2012 - Page 12 of 114 - Last Word On Sports

The Hammer MMA: Recap of UFC 154 and Anderson Silva Interview

Posted on November 22, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

The Boys at the Hammer feature weekly coverage of all things MMA. This week they are back from Montreal with a new episode recapping the experience at UFC 154 and you can listen to the archived podcast by clicking here. Hammer Radio 120.

“We are back from Montreal with a full recap of UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit, including highlights from live in the building, the post-fight press conference, and what we learned from conversations with UFC staff and fighters following the event.

Also we have some exerpts of Dave speaking with Anderson Silva, a preview of The Score Fighting Series coming up this weekend in Hamilton, Ontario and updates on some of the recent injuries in the UFC.”

The Hammer features LastWordOnSports’ own writer Greg Persson, long time internet superstar Steve Jeffrey, and is hosted by MMA aficionado Dave Abraham.

The Hammer has had interviews with some of the biggest names in MMA over the years, including BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Sean Sherk, Mark Coleman, Rory MacDonald, Brendan Schaub, Mark Bocek, John Makdessi, Mark Hominick, Martin Kampmann, Johnny Hendrix, and others. They continue to bring unparalleled, independent coverage of all things MMA to fans of the sport.

They’ll give you the straight goods and the Last Word.

Don’t forget to tune into “Friday is MMA Night” on Last Word Radio from 9-10pm EST. If you miss the show, it will be available in our archives or on iTunes for podcast download.

Also, check out our BRAND NEW sports forums!

NFL week 11 Top and Bottom Power Rankings

Posted on November 21, 2012December 29, 2021 by Jack Stone

Week 11 is over, and teams are actually becoming increasingly harder to rank. After starting off the season with the most equal start ever, having 20 teams at 1-1 after week two, the league has now become one of the more lop-sided leagues out there. A lot of teams are fighting for the top 5 and a lot of teams crumbling to the bottom 5. Like always, let’s start at the bottom.

28. Oakland Raiders – They’re terrible! There is no in-between, they just get beaten badly almost every game. But so as to confuse us, they’ll win a game before going right back to getting beaten badly. There is no progression at all, as the ship has sunk, and the Raiders are done this season.

Credit: Wiki Commons

29. Philadelphia Eagles – The team nobody would have thought could be in this category coming into the year, but they’re on a six-game losing streak. Their star QB Mike Vick has been having a rocky season and now out of action due to injury, and replacement QB Nick Foles isn’t making things any better. Suddenly those single-point victories at the beginning of the season have saved them from being 1-9 as opposed to 3-7.

30. Carolina Panthers – They lost a game that I thought they would actually win for some reason. No, I wasn’t drunk, really. I know it went to OT, but it’s another loss at home to a beatable opponent. There is no spark to this team at all, just failure.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars – Every week it seems to be a contest with the Chiefs as to who loses with less embarrassment. Well this week the Jags took the Texans to OT, which is very impressive, but still doesn’t get them credibility. That said, they do look better than K.C this week.

32. Kansas City Chiefs – They really can’t get much worse. 28-6 to the Bengals?! At home?! Chiefs faithful watched the Bengals eat them alive in their own building. What the heck is going to happen when Peyton Manning rolls into town? The Chiefs should ask to play in Denver just to save the embarrassment of being throttled again in their own back yard.

If you noticed I bounced Cleveland out of the bottom five because they continue to play close games and show some desire to play football. I guess I have a soft spot for the dogpound.

Finally we’re done with that painful review of trash… it puts me in such a pissy mood. But there are a lot of teams firing on all cylinders right now, and some of the big name teams that started a bit slow are showing their usual colours while some of the teams that were looking great are starting to show why they don’t deserve to be amongst the big boys.

5. New England Patriots – Five wins in a row, and the highest scoring team in the league, so making the “Top” is obvious. Just when they started to show a bit of decline, they are right back near the top, and that’s where they belong and always will be with Belichick and Brady running the show.

4. Denver Broncos – You might argue this one because New England beat the Broncos earlier this season, but I took a different angle. The Broncos have had a TOUGH schedule. They have played the Falcons, Texans, Patriots and Saints (if you consider them “good” now). Denver may have lost 3 of those 4 matches but it they were early and I knew it would take time for the offense to adjust to Peyton Manning. They still are adjusting, but they are also on a 4-game winning streak and look to have wrapped up the AFC West. Watch out! The beauty of Power Ranking teams is that they are not static lists – rather, they are ever-changing living documents.

3. San Francisco 49ers – The Niners demolished the Bears on Monday Night Football (taking Chi-town right off my list) and are still very healthy and ready to keep going. They also have won their division, though catching Atlanta and staying ahead of Green Bay will not be easy.

2. Houston Texans – Survived a very big scare at home against Jacksonville. It left us all scratching our heads, that game was supposed to be a slaughter. I keep mentioning their easy schedule but they do play @ Foxborough week 14 and that will be the game that shows us all what Houston has got!

1. Atlanta Falcons – To be honest I don’t like how they match up with teams like SF, Houston, and New England. But they seem to really know how to win games, and besides we are not ranking them on particular match-ups, but on what they have shown in ones that are now history. They have the ability to adapt to their opponents, and that is a very big playoff quality to have. They have got to keep winning and must clinch home field for the playoffs, and believe me, they are teetering on the brink of falling in these rankings.

Those were some tough picks, and it’s hard to leave out teams like Green Bay, Chicago, the Giants, and Baltimore. I think we are setting up to see some of the best playoff football – ever! The quality of teams is very high this year, I can’t wait!

A Pint of NFL: The Labatt's-Chiefs Conundrum

Posted on November 21, 2012November 5, 2021 by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

First, as much as I like to pretend, I’m not actually a beer snob by any stretch. I really will try any beer once, and sometimes if the price is right not even a “moderate” tasting experience will deter me from being a repeat customer.

The other night I had just finished a game of football (the International kind… the one complete with diving and hooligans. Hey, lay off the hooligans!) when Jack Stone, writer of “Jack’d Off” on this very site, handed me a cold Blue Light. What a kind gesture from a selfless individual. While the prospects weren’t terribly exciting, who am I to turn down a cold beer? Hell, even luke warm has its place.

I cracked it open and tossed the cap at the garbage (and missed…wonder if it’s still there?). My first swig was, for lack of better words, uneventful. I don’t know if it was just the fact that it was a light beer, slightly too watered down for my liking, or if the beer itself is just uninspiring. The experience was not too dissimilar to the couple of games I’ve seen the Kansas City Chiefs play this year.

At the risk of alienating all Chiefs fans, and Blue Light drinkers as well, I have nothing against either. Both offer very proud traditions in strong markets – Folks in Missouri love their football, and Blue Light is as close to Canadiana as Wayne Gretzky or Tim Horton’s (despite the fact that Labatt is no longer Canadian owned…you get the idea). It really leaves me with an ill taste, literally and figuratively, that just doesn’t sit well.

The Chiefs have very little going for them, as you undoubtedly determined already given their deplorable record. In fact, Jack Stone has them sitting as the worst team in football in his weekly “Top and Bottom Power Rankings“. They do have some bright spots mind you, mostly in their impressive 4th ranked running game lead by Charles and co. But it’s hard to win when you average a league worst 15 ppg, which is good for, you guessed it, 32nd in the NFL.

How Romeo Crennel has kept his job I’ll never know. He has recently chosen to flip-flop quarterbacks, electing to go with Brady Quinn over Matt Cassel. Actually for the record I do support that decision as he needs to test the former Irish pivot. I do feel for Cassel, and I think a change in scenery is important because I feel he is underperforming, yet would thrive in a better situation. Feel free to disagree in comments below as I duck and cover under a desk, ready for your onslaught.

Labatt Blue Light is not dissimilar. With the influx of new flashier brands, as well as the value people see in the cheaper labels, Blue and Blue Light sales have sputtered. They did make an attempt to recapture some of their former successes by lowering prices, but to be honest I think they are going through an identity crisis. Rivals Molson Canadian and Coors Light are more expensive, yet their flashy, forward-thinking brands have increased exposure, while fewer people, at least amongst the former Blue and Blue Light drinkers I know, are opting for the Labatt brand.

As I sipped the last drops of my Blue Light after a hard-fought football match last Friday night, I couldn’t help but to get a solemn sense of appreciation at the brand I was drinking. It wasn’t horrible. In fact, it wasn’t really that bad. Perhaps I was being a little harsh as I opened the bottle, ready to damn the drink to hell just because of the label.

This weekend the Chiefs will probably lose again, this time to the Peyton Mannings. As the season winds down and the last few drops are squeezed from Chiefs, perhaps we can take the time to find a silver lining n their season. There is always the draft. There are new coaches to be hired, players to be fired, and it is inevitably up to the team to re-address their brand and label. The same can be said for Labatt’s.

Until next time, drink responsibly.

Don’t forget to catch the boys on Last Word Radio live on air every Sunday at 8pm EST for “The Fastest 30 Minutes in the NFL“. And definitely check out “Beyond the Field” every night from 8-10pm EST for lively football discussion, industry leading hosts and phenomenal guests.

Jack'd Off: Roberto Di Matteo Fired

Posted on November 21, 2012November 5, 2021 by Jack Stone

credit: Bryan Minkoff, wiki commons

I have been waiting for another bone head coach firing for a little while to write this article, and today’s might be the biggest! Chelsea FC coach Roberto Di Matteo was fired after the team’s terrible showing against Juventus in Turin yesterday during a champions league group stage match that resulted in a Juve 3-0 victory. It was also following a record of 3 losses and 2 draws in its last 5 meetings combining Champions League and EPL.

Media talked about a locker room blow-up after the weekend loss to West Brom involving players and staff, in which the players still said they still completely backed Di Matteo and insisted they still had faith. This should make sense, as Di Matteo took over last season from a struggling side with Andrea Villas-Boas and lead the Blues to their first ever Champions League crowning in May of 2012.

Di Matteo’s record with Chelsea after 42 matches was 24 wins 9 losses and 9 draws, which is impressive, but we all know his boss Roman Abromovich has his managers on a tight leash, and expects each one to be Jose Mourinho, for whom he had much of his success with in previous years.

My thoughts: When Mourinho had Chelsea they were a stacked squad and won a couple Premier League titles but couldn’t reach glory in Champions League, which Abromovich wanted most. Di Matteo came in and helped take this team to the most prestigious trophy in club football and now he gets axed so quickly. I think its a huge mistake! I hate how in professional sports team always want to turn to the coach when players aren’t performing at their best. I have always felt that a team needs to give a coach time to introduce his style of play to his players. I find this happens the most in the NFL where a coach is given one season and is out the door very often. Do you know Giants coach Tom Coughlin only 2 years after winning the Super Bowl almost got fired because his team finished 3rd in their division? Well what a mistake that would have been. How could they even discuss it so short after winning the biggest price in America? Well, 2 years later he won the Super Bowl again! Hopefully you can see how that highlights how I feel about this firing.

When you change a coach it makes an entire team change something they worked on for an entire year, and are back at square one. I believe in giving a coach three full seasons to complete a cycle. If he can’t get the team winning with his strategies then its time for change. However, if I had a coach like Di Matteo walk in and win a Champions League, I would be more concerned of axing some players and asking Di Matteo himself what players he felt would help out his strategies to get my team back to winning trophies! When you have winning Coaches like Coughlin and Di Matteo, don’t change them!! Work with them!

USA: Thanks for Thanksgiving Football

Posted on November 21, 2012December 30, 2021 by Jack Stone

Happy Thanksgiving, U.S.A! Even though I am a hoser from the Great White North, I celebrate the U.S Thanksgiving every year by taking the day off work, grabbing some brews and calling around to see what like-minded guy is also not working, hoping he wants to join me for the three-match fiesta of football.

Every year on Thanksgiving, it is tradition that the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys each host an opponent as well as a third game that has no rhyme nor reason as to its combatants. The games are separated usually with kick-off times of 12:30, 4:30, and 8:30 EST… so basically it’s an entire day of football, beer and John Madden’s famous Tur-ducken dinner! What’s Turducken you ask? Well, turkey duck and chicken all combined into one glorious bird of course. It’s a great dish that John Madden highly recommends and I only wish I had the talent, time or energy to try myself!

As for the players, they all say it’s too bad to not be with their families on Thanksgiving, but the honour and pride of playing football in front of America on this day is a fair compensation. I tend to agree.

This year we have Houston @ Detroit, Washington @ Dallas, and New England @ New York Jets. I’m sure some of the games may seem a little lop-sided, but don’t be surprised if there is a shocking upset as in the past years. Thanksgiving day football has been known to be a day where players tend to step up their games another level given the national television exposure. Yeah, football players are all prima dona’s.

I wish there were more holiday sports traditions. It becomes a day that even if a person may not be a fan of either of the teams doing battle, or even a fan of the sport in general, it is a tradition after all, and it’s something we just do. Kind of like forcing ourselves to wear stupid looking sweaters on boxing days so as not to offend. Just kidding mom, love last year’s knitted green sweater. I digress.

Thanksgiving football is something for everyone to look forward to and remember when finished. It brings families together, not apart. Sports can provide passion and fun for everyone, even in very low marketed tournaments like the World Junior Hockey Championships, which traditionally begins on Boxing Day and has Canadians from coast to coast tuned in, together, with their families. But for our friends to the South, and many from Canada as well, this Thursday is about football. Oh yeah, the whole cornucopia, pilgrims, celebrating the harvest and turkey thing, too.

Happy Thanksgiving America! Enjoy your family, friends, and most of all, football!

November Rankings 2013 NHL Draft; 11-20

Posted on November 20, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of them here.

This week I am taking an early look at the 2013 NHL draft with my top 30 rankings so far.

If someone obvious is missing off the list (especially a European player) chances are i haven’t seen enough to properly rank him yet. I often use the World Juniors, the Five Nations, and the Under 18s as my reference point for ranking some of these players as Euro tapes are hard to come by. That said guys like Barkov, Nikushkin, and Lindholm who were seen last season (or in 4 nations events, or the Subway Super Series) will be included.

I’ll be doing this ranking in four parts this week. 1-10 is available by clicking here. 11-20 is the focus of today’s piece. Rankings 21-30, and honourable mentions will come out later in the week.

credit: Ivo Dostál

11. Rasmus Ristolainen, Defence, TPS Turku, SM-Liga (6’3″ 200 lbs): A November 1994 birthdate, Ristolainen is a little more mature, and has already been a player on the international stage as he played in last season’s World Junior Championship and the last two Under 18 World Championships. He’s a very good skater and mobility, acceleration, and agility help him to have a strong two way game. Offensively he moves the puck well both through skating and passing. Defensively, he uses his size effectively and has a definite mean streak in his own end of the ice. Expect him to be a key Finnish defenceman at the World Juniors, where his all-around game could make scouts salivate.

12. Max Domi, Centre, London Knights (5’10”, 194 lbs): Max is the son of former NHL tough guy Tie Domi, but you wouldn’t know it watching the young Domi on the ice. He’s fallen a little from my preseason ranking of 9 and is now at 12, but that is not due to Domi’s play, but more due to the play of those who have passed him. Domi has been everything he was expected to be with 32 points in 23 games for London. Domi is an elite skater who uses his shiftiness and changes of pace to confuse and beat defenders. He has excellent hockey sense and is able to find openings in the offensive zone to unleash a quick and accurate wrist shot. He has great anticipation and a great first step which sees him pounce on loose pucks around the net. Extremely dangerous with the puck as Domi can beat defenders one on one. He also has excellent vision and passing ability which he uses to create openings.

13. Darnell Nurse, Defence, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (6’4″ 185 lbs): Nurse is a big, strong defensive defenceman for the Greyhounds. The nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Nurse is an excellent skater who covers a ton of ice. He is a good shot blocker and his long reach helps to cut down passing lanes. His defensive skills alone are enough to make him a first round pick, but his 17 points in 23 games this season are a much welcomed suprise and have helped to shoot him up the draft board. He’s really improved his puckhandling and shown better passing skills and vision this season. The addition of this offensive game has really helped.

14. Anthony Mantha, Right Wing, Val D’Or Foreurs, (6’3″, 200 lbs): Mantha is an outstanding skater for his size, has great acceleration, drives hard to the net, and scores goals. This power forward prospect has a tremendously quick release which fools goalies and helps to put the puck in the back of the net. Mantha gets involved physically and digs hard along the boards and in front of the net, but I’d like to see more big hits and a bit of a mean streak out of him going forward. With 21 goals and 37 points in 23 games this season, Mantha is lighting it up and the ideal size and the goal scoring ability make him an intriguing prospect. His defensive game is inconsistent. I have seen him be an effective backchecker in his own end of the ice, but I’ve also seen games where he doesn’t get involved enough defensively. If Mantha can improve that aspect of his game, he can challenge for a top 10 spot.

15. Curtis Lazar, Centre, Edmonton Oil Kings, (6’0″, 195 lbs): Lazar has fallen from 7 in my pre-draft rankings to 15 today. While for many, I’ve attributed the fall to the strong play of those who have risen around them, and of no fault of the player, in Lazar’s case he has contributed to his own fall. His start to the season with 14 points in 20 games is disappointing especially considering the powerful Oil Kings team he plays for, and the breakout performance he had in the playoffs last year. He just doesn’t seem the same dynamic player we saw last year. I’ve left him at 14 because I expect him to turn things around, and become the player I think he can be. At his best Lazar has great quickness and outstanding acceleration. He is able to use his quick and powerful stride to go wide on defence, and if he manages to get a step on them he puts it into another gear and drives the net hard. He also plays a rugged game and is willing to hit on the forecheck or battle along the boards. Lazar also possesses an excellent shot and pro-level release which he used to score 8 goals in the WHL playoffs. Lazar is a player who can easily rise back into the top 10, but if he doesn’t start showing me the player I saw last season, he could fall further down the list in later rankings.

16. Adam Erne, Right Wing, Quebec Remparts (6’1″, 195 lbs): The power forward in training plays a very physical game. He just loves to win battles on the boards and to fight for position in front of the net. He loves to drive the net and has soft hands in close. Erne scored 28 goals last season and already has 14 goals and 32 points in 22 games this season. He is already advanced in his defensive game as Erne is reliable in his own zone, and he brings that physical game at both ends of the ice. While his skating is still a bit of a question mark, it has improved from where he was last season. Erne’s size, his physical presence and his goal scoring ability is an intriguing package and one that NHL teams always seem to crave.

17: Nikita Zadorov, Defence, London Knights, (6’5″ 230 lbs): Zadorov is big and has a nasty streak as he has shown to be an effective hitter early in his OHL career with London. A valuable defensive defenceman who keeps the front of the net clear and punishes opposing forwards, Zadorov brings his biggest value in his own end of the ice. He does have the ability to contribute to offence though, often making a good smart first pass.

18. Jason Dickinson, Centre, Guelph Storm (6’1, 180 lbs): Dickinson has been impressive this season and has been a major contributor to Guelph’s hot start with 20 points in 24 games. He is a creative playmaker, with excellent vision and passing ability that helps him him to make linemates better. Dickinson is also and excellent stickhandler, and he protects the puck very well, extending plays and waiting for openings to make a pass. He shows a quick release, but could stand to become a little stronger and get more power on his shot. He is involved in front of the net and on the boards as well, but again just needs to put some more mass on that frame.

19. J.T. Compher, Centre, US National Team Development Program (6’0 170 lbs): An undisclosed injury has kept Compher out of the lineup most of this season, and his lack of ice time is the reason for his fall from the top 10 of my pre-season ranking. Last season Compher was the leading score for the US NTDP’s Under 17 team. He is a good skater, who uses his speed, acceleration, stickhandling, and vision to be a playmaker at centre or off the wing. He also has a heavy wrist shot and quick release. Compher is also an agitator and pest, always yapping and always in an opponents face after the whistle, Compher has the ability to get opponents off their game and draw penalties.

20. Ryan Kujawinski, Centre, Kingston Frontenacs, (6’2″, 195 lbs): Kujawinski has a really nice start to the season for Kingston this year with 18 points in 21 games. He is is developping into a big, powerful centre with excellent reach, and great puck control. Kujawinski uses these skills to control the puck and extend plays down low, becoming an excellent playmaker as it gives his teammates time to get open and he’s able to make a few quick moves to open up passing lanes. He also is a powerful skater who drives the net and plays a gritty style. Kujawinski has really impressed me and while he’s at a near point per game pace (48 points in 51 games) since being traded to the Frontenacs last season. I see him as being really close to taking off though, I think there is a lot more potential there.

Thanks for reading. Check back in later in the week for parts 3 and 4 of the November Rankings.

Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr and be sure to join Max Vasilyev and I on Wednesday Nights at 10:00pm when we host the hockey radio show, “Puckheads”, on the Last Word Radio Network. You can listen in live or to our past podcasts by clicking here, or by searching for us on iTunes.

Jack'd Off: College Football Coaches

Posted on November 20, 2012November 5, 2021 by Jack Stone

Okay, you know what really jacks me off? Terrible coaching. Really is there anything worse?

Anyone catch the college football games this weekend? I’m a huge Notre Dame fan so obviously after watching my Irish kick the crap out of Wake Forest 38-0 courtesy of Manti Tèo, the future Heisman Trophy winner, we as Dame fans needed either Kansas State or Oregon to lose so I tuned into the Oregon vs Stanford match.

credit: Abdoozy, wiki commons

Both teams battled very hard and it was fantastic football. However the one thing that stuck out to me was the poor coaching. During a back-and-forth battle Oregon had chance to draw first blood with a field goal being snapped from the 13yd line, however they decided to attempt a 4th and 1 plunge at a 1st down which eventually failed! Why not kick the FG and put the points on the board early? That was the first bad coaching error in what would become a see-saw battle for who was stupider between Chip Kelly and David Shaw.

The 2nd coaching error was, well, the same thing! In the second quarter Stanford was up 7-0 and Oregon had a 4th and 3 near the Stanford 30, yet they chose to go for the first down instead of putting points on the board, which once again failed! Some people never learn, and there are NFL teams seriously considering this guy?

credit: Daniel Hartwig, Flickr commons

Next it was Stanford’s turn to inflict themselves with terrible coaching. Are you seeing a trend here? They didn’t. Anyway, there was less than 4:00 left in the 1st half, and they were up 7-0 thanks to two missed 4th down conversions by Oregon. They decide to try a 4th and 1 near midfield! Why? Why do teams feel the need to do this? Why not just punt the ball and pin them deep to keep your 7-0 lead? Instead they tried 4th and 1 and failed the attempt. Shocker, I know. And the consequence was that two plays later Oregon hit a 40-yard TD to tie the game going into the half.

The second half remained the same for a long time… At one point it was 14-7 Oregon late in the 4th quarter, and I felt that David Shaw wasted a precious time out, but it ended up working in the end to send the game to overtime 14-14 where the poor coaching still factored in!

Oregon started with a three and out and a missed field goal, giving Stanford the ball, first and 10 from the Ducks’ 25 yard-line only needing a field goal to win the game. Shouldn’t they have just handed the ball off to the RB and gain a few yards then kick to win? Well on second down Stanford, for some crazy reason tried a QB keeper in which the QB fumbled the football…. LUCKILY his team recovered. But why run your Quaterback in this situation? What is there to gain here? You’ve got Stepfan Taylor, give him the ball.

Stanford kicked the field goal and won. A crazy game, with more than crazy coaching.

This terrible coaching really Jacks me off! It reminds me of the worst coaching in college football history – 2006 Rose bowl, USC vs Vince Young’s Texas Longhorns. To refresh your memory, with less then a minute to play Texas scored a TD to go up by one point. Obviously Texas elected to go for a 2-point conversion to cover their rumps in case of a USC field goal. USC coah Pete Carroll didn’t like his defensive strategy on the conversion play so he used his last time out! LAST TIME-OUT! Just give them the 2 points , you still need to score with less then a minute left!!! Sure enough USC takes over with 30 seconds left and no time outs. They reached field goal range, but time ran out and they had no time-outs to stop the clock! Pete Carroll earned $5 million that year, but was too dumb to understand a time out. And that really JACKS ME OFF!!

Now back to the Ducks-Cardinal.

Of course I should be happy because Oregon lost due to bad coaching, but for some reason Kansas State lost to Baylor making Notre Dame numero uno in America. However, with Oregon also losing this means Alabama has another chance at the National Championship, which they of course have a very good chance of winning as I feel they are the most dominant team in the country. I would rather Notre Dame be ranked second and play Oregon instead of being ranked first and play Bama, if you catch my drift.

Either way, I hate bad coaching, and this deplorable display between Oregon and Stanford reminds me of the 2006 Rose Bowl, which really JACK’D ME OFF!

Check out our weekly preview show, Saturday College Football Warmup weekly at 9:00 am.

Euro Football Weekend Rundown

Posted on November 20, 2012November 5, 2021 by Luciano Giuliano

This week’s edition of the Euro Football Weekend Rundown will take a look at the current situations in France with Lyon claiming top spot after PSG falters; in England, Man City are now leading the way after Man U and Chelsea were defeated; and in Italy, Stephan El Sharaawy and Inter president, Massimo Moratti are currently in the spotlight for completely different reasons albeit entertaining.

4) PSG lose, Lyon rise to the top

With money-bags Paris Saint-Germain in the spotlight with big name players and high expectations, everyone has forgotten about falling stars Olympique Lyonnais, aka Lyon. Lyon has quietly climbed the ladder in the Ligue 1 and is currently sitting top of the table with 25 points and a game in hand which will be against Marseille.

Confidence is growing in Lyon as France international striker Bafetimbi Gomis suggested Monday that his side is among the Ligue 1 title contenders. At the weekend, the former French champions hammered Stade de Reims 3-0 with an own-goal by Anthony Weber, Gomis and Lisandro Lopez scoring for the home side.

On the other side of the fence is PSG who lost 2-1 against Stade Rennes at the Parc des Princes stadium. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, coach Carlo Ancelotti was forced to revamp the attack with Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jeremy Menez, and Javier Pastore up front. The attack, of course, is quite different without the tall Swede as the side struggles to score goals without him even after Stade Rennes had Benoit Costil and Jean Makouin expelled. PSG is very Ibra-dependent and should focus on finding a valid replacement come January should the Ballon d’Or candidate go down with injury, otherwise, Carlo Ancelotti will be in very deep trouble.

Lyon lead the league with 25 points. PSG drops to third with 23 points.

3) Man United and Chelsea slip helps Man City leap frog into first place

The Citizens have overtaken top spot in the Premier League with the help of the Red Devils and the Blues losing their respective encounters. Manchester United suffered a shocking defeat to Norwich City 1-0 with Anthony Pilkington slotting home the winner in the 60^th minute. Chelsea temporarily drew level with Eden Hazard at the 39^th minute after Shane Long opened the scoring for the home side after 10 minutes. West Brom took the lead and claimed the eventual three points with Peter Odemwingie bagging the winner, 2-1. Manchester City laid a 5-0 beat down on Aston Villa with David Silva opening the account while Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez added a double each with each Argentina scoring a penalty.

Manchester City lead the way with 28 points. Manchester United follow with 27 points. Chelsea are in third with 24 points.

Up-date from the Blues camp: Chelsea defender David Luiz confirmed that an outbreak of loud voices occurred in the dressing room after the match with West Brom. BBC Radio Five Live reports that manager Roberto Di Matteo, staff and players could be heard in the nearby home dressing room and the corridor outside as players, believed to include goalkeeper Petr Cech, voiced their anger about the defensive frailties that led to the defeat. It seems that the London-based side was shattered after this loss and this row certainly hinders the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge. Di Matteo’s club will need to get over this quickly as they travel to Turin to take on the reining Italian champions, Juventus, at the Juventus Stadium. This is the most important game of the season for both teams as a loss here would be detrimental to the hopes of qualifying for the next round of the Champions League.

2) The ‘pharaoh’ is alive and well in Italy
Stephan El Sharaawy is a prodigy and is AC Milan’s life source in the beginning stage of this current season. He is only 20 years of age and is leading the Serie A with 10 goals. He also scored in the Italy v France friendly which ended 2-1 for Les Bleus.

On Saturday, the Rossoneri took on Napoli at the San Paolo and it was an exciting match in which Massimiliano Allegri’s men showed great determination to comeback to collect a point. The Partenopei took a two-goal lead with Gokhan Inler and Lorenzo Insigne putting the home side ahead. Before the half time whistle blew, the Egyptian-Italian wonder gave the Diavoli a life line by cutting the lead in half by scoring a cracker of a goal from outside the box that dipped over Morgan DeSanctis. With eight minutes remaining, Robinho threaded through for the ‘pharaoh’ once again who side-footed the ball for the equalizer.

With the future in mind: AC Milan, although not performing well on a consistent basis, is thinking for the future and is regularly fielding youngsters such as Stephan El Sharaawy, Bojan Krkic, Kevin Prince Boateng, Mattia De Sciglio, and Francesco Acerbi. Lately, there have been reports of interest in Mario Balotelli who is a lifelong AC Milan supporter and is currently seeking a new adventure and a return to the Serie A. He might be able to find refuge at the Via Turati club. It will take time, but the Rossoneri will eventually rise to the limelight of the Italian League once again.

1) Inter causing a ruckus after non-sanctioned PK against Cagliari

Cagliari provided stern competition for Inter on Sunday as the Sardinia side drew 2-2 at the San Siro. The Nerazzurri were fortunate to bag the equalizer with eight minutes remaining off a Davide Astori own-goal. As a result of increasing self-belief in obtaining the crucial three points to cut the lead at the top to one point, Andrea Stramaccioni’s men began to pour pressure with moments left in the game. As a result of the siege laid on by the Milan-based club, the Interisti are complaining about an ignored penalty after Astori seemed to have fouled Andrea Ranocchia on the line of the box. After looking at images and video replay, it does seem to be a penalty as the Cagliari defender made contact with Ranocchia on the inside portion of the line. The non-sanctioned PK sparked a fire within the Inter coach who was then ejected from the match for protesting in a rather heated way.

After the match, Inter owner Massimo Moratti expressed that his side has suffered injustices in the last three games and thanked God for having beaten Juventus despite the Bianconeri’s controversial opener.

He continued on by criticizing Italian referees suggesting that they are incompetent and unable to correctly direct a game in the Serie A. Moratti also made subtle references to the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal of 2006 hinting that the Old Lady may have a hand in these recent controversial events. During that time, the Bianconeri were relegated to Serie B but have since returned to the top of the standings after having won the Scudetto last year. Juventus responded by publishing a statement that reads, “No comment”, on the club’s official website. However, attached to the statement is a file that outlines the Italian Federation’s (FIGC) ruling that Inter had also been involved in the Calciopoli scandal. Stefano Palazzi, FIGC prosecutor, explains in the document that Inter could not have been punished in July 2011 as the statute of limitations had expired.

Inter are currently in second place with 28 points, four shy of the league leaders.

Opinion: Inter has reason for complaining this week for this foul, even though again, the action in soccer is so fast that sometimes referees can make errors – let’s just call it ‘human error’. However, the references made to Juventus and Calciopoli are ridiculous and completely unnecessary. I’m glad to see that Juventus is a club with class and decided not to hit back but did provide an interesting piece of information stating, and providing evidence, that the Nerazzurri were also involved in the Calciopoli scandal. What I don’t understand is why the case could not have been reviewed seeing that Inter also deserved some sort of punishment for their involvement. If a man is accused of murdering a woman with no evidence being provided to support this accusation, then I can understand that the man walks scot-free. But even after some time has elapsed, if evidence all of sudden appears, wouldn’t it be just that the man is sentenced with a suitable punishment? This is exactly the case here. So on behalf of Juve fans all over the world, I would like to pass on a message to the Nerazzuri and their faithful: just shut it and play your game! Thanks.

Last Word College Football Rankings, November 19

Posted on November 20, 2012November 5, 2021 by Lindsay Higgins

After a brief cold-medicine-induced hiatus last week, the rankings are back!

credit: Neon Tommy, Flickr CC

1. Notre Dame- Can’t avoid it any longer, they deserve to be #1, as the only major undefeated and bowl eligible team.

2. Alabama- Toughest schedule of the 1-loss teams.

3. Oregon- Stanford game could have gone either way.

4. Georgia- One of many SEC blowouts over a cupcake from a BCS conference.

5. Florida- A little close for comfort in Gainesville, but they beat Jacksonville State

6. Kansas State- Not just a loss, but a blowout.

7. LSU- They didn’t play a great game, but they got the W in the end.

8. Texas A&M- Record-breaking game for Johnny Football.

9. Stanford- Big win over Oregon.

10. Clemson- Allowed a lot of points, but scored more.

11. Florida State- Beat up on a Maryland team using a converted LB as a QB. Really.

12. South Carolina- Only put up 24 points on Wofford? Odd.

credit: Daniel Murphy

13. Nebraska- Still very much in contention for a trip to the Big 10 championship game. Taylor Martinez became the Cornhuskers all-time passing leader this weekend.

14. Oklahoma- Just barely eked out a win over West Virginia in an absolute shootout. The offence is great, but what about that D?

15. Oregon State- Beat up on Cal.

16. UCLA- I like the way Jim Mora has this team playing and they just clinched the Pac-12 South title.

17. Texas- Had a week off.

18. Rutgers- Beat what looked, at one point, like a good Cincinnati team.

19. Michigan- Ran (and threw) all over Iowa.

20. Louisville- Had a week to recuperate after suffering their first loss.

credit: Neon Tommy, Flickr CC

21. Oklahoma State- Blew a ranked Texas Tech team out of the water.

22. Boise State- Other teams’ losses let the 2-loss Broncos work their way back into the top 25.

23. Kent State- BCS buster of the week?

24. Arizona- Working their way back up the standings.

25. Washington- A blowout of Colorado lets the Huskies’ move back into the top 25.

Feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @LastWordLindsay. Also check out our weekly preview show, Saturday College Football Warmup weekly at 9:00 am.

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012