A Picture's worth 1,000 words

4 Straight














Yup, he's the greatest.

My Top 25

The whole "I'll break down the Top 25, five at a time" thing kind of bombed, so I said screw it, I'll just make my own. So without further ado, my Top 25.

1. Texas
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. Auburn
5. LSU
6. Florida
7. Notre Dame
8. USC
9. California
10. Michigan
11. Florida State
12. Miami
13. Georgia
14. Louisville
15. Virginia Tech
16. Nebraska
17. Oregon
18. Oklahoma
19. Iowa
20. Penn State
21. Clemson
22. Texas Tech
23. TCU
24. Arizona State
25. Arkansas

This list is completely objective and is nothing more than who I think is best. I compared several different Top 25 lists (AP poll, SI, BlogPoll, ESPN) coupled with my insight and thoughts. I have Texas number one strictly because I don't think there's anyone better then them. I do think they may lose sometime, but I think they'll end the season number one. Many people think I'm crazy putting West Virginia number two, but that is my opinion, they're the second best team. I think they are vastly underrated and will surprise people this season. Everything is there for them, the perfect schedule, a great running back (Steve Slaton), a better quarterback (Pat White), and all the tools for a run at the national championship. The opposite can be said about Notre Dame. I think that sportswriters and the media in general are quick to say good things about the Irish, and will get put back into reality Week Three at Michigan. From there on out it's pretty self explanatory, so share your opinions and tell me what you think.

I'm in the Paper!

Today I accomplished something that I had wanted to do for a while, but it wasn't in the form I thought it would be in. I'll start from the beginning. I came across Pat Caputo's blog a few weeks ago while searching for an article that was in the Oakland Press. I have read his articles in the Oakland Press for a long time, and when I found out about his sports blog, I started reading it. While I was reading it there was an article that I wanted to comment on, and since Mr. Caputo responds to each one, I just typed away. I continued to read, and I left a few more comments, all of which he responded to. But then after I commented on his most recent article, I was in the paper! His article was about the Tigers recent struggles, and I left the following comment.

"Pat, I am concerned about the Tigers. They have relied so heavily on their pitching this year and now it appears to be falling off. Rogers, Miner, and Verlander have all been pitching poorly in the past month and they used to be their top three pitchers. The Tigers need Maroth to come back.
- J.T."

I left that comment Monday morning, in the wake of the Tigers sweep in Chicago. The next day (Tuesday) I became the first reader featured in a ploy to get readers, where they show the blog entry, followed by a reader response and Caputo's response to that. So that's just something cool that happened to me, and hopefully I'll get into the paper for more important things soon.

My new blog: Black and Blue Report

I have created a new blog recently, titled Black and Blue Report. It is a blog that is all about my favorite team, the Detroit Lions. I have been a lifelong fan of the Lions, and decided to create a blog to help me vent/cheer along with every game and move. I will continue to post here, just probably not as frequently. And there will be no posts about the Detroit Lions. So thanks and hopefully you'll all become readers of "Black and Blue Report".

Lions Preseason Opener: Closing Thoughts

Friday night the Detroit Lions opened up the Rod Marinelli era with a bang, edging the Denver Broncos 20-13 before an excited crowd at Ford Field. There were some areas of the game that worried me, but mostly it was all positives from the night. Though the game was closer than it should have been, the Lions still won. Here's some thoughts I had from the preseason opener.

• The playcalling was good on both sides of the ball, especially the offense. I liked seeing Mike Martz on the sideline, talking and interacting with players and other coaches, and I think it helped in the calling of the plays. Martz showed Detroit just how he became known as an offensive mastermind in his time in St. Louis, by passing in running situations, running in passing situations, and putting a little trickery in at opportune times, pretty much always to success.
• The first team was moving the ball really well. John Kitna showed why he won the starting quarterback spot, looking cool, calm, and collected in the pocket. The drive started off running the ball, with Kevin Jones banging the ball up the middle four of the first five plays, to good success. That got the Broncos pushing men forward, then quickly put on their heels by a few good passes by Kitna, including a big 17 yard completion to Roy Williams on 3rd down. Kitna even showed some rare mobility, scrambling for a first down on a 3rd and 8. But the drive stalled at the 17 after an overthrow to Casey FitzSimmons and they settled for a field goal. Yes, it was only one drive. Yes, they didn't even get in the endzone. Yes, it was the first preseason game. But I liked the chemistry and positive feel as they drove down the field, and that hopefully will continue into the rest of the season.
• The guillotine is hanging over Mike Williams and Charles Rogers. Neither player had much of an impact, despite playing much of the game with the second and third teams. They both had one reception, Williams' for 24 yards and Rogers for 7, but I saw Williams missing some blocks and I didn't get the impression that either of them were giving it their all in the game.
• Casey FitzSimmons' might have run out of luck as far as his starting spot went. He had been one of the major surprises of camp, winning the starting tight end position from the incumbent Marcus Pollard, but suffered a wrist injury when he tried (unsuccessfully) to catch an overthrown touchdown pass from Kitna in the first quarter. The original prognosis is a fracture, which would probably keep him out for the rest of the preseason. That would put Pollard in the starters role, and I don't see FitzSimmons overcoming him after that.
• The main story, though, was the swarming, hungry defense that the Lions showed. It had been a long time since I've seen any sort of fire from a Lions defense, and there appeared to be that Friday night. When the first team was out on the field, there was pressure on Jake Plummer/Jay Cutler every play. Even though three starting defensive lineman were out, the replacements filled the hole (figuratively and literally) and shut down the Broncos offense, causing fumbles, mishandled snaps, and dropped passes with their intensity. If they can keep that up through the season, then things would be looking good for the Lions.
• Daniel Bullocks should start somewhere, bar none. Even though it seems a bit early to be making judgments on rookies, Bullocks has showed up big in both practice and the game, he led the way with seven tackles and recovered a fumble in his NFL debut, and to make his case for starter. Rod Marinelli has Bullocks learning both safety positions, so he can take the spot from both Kenoy Kennedy or Terrence Holt, with Holt being the likely victim. Both Kennedy and Holt each had one tackle, and neither made a case to keep his spot with the starters.
• Even though they are longshots to make the team, some second half players made a serious case to do just that, tearing it up against the Broncos third team with performances worthy of mention. Dee McCann, Bill Swancutt, Claude Harriott, and James Hargrave all played extremely well and deserve to get a serious shot at making the team.
• Finally, Ernie Sims played decent in his Lions debut, making one tackle and three more on special teams in the win. He didn't have a huge impact on the game, but did make a difference and will only continue to improve.

The Lions continue their preseason quest Friday night against Cleveland at Browns Stadium at 7:30 pm. The starters will probably play a bit more, but don't count on drawing many more conclusions then you could from tonight.

Lions-Broncos Preseason Game 1

Tonight marks the start of a new embarkment for the Detroit Lions. They open up the Rod Marinelli era with a preseason opener at 7:30 tonight against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are the defending AFC West Division Title winners, and their starters will provide a stiff test for the Lions. But keep in mind, this is preseason, so the starters will only play in the first quarter or maybe less. But it's still a Lions game, and to break it down I'll provide five things to look for.

- Casey FitzSimmons has been one of the major surprises of training camp, and so far has won the starting spot over Marcus Pollard. Look to see if he can keep up the good work tonight and keep the spot until the regular season.

- Three of the top six offensive lineman; Damien Woody (hand), Rex Tucker (knee), and Barry Stokes (hamstring); are out tonight. Look to see if their replacements will step up and create competition for a starting spot.

- Second Round draft pick Daniel Bullocks has continued his great play with a strong training camp, and he is in serious competition for a starting position. Look to see who he will be competing with, Terrance Holt or Kenoy Kennedy, for a starting safety spot.

- Both Charles Rogers and Mike Williams have been in the doghouse through camp so far, and both are in danger of getting cut. Look to see if either of them step up in the latter stages of tonights game (I'm assuming that's when they'll be in there) and get closer to being in the top four receivers.

- Finally, look for differences in the play calling on both sides of the ball with Mike Martz running the offense and Donnie Henderson/Rod Marinelli on the defense. I know there will be serious changes in the offensive playcalling (due to the abandonment of the West Coast offense) but I wonder how significant the changes will be on D?

Game Details
Teams: Detroit Lions vs Denver Broncos
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
TV/Radio: UPN 50/97.1 AM
Date and Time: August 11, 2006; 7:30 pm
Line: Detroit by 2

Great Day for Ohio State football

Today has been a fantastic day to be a fan of Ohio State football. The Buckeyes have had one current player and one "ex-star" in trouble in a span of six hours. Just glad I'm not a fan.

The big story is that now banished one year superstar Maurice Clarett was arrested yet again last night, being tasered and eventually Maced by cops after being pulled over around 2 am. Clarett, who was a big time star in his one year on campus at OSU, has since put his life into a downward spirial, and today was just another day in his life. It all started when Clarett was kicked off the team after his freshman year for an arrest on charges of misdemeanor falsification after accepting money and a car from Ohio State boosters. After a failed lawsuit against the NFL (applying for early entry), Clarett took a year off, and the Broncos took a chance on him with a third round pick. That pick now appears to be wasted after Clarett was cut in camp and just found more trouble. Then on New Years Day of this year Clarett was arrested for allegedly robbing two people at gunpoint, and was put on trial, a case that hasn't been closed yet. Then in April, he was a passenger when his girlfriend was pulled over for causing a car accident. But Clarett wasn't willing to give up on his football yet, and last month signed a contract with the Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League. But then came this.

Around 2 am this morning, the ex-Buckeye was pulled over by cops after driving erratically and making an illegal U-Turn in his trusty hometown of Columbus. When the cops tried to stop him, Clarett drove away and after a chase, he stopped in a resturant where he was arrested. Police searched his car and found four guns, some alcohol and a hatchet. Clarett tried to avoid an arrest, and wasn't able to be tasered by police because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. So he was then taken down using Mace, but even then he was kicking and causing mayhem all the way to the jail. He was posted $1.1 million bond.

As much as I hate Ohio State, and trust me, I hate Ohio State, I can't help but feel bad for Clarett. After that New Year's Day fiasco, I wanted him to turn his life around and at least stay out of headlines for the wrong reasons. But I guess I was wrong there. Clarett has become the face of a tragedy-a strong beginning to his career, then starts to screw it up and soon is on the fast track to the "Has-Been's Club". I can't begin to imagine what would of happened had Clarett not left OSU. Last year would have been his senior year, and he only would have improved on his 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns he posted in his fabulous freshman year. Last year would have been his senior year, and if he would have stayed, Ohio State probably would have been better than the Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame that happened instead. Just a sad tale of a wasted talent with tremendous potential.

The other news that makes Buckeyes fans that much happier this that their starting tight end, Marcel Frost was suspended for the season for violating team policy. The team didn't provide details on the suspension, just that he would remain on scholarship and could return to the team next year. The junior tight end started the final five games last year and caught seven passes. The full article is available here. All this will do is weaken the Ohio State team, which makes me that much more excited about Michigan's chances.

I don't know why I'm mentioning this, because this is all just a typical day for Ohio State. Columbus is obviously littered with these type of lowlifes, and so it must make Buckeye faithful proud that they are associated with these guys.

Would it be the Big 10 (plus two)?

The Big Ten has long been known as one of the premier athletic conferences in the nation, and therefore has an enormous reputation to live up to. This year in college football they have four teams in the preseason Top 25, including the Number 1 team in Ohio State. But there's always room for more, especially if the team is one of the most storied (but overrated) teams in college football history. I am talking about the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Notre Dame has always been an independent throughout their college football history. They have been known for always having one of the toughest schedules in D-I and pride themselves on not being dragged down by any conference standards. But recently the Irish have become more conference oriented, playing against one conference more than others. That conference is the Big 10.

In 1970 Notre Dame maintained its 93 years of tradition and turned down offers from the ACC and Big 10 to remain an independent. By that, they were able to pick their own schedule and just stay "Notre Dame". But since that time, in the "BCS Era", playing other big name schools in non-conference action has not been a priority. Take Florida, for instance. The Gators schedule outside of the SEC features matchups with "powerhouse" schools such as Southern Mississippi, Central Florida, and Western Carolina. And Oklahoma, Oklahoma matches up with UAB and Middle Tennessee while not going up against Big 12 competition. Yet somehow Notre Dame, always a bowl team and usually a BCS contender, continues to find real competition for at least half their season. How do they do that, when most the other teams try to find I-AA schools to fill the early season games? By hooking up and playing multiple teams from one conference. And that's been the Big 10, as you probably know. This year Notre Dame plays Games 2-4 and six against teams from the Midwestern Conference with Michigan and 10 other teams. In the past three years the Fighting Irish have played Big 10 teams 10 TIMES. That is more then they've played any other conference. Now granted, nine of the ten matchups were against Michigan, MSU, and Purdue, teams they have played yearly. But this year they add a new team to the schedule, Penn State. If it keeps up at this pace then pretty soon the Fighting Irish will be playing eight of their games against the Big Ten, as many as the teams in the conference battle each other.

No, the Irish don't want to be in the Big 10, but you knew that. But the reality is, in 10 years, without a conference to always have games against, Notre Dame won't be able to schedule the games against big time teams and will (gasp), have to "break the tradition". The the thought is unbearable. Let's look at Notre Dame's schedule this year. They open up at Georgia Tech, a game that they could lose. Then they play the four Big Ten games, against Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. Then Stanford and UCLA from the Pac Ten before cupcake games vs Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, and Army before ending the season vs USC. If you look at that schedule, Notre Dame plays four Big Ten teams, three Pac Ten teams, and all three of the military schools making up ten of their 12 games. Even by looking at that you will see that Notre Dame has had to make deals with conferences and groups of schools to continue to play a competitive schedule. And it all goes back to my I-AA theory that big schools don't like to play many big names out of conference, and Notre Dame just gets in the way. Notre Dame doesn't want to join a conference, it's what makes them...them. But within ten years it'll be impossible for the Irish to play a competitive schedule and get looked at by the BCS unless they make a deal to play a group of schools. It'll pretty much have to be a conference affiliation, unless they decide to play all the Florida teams. So in ten years they'll suck up their pride, make deals with boosters, and join a conference.

It happened with Notre Dame basketball, and the ACC. Soon it'll happen with the football team. They'll join a conference, and the Big Ten seems like the frontrunner. It's just a matter of what it will be called. The Big 12, part two? Or will they let another team join and make it the Big 13? So no matter what, two things will happen. 1: Notre Dame will eventually have to join a conference. 2: They'll still lose to Michigan. I can't believe I just devoted an article to Notre Dame.

Top 5 Most Unbreakable Baseball Records of All-Time

Every year there seems to be someone approaching some record that draws a ton of media attention, and the question always comes up, "Can they break it?" This year it's Chase Utley of the Phillies, who has hit safely in 33 consecutive games. Now granted, that is an amazing streak that is noteworthy in any era. But he's still 23 games away from even tying the record set by Joe DiMaggio. 23 games of outrageous media attention and enormous pressure. Eventually he'll break, and go a night without a hit. So that leads me to a bigger question, a question that has been discussed and thought about for years. I figured I'd give my two cents, well, because I can. So without further ado, the Top 5 most unbreakable baseball records ever.

5. Roger Hornsby's .424 single season batting
Remember back to a few years ago, when Todd Helton was hitting off the wall and everyone was thinking about him hitting .400? Well he tailed off at the end of the year and hit something like .370. Respectable, yes. But that is still over .50 points away from eclipsing Hornsby's record. No one has even hit .400 since 1941 when Ted Williams hit .406. So let's recap, .18 points higher then Williams, and Williams' record hasn't been approached in 65 years. Will it ever be broken, no way.

4. Jack Chesbro's 41 wins in a year
There are many baseball pitching records that will not be broken due to the new wave of pitchers. But this one is just crazy. In the 1902 season, Jack Chesbro won 41 games. Not just that, but he lost 12! Gosh dang, how do you have 53 decisions in a year? He must of pitched every other day. But this is still a list of unbreakable records, and this will never be broken.

This record could also be on the list of most underrated records. There could be an equally long list for the underrated records, and this would top this list. No matter how you put it, 41 wins in a year is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to get, especially now. And even in a respectable career, he never won more then 28 games in any other season. So in his career in which he won 198 games, 41 wins is a fantastic number. Never will be broken.

3. Cal Ripkin's 2632 straight games played
What makes this feat even more amazing is that this happened in modern times, when leaving for "personal reasons", "nagging injuries" and just straight up rest days, Ripkin's 2,632 is incredible. To break the record now, a player would have to suit up and start in every game for over 16 straight seasons. That would be incredible for anyone to even get half of that. Can you imagine, 16 years without any pulled hammies or grandparents passing away. 16 years without a nagging knee injury or an off day after an all-night flight. Not only would breaking that require great skill but amazing luck. Miguel Tejada has the longest active streak at about 1,025 games. Just think, if he played every day for 10 more years, he could break it! It will never be broken.

Now to be fair, this record did come with a fair share of controversy. Some baseball writers and historians will tell you that after a while it did just become Ripkin playing for the streak. Most people will tell you that he should have taken a rest day here and there or sat out with some injuries he had. Heck, even one time he was hitting .250 and was in a serious slump. According to some, the Orioles manager at the time wanted to sit him but Ripkin told him to play him. So he did and the record stands. But nonetheless, Ripkin had both amazing skill and luck to break the record, one which will never fall.

2. Ricky Henderson's 1406 steals
This is in my mind a record that will never be broken because of one thing, longevity. Ricky ended his career playing 27 major league baseball seasons, and somehow stayed fast through all of them. Many former speedsters tailed off at the end of their careers (Barry Bonds) and some are just subject to pitchouts and pickoff attempts that keep them from stealing (Carl Crawford). Henderson also played in the '90's, where steals were more common, and a great player could get 80 to 100 steals a year. Now, with the return of the home run and the subtraction of small-ball, steals are becoming more and more rare, and players aren't brought up being tought to steal. Henderson was also once in a generation with his combination of speed and longevity.

1. Cy Young's 511 wins
Simply unbreakable. With modern changes to pitching, 300 wins has become an enormous feat to get to, let alone 511. Cy was fortunate to play in the Chesbro era when pitchers pitched three times a week, but still, it'll never be broken. Young was an amazing pitcher and still is the greatest pitcher ever. If Cy played now, he would definitely not get the same amount of wins, but he would still hold many records.

(Honorable Mention: Joe DiMaggio's 56 straight games with a hit, Pete Rose's 4,192 career hits, Chef Wilson's 36 triples in a season.)

So that concludes my list of the greatest records of all time. Many of these records won't be broken due to changes in the game, but they still are amazing records and deserve mention on this list. Baseball is a game of changes, but these records won't be changed.

Top 25 Preview: 25-21

To count down to the college football season, I will count down the Top 25 football teams according to rivals.com. Now this list, as all preseason lists are, is up for debate. My list will consist of the top players at each position, and a brief preview for the team.

25. Boston College (9-3 in 2005)
The Eagles of Boston College are set to rely on a strong offensive core to lead them to wins this year. Their defense is shaky after losing DE Mathias Kiwanuka in the first round of the NFL draft last year and DB Will Blackman later in the draft. That leaves a few holes at defense, but if the offense can put up points, it won't matter.
Key Players
Matt Ryan (QB), L.V. Whitworth (RB), Tony Gonzalez (WR), Josh Beekman (OG), Nick Larkin (DE), Brian Toll (LB), Larry Anam (CB)
My Prediction: 8-4

24. Alabama (10-2)
Alabama will be trying to bring back an offense that has been absent in Tuscaloosa for quite some time. Their defense should be pretty strong, as always, but with a bit of controversy at quarterback their offense will be the question.
Key Players
Whoever starts at quarterback (Mark Guillien???), Kenneth Darby (RB), DJ Hall (WR), Kyle Tatum (OT), Jeremy Clark (DT), Juwan Simpson (LB), Ramzee Robinson (CB)
My Prediction: 9-3

23. Iowa (7-5)
There will be no issues at quarterback, with All-Big 10 quarterback Drew Tate the clear starter at QB. Iowa's offense will continue to score, but issues persist on defense where big holes must be filled at both linebacker and defensive line.
Key Players
Drew Tate (QB), Albert Young (RB), Scott Chandler (TE), Mike Elgin (OL), Kenny Iwebema (DL), Mike Klinkenborg (LB), Marcus Paschal (DB)
My Prediction: 10-2

22. Clemson (8-4)
Clemson will have a tough time in a competitive ACC, but the Tigers will try to ride the wave they created by a great second half of the season.
Key Players
Will Proctor (QB), James Davis (RB), Chansi Stuckey (WR), Marion Dukes (OL), Gaines Adams (DL), Anthony Waters (LB), Michael Hamlin (S)
My Prediction: 8-4

21. UCLA (10-2)
There is no way the Bruins can repeat the offensive firepower they provided last year with Maurice Drew and Drew Olson. UCLA certainly didn't lose as many players as USC, which should help them gain ground on the national runner-up Trojans, but by losing most of their offense, won't pass USC.
Key Players
Ben Olson (QB), Chris Markey (RB), Joe Cowan (WR), Brian Abraham (OL), Justin Hickman (DE), Eric O'Neal (LB), Dennis Keyes (S)
My Prediction: 8-4