Ready for some NFL!!!

Oh yes, the NFL season is just about 6 days away.. So, naturally, I’m here to give you my thoughts on what you can expect to see this year. I’m going to talk about everything from teams, to players, to division races, to the playoffs to… Yes.. THE SUPER BOWL!!!

I’ll start off by saying this: The Patriots WILL NOT make the Super Bowl this year! The division is now tougher, the Colts are still right there with them in the AFC & the Jagz are still a comin’..

Nextly, Shawne Merriman is going to wish he hadn’t rolled the dice & the Chargers are going to bomb when something happens to him! Why would anyone do anything that could affect his team in such a way! It wouldn’t hurt them NEARLY as bad if they start off without him, rather than starting with him & then losing him! But, nobody ever accused Merriman of being the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Now I’d like to talk about a team to watch out for that NOBODY is talking about: That would be the Carolina Panthers.. It’s like people have forgotten that they exist.. Well, they exist & people will realize that once/if they make the playoffs & I believe that they will! They still have Jake Delhomme who is no slouch at QB & he has a great target to throw to in Steve Smith, they’ve now added Jonathan Stewart to accompany DeAngelo Williams (what a running game)! But, that’s not even the best of their situation… The division is SOOOO patheticly weak! It just might happen that the other teams in the playoffs, if the Panthers are around, may just assume that, in turn, the Panthers are also weak & boy, may they be surprised! If that happens, just maybe…. I won’t jinx it.. But…. maybe! It’s the NFC!

Ok, Super Bowl prediction! It’s obviously going to be the Atlanta Falcons vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.. No brainer! (that was a good one, if I do say so myself) Ok… all jokes aside, it will be the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.. Cowboys will win by a score of 27-17, book it. Really, please don’t!!! I don’t want to be held responsible if you lose all your money!!!

Last, but certainly not lea – Ok, yes, least of the topics that I wanted to discuss…. Brett Favre.. NOT the magical cure the Jets are looking for, sorry.. I know he’s gave alot of Jets’ fans something to be excited about, but please, don’t get too over-the-top excited here.. You MIGHT get to the playoffs, but that’s where it stops. Then you’ll have to deal with him not knowing whether or not he wants to play anymore, because, didn’t you know, the WHOLE NFL revolves around him & what HE wants to do!!!

End of rant.

Wherever I May Roam: The Day That Metallica Came Back!

First of all, let me say this.. This is primarily a sports blog, obviously, but.. I couldn’t help it.. I must express my feelings on the BRAND NEW single from Metallica: “The Day That Never Comes”. Metallica is my absolute favorite band.. So, I MUST do this!

Incase you’ve been trapped under a rock somewhere for a while, allow me to excitedly inform you that Metallica is coming out with a new album called “Death Magnetic” on September 12th. It’s their first album since “St. Anger” in 2003. That’s why I titled this “The Day That Metallica Came Back”.. I understand that they never went anywhere, but, they did take a 5 year hiatus between albums. That’s a while!

So, a couple of days ago their first single off of “Death Magnetic” was released titled “The Day That Never Comes” & oh my.. It starts up on the radio & immediately I realize that the legends are back on track after a disappointing “St. Anger” album, to be kind. The song starts out much like their ballad off “Ride The Lightning” called “Fade To Black”, which happens to be my favorite song in the world, without a doubt. So, needless to say, the song has gripped me from the start. From there, I start hearing shades of “One” off of “…And Justice For All”. It’s such an epic beginning, beautiful guitar & then the MIGHTY (as everything is with Metallica) & THUNDERING (THEIR ALWAYS LOUD) drums pick up & right away, you know they’re going back to their roots, so to speak.

Before too long, you hear Mr. Hettfield’s vocals for the first time & they are very clean, as they should be for this type of song. His voice really touches on the very emotion & pulse of this song & it’s meaning. As he sings with his voice seemingly agonizing over each & every word, yet it’s so beautiful, you really start feeling exactly what he’s trying to convey.

My original interpretation of the meaning of the song is that it’s about abuse inside of a relationship of some sort. Which really makes this song less of a song that you really want to get down & rock out to. You know? But hey, that’s Metallica.. They’re alittle dark, alot of their stuff is like this, this is nothing new to them.

After the first verse you are greeted by a pretty hard & heavy chorus with more of the traditional Metallica growl. Directly following that, you are taken back to the start of the song as they play the intro guitar piece again leading up to the second verse which, as usual, is much like the first, just telling the second part of the “story”. Then back through the chorus.. At this point, you’re prepared.. You’re ready for Kirk Hammett to step it up! But first, you get some heavy riffage leading up to a triumphant sounding bridge that blast you right through into what every Metallica fan waits & holds their collective breathes for: Kirk Hammett’s amazing guitar.

OH YES! You get about 3 minutes of solid MIGHTY METALLICA riffage & Kirk Hammett going to town with Lars pounding it out as always on the drums. It does get alittle too repetitive in places & this song could have been shorter…

A couple of other problems are that the music at times seems a bit too happy for the subject of the song & the fact that this song actually ends is another problem! It’s that great to hear Metallica & not just that, but this song is REALLY GOOD. It’s the best song that I’ve heard in quite a while.. Most other rock/metal bands around these days should be ashamed! This isn’t even Metallica’s best work & it is STILL WAY above & beyond most bands out there todays’ work.

I give it an 8.3 out of 10. It’s not EXCELLENT, so no 9. But it is GREAT, that equals an 8…. point 3. Can’t forget about that point 3. But yeah, most stuff out there today isn’t even worthy of anything close to an 8.. So, this score really is great. This song is a major victory for Metallica coming off the heels of “St. Anger”!

Professional Wrestling: Should Be Taken Seriously As A Sport!

I admit it. Yes, I am a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) or Professional Wrestling lover. I’m 22 years old & I have been a fan since I was just 4 years old. I remember watching my very first match & it absolutely thrilling me & since then I’ve never turned back. I remember the original reason I liked it too, as you can guess, since I was only 4, it was because I was seeing two guys beat each other up! Yeah, alot of little boys get fascinated by that sort of thing.

So, that sets this up for you. Now, as you can imagine, after a while I learned that it was fake. It took nothing away from the enjoyment I got out of it, even as I was still a youngster. I was still as enthralled by it as ever. The passion never wavered, it didn’t stop me for a second from being so happy anytime it were to come on TV & not hardly be able to wait for the next time it would. People would say to me “but, it’s fake, how can you like that?”

That’s what I’m going to explain here & it also happens to be the reason why Professional Wrestling should be taken seriously as a sport, not as something that’s beneath being a sport, not as the redheaded stepchild of a sport, but as a true sport in & of itself. 

Professional Wrestling is indeed fake.. But, not completely. That’s what many people who are constantly talking about that they can’t like something that’s fake like that cannot seem to grasp. The physical interaction between the wrestlers in the ring is fake to a degree (more on that later), but, the athleticism it takes to do those moves, the skill & talent, training & effort it takes to become a Professional Wrestler is NOT fake at-all. Some of the things these athletes do are amazing, all the while making sure that the athlete they are working with does not truly get seriously hurt. Imagine soaring off the top rope while back-flipping in mid-air & trying to land on-top of someone just perfectly so that you do not seriously hurt them.

Which leads me to the next element involved here. While these athletes are doing these moves with care & they are trained professionals as to how to do these moves to where the athlete they are doing them to does not get injured, to a certain degree, it is real.. There is pain involved, their bodies do get worn out, they are human beings putting on a show, yes, but, it does come at a cost, just as it does with an NFL player, MLB player, Boxer or any other physical sport you care to think of. It is taxing on their bodies, they do get burned out sometimes, it does wear on them mentally as well.

There are many of men who think they wish to become a Professional Wrestler, but when they start to truly train for it, they cannot take it. Take that for what it’s worth, but honestly, what does that say to you in your heart of hearts?

I know this has been long & I appologize, so, I’m going to wrap this up very shortly. I just hope that I can get through to some of you who look down on Professional Wrestling or feel that it somehow does not qualify as a sport. I want to share my passion with you, I want to open up a whole new world to you or perhaps just let you see just a small beam of the brightness that Professional Wrestling is to my life.

I understand that it being fake has nothing to do with why some do not like wrestling or maybe even it not being considered a sport in your eyes. Some of you disagree with some of the soap opera type things that goes on during, say, a WWE event. That’s understandable, but don’t let that overshadow what the athletes in the ring do. Don’t let that one thing blind your eyes to what can be a very beautiful thing if you let it.

The soap opera like things that go on is the entertainment aspect of it.. After all, it is labeled “sports entertainment”.. What sport doesn’t entertain you though? Every sport has it’s characters; There’s Manny Ramirez in baseball, there’s Terrell Owens in the NFL, there’s many in the NBA. Every sport has those characters that aren’t playing a role though, that’s real life, that’s their real selves, yet, some of you may not let that effect whether or not you watch those things. So, why not give the WWE or TNA (Total Nonstop Action) a chance? Why does Professional Wrestling always have to have this big bad dark cloud hung over it?

In closing, I just want to let you know that if you’re reading this at this point, I thank you ever so much. I thank you because it proves that you’re thinking about this at least & that’s great. If this only makes one person see Professional Wrestling in a different light, then it was worth the time & effort here. I hope somebody who didn’t before now realizes that Professional Wrestling can be seen as I see it now, an art, a thing of beauty, great athleticism, some entertainment thrown in & most importantly – A sport!

Thanks SOOO much again for reading!

Dawg Pounding To The National Championship (Football)

That’s right… The Georgia Bulldogs will be barking their way up the right tree this year.. What’s the advantage? They start at the top!

Oh & it also doesn’t hurt to be one of the most talented teams in the nation, if not THE most talented. Sure, there are some tough teams with weak schedules (namely; Ohio State & Missouri) that if the Dawgs don’t get walked enough, don’t get their doggie bowl filled all the way up to the top or act more like hound dogs & just loaf around too much, especially with them sporting the toughest schedule in the nation (in my opinion), could move right on up & take a National Championship spot away from them!

Still, I say that these Georgia Bulldogs will either go undefeated or finish up with just 1 loss & that loss would come at the hands of their nightmare that is the Florida Gators. Either of those, I feel, should keep them in National Championship contention, considering that toughest schedule in the nation & the fact that I believe Ohio State will stumble to USC, Oklahoma will stumble to somebody, not sure who & Missouri will make a mistake somewhere, most likely at Texas.

Having said that, who do I think will be in the National Championship game with Georgia? Well, that would be Oklahoma. The only test for Oklahoma will probably be Missouri in the conference championship game. Oklahoma has Missouri’s number, Oklahoma doesn’t fear Missouri, Missouri fears Oklahoma! Oklahoma will beat Missouri again & that will put them at #2 in the BCS & secure a National Title game spot!

Why do I think Georgia will defeat Oklahoma? It’s simple… Oklahoma doesn’t Knowshon! Oklahoma is all bark & no bite!! They can’t win the big game & their coach has a fitting last name… Stoops.. Yeah.. After they finish their business there, they’ll take a big bite out of the Sooners & become the National Champions!!!

RBIs & Wins Have Their Place In Baseball…

Just not as a great measure of how good a batter or pitcher is. Both are far too reliant on what other people on the team does. You put any great RBI hitter or winning pitcher on a bad baseball team & those numbers take a dive. So, under no circumstances should these two stats ever be put into any calculation that is supposed to suggest who is a better batter or pitcher.

RBIs & wins DO have their place in baseball & are useful, though. They aren’t “worthless” as some would like for you to believe & here’s why:

For RBIs, since 1990, well over 500 players in a single season who had atleast 100 RBIs were above average hitters according to OPS+ (on-base percentage + slugging percentage, it’s the percentage above the league average in that stat).. While only approximately 12 were below average. OPS is an accepted stat for measuring how good a hitter is.

As far as pitchers go, 15 wins is the number we’re looking for here.. Since 1990, yet again, approximately 370 starting pitchers who had atleast 15 wins were above average pitchers according to ERC+ (which is component ERA, the percentage above the league average, 100 is average).. Only 64 pitchers (again approximately) were below average.

So, what can we gather from this? Well, we can gather that anomalies happen, but, it is a general rule of thumb that if a hitter has 100 RBIs or more or a pitcher has 15 wins or more, that they must be pretty good.

Weird things are going to happen, but that doesn’t make these two stats “worthless”.. It just makes them flawed. I want someone to find me a stat that isn’t somehow flawed & that measures a player’s talent perfectly.. Once that happens, I will be the first to deem RBIs, wins & every other stat 100% worthless besides that one.

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