athlete playing quarterback. He's a quarterback who just so happens to be a great athlete. He's more Donovan McNabb than Mike Vick. Make no mistake about it, Jacory Harris is a passer. Don't be surprised to hear him in the Heisman Trophy conversation, if not this year, definitely next. In the meantime, watch him take complete command of the Miami offense, as a sophomore, and enjoy the show. Oh, and good luck trying to stop him.
Coming back to work after a long weekend is a painful enough process, but coming back after an action-packed three-day weekend that felt more like seven days is even tougher.
It all began with the trip out to State College on Friday night. Arkansas Fred and I loaded up our gear and made the three-hour trek west on Route 80. Now I'm not sure if it's just the time of year, the need for more tickets to written to help supplement shrinking budgets or what, but we must have seen 6 or 7 people pulled over on our way to Penn State. Seriously, there were state police everywhere with their radar guns, not hesitating to pull over anyone exceeding the speed limit. Luckily, we were not one of them.
On the ride, I received a text message from Adam EatShit: "What's going on with Lee?" Seeing as I was in a car in the middle of Pennsylvania with no reception of the Phils game, I had no idea. But apparently, for the second straight start, Cliff Lee got rocked, and the Phils lost the series opener to the Astros. Not good, but my mind was elsewhere.
As we pulled in to town, I immediately longed for my days as a college student. There were loads of female college students dressed in some rather revealing clothing. The sights were plentiful. I called my cousin, who was kind enough to put Arkansas Fred and I up for the night, and he asked if I knew where the HUB was and if we could pick him up there. Funny story, I know exactly where the HUB is. I did go to school there for four years after all.
Anyway, Friday night we sort of took it easy, drank some drinks and prepared for the opener on Saturday. Noon games are so annoying. First of all, we barely got any sleep because there were deafening Penn State chants and raucous students doing what college students do all night. Either way, we made it to the game and were all set to go. Unfortunately, the cowboy hat-wearing douchebags made it as well. I fucking hate those guys.
As far as the game is concerned, it was roughly what could be expected. Penn State breezed through to a 31-7 victory, going up 31-0 at halftime. They looked really, really good in the first half, and the second half was a complete pile of dog shit. But Penn State looked pretty good overall.
I do, however, have a few things I took issue with. For starters, I was told Jerome Hayes would start.
He did not. In fact, he wasn't even in the first two defensive series. This made me very unhappy. Though when he did get in, he immediately recorded a tackle for a five-yard loss. Great to have you back, Jerome. Secondly, the starters were in entirely too long in that game. Daryll Clark stayed in until there were 4 minutes left in the game, with a 31-7 lead, for no good reason at all. Ditto Sean Lee. And plenty of other starters for that matter. Nothing good can come from them staying in. It was just asking for trouble. Thankfully, nothing bad happened, but it would be wise to sit guys like Lee and Clark down early when you can.
Finally, I was pissed that I had no idea Navorro Bowman got hurt at practice earlier in the week. After the first series, Bowman didn't take the field and I had no idea why. Arkansas Fred and I were searching the sidelines for him, seeing him sitting back on the bench all by himself. We were curious as to if he got suspended or hurt or what. Turns out he tweaked his groin during the week, so the coaches and Bowman were being cautious. Good idea. No reason to risk injury against Akron or Syracuse or Temple. Save him for that payback game against Iowa.
As for the game, the passing game did a fine job, as Derek Moye and Chaz Powell got open and made excellent catches, while the rest of the receiving corps did a fine job, save Brent Brackett. Brackett dropped a few balls and missed a ton of blocks. That was discouraging. But Clark, while not sharp (he underthrew his deep ball and routinely made inaccurate passes), got the job done, thanks to some fine catches by his receivers.
The passing game will be just fine. The running game, well, it was evident that the inexperienced offensive line has some work to do there. On pass protection, the new line was fantastic, rarely letting anyone near Clark. But on running downs, they got virtually no push, resulting in a struggle on the ground. Still, with Evan Royster, Stephfon Green and freshman lightning bolt Devon Smith, you'd think they'll get things going sooner or later.
Speaking of Smith, I was surprised to see him get so much playing time. Of course I heard about the speedy freshman tailback with the sub-4.3 speed, but I didn't figure he'd see much time on the field in 2009, especially with a tiny 5'7", 150-lb. frame. Yet there he was, out there to receive the opening kickoff. Out there on the first series. Regularly getting touches. The guy is tiny, but the coaches must be really high on him to see so much PT as a true freshman in his first game.
The true story of the game, however, was the Penn State defense. The defensive line was the best unit on the field, routinely getting in the backfield and wreaking havoc. Because of their dominance, Akron was limited to just 186 yards of offense, and just 28 of which came on the ground.
Jared Odrick was the best player on the field, bar none. He was overpowering the Akron line, and he freed up his teammates to make plays. That guy is surely primed to make himself an early first-round pick this season. Joining Odrick in the starring role was sophomore end Jack Crawford. The 6'5, 256-lber was a beast, making an immediate impact. The play of the line was the biggest plus for the Nittany Lions.
Of course, the linebackers had their say as well. Any doubts about whether or not Sean Lee has fully recovered should be gone. He wasn't asked to make many plays with the defensive line controlling things, but when he was, he made them all. And he made them all in impressive fashion. He looked like the same Sean Lee that was teaming up with Dan Connor and Paul Posluszny.
And with Navorro Bowman limited due to his injury, sophomore Nathan Stupar stepped in and impressed. Last year's best special teamer, Stupar came in and flew around the field, showing Linebacker U is in good hands. He made some very nice plays and looked like a guy who belonged. Given the ho-hum game by Josh Hull, don't be surprised if we see a linebacking corps of Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman and Nate Stupar down the road.
The downside of the game was Collin Wagner, the junior kicker. After booming the opening kickoff nearly out of the end zone, Wagner struggled. He missed a 28-yard field goal and later a 49-yarder, and his kickoffs got progressively shorter and lower. Perhaps freshman Anthony Fera could do a little better.
Still, not much to complain about with the opener. Penn State handled Akron easily, as they should. They certainly looked a lot better than Ohio State and Iowa.
After the game, Arkansas Fred and I headed back to the Philadelphia area, where we proceeded to see a ton more cops with radar guns pulling people over. It was pretty crazy. I finally got back to my house in Philadelphia in time to watch the Phillies along with the Oklahoma-BYU game and Alabama-Virginia Tech game. I wish I didn't bother with the Phils.
After battling back in the 8th inning to grab a 4-3 lead, Brad Lidge came in and blew his freakin 10th save of the season to drop the second straight game to the Astros.
I'm sorry, but this isn't 2008 anymore. It's 2009, and Brad Lidge is just plain awful. He needs to be demoted pronto. Brett Myers made his return and looked damn good this weekend. Closer good. Time to make the move. Because Lidge blows. Donkey balls. Sweaty donkey balls.
At least Sam Bradford got hurt. That was kind of cool, though it sucks for Bradford and Oklahoma. It was nice to see BYU pull off the upset and get everyone off the Big 12's nuts for a change, and Bama looked damn good against Va. Tech. Mark Ingram was a beast, and I know I would not look forward to tackling any Alabama running back.
Those games were pretty sweet, but they couldn't compare to last night's epic battle between Miami and Florida State. After the Phils shit the bed again Sunday and then yesterday to suffer a 4-game sweep to the hands of the God damn Astros, the Phils still have a 6-game lead, but if anyone should know how important it is to bury the opposition, it's this team. They were the beneficiaries of back-to-back late-season collapses. They know firsthand how important winning is this time of year.
Though it seems they should lock up this division, it's no gimme. Getting swept by Houston doesn't exactly instill confidence. If this team simply had a reliable closer and focused down the stretch, they could easily be 15 games up. As it stands, it's still a six-game lead, but they better not get too complacent. Just ask the Mets how that worked out for them.
But back to the Florida State-Miami game. Man, was that an awesome capper to a long first weekend of college football.
You couldn't have asked for a better game by two hated rivals. The Hurricanes and Seminoles have been a bit down the past few years, but if last night's game was any indication, these two programs are back on the rise. It was a coming out party for the two quarterbacks, as Christian Ponder looked incredible in the first half for Florida State and Jacory Harris played incredibly in the second half for Miami.
I mean, both guys were insanely impressive. Harris had the best game of his young career, throwing for 386 yards on 61.8 percent passing, while Ponder got 294 yards of his own, not to mention 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Graig Jones looked like a frighteningly talented athlete for the Canes, and it's evident both teams are loaded with studs. It was a great game with great implications for college football. This storied rivalry came down to the final play, and best of all, it saw Miami come out on top. Take that, Bowden.
This weekend really whiped me out. Between the trip to Happy Valley, the crappiness of the Phils and the full plate of college football, I barely even found time to drink, though I did on Sunday night. Couldn't have asked for more out of the first weekend of the football season. Except for maybe making that long three-day weekend even a little bit longer.
