In a properly officiated game, you should not even notice that the referees are there. Let's just say, that through three weeks of the 2012 NFL Season, the officials had been extremely visible. With each passing game the real NFL referees' leverage grew stronger and stronger. The replacement officials were over-matched, and their lack of familiarity with NFL rules and practices was impossible to hide. We saw Division 3, High School, Arena, and even Lingerie League officials affecting the outcomes of the most high profile games on the planet. We saw gross incompetence that ranged from misinterpretation of NFL rules, to not understanding which way to face when reporting penalties. The whole standoff came to a head in week 3. The two most publicized games of the week, both prime-time showcases, had outcomes that were not a result of the on-field play, but rather by the striped men's "creative" interpretation of league rules. I am actually glad that the replacement officials made such egregious errors, because the worse they were, the quicker the NFL would act to resolve the issue. Now, there is a prevailing theory that the league knew all along that it would end the lockout going into week 4. Since this was the first week with byes, the league would need to either need to come to a resolution now, or wait until the bye weeks ended in week 12, to preserve competitive balance. I don't particularly care why the work stoppage came to an end, I am just happy that it did. So now, I am sure we will never see another blown call in an NFL Game... - Kevin Aherne After 3 weeks of 'wtf' and '%$^%#$', the NFL has decided to replace the replacement refs with the original refs. Though with the new change, hopefully now the pick'ems will prove to be better. Last week, wet an abysmal 4-12 though 2 games were 'blown' by the refs and the other 4, the teams just didn't show up to play. Hopefully things will be different during this week. That being said, let's get things started. Thursday Night 8:20 p.m. Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens It's basically Art Modell's new team vs. the team he pissed all over. To be honest, this is an easy one. Ravens have won 13 straight at home and coming off a big Sunday night win against the Pats. If Josh Weeden thought the Bills defense was tough last week, he's in for a surprise. Pick: Ravens Sunday 1:00 p.m. San Francisco 49ers @ New York Jets Jets have only one advantage: home field. Other than that, their offense is shaky at best. On defensive side of the ball, they lost one of their better players in Revis for the season due to injury. Expect Crabtree, Moss, Davis, and even Manningham to contribute in this one for the 49ers. Pick: 49ers Bonus Pick: After this week, Tebow will be starting San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs were able to go into New Orleans and snatch up a 27-24 OT win. RB Jamaal Charles went wild, running for 233 yards on 33 carries. He'll be going up against a Chargers' run defense that allowed Michael Turner (who averaged lass than 3.0 ypc in his first two games) to rush for an average of 5.7 ypc. Oh, and the Chiefs are currently on a 2-game winning streak against the Chargers at home in Arrowhead Stadium. Pick: Chiefs Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams Lost in the controversy of that Monday night game was the fact that the Seahawks defense held the Packers offense to a mere 12 points and sacked Aaron Rodgers 8 times. Rams' offense was held to a total of 160 yards and QB Sam Bradford was sacked 6 times in a blowout loss against the Chicago Bears. Expect Seattle to get after Bradford all day. Pick: Seahawks Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions Vikings have received good news in the form that WR Jerome Simpson has finished his 3-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. This will give Christian Ponder, who is already having a very efficient year (104.9 QB rating), the explosive weapon he's been missing so far. With Lions' QB Matt Stafford banged up and their secondary in dire straits, expect the Vikings to pillage another upset victory. Pick: Vikings New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills In the off-season, the Bills retooled their defense. They went out and got pass rushing DEs (Mario Williams and Mark Anderson) and drafted CBs (Stephen Gilmore and Ron Brooks). Now this will be their first big test, going up against a high-powered Patriots passing attack. Fortunately for the Bills, they're also going up against a Patriots defense who couldn't lay a hand on Flacco and can't stop a passing attack even if they had 8 guys in the secondary. Pick: Bills The 2012 edition of the Boston Red Sox has been a disaster. New England's beloved baseball team, winners of two World Series in the past decade, has been in disaray since their epic collapse in September of the 2011 season. Since that point, things have gone from bad to worse, to down right embarrassing. Although we are experiencing the breakdown now, this collapse is the result of several years of poor decisions and mis-management. The ownership, which had been lauded for resurecting the storied franchise as well as restoring the beloved Fenway Park, seemed to have a change in philosophy. Their approach, which was once a two pronged system of developing the on-field talent while growing the business brand, had fallen by the wayside. They once allowed the baseball minds to make the baseball decisions, and the business minds to handle the branding and marketing of the club. However, at some point these two paths converged, and the resulting collision led to the epic failure. Theo Epstein was the first one to identify the shift, noting that certain members of the ownership started affecting on-field decisions in order to "Feed the Monster." The group seemed to mortgage the team's results and future success in favor of preserving their "sell-out streak" and appeasing the "pink hat" fans. The appeal of big named free agents such as John Lackey and Carl Crawford caused the Sox to open up the checkbook, and throw rediculous money at these overrated and overpriced "stars." In doing so, the factors in the team's previous success, player development and team chemistry, were forgotten. Epstein saw that this new philosophy had taken over and knew that he needed to part ways. He was able to jump ship, and seperate himself from the regime that once shared his vision. The team then promoted Ben Cherington to take over as General Manager, only to become a puppet to the ownership group's will. This was evidenced by the hiring of manager Bobby Valentine, a move not approved by Cherington, but rather Larry Lucchino. The move, which was widely unpopular among the Boston media, amplified the team's issues. The team did make a few moves, albeit late, to right the sinking ship. They were able to ship the much maligned Josh Beckett, the underwhelming Carl Crawford, and the barely adequate Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers in exchange for a few prospects and a bucket of balls. This move freed up over $200 million in guaranteed contracts, and allowed the team to separate itself from negative clubhouse influences. They are also very likely to release their enigmatic manager, who lately has displayed very peculiar and questionable behavior, as soon as the season concludes. The future direction of the Sox is still very questionable, and many question remain unanswered: * What will their approach be to rebuilding this franchise? Will they throw good money after bad, and try to sign marketable stars to mega contracts? Or will they use moneyball practices, and search for value players who can contribute their sum to the whole? * Who will they bring in to manage next years squad? Another old-school hard-ass like their current lame duck skipper? or will they go back to a soft and cuddly players manager like Tito? * What is the ownership's stake in this teams success? Did they slash payroll in order to facilitate a sale? Are they committed to the quality of the on-field product? Would an ownership change be harmful or helpful for the future of this franchise? Tune in to Psycho Sports this Wednesday at 10 PM, and we will attempt to address many of these questions and issues. - Kevin Aherne Host, Psycho Sports It's that time of the week, time for another episode of Fox Pick'ems. I wasn't so hot with my picks lastweek, as I only picked half of the games correctly, a measley 8-8. But hey, you won't see me jumping off the Tobin Bridge in despair like Patriots fans after their team got shown up by the Cardinals. Anywho, on to the picks. New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers Eli had a game for the ages against the Bucs, 510 yards passing and 3 TDs (also 3 picks). However the Giants played very lax for the first 3 quarters. Their pass rush has been practically non-exsistent, allowing Tony Romo in week 1 and Josh Freeman in week 2 to settle in the pocket. The Carolina Panthers are coming off a big win against the Saints in New Orleans. Cam Newton will pass, run, and keep Eli sitting on the bench. My heart says Giants, I bleed blue, but common sense is making this pick. Pick: Panthers New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins In years past, this match up had fireworks and pizzaz. But this time around, we get a broken down Jets offense who can't even find the end zone going against a Dolphins team who thrashed on the Raiders. We saw Reggie Bush explode for 172 yards on 26 carries and 2 touchdowns for Miami. Going up against a slipshod Jets defense without Darelle Revis for the second straight week, Bush will carry the Dolphins to 2-1. Pick: Dolphins Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys Dallas will be hungry to score their first home victory of the season against a Bucs team, who is still shell-shocked after their Week 2 choke against the Giants as well as distracted by their idiotic head coach's philosophy. Then again... the Cowboys are owned by the biggest dumbass in football. In case you didn't know...dumbass outranks idiot. Pick: Buccaneers St. Louis Rams @ Chicago Bears Sam Bradford was able to out duel the up-and-coming RG3 last week without the help of All-Pro Steven Jackson, showing why St. Louis had faith in him. Also worth mentioning, the Rams defense was able to limit the high-flying Redskins offense to a mere 7 points in the entire second half. Going against a porous Bears O-line, expect a big day for the Rams defense putting Jay Cutler constantly on his back. Pick: Rams San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings Another NFC North road opponent for the 49ers. They held the Packers, the NFL's top scoring team in 2011, to just 22 points in week 1. Then in the ESPN dubbed 'Handshake Bowl', they kept Megatron out of the end zone and defeated the Lions. Against the rebuilding Vikings, expect nothing more than another victory. Also, former Vikings and now current 49ers Randy Moss will have a monster game as well. Pick: 49ers BREAKING NEWS! Forget about all the drama up at Fenway, forget about whether or not Bobby V will be back in 2013, and generally forget about those losers up in Boston. The true diamonds of the 2012 Red Sox organization will not be found in the Hub City, but rather in your very backyard. Yes, that's right folks; I'm talking about the 2012 Governor's Cup Champions: the Pawtucket Red Sox. After defeating Scranton Wilkes-Barre in the first round of the International League Playoffs, Arnie Beyler's squad took on the IL South Division winners, the Charlotte Knights. In dominating fashion, the Paw Sox swept the Knights three games to none. The key to Pawtucket's success was their pitching staff. In Game 1, Steven Wright mowed down the Knights in 7 innings of play, striking out 6 while giving up only 2 runs in a 7-2 victory. Then in Game 2, Zach Stewart shut out the Knights, going 6 innings and allowing just 4 hits while striking out 4. And in the Game 3 clincher, Nelson Figueora pitched 7 innings of tough baseball, striking out 5 while only allowing 1 run. Now after obtaining their first Governor's Cup title since 1984, the PawSox will have the chance to prove that they are the best team in Triple A this upcoming play Tuesday in the Triple-A Championship game. This will be their first chance to participate in such a game, and they will face the winner of the Omaha Storm Chasers/Reno Aces series in the Pacific Coast League Finals. While 2012 is a year that many Boston Red Sox fans want to disregard, it is a year that the Pawtucket Red Sox will not soon forget. -Ryan L. Fox Hey everyone, its the Fantastic Ryan Fox, the true NFL mastermind at 990WBOB. We have Week 1 in the books, there were some 'shocking' upsets, impressive debuts, and of course, the predictable. Now lets look ahead to Week 2 and kick things off with a little Thursday Night Football. NFL Week 2 Preview
Well another year, another sport, another work stoppage. This time it is the Gary Bettman led NHL, just 8 years removed from a lockout, which cost hockey the entire season 2004-05 season. Since that lockout, the NHL has made tremendous strides in growing and evolving as a sport. The big market fan bases of the Bruins, Rangers, Penguins, Blackhawks, and Kings have all been rejuvenated. Additionally, the NHL reached record profits of over three billion dollars in the past year. Events like the Winter Classic have captured the attention of the casual fan, and general interest in the sport is at its highest level since the Gretzky era. Our own Boston Bruins are the perfect example of the progress the league has made just in the last few years. In the 2008 Playoffs, Boston's first postseason appearance since the 2004 lockout, Montreal Canadien fans packed the TD Garden in a riveting first round matchup. Since then, Bruins Nation has been reborn, providing great ratings for NESN and radio broadcast. Fans packed the Garden every game, making the Bruins one of the hottest tickets in town, and carrying them to their first title since 1972, two seasons ago. Can Bruins Nation and the NHL bounce back from another potential lockout? Will this rising sport piss away all of its momentum (and huge NBC TV deal) while selling out the fans who helped build it? These are questions that will be answered in time. All I know is, with the NBA, college basketball and other winter sports available to the casual sports fan, the NHL is certainly rolling the dice, risking another owner imposed work stoppage if a deal is not reached by Saturday's midnight deadline. - Joe Passarrelli I don't know how to define weirdness, but I know it when I see it. Weird Sports are the same way. While some people may consider it weird that we celebrate sports where the participants strap metal blades to their feet while chasing a rubber disk with a stick, in some places, it is called hockey. Some may find it odd to walk along a pasture carefully looking for a small white ball, only to whack that ball as far away as possible once located, but in some places, that is called golf. So as much as weirdness is in the eye of the beholder, here are a couple indisputably weird sports: Chess Boxing Finally, Europe has given the masses what they want! Chess boxing, an aptly named hybrid sport combines the sweet science of physical violence with the noble strategy "Game of Kings." The concept is simple: 11 three-minute rounds, alternating between chess and boxing, with the victory being awarded to the first competitor to obtain either checkmate, or a knockout. This game, invented in 1978, has grown a large following in both London and Berlin, with large annual tournaments in each city. Sepak Takraw Wildly popular in Malaysia, and much of Southeast Asia, Sepak Takraw is very similar to volleyball, with one major difference: no hands allowed. The game is played with a hand-woven rattan ball that is slightly smaller than a soccer ball. Teams of 3 athletically contort their feet, legs and heads to volley a ball over a 5-foot high net. Sepak Tekraw's origins date back as early the 15th century, based from an ancient Chinese military training exercise. The sport is wildly popular in Asia, evidenced by an annual massive international tournament held in Bangkok, which features a fierce rivalry between Malaysia and Thailand. - Kevin Aherne After months of deliberation and many days in court, ‘BountyGate’ has finally come to a close. But it only closes for the players involved rather than the coaches. On Friday, September 7th of 2011, the Appeals revoked the suspensions of Saints LB Jonathan Vilma and DE Will Smith, Cleveland Browns LB Scott Fujita, and Green Bay Packers DE Anthony Harthgrove for the 2011 regular season. The players were celebratory of the decision, with Vilma tweeting ‘Victory is mine!!!!’ over on Twitter once he heard the news. However though the players were able to play, they are on a considerably short leash. Commissioner Roger Goodell still can suspend them if there is another incident with proof that they took monetary commissions for knocking out targeted opposing players. Also, you still have Saints Head Coach Sean Payton still suspended for the entire year, his interim, Offensive Coordinator Joe Vitt, is still suspended for 6 games this year, as well as Saints GM Mickey Loomis who is suspended for 8 games this year as well. And no matter how hard Vilma and the others will deny it, their fellow NFL peers will never look at them the same way again. Though the players may consider this ruling a victory, it is only but a pyrrhic victory. The Bountygate is closed but its legacy will remain. -Ryan L. Fox What does one expect? It's been what seems like decades since I have witnessed any form of organized roller competition. Not since the days of my early child hood do I recall such an intriguing unique competition. A lost art form, a groovy piece of Americana. The atmosphere alone, is intoxicating. From the moment I walked into the arena I could not help to be mesmerized by the roaring crowd. The signs waiving, fans loudly chanting and taunting the skaters. These same skaters are so close to the fans you can hear every bone shattering hit. Two announcers commentate the bout while a DJ plays some high energy rock. Round and round the ladies went each time more pulse pounding than the last. I must admit that even after a night with the Roller ladies, I still don't fully understand all the rules and regulations. Talking with a few of the skaters helped me grasp a few of the basics. The game is broken down into two thirty minute halves. The skaterscompete to score points by passing the other team around the track. Easier said than done... for roller derby is full contact. All hits are legal as long as they do not come from behind. In my brief visit to this world, I witnessed scornful hit after scornful hit. Theses ladies were not hitting like any type of lady you may be thinking of. "You fuck your shit up" said recently retired skater Bunnicula. Injuries are common as Bunnicula herself had multiple knee surgeries, cutting her career short. She was comfortably enjoying her ambassador role as the Old Money Honeys took on the Mob Squad at the Rhode Island Convention Center for the season opener. The roller derby comes complete with a halftime show, courtside announcers, press box, full bar and food service. The Roller Derby packs in the fans of all walks. A rough attendance estimate of 200+ means that these ladies are attracting attention. One of the US's fastest growing female sports, the derby is a terrific presentation of home grown entertainment. I highly recommend a night with the Providence Roller Derby. - Pal
|
Support WBOB Sports
|