COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY! - MIKE IN DA - OCTOBER 14, 2010

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY!

Written by: Mike in DA
Date posted: 10/14/2010

RESCUED MINER PISSED THAT NO ONE UPDATED HIS FANTASY FUTBOL TEAM!

NO VIKING FUNERAL IN SIGHT YET!

At the end of September, the Peanut Gallery wasn’t writing off the Minnesota Vikings from the playoffs despite a slow start. Brett Favre (pictured at puberty) had taken his sweet time making a decision with regard to coming back for another season until training camp was almost over, as he had done the year before. However, in 2009, the Vikings opened the season against Detroit and Cleveland meaning Favre and his receivers and the rest of the offense had two fairly easy games to put it all together.

This season, the Vikings opened with New Orleans and Miami, which is a higher level of competition and those are not teams you can use as an extension of the exhibition season to put it all together. Then in Game #3 of this year, the Vikings played Detroit and won. It looked as though the early off-week in Week #4 would allow the Vikings’ offense to come together and look more like a cohesive unit than it had in the first two games.

Monday night, against the Jets, the offense did not come together. By no means is it the worst offense in the league, but the Vikings are no juggernaut. Randy Moss adds a deep threat, but Monday night his patterns were pretty much limited to “going long”. In Moss’ previous situations in the NFL, he has never played in a West Coast offense; therefore, the Vikings might just be working on a “Randy Moss learning curve” just as Brett Favre and his other receivers are approaching the top of their “learning curves” for the season.

The Peanut Gallery is still not ready to write off the Vikings’ season because Green Bay is a walking M*A*S*H unit and Chicago may still be a mirage, but the Vikings were hardly impressive Monday night against the Jets. Maybe Minny can beat the Dallas Cowboys this week, a team that had me fooled off their stinkin’ win over the Texans. The Cowboys will be out for revenge though for a playoff humiliation defeat suffered at the hands of the Vikings last season, 34-3.

FROM THE MAILBAG:



Thomas commented on SR610’s “Celebrity Birthdays” in response to the 10/13 Peanut Gallery, "COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY - MIKE IN DA - OC...": (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/comments-from-peanut-gallery-mike-in-da_13.html):


"Celebrity Birthdays has to got to be one of the worst segments on 610. It’s really brutal to listen to on some days when Rich and Robert really have to dig deep down in the Z list to find "celebrity" birthdays. I don't mind mixing in athletes and A list birthdays here and there, but to dedicate a WHOLE segment on it is such a waste of time.


It seems like Houston sports radio considered the "celebrity" birthday segment such an innovative and ground breaking idea. I remember when Marc + John (610) and Matt + Adam (790) would run the "celebrity" birthday segment at the same time in the mornings. Then Rich + Robert (610) would run it again in the afternoons. It was kind of comical when you flipped between 610 and 790 in the mornings and heard both stations announce the same Z list "celebrity" as the other station just did.”

There were also some e-mails received at CriersCorner@aol.com on the Brett Favre-Jennifer Sterger story, as follows, in response to the 10/13 blog above in the section entitled, "Junk Mail":


Evan L. wrote:

“This is what happens when women show up where they don't belong. They belong in the kitchen, not in locker rooms or on the sidelines doing so-called interviews. What a load of sh**. You think someone like a Hank Stram, George Halas, or Vince Lombardi is going to stop on the way in at half-time while losing to tell some stupid broad how he's going to change plans during the second half? These broads stick their asses and other things in some guy's face and get what the Hell they deserve, and then come up years later looking for a payoff. And tell her to put some clothes on for God's sake. You can bet your bippy she won't show up in court dressed like she is here. She'll show up looking like Whistler's mother.” END

BrickDavis2 wrote:
“Proof positive that the batteries in her clock of fame may have short-circuited, leaving the big hand teetering just slightly above that 15 minute mark. I want to squeeze a load out between her knockers. She's a money grubbing tramp. But who wouldn't text her? She'd make a great Tight End on any team. I'd rather have her as a center. I am absolutely certain this is not the first set of nuts she has seen....this week for that matter, what is the big deal?? As for the masseuses, give me a break. What exactly did the guy do wrong??” END

Night Stalker wrote:
"I'm sorry. This woman is advertising her sexuality, big time. It is normal and natural for any red-blooded American to give it a shot, since she is positioning herself as a ready, able, and interested party. Look at her get-up! Gimme a break. Favre has no more to explain in this instance than the scores of other horn-dogs that this ho' is out lookin' to catch. Period.” END

Easyrider69 wrote:
“Look..she has been a whore for a few years now - first pimping herself out at FSU just to get noticed and get ahead, playing the sexuality card, and then as a spokesperson for the Jets, she got her shot..when it came time for talent to rise to the top, she failed, and everyone realized she’s just a hot chick with zero talent! and to her credit she realizes it too, so she figures go the gold-digger route and ruin someone else’s life for some quick cash! I’m no Favre fan - not by a longshot! but do we really care if he sent a pic of his c*ck to this trash monster? If he did, she deserved it!” END

Blindman wrote:
“Jenn has a job at Versus Sports Network. I am not sure why she is acting like a Tiger Woods waitress. This does help her acting career like you said. It probably hurts the trust that people in the business may have in her if their private messages, even if they are rated "G" are placed on the Internet. If Jenn wants to be the next Rachel Uchitel, she's on her way. The Versus Sports Network won't have any interest in a blabbermouth. And I'm a Jets fan that does not care much for Favre. But someone has to stop this caravan. One of Tiger's strumpets got millions to keep quiet but then hired a prominent divorce attorney to represent her. These women commoditize their boxes and then wonder why there is no respect. Google this chick and take a look at what pictures come up. I'm sure she's received pictures and letters from plenty of guys. Now all of a sudden its an issue.” END

NERD ALERT!


If you’re a college hoops nerd, and not going out of the house on Friday night (10/15), you may want to catch “Midnight Madness” on ESPNU. Check your local listings for the time in your area. Here's your list of teams for this year’s event:


UConn (Gampel Pavilion)
Duke (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center)
Kansas State (Bramlage Coliseum)
Kentucky (Rupp Arena)
Memphis (FedEx Forum)
St. John's (Carnesecca Arena)

POLLS SCHMOLLS!

I have expressed my feelings many times regarding the stupidity of pre-season college polls for football and basketball. Remember when Texas was a Top-10 team going into the season and they have lost two games in a row (to UCLA and Oklahoma) now. Penn State was also in the Top 25 back in August. The Nittany Lions are now 3-3; and looking at their schedule, it is not obvious that they can break even for the 2010 season. Nevertheless, put all that aside and ask yourself why and how the people who vote in these polls are considered sufficiently knowledgeable to maintain their right to vote.

Last week, South Carolina soundly beat Alabama on the field. This was not a fluky win on a fake field goal with a lateral to the kicker who ran for a first down at a critical juncture of the game. South Carolina earned the win by outplaying Alabama. So, the polls come out this week and Alabama is two notches higher in the polls than South Carolina. Local sports talkers rightfully asked this week, "How can that be?"


Later in the season when you look at comparative scores with common opponents, you might logically conclude that Alabama is the better team and just had a bad day last weekend. But this week, the only thing to conclude is that South Carolina is the better team and it has to be ranked higher than wherever Alabama is ranked. If that is not the case, why play the freakin' games?

By the way, the SEC has only two undefeated teams as of today and one of them (Auburn) faces a stiff test this weekend at home against Arkansas, which is a Crier BCS Tournament elimination game, meaning the loser is out of the running for the BCS Championship Game according to the Crier's rules.






The only other undefeated SEC team is LSU - the team that just about everyone thinks is the luckiest team on the face of the earth.



LUCKY LES?

Speaking of LSU, some of our local sports talk hosts also seem to revel in making fun of Les Miles - coach of LSU - and how lucky he is to win football games despite his coaching flubs. It may be true that Miles has pulled a few rabbits out of hats along the way, but consider the following:

Miles came to LSU for the 2005 season. Since then he has an overall record of 57-15 and a regular season SEC record of 30-13. Along the way, he won a national championship.

Urban Meyer came to Florida for the 2005 season. Since then he has an overall record of 60-12 and a regular season SEC record of 34-10. Along the way, he has won two national championships.


Meyer’s record is better than Miles’ record - but not by such a margin that one should consider Meyer some form of coaching god while considering Miles nothing more than a lucky buffoon.







IS ALABAMA GETTING SCREWED BY THE SEC SHEDULE MAKER?

Until last week, South Carolina had never beaten a team ranked #1 in the nation when they beat Alabama, as mentioned above. One of the ways the Gamecocks achieved this feat was to sack ‘Bama QB, Greg McElroy seven times in the game.

Though Alabama dropped in the polls after the loss, do not count them out of the BCS Championship picture just yet if they run the table for the rest of the year. (In the Crier's elimination tournament 'Bama is out, caput, history, "hasta la vista", etc.)

South Carolina had a bye week to prepare for Alabama; Ole Miss plays Alabama this week and it had a bye week last week. A total of six teams will face Alabama this year coming off a bye week. The SEC scheduling gods are definitely pissed off at Nick Saban and Alabama this year.

Though the schedule may not be in Alabama's favor, you can't count them out of the BCS Championship Game picture just yet. If they run the table and beat LSU and Auburn in the process, they could get into that game with only one loss as the SEC champion. That scenario would allow Alabama the opportunity to win back-to-back national championships.

THIS KID TAKES COLLEGE HOCKEY TOO SERIOUSLY!

ANYBODY WANT "THE ANSWER"?

Several weeks ago, the Peanut Gallery mentioned there were reports that Allen Iverson was considering “taking his talents” to China to play next season. Now the story is that Iverson will not do that and that he will stay here in the US and wait to see if he gets a call from an NBA team during the season.


The guess here is that it would be a move of desperation by any team that had a chance of winning the NBA Championship and faced a serious injury situation should Iverson get an opportunity to play in the NBA again.

His once excellent skills are seriously eroded due to age and his status as a diva remains in the minds of coaches and GMs. That is hardly the recipe for a comeback.

THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO FINALLY GETS A FOOTBALL WIN!

The last couple of weeks, the Peanut Gallery has been telling you about the impending match-up of New Mexico and New Mexico State, two winless teams that were losing games by 40 ppg and 34 ppg, respectively, going into their game for state bragging rights in Las Cruces (home of the Aggies for the geographically-challenged) last Saturday (10/9).

During the week of the game, some pissed-off New Mexico State fan(s), apparently trying to motivate the Aggies’ 0-4 football team, hung posters around campus calling for a boycott on sex with NMSU players until the team won a game. At the time, the Aggies were ranked 118th in the country in scoring at 11.8 ppg.

The posters must have turned out to be a good motivator because in one of the real stinker games of the week, NMSU found a way to kick a field goal late in the game to squeeze out a 16-14 win over New Mexico. As mentioned above, both teams’ defenses had been sieves up until this game, so the low score here might just reflect on offensive ineptitude more than on aroused defenses.

HEY LAAAADY!

I recently read that the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America (MDA) Telethon, as we know it, will be no more.

The MDA announced that the telethon will be trimmed back considerably, to six hours, beginning with the 2011 edition to be televised Sunday, September 4, 2011. This new version of the telethon, to be broadcast from 6PM to 12 Midnight local time, was in response to lagging donations, stations showing only part of the telethon or dropping it altogether, and less-than-stellar talent in recent telethons.

The telethon, to be seen live in Eastern Time Zone and taped for other time zones, has been revamped in order to attract more stations, as well as to attract more top celebrities and talent to the show, resulting in more viewers and donations. The other aspects of the telethon, such as corporate donations, stories from those who relied on the MDA's help, and local segments, will remain.

Just in case you’re wondering what this has to do with sports is that Jerry was once a very good baseball player as a promising first baseman who the Brooklyn Dodgers wanted to sign, but Jerry opted to go into show business, which turned out to be the right decision.

As a matter of fact, Jerry once played first base in an exhibition game for five innings for the Houston Astros, as during the late 1950's and 60's he played first base with numerous professional baseball teams and trained every year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gil Hodges especially became one of his very close friends.





NEED A JOB? GO TO AUSTRALIA!

Are you unemployed and need a job? No problem. All you need to do is move to Darwin, Australia, get thrown in Berrimah Prison and you soon may be on your way to a job. Because of a chronic shortage of umpires, The Northern Territory News reports that the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is turning to low-security prisoners from the maximum-security prison to work as boundary and goal umpires.

Currently, six prisoners are being trained in all aspects of the game, including decision-making, adjudicating, and enforcing rules. Is there anything wrong with this? The more obvious question is, is there anything right with this? Enforcing rules is a major part of the training for this group, who are behind bars because they weren't able to abide by the rules in the first place.

Meanwhile, umpiring boss, Mark Noonan, says this experience will assist the prisoners with re-integration back into their communities and eventually will lead to rehabilitation. I can understand using prisoners to officiate a football game if your team is the “Mean Machine”, but otherwise, no way, mate. If you want to expose these guys to the game of football and punish them, as prisoners should be, give them a job working for Al Davis.






ODDS AND ENDS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL


1. The Washington Huskies will play their home games in 2012 and 2013 at Qwest Field, which is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks. Husky Stadium will undergo significant renovations/upgrades and by moving the games to Qwest Field, the Washington fans will only have minor modifications to their normal routine for home games. The two stadia are probably no more than 10 miles apart. The only significant difference in access is that you can sail or drive your boat right up next to Husky Stadium but not to Qwest Field.


2. The Big 12 will institute changes next season with the departure of Nebraska for the Big Ten and Colorado for the PAC-10. The two divisions in the Big 12 will be dissolved; schools will play a nine game conference schedule against all of the other conference members; there will be no championship game. The loss of revenues from the missing Big 12 Championship Game will either cause the conference to expand again in the near future or will cause further defections from the conference leaving it almostt irrelevant.

3. Texas A&M QB, Jerrod Johnson, has thrown 103 passes in the Aggies last two games against Oklahoma State and Arkansas. I don’t think the coaching staff has this kid on a pitch count.

4. Utah  (#16 in the Crier's poll) continues to assert quietly that it belongs in the discussion of the top teams in the country. Last week, it scheduled an out-of-conference game on the road against Iowa State from the Big 12 Conference. The Utes won by 41 points, 68-27.

5. University of Minnesota coach, Tim Brewster, was upset with his Wisconsin counterpart when Wiscy went for a 2-point conversion leading 41-23 in the 4th quarter. The explanation given by Badger coach, Bret Bielema, was that “the chart called for a 2-point try” when the lead was 18 points. Coach Brewster was not buying that argument. Hey Coach Brewster: The best way not to get caught up in this kind of a mess is to stay closer than 41-23 to your opponents in the 4th quarter of football games.

6. TCU (#2 in the Crier's poll) pitched its second consecutive shut-out last week in beating Wyoming, 45-0.

7. Oregon State beat a good Arizona team last weekend bringing their record to 3-2. Oregon State has beaten Arizona, Arizona State, and Louisville. FYI - Their two losses have been to TCU by 9 points and to Boise State by 13 points.


8. Speaking of Boise State (#3 in the Crier's poll), they beat Toledo, 57-14, last week. That is not all that surprising, but here is a stat that is a bit unusual: In the first half of the game, Boise State ran 35 offensive plays and scored 36 points.


9. The University of Florida hasn’t left the state for a non-conference game since 1989. We should pile loads of contempt on Florida for two counts of scheduling fraud: scheduling genuine cupcakes and scheduling them at home.


MIKE IN DA
 
HMW

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