The Sports Thread

[TheMathematician]

This I pledge: if the NHL cancels the season, I will not watch a single hockey game or buy a hockey-related product for at least 3 years.

I feel the same way! But I know myself well enough to know I'll be tuning into the very next televised Canadiens game.

hockey is still around, and stravos, you will have your blasted hamilton bulldogs of the AHL

[biro]

I have to call Verizon Fios and hork over the money so I can get a couple extra channels. That way, at least I can watch the CHL and some college hockey. Good grief, NHL withdrawal is not a pretty sight. 

[PeterTheAleut]

WHAT THE HELL!?? Alabama's down 0-20 in the first quarter (to Texas A&M)! From the ESPN up-to-the-minute box score, it appears that the Tide are getting their butts whooped in every way possible.

[PeterTheAleut]

WHAT THE HELL!?? Alabama's down 0-20 in the first quarter (to Texas A&M)! From the ESPN up-to-the-minute box score, it appears that the Tide are getting their butts whooped in every way possible.

Well, they came back and made a good fight of it, but in the end, an offside penalty on 4th down gave A&M the first down they needed to burn off the rest of the clock after Bama used up all three of their timeouts on the Aggies' previous series of downs. The Crimson Tide's national championship hopes are now all but gone, giving the Ducks the chance to move up to #2 in the BCS Standings with a win over Cal tonight.

Texas A&M 29, Alabama 24 - FINAL

Sorry, Gebre.

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

Disappointed, but not surprised. I knew that Texas A&M was very capable of knocking us off. After they took a 20-0 lead in the first half, I thought we were done. But we didn't quit, and we took the game down to the wire. I don't uderstand why we didn't run the ball there on 4th and goal with under two minutes remaining. Bad play call in my opinion. But I can't question Coach Saban. He's won us two National Championships, and he'll win us some more. This is a tough one to swallow, but I was prepared for it. Congrats to Texas A&M. They have quality players and their coaching staff coached an excellent game. And if Johnny Manziel doesn't win the Heisman Trophy, it will be a travesty. That kid is the real thing. As BAMA fans, we tip our hats to the Aggies and give them all due credit. I know this win will be a victory that they will celebrate for years to come - and rightly so. But I am proud of our players and coaches. We didn't panic and we kept fighting. We hung in there and gave ourselves a chance to win. But we just came up short. Tough afternoon, but I am still proud to be a BAMA fan today. Roll Tide!

Selam, +GMK+

[Jetavan]

Phil Jackson met with Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday. The group agreed to talk again in "a couple days," according to sources.
....
The name of former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has come up as well, be he's said he's not a candidate for the job.

"They won't contact me," Sloan told Broussard. "I'm not concerned about that."

"I'm concerned that my name is being thrown out there every time a job is open," Sloan said. "It makes me look like I'm desperate. I'm not campaigning for any jobs."

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Phil Jackson met with Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday. The group agreed to talk again in "a couple days," according to sources.
....
The name of former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has come up as well, be he's said he's not a candidate for the job.

"They won't contact me," Sloan told Broussard. "I'm not concerned about that."

"I'm concerned that my name is being thrown out there every time a job is open," Sloan said. "It makes me look like I'm desperate. I'm not campaigning for any jobs."

All the while nobody is mentioned poor Jeff Van Gundy to come to the ball.. Jerry is looking at it all wrong, LA fans are buzzing about Jerry Sloan because they are the desperate ones, after all, nobody old school in LA would really dig that, only fashion statement fans, so he should see it as a tip of the cap that folks in LA are asking for him considering how much previously we in LA hated his guts

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[Jetavan]

I confess: Johnny Football scares me.

Selam

I think his real name is Johnny Mnemonic.

[PeterTheAleut]

WHAT THE HELL!?? Alabama's down 0-20 in the first quarter (to Texas A&M)! From the ESPN up-to-the-minute box score, it appears that the Tide are getting their butts whooped in every way possible.

Well, they came back and made a good fight of it, but in the end, an offside penalty on 4th down gave A&M the first down they needed to burn off the rest of the clock after Bama used up all three of their timeouts on the Aggies' previous series of downs. The Crimson Tide's national championship hopes are now all but gone, giving the Ducks the chance to move up to #2 in the BCS Standings with a win over Cal tonight.

Texas A&M 29, Alabama 24 - FINAL

Sorry, Gebre.

Well, it's official. The Ducks just beat California 59-17. The game started slow for Oregon, with the Ducks taking the best shots the Golden Bears could throw at them. Once Cal pulled within 24-17 midway through the 3rd quarter, however, the Ducks took control of the game and blew the Bears out the rest of the way. With Cal successfully bottling up the Duck running game and daring the Ducks to pass, redshirt freshman QB Marcus Mariota gladly obliged and tore up Cal's secondary for 377 yards and a school record tying 6 TD passes. After this weekend, I fully expect the Ducks to take over No. 2 in the BCS standings and No. 1 in both the AP and coaches' polls. One point of concern for the Ducks, though, is how the Bears were able to run the ball at will against a Duck D-line hit hard by a slew of recent injuries.

Next week: Stanford at home in Eugene.

[Cymbyz]

Not a good day for two of my almae matres.  Texas provided the only bright spot, pounding Iowa St. 33-7 as part of a memorial tribute to Derrel Royal.  Kansas St. proved how real they are by manhandling TCU 23-10 in a game where the Frogs never led.  And in Berkeley, Oregon was slow to start but furious to finish, blowing out Cal 59-17.

The SEC is getting to look very interesting (in the sense of the old Chinese curse); Florida barely pulled one out over La-Monroe, while the Texas Aggies (big surprise this year) gigged Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  That will almost certainly remove the SEC from sending a team to the BCS championship, though both Notre Dame and Oregon will have to deal with USC down the road.  Kansas St. looks good to run the table; I don't see anyone in the Big XII beating them this year.

[PeterTheAleut]

Not a good day for two of my almae matres.  Texas provided the only bright spot, pounding Iowa St. 33-7 as part of a memorial tribute to Derrel Royal.  Kansas St. proved how real they are by manhandling TCU 23-10 in a game where the Frogs never led.  And in Berkeley, Oregon was slow to start but furious to finish, blowing out Cal 59-17.

The SEC is getting to look very interesting (in the sense of the old Chinese curse); Florida barely pulled one out over La-Monroe, while the Texas Aggies (big surprise this year) gigged Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  That will almost certainly remove the SEC from sending a team to the BCS championship, though both Notre Dame and Oregon will have to deal with USC down the road.  Kansas St. looks good to run the table; I don't see anyone in the Big XII beating them this year.

Correction: Oregon beat USC last weekend 62-51. The way things are panning out in the Pac-12 South, there's no guarantee that the Ducks and Trojans will play each other again in the Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks do have to deal with Stanford and Oregon State, though--two very good teams themselves.

[celticfan1888]

Not a good day for two of my almae matres.  Texas provided the only bright spot, pounding Iowa St. 33-7 as part of a memorial tribute to Derrel Royal.  Kansas St. proved how real they are by manhandling TCU 23-10 in a game where the Frogs never led.  And in Berkeley, Oregon was slow to start but furious to finish, blowing out Cal 59-17.

The SEC is getting to look very interesting (in the sense of the old Chinese curse); Florida barely pulled one out over La-Monroe, while the Texas Aggies (big surprise this year) gigged Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  That will almost certainly remove the SEC from sending a team to the BCS championship, though both Notre Dame and Oregon will have to deal with USC down the road.  Kansas St. looks good to run the table; I don't see anyone in the Big XII beating them this year.

WRONG!

Louisiana-Lafayette is who played Florida. My God, that is offensive to some people. ULM is ULL's biggest rival.

What if I called Harvard Crimson the Yale Bulldogs?

[celticfan1888]

English Premier League: Manchester United 3 - 2 Aston Villa
http://www.manutd.com/en/Fixtures-And-Results/Match-Reports/2012/Nov/aston-villa-v-manchester-united-premier-league-report.aspx

[That person]

Cincinnati 31, New Jersey 13

 

[chrevbel]

And if Johnny Manziel doesn't win the Heisman Trophy, it will be a travesty.

Wow!  A freshman Heisman -- that would be something.  If so, will he end up being the first two-timer since Archie Griffin?

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Cincinnati 31, New Jersey 13

 

I am so glad I called that one.  Called the Vikings win too.. I was surprised the Ravens stomped out Raiders like a cigarette butt, set a Baltimore franchise record for high scoring game while pushing Oakland to have their worse game since 1981 and tying for their worst game ever!  Unfortunately Saints stepped it up and got the symbolic win today, at least my Falcons pushed it to the final play that is all you can ask for.  Oh yeah, if Saints give up one more 400 yard game they will set an NFL all-time record for most consecutive 400 yard games, and even if they don't, they are well on pace to set an all-time Most Yards Allowed in a single season record  

Of course, Saints are winning games just the same so I guess they get the last laugh. It is a drag though, after the last few Falcons' wins, all the sports writers could talk about was the losing team.  When they beat Eagles all they could talk about was Michael Vick, not Falcons.  When they beat the Cowboys all they could talk about was Tony Romo and Jarret, not Falcons.  When Falcons lose are they talking about Ryan? No.  Still just talking about another team..  If the Giants think Nobody Believes In Them, they should walk in Atlanta's shoes for a little while

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[PeterTheAleut]

And if Johnny Manziel doesn't win the Heisman Trophy, it will be a travesty.

Wow!  A freshman Heisman -- that would be something.

He needs to beat Duck QB Marcus Mariota, a redshirt freshman, to get it.

[TheMathematician]

the rams and the 4 and 9ers tied today in the nfl, first tie since 08

[Cymbyz]

Sorry about the error re:  Florida vs. La.-Lafayette.

[PeterTheAleut]

WHAT THE HELL!?? Alabama's down 0-20 in the first quarter (to Texas A&M)! From the ESPN up-to-the-minute box score, it appears that the Tide are getting their butts whooped in every way possible.

Well, they came back and made a good fight of it, but in the end, an offside penalty on 4th down gave A&M the first down they needed to burn off the rest of the clock after Bama used up all three of their timeouts on the Aggies' previous series of downs. The Crimson Tide's national championship hopes are now all but gone, giving the Ducks the chance to move up to #2 in the BCS Standings with a win over Cal tonight.

Texas A&M 29, Alabama 24 - FINAL

Sorry, Gebre.

Well, it's official. The Ducks just beat California 59-17. The game started slow for Oregon, with the Ducks taking the best shots the Golden Bears could throw at them. Once Cal pulled within 24-17 midway through the 3rd quarter, however, the Ducks took control of the game and blew the Bears out the rest of the way. With Cal successfully bottling up the Duck running game and daring the Ducks to pass, redshirt freshman QB Marcus Mariota gladly obliged and tore up Cal's secondary for 377 yards and a school record tying 6 TD passes. After this weekend, I fully expect the Ducks to take over No. 2 in the BCS standings and No. 1 in both the AP and coaches' polls. One point of concern for the Ducks, though, is how the Bears were able to run the ball at will against a Duck D-line hit hard by a slew of recent injuries.

Next week: Stanford at home in Eugene.

The BCS standings and all the major polls came out today as expected, and, as I expected, the Ducks moved up to No. 1 in the AP, Coaches', and Harris Polls, and up to No. 2 in the BCS Standings.

[JamesR]

Have the Raiders EVER been good? It's very hard supporting a local team when they've been consistently bad for this long.

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Have the Raiders EVER been good? It's very hard supporting a local team when they've been consistently bad for this long.

"Just win baby!"

Yes.  You'd have to have been there, but it explains the plethora of 1980s and 1990s dinosaurs who are still diehard Raider Nation.  Its not just our collective imagination, we've been a great team, we've won several Superbowls.  In the Rich Gannon days we even had a kind of revival going.  Ravens beat us in the Conference game 2000 which brought them to their Superbowl.  Raiders made in 2002/2003 season and then got clowned by Tampa Bay about as bad the Ravens clowned it last night..  That was a crushing moment for Raider nation..  However, every year the Raiders have had potential, the losses have been "good losses" and rebuilding was actually working (!!). Last season Jason Campbell started the Raiders to 6-2 and then had a season ending injury.. In comes Carson Palmer and now he's been 5-12 (!!!)..  The real problem is lack of consistency.  Too many coaches, its like a coach season, that is what was killing the 49erz the past few years until Harbough showed up.  Really, I think Hue Jackson was Raiders best shot, and when they fired him last season I knew it was done

Speaking of too many coaches..

Lakers have done this a few times that worked (Pat Riley I'm looking at you) and a few times that memorably didn't (Magic Johnson, Tomjanovich I'm looking at y'all) so lets see what happens now that its Mike D'Antoni to the Lakers. Wow.  Imagine what a healthy Steve Nash could do with Howard and Gasol for the pick and roll, and Kobe Bryant to pick up the slack and find shots when that fails?  Both Pau and Dwight have been great passers, making other players on their team better, so this could work.  Phil Jackson wanted EVERYTHING, he asked for too much, Jerry Buss would only give up so much of Lakers heritage to Phil because too many fans put too much into him.  The Lakers are more than Phil Jackson, yes, true, he had SEVEN Finals appearances with LA getting FIVE Championships.  Yeah, that it is impressive, but Jerry Buss is thinking his Lakers have had a few more Finals appearances before that, stacking up a few Banners in the process, so Buss knows what he is doing.  Haas the whole Jim Buss taking over experiment worked? Not exactly, though the lock out season wasn't bad all things considering.  I'm sure snubbing Phil Jackson (!!) was SOLELY a Jerry Buss decision, who else has that kind of basketball courage and foresight?  See, since Phil left I've been telling folks, the Triangle is a basketball anachronism, it doesn't work.  Its kryptonite is the zone defense, which has had a resurgence.  Further, it negates the power of a great PG, and PGs are the new era.  The triangle can win Championships with the likes of Derrick Fisher BJ Armstrong, but those 4-5 APG dinosaurs are dying out, its a 10 assists plus game now.  I heard some folks suggesting Phil didn't really want to come back, that is why he asked for so much.

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[celticfan1888]

Tippeligaen: Rosenborg 0 - 1 Fredrikstad
http://www.rbk.no/news/article/44z413349lym1fh1k33tt00to/title/tap-i-siste-hjemmekamp

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Hey Steelers, how ya feeling about Sunday?  I only wish Big Ben was there so y'all didn't have a caveat or asterisk to add to this game..

In his past two regular-season games at Heinz, he's faced similar challenges: trailing by four points late in the fourth quarter. In 2010, Flacco was down 14-10 with 68 seconds remaining and no timeouts. He finished off a 40-yard drive with an 18-yard pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 32 seconds left.

In 2011, Flacco started a drive at his own 8-yard line, behind 20-16 with 2:24 left. He marched down the field against the NFL's top-ranked defense and hit Torrey Smith for a 26-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining.

"When you look at his numbers, his record doesn't lie," Steelers linebacker Larry Foote said. "He's a proven winner. He's winning playoffs games. He's beat us in Heinz Field in the fourth quarter. He's definitely earned his respect. It's going to be a big challenge for us to stop him."

ESPN.com

Thanks Larry, to be sure, we respect y'all too, but Big Ben or not, it will be a pleasurable slugfest in Pittsburg this weekend, hopefully it will be like in the past where we hand y'all the whooping in Pittsburg, and perhaps y'all can come back in two weeks and hand us our few losses in Baltimore (like in the past). It is bizzarro world when these teams play, Flacco becomes Joe Montana on the road despite is woeful road record, and somehow Ravens turn into the Raiders (who have the leagues WORST franchise home record at a dismal .384 winning percentage at home) in Baltimore whenever Steelers show up, despite the fact that we are otherwise 30-5 there

I am pumped its going to be a great game, Big Ben or otherwise, after all Steelers are 7-1 minus Big Ben in the past few years, however against Ravens minus Big Ben? O-4

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[William]

Anyone following college basketball?

[Achronos]

Well let's see about the Ravens, The Steelers are always on their mind...

Well, they do give their coach Gatorade baths mid-season. It must be the mindset of living in Maryland and being a speed bump between Washington and New York.

Twice since 2002 we've beaten them on the way to the Super Bowl, and we beat them a third time in the 2001-2002 playoffs. 3-0 against them when it counts. Ben or not, this gets me fired up. LET'S GO SUNDAY!

They also threw in the '04 Steelers loss to the Ravens (when they knocked Maddox out and the team ultimately went 15-1). Yeah...real notable loss there lol. Though I suppose it is notable, but not in favor of Ravens fans. If Maddox had been starter all year, who knows what would have happened. He may have even started in '05. Thanks Ravens!

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

 Ben or not, this gets me fired up. LET'S GO SUNDAY!

I can agree to that!  You did notice that albeit with a hint of sarcasm, I was intending to genuinely tip my hat to the Steelers, not only are the one Championship up on us over the past 15 years, they are a ridiculously great football team.  Very few teams can come into Baltimore and whoop behind like the Steelers do, and likewise very few teams can go into Heinz Field and whoop it like Ravens can.  It makes it for an even more quixotic rivalry

Thanks Ravens!

Anytime    And if we get the division again this year?

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[Kerdy]

Did anyone see Duke spank Kentucky?

[PeterTheAleut]

Did anyone see Duke spank Kentucky?

No, but I do want to see the Ducks spank Stanford this weekend.

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!


After a ten year drought the Heat get a win in Denver! Ray Allen looks like he is just having too much fun playing on the Heat.  With Nash and D'Antoni on the Lakers and Ray Ray playing so sharp on the Heat it is Bizzaro World in the NBA

stay blessed,
habte selassie

[HabteSelassie]

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Have the Raiders EVER been good? It's very hard supporting a local team when they've been consistently bad for this long.

How could I forget when Big Rich Seymour straight socked Big Ben through his mask!  A special shout out to Achronos and Asteriktos on that one.. Good times  

The aftermath





stay blessed,
habte selassie

[Achronos]

[PeterTheAleut]

On a day when the BCS No. 1 went down to defeat for the second straight week--Kansas State 24, Baylor 58--so did No. 2.

Oregon Ducks 14, Stanford 17 (OT)

Very good defensive game by the Cardinal. Each team gained over 400 yards total offense, but neither team could really take advantage of their best opportunities. Oregon 0 for 2 on FG attempts, and Stanford 3 turnovers against only one takeaway. But the Cardinal got the FG they needed after Oregon's FG miss in OT.

Be ready, Gebre. For the second straight year, your Tide may just make it into the BCS title game through the back door.

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

On a day when the BCS No. 1 went down to defeat for the second straight week--Kansas State 24, Baylor 58--so did No. 2.

Oregon Ducks 14, Stanford 17 (OT)

Very good defensive game by the Cardinal. Each team gained over 400 yards total offense, but neither team could really take advantage of their best opportunities. Oregon 0 for 2 on FG attempts, and Stanford 3 turnovers against only one takeaway. But the Cardinal got the FG they needed after Oregon's FG miss in OT.

Be ready, Gebre. For the second straight year, your Tide may just make it into the BCS title game through the back door.

ROLL BAYLOR BEARS and ROLL STANFORD CARDINAL!!!

Peter, a BAMA v. Oregon National Championship would be a great game. But my TIDE still has some work to do yet. However, we are definitely back in it now!!! 


Selam

[PeterTheAleut]

On a day when the BCS No. 1 went down to defeat for the second straight week--Kansas State 24, Baylor 58--so did No. 2.

Oregon Ducks 14, Stanford 17 (OT)

Very good defensive game by the Cardinal. Each team gained over 400 yards total offense, but neither team could really take advantage of their best opportunities. Oregon 0 for 2 on FG attempts, and Stanford 3 turnovers against only one takeaway. But the Cardinal got the FG they needed after Oregon's FG miss in OT.

Be ready, Gebre. For the second straight year, your Tide may just make it into the BCS title game through the back door.

ROLL BAYLOR BEARS and ROLL STANFORD CARDINAL!!!

Peter, a BAMA v. Oregon National Championship would be a great game. But my TIDE still has some work to do yet. However, we are definitely back in it now!!!  


Selam

Notre Dame is undoubtedly going to rise to No. 1 in the BCS standings as the only bowl-eligible unbeaten, and Ohio State is banished from postseason play this year even if they beat Michigan next week to finish the season unbeaten. That leaves the Number 2 slot wide open.

A number of teams will finish this weekend with only one loss, the most notable among them being Oregon, Kansas State, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Alabama and Georgia are in prime position to advance to a matchup against each other in the SEC Title Game, which will realistically leave only one of them still standing in the hunt for a berth in the BCS title game. Florida has one game left against a Florida State team that has also lost only once. Oregon no longer controls their own destiny in the race for a matchup with UCLA in the Pac-12 Title Game, for if Stanford beats UCLA next week or Oregon loses the Civil War game at Corvallis, Stanford will win the title game berth from the Pac-12 North--Stanford owns the tiebreaker as a result of their win today. Not playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game will deprive the Ducks of another quality opponent they need to strengthen their schedule after the pansies they played in their early season non-conference games. (I just noticed that Duck opponents Arkansas State and Fresno State are each 8-3 right now, so I really don't know that I can call them pansies anymore.)

I also note that Oregon lost in OT at home to highly ranked Stanford, Alabama lost by 5 at home to highly ranked Texas A&M, and Kansas State got blown out by unranked Baylor. That loss won't sit well with the pollsters for sure, so the Wildcates are pretty much out of contention for No. 2. In the final analysis, I favor Alabama to claim the No. 2 spot in tomorrow's BCS standings, if only because they play in the SEC, the best conference in NCAA football.

BTW, Notre Dame plays a very good USC team next week. GO TROJANS!

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

ROLL TIDE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FT6TlksHjo


Selam

[William]

Went to see UofL's basketball game tonight, sat in a presidential suite, got a pic with Darrell Griffith, etc. Pretty sweet experience overall.

[Asteriktos]

M. Schaub  - 527 yds, 5 tds
A. Johnson - 14 rec, 273 yds, 1 td

Both on my fantasy team. u mirin?

[Asteriktos]

Anyone following college basketball?

The air time college bball is being given seems to be limiting the time women's volleyball has. Asteriktos is not pleased.

[Asteriktos]

[William]

Anyone following college basketball?

The air time college bball is being given seems to be limiting the time women's volleyball has. Asteriktos is not pleased.

Compromise and watch women's college bball!

[Achronos]

BYRON VICK FOOTBALL LEFTWICH WOWWWWW

[That person]

WAY TO BEAT THE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. WHO DEY!

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

Went to see UofL's basketball game tonight, sat in a presidential suite, got a pic with Darrell Griffith, etc. Pretty sweet experience overall.

Cool! "Dr. Dunkenstein" was the man!


Selam

[PeterTheAleut]

An NFL sideline play the likes of which I've only seen in basketball!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/video-cardinals-amazing-play-sideline-fumble-recovery-222110810--nfl.html

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