HEADLINES
1) After being suspended for the entire season after punching Boise State defensive lineman Byron Hout, head coach Chip Kelley is considering reinstating LaGerrette Blount before this season is over? Are you alright with this?
Ben: At first, I was behind a year-long suspension, but now I'm not so sure. I like the opportunity being given to him by Coach Kelley. And I also believe that had he punched Hout at the bottom of the pile or during the game at some point, he wouldn't have been suspended for the season because it would have been called "heat of the moment" and he would have got a game or two and been back anyway.
Orginially I thought it was a terrible situation and both players and schools should have been punished. I now feel like their debt has been paid and that if the Ducks decide to bring Blount back in week 6 or 7, I'd be ok with that.
Boz: Everyone deserves a second chance but I don't think that LaGerrette Blount's second chance should come this season. If he wasn't a senior, then his second chance could have come next season. However, Blount is a senior so his second chance will have to come in the NFL. If someone is willing to draft Maurice Clarrett (Denver), then I'm sure that some team would spend a fourth or fifth round draft choice on Blount. He's still been practicing with the team and has the talent to be a good running back if someone takes a chance on him.
Part of me wants to wonder if this would be an option had Oregon lost to Utah or lost to California. They are now a front-runner for a Pac-10 title. They get USC at home which leads me to believe that Blount would be back before that game. It just makes me think that we wouldn't be talking about this today if Oregon hadn't won three straight games since their opening week loss to Boise State.
2) Rio de Janeiro beat out Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid to become the host country for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Are you surprised?
Ben: I was a little surprised at first, but when I read about the circumstances, it makes sense. If South America hadn't hosted a Games before, these (or Games in the near future) should have been awarded to them. I've never been out of the country so I couldn't say whether the city of Rio could support an Olympic Games like Chicago or Tokyo could, but I'll say that plenty of planning and thought goes into this, so I'll trust the IOC on this.
I will also say that a couple days ago I commented on the debt and "waste" hosting these Games creates, so I'd like to add -- I'm slightly glad that Chicago will be able to avoid putting themselves in economic peril by not being selected host of the 2016 Games. There are many other issues in Chicago, Illinois, and the U.S. as a whole that need to be fixed before we start worrying about Olympic Games.
Boz: I'm not surprised that Rio received the 2016 games. It's the first time that the Olympics will be held in South America, which makes me think that they were due. What I am surprised about is that Chicago was the first city eliminated. Many thought that Chicago and Rio were the front runners and the city of Chi-town, along with our entire country, was is shock when it was announced that Chicago didn't even make it to the second round of voting. I'm a little saddened that Chicago didn't get the '16 games because I was planning on attempting to volunteer in the city less than two hours from where I grew up. However, with all that I have learned through getting my sports management degree about what financial debt left after the games are over, this could be a blessing in disguise.
3) After being 12 games under .500 in early June, the Colorado Rockies clinched a spot in the playoffs yesterday and still have an outside chance at winning the NL West. What do you see happening with the Rockies in the postseason?
Ben: I see an early exit. 4 games and done. The only reason I give them 4 is because they have one good pitcher in Ubaldo Jimenez and a decent pitcher in Jorge De La Rosa. They will get one win from one of those two and other then that I'm not overly impressed with any of their pitching and their offense has been spotty lately.
If you need one thing come the playoffs, it's pitching baby! The Rockies just don't have enough this year.
Boz: It's hard to say. Who is playing who in the NL won't be set until after this weekend with all four teams very close in record, but we do know that they will play either the Cardinals or the Phillies. The Rockies have been very hard to predict these final weeks of the season, which makes their postseason fate very hard to predict as well. Both the Phillies and the Cardinals have better pitching than the Rockies and we know that pitching wins in the playoffs. I have the Rockies with a first-round exit.
4) Forbes has stated that after bringing home $10 million for winnng the FedEx Cup, Tiger Woods has become the first athlete to surpass the $1 billion mark in career earnings. Are you surprised?
Ben: Tiger was going to hit this mark as some point in his career, so that doesn't surprise me. What surprises me is that he reached it so quickly. I mean, it seems like just yesterday we were talking about his first Major at Augusta, or the Tiger Slam, and now he's a billionaire? I mean, Micheal Jordan is a very successful athlete, both during his career and afterward, but he still isn't very "close" to that mark, and he's 12-13 years older.
Tiger is a driven individual, so as I said, getting to a billion doesn't surprise me -- but the speed at which he's done it truly impresses me. I pull for Tiger every time he plays, do you think it's time to root for someone who actually might need my support?
Boz: Nothing that Tiger Woods does surprises me anymore and that includes making more money than Ben and I would ever come close to seeing in our lives combined. Michael Jordan is Woods' closest competition with $800 million. They each get money from prize money (or salary in MJ's case), appearance fees, endorsement fees and bonuses. However, what Tiger has on Michael is that Woods brings in a lot of money from his golf course design company. Every great golfer begins designing courses and to have a course design by possible the greatest golfer ever probably costs quite the pretty penny.
NFL FOOTBALL PICK 'EM
Last week Ben: 5-2 Boz: 5-2
Season Ben: 7-6 Boz: 9-4
1) Baltimore (3-0) at New England (2-1)
Ben: BALTIMORE. That defense is sick, and Flacco has gotten a lot better since last year. New England hasn't looked sharp so far this season, and the Ravens D will exploit that.
Boz: NEW ENGLAND. The Patriots running game is slowly coming along to make them once again a balanced offense. Fred Taylor ran for over 100 yards against a tough Atlanta defense and Lawrence Maroney is healthy this week. It's a close one in Foxboro but the Pats win.
2) Detroit (1-2) at Chicago (2-1)
Ben: DETROIT. I pretty much agree with everything Boz has said, but that the Bears defense is too tough. Seneca Wallace threw for 261 yards and Julius Jones ran for 98 yards -- neither of those two should go wild on a tough d. I can't make myself pick another team besides Detroit, so although I think it's going to be a close one, I'll take the Lions to make it two in a row (one more would be considered a winning streak, remember those Detroit?)
Boz: CHICAGO. This is the ultimate NFL showdown for Ben and I. You don't even have to read these statements to know who we are going to pick. I'm sure the Lions are flying high after getting their first win since 2007, but the Bears defense is just too tough and Cutler will shread up the Lions D.
3) New York Jets (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0)
Ben: NEW ORLEANS. Drew Brees helps the Saints put up 40 points a game, and although the Jets D is good, they aren't THAT good. The Saints have been in the same system for 3 years, the Jets are just getting used to theirs -- they stumble this week and the Saints go wild.
Boz: NEW ORLEANS. The Saints showed last week that they actually have a defense to go along with a high-powered offense. I like what the Jets are doing this year and I think they'll be in the playoffs come January, but the Saints get the best of this defense vs. offense showdown.
4) Dallas (2-1) at Denver (3-0)
Ben: Dallas. How does Kyle Orton win games? Seriously. I've watched him play, it's ugly. The defense of Dallas is going to step up this week and get pressure on Orton all day. Choice, Jones, Romo, and Witten all go nuts and Dallas pulls out a 10 point win.
Boz: DALLAS. I'm not jumping on the Denver and Josh McDaniel bandwagon yet. Yes, they're 3-0 but two of those wins have come against the two worst teams in the league (Oakland and Cleveland) and they just beat Cincinnati thanks to Roy Williams. Dallas defense will pressure Orton all day and Romo will get just enough points again to win.
5) San Diego (2-1) at Pittsburgh (1-2)
Ben: PITTSBURGH. Cross-country games are always hard, especially when you are going to play a defense as tough as the Steelers. Another stat on my side, San Diego is 0-13 in regular season games in Pittsburgh.
Boz: PITTSBURGH. The defending champs know that this is a pretty crucial game for them because they don't want to fall to 1-3 and further behind the Ravens and the Bengals. They're defense will step up even with LT back for the Chargers.
6) Green Bay (2-1) at Minnesota (3-0)
Ben: GREEN BAY. I like Aaron Rodgers and I hate Brett Farve. That's all I've got.
Boz: MINNESOTA. You can tell by my picks that I think it's hard to win on the road in the NFL. I like the Vikings at home, plus Green Bay has shown a lot of inconsistencies this season, even in their win at St. Louis. They're running game and defense is weaker than Minnesota.
HAPPY HOUR
Ben: Happy 37th Birthday Aaron McKie. McKie played side-kick to Allen Iverson and Eric Snow for all those years in Philly. He was drafted in the 1st round out of Temple by the Trailblazers, had a cup of coffee in Detroit, then had 7 mostly productive years with the 76ers, and finished out with the Lakers. He is now an assistant coach with the 76ers. Maybe if he would have got AI to "practice" they could have won that title in 2001.
Boz: Happy 39th Birthday to "Everyday" Eddie Guardado. Guardado is best known for his time closing games for Minnesota, recording 45 saves in 2002 for the Twins. He saved 41 games the next season for the Twins before closing out 54 games over two years for the Mariners. He has extended his career since he is a lefty and is now on Texas Rangers.
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