Yirga What, Yirga Who

My Super Bowl Prediction

I have had enough of the Patriots. It is about time their perfect season comes to a screetching holt. That is why I am predicting an upset: Giants 30 Patriots 27.

I am also predicting this year's half time show will be the worst yet. I Know the nfl has an image to protect but this year's lineup is as exciting as watching paint dry.

I must be dreaming

The Steelers 1-3, the Yankees elimated in the first round! Somebody wake me up.

Super Bowl XL

As a Ravens fan, I was very saddened that the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl. But Hines Ward won the MVP award and he is one of the nicest guys in the game and I was happy for him. The half time show was terrible. I, however, have yet to enjoy any Super Bowl halftime show. The commercials were terrible as well. The best one I would have to say was the Nextel one where he throws the cell at his friend when his friend tries to reach for his wallet.

NBC back in the NFL

In 2006, Sunday Night Football will be moving from ESPN to NBC (hurrah) and Monday Night Football will be moving to ESPN (damn). Why don't they just leave MNF where it is? And they are talking about putting some games on NFL Network? Oh Hell NO!

Fantasy Baseball

I created a fantasy baseball league for my Baltimore Orioles group on Yahoo. I still have some more room for any one interested. You don't really have to be an Orioles fan.

League #: 241925
Password: 1234

http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1

After Maryland defeated Duke

Happens every time Maryland has a big win. This picture is right infront of my building on Knox Rd in College Park, MD.

The Super Bowl

The game was good. The final score was closer than I expected. I was disappointed with the commericals, though. There weren't very many memorable commericals. The half time show was so so.

After the Duke-Maryland game

As usual, everyone rushed to Route 1 and blocked of the roads. Some started buring stuff. Some one burned a coach right infront of my building. The cops on bikes, horses, and helicopter soon showed up. But I left the riot early because I know the cops can get unnecessarily rough. I have seen them attack someone from the back for no reason. More at the school paper.

Still Pissed Off

I still have not recovered from the Jets loss to the Steelers last night. I left the game with less than a minute to play and the Jets in field goal range with the game tied. I figured the Jets had sealed the victory but when I came back I was told their kicker had missed two game-winning field goals and the Steelers had prevailed after two over times. It ruied my whole evening and it looks like it will ruin today and tomorrow. Damn.

I don't know about the Red Sox

I don't know if they will have energy to defeat the Cardinals. After 7 very draining games against the Yankees, the Red Sox have to be under dogs.

Its offical: DC gets the Expos

I am an Orioles fan first but since I live in the DC area, I guess I will have to cheer for the Expos too. It will definitely make it easy for me to go catch a game. I hope it will also force the Orioles to field a better team.

The only negative thing about the Expos coming to DC is that I won't be able to catch the Orioles on TV or the radio. I don't get Baltimore stations from College Park. I need to get a better TV with a stronger singal or something. I gots to do something.

Olympics 2004

My favorite sport in the Olympics is the distance running events. That is usually because it is dominated by Ethiopians. Today I am looking for Bekele taking the gold in the 5000m and tomorrow the marathon.

Overall the Olympic coverage by the networks of NBC has been good. Althought they show too much volleyball. I have not heard one thing about the baseball Olympic team.

I did not know fantasy sports was so big

Here is something somebody posted on my Orioles yahoo group:

Sports Illustrated has an inside look at fantasy sports this week. Some tidbits:

- Fantasy sports is the second biggest Internet money-maker. Only pornography beats it out.

- Mario Cuomo, Bryant Gumbel, Michael J. Fox, Curt Schilling, singer Meat Loaf, Dan Marino and the entire Philadelphia Phillies front office are just a few of the many famous or interesting people who play and have anonymous teams in public leagues.

- Former Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans played fantasy baseball and once traded himself for pitching. Likewise, Atlanta Hawk guard Boris Diaw dropped himself from his fantasy NBA team for poor play.

- Current Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe learned of the phenomenon when a fan yelled at him "You're killing me on my fantasy team".

- There are more fantasy sports publications than there are sports publications.

- Aside from the usual fantasy leagues, there is also Fantasy Bass Fishing, Fantasy Stock Market and Fantasy Supreme Court.

- You can buy a gadget for your car's dash board which will warn you when it is time to drop, bench or trade someone (e.g. Jim Edmonds BA drops below
.250).

Careful, sneezing can be dangerous

Yup, two violent sneezes gave Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs a sprained ligament in his lower back and he is now on the disabled list. I am just glad he ain't on any of my fantasy teams.

Sharp will replace Sanders

Former Baltimore Raven Shannon Sharpe will replace Deion Sanders for CBS' NFL pregame show. Sanders won't return because of contract difference with CBS.

CBS dumps Deion Sanders

I am a Ravens fan and thus I watch the CBS pregame show. Deion Sanders was by far the most exciting guy they have had on the show ever since the AFC moved from NBC to CBS. Jim Nantz is a pro but Marino and Esiason are as exciting as watching paint dry. They are trying to replace him with either Shannon Sharpe, Rod Woodson, Seth Joyner or Neil O'Donnell. To borrow the words of Tony Kornheiser, "They are all dopes." (USAToday)

Ray Lewis to be on cover of Madden NFL 2005

Hope he does not end up like Faulk and Vick and get hurt the season they were put on the cover of Madden. But anyways, in the third paragraph of the article, it says "He finished the 2003 season with a franchise-record 125 tackles". I think they mean he finished with the most solo tackles on the team for the 2003 season because that is no franchise record. According to his career stats, he finished with more than 125 tackles in 97 and 99.

Friedgen and Williams make more than a mil a year

Their base salaries are around $200,000 but through incentives, their income nearly reaches $2 million. (diamondback)

Happy Beginnings

The Orioles kicked off first game of the baseball season on American soil by defeating the Red Sox. Javy Lopez blasted the first pitch he saw out of the park. Look at the standings as of last night:

2004 AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore	1	0	1.000	-
Tampa Bay	1	1	.500	0.5
New York	1	1	.500	0.5
Toronto	0	0	.000	0.5
Boston	0	1	.000	1.0

Orioles are #1 and that is the way I like it. It was cold last night at the park but it did not snow like it did last year's opening day:

The Dukies are out

I had picked them the be in the final but it is all good. I go to Maryland so I am naturally anti-Duke. I am cheering for UConn. I don't want Georgia Tech to win it because they are in the ACC with us.

Northcutt's agent demands trade to Ravens

This same agent is the one that forgot to fill out the proper paperwork that would have made Northcutt a free agent. Why has he not fired him yet? This kind of odd after what happened with the Terrell Owens situation. But if the Ravens do actually trade for Northcutt, he would automatically become the number 1 starter.

Maryland out

My school is out of the tournament. They had two chances at the end of the game to tie it up and force a turnover. But they did well. Next year looks very promising.

My bracket is all mest up, with Stanford, Gonzaga, and NC loosing. But its all good. I am still leading my pool (1 2).

TO a Raven no more

Well actually I guess he was never a Raven. He believed he was going to be a free agent but his agent (has he fired him yet?) screwed up and he ended back at the mercy of the 49ers. I guess it really isn't fair for TO just because of a technicality. If only the Ravens had spoken with him before they had made the trade :(

He is from Philadelphia

The dude who is gonna decide whether Terrell Owens will remain a Raven or not is from the city of Philadelphia, the city for which Terrell Owens prefers to play for. Yes the dude was chosen to be the arbiter a long time ago, way before TO was traded to the Ravens. But still. The dude is from Philadelphia.

TO don't want to play for the Ravens

That bites so much. I thought my Ravens had finally found their missing puzzle in their offense. But it seems like TO has his mind made up to play for Philly. His agent or somebody is trying to get the NFL to void the trade where the Ravens would get their second-round pick and TO would become an unrestricted free agent. I don't know if that will happen, though. The Ravens own his rights at the moment. I guess they can try trading him to Philly if he is content on playing there.

Most everyone is saying that TO is just a whiner and he will come around once the Ravens throw some money at him. I really hope so.

Ravens get Terrell Owens

Looks like the Ravens got TO while the Phillys were snoozing. I can't believe it only took a second round draft to get TO. The Ravens have a very successful draft history except at the WR position. Now they have no more excuses not to be a good offensive team. In the backfield, the have last years best running back, Jamal Lewis. At the tight end position, they have Todd Heap, second only to Tony Gonzalez. At QB, they have a first round pick. The acquisition of TO should only help him get better. The Ravens have one of the best offensive line in the NFL; Jonathan Ogden at one end and Orlando Brown at the other end. If what they have on the field is not enough, they recently signed Jim Fassel, the head coach of the 2000 Giants team that played in Super Bowl XXXV. He is set to work with Kyle Boller and the Ravens offensive coordinator.

TO will be the Ravens best wide receiver since Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson played with the Ravens from 1996 (the Ravens inaugural year in Baltimore) until 1998. There are many records he set with the team that still stand. He holds Ravens season records for most TDs, receiving yards, and receptions. Hopefully, TO will come in his first year and shatter all those records.

Ravens and Atlanta just don't mix

I am a Ravens fan from the Baltimore area so if indeed the federal drug charges against our running back Jamal Lewis are true, I will be very saddened for he makes up the entire offense by himself. If he is found guilty, he will go to jail for 10 years. I wonder if the Ravens would get a compensation pick if he was found guilty?

Jamal Lewis is accused of trying to help a friend buy drugs in Atlanta. Ray Lewis - who has no relation to Jamal but also plays for the Ravens - was charged with murder in the city of Atlanta. The Ravens need to prohibit their players from going to Atlanta during the offseason. Somebody might get accused of a serious crime. Ravens and Atlanta just don't mix.

The Yankees are truly evil

When Aaron Boone broke his leg, everyone knew the Yankees were gonna get a sufficient replacement whether it be by hook or crook. But I don't think anyone imagined it would have been the best overall player in baseball. The Red Sox tried to acquire Alex Rodriguez but the players union didn't agree with the arrangement the Rangers and the Red Sox had worked out. George Steinbrenner must have been upset at hearing that the Red Sox had a better offseason than the Yankees. So he goes on to kill two birds with one stone; finding a replacement at third and pissing of the Red Sox.

Super Bowl 38

The best Super Bowl game I have ever seen. I have watched the last 11 Super Bowls but none before that. I did see something I have never seen before though; a Defensive Delay of Game. What the heck is that? Did the clock run out? It was an excellent game. I was rooting for Carolina so I was disappointed by the result.

Defense Defense Defense

The last 3 teams that have won the super bowl have done so because of their defense; Baltimore, New England and Tampa. This year it is no different. The two teams that will battle on this upcoming super bowl are both defensive teams; New England and Carolina.

We gonna whip Tennessee

My favorite NFL team the Ravens are back in the playoffs. We host the Tennessee Titans, the former Houston Oilers. The Ravens and the Titans were in the AFC Central before the 32-team alignment. Now they play in the south and us in the north. We have beat them the last 5 meetings. We are playing at home. We are favored. Here we come New England!

AFC is better than NFC

The two hottest teams in the NFL are the Eagles and the Patriots. But if the Eagles were to play the Patriots today, they would get crushed. The Eagles have one playmaker and that is McNabb. Next to him, they don't have wide receivers that make big plays and running backs who are consistent. Their defense can't stop the run and overall it is ranked 18th. This team not only can't compete with the Patriots, but they don't come close to the Chiefs, the Titans or the Colts. Yes the Eagles have won 8 in a row but 6 of those wins were against team that will most likely miss the playoffs. The second best team in the NFC are the Rams. They have 9 wins but they have not been playing very dominating football as of late. They nearly lost 2 of their last games to teams which they are clearly better than, they Cardinals and the Bears. Three weeks ago the Ravens held the greatest show on turf to 121 total yard on offense. They won the game only because the Ravens coughed up the ball 7 times. Other teams from the NFC headed to the playoffs include the Panthers, the Cowboys and the Seahawks. Carolina has lost 3 in a row and the only good team they have beat the entire season is Indy, and that was back on Week 6. The Cowboys have lost 3 out 4 proving they are not ready to compete with the big boys (lost to PHI, NEW, and MIA). Seatlle just can't win on the road. The only team they have beaten on the road this season is the Cardinals. AFC baby. AFC all the way to the title.

Oh what a game, Maryland over NC State

This had to be the Terps best game of the year. With less than 6 minutes to play, they are down by 7 points. They take the ball 80 yards and score a touchdown but the ever so dependable Nick Novak misses the extra point. There is only 2:29 left and on the clock and all NC State has to do is run the clock out. It looked like they were gonna be able to do so for on their very first play their running back rushes for 17-yards. They are gonna run out the clock by running the ball. On their second play, a big hit from the Terps, a fumble and Maryland recovers. There is a minute and a half left on the clock and the Terps are at Midfield. They do now want to risk turning the ball over and the run the ball until they get to field goal territory because the ball coach has all the confidence in his kicker although he has had a bad game. They run the ball until they reach 4th down. There is less than 30 seconds left so you have to kick the ball. Here goes the kick and its good. Maryland wins, yeah.

Alex Rodriguez wins AL MVP

Alex Rodriguez

: Last year Alex Rodriguez was snubbed of this award. But also last year, he was give a Gold Glove for playing shortstop. I was kind of unhappy with that decision, mostly because I thought Mike Bordick of the Orioles (my team) deserved it more. This year ARod won the gold glove again. I don't have a problem with it because I don't think there really was any outstanding AL shortstop this year.

But what amazed me the most about the AL MVP voting was that Jorge Posada of the Yankees got 5 first place votes. Oh come on that ain't right. The people who voted must be a bunch of Yankee lovers. On second thought, they could not be. Aren't these the same people who snubbed Hideki Matsui of the AL Rookie of the Year?

Go Marvin

Marvin Lewis

The Bengals don't suck anymore. Why? Well because of Marvin Lewis, their head coach. Many times he has been passed on by owners when he wanted to become a head coach. And when he does get it, it is to a bad team. I am sure all those owners who ignored him are regretting it. Today his team defeated the undeafed Kansas City Chiefs. They are now tied for first place in the AFC North with my team, the Baltimore Ravens. Marvin Lewis used to be our defense coordinator in 2000 when we won the super bowl.