sportsblogger

   Kyle Busch is having one of the best seasons in NASCAR history having won 8 times this season in the Sprint Cup circuit. Carl Edwards is also having a great season, he has won 6 times in the Sprint Cup and sits in second place in the standings behind Busch.

   Busch, in his dominance, has seemingly bullied his way to victories and is just in another class of his own when he is out on the track. Kyle seems to just dominate every race he has won and always leads the most laps at the end to further put his mark on his victories.

   Edwards is slightly different, he gives off the vibe of a guy who has worked hard to win the race, but always wins in dominant fashion like Busch. He is a proven winner and has won at every level in NASCAR’s 3 divisions.

   Carl Edwards, 29 years old, is a veteran in the Sprint Cup and has not had the ease of success in his years in NASCAR’s top circuit. In fact it has been something of a steady rise into this new stardom that he has now.

   Kyle Busch, 23 years old, is still adjusting to his Sprint Cup career, that in just a few years has blown up. When he was with Hendrick Motorsports, Busch seemed to be too aggressive behind the wheel, and often wrecked his car ending his days quite early.

   Busch was released last season, when Hendricks signed Dale Earnhardt Jr., and quickly found a new home with Joe Gibbs Racing. It seems that he fits in really well with Gibbs, well enough to be the top driver in the Sprint Cup standings this season.

   The Edwards vs Busch rivalry heated up last weekend after Busch was bumped out of the way by Edwards to grab Carl his 6th win of the season. Busch followed that bump by, at the end of the race, bumping Edwards and letting him know he did not appreciate being bumped.

   NASCAR has put both drivers on a 6 race probation and will keep an eye out for any wrong-doing by either driver. This is exactly what NASCAR needed, a great rivalry between 2 of its brightest stars.

J.M.Saucedo  

   The College Football season begins thursday, but really hits its full stride somewhere between October or November or whenever a team in the top 10 is defeated. That is really when we all start to take notice of our local collegiate athletes.

   There is a usual bad feeling in my stomach about the College Football season in 2008 which starts with Georgia as the Number One ranked team. That feeling is always here at the beginning of the season, then it fades away, and returns during the Bowl selection.

   It is so easy for anyone to poke at the BCS and call it a mistake because it allows a computer to dictate who is the best 2 teams in College Football. Well there would be no problem if there was not anyone left out of a BCS bid when the Bowl games are decided.

   But every year we have one Head Coach seething because his team was left out of a BCS game. In the years to come, it seems that we are going to continue to deal with the system as the College Presidents have no desire to open up a Playoff system.

   Its easy to complain and demand of our need to have the teams decide on the field who is the best in the Nation, but thats what we have the NFL for. It would be nice to see a Playoff in College Football but the truth is that we will not see one for at least the next 5 years if ever.

   I guess that I will have to learn how to cope with the pain that burdens me at the beginning and end of the Collegiate Football Season. Just leave all of our fates in the hands, or in this case Motherboards, of a computer. Lets hope for another unsuccessful BCS season.

J.M.Saucedo

   In some what of a cynical goodbye, the New York Yankees are closing out the Old Yankee Stadium in a very forgettable fashion. The Yankees of old seem to be long gone, lost between high expectations and high payrolls that are not paying off.

   This is to be the last season the Yankees will call the House that Ruth Built home and was going to be the ultimate send off for one of sports’ Iconic Stadiums. No one has delivered the message to the Tampa Bay Rays, who have been atop the AL East for most of the season.

    The Yankees can not get on track this season and just do not look like a team that has an over $200 million payroll. The days of the great Yankee teams will not be forgotten, but we will all remember that the Yankees closed out their great Stadiums with out a post season appearance.

    Yes, I said it! For the first time since 1993, the New York Yankees will miss the post season because of their lack of heart. Heart was something that the Yankees of old always had, and the one thing these current Yankees are missing.

   Last years Yankees were pushed by the heart of their former Mananger Joe Torre, who always seemed to get the best out of his players. The ability to push his players into playing with heart, seems to be lacking from manager Joe Girardi.

   So this is it? Yankee Stadiums last game is on Sunday, the 21st of September, will likely be the last game for the Stadium which opened in 1923. A terrible send off for a Stadium that has seen nothing but success.

J.M.Saucedo

   You read the headline right, Adam Jones better known as “Pacman” was officially reinstated by the NFL today after being banned for the entire 2007 season. Jones is now a part of the Dallas Cowboys and is expected to be a big part of the teams Defensive plans.

   Jones is also a major threat as a Kick Returner and should see some playing time at that position. It is good to see Jones back in the NFL, and I hope he has learned his lesson and will stay out of trouble from here on out.

   There is still no word on the knee of Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. Peyton had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac from his knee in July and has not seen any playing time in any of the Colts’ preseason games.

    Manning expects to be ready for the season opener on September 7th against the Chicago Bears, but there is still no indication of Mannings status for that game. Manning has the second longest consecutive starts at QB with 160 games as the Colts Field General.

   Rookie QB’s Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan will see their careers jump into early starts as both are expected to start their season openers. Flacco has became the Baltimore Ravens starting QB by a virtual default as the 2 QB’s ahead of him are unable to remain healthy.

   Ryan, well he has been slated as the savior of the Atlanta Falcons since the day he was drafted earlier this year. To see him starting the first game of the season is not a shocker and here’s hoping he has a successful start and helps pull the Falcons out of the bottom of the NFL.

J.M.Saucedo

   Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers plans to play this season despite 2 torn ligaments and the opinions of 4 seperate Doctors advising him not to play. It is very obvious that Merriman is determined to play this season and that the Chargers are one of the top teams in the NFL.

   Someone has to intervene and tell Merriman that he is on one of the best teams with the best young talent in the league. The window of opportunity has just opened for the young Chargers and will not close soon or at least within the next 3 years.

   How can Merriman expect to be affective not having the full use of 2 ligaments in his knee? Sure, Merriman is a force to be reckoned with when ever he is on the field, but as a pass rushing Outside Linebacker, how can he expect to get that push he needs from half of a knee?

   In this case, Merriman is a Pro-Bowl Linebacker and has a bright career ahead of him, he should really think of his future. He has been told that playing on this injured knee could further damage his knee and become a potential career ending injury.

    Merriman has expressed his desire to play this season and will deal with the pain. He informed his team-mates today of his intention to play and even though he is appearing to be a “tough guy” in front of his team, you have to figure that some of them will think this guy is crazy.

   He is sacrificing his career for one year of football, at just one attempt to make it to the Super Bowl, which is not a given. The Chargers are among one of the best teams in the AFC, but are not considered to be better than the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts.

   Merriman could still be affective this season and maybe the Chargers can make it to the Super Bowl, but in this case Merriman really needs to think of himself instead of his team. “Tough Guy” or not, this attempt is just crazy and should be a reminder to all that your health is more important.

J.M.Saucedo

   Guess who finally joined the party? I will give you a hint, they are always late and never make the right choice until they are backed into a corner. Give up? Well it’s those crazy Major League Baseball Executives who never make a significant move until they are forced.

   So long to the days of confused huddled up Umpires trying to decide if a long ball made it over the fence, or if the ball was fair at all. This is great news to many baseball fans who are tired of seeing the Umps confusion and frustration over hard to tell plays.

   Instant replay will be added to the game of baseball starting thursday and will be used to determine baseballs hit out of the park. The choice to use instant replay will be up to the Umpires if they feel a play is close enough to need replay.

   MLB is always last to the party, NBA uses it for last second shot, NFL uses replay for fumbles and other close plays, and even the NHL uses it to determine if goals are made. Just like drug testing for steroids, MLB is late to make judgment on big issues.

   This should make the game even more accurate, and the Umpires are going to be sure when they make a call on Homeruns. Though the use of instant replay should be held to only these types of plays and not stolen bases or the strike zone.

   Frankly, Baseball games are long enough and if you start reviewing every play, we might have games going past 4 hours which is too long. Although MLB is really late, it is good that they showed up and proved that they are committed to improving the integrity of their game.

J.M.Saucedo

   With the upcoming College Football, NFL, and a little further out NBA regular seasons coming onto the horizon, Here is the Sportsblogger Worse Sports TV personalities. This is judged by there lack of personality, overall knowledge, and personal bias.

5.) Sterling Sharpe, NFL Network- Sharpe flew under my radar when he was an employee with ESPN and rarely was seen or heard from. Then the NFL Network chose to give him the chance in the boothe as a color commentator in a recent Patriots vs Buccaneers pre-season game.

   Given the chance, as the Patriots were not on their “A-Game” and did not have an injured Tom Brady, Sharpe took his chance at throwing jabs at the Pats. It was obvious that Sharpe is not a Patriot Fan but a Patriot hater, he said everything from, the Patriots are going down-hill fast to Bill Belichick has lost his team. In Presason? Very Unlikely Sterling.

4.) Doug Collins, TNT- There has never been a worse color commentator in the history of the NBA, and this Playoffs Collins proved that he takes the Cake! In every Broadcast of any Lakers game, Doug had not one nice word to say of the Lakers.

   It is clear that Collins is not a fan of Phil Jackson, being that Jackson took a team that Collins could not to a Championship in Chicago. Don’t you think someone would speak and tell Good Ole’ Doug to at least make his bias against Phil a little less obvious?

3.) Tom Jackson, ESPN- In truth, I really have no gripe against Jackson, but his biggest fault is his overly clear bias for the Denver Broncos. No matter what the situation, Picking a team to win the AFC West or the Super Bowl, count on Jackson to pick the Denver Broncos.

   Granted Tom was a Bronco, but picking them all the time, plus picking against every rival AFC West team, mostly the Raiders, his antics have grown weary. Plus any question about the greatest NFL player always ends in John Elway, Elway was great, but he could at least try to research someone else.

2.) Shannon Sharpe, CBS- 2-for-2, which ever way you want to go, if it is like his brother Sterling or like fellow former Denver Bronco Tom Jackson, Shannon Sharpe is by far the Second worse TV personalty ever. He always picks the Denver Broncos, just like Tom Jackson and openly dislikes certain players from former rival teams.

   It seems that every sentence that comes out of Sharpe’s mouth ends in: When I was on the Denver Broncos, or the Denver Broncos are my choice, or When I was on the Denver Broncos with John Elway. Once again, John Elway was a great QB, but frankly no one cares that you were once on the Broncos, call games fair or get out!

1.) Lou Holtz, ESPN- Lou, Lou, Lou. You are by far the worse analyst ever. You do not care about records, team talent, or coaching. You will always pick Notre Dame no matter what the situation. If I am not mistaken, you picked the Fighting Irish to win every game last season, how did that work out for you?

   You just don’t get it do you? I know you used to coach the Irish and that you are proud of what you accomplished there, for that I respect you. Then I awake today to here you are picking the Irish to win 11 games this Season, Come ON!

   ESPN should have never hired you, oh and you always pick against any and all of your former Notre Dame rivals. I could deal with that if only you didn’t pick Notre Dame to win 11 games this season. You were a great coach Lou, but you are the worse TV Analyst in the games.

J.M.Saucedo

   It was a clear cut Redemption for the Re-deem team in last nights Gold Medal game against the very strong Spanish National team. The final out-come was a victory for USA Mens Basketball, they took home the Gold that eluded them in 2004 by winning 118-107.

   The members of the 2008 Gold Medal USA team received the result they worked for since the losses in the World Basketball Championships and Olympics. You would never have guessed that this was just a Gold Medal game, it played out as if was a NBA Finals game.

   In the closing minutes of the game, Spain inched close to the USA and only trailed by 4 points in the last 2 minutes. It was up to the USA’s ultimate weapon, one it did not have in the Athens games in 2004, Kobe Bryant.

   Kobe proved himself, not only in this game but in the entire Olympics, to be the most complete player in professional Basketball. Bryant scored 13 of his 20 points in the 4th quarter of this Gold Medal game, with the biggest his 4 point play that sealed the Gold for the United States.

   Dwyane Wade was also a huge star in these Olympics, and came up big for the USA as he scored 27 points against the Spanish team led by Pau Gasol. The Spanish National team has proved that it is amongst the elite Basketball Countries by holding their own against the Re-deem team.

   Expect for Spain, Argentina, and Lithuania to improve by the London Olympic games in 2012 and become stronger competitors for the Gold. Finally, the USA can move forward from their previous failures and re-declare themselves the best in the world.

   They stood on the highest platform, the Star Spangled Banner playing in their ears and Gold Medals hanging from their necks. For the USA Mens Basketball team, only one word has been used from beginning to this glorious end, Redemption!

   Although the USA finished in second in the Gold Medal race at 36, the United States had the most combined Medals at 110. China had the most Gold Medals with 51 and an overall 100 Medals. Russia finished in 3rd with 72 combined Medals.

J.M.Saucedo

For the Last time until 2012, U-S-A! U-S-A!

   Everyone knows by now that the Re-deem team has qualified for the Gold Medal game against Pau Gasol and Spain. Also a known fact is that the Re-deem team has looked flawless in its attempt to re-establish the USA Mens Basketball team as the Best Country in Basketball once again.

   Sure the teams from Spain and Argentina have had their respective shot at holding that title as the best in the World. The Re-deem team however is out to prove that they are deserving of the title “Dream Team” like their predecessors in 1992.

   The Dream Team in 1992 walked right through every opponent on their way to the Gold Medal in Barcelona. As they were led by Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Larry Bird.

   The Re-deem team is led by Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. The Gold Medal game on paper should be a tough match-up, but judging by the Re-deem teams Olympic play so far, an easy win will not be to suprising.

   Lisa Leslie and the USA Womens Basketball team captured Gold today by defeating their opponent, and World Ranked Number 2 Basketball team, Australia by a final score of 92-65. This marks the 4th consecutive Gold Medal won by the USA Women in the Olympics.

   As an interesting side note, Lisa Leslie has been on all 4 Gold Medal winning teams. She had her previous 3 Medals with her as she took home her 4th. That was a very deserving win for USA Basketball.

   The Mens team looked on as their counterparts dominated the Australians, and hope to have the same result as the women in their game with Spain.

J.M.Saucedo

U-S-A! U-S-A!

   Today marks the Best of the Rest, Day 4 of the Sportsblogger Fantasy Preview. The focus is the top 3 Defense/Special Teams, Tight Ends, and Kickers. Its been a fun 4 days of previewing Fantasy Football and I can’t wait to win the League I Play in.

   Top 3 TE:

1.) Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers- The best and most athletic TE in the NFL who has re-invented the position. Gates was hampered by an injured toe, but the stats prove that Gates averages a consistant 900 plus yards a season and 9 TD’s. He is the class of the TE position.

2.) Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys- It was very tempting to drop Witten to the number 3 spot, Kellen Winslow is just as productive in receiving yards, but the deal breaker was the total TD’s last season. Witten had 7 TD’s and 1,145 yards receiving.

3.) Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns- Winslow has finally  reached the potential that was expected from him coming out of Miami. He is now a top 3 TE and has used his athleticism to get there. Winslow had 1,106 yards and 5 TD’s in 2007.

   Top 3 Kickers:

1.) Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots- He plays, and kicks, for the team that scored the most points and is one of the greatest scoring teams in NFL history.

2.) Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys- Folk, like Gostkowski, plays for one of the best offensive teams in the NFL. There is a growing trend here.

3.) Shayne Graham, Cincinnati Bengals- For kickers, Graham is one of the most accurate in the NFL. To seal the deal, draft Graham, He is on one of the best Offensive teams.

   Top 3 D/ST:

1.) San Diego Chargers- The Chargers have one of the top Defenses and Special Teams. The Defense really excels in the forced turnover department. Special teams is led by K Nate Kaeding.

2.) Chicago Bears- The defense has a lot to improve on last seasons disappointing season. The large upside is the Special Teams, led by KR Devin Hester, who seemingly scores at will when returning the Football.

3.) Minnesota Vikings- The defense will produce turnovers with the addition of DE Jared Allen. The Vikings also were the top scoring Defense in 2007.

J.M.Saucedo

U-S-A! U-S-A!