Octoberfest

We are about to enter the greatest sports month we have all year. MLB postseason, NFL, college football, NBA and even NHL (assuming the lockout ends) all going on at the same time! The MLB postseason really intrigues me this year because there really isnt a clear favorite to win it all. With what the Cardinals and Giants did the last 2 years Im expecting the unexpected, if thats actually possible. There are so many new teams in it this year that I have been waiting for them to collapse but it just hasnt happened. Who would have thought that the Nationals, Reds, Orioles and A's all have a legitimate shot to make the World Series? Im not a betting man but if I was it would be hard for me to bet on a scenario that wasnt Yankees/Rangers and Giants/Cardinals in their respective Championship Series. Those teams have the experience and the loaded rosters. But hopefully one of the other 4 teams wins it all because I think it would be great for baseball. In the NFL we are going to start to see in the next month which teams are for real and which arent. Its been a crazy start to the season, but still a little too early to decifer that. The regular refs are going to be back which everyone will be happy about. We'll see if the Saints can actually win a game and if the Cardinals are going to stay hot. Hopefully there wont be too many more season ending injuries to star players or key injuries at all for that matter. The race for Rookie of the Year will be a good one assuming that RG3 and Luck are the two top dogs. I feel like they are off to a good start for what they have. Neither team has a lot of talent, but the pair seems to look pretty comfortable already running the offense and being the leaders. The more the season goes on the better they are going to get and hopefully they can win some games. I dont think Luck has any chance to make the playoffs but RG3 and the Skins definitely have a shot. Im probably the most excited for college football, mainly because the season is so intense and that every game is huge and one loss can ruin your National Championship hopes. Im pleased so far with how the Ducks have played, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. The Pac-12 is a lot better than everyone thought and our schedule is definitely not easy anymore. We've got to stop turning the ball over especially when we start playing better teams that WILL take advantage of them unlike Arizona. The offense in general though, is looking good and we have to keep doing what we do best. As long as our lineman and recievers stay on their blocks and we get the ball to DAT and Kenjon in space we are cash money. Im still wating for a receiver to step up. We dont really have a go to guy. We have a good amount of guys that can make plays but when we get into those 3rd and 7/8's we need someone to step up and make that catch every time. Its been awesome to see our defense play huge so far especially with losing Boyett. Guys have been flying around and making plays with people like Clay and Kiko really stepping up. It does help that we have the best defensive coordinator who when he sees something he doesnt like he can immediately make the right adjustment. Its an exciting year to be a Duck and hopefully we can put it all together and make a run for the Natty! The Blazers might not have a great year again but this team is going to be exciting thats for sure. With a new coach (FINALLY!) and the PG of our future, we're back to being a very young and raw team. We had a very good offseason and Im excited about the new players we have. Between Lillard, Leonard, Barton and Freeland we definitely are young and are going to run a lot. Im also looking forward to a full season of Hickson and Aldridge in the frontcourt together. They had some good chemistry going last year before Lamarcus got hurt. Rebounding is going to be more important than ever this year without a true center so those 2 have got to play big. With Batum getting that huge contract he has to step in to that #2 scoring roll. He has the talent to do it so hopefully with this new offense that Stotts is going to bring Nic can get a lot of good looks. I kinda have a feeling though that Lillard is gonna be our second leading scorer this year. He is going have field days against some of the older guards in the league and is going to be a fastbreak machine. I think right off the bat when we host LA on Halloween he is going to run circles around Nash. Now defensively however, Nash is for sure gonna get his still but as athletic as Lillard is I think he will do fine defensively. October, here we come!!!

FAIL MARY

What the whole nation witnessed last night was utter horror. Not even just the last play, but the entire game. Im pretty sure everyone is getting sick of the replacement refs, especially the Packers. That game was one of the worst officiated games in sports history. Both teams were getting called for ridiculous penalties. The "Fail Mary" as Im calling it, wasn't actually the worst call of the game but it is the call that has the entire fanhood of the NFL wondering just how much longer these refs are going to be calling games. Now if you know me, you know that I do not root for the Packers or the Seahawks, but I am a realist. I was hearing a lot of Seahawk fans today calling in to Canzano's show complaining about how nobody is giving the Seahawks any credit for how well they played and blah blah blah. First of all, their offense was terrible. Green Bay does not have an elite defense and still Seattle couldnt put points on the board. 257 total yards isnt anything to brag about and if the refs would have gotten the call correct they would have still only had 7 points. Second, I will give Seattle some credit for their pass rush but lets be honest, Green Bay's offensive line is straight garbage. Portland State probably could have gotten 8 sacks on them. Rodgers still completed 66% of his passes even though he couldnt get them in the endzone either. That game was about as entertaining as the terrible Alabama LSU championship game last year. Another thing that got under my skin was how annoying Pete Carroll and Golden Tate were in their interviews after the game. They are full of crap and unrealistic. Im not suggesting that they come out and say, "oh yeah it was the wrong call we got lucky" but to say that it was a "good call" and for Tate to say he didnt push off and that he caught the ball was a blatent lie. Clearly, Jennings had both hands on the ball and Tate had only one of his hands touching the ball, which obviously isnt possesion. Im really not trying to sit here and bash on the Seahawks but what happened last night just makes me sick. Hopefully we can get the regular refs back asap, even though they are not perfect, at least there wont be games blown by an obvious call like that. I mean, the refs that were in the endzone didnt even colaberate for a second the side judge immediately threw his hands up and signaled touchdown. In every close call whether it has to do with a receiver getting his feet in bounds, or whether or not a ball was trapped on a catch you always see the refs come together and ask each other what the other saw. Thats the best way to get the call right. One ref cant see every angle of every play. The season is still young, so im praying that the NFL and the regular refs can come to a settlement soon so it can at least make us fans feel better that they are going to get "most" of the calls right. And lets be honest, refs are refs so they are going to get booed anyway!