Artest model, Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery voice game: Hot Clicks
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Terrell Owens Has A New Favorite Song
BlitzNation — Some pissed off Bills fan put together this “Hey There Delilah” remix and renamed it “Hey There Trent Edwards.” Whether you’re a Buffalo Bills fan or not you can’t help but chuckle at some of these lyrics. I’m loving the first verse, “Hey captain check-down we’re not looking for Tom Brady just a better Kelly Holcomb who throws further than a lady without arms.” Instant YouTube classic IMO.

Hey There Trent Edwards
Football Outsiders — 06 Oct 2009 Hey There Trent Edwards I always envision Bills fans singing softly and sadly to acoustic guitar, and now my vision has come true. Posted by: Vince Verhei on 06 Oct 2009 0 comments Comments Post new comment Your name: * E-mail: * The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Homepage: Subject: Comment: * Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Allowed HTML tags: Lines and paragraphs break automatically. More information about formatting options CAPTCHA To skip this, please log in.

Hey There Trent Edwards
Writing the Pine — Hilarious song about Trent Edwards sung to “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s

Orlando Magic 2009-2010 Season Preview
Writing the Pine — Orlando Magic Season Preview PROJECTED RECORD: 57-25 #3 seed in the East – Eliminated in the 2nd Round MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: Dwight Howard/Jameer Nelson PLAYER TO WATCH: Vince Carter STRENGTHS: 3-Point Shooting, Dwight Howard WEAKNESSES: Too Reliant on 3-Point Shooting, Chemistry The Orlando Magic surprised many last year, getting to the NBA Finals when everybody (including Nike ) thought we’d get our dream matchup between the Cavaliers and the Lakers . Superman and company had other ideas as they easily disposed of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals . It was a turning point in Dwight Howard ’s career as he proved he ...

NBA 2k10 Reviewed (Xbox 360)
Writing the Pine — Like for many of you, NBA Live was my basketball game of choice in the ‘90s. It helped that it was also the only NBA game to play but that’s beside the point. PC was my platform of choice mainly because I did not own a PlayStation but it was awesome to play on the computer because I could download roster updates and various patches that would add to the realism of the game like shoe, court, advertisement, player faces, and even basketball patches. Those things weren’t really that necessary because the actual gameplay was so fun, but it added to the enjoyment for me and as a result, I got a lot of miles out the game. Nowadays, you don’t need ...

2009 NLCS: Phillies vs. Dodgers (Part II)
Writing the Pine — Dodgers Phillies Preview The 2009 NLCS starts tonight in what will be a rematch of last year’s NLCS. After quickly disposing of the team that many considered the NL favorites, the St. Louis Cardinals , the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to dispose of last year’s demons by avenging their 2008 playoff series loss to the Philadelphia Phillies . Much of the criticism on the Dodgers going into the playoffs came in regards to their starting pitching. Chad Billingsley , who had a promising start to the season, has fallen off tremendously and as a consequence, has been demoted to bullpen duties. In Game 1 of their last series, the Dodgers ...

Section 203: Yankees/Angels Preview and Predictions
Writing the Pine — I hope we don’t see this again.  It happened in ‘02.  It happened again in ‘05.  They’ve always played us tough, rallied behind their monkey to pummel our bullpen (Mo included), and protected their homefield.  (Which isn’t in Los Angeles.  It’s in Anaheim.  That’s like if the NY Giants called themselves the New York Giants [...]

Freestyle
Writing the Pine — Hilarious song about Trent Edwards sung to “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s

Charlotte Bobcats 2009-2010 Season Preview
Writing the Pine — PROJECTED RECORD: 31-51 MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: Raymond Felton PLAYER TO WATCH: Tyson Chandler STRENGTHS: Ball Movement, Defense (I guess) WEAKNESSES: Offense, Lack of Identity When Larry Brown agreed to coach the Charlotte Bobcats , I had high expectations of them. Now I will fully admit that I am biased towards them because Raymond Felton is my favorite player in the NBA outside of LeBron James . For this reason, I may have looked at the team through rose-colored glasses. I should’ve known not to be so optimistic though when Brown and Michael Jordan decided to take DJ Augustin over Brook Lopez , who clearly was the ...

Section 203: Opportunity Squandered
Writing the Pine — The Yankees had a chance to jump to a 3-0 lead in the ALCS but just failed to execute.  Dear Joe Girardi, Yes, you can overmanage a game.  Mike Scoscia had an opportunity to pinch run for Jeff Mathis but decided not to because that would remove his bat.  It paid off when Mathis delivered the game-winning double.  And yes, you did overmanage by playing the stats over what you were seeing.  Robertson was dealing.  Why take him out? Some Firsts:  The Yankees squandered multiple chances to tack on runs.  Throughout the postseason the Yankees have stuggled with RISP and this game was no different as the Yanks went 0-8.  This included having ...

Anderson’s Week 6 NFL Power 10
Writing the Pine — 1) New Orleans Saints (5-0) – Finally, after defeating a team that has been number one on Anderson’s NFL Power 10 throughout this entire NFL season, the New Orleans Saints have leapfrogged into first place. After being tested in Week 4 against the Jets, many wondered how legitimate this Saints team was and how [...]

A-Rod Ass-Grab
Writing the Pine — [image] Ok, we need to address this.  I tried ignoring it.  We do things in the heat of the moment.  Adrenaline pumping.  25 guys on a 10 month journey and the moment just happens.  But I can’t ignore it anymore. Rho Dynasty commented about it , and David (aka the writer formerly known as YJ) brought it up last night.  A-Rod, what are you doing? You’re grabbing the Captain’s butt.  Live on national TV.  Does Kate Hudson not satisfy in the ass-grabbing department? [image] After months of saying the right thing, staying out of the spotlight, and proving to be a clutch hitter in the postseason, you have to go out and do something like this. I ...

HOW DARE YOU TIM MCCLELLAND
Writing the Pine — [image] HOW DARE YOU TIM MCCLELLAND make all these calls in favor of the Yankees! You are the puppet of Major League Baseball and Steinbrenner.  You work for FOX network executives and the East Coast biased media members of ESPN.  You and your other umpire cronies are ruining the sport of baseball by fixing the games in favor of a Yankees World Series.… Yeah, so that’s pretty much the chatter on some Angels blogs — the same ones that accused Mariano Rivera of cheating with spitballs.  Umm..ok.  You sound like an embittered psycho ex-girlfriend.  (Redundant?) Take it easy.  Calls go against both teams throughout the playoffs and in my mind, ...

Washington Wizards Season Preview: The Agent Zero Show
Writing the Pine — Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

Section 203: “He Swings and….SWISH”
Writing the Pine — To be fair, Nick Swisher didn’t strike out to end Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.  He popped up on a 3-2 count in the top of the 9th inning with the bases loaded and his team down a run to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.   (It just makes for a better title for this entry.) I’m a big fan of Nick Swisher, a.k.a. “Jolly Old St. Nick or Swishalicious” as John Sterling refers to him on Yankees radio broadcasts.  I like his high OBP, his long,grinding at-bats, and switch-hitting power.  I just wasn’t a fan of the popup to end the inning and the two outs he made in the 6-run Yankees 7th inning. Aside from that, it was a helluva ...

Section 203: Yanks Advance to their 40th World Series
Writing the Pine — The clock struck 12 and there were two strikes on Gary Matthews, Jr.  Mo bent at the waist, held his form and delivered a third strike to finally put away a pesky, resilient Angels squad.  At 12:01, the Yankees won their 40th American League Pennant and will face the defending World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. A mere 6 minutes later, Yankees.com send me an e-mail offering me Yankees ALCS gear. But I’ll take it over the alternative (of not winning Game 6 and thus not getting the aforementioned e-mail). The Magic number for the Bronx Bombers is now 4 .  I’m not going to look ahead to our World Series opponent ...

I Got 5 On It – NBA Style
Writing the Pine — The 2009-2010 NBA season tips off tonight with quite possibly the best quartet of games you’ll find on any given day throughout the year.  The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers cut the ribbon on the season as they renew their rivalry after a year off last year.  Then, a refurbished Gilbert Arenas leads the revamped Washington Wizards against the Dallas Mavericks and their new weapon – Dirk Nowitzki’s hair.  Just kidding, I mean Shawn Marion .  At 10pm, the Portland Trail Blazers look to get revenge on the Houston Rockets , who eliminated them from the playoffs a year ago.  Finally, the defending champion Los Angeles ...

Empire State of Bitterness
Writing the Pine — Empire State of Bitterness The stage is set to crown a world champion of baseball.  Arguably the two teams who deserved to be there most are facing each other to earn the right to be immortalized in the history books.  After a grueling six month season, it’s all come down to a final few games.  Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees will square off in the World Series . What’s a Mets fan to do? If I had to pick a team to root for, conventional wisdom says it’s a no-brainer that I gotta throw my support behind the “Evil Empire.”  It’s not that easy though.  Growing up, it was all about the Yankees.  I was 11 when the ...

LeBron Owns Rondo…Again
Writing the Pine — I think it’s come to the point where Rondo should just pull the ball back out and wait for his buddies.  He does get the last laugh though as the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 95-89.

World Series Prediction: Phillies Win In 5
Writing the Pine — Phillies in 5.  In the series that’s been dubbed The Liberty Series (Statue v. Bell), the I-95 Series, the AmTrak Series, or even a throwback series matching up some of baseball’s oldest teams, the Phillies have the edge. I’m calling it Cheesesteaks v. Cheesecakes.  It has a nice ring to it. And plus, I like cheesesteaks [...]

World Series Game One Running Diary
Writing the Pine — This post was written by: [image] fivetoolplayer - who has written 29 posts on Writing the Pine . Fivetoolplayer won a championship his first and only season playing little league baseball as a member of the "Richmond Learning Center." His pitiful attempt to play soccer (2 own-goals, and 300 orange slices eaten) are only overshadowed by his even more pitiful attempt to be humorous. An attempt that misses so badly - it evokes memories of trips to the free throw line during a short-lived intramural basketball career. (Career points : 2) Contact the author

World Series Game 2: A.J. BurNASTY
Writing the Pine — Were not worthy. Were not worthy. We're not worthy. We're not worthy.

World Series Game 3 Mobile Update
Writing the Pine — I’m following the game on MLB’s wonderful iPhone app, At-Bat 2009 .   Worth every penny of the $9.99 I paid.  (And whenever I can catch it on a screen) Then I’m posting using a WordPress app. FiveToolPlayer’s gone high-tech. • Looks like Phillies fans are collectively dressed up as soon-to-be disappointed fanbase • And… Cole Hamels is dressed up as 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels.  And Andy Pettitte is really ruining my night. • Of course A-Rod would break out of his slump with a controversial replay call.  I mean, the first ever replay home run in MLB history was his.  Why not the first WS one as well? • And a different take is Hamels hit ...

JJ Goes Hard
Writing the Pine — I’m not really sure how to say this but…JJ Redick is coming out with a rap album.  I’m not sure why you got to do this to yourself JJ.  There’s a reason you’re one of the most hated basketball players of all time and this definitely doesn’t help with that.  But hey, you can do [...]

Better Late Than Never…Memphis Grizzlies 2009-2010 Season Preview
Writing the Pine — PROJECTED RECORD: 30-52 MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: OJ Mayo PLAYER TO WATCH: Allen Iverson STRENGTHS: Youth, Athleticism, Scoring WEAKNESSES: Youth, Defense Before Allen Iverson was a Grizzly, the “veteran leader” on the team was Zach Randolph. If that doesn’t give you a good idea of the predicament the Memphis Grizzlies have put themselves in, I really don’t know what [...]

Girardi Takes a Calculated Risk
Writing the Pine — Joe Girardi is starting C.C. Sabathia on three days rest for Game 4 of the World Series.  Charlie Manuel is opting for utilizing his team’s depth by pitching a four-man rotation with Joe Blanton taking the mound tonight. Which manager is right?  I believe both managers are making the right choice for putting their respective teams in the best position for success. The Yankees for their $201 M payroll lack a dependable fourth starter in these playoffs.  So a three-man rotation allows using C.C. three times in a full seven game series.  What a weapon to have.  There is historic precedence for this and the Yankees don’t have to look back too far ...

NBA Power 16 – Week 1
Writing the Pine — 1. BOSTON CELTICS (4-0) – An opening night victory at Cleveland and the league’s best defense and a 19.3 average margin of victory give the C’s the top spot in Week 1. 2. ORLANDO MAGIC (3-0) – Vince Carter is hurt (already) but JJ Redick stepped in to score a career-high 27 points against Toronto to give the Magic a 3-0 start.  But the real question is, how will JJ’s rap album be ...

Thoughts on Andre Agassi…
Writing the Pine — I haven’t yet read Andre Agassi’s tell-all saga, but by all accounts it is an incredibly revealing book about his self-destruction into crystal meth addiction, his tumultuous and public relationship (and nasty break-up) with Brooke Shields , and his abusive relationship with his father who trained him as a child. I don’t really care about the specifics of his stories, but I do appreciate how he came forward with the skeletons in his closet when he had absolutely no reason to. No one suspected Agassi of these demons and he was certainly never called out publicly for them. For most people, making mistakes is a normal part of life. Eventually, ...

27
Writing the Pine — Exactly 8 years after the heart-breaking loss to the Diamonbacks in the 2001 World Series, the Yankees are once again the World Series champions.  After not fully appreciating the 4 title run in the late ’90s, this playoff run will long be remembered for me.  And before I go into some thoughts on the Yankees victory, congrats to the Phillies who were resilient in defending their title down to the last at-bat. Hideki Matsui If this was Hideki Matsui’s swan song as a Yankee, my god, what a performance.  He took home MVP honors after going 8-13 (.615) with 3 homeruns and 8 RBIs.  He became the first DH to ever win the award.  I can’t ever recall ...

NBA Power 16 – Week 2
Writing the Pine — 1. PHOENIX SUNS (9), 6-1 – Despite getting smoked by the Magic in Orlando , the Suns made up for it by beating the Celtics on the road.  Steve Nash is playing like an MVP and is shooting better from 3-point land than 2-point distance.  Are the Suns for real?  This week will be a good indication as they play two average teams ( Sixers , Hornets ) followed by a showdown with the Lakers . 2. BOSTON CELTICS (1), 7-1 – The C’s did not look good in their last three games.  Two close victories over the Timberwolves and the Nets and a loss to the Suns.  Maybe it’s the eight games in 12 days thing, but if it is, how will they be in ...

Seriously?
Writing the Pine — How did she not get thrown out of the game after any one of these incidents?  Awful job by the refs or whatever they are called in soccer.  #7 on BYU is pretty hot though.  Definitely a boo.

Crazy Bitch
Writing the Pine — Elizabeth Lambert is one crazy bitch.  How did she not get thrown out of the game after any one of these incidents?  Awful job by the refs or whatever they are called in soccer.  Give her a damn red card.  Damn.  #7 on BYU is pretty hot though.  Definitely a boo.

Early Thoughts on UNC
Writing the Pine — Way too many careless turnovers by UNC.  Dexter Strickland had five in 11 minutes of play.  The good news: Larry Drew only had two. Speaking of Larry Drew, who is worried about point guard play?  Drew showed he can run Roy Williams‘ offense fine.  He had seven points and six assists in 21 minutes of play.  He showed a nice stroke and a quick handle (he even made a guy fall with that killer crossover).  He always made sure to bring the ball up in the middle of the court and had some nifty drives and dishes.  I do think he got away with some stuff today that he won’t be able to get away with against better teams.  But he was solid enough ...

Anderson’s NFL Week 9 Power 10
Writing the Pine — [image] Anderson’s NFL Week 9 Power 10 1. New Orleans Saints (8-0) – The Saints just keep finding ways to win regardless of the score. After never trailing in their first 5 games, New Orleans has had to come from behind in their last 3 games played. While Sunday’s deficit against the Carolina Panthers was not as great as their deficit against the Miami Dolphins , the manner in which the Saints had to come back was equally impressive. Carolina’s running game is back on track and looks just as potent as it was last year, while the defense seems to be back to its stout self as well. The Saints had to learn to contain the two headed running ...

UNC vs NCCU – Game Thoughts
Writing the Pine — A much better performance tonight by North Carolina albeit against a much weaker team.  It was worrisome early as the Eagles kept up right out the gates but the boys in blue ended the game on an absurd 70-22 run.  Some thoughts: PLAYER OF THE GAME: MARCUS GINYARD– It takes him a while to get it off but his shot is falling.  It was his scoring that really put away the Eagles. STAT LINE OF THE NIGHT: JOHN HENSON– 4 pts, 3 rebs, 4 asts, 2 blks – This really could’ve gone to several other players but I’ll give it to the lanky 6′10 freshman for showing off his versatility and unselfishness.  Marcus, Ed , Tyler, Deon , and Leslie were all ...

BREAKING NEWS: Victor Zambrano’s mom traded for Scott Kazmir’s mom
Writing the Pine — According to this news report , former Major League pitcher Victor Zambrano’s mom was taken from her home in Venezuela by kidnappers. Fortunately, authorities were able to intervene and secure the release of Mrs. Zambrano by the non-waiver trade deadline.  While the conditions of the trade were not immediately available to the public, confidential sources inside the law enforcement agency said they had to give up Scott Kazmir’s mom and minor-league catching prospect Jose Diaz.“It was a good trade for us, and I think it was a heck of a trade for the Zambranos,” according to the kidnappers’ press release. “Victor Zambrano’s mom has been ...

From the Canyon of Heroes to the Bowels of Madison Square Garden
Writing the Pine —             Riding high off of the Yankees’ 27th World Series Championship, I was prepared to see a competitive Knicks squad that would attract marquee free agents this summer. While a playoff berth was unlikely, it wasn’t impossible. I figured the Knicks would finish the season with about 35 wins and 47 losses, but my hopes were dashed five games into the season. Somehow, the Knicks got worse. We fell behind by double digits at the half in almost every game so far this season. Sometimes, we fought back hard but we always fell short. Our lone win was against a Hornets squad that just fired their coach. This week, while I watched the Knicks ...

Ty Lawson Posterizes DJ Mbenga
Writing the Pine — Apparently Lawson was holding back a little bit in college.  Absolutely absurd.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 10
The Big Lead — Peter King has his Fine Fifteen, ESPN has its own composite power rankings, and the legendary Dr. Z’s weekly power rankings were a must-read until he was stricken silent by a stroke last year. So, why can’t TBL get in on the fun? Here’s the 10th installment of the 2009 NFL in-season power rankings, featuring the cherry-loving Rosario Dawson. 1. New Orleans Saints (9-0): The Saints were outgained by the Rams 439-426, they upped their turnover total over the past four games to 13, and they gave up more than 150 yards rushing - again. The Saints are loaded, but their defense can ...