College Football is Here

I am currently sitting at the BW3s in Midtown waiting around for the Houston-Oregon and GT-ND games. While waiting I am watching some other games and here are some gut reactions thus far:

Tim Tebow of Florida looks really good and Florida should be entrenched in the title hunt.

Virginia Tech is not looking good but Beamer will make adjustments at halftime.

Michigan and Ohio State look beatable and are making my Wisconsin pick look great.

I can't tell if Michigan State looks good or if UAB is that awful.

Penn State looks solid and can compete for a top 3 spot in the Big 10.

TPC at the Dillo - Preseason Top 25

As a special favor to the blog, my boy TPC has decided he will serve as the media poll to my coach's poll and will be presenting his own CFB Top 25 polls during the season. Here is his preseason top 25 [Please note that I am simply posting nearly verbatim what TPC has emailed to me and in no way do I or my fellow contributors condone any terminology used herein]:

1. Notre Dame Fightin' Irish - It's is God's team after all, and us Catholics [ed. note - contrary to TPC's implications, Judz is, in fact, Jewish] need to stick together, besides Tradition triumphs Television, and ND has both!!!
2. Florida Gators* - Urban Meyer won last year, so good chance he can make it 2 in a row, Leak is gone but Thibeaux(Tebow) is capable with the exception of the real way to spell his name.
3. Southern California Men of Troy* - Pete Carroll doesn't rebuild, he reloads, and with a North Louisiana Redneck pulling the trigger, they won't need a Trojan horse
4. Louisiana State Bayou Bengals* - Les is More, and the Tigers are looking good after whitewashing Croom's boys in Starkville
5. Texas Longhorns* - Mack Brown? If ever status quo was a good thing in college football it found its home in Austin, Texas
6. West Virginia Mountaineers - RR is a man with a plan, and WVU is starting to build a program that will last a good long while
7. Alabama Crimson Tide* - Saban on the sidelines? Houndstooth Visor maybe? The season test will be Nov. 3 @ Bryant-Denny
8. Oklahoma Sooners* - Bob Stoops.
9. Virginia Tech Hokies - I was going to blast MV7 or the idiot who shot up the campus, but they have suffered enough, Beamer Ball is ready for another run.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions - We say JOE-PA you say TERNO; JOE-PA TERNO
11. Michigan Wolverines - Lloyd Carr is older than the big house, but when you play 8 home games surrounded by 110K fans, winning aint that difficult
12. Louisville Cardinals - Brian Brohm and the Happy Hour Cardinals look poised for another run
13. California Golden Bears - California - I didn't want to be accused of Third Coast Bias
14. Wisconsin Badgers - The Badgers don't play at the Horseshoe (but do have to go to the Big House) and they're in the Big10+1
15. Georgia Bulldogs* - UGA, Uga and the Hedges!!!
16. Ohio State Buckeyes - Brutus and a Horseshoe? Jim Tressel struggles to regain form in Columbus
17. Auburn Plainsmen/Tigers/War Eagles* - Confused with the nicknames? Tuberville smokes stogies, except after the Iron Bowl
18. Texas A&M Fighting Aggies - FRAN-ic hasn't set in, but beating Texas gave him another 2 years
19. Nebraska Cornhuskers - Not a Callahan fan, but the Husker Nation is impressive and demands quality
20. Tennessee Volunteers - Seriously, Fulmer already has a street on campus named for him … enough said
21. California - Los Angeles Golden Bruins - All about the media market and the Gold Helmets
22. Boise State Broncos - Blue Fields and Broncos, don't forget about the slipper
23. Florida State Seminoles - Bowden and Fisher, points will be scored in Tallahassee
24. Texas Christian Horned Frogs - Ft. Worth Texas is proud of the purple frogs
25. Houston Cougars - I like Briles and the Coogs, and I believe in supporting the home team

Honorable Mentions (TTKAEOF) - Louisiana Ragin Cajuns*, Rutgers Scarlett Knights, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Virginia Cavaliers*, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Clemson Tigers, Arizona State Sun Devils*
[* Coed quality schools]

Judz' College Football Top 25

Let's be honest. Top 25 polls are really nothing more than self-fulfilling prophecies in which teams are ranked on a number of arbitrary criteria (and most rankers don't even watch most of the games). One of them is how well they perform against competition. Of course, if the team you are competing against is ranked, then it will make the win (or close loss) that much better and the rankings will reflect that. Thus, if a team with an arbitrary ranking beats another team with an arbitrary ranking, then both teams will benefit and their rankings will reflect it. The Missouri Valley Conference in basketball figured this system out with the RPI and have taken advantage of it. Therefore, every week, I will bring to you a real top 25 poll based on (a) how good a team is regardless of record, (b) how good they are across the whole season, (c) how good they are at this moment, and (d) something else. I actually know something about both the BCS schools and the mid-majors, so I am pretty much more informed than most current voters.

Here is my preseason top 25:
1. USC
2. LSU (despite some issues on offense)
3. Florida
4. Wisconsin
5. Louisville
6. Virginia Tech
7. West Virginia
8. Texas
9. Michigan
10. Auburn
11. California
12. Rutgers
13. Oklahoma
14. Ohio State
15. Georgia
16. UCLA
17. TCU
18. Texas A&M
19. UCLA
20. Hawaii
21. Nebraska
22. Boise State
23. Georgia Tech
24. Florida State
25. University of Houston (yes, seriously)
HM: Miami of Florida

NFL Team By Team Judnalysis Part XII

Our NFC South coverage finishes today with the Carolina Panthers. The biggest question coming into the season is which Panther team will show up. Will it be the team that has talent at every position including ULL's own Jake Del'homme at quarterback, sprightly Steve Smith at wr and a committee of D's at rb - Deshaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams. The defense should be stout and they have one of the best coaches in the league. As the vote of ultimate confidence (or the kiss of death), friend of the blog Browntown (not to be confused with Brownie) placed a small wager on the boys from Carolina. [side note: It should also be mentioned that Browntown hails from that little state that is home of both the Cocks and such as Miss mapless US American Miss Teen USA contestant Laurn Caitlin Upton]. This is a playoff team.

NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Tampa Bay Bucs
4. Atlanta Falcons

Friday Floetry x 8/31/07

Well, as Jud mentioned, we just got back from LV and it was pretty dope. I was thinking of dropping Kanye’s Diamonds Floetry where he says, “Close your eyes and imagine, feel the magic, Vegas on acid, seen through Yves St. Laurent glasses…”, but decided against it. Someone recommended Journey since that has a special place in our hearts and the hearts of several we rolled with from The ATL. There will definitely be a time and place for those, but I decided today to give some props to my boy K for turning 30 last week and provide some Floetry by Jay-Z. I would assume many of the people reading this are either already past 30 or very close. With that said, here’s to the 30 decade being better than people make it out to be.

A few quick notes, “Ack Coupe” is short for Acura Coupe. “D.Y.F.S.” is the Division of Youth and Family Services, which is the New Jersey child abuse reporting authority.

BTW, the image above is both my first attempt to post a picture here but also maybe the kind of "right watch" that Jay-Z might be speaking of (although it still might be a little bright).


Floetry:


30's the new 20 ni**a I'm so hot still
better broad better au-to-mo-bile
bet a yard, nah bet a hundred mill
then by the songs end I probably start another trend
I know everything you wan do
I did all that by the age of 21
by 22 I had that brand new Ack Coupe
I guess you can say that my legend just begun
I'm, young enough to know the right car to buy yet grown enough not to put rims on it
I got that six-duce with curtains so you can't see me and I didn't even have to put tints on it
I don't got the bright watch I got the right watch
I don't buy out the bar, I bought the night spot
I got the right stock
I ... got ... stockbrokers that's movin' it like white tops
I know you like fu*k, this is child abuse
call D.Y.F.S, I might just be gettin' nicer
them young boys ain't ready for real
30's the new 20 ni**a I'm so hot still


Taken from 30 Something by HOV

College Football Mini-Preview

I will try to write a more full-blown preview tomorrow, but as the 2007 college football season is mere minutes from beginning, I figured I would throw up some predicitions.

BCS Champion: The Bayou Bengals of LSU
Heisman: Brian Brohm, Louisville (though Darren McFadden from Arkansas is the best overall player)
ACC: Virginia Tech
Big East: winner of Louisville vs. West Virginia (gut reaction: Louisville)
Big 10: The Badgers of Wisconsin
Big 12: That orange-like substance school from Austin
Conference USA: THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
MAC: Central Michigan
MWC: TCU
Pac 10: USC
SEC: LSU
Sun Belt: Those wacky Cajuns of ULL
WAC: Hawaii

NFL Team By Team Judnalysis Part XI

The next stop in our tour takes us to those wacky Buccaneers down in Tampa Bay. The offseason was quite hilarious for the Bucs in the quarterbacking department. First, the team signed free agent Jeff Garcia from Philly, a castoff who turned Donovan McNabb's latest injury into a few more playing years. Then they traded with Denver to get Jake Plummer, who, rather than play with the Bucs, upped and retired. The team also has a tatooed with former coach's initials, son of NY Giant great Phil Simms, a Toledo Rocket and bald guy married to a Playboy Playmate as their three qb options. Good luck!! The Bucs also have a rb named Cadillac who has played more like a Geo since leaving Auburn and some random guys playing wide receiver. John Gruden's defenses are generally good and they still have that one Barber twin. Overall, if not for the Falcons, this team would be chilling with their wine, but instead will have a nice small window in their basement apartment just above the cellar.

NFL Team By Team Judnalysis Part X

With the NFC East and AFC North complete, we will head down to the NFC South where K has already discussed his New Orleans Saints. Our next stop will be the Atlanta Falcons.

I really don't recall hearing much about the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. Oh yeah, they traded perennial backup qb (and the fan's favorite player) Matt Schaub to my Houston Texans. Apparently they decided that Joey Harrington would finally make a great starting quarterback, so they went and picked him up from Miami and he is now the starter due to some reason or another. Warrick Dunn is coming off a bad knee injury and will be used in a committee with Jerious Norwood. The Falcons also signed Joe Horn as a potential target for Harrington to throw to. Regardless, this team is dead in the water and will definitely be in the Brian Brohm sweepstakes. These guys will be so far in the NFC South cellar, they might as well play their games in Mexico.

The End of an Era

Back on Monday, Drayton McLane and the Houston Astros unceremoniously dumped both manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura. If anybody expected either of these two gentlemen to still be in there current positions by the beginning of 2008 must've been drinking some mighty fine kool-aid. I have been saying for years (yes, even before the miraculous World Series run in '05) that the Astros had better get younger and smarter. Let's be honest here. The Astros rode hot bats and solid pitching to the NLCS in '04 (thanks Beltran) and the WS in '05. The problem with Purpura (and Gerry Hunsicker before him) is that he does not understand the economic concept of sunk cost. Some people call it loyalty and in the world of free agency, I respect loyalty, but sometimes when something you invest in that hasn't quite paid off (or in the case of Chris Burke, something that paid off big time), it doesn't matter what you invest, you should cut bait. Chris Burke has been the heir apparent to Craig Biggio at second base for the Stros for many years, but, for his sake, Biggio was just good enough to keep the roster spot (I'm not getting into the 3,000 hit thing in this post as that was all Drayton's doing). All of a sudden, Burke has the two best weeks of his life and all of a sudden, trade offers were supposedly coming in. Unfortunately, Timmy either would not or could not pull the trigger. That whole concept of buy low, sell high. This was Burke circa 2005. Unfortunately, Burke has been a very average, if not below average, player since then and the Astros will be saddled with him for a few more years (please, please prove me wrong Chris).

The next mistake that ol' Timmy had was sacrificing offense for defense. Adam Everett is a great shortstop and Brad Ausmus is a great catcher. The problem is that both hit under .250. When you combine these guys at slots 7 and 8 with the pitcher hitting 9th, you are basically sacrificing 3 outs everytime through the lineup. When you have guys like Oswalt and Clemens pitching with their sub 3.00 ERA's, you can sacrifice a little. Unfortunately, when you have Williams, Jennings, Wandy (on the road), Albers, and whatever other potential prospects pitching, this will not get it done. Ausmus and Everett seem to be great guys and I love a 1-0 game more than most people I know, but I would willingly sacrifice a little defense to get a guy like a Miguel Tejada, a .300 hitter that can hit for power (who was supposedly part of the trade rumor in 2005 - Burke, Lidge and Tavares for Tejada, if I recall correctly). Hopefully, whoever the new GM is will be able to fix this problem either through the farm system or free agency.

The farm system is the next major problem the Astros face over the next few years. I am ignoring the fact that they didn't sign their top 2 draft picks from this past June's amateur draft, as that can be traced back up to Drayton not willing to spend more than slot money for the picks (I can explain what this means in a separate post if anybody wants). In fact, the farm system problems can be traced back to Hunsicker and the Randy Johnson trade giving away three very good pitching prospects in the process. The Astros have spent most of this decade trying to win now, but that comes at a major cost. The Astros are currently saddled with guys like Lamb, Lane, Bruntlett, Loretta, Palmeiro, and a bunch of young, at best average relief pitchers. When Hunter Pence went down with an injury this season, the Astros used Burke, Lane, Bruntlett, Scott, among others to fill in at centerfield. Are you seriously telling me that the Astros don't have a serviceable CF down on the farm that could've been brought up (and maybe switch over to right when Pence comes back)? If healthy, the Astros have a solid core with Pence, Lee and Scott (if he continues to show more progress) in the outfield, Berkman at first and Wigginton at third (and possibly Burke at second). Now, if the Astros can get a shortstop and a catcher that don't flirt with the Mendoza line, the Astros will be in a good position to compete in the very weak NL Central. Of course, the bigger concern is the pitching staff.

The pitching is in shambles. Clemens and Pettitte were able to give the Astros some good years and Oswalt is the cornerstone for at least another two seasons. Jason Jennings and Woody Williams were busts this season, but the Astros really didn't give up that much. Purpura was trying to make the club better and it failed, but I refuse to blame him because hindsight, as they say, is 20-20 (though, I never did understand why the Astros brought a 4.00+ ERA pitcher onto a team that struggled to get runs for Clemens the past few years as a number 2). Plus, Hirsch, Tavares (now that we have Pence) and Buchholz were just not performing when given the opportunity and are currently struggling in Colorado this season. The problem was started by Hunsicker and Drayton, but has not been helped by Timmy. He really didn't understand that sometimes getting ten cents on the dollar is better than getting zero. There is no reason why some of the guys on the Astros are still wearing the team's colors. When you are out of the pennant race, you move guys, especially journeymen like Loretta, to contenders and get minor leaguers back in return. Of course, the fact that almost no moves were made with contenders (only the Devil Rays deal of Wheeler for Wigginton) may speak more to the quality of players currently on the roster as opposed to Purpura's negotiating abilities. Of course, either way, you must look to the director of player personnel, i.e. the GM, when you have inherent problems such as these.

Who should replace them? I don't know. Preferably, I would stay away from retreads who have failed in the past (I am looking at you Steve Phillips) and maybe go outside the box. We don't need a wonderboy like Theo Epstein, just a guy that knows baseball and business (no, I am happy doing what I am doing and do not throw my name into contention for the position, but Drayton, if you would like to take me on as a consultant or come in and do a team audit, a la Dan Reeves with the Texans, I would be more than happy to take an afternoon off to discuss). As for the manager, I will give Cecil Cooper the benefit of the doubt this season, but if the Astros can score a manager like Joe Girardi, then I will be on board. The Astros are truly at a crossroads this offseason. Another losing year or two and Minute Maid park will begin to empty out, especially when the Texans and Rockets start winning and the Dynamo move into their new stadium. Houston fans can only live and die with one team a year and unless the Astros do something, our hope and prayers will fall on the shoulders of Tracy and Yao, if the interest hasn't shifted to that part of downtown already.

In the end, was it all Purpura's and Garner's fault? Of course not. Drayton and Hunsicker deserve a lot of the blame as well. However, it was indeed time for a regime change and if there are two things Drayton understands is how to make money and how to keep the masses happier. Thanks Scrap Iron and Timmy for our NL pennant and first ever World Series appearance. Hopefully, the franchise you have left behind will be stronger in the long run for your having been here.

NFL Team By Team Judnalysis Part IX

Closing out the NFC East with the team that will probably end up in the cellar, the Washington Redskins. Daniel Snyder has once again done jack to help this once prominent franchise. Jason Campbell gets the start this season at QB (his first as a starter), but he is coming into the season a little nicked up because of a minor knee injury in his last preseason game. Also coming into the season banged up is starting running back Clinton Portis. If healthy, he should have a 1300-1500 yard season, but if not, Ladell Betts is a serviceable replacement (but not quite starter material on most teams, which says a lot). I have no idea about the receivers or the defense, which should probably tell you something.

Prediction for NFC East:
1. Dallas
2. NY Giants
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington

Interesting Story

In Vegas this past Saturday night, part of our group (inlcuding Brownie and myself) found ourselves in Tao just outside the cabana reserved by none other than welterweight boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. Surrounded by his bodyguards (with shirts that read "Floyd Mayweather's Bodyguards" as if they were a intramural softball team), Mayweather made his way out to one of the many dancefloors on the second floor of Tao. After witnessing his dancing prowess in the club, Brownie and I come back to Houston to find out that Mayweather will be competing on the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars beginning on September 24. Other dancers include Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks), Scary Spice, an Indy Car driver, that one blonde chick from 90210 (the hot one) and some other people I don't care about.

Good luck to you Mr. Mayweather. Let's keep the DWTS title in the hands of the professional athletes.

Since I don't watch the show, if somebody would want to guest blog it, send me an email to askjud@gmail.com.

NFL Team By Team Judnalysis Part VIII

We will continue our jaunt through the NFC East that was so well begun by Brownie and Drillo. Part VIII this morning takes us to the Lone Star State and the Team Formerly Known As America's Team Until the New Orleans Saints Started Winning Last Season, aka the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have nearly everything in place now to get to the Super Bowl. Tony Romo showed flashes of greatness last year and despite certain fumbles (both the snap in the playoffs and that whole Jessica Simpson thing in the offseason) and should only get better. The 'Boys still have T.O., who has been remarkably quiet this offseason, and Terry Glenn at WR, Jason Witten at TE and a darn good running back committee with Marion Barber and Julius Jones. The defense continues to look stout due to Bill Parcells' influence, but the real question is how will new head coach Wade Phillips fare in another head coaching opportunity. He has the opposite personality from Parcells, which could be a very good thing in Dallas this season.

The NFC East could be very competitive this season and the Cowboys have the fire power to take the division and/or snag a wild card berth. Look for Romo back in the playoffs this year.

Vegas Recap

Where do I begin? This past four day stretch began Thursday morning with our flight to Vegas leaving H-Town at 7:20am and ended with our arrival back here around 6:00am this morning. I can honestly say that this vacation was ridiculous. The main reason for the journey to Vegas was our boy K's 30th birthday and that served as an excuse to get all the ATL boys back together (we are now located in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as affiliates in Virginia, New York and Florida). It was as if times never changed. In the end, there was lots of drinking, eating, gambling and good ol' fashion fun. We ate at some of the finest restaurants in the country and drank at some of the coolest clubs in town. We took good chunks of money from a few of the casinos and we (actually, mostly me) gave it all and more back to other casinos. If you are visiting Vegas, check out the Venetian. It was incredible.

A brief rundown of the unbelievable places we hit: Ghostbar (Palms - nothing beats smoking cigars on a balcony 55 floors above the strip standing on a piece of glass looking straight down said 55 floors), Tao (Venetian - just wow), Risque (Paris), Fix (Bellagio - home of the $30 magic shot), The Lounge (Mandalay Bay), Del Frisco's Steakhouse (off-strip), David Burke (Venetian), Spago (Caesar's), Fatburger (somewhere on the strip), Red 8 (Wynn), and La Riva (Venetian). We also spent a lot of time sitting around at the pools at the Venetian soaking in those 100+ degree sunny rays. We didn't hit up any shows, but a few of us saw the sun rise from the craps table at Harrah's (with me making a run to win back a chunk of money I dropped). We did a little shopping, a lot of walking (my blisters have blisters on them) and just doing what we do. There were highlights, lowlights, and even some blackouts (not me). I finished the weekend down in the coffers, but thanks to a hot little blackjack streak I went on at the Venetian yesterday evening pre-flight, I was quite satisfied with the amount I invested in the economy of Las Vegas. Also, there are some outstanding college football single game bets, as well as some futures bets for NFL, college football and even the NHL. If these come through I will be back in the plus column.

Big shout out goes to Brownie for being the master of ceremonies of our little adventure and especially, scoring us one helluva table at Tao on Saturday night. You are almost forgiven for waking us up at 9 for breakfast on Saturday morning after we didn't get back to the hotel until 7:30.

The Doc, K and Judz showing off our stamps.

weekend review

I have been out of commision for a while, so this weekend I went out and tried a couple new places. We decided to have ladies night (at least for the most part, guys always tend to find us through some girls drunk text messages).
So dinner was fabulous, the sushi at Rickshaw is awesome. Lets compare to Zake for reference...Zake and Rickshaw have similar prices. Both serve some pretty good sushi. My favorite roll at Zake is the Zake roll - its a peppered tuna roll...and at Rickshaw its the Big Buddha roll - cut in smaller pieces of course. This roll is fantastic. Try it. So so far they are about the same. But the drinks are superb at Rickshaw and just decent at Zake. And lets face it - who wants to wait for over an hour for your table at Zake just to hear the dj above you? Why not go to Rickshaw, get a table right away, here good music (although not spun live) and get great table service, then head out to the clubs if you want to see a dj. I have had more than 3 bad experiences at Zake concerning service at the table. And the bathrooms are much cleaner. So Rickshaw has my vote here.
Then we decided to try Mink...its near the Continental Club. But the smell of this place sent us running. Either someone vomitted immediately before we entered or they need to clean the bar with some bleach. OUCH. So we went next door to a bar called big top. They do not have red bull! Big no no these days. Anyways, the music is fun, kind of weird. We just grabbed a shot and left...but apparently the bathrooms were not up to par, so this is not high on my list to return. So we decided after striking out twice we would revert to an old favorite. Christians Tailgate has kareoke on Saturday nights. Ilove it. My girlfriend decided to sign us up before we had enough in us though so she was humiliated singing by herself for the most part. :) hahaha. Tailgate is awesome, you have pretty good drinks, clean bathrooms for the most part and even decent food if you get the munchies. Dart boards, pool tables, and one of those slider tables you play with the disks (man I am drawing a blank) [Ed. note - It's called shuffleboard]. Anyways, its always a fun time - especially Wed with dollar beers.
After Tailgate we hit up the new piano bar in Midtown next to Pub Fiction. Its called Howl at the Moon. Now I have mixed emotions about this place. The place is clean, and the ambience is pretty fun, there isnt a long line to the restroom or to get a drink. But here is an issue. There are so many tables/chairs right in the middle - right where a dance floor should be. So no one is dancing. Everyone is standing around at the tables with the people they came with for the most part. This is ok, but its not conducive to meeting new people. So I cant decide if I like this place or not. I think its ok for going out in a medium sized group...but definatley dont go here if you want to hook up with someone new.
After this, I honestly dont remember where I went, that tequila shot from earlier finally kicked in. I ended up at some house in the hieghts, weird. But finally I got home. Bless those taxis!