Douche Bag of the Year: 2014

And the nominees...

Barack Obama: Executive overreach, helped create ISIS, economy continues to stumble along...

Roger Godell: Did he lie in the Ray Rice incident?

NFL Players: Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Hernandez, plus the usual drug arrests.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Conscious uncoupling, advocating dictatorship in America.

Jesse Ventura: Sued the widow of a Navy Seal.

Harry Reid: The real culprit behind Washington gridlock. He should resign after the election results.

Gabby Giffords: Surrendered the moral high ground by getting in the gutter in the election.

Kim Kardashian: 'Nuf said.

Billy Beane: Another A's fail.

Wendy Davis: Worst campaign ever. Oh and she was a gold digger.

Ebola Medical professionals: Stay in quarantine. Morons.

Bill Cosby: Woman after woman keeps coming forward.

Rolling Stone Magazine: How's about doing your homework?

And the Douche Bag of 2014 is....Bill Cosby

Past Winners: Barack Obama (2013), Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Penn State (2012), Casey Anthony (2011), LeBron James (2010), and Reality TV Stars (2009)

Quotes of the Month: September 2014

Quote of the Month: "Israel was using its missiles to protect its children. Hamas was using its children to protect its missiles."


-Benjamin Netanyahu

　
Stupid Quote of the Month: "My son as attorney general, the year in Iraq, came back and that’s one of the things that he finds is, was most in need, when he was over there in Iraq for a year, people would come to him and talk about what was happening at home, in terms of foreclosures, in terms of bad loans that were being, I mean these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas."


-Joe Biden

　

and the rest...
"We will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice. Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside."


-Joe Biden
"Rock is finally dead."


-Gene Simmons
"If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."


-Barack Obama
"Hello Iowa---I'm ba-ack!"


-Hillary Clinton
"One cannot win the war with blankets."


-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
"The man's got a point, they can be cold...especially when I'm looking at a serial bomber."


-Megyn Kelly responding to Bill Ayers
"The same mistakes can never be repeated."


-Roger Godell
"I played my last game at shortstop."


-Derek Jeter

Carl Hubbard: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1976

Born: October 31, 1900

1918: Attended Chillcothe Business School (Missouri)

1922-4: Played football at Centenary College

1925: Ruled ineligible for switching schools

1926: Played at Pittsburgh Geneva College

1927: Earned B.A. from Geneva

1927-36: Played in NFL

1928-35: Umpired Minor League Baseball

1936-51: AL Umpire

1951: Retired after an accident injured his eye

1962: College Football HOF

1963: Pro Football HOF

1976: Baseball HOF (Vets Committee)

1977: Died


Accomplishments:
Three Hall of Fames

4 World Series

3 All Star Games

He established set duties for each umpire

4x All Pro

4x NFL Champion

All NFL 1920s team

NFL 50th Anniversary Team

NFL 75th Anniversary Team

Green Bay Packers HOF

Every Champ Every Sport: 1971-2010 Part IV

Post 4 of 5:

Three Time Champions:

Cincinnati Reds-3 (1975-76, 1990)

Detroit Pistons-3 (1989-90, 2004)

Florida Gator Football-3 (1996, 2006, 2008)

Indiana Hoosier Basketball-3 (1976, 1981, 1987)

Kentucky Basketball-3 (1978, 1996, 1998)

New England Patriots-3 (2001, 2003-04)

New Jersey Devils-3 (1995, 2000, 2003)

New York Giants- 3 (1986, 1990, 2007)

Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders-3 (1976, 1980, 1983)

Pittsburgh Penguins-3 (1991-2, 2009)

Washington Redskins-3 (1982, 1987, 1991)

Four Time Champions:

Detroit Red Wings- 4 (1997-8, 2002, 2008)

Duke Basketball-4 (1991-2, 2001, 2010)

Nebraska Cornhuskers Football-4 (1971, 1994-5, 1997)

New York Islanders-4 (1980-3)

North Carolina Basketball-4 (1982, 1993, 2005, 2009)

Notre Dame Football-3 (1973, 1977, 1988)

Oakland A’s-4 (1972-74, 1989)

Oklahoma Sooner Football-4 (1974-5, 1985, 2000)

San Antonio Spurs-4 (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007)

UCLA Bruins Basketball-4 (1972-3, 1975, 1995)

Every Champion Every Sport: 1971-2010 Part III

Post 3 of 5

Teams with 2 Titles:

Boston Red Sox- 2 (2004, 2007)

Colorado Avalanche-2 (1996, 2001)

U Conn Basketball-2 (1999, 2004)

Denver Broncos-2 (1997-98)

Florida Basketball-2 (2006-07)

Florida Marlins- 2 (1997, 2003)

Florida State Seminoles Football-2 (1993, 1999)

Houston Rockets-2 (1994-5)

Kansas Basketball-2 (1988, 2008)

Los Angeles Dodgers-2 (1981, 1988)

Louisville Basketball-2 (1980, 1986)

LSU Tigers Football-2 (2003, 2007)

Miami Dolphins-2 (1972-3)

Michigan State Basketball-2 (1979, 2000)

Minnesota Twins- 2 (1987, 1991)

NC State Basketball-2 (1974, 1983)

Penn State Nitny Lions Football-2 (1982, 1986)

Philadelphia Flyers-2 (1974-5)

Philadelphia Phillies- 2 (1980, 2008)

Pittsburgh Pirates-2 (1971, 1979)

St Louis Cardinals- 2 (1982, 2006)

Toronto Blue Jays- 2 (1992-93)

Every Championship Team Every Sport: 1971-2010 Part 2

One time champs: A-L

Anaheim Angels-1 (2002)

Anaheim Ducks-1 (2007)

Arizona Basketball-1 (1997)

Arizona Diamondbacks- 1 (2001)

Arkansas Basketball-1 (1994)

Atlanta Braves- 1 (1995)

Baltimore Orioles- 1 (1983)

Baltimore Ravens- 1 (2000)

Boston Bruins-1 (1972)

BYU Football-1 (1984)

Calgary Flames-1 (1989)

Carolina Hurricanes-1 (2006)

Chicago Bears- 1 (1985)

Chicago Black Hawks-1 (2010)

Chicago White Sox- 1 (2005)

Clemson Football-1 (1981)

Colorado Buffalo Football-1 (1990)

Dallas Stars-1 (1999)

Detroit Tigers- 1 (1984)

Georgia Bulldog Football-1 (1980)

Georgia Tech Football-1 (1990)

Georgetown Basketball-1 (1984)

Green Bay Packers-1 (1996)

Golden State Warriors- 1 (1975)

Indianapolis Colts- 1 (2006)

Kansas City Royals- 1 (1985)

Every Championship Team-Every Sport 1971-2010

I thought this might be fun to put together. This is the first of five posts. It is every team to have won a title in the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball from October, 1971-2010 (or since I was born)...There are some interesting entries.

Here is the first group of Champions: Those with One title by city (letter M-Z).  I plan to post the remainder of the one time champs tomorrow.

Marquette Basketball-1 (1977)

Maryland Basketball-1 (2002)

Miami Heat-1 (2006)

Michigan Basketball-1 (1989)

Michigan Football-1 (1997)

New Orleans Saints-1 (2009)

New York Knicks- 1 (1973)

New York Mets- 1 (1986)

New York Rangers-1 (1994)

Ohio State Buckeye Football-1 (2002)

Philadelphia 76ers-1 (1983)

Pitt Panther Football-1 (1976)

Portland Trail Blazers-1 (1977)

St. Louis Rams- 1 (1999)

Seattle Supersonics-1 (1978)

Syracuse Basketball-1 (2003)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-1 (2002)

Tampa Bay Lightning-1 (2004)

Tennessee Volunteers Football (1998)

Texas Longhorn Football-1 (2005)

UNLV Basketball-1 (1990)

Villanova Basketball-1 (1985)

Washington Bullets (1978)

Washington Huskies Football-1 (1991)

Detroit Lions Draft Grade

Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska: A++ (Best Lions pick since Barry Sanders)

Jahvid Best RB California: C (The trade to get him was a stretch. He has a history of injury)

Amari Spievey CB Iowa: C (Had problems keeping up with fast receivers)

Jason Fox OT Miami (FL): D (This year's Millen pick; he is always injured)

Willie Young DE NC State: 7th round

Timothy Toone WR Weber State: 7th round

Overall Grade: C

Plays of the Decade

Here are my plays of the decade. I have one for each of the four majors plus a Detroit moment.

Play of the Decade: In the first game played in New York following 911, Mike Piazza hit an eighth inning two-run home run to give the New York Mets a 3-2 win over the Braves. Tom Glavine said it was one of the few losses that did not bother him.

Detroit Moment of the Decade: There were three contenders for this. The winner: Magglio Ordonez’s pennant winning walk-off homer to beat the A’s and send the Tigers to the World Series. The other two contenders are below.

NFL Play of the Decade: David Tyree’s catch vs. New England. Tyree caught the ball with his hand-to-helmet. I never thought anyone would top the Lynn Swann Super Bowl catch. It saved Eli Manning, saved the Giants, and saved the Super Bowl. It set up the game winning TD catch by Plaxeco Burress.

NHL Play of the Decade: Statue of Liberty. This will be a homer pick. In Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, Patrick Roy wanted to stick it to the Wings after making a save. He held the puck up like a trophy and looked like the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately for Roy, he did not have the puck. Brendan Shanahan found it and scored. Wings won the game and then smoked Roy in Game 7.

NBA of the Decade: Al Michaels has a cow. The Pistons made short work of the dysfunctional Lakers and won the NBA Title 100-87 in Game 5 of the Finals. The Lakers were lucky to win a single game in the series. The national media scoffed at the Pistons. When the Palace shot off fire works following the victory, ABC’s Al Michaels had a conniption fit.

NFL's Greatest Games

The NFL formed in 1920. So, here are the best games in NFL history by decade. I thought it might be fun to do it this way instead of the usual method. Also, each game says a little about the league at the time.

1920s: Pottsville Maroons: 9 Notre Dame: 6 (December 13, 1925): No one took the NFL seriously. The pro game was looked down upon. Then, the Pottsville Maroons beat the Fighting Irish in an exhibition game. The NFL had instant credibility.

1930s: Giants: 30 Bears: 13 (The Sneaker Game: December 9, 1934): This was the second NFL Championship Game. Freezing rain iced over the Polo Grounds. Giants Head Coach Steve Owen sent the equipment manager to the store to buy sneakers. The manager could not find an open store, so he borrowed 8 pair from a local college basketball team. While trailing 13-3 in the middle of the third quarter, the Giants changed into the sneakers and outscored Chicago 17-0 the rest of the game.

1940s: Rams: 15 Redskins: 14 (The NFL Championship Game: December 16, 1945): This was the Rams last game in Cleveland before moving to LA. With game time temperatures reaching 8 below zero, the Rams pulled out to a 15-7 lead. Washington cut it to one, but did not score again. The Redskins missed two field goals. The margin of victory was a Ram safety. Redskin quarterback Sammy Baugh dropped back into the end zone to pass, and hit the goal posts with his pass. In 1945, this was a safety. It led to a rule change, but did not help the skins and provided the Rams with the margin of victory.

1950s: Colts: 23 Giants: 17 (The NFL Championship Game: December 28, 1958 ): This was the first NFL Game to go into overtime. It is known as the Greatest Game Ever Played because of the game’s impact and the game itself. The Colts scored in overtime to win the game. The game was on television and showed the medium’s potential. The NFL’s popularity exploded after the game. This put the NFL on the road to becoming the country's most popular sport.

1960s: Packers: 21 Cowboys: 17 (The Ice Bowl: December 31, 1967): With a wind chill factor approaching 48 below zero, the Pack and Cowboys went to war. With 16 seconds to go, and Dallas leading 17-14, Bart Starr called timeout. He asked to run a sneak to win the game. Vince Lombardi summed up everyone’s misery in his response, "Well, run it and let's get the hell out of here." The Pack won and went to the Superbowl.

1970s: Raiders: 37 Colts: 31 (Ghost to the Post: December 24, 1977): Ken Stabler connected with Dave Casper on a 42-yard completion setting up a game-tying field goal. The game went two overtimes and witnessed eight lead changes. Casper later scored the game winning touchdown on a 10 yard pass. The play became known as “Ghost to the Post” because Casper shared a name with a certain friendly ghost.

1980s: 49ers: 20 Bengals: 16 (Hey! Isn’t that John Candy? January 22, 1989 Super Bowl XXIII): In the best Superbowl of the period, Joe Montana led San Francisco down the field to defeat Cincinnati with two fourth quarter touchdowns. On the final game winning drive, Montana broke up the tension by pointing out John Candy in the crowd. The huddle loosened up and the 49ers marched like Sherman through Georgia.

1990s: Bills: 41 Oilers: 38 (The Comeback: January 3, 1993): I turned this one off early. I was really excited that the Bills were not going to make it to another Superbowl. Silly me. The Bills game back from a 35-7 deficit behind a backup quarterback. The Bills scored 28 in the third quarter and outscored Houston 7-3 in the 4th to force overtime. Steve Christie kicked the game winning field goal in overtime and his shoe is now enshrined in Canton.

2000s: Giants: 17 Patriots: 14 (Superbowl XLII: February 3, 2008): So much for the undefeated season. New England had not lost all year. They led 7-3 at halftime and then 14-10 with 2:42 left. Eli Manning channeled his inner Joe Montana and led a drive down field. Facing a third and five with 1:15 remaining, Eli avoided a certain sack and chucked the ball downfield. David Tyree made the greatest catch in Superbowl history by grappling the ball to his helmet and landing on the Pat 24 yard line. Plaxico “I wear sweatpants to the clubs” Burress made the game winning TD catch with 5 seconds to go. Eli was MVP and the Pat Dynasty came to an end.

2010: Cardinals: 51 Packers: 45 (January 10, 2010): Ok, not many to choose from yet. It was either this one or the NFC Championship Game. Warner's last game or yet another Favre choke? hmmmm

Super Bowl Pick

Season: 66-30

Last Week: 0-0 (Pro-Bowl Week)
Championship Week: 2-0

Super Bowl Pick: Colts (47-37)

All Time NFL Team: Defense and Special Teams

DE- Jack Youngblood- Rams
DE- Howie Long- Raiders
DE- Deacon Jones- Rams
DE- Bruce Smith- Bills
DE/DT/LB- Randy White-Cowboys

DT- Bob Lilly- Cowboys
DT- Reggie White- Packers
DT- Mean Joe Greene- Steelers
DT- Merlin Olsen- Rams

LB- Lawrence Taylor- Giants
LB- Jack Lambert- Steelers
LB- Dick Butkus- Bears
LB- Ray Lewis- Ravens
LB- Ray Nitschke- Packers
LB- Joe Schmidt- Lions
LB- Mike Singletary- Bears

CB- Night Train Lane- Lions
CB- Deion Sanders- Cowboys
CB- Lem Barney- Lions
CB- Mel Blount- Steelers
CB- Darrell Green-Redskins

S- Ronnie Lott- 49ers
S- Rod Woodson- Steelers
S- Ed Reed- Ravens

DB/QB/P- Sid Luckman- Bears
K- Adam Vinatieri- Patriots
KR- Mel Gray-Lions
P- Ray Guy- Raiders

Coach- Vince Lombardi

Football Picks

With Indy playing tonight, I am doing my picks today.

Last Week: 4-1

Season: 50-18

Picks:

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State over Wyoming

Beef O’Grady’s Bowl: Rutgers over UCF

Indy over Jax

New Orleans over Dallas

Arizona over Detroit

Football Picks

Last Week: 3-2

Season: 42-16

Goodbye Bobby Bowden! This really is an end of an era. I hate FSU, but Bowden brought speed to football.

Picks:

Florida over Alabama (only because Mel Kiper picked Alabama)'

Cincinnati over Pitt

CMU over Ohio

Texas over Nebraska

Bengals over the Lions (Good lord, even the Bengals are better than the Lions)

Greatest Games of the 1960s

1. Tigers-Cardinals World Series Game 7 (October 10, 1968): Lolich vs. Gibson. The game is scoreless until the 7th. Curt Flood slipped on a fly ball by Jim Northrup. Three runs scored. Tigers win 4-1. Mickey Lolich went the distance for his 3rd win of the series. The two teams still trash talk about this series.

2. Michigan 24 OSU 12 (November 22, 1969): The previous year, the Barbarian Woody Hayes went for a 2-point conversion to add insult to injury and drop 50 on Michigan. The next year, the greatest team of all time went into Ann Arbor to face a former OSU assistant coach. Michigan beat Ohio State 24-12 ruining their year, returning Michigan to prominence, and launching the 10 year war.

3. 10-10 tie MSU-Notre Dame (November 10, 1966): This is sometimes called “the game of the century.” #2 MSU took on #1 Notre Dame. It ended in a tie and both teams claimed the national championship. Michigan State and National Championship go together like peanut butter and tuna fish.

4. Tigers-Cardinals World Series Game 5 (October 7, 1968): Tigers are down 3-1 in the series and down 3-2 in Game 5. Detroit rallies to take a 5-3 lead. Al Kaline had the big hit. Earlier, Willie Horton threw out Lou Brock at home. That 5th inning play turned the series. Why didn't Brock slide???

5. Tigers-Cardinals World Series Game 1 (October 2, 1968): Gibson (1.12 ERA) vs. McLain (31 wins). Cards win 4-0 and Gibson strikes out 17. Next to Don Larsen’s perfect game, it’s the greatest pitching performance in World Series History.

6. McLain’s 30th win (September 14, 1968): The Tigers rally in the 9th to beat the A’s 5-4. Norm Cash hit a 3 run shot in the 4th. Reggie Jackson homered for Oakland. In the 9th, Willie Horton singles in Mickey Stanley for the winner. McLain struck out 10 and became the first pitcher since 1934 to win 30 games.
7. Lions 17 Browns 16 Playoff Bowl (January 7, 1961): This was also known as the “Runner Up Bowl.” The second place Lions played the second place Browns. With the Lions winning 17-16 in the final seconds, Night Train Lane blocked an extra point and the Lions win.

8. Angels: 8 Tigers: 5 (October 1, 1967): The Tigers lost the second game of a double header on the final day of the season. This gave the pennant to the Boston Red Sox. It provided the motivation for 1968.

9. Jim Northrup hits 2 slams in one game (June 24, 1968): Tigers beat the Indians 14-3. Northrup hit a slam in the 5th and again in the 6th. He hit another one 5 days later. Player of the week anyone?

10. Howe breaks Rocket Richard’s goal scoring record (November 10, 1963): Gordie Howe would win the MVP that season. Wings beat Montreal 3-0.



　



　

Greatest Games of the 1950s

1. 1950 Stanley Cup Finals: Game 7: Wings beat the Rangers in double overtime 4-3 to win the Stanley Cup. Ted Lindsay began the parade of champions tradition on the ice after the game.

2. The Snow Bowl: One of the worst blizzards ever hit Columbus. The two teams combined for 45 punts as each side waited for the other to make a mistake. Michigan blocked a punt for a safety and another one for a touchdown. Michigan wins 9-3. Ohio State fired Coach Fesler and hired Woody Hayes.

3. 1954 Stanley Cup Finals: Game 7: The Wings won 2-1 in overtime beating the Canadiens.

4. 1952 Stanley Cup Semi-finals Game 4: Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay got death threats. Wings beat the Leafs 3-1 sweeping the series. After the game, Howe and Lindsay skated around the rink making machine gun motions at the crowd. The Octopus made its first appearance during this playoff run.

5. 1957 Western Conference Playoff Game: Detroit vs. San Francisco: Y.A. Tittle and the 49ers led 24-7 at half time. Lions won 31-27.

6. 1952, 1953, and 1957 NFL Title Game: In 1952, the Lions made their first championship game appearance since 1935. They won 17-7 over Cleveland. In 1953, they repeated 17-16 over the Browns. In 1957, they won 59-14 over those same Cleveland Browns.

7. 1954 Stanley Cup Finals: Game 5: Montreal: 1 Detroit: 0 (Overtime). Yeah, the Wings lost, but what a game.

8. No Hitters: Virgil Trucks went 5-19 in 1952. He no-hit Washington on May 15 and the Yankees on August 25. So, he was 3-19 when he did not no-hit someone!

Jim Bunning no-hit the Red Sox on July 20, 1958. He later threw a perfect game against the Mets while with the Phillies. When he retired, only Walter Johnson had more career strikeouts than Bunning.

9. 1954 Rose Bowl: Michigan State joins the Big Ten and wins the national title. MSU: 28 UCLA: 20.

10. 1951 All Star Game (played at Briggs Stadium): The AL beat the NL 8-3. George Kell homered. Ty Cobb threw out the first pitch and Harry Heilmann died the day before the game.

2009 Football Preview

College Football:

BS Championship Game: Florida-Penn State

Big Ten: Penn State champs

Michigan: 8-4

MSU: 6-6

Ohio State: 9-3

Upset Special: CMU over MSU

Local:

Central Michigan: 11-1 (Loss at Arizona in week 1)

Eastern Michigan: 1-11

Western Michigan: 8-4

Notre Dame: 8-4

Pro Football:

Superbowl: Pats-Giants in a rematch

Lions: 2-14 and in the running for the quarterback of the next decade Sam Bradford...oh wait!

The Worst Ever

The Lions wonderfully historic season got me to thinking...who are the worst teams of all time...

Well, about 10 minutes of internet surfing and I have a list.

Worst Ever Teams:
Baseball: 1899 Cleveland Spiders: 20-134
Basketball: 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers: 9-73
Football: 2008 Detroit Lions: 0-16 (1-23 from mid-season 2007)
Hockey: 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets 9-57-14


Detroit's Worst ever:
Baseball: 2003 Tigers 43-119 (1996 53-109)
Basketball: 1993-94 Detroit Pistons 20-62
Hockey: 1985-86 Red Wings 17-57-6