The Beard and Stache

A Beard and Stache Hiatus!

2012-11-14T01:06:00.001-05:00

- Troy Ballard and Adam Parker

Before we explain about the future of the site, we'd like to open with thank you! Thanks to our readers, our critics and people who are even first-time visitors. Without the support and critique of our work, Beard and Stache would have never flourished as much as it has.

With that in mind, we sadly report that both Troy and Adam have accepted writing positions as Senior Staff members at Endzone News.

But! It should be noted that as of now, both Adam and Troy are on a trial basis until the end of the NFL season. Following this year, we will both re-evaluate our position at EZ as well as at B&S. Meaning that truly, the best word for it, is a hiatus.

Stay tuned and be sure to check out our archives. You'll probably find something you like.

Thanks again.

Much love,

Troy and Adam

What's Wrong In Laker Land — And Who's To Blame?

2012-11-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire

- Adam Parker

The 2012-13 NBA season is just getting underway with most teams having played a handful of games up to this point and unless you've been living under a rock, you likely have heard, at least in passing, about the early season struggles of the new-look Los Angeles Lakers.

After a frustrating 95-86 loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, the Lakers fell to a disappointing (1-4) on the young season and as expected, the Lakers' faithful are getting a bit restless.

Kobe Bryant and the rest of the new-look roster that includes Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks as well as three new assistant coaches in Bernie Bickerstaff, Steve Clifford and Eddie Jordan aka the guy who is credited for the installation of the Lakers' new Princeton 'hybrid' offense are all preaching patience.

However, after such a bad start for a team with impossibly high expectations heading into the season, you can bet that the patience of both the fans and the Buss family who sign the checks is wearing thinner by the minute.

So who's to blame?

I for one agree with the fans and management. While I fully understand that we're talking about a minuscule five-game sample of an 82-game season, I also know that we're talking about the Lakers — one of, if not the most dominant team in the NBA since Jordan's Bulls. Other teams might struggle when faced with adversity like this, but the Lakers? With all of the talent they have on that roster? No way.

Being as bad as they are despite all of that talent on the roster only means one thing — Mike Brown has to go, right?

After all, isn't that the lay of the land in the NBA? If a team plays well, a coach gets to keep his job and potentially even receive a pay raise. If they play poorly, the coach is shown the door. It's that simple. Fair or not, that's the way it is in the NBA.

When it all comes down to it, though, this team has more issues than just the troubles of Brown. Injuries to Nash, Kobe and Dwight at different intervals of this still young season have derailed this team on it's path to develop chemistry and grow into a championship-caliber team before they even had a chance to get up to speed.

Speaking of speed, this group of thirty-somethings have fill up the bulk of this Lakers team isn't known for it, and it's tough to say whether or not they'll be able to contend with teams that sport more youth and depth than they do. The blame for their slow start spreads throughout the organization, not just to any one individual.

Right now, the Lakers suck, just as Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban hoped they would. Do the Lakers have the pieces necessary to make a title run? Absolutely. However, their margin for error is getting smaller every day.

Despite their public plea for patience from the fans, media, etc., you better believe that this Lakers team knows what is at stake. They understand that, with Father Time gradually inching his way closer to all of them that they can't afford to get complacent. Their time is here and now, and they simply can't afford to be patient.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

2012 NFL Week 10 Predictions: Beard and Stache Edition

2012-11-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

Photo: Getty Images/Jonathan Daniel

- Adam Parker

Week 9 of the 2012 NFL Season is done and with it, so are arguably the playoff hopes of teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns.

But while those three teams are already planning for draft day next April, the rest of the league is continuing to take strides towards a playoff push.

As for the teams who flourished this week? Well, I'm not going to go through all of them, but as far as the big wins go, we saw Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie running back Doug Martin go complete Beast Mode for the second straight week to the tune of 251 yards and 4 touchdowns. If you had this guy in fantasy football, odds are, you, like the Bucs', won.

The Chicago Bears continued to show why they have arguably the best defense in football. They blew out the Tennessee Titans by a score of 51-20. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall hooked up for three scores through the air while the defense added two touchdowns of their own thanks to a pick six from Brian Urlacher and fumble returned for a touchdown by defensive end Corey Wooton. Make no mistake, folks. This Bears team is legit.

And last but certainly not least, what about those Indianapolis Colts? You know the ones — those (5-3) Indianapolis Colts who are turning heads around the league. Andrew Luck is as good if not better (not sure that's humanly possible) than advertised and the defense is playing inspired football as well.

I had another strong showing in Week 9, finishing with a stellar mark of (11-3).

My Pick 'Em Record: (66-46)

Now, let's push forward to Week 10!

Indianapolis Colts (5-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7) on Thursday Night Football
Another middle of the week prime-time match-up on NFL Network. Another one-sided snooze fest. The surprising Colts led by rookie phenom Andrew Luck and a much improved defense (at least when compared to previous years in Indy) should make this an easy victory for the road team despite the fact that the traveling team typically struggles in these Thursday night games.

Smart money says go with the Colts here though, because while the traveling team may struggle in this scenario, the Jags' are also just plain bad no matter where they're playing, evidenced by an (0-4) mark in their own building.

Prediction - Colts win, 27-17

New York Giants (6-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
The Giants were unable to get it done last week at home against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Against the Bengals, however, the G-Men shouldn't have much of an issue, especially considering Cincy is riding a four-game losing streak heading into this one.

Prediction - Giants win, 28-14

Tennessee Titans (3-6) at Miami Dolphins (4-4)
Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans' passing attack will have plenty of opportunities to fill up the stat sheet against Miami's 30th-ranked pass defense. The only problem? The Titans' defense isn't much better after surrendered four offensive touchdowns last week to the Bears and didn't look like they could stop Chicago no matter what they did. Reggie Bush, Ryan Tannehill and company are in for a good week.

Prediction - Dolphins win, 27-23

Detroit Lions (5-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
An important game for both teams as Detroit tries to continue rising from the ashes while Minnesota attempts to avoid free-falling into a volcano.

The good news for Minnesota? The game is at their place where they're a perfect (4-0) on the year. The bad news? Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson Jr. aka Megatron are starting to find their groove and while the Vikings boast a top-10 pass defense, they are also coming off last week's loss to the Seahawks where they let rookie quarterback Russell Wilson throw for three scores on them. The Lions are winners of two straight while the Vikings are losers of two straight. Which streak will come to an end?

Prediction - Lions win, 30-20

Buffalo Bills (3-5) at New England Patriots (5-3)
The Bills have yet to win in New England since Gillette Stadium opened its gates back in 2002. Some guy named Tom Brady was the Pats' quarterback then, and three Super Bowl titles later, Brady remains the guy under center for Bill Belichick in New England. Needless to say, unless Brady is knocked out of the game — the odds of which, despite the 2008 scenario, are astronomically low — the Patriots are an easy lock to win this one.

Prediction - Patriots win, 45-20

Atlanta Falcons (8-0) at New Orleans Saints (3-5)
It's gut-check time for the Saints. They either win this game and become the first team this year to knock off the red-hot Falcons or they pack it in and head into hibernation until April rolls around. I'm guessing the latter.

Prediction - Falcons win, 27-17

San Diego Chargers (4-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
Each of Tampa Bay's four losses have been by one possession. Quarterback Josh Freeman and rookie running back Doug Martin lead a much-improved Bucs' offense into this one. The only question is, will Tampa Bay be able to score enough points to offset their 32nd-ranked pass defense? If Philip Rivers was looking for a game to shine, this is it. Then again though, the Chargers did lose to the Browns a couple weeks back...

Prediction - Buccaneers win, 30-27

Denver Broncos (5-3) at Carolina Panthers (2-6)
Wasn't it nice to not have to deal with another Cam Newton pout-fest after last week's post-game press conference? I guess winning really does cure everything. Unfortunately for Cam-Cam and company, Peyton Manning and his Broncos are coming to town and need to win to stay ahead of the curve in a tightly-contested (except for the Chiefs) AFC West. Get those tissues ready, Cam.

Prediction - Broncos win, 27-23

Oakland Raiders (3-5) at Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
Carson Palmer knows all about the Ravens going back to his days with the Bengals and should continue slinging the rock well again against what has become one of the league's worst pass defenses. That being said, I still like the Ravens in this one. Why? Ray Rice. After all, the Raiders did just give up what felt like a bazillion yards to Doug Martin, so why would things get any better against Ray Rice?

Prediction - Ravens win, 31-23

New York Jets (3-5) at Seattle Seahawks (5-4)
The Jets are coming off their bye week and you know what? They probably still don't know what the hell they're doing on offense. Seattle is at home where they're virtually unbeatable and their tough defense isn't going to make things any easier for the visiting Jets. Is it just me, or are those 'Tebow' chants getting louder?

Prediction - Seahawks win, 20-13

Dallas Cowboys (3-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)
Both of these NFC East clubs are struggling, but one of them has issues that are actually fixable — the Cowboys. The Eagles, meanwhile, are in for a tough rest of the season. Their offensive line is sorely missing the veteran Pro Bowler Jason Peters on that left side and Michael Vick is getting tossed around like a rag doll on seemingly every pass attempt.

Prediction - Cowboys win, 27-20

St. Louis Rams (3-5) at San Francisco 49ers (6-2)
Does anyone really expect this one to be much of a contest? The 49ers are still one of the most complete teams in football and the Rams... well... the Rams still have too many holes to fill. Their secondary is much-improved, but I just don't see them having the necessary firepower to keep up with the Niners in this one.

Prediction - 49ers win, 24-10

Houston Texans (7-1) at Chicago Bears (7-1) on Sunday Night Football
This is not only the game of the week, but based on how well both teams have played up to this point in the season, it could very well end up being the game of the year.

For the Texans, Matt Schaub has been very efficient in the passing game and Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels continue to be reliable targets in the passing game. Arian Foster? He just continues to do what he does week after week. Grind out the tough yards and score touchdowns. J.J. Watt, the current NFL sacks leader, is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year too.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Bears' offense has looked much improved in recent weeks with Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte leading the way. The defense? It's the best in the NFL bar none. Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman make up the best cornerback tandem in the league right now and are both in contention for the DPOTY. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers round out the other stars of the group.

However, because of the notoriously suspect pass protection offered Jay Cutler by his offensive line, I think I'm ultimately going to side with Houston in this one.

Prediction - Texans win, 24-20

Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) on Monday Night Football
While the Sunday night game is looking like the most competitive game of the week, the Monday night game is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

While the Steelers are coming off a clutch win against the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants to firmly cement their place as contenders in the AFC, the Chiefs, contrary to what I wrote about them before the season, have been nothing short of the most disappointing team in the league this year and there's no logical reason for it considering the talent and overall health of the team. Pittsburgh should win this one handily.

Prediction - Steelers win, 27-13

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

The Slippery Slope of Being a Fan of the Philadelphia Eagles

2012-11-06T02:11:00.004-05:00

Photo: David Grunfield - The Times-Picayune

- Troy Ballard

It didn't take long for me to realize what the situation was in the Philadelphia Eagles latest embarrassment — a 13-28 loss on Monday Night Football to the disconnected New Orleans Saints — this team is a total loss.

This was it, ladies and gentlemen. This was the deal-breaker game for Philadelphia's entire 2012-2013 campaign. Forget about the past, if the Eagles could win this one in New Orleans, that would somehow solidify the team as a playoff contender once again.

Clearly, that's bullshit.

This game is no different than any of the other five losses this team has. It's like watching the same miserable b-list movie (think Samurai Cop, 1989) over and over. With each run-through, we as the audience keep hoping that something, even the smallest detail, will change. Sadly, nothing does.

That's the state of the Eagles. A loss-failure-disappointment-of-colossal-proportions.

And that's the slippery slope of being a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

How many reasons did we have for this team to succeed? Let's do the moderately short list:

- Michael Vick had a full off-season to prepare and learn the offense efficiently.
- The defense has had more time to learn together and develop chemistry.
- DeSean Jackson is happy and should return to Pro-Bowl form after being handed a crazy contract.
- DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks should solve any issues with linebackers.
- Philly still has LeSean McCoy — and he is still one of the best running backs in the NFL.
- This team is young and deadly.
- The Eagles had an incredibly solid draft.
- Andy Reid has reinvented himself.

Laughable. This team is the exact same as last season — a season which was possibly the greatest disappointment and flop of in all professional sports in recent memory. Sure, we have new faces. But even with slightly improved actors, it's nearly impossible to save a movie as doomed as this one in Philly.

The offense is pathetic. The defense is soft and ineffective. There are a number of star players who are totally and absolutely underperforming. This entire team has zero confidence. The coaching staff is doing a miserable job. There is nothing attractive about this Eagles team. Nothing.

Early in the first half of this game against the Saints, I sent out a tweet saying something I never thought I would say:

I hate this #Eagles team. I really do.
— Troy Ballard (@TroyBallards) November 6, 2012

I have possibly never been more infuriated with this Eagles team than I was at that moment. In all my years of fandom, that was the tipping-point. The image of Mark Ingram literally carrying half the defense was the thing that snapped me.

Yet, I continued to watch like a true fan. I regret it. I'll let you guess what was next:

Hate. This. Team. #Eagles
— Troy Ballard (@TroyBallards) November 6, 2012

This season is over. For those who believe there is even a chance are living in the worst kind of denial. This team isn't going to win. This team doesn't deserve to win. I'm going to stop sliding down this slope. I'm grabbing a firm hold, and I am aware enough to realize this — this Eagles team is the most devilish mistress in the NFL.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

Mariano Rivera Plans to Pitch For the Yankees Again in 2013

2012-11-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

- Adam Parker

It looks like the New York Yankees won't have to find out what life after Mo' will feel like on a permanent basis just yet, as Mariano Rivera has informed Yankees' General Manager Brian Cashman that he plans to make his triumphant return to the mound as the Bronx Bombers' closer extraordinaire for the 2013 season.

"He wants to play again," Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand on Saturday. "I'll work with his agent, Fernando Cuza, on the details of a contract."

The negotiations for the new contract will be interesting indeed considering that Rivera made a cool $15 million last season — a season in which he only pitched in nine games before suffering a torn ACL during his vintage pre-game warm-up routine where he would shag fly balls in the outfield during batting practice.

A day after the injury, Rivera, who turns 43 on Nov. 29, vowed he would return in 2013. "I'm coming back. Put it down. Write it down in big letters. I ain't going down like this."

However, late last week there were rumors circling that Rivera may have been reconsidering his position on the issue. Since that's now no longer the case, the Yankees now have to decide how much to pay Mo'.

It is unclear at this juncture what the front office — despite having the utmost respect for the legendary closer known as 'The Sandman' — will offer Rivera in terms of money, but something tells me that it will certainly be less than the eye-opening salary he had for the 2012 season.

After all, the closer role — which was filled by Rafael Soriano after Rivera went down — wasn't the problem as Soriano converted on 42-of-46 save chances. There's no doubt the Yankees are going to pay Rivera as there's no way they would turn away his services.

Scott Boras, Soriano's agent, has informed New York that his client will likely enact the opt-out clause in his contract to become a free agent (of course, Scott, no one expected anything less with you pulling the strings).

As for Rivera, the main reason I don't think he'll earn as much in 2013 as he might have before the injury is simple — besides coming off an injury, the Yankees have more pressing problems on offense to worry about. While Rivera will undoubtedly provide the lock-down pitching we're accustomed to seeing, one thing he can't do is the help the Yankees through their terrible offensive slump that we all witnessed in the post-season.

It's nice to have you back, Mo', but would you mind taking a small pay cut so New York can go out and get another desperately needed bat? Thanks.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

James Harden Inks $80 Million Extension with Houston Rockets and Proves He's Worth Every Penny

2012-11-02T00:30:00.000-04:00

Photo: US Presswire/Rick Osentoski

- Adam Parker

It has become the norm in today's NBA. Another relatively big-named star player is leaving behind his old town for a new one.

That's what happened when the Oklahoma City Thunder shipped reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, and two future 1st-round picks and a future 2nd-round pick over the weekend.

Why did the Thunder do this, you ask? Well, as it typically does in these cases, money was the straw that broke the camel's back and forced Thunder General Manager Sam Presti's hand.

Harden, who last season averaged career highs in points (16.8), rebounds (4.1) and assists (3.7), rejected the Thunder's offer of a four-year contract extension worth between $52-55 million.

Why would Harden turn down so much cash, especially when it meant that he would likely be in position to contend for a title every year with the team that drafted him? It's simple. Money.

The Thunder didn't make a "max" offer to Harden because they just didn't have the money available to do so and when it became clear that Harden wasn't going to accept anything less than a max contract, Presti and the Thunder had no choice but to send Harden packing for the best package they could get in return.

Upon arriving in Houston, Harden agreed to a five-year, $80 million max contract extension to become — as Rockets' General Manager Daryl Morey put it — a "foundational player." That's pretty high praise for a guy who has started only seven games over a three-year career.

I was one of those people that Harden made a mistake in turning down the Thunder's offer. Needless to say, I'm now grudgingly eating the humble pie.

But after the Rockets' season opening 105-96 win over the Detroit Pistons that saw Harden explode for 37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and a career-high 12 assists; it became quite clear that Harden is indeed ready for a starting role and is worth every penny of that $80 million.

You can't blame the Thunder for making the move, though. They were caught between a rock and a hard place. It was either do what they did and trade Harden for the best available offer or risk losing him for nothing this coming off-season.

When it comes down to it, Presti and the Thunder did the best they could with the unenviable hand they were dealt.

As referenced earlier above, they got fantastic return for a player they could have potentially lost for nothing after this season. Kevin Martin is a proven scorer in this league and will also provide future cap flexibility with his expiring contract while the former UConn star Lamb and the draft picks are valuable for obvious reasons.

How will it affect the Thunder on the court? We'll have to wait and see as the season progresses, but I'm guessing it won't be much of an issue considering they still have some guys by the names of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Yeah, something tells me they'll be fine.

As for Harden and the Rockets? I could be wrong, but that $80 million could end up leading to playoff berths, and for a team that hasn't seen playoff action since the twilight of the Yao Ming era back in 2009, you can bet Houston will be ecstatic about that.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

Wake Up Call — Kevin Garnett Puts Ray Allen in His Place

2012-11-01T01:00:00.002-04:00

Photo: TNT

- Troy Ballard

Ouch.

We all knew there was going to be some tension between Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics after he defected to Miami. There was little doubt that something was going to go down, especially when there is a player like Kevin Garnett on the other bench.

Sure enough, Allen was embarrassed on national television by his former teammate. In a display of vintage-KG, Allen approached him, and Garnett simply acted like he was invisible.

You can watch the video right here.

Comical, sure. But this flat-out rejection by Garnett underlines something that most people seem to be skipping over — Allen leaving Boston was about much more than just championship chasing.

This unit of Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen were the original big three. After KG was dealt to Boston, the Celtics has the best team in basketball. Pierce was the middle-man who stayed with the Celts' the entire time, and those three formed the NBA's dream team.

And what did those three do together? Won an NBA Championship.

Garnett, Allen and Pierce had an incredibly close bond. Those three were like brothers on the court.

Sure, people will point to Allen's disagreements with Rajon Rondo. To the fact that the Celtics often attempted to pawn him off for the team's newest interest on the trade market. That Allen's chemistry with the fan base and front office had totally deteriorated.

But beyond all those primarily petty things — Allen and Boston went hand in hand.

And, yet, what Garnett did last night has received an immense amount of attention from the media.

Why is anyone really that shocked?

Not only because that's how KG is, but also because his reaction is about what you'd expect from someone who had an old friend leave to a bitter rival. Garnett's cold shoulder isn't so much about Allen leaving than it is the newly born rivalry between the Heat and Celtics.

Allen may have been a great friend in Boston to Garnett. But guess what? He's not in Boston anymore. He's a member of the Miami Heat. And in case you've been living under a rock, Miami and Boston are acting more like the US and Russia.

Garnett simply let Allen know that he's not a friend, he's an enemy. Their past be damned.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

2012 NFL Week 9 Predictions: Beard and Stache Edition

2012-10-31T00:30:00.000-04:00

Photo: Getty Images

- Adam Parker

Week 8 of the 2012 NFL season is history and as is always the case in the NFL, it was full of big hits, big plays and close finishes throughout.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the back of rookie running back Doug Martin out of Boise State, embarrassed the Minnesota Vikings and opened the door for the Chicago Bears to increase their lead in the NFC North.

The New England Patriots obliterated the St. Louis Rams across the pond in the annual NFL game in London while the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons handled the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles respectively.

The San Francisco 49ers followed suit with a 24-3 shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals in a duel for top dog in the NFC West.

The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions both came from behind to win and the Dallas Cowboys fell just short to the division rival New York Giants after battling back from an early 23-0 deficit.

Oh, and the Cleveland Browns — yes, those Browns — knocked off the San Diego Chargers, 7-6. Apparently, the Chargers are allergic to bad weather.

Week 8 proved to be full of surprises, but I still managed to finish with a mark of (11-3).

My Pick 'Em Record: (Either 55-43)

Now, let's push forward to Week 9.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) at San Diego Chargers (3-4) on Thursday Night Football
Both teams are coming off a loss, but the difference between them is that the Chiefs are a complete mess right now. The Chargers will win this one with ease because the Chiefs are basically already waving the white flag at this point.

Prediction - Chargers win, 28-14

Denver Broncos (4-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are having another good year together and the young defense is probably one of the more underrated groups in the league. That being said, Peyton Manning plays for Denver and they'll be looking to beat a very beatable Bengals team to hang onto their slim division lead in the AFC West.

Prediction - Broncos win, 27-17

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Baltimore enters this game against the division rival Browns after having a bye week to move past their utter destruction at the hands of the Houston Texans. Cleveland may be coming off a win, but Baltimore is just the better overall squad and will also come in with a massive chip on their shoulder.

Prediction - Ravens win, 27-10

Arizona Cardinals (4-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-3)
The Packers are starting to hit their stride after getting off to a rough start to begin the season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are coming off a Monday night game where they were absolutely manhandled by the division rival San Francisco 49ers. The Packers are hot right now and have too many weapons on offense. That, and Clay Matthews and company will wreak havoc on a one-dimensional Arizona offense behind a bad offensive line.

Prediction - Packers win, 31-13

Chicago Bears (6-1) at Tennessee Titans (3-5)
The Titans plain and simple won't be able to win this one. While Chicago may have trouble keeping Jay Cutler upright at times which has become the norm every week, they should still be able to make enough plays to win, especially with their ridiculously opportunistic defense. Can anyone else say Charles Tillman for Defensive Player of the Year? We can.

Prediction - Bears win, 23-13

Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (4-3)
The Colts have surprised some people this season (not me) but I think they're going to have a tough go of it against an improving Dolphins' team. I'd like to believe that the Dolphins will grind their way to a win on the ground, but who knows? Maybe the Colts will surprise us again. After all, Andrew Luck did look pretty good last week...

Prediction - Colts win, 23-20

Carolina Panthers (1-6) at Washington Redskins (3-5)
Cam Newton and the Panthers can't buy a win right now. Even when it looked like they were in position to knock off a heavily-favored Chicago Bears squad, Cam-Cam and company still found a way to choke it all away.

Could things change this week against a struggling Redskins' team? I suppose, considering that the Panthers — outside of their blowout loss to the Giants — were within one score of every other game they've lost so far this season. In other words, they're essentially beating themselves. Look for Newton to lead his team to it's second win against the worst pass defense in the league.

Prediction - Panthers win, 27-17

Detroit Lions (3-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6)
This one will be a one-sided affair. The Jaguars' offense has looked horrendous so far this season, and with Maurice Jones-Drew still sporting crutches and a walking boot, you better believe that's going to continue. Time to start looking forward to April for the draft, Jags' fans.

Prediction - Lions win, 31-13

Buffalo Bills (3-4) at Houston Texans (6-1)
Another one-sides contest in this one between two teams headed in very different directions. Do I expect the Bills to get shut out? Probably not, but the fact that I'd even mention it has to tell you that the Texans are going to win this one big.

Prediction - Texans win, 27-10

Minnesota Vikings (5-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
The Seahawks are a different animal when they're playing in front of their raucous home crowd. Then you add in that the Vikings are coming off a home loss against the mediocre Buccaneers and you understand why it's a fairly easy choice to go with Seattle here. After all, the Seahawks beat Tom Brady and the Patriots at Qwest Field, so why would the Vikings be any trouble even if they do boast the league's leading rusher in Adrian Peterson?

Prediction - Seahawks win, 17-13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) at Oakland Raiders (3-4)
At first glance, this one looks like it could be a toss-up. But after thinking about it some more, I think it's fairly likely that the Raiders will come out on top in this one. Carson Palmer and the vertical passing game in Oakland should have a field day against the Bucs' 31st-ranked pass defense.

Prediction - Raiders win, 23-17

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at New York Giants (6-2)
As much as I'd like to see my Steelers knock off the defending champs, for the sake of my Pick 'Em record this week, I have to go with the smart money. After all, there's a reason the Giants won the Super Bowl last year and are off to a solid (6-2) start this year — they're damn good. Also, I foresee some potential issues with the Steelers' makeshift offensive line holding up against the Giants' tenacious pass rush. I'm hoping I'm wrong and that Ben Roethlisberger has some magic stashed away for this game, but we'll have to wait and see.

Prediction - Giants win, 24-21

Dallas Cowboys (3-4) at Atlanta Falcons (7-0) on Sunday Night Football
Another match-up that looks even on paper but then you remember how the Cowboys don't always show up the way you expect them and that Atlanta is a tough out when they're at home in the Georgia Dome. Those factors and more will lead to Atlanta's eighth victory of the season. At this rate, they'll have that NFC South division wrapped up in the next week or two.

Prediction - Falcons win, 27-20

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (2-5) on Monday Night Football
Two teams struggling mightily lately meet on Monday night. Based purely on statistics, the Eagles should win this game fairly easily considering that they rank in the middle of the pack for all stats while, despite Drew Brees leading the Saints' to the best passing offense, they also have the 32nd-ranked run offense and are arguably the worst overall defense in football.

It's tough to bet against the Saints in their own building where so many magical moments have occurred in the past, but something tells me that this just isn't the year for them. The Eagles will figure out a way to get this W.

Prediction - Eagles win, 31-23

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2012 NBA Power Rankings: Beard and Stache NBA Season Tip-Off Edition

2012-10-29T00:30:00.000-04:00

Image: Sports Illustrated

- Adam Parker

It's that time of year, again everyone. The NBA season — this time with a full 82-game schedule thanks to no lockout — is finally upon us and with it, comes the return of our NBA Season Tip-Off Power Rankings.

There were plenty of movers and shakers during the off-season, including starts like Steve Nash and Dwight Howard leaving the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic respectively to team up with Kobe Bryant in Laker Land and Ray Allen leaving more money on the table in Boston to join the Big Three in Miami to chase a few more championships in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.

We have thirty teams to sort through in our rankings, so without further ado, let's begin.

1. Miami Heat - This comes as a surprise to no one. The Heat are not only the defending NBA Champions, but they also have two of the top five players in the world on their squad in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh is an All-Star caliber big man who's importance will be paramount if Miami is to repeat.

If having the Big Three wasn't enough, this team only got better and scarier during the off-season after inking long-range sniping specialists in Ray "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Allen and Rashard Lewis.

Is Miami's offense a little unorthodox when compared to the more traditional teams like the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers and Celtics? Absolutely. But there's no doubting its effectiveness and with Allen and Lewis now in South Beach, the Heat are poised to be even better.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder - I almost put the Lakers here because of all the off-season news they made with their multiple high-profile acquisitions. Nevertheless, it was this young Oklahoma City squad who represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals a year ago; not the Lakers.

Young superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will continue to be a force for many years to come in this league, and Serge Ibaka and now Kevin Martin (who will step in for the recently traded James Harden) will undoubtedly make big impacts as well. The Thunder are a young team but they have plenty of playoff experience as a cohesive unit. Rest assured, they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

3. Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe has two new friends to play with in fellow 1996 draft classmate Steve Nash (a hell of a draft if you ask me) and the best center in basketball in Dwight Howard. All signs point to Dwight's back not holding him back this season and the with Pau Gasol also still in tow, this Lakers squad is poised for a few more runs at a title in the twilight of the Black Mamba's career.

4. San Antonio Spurs - Their star-studded core may be getting older (even Tony Parker has now joined the 30-years old club along with Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan) but by no means would it be wise to bet against them. They're extremely well coached by arguably the best coach in the league in Gregg Popovich and still have the talent, experience and depth to hang with anyone on any given night.

5. Indiana Pacers - This choice may catch some people off guard (I know because I feel the same way as I type it) but the Pacers are a great team. They may not have any big-name superstars, but there's something to be said about a club being greater than the sum of its parts.

That's not to say that guys like Danny Granger, Paul George and Roy Hibbert aren't great parts, because they are. This defensive-minded group may not be in the center of the limelight, but you can bet that they'll be in the playoffs competing for their shot at a title nevertheless.

6. Los Angeles Clippers - The upcoming season marks Chris Paul's first full one as a member of the Clippers, which means Lob City should be even better.

The return of Chauncey Billups from injury and the additions of quality veterans like Grant Hill, Jamal Crawford and Lamar Odom should help alleviate the worries some people had about the team's depth last year. Hopefully this year you'll hear more chatter about the Clippers making waves in the playoffs than head coach Vinny Del Negro's job security.

7. Boston Celtics - Like the Spurs, the Celtics' star-studded core is starting to age as well. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce remain while Ray Allen has moved on to Miami. Jason Terry and Courtney Lee come in to fill Allen's role and Rajon Rondo is one of the best point guards in the game today.

The Celtics will be in the fight. Remember, they did push Miami to seven games last year in the Eastern Conference Finals and while losing Allen is big, I doubt Ray-Ray switching sides and defecting to Miami will be a major factor in Boston being right there at the end again.

8. Brooklyn Nets - The Barclays Center is set for it's inaugural season of hosting the new-look Brooklyn Nets, who, in addition to keeping Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace, also added perennial All-Star Joe Johnson to the roster. Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries will be an underrated tandem down low and with a guy like Marshon Brooks coming off the bench, this team could be more dangerous than people think.

9. Chicago Bulls - There's no doubting the coaching ability of Tom Thibodeau nor is there any doubting of the defensive prowess of this club. But the fact of the matter is, until their leader and star Derrick Rose makes his return to the court, I can't justify putting them higher than this even if they did add Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich to the roster.

10. Memphis Grizzlies - Very well coached squad by Lionel Hollins. The younger Gasol brother might be the better of the two at this point and he, along with Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and a steadily improving Michael Conley at point guard make these Grizzlies very ferocious to contend with indeed.

11. Philadelphia 76ers - Depth, youth, athleticism, and more depth. Oh, and they added stud center Andrew Bynum to be a force inside for them on both sides of the ball. It remains to be seen if Doug Collins can keep Bynum focused and if the 76ers' training staff is up to the task of keeping him healthy, but if both things come to fruition, this team could have a case for being higher on this list.

12. New York Knicks - Joining the Knicks' core of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler this season — the first full season for Mike Woodson without the "interim" tag next to his job description — are veterans Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby. I personally love both signings. Both guys may be getting up there in years but can still be very effective in reserve roles and with Chandler anchoring the center spot and the returning Raymond Felton starting at point guard, that's exactly the role they'll play.

Granted, they still need to figure out their offensive identity, but there's just too much talent on this team for them not to make the playoffs. Is anyone else as anxious as we are for this first Brooklyn Nets/New York Knicks match-up?

13. Denver Nuggets - George Karl has got to be the best when it comes to getting the most out of the roster you have and basically doing more with less — talent, that is.. because we all know the depth is there in spades.The Nuggets are arguably the deepest team in basketball and with the addition of Andre Iguodala (who I think is the absolute perfect fit for a George Karl-coached team), this team should be primed to make some noise in the postseason.

14. Atlanta Hawks - In his first month on the job, Hawks' General Manager Danny Ferry found a way to rid the organization of the terrible long-term contract they signed Joe Johnson to. Is JJ a star? No doubt about it, but the guy was making 'Kobe money', which he's simply not worth.

Ferry then added guys like Louis Williams, Devin Harris, Kyle Korver and Anthony Morrow in addition to drafting solid rookies in the sharpshooting Vanderbilt grad John Jenkins and the tenacious albeit undersized big man in Mike Scott. The Josh Smith saga is likely to loom over this team like a dark storm cloud throughout the season, so the question is, do they keep him and try to make a playoff run or send him packing out of fear of his likely high price tag?

15. Dallas Mavericks - Mark Cuban missed out on creating the "Triple D's" in Dallas when he struck out while trying to add Dwight Howard and Deron Williams to a Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavericks team this off-season. Nevertheless, Dallas is still a quality club. Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo are all quality underrated acquisitions that should help this team be better than maybe we think they'll be.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves - No Ricky Rubio to start the season but you do have a newly re-signed star in Kevin Love who is hungry to win and wanted a commitment from the organization to improve the roster so they could win. David Kahn obliged with the signings of Andrei 'AK-47' Kirilenko and Brandon Roy — two players both making their triumphant returns to the NBA.

17. Golden State Warriors - Will this year be the year that this young and energetic Warriors' squad makes a playoff push? The addition of Andrew Bogut (who will finally make his Golden State debut this season) via the Monta Ellis trade late last year finally gives them the interior presence necessary to contend in the Western Conference.

In the end though, it will all come down to the health of Stephen Curry and Bogut. If they can stay on the court, the Warriors could take that all-important next step. If not, they're doomed to miss the playoffs again.

18. Houston Rockets - Outside of the recently acquired James Harden, the Rockets are a team without any real stars. However, they have plenty of depth on the roster and are extremely well coached by Kevin McHale. They're a fringe playoff team at best.

19. Utah Jazz - I really feel like the Jazz could surprise some people this year. They have great talent and depth in the frontcourt with guys like Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and the young Derrick Favors. Look for Mo Williams to have a rebound year now that he's back with the team that originally drafted him. Jerry Sloan may no longer be on the bench for Utah, but their disciplined mentality on both sides of the ball remains.

20. Portland Trail Blazers - LaMarcus Aldridge is an All-Star at the power forward position and guys like Nicolas Batum and Wesley Johnson will be big contributors as well. In recent years (outside of last year when they admittedly tanked once they realized they were out of playoff contention) the Blazers have been in the thick of things for the playoff race in the Western Conference and with the electrifying rookie Damian Lillard running point, look for this team to make a push for the seventh or eighth seed in the West.

21. Milwaukee Bucks - Samuel Dalembert joins the Bucks as the de facto replacement for Andrew Bogut who was sent to Golden State for Monta Ellis. Between Ellis and Brandon Jennings, you have one of the most electrifying backcourts in basketball. The only problem? As good as the two of them will undoubtedly be offensively, they'll be just as much of a liability on the defensive end. The Bucks will be exciting to watch, but don't expect a playoff berth.

22. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis. The Brow. He and Eric Gordon will make this group an interesting team to watch, but they're still a few years away from having serious playoff aspirations.

23. Phoenix Suns - The Steve Nash era has finally come to an end in the Valley of the Sun. Enter Goran Dragic, who makes his return to Phoenix as the new starting point guard after earning a nice contract because of his late season play with Houston. Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson and Luis Scola are also new roster additions. While I feel like this year's team will be better than last year's squad when it's all said and done, they'll likely still finish near the bottom of a tough Western Conference.

24. Washington Wizards - A starting five of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor and Nene is clearly a vast improvement over the Wizards' lineups we've seen in recent seasons. They still have some work to do in the coming years, but I feel like they've finally taken a step in the right direction in terms of building their roster.

25. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins and rookie Thomas Robinson make up one of the best young frontcourts in basketball. They, along with Tyreke Evans, are the future of the Kings going forward. Now, if only they could get a new arena...

26. Toronto Raptors - The fifth overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Jonas Valanciunas, joins the team after one more season overseas. Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields are the new additions to the backcourt for Toronto and Andrea Bargnani, now in his eighth season in the league, is a fringe All-Star big man in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki. Look for a breakout season for DeMar DeRozan this year. He has all the athletic ability in the world and has consistently getting better with his shot. Still, no playoffs for the Raptors.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers - Reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving proved to be as good as advertised last season for Cleveland, and this year the Cavs' added a backcourt partner for Irving in the former of the No. 4 overall pick Dion Waiters out of Syracuse. The Cavs' are slowly but surely getting better, but they'll still be near the bottom of the pack.

28. Detroit Pistons - I'm not sure how I feel about the Andre Drummond pick. Granted, a duo of Drummond and Greg Monroe in the frontcourt could make Detroit very dangerous if the Drummond pick actually works out. Nothing much else to say here. Detroit is just another young and rebuilding team that won't make much noise.

29. Charlotte Bobcats - While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is no slouch, after the season the Bobcats had last year, Anthony Davis would have been a godsend. A new head coach and veteran additions like Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood should make this team a little better. At the very least, you can bet they'll win more games than they won last year. Still, expect a few more high draft selections in this team's future.

30. Orlando Magic - Dwight Howard has been traded and by receiving no real legitimate talent in return but a bunch of draft picks, it's obvious that this team will be looking to build through the draft. It'll probably be a few years before they're out of the cellar.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

The Top 10 Keys to the World Series

2012-10-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

Image: point-spreads.com

- Adam Parker

The 2012 Major League Baseball playoffs have reached their pinnacle — the World Series. This year marked the first campaign where ten teams had a chance to play their way into the big dance.

The ten teams who began the journey: the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and two surprise Cinderellas in the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles.

Now, that list has dwindled down to two — two teams who began their quest for a World Series title on Wednesday night — the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants.

Games One and Two are already in the books with the Giants — led by Pablo Sandoval's 4-4 night at the plate including 3 home-runs (two of which came off Tigers' ace Justin Verlander) — surprisingly cruised to a comfortable 8-3 victory in Game One and shut out them out 2-0 in Game Two behind seven strong innings from Madison Bumgarner.

But this series isn't over and as such, we here at Beard and Stache are going to offer our ten keys to the World Series.

10) Justin Verlander - Before this season, Verlander's prior postseason appearances were not kind to him and prior to Wednesday night where the Giants' contact-focused lineup tore him to shreds, he had made up for it by being lights-out in 2012 with three wins in three starts. The question is, since he has the potential to make two starts in this series, will Verlander be able to rebound against a very challenging Giants' lineup that never quits if given the opportunity? We'll have to wait and see, but this brings me into my next point.

9) Tigers' Starting Rotation Against Giants' Lineup - It's no mystery that the Tigers' starters — especially Verlander and Max Scherzer — make waves with their ridiculous strikeout numbers. However, Bruce Bochy's club has proven this postseason that they're going to put the ball in play, it's hard telling whether or not the Tigers' rotation will truly be that effective.

8) Tigers' Defense Against Giants' Hitters - I brought up how the Giants aren't strikeout prone or slumping (like the Tigers' two previous opponents in the Athletics and Yankees, respectively) and are putting the ball in play thus raising the importance of the Tigers' defense.

Unfortunately for Detroit, their defense hasn't been anywhere near as good as their offense. They ranked in the middle of the American League during the regular season in terms of fielding percentage (.983) and have six errors in 10 postseason games this year. Needless to say, that will have to improve if the Tigers hope to win.

7) Tigers' Bullpen - Their starting rotation is solid for numerous reasons and they found a nice postseason surprise in Phil Coke as their closer. The relief pitchers in between? They've been extremely suspect.

6) Marco Scutaro - In case you've forgotten, Cody Ross went on a similar run for the Giants during their World Series run (and eventual triumph) two years ago. Now, Scutaro, arguably the mid-season acquisition of the year in some people's eyes (crazy, right?) is on a similar hot streak. Good luck slowing him down.

5) Miguel Cabrera - He hasn't really hit his stride yet and has pretty much been kept under wraps this postseason, hitting .282 with one home run in 10 games.

Then again, we have to remember that Cabrera won the Triple Crown this season — the first since Carl Yastrzemski won it back in 1967. Cabrera has proven to be the best hitter on the planet and now he has a chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. Something tells me he won't be under wraps for much longer.

4) Prince Fielder - When the Tigers shelled out a King's ransom to lure Prince to Detroit, the league was shocked. He had another stellar regular season but as of right now, he's only hitting .214 in 10 postseason games. That being said, you have to believe that the odds of Prince turning things around are fairly good.

3) Sergio Romo - Brian Wilson who? That's something I'd never expected to be saying after the Giants lost their bearded masterpiece of a closer for the entire 2012 season.

After a great regular season in which he posted a dazzling 1.79 ERA (held right-handers to a .192 Batting Average while holding lefties to a minuscule mark of .162.), Romo, in large part due to that nasty slider of his, has solidified his role as the Giants' closer while Wilson works his way back. He may not have the same gas that Wilson has, but make no mistake — Romo has the goods.

2) Baseball is a Chess Match - I can't imagine the amount of analysis and thought that goes into every decision that Jim Leyland and Bruce Bochy make night in and night out during the season, and in the World Series, the managerial chess match is bound to play that much more of a pivotal role when the chips are down.

1) Numbers Don't Lie, But Then Again, They Are Just Numbers - The winners of Game 1 have won eight of the past nine World Series and 13 of 15. Will that hold true? It's hard telling. After all, they're only numbers.

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Debunking Warren Moon's Race Issue Comments on Cam Newton

2012-10-25T00:29:00.001-04:00

Jeremy Brevard - US Presswire

- Troy Ballard

I love Warren Moon. I really do.

But in regards to his latest comments with Yahoo! Sports about Cam Newton and the racial undertone of his critics — I was baffled.

Basically, Moon called-out the pundit who compared Newton to Vince Young. He boldly stated that analysts only compare black athletes to other black athletes.

Instead, Moon offered the comparison of Newton to Jay Cutler (strictly in terms of demeanor, which was the topic of conversation).

It didn't take long for Moon to trackback and redirect from racism to stereotypes. In fact, he felt the need to clarify his comments almost immediately, but he still remained firm in his belief that black athletes aren't compared to white ones.

I have no trouble confronting the racial issue head-on — as I, unlike many writers, do believe there is a race issue in sports. In fact, one could expand that to a race issue in all of the United States, but that's for another time and another place. Narrowing it down to Moon and Newton is difficult, but I'll do my best.

The kicker is this: I agree with Moon in the fact that there is that race problem in professional sports.

However, I strongly disagree in the case of Newton specifically.

The conversation was a comparison of Newton's maturity and demeanor on the field in losing situations. And while he could be compared to Cutler, I do believe that Young is a more accurate representation of him.

Color aside. Think about it.

While Newton is on the sideline being pouty by himself, it's not hard to think back and imagine Young doing the exact same thing in Tennessee. Do we recall Young tearing up his jersey after he was benched? Do we remember Newton throwing his helmet into the ground after being benched?

Similar, are the two not?

Just for kicks, I went to Google Images and searched 'Vince Young sulking,' 'Jay Cutler sulking' and 'Cam Newton sulking.' I'll give you one guess what the result was — all three looked exactly the same.

But the biggest difference, and largely the reason the two were compared in the first place, is that Young more closely matches Newton in terms of playing style and career path. Think about their incredibly similar college careers. Don't be quick to forget Young's mind-blowing rookie season, either. And, along with the other connections, Newton and Young do have similar attitudes when losing — something neither of them had done much of in their pre-NFL careers.

Could Don Banks, the writer at Sports Illustrated who first compared Young to Newton, expanded his efforts to a more wide range of athletes? Sure. Did he have to? No. Because this article wasn't intended to be a jab at black-black or white-white comparisons.

Again, I agree with Moon in the issue of race. But in his defense of Newton, it simply doesn't make sense to disagree with the comparison of him to Young. The trend is there. The facts are there. Moon could have made an excellent case based off of his opinion of Newton as a player, not as a person, but he instead took a stance that didn't deliver his point.

Instead, Moon lost an immense amount of credibility and he put Newton in a difficult spot with the media. The only person who (might) have won out of this is Young, as on my last count, is still trying to drum up any interest he can for a job.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

2012 NFL Week 8 Predictions: Beard and Stache Edition

2012-10-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle

- Adam Parker

Week 7 of the 2012 NFL season is done and what a wild week of last second finishes it was. The Seattle Seahawks fell a little short against the San Francisco 49ers in a game that featured two of the league's top defenses.

The Baltimore Ravens were completely obliterated by the Houston Texans despite the triumphant return of Terrell Suggs and they could be in for a rough go of it going forward if their defense (and offense for that matter) don't start playing with more consistency.

The highlights of the week were three wild finishes in the Giants/Redskins game that saw some great late-game heroics from Robert Griffin III only to be out-shined by Eli Manning and Victor Cruz. The Titans/Bills game was a back-and-forth shootout throughout, with the Titans coming out on top thanks to a last second touchdown hook-up between Matt Hasselbeck and Nate Washington.

The Saints/Bucs' game had the most controversial finish where, on the last play of the game, Mike Williams was pushed out of bounds by a Saints' defender in the endzone by re-established himself in-bounds before making what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown reception as time expired. It was later ruled "illegal touching", thus voiding the touchdown.

No doubt we're in for more crazy finishes heading into Week 8.

I had my best week of the season in terms of Pick 'Em, going (12-1).

My Pick 'Em Record: (54-50)

Now, onto Week 8!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2) on Thursday Night Football
The Bucs' may be hungry for wins, but something tells me that they'll be leaving Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome still starving with how well the surprising Vikings have been playing thus far. They may not have the full-on Purple People Eaters anymore on defense, but they're showing that they can dominate from week to week. My guess? The Buccaneers will be Minnesota's latest victim.

Prediction - Vikings win, 27-17

Washington Redskins (3-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
This will be a tough match-up for both squads looking to keep pace in their respective divisions by getting another win. Will the magical rookie season of RGIII continue or will we see Pittsburgh continue to take strides towards returning to contention? I really liked the way my Steelers looked against the Bengals on Sunday night, so I'll have to go with them here too.

Prediction - Steelers win, 30-24

Carolina Panthers (1-5) at Chicago Bears (5-1)
Cam Newton is downright disgusted with his team's record thus far, but unfortunately, I don't see him getting any happier going up against the strong Chicago Bears' squad. Cam-Cam and company will keep it close, but in the end, Chicago just has too many studs on both sides of the ball.

Prediction - Bears win, 23-17

San Diego Chargers (3-3) at Cleveland Browns (1-6)
The Browns were potentially within a dropped Josh Gordon touchdown of beating the Colts last week, but the Chargers are a much better team than Indy (and Cleveland for that matter). Norv Turner has also had an extra week of preparation leading into this one, so you have to like the Bolts' chances in this one.

Prediction - Chargers win, 27-17

Seattle Seahawks (4-3) at Detroit Lions (2-4)
If any team looks like it's built to slow down Detroit's aerial assualt, it's Seattle with that ridiculously young and talented secondary they field every week. Detroit doesn't really have much of a running game, but they have Calvin Johnson Jr., who makes for that and then some. Seattle is a different team when they're at home in that they're virtually unbeatable. Unfortunately, this game is a road trip for Pete Carroll's squad.

Prediction - Lions win, 28-21

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) at Green Bay Packers (4-3)
The Jags' are sinking fast and the Packers are surging after back-to-back wins. Not only that, the Jaguars also just lost quarterback Blaine Gabbert and stud running back Maurice Jones-Drew to injuries last week. Something tells me this game won't be that close.

Prediction - Packers win, 35-13

New England Patriots (4-3) at St. Louis Rams (3-4)
Even though the Patriots barely managed to eke out a win against the rival New York Jets, don't think they'll let the Rams hang around for long. Is the Rams' secondary greatly improved? Absolutely. Nevertheless, I don't think St. Louis' defense will be good enough to limit Tom Brady and company to the low point total necessary to win this one.

Prediction - Patriots win, 27-17

Miami Dolphins (3-3) at New York Jets (3-4)
This is the second match-up between these two clubs this season, with the last one ending in a 26-23 overtime victory for Jets. I could be wrong, but I really like the Dolphins' chances in this one. You never know which Jets' squad is going to show up from week to week, and I really think the Dolphins have something special with Ryan Tannehill. That, and Brian Hartline is a beast!

Prediction - Dolphins win, 21-17

Atlanta Falcons (6-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)
The Eagles are in complete disarray at this point while the Falcons keep grinding out win after win. In Asante Samuel's return to Philadelphia, his new team — the Dirty Birds — will leave with the win. Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and the rest of Atlanta's passing attack should have a field day against Philly's overrated and overpaid secondary.

Prediction - Falcons win, 31-23

Indianapolis Colts (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-4)
Chris Johnson exploded against the Bills for almost 200 yards on the ground and was a key catalyst in the Titans' 35-34 victory last week. I know we ask this question following every time Johnson has a good game these days, but has he finally figured it out? I expect another 100-plus yard performance against the Colts' 26th ranked rush defense and a win for Tennessee at home either way.

Prediction - Titans win, 24-20

Oakland Raiders (2-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)
This one will feature a match-up of the two irrelevant teams in the AFC West, and outside of fans of the two sorry squads, I doubt many people will be tuning in regardless of the outcome. Brady Quinn will get the start for Kansas City, so I'll take the Raiders.

Prediction - Raiders win, 17-13

New York Giants (5-2) at Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
The Cowboys managed to hang on for a 19-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week, but against the defending Super Bowl champs you can bet that they'll have a much tougher road. Tony Romo will probably be running for his life in this one while Eli Manning will dissect the Cowboys' secondary with a surgeon's precision.

Prediction - Giants win, 28-20

New Orleans Saints (2-4) at Denver Broncos (3-3) on Sunday Night Football
Joe Vitt returns to be the Saints' interim coach after the conclusion of his six-week suspension and the elder Manning brother renews his rivalry with Drew Brees. I like the Broncos to take this one for multiple reasons — one, it took a controversial call in the waning moments last week for the Saints to beat the lowly Buccaneers and their defense is clearly still struggling. Oh, and former Saints' cornerback and playoff hero Tracy Porter now plays for Denver and I expect for him to be a factor in Denver's win too.

Prediction - Broncos win, 27-23

San Francisco 49ers (5-2) at Arizona Cardinals (4-3) on Monday Night Football
The Monday night game will have big implications on the NFC West standings with these two clubs set to duke it out. San Francisco comes in boasting arguably the best defense in football as well as one of the better rushing attacks spearheaded by Frank Gore.

Look for a one-sided victory for the Niners in this one as the Cardinals' horrendous offensive line will mean John Skelton is in for another long night every time he drops back to pass. The desert birds have also shown that they're susceptible to giving up big yards on the ground evidenced by the 153 yards Adrian Peterson racked up against them last week.

Prediction - 49ers win, 23-10

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The Collapse and Confusion of Philip Rivers

2012-10-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Dennis Poroy - AP Images

- Troy Ballard

At the beginning of this season, when the troops had been rallied to start a fantasy league, I made the unknowing mistake of drafting Philip Rivers as my quarterback — and the moment I did, a good buddy of mine said two words, "rookie move."

Naturally, I laughed. I thought that his rapid and quick regression over the past two seasons were nothing more than a fluke. After all, Rivers was competing for a Super Bowl no more than three seasons ago.

The dude was even in the Pro-Bowl last season!

However, after watching Rivers fall apart at the seams and manage to turn the ball over six times in the infamous Monday Night Football collapse against the Denver Broncos — in what will surely be remembered as the worst loss in the Norv Turner-Rivers era — something is inexplicably wrong.

Rivers went from being widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL to... what is best in-captioned in the image to the right of this article. People say that a picture speaks a thousand words, and this one absolutely does.

The Chargers' quarterback had been plagued with turnovers, lack of confidence, poor awareness and an entirely baffling inability to close-out games. His numbers over the past two-seasons have been so atrocious, it's shocking that Turner has at least considered benching his quarterback.

Here's some food for thought (courtesy of CBS Sports):

- Over the past 22 games, San Diego is 11-11
- In that window, Rivers has 37 touchdowns and 29 interceptions
- In Rivers' first five seasons with the Chargers, he threw 135 touchdowns and 57 interceptions
- During that window, San Diego was 55-25

People have a tendency to point fingers at receivers, offensive line troubles, but I'll point straight back at Rivers' 2010 campaign. San Diego's offensive line was flimsy at best, and the entire receiving corps was shredded apart by injuries. The Chargers had signed nobodies, and Rivers still had the best season of his career, passing for 4,710 yards and 30 touchdowns.

But since that 2010 season, the slope has become more and more slippery for the once highly regarded passer. Someone pointed out, with objectivity mind you, that the only reason Rivers was in the Pro-Bowl last season was because he was replacement for Tom Brady. I didn't realize that immediatley.

It's reached the point where I am actually considering the possibility that San Diego might clean-shop entirely this off-season. That ownership might decide along with Turner (who surely has to be fired at this point, and if he's not, we need to start considering a conspiracy theory), that Rivers needs to go too. The Chargers will make a sudden jump-up move in the draft with a team that is looking to deal away a high pick (think Cleveland), and draft a player like Matt Barkely.

Of course, that's all speculation.

There comes a time when something isn't working, and change has to happen. Rivers is flirting with that line, and this latest loss to Denver reinforces that. San Diego is arguably one of the most frustrated organizations in the NFL, and when the tipping-point is reached, Rivers could find himself on the outs.

The Chargers were on a bye this week, and there is still time to turn around this season, but it's going to take a radical change from Rivers. This team is based around his success, and when he struggles, San Diego flops. That makes his immediate future with the team in great doubt.

I do, however, know something that's already happened— he's out on my fantasy team.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

Will Alex Rodriguez Be In Yankee Pinstripes in 2013?

2012-10-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Getty Images

- Adam Parker

The New York Yankees are currently caught between a rock and a hard place, staring down a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Game 4 was initially going to take place Wednesday, and the struggling Alex Rodriguez was in line to be benched for his second straight game in the series before the threat of rain pushed the game to Thursday, thereby giving Yankees' manager Joe Girardi another opportunity to make some changes to his lineup card.

Only nothing changed. When the Yankees handed off their lineup card to the umpire on Thursday prior to Game 4 of the ALCS against the Tigers — a game that ended in a 8-1 defeat for the Yankees and a clean sweep for Detroit — struggling players like Curtis Granderson (3 hits, 16 K's, and a batting average of .100 through 30 AB's), Nick Swisher (5 hits, 10 K's and a batting average of .167 through 30 AB's) and Alex Rodriguez (3 hits, 12 K's and a batting average of .120 through 25 AB's) remained absent from the lineup.

The most glaring absence was that of A-Rod, who, despite his recent struggles against right-handed pitching up to that point (3-23) still probably should have been in the game considering he had homered twice off Tigers' starting pitcher Justin Verlander back in the regular season.

But then again, maybe Girardi made the right call. Even if it was Verlander on the mound for Detroit, there was also the undeniable fact that he could be looked at as just another right-handed pitcher that A-Rod simply couldn't buy a hit off of. Considering Rodriguez made $30 million in 2012, the fact that he couldn't buy a hit tells you that he's in a ridiculous slump; one of the worst he's gone through in recent memory.

Swisher, Granderson and Rodriguez were all watching from the pine when the Yankees' season came to an unceremonious and premature end. My belief is that Granderson will be back in 2013 while Swisher very well could not be, but what about A-Rod?

Rumors have been swirling (much more so during A-Rod's slump at the plate) that he could be bound for the Miami Marlins if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause, however, according to a recent Yahoo! Sports report via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, that's not something that Rodriguez is even considering at this point.

As of right now, no other teams have really shown much interest in the 37-year old slugger, which, considering he is still set to make $114 million over the remaining five years of his contract through 2017, is not surprising no matter how much of the contract the Yankees might be willing to "eat."

My guess is that will all blow over eventually during the off-season and that A-Rod will be wearing Yankee pinstripes for the foreseeable future. After all, unless he changes his mind about waiving his no-trade clause, the Yankees can't move him even if there are other interested suitors.

I'm not sure why Rodriguez would want to try and solve his hitting woes under the bright lights and scrutiny of New York which is arguably the most volatile environment in all of sports, but more power to him. Hopefully for his sake, this off-season can help A-Rod find his swing again sooner rather than later.

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NBA Cracking Down on Pre-Game Rituals Between Players — Our Thoughts

2012-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Getty Images

- Adam Parker

Seriously, NBA?

This is what your spending your time doing in these league meetings — deciding on the fate of pre-game rituals?

First, it's sad to begin with that you're even bothering to waste time discussing them at all and what's even worse is that you came to the conclusion to set a 90-second timer to force players to cutback on their pre-game handshakes and rituals (e.g. LeBron James' chalk toss and Dwyane Wade's pull-ups on the rim, etc.).

And for what? So the games can start maybe five minutes sooner?

You do realize that these pre-game rituals are not only fun for the players, but the vast majority of them (especially LeBron's chalk toss) have become big hits with the fans in the arena as well, right?

Granted, would not having them take away from the game very much? Not likely since the real show starts after tip-off, but the fact of the matter is that basketball — probably more so than any other professional sport in our country — has evolved beyond the point of only being a game; it's become a full-scale production of pure entertainment.

Simply put, it's a spectacular show within a game.

As expected, the players are not responding well to the change.

"I personally don't like it," Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant told 'The Oklahoman'. "Every player in this league has routines they do with their teammates, rituals they do before the game and before they walk on the floor. The fans enjoy it. You see the fans mimicking the guys who do their stuff before the game. To cut that down really don't make no sense."

I agree with Durant. Doing this doesn't make any sense. I mean, who really cares if the game starts five minutes later? The television networks? Doubtful, especially considering that most games still end ahead of schedule or on time despite all of the pre-game rituals by the players.

In the end, it doesn't matter though. The owners run the league and sign the checks, so they will ultimately set the rules.

The pre-game rituals are going to be cut down, but I guess if it cuts out one commercial break (fingers crossed) then I'm okay with it.

What does everyone else think? Do you agree with putting a 90-second timer on pre-game rituals during NBA games?

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

Cracking the Dwayne Bowe Question

2012-10-18T00:55:00.001-04:00

Photo: All Image Sports

- Troy Ballard

It didn't take long for Jason Cole, a Yahoo! NFL Reporter, to learn that mis-tweeting something can spark a massive reaction to somewhat moderate news.

Cole tweeted out a report that the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs could be working out a trade for disgruntled and currently franchise-tagged wider receiver, Dwayne Bowe.

After a firestorm of responses, Cole quickly responded that he never actually meant that a trade was in progress, and instead reaffirmed what we already all knew — Bowe wants out of Kansas City.

Still, even if Cole's intention was nothing more than speculation, it does propose and interesting question.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, would the Kansas City Chiefs be willing, and should the team, trade away Bowe?

It would be logical to think that most Kansas City fans would have the immediate knee-jerk reaction of: absolutely not. Bowe is arguably the best weapon on the offense (the only competition being Jamaal Charles, but that's comparing apples to oranges), and he has been the most consistent contributor on the team over the past five seasons.

Not to mention, who doesn't love Bowe on their fantasy team?

However, what most fans fail to realize (or as we like to believe, are living in total denial) is that Bowe wants nothing more than to get out of Kansas City. Not only did the organization's failure to work out a long-term deal and franchise tag irritate him, but Bowe must have a propelling desire to play for a winning team.

The chances of Bowe walking out after this season are incredibly likely. The dude has basically made his intentions entirely clear, and the Chiefs are living in a fantasy world if the team actually thinks he is going to re-sign after the franchise tag ordeal. The front office should have the awareness to see the writing on the wall — Bowe isn't coming back.

With that in mind, the only logical option is to deal him away. Bowe is disgruntled, has plans to leave and the Chiefs are certainly not going to make a sudden Tim-Tebow-esque-playoff-inspiring run with or without him on the team.

Really, Kansas City has nothing to lose by dealing him away and everything to gain. Although Bowe isn't elite, the Chiefs could still receive back some good value — I'm guessing a second-rounder at the highest and a few other pieces.

What's to lose? In this situation, KC might as well cash-in when the team still has a chance.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

2012 NFL Week 7 Predictions: Beard and Stache Edition

2012-10-16T23:50:00.000-04:00

Photo: Chicago Tribune

- Adam Parker

Week 6 of the 2012 NFL Season is now in the rear-view mirror, and what a week it was. It all began on Thursday Night Football with my Pittsburgh Steelers somehow finding a way to lose to a Tennessee Titans team, who, at the time had only one win on the season.

Other highlights include the New York Jets dropping 35 points on the lowly Indianapolis Colts in a blowout win. Only time will tell if that game will finally get the Jets' anemic offense going.

The Minnesota Vikings came back down to Earth after being handled by the Washington Redskins despite another solid game from Christian Ponder.

The New York Giants cruised to a blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship game. Talk about a disappointment...

The week ended with the Green Bay Packers handing the Houston Texans their first loss of the season, but the question remains about whether or not the Packers have truly found their groove offensively or if it was merely a facade (I'm betting the former).

On Monday night, Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning again, as he led the Denver Broncos on a historic comeback.

I fell off the wagon again in Week 6, finishing with a less than stellar mark of (5-9). But hey, can you blame me? I mean, I know this only accounts for one of the losses, but did anyone have the Seahawks beating Tom Brady and company? Didn't think so.

My Pick 'Em Record: (42-49)

What crazy games are in store for Week 7? Let's find out.

Seattle Seahawks (4-2) at San Francisco 49ers (4-2) on Thursday Night Football
Three teams in the hotly contested NFC West sit at (4-2) and this will be a primetime match-up between two of them. After getting embarrassed at home by the Giants, the 49ers will no doubt be out for blood in this one; looking to prove that they're still the top dogs — at least in their own division.

The Seahawks are (1-2) away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field and their raucous home crowd, but they do boast the top scoring defense in the league. While the Niners are coming off back-to-back poor defensive showings, the Seahawks have shown they can shut down even the most elite offenses in the league (New England, Green Bay, Dallas). I don't normally like Seattle at home, but I feel like their defense gives them a great chance to be in the game late with a chance to pull off the upset on the road.

Prediction - Seahawks win, 20-17

Tennessee Titans (2-4) at Buffalo Bills (3-3)
Will going up against the 32nd-ranked rush defense help Chris Johnson get over his long-running slump? It certainly won't hurt. Both clubs are coming off quality wins last week against the Steelers (Titans) and Cardinals (Bills), respectively. If the man formerly known as 'CJ2K' can hit the ground running (less dancing, more north and south) and the Titans receivers can fix their problem with drops, Tennessee should come out on top.

Prediction - Titans win, 23-17

Washington Redskins (3-3) at New York Giants (4-2)
It's a good thing Robert Griffin III is as fast as he is, because he'll need all of that speed and acceleration to get away from the Giants' pass rush aka the Blue Crush. The G-Men will harass and frustrate RGIII and the Redskins' offense all game long. As for Washington's defense? It doesn't stand a chance against Eli Manning.

Prediction - Giants win, 31-20

New Orleans Saints (1-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)
Coming into the season, I sincerely doubt that this is where either club expected their record to be. Look for Drew Brees and the Saints to march all over Tampa Bay's 31st-ranked pass defense en route to their second win of the season.

Prediction - Saints win, 35-24

Dallas Cowboys (2-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-4)
The Cam Newton-led Panthers don't look so hot in year two. So much for the playoffs; better luck next year? Dallas hasn't looked much better, but they did still almost knock off the Baltimore Ravens last week. That, and it appears a light bulb may have finally turned on in Dez Bryant's head.

Prediction - Cowboys win, 27-17

Baltimore Ravens (5-1) at Houston Texans (5-1)
The Ravens won their game last week, but they lost cornerback LaDarius Webb and their leader Ray Lewis to season-ending injuries. Houston is going to come out firing after last week's embarrassing loss in Reliant Stadium to Aaron Rodgers and the Pack Attack, and without guys like Lewis and Webb, I just don't think the Ravens' defense will be able to hold up.

Prediction - Texans win, 23-20

Cleveland Browns (1-5) at Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
Apparently, the Browns do care about their season, at least enough to win one game anyway. Do I expect a repeat performance against the Colts? The smart money says no.

Prediction - Colts win, 24-13

Green Bay Packers (3-3) at St. Louis Rams (3-3)
This is probably the most intriguing game of the week. It seems like the Packers finally re-discovered some of that passing game magic from last season on Sunday night against the Texans, but will they able to recreate a similar performance against one of the league's most-improved secondaries? I think Rodgers and company will do fairly well, but Green Bay's defense will be the main factor in them getting the W.

Prediction - Packers win, 35-17

Arizona Cardinals (4-2) at Minnesota Vikings (4-2)
Another intriguing match-up between arguably the two most surprising teams in the NFL this season. The Vikings look like the better overall club and Christian Ponder's offensive line will do a better job protecting him than Arizona will do in protecting Kevin Kolb against the likes of Jared Allen and others.

Prediction - Vikings win, 24-17

New York Jets (3-3) at New England Patriots (3-3)
Bill Belichick won't allow his teams to lose back-to-back games, especially when they get to play their rebound game at home. The Jets may have blown out the Colts, but the Patriots are an entirely different animal.

Prediction - Patriots win, 34-20

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at Oakland Raiders (1-4)
This looks like the 'snooze game' of the week. Two (1-4) teams going no where fast, but Oakland has the more explosive offense (though I wish they would get Darren McFadden more involved) so I'll go with them.

Prediction - Raiders win, 24-17

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) on Sunday Night Football
If Pittsburgh wants to have any shot at making the playoffs, they need to make a stand here and now; it's that simple. The Bengals have played fairly well thus far this season (though they are coming off a loss to the lowly Browns). This is a hard pick for me... I want to side with my team but I also feel that Cincy is quite talented as well. Ah the hell with it, give me Pittsburgh.

Prediction - Steelers win, 23-20

Detroit Lions (2-3) at Chicago Bears (4-1) on Monday Night Football
Last year at this time, I would have taken the Lions easily, especially with how poorly the Bears' offensive line was playing. Granted, it hasn't gotten much better, but the Bears seem like the superior squad on both sides of the ball even if the Lions are the 'sexier' pick.

Prediction - Bears win, 27-24

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One Name: Peyton Manning

2012-10-16T07:37:00.002-04:00

Photo: AP Images

- Troy Ballard

To think:

- People said Peyton Manning wouldn't be the same in 2012.

- There were talks that he had a 'noodle arm' — that's you, Bill Simmons.

- That without Tim Tebow, this Denver Broncos team would hardly break .500 and miss the playoffs.

- That the San Diego Chargers were clearly the best team in the AFC West.

- Denver was down early on MNF, in San Diego.

- The score went from bad to worse, and Manning entered halftime down 24 points against a red-hot Chargers team.

- And somehow, through it all, Manning engineers a comeback for history and wins the game by scoring 35 unanswered points.

- The defense in Denver did it's part, and credit should be given.

- But one thing is unequivocally true: Peyton Manning is still for real.

- Doubters need to stop.

- Believers need to start.

- This Denver team, regardless of preconceptions is here to play.

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

Will the Loss of Derek Jeter to a Broken Ankle Inevitably Cause The Yankees Their Playoffs?

2012-10-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Getty Images

- Adam Parker

Derek Jeter, the leader of the New York Yankees and the heart and soul of arguably the most storied franchise in all of professional sports went down in Game One of the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers.

While attempting to dive and field a ground ball off the bat of Detroit Tigers' shortsop Jhonny Peralta during Saturday night's extra-innings 6-4 loss at Yankees Stadium, Jeter's left ankle buckled and gave out.

The Captain is done for the remainder of the postseason after fracturing that troublesome left ankle.

The injury likely will require surgery (though Yankees' General Manager Brian Cashman has requested more tests to make sure) and three months of recovery time. While the injury is not career-threatening, one does have to wonder if and how Jeter's mobility going forward will be affected. After all, shortstops have to be arguably the most agile players on the field in order to do their jobs, so this fracture certainly won't be good in that regard either, especially for a player who will be 39 years old next summer.

The question is, are the Yankees' once lofty postseason aspirations dashed as well without Jeter there to lead them?

It's going to be tough to stick it out to say the least. Before Jeter was lost, the Yankees were already dealing with the absence of the best closer in the history of the game in Mariano Rivera after his tore his anterior crucial ligament earlier in the regular season while shagging fly balls in the outfield; something he's done for as long as I can remember.

Losing Mo' and now Jeter puts the Yankees in a position that's very unfamiliar to them — October underdogs.

If you're like most baseball fans, you would likely gasp and exclaim 'blasphemy' at the mere mention of the words "Yankees" and "underdogs" being in the same sentence. Nevertheless, because of the injury bug, that's exactly where the Bronx Bombers find themselves now — behind the eight ball and needing to find a way to win against all odds.

Can they do it?

It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. After all, it's not like there's any shortage of talent (there never is with the Yankees). The question is, will that talent perform the way it's capable of performing, most notably, Alex Rodriguez? I mean, the Yankees can't honestly rely on Raul Ibanez to save them every night, can they? No offense to Raul, I just don't see how any one player, even one who's on a hot streak like he's on, can single-handedly carry a team.

It's a new season, but the same problems continue to plague the Yankees: no consistent starting pitching outside of their top three in CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte and A-Rod and others continue to struggle.

One thing's for sure, if the Yankees don't want their postseason journey to end prematurely, then everyone on the roster needs to step their game up. It was already going to be a tough road to the World Series and now it's just gotten that much tougher because of the colossal void the loss of the Captain left behind.

Good luck, Yankees. It's not going to get any easier from here.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

What's Better for Baseball: A Big or Small Market Team in the World Series?

2012-10-11T23:52:00.000-04:00

Photo: US Presswire

- Adam Parker

The title says it all.

It's a question that I've been pondering quite often lately now that the Major League Baseball playoffs are in full swing.

Normally, this wouldn't be a topic that's even remotely on my radar because in most seasons, there are simply not that many small market teams (if any) vying for a World Series title.

But this year is different. This year, small market teams like the Oakland Athletics (insert Moneyball reference here) and the Baltimore Orioles are the two Cinderella squads that are turning heads. Quite a surprise to see not one, but both of these clubs in the playoffs, right?

I mean, if you're like me (and the majority of baseball fandom) you didn't expect much of anything from teams like the O's and A's heading into the season.

Sure, they might go on a few winning streaks from time to time, but when the post-season rolled around, I fully expected clubs like the Athletics and Orioles to have faded back into irrelevance like they have in so many seasons prior.

After all, when was the last time any small market teams had this much success? Granted, you could say that the St. Louis Cardinals — the defending World Series champs — are a small market team, but in my definition of small market equals small payroll, the Cardinals simply don't fit that bill.

Unlike the Athletics and Orioles, who both field two of the youngest clubs in the league, the Cardinals have quite a few veterans whom they they pay handsomely. I mean, they're not going to be mistaken for the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers or Phillies anytime soon in regards to payroll, but still, you get my point — I don't consider the Cardinals to be a true small market team.

But enough rambling about what makes the A's and O's small market teams. Instead, let's answer the question posed in the title.

Is it better for baseball to have small market teams go on long playoff runs?

From a money standpoint, I'd probably say no simply because teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, etc. bring in the most revenue as they historically represent the top tier big market teams as well as the most reputable brands and in doing so, are able to lure in the casual fan as well.

But in my opinion, the same can also be said for the small market teams as far as drawing in the casual fan.

After all, people probably get tired of seeing the same four or five teams dominating the playoffs every year, so to have a team like the Athletics, Orioles or Nationals making things interesting and competing with the 'bullies' of baseball it's good for the sport.

What do you think? Is it better for baseball that the big market teams continue their reign of dominance? Or would it be nice to see the little guy win one once in awhile?

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2012 NFL Week 6 Predictions: Beard and Stache Edition

2012-10-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Photos: Getty Images

- Adam Parker

We're now about a third of the way through the 2012 NFL season, and as such, some of the mystery surrounding which teams are contending and which teams are simply pretending is beginning to come into focus.

We still don't have all of the pieces of the playoff puzzle yet (considering every team still has over ten games left to play), but this week will undoubtedly provide us with more clues.

But before we jump into my picks for Week 6, let's touch on some of the big moments from last week's action.

The Saints, playing at home against the San Diego Chargers (insert endless back stories on Drew Brees' time with the Chargers; the Philip Rivers/Eli Manning 2003 NFL Draft dilemma here; and while you're at it, sprinkle in a little Darren Sproles talk too) managed to earn their first win of the season with suspended head coach Sean Payton in attendance. Oh, and Brees passed some guy named Johnny Unitas in the record books for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass...

What about the Indianapolis Colts? Knocking off the Green Bay Packers in spectacular last-second fashion after losing their head coach, Chuck Pagano, likely for the remainder of this season due to him being diagnosed with leukemia (a treatable and beatable form, but nevertheless, it's still leukemia)...

Talk about some inspirational stuff. Oh, and Reggie Wayne is a boss. That is all.

I had an average Week 5, finishing (9-6) thanks to a few upsets.

My Pick 'Em Record: (37-40)

Without further ado, let's dive into the games for Week 6!

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-4) on Thursday Night Football
Ben Roethlisberger has been nothing short of amazing so far for the Steelers this season. He continues to get it done week in and week out, despite having an inconsistent offensive line and the occasional dropped pass from his wide receivers. The Steelers' defense still has some things to figure out, but considering that Tennessee has yet to win a game this year and is most recently coming off a blowout loss to the surprising Minnesota Vikings, I don't expect Pittsburgh to have much of a problem winning this one and keeping pace with Cincinnati and Baltimore in the AFC North.

Prediction - Steelers win, 24-13

Oakland Raiders (1-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-0)
There's a reason the Falcons have yet to lose a game — they're just downright dominant. The offense is running on all cylinders and the defense has taken huge strides from where they were last year. If that's not enough, Matt Ryan has proven to be virtually unbeatable in the Georgia Dome. Translation: the Raiders don't stand a chance.

Prediction - Falcons win, 27-13

Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) at Cleveland Browns (0-5)
Did anyone not see this coming? Of course, I'm referring to the Browns' lack of success in pretty much anything they do on the football field. To their credit, they fought valiantly against Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, but in the end, Victor Cruz's play proved too spicy to handle. Call me crazy, but I feel like A.J. Green could explode and have a big game against Cleveland too, especially with stud Browns' cornerback Joe Haden still serving his suspension.

Prediction - Bengals win, 24-14

St. Louis Rams (3-2) at Miami Dolphins (2-3)
At first glance, this one looks like a toss-up. But after taking a closer look, I remember that Jeff Fisher loves to run the ball. Not only that, but the Rams need to run the football effectively to take some pressure off quarterback Sam Bradford behind that mediocre at best offensive line. The only problem with that plan? The Dolphins' defense is the best in the league against the run. From the looks of it, the smart money would probably take Miami. That's why I'm taking St. Louis. I've quickly become a huge fan of their defense, and I think they can rattle rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill into making a few mistakes.

Prediction - Rams win, 20-14

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) at New York Jets (2-3)
This is a very interesting match-up to me. On one hand, you have the Colts, who are coming off a come-from-behind win over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers after dedicating the game to their head coach Chuck Pagano while he battles leukemia.

On the other, you have the Jekyll-and-Hyde Jets who can't seem to figure much of anything out. Do the Jets want to win or don't they? It seems like the answer to that question varies from week to week. I think I have to go with the Colts in this game. They're playing inspired football right now, and the Jets, well, they were already hard to figure out before they were hit with the barrage of bad luck with long-term injuries to key players like Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes, so give me Indy.

Maybe after this loss, Rex Ryan will finally call Tim Tebow's number? Nah, that's wishful thinking...

Prediction - Colts win, 23-17

Detroit Lions (1-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
The Eagles are having major issues with their offensive line play, especially on the interior. Detroit needs this game badly if they want to stay in contention for the division. Expect a big night from Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the Lions' defense as well as a few spectacular plays via the Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson connection against what I believe is an overrated Philadelphia secondary (I'm looking at you, Nnamdi [Asomugha]).

Prediction - Lions win, 27-20

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
I wonder how many interceptions Tony Romo will throw this week? I mean, he can't do worse than when he threw an astounding five picks against Chicago two weeks ago, can he? Then again, this is the vaunted Ravens' defense and if I recall, there is some dude who goes by the name of Ed Reed lurking in that secondary, anxiously awaiting Romo's next inevitable mistake to fall right into his lap. On paper, it looks like it could be a good game, but the Cowboys, at least in recent memory, have always been deceptive that way. Could we be in for a Baltimore blowout?

Prediction - Ravens win, 31-20

Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
This one is a tough pick for me, only from the standpoint that neither team has really done enough to convince me that they're competent. But hey, someone has to win, right? I'm going to go with Tampa Bay in this game. Even though their 32nd-ranked pass defense hasn't done them any favors, their three losses have all been by a mere single possession whereas the Chiefs... well, you get the idea.

Prediction - Buccaneers win, 23-17

New England Patriots (3-2) at Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
Another interesting match-up. The Pats' record may currently sit at (3-2), but the way their offense has been rolling as of late, we don't expect their record to remain mediocre for long.

As for Seattle, they're in the middle of a tightly-contested NFC West and could certainly use the win and while I normally wouldn't give them much of a chance against Tom Brady and co., they are at home and will have that raucous crowd (arguably the best in the NFL) to bolster an already stout defense. That being said, Brady is still Brady, and unless Seattle's running game explodes, I just don't see them pulling off the upset.

Prediction - Patriots win, 34-24

Buffalo Bills (2-3) at Arizona Cardinals (4-1)
I don't really expect this one to be close. The Bills haven't looked great on offense, but then again, the Cardinals' offensive line, most notably, rookie right tackle Bobby Massie — was exposed last week against St. Louis. Needless to say, things aren't going to be any easier against Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mark Anderson.

However, despite all of the big names on defense, the Bills haven't been in sync on that side of the ball and honestly, the offense has been the same way. Buffalo is coming off blowout losses the past two weeks against the Patriots and 49ers, and you can bet that Arizona will be out for blood after a tough loss to the Rams. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt, whose had tend days to prep his team, will have his Cardinals ready to play and get the win at home.

Prediction - Cardinals win, 23-13

New York Giants (3-2) at San Francisco 49ers (4-1)
A repeat of last year's NFC Championship game will likely have a similar feeling to it as both clubs look to remain atop their respective divisions. Eli Manning and the Giants have looked good thus far, but the 49ers have looked great. Even though teams like the Texans and Falcons are undefeated, many people still believe that the 49ers are the best team in football. Expect a big game from 49ers' tight end Vernon Davis in this one.

Prediction - 49ers win, 23-21

Minnesota Vikings (4-1) at Washington Redskins (2-3)
The Redskins have played okay to this point in the season, but the Vikings have looked fantastic. The key factor in this one will be how Robert Griffin III looks after suffering a mild concussion last week in his team's 24-21 loss to Atlanta. If RGIII is able to go, which seems fairly likely at this point, he'll have to keep his head on a swivel and be wary of Jared Allen coming after him hard on every down. But to be honest, do I really see the Redskins pulling this one off? Not with how impressive the Vikings have looked thus far, no.

Prediction - Vikings win, 27-20

Green Bay Packers (2-3) at Houston Texans (5-0) on Sunday Night Football
The Packers just don't look like the same team that we're accustomed to seeing. The offensive line has looked suspect at best, and because of their struggles to protect Aaron Rodgers, the entire offense has suffered. The Texans are a safe bet here. J.J. Watt has been a beast of late and that should continue against a below average Packers' offensive line while Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson continue to keep things rolling for Houston's offense.

Prediction - Texans win, 27-17

Denver Broncos (2-3) at San Diego Chargers (3-2) on Monday Night Football
The Chargers may currently be sitting atop the AFC West right now, but realistically, they haven't beaten any quality opponents yet. They were blown out by Atlanta and are coming off a 7-point defeat at the hands of Drew Brees and the previously winless New Orleans Saints.

Meanwhile, Denver's schedule has been a little tougher with teams like Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Houston and New England already in the rear view mirror. Denver got a quality win against Pittsburgh on opening weekend, and all three of their losses have been within one score not counting the 10-point loss to New England yesterday which likely could have gone either way if not for the unfortunate mishaps by Willis McGahee.

I could end up regretting this, but I'm taking Denver on the road in this one.

Prediction - Broncos win, 27-21

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Skip Bayless is Right: The New York Jets Must Give Tim Tebow a Chance

2012-10-09T02:59:00.001-04:00

Photo: Jeff Zelevansky - Getty Images

- Troy Ballard

I thought it would be a cold-cold-cold day in hell before I totally agreed with Skip Bayless on something.

Go ahead and pull out the skis.

After reading through Bayless' piece featured on ESPN, I realized two things. I had a series of epiphanies, if you will.

The first — Bayless never stops gloating. Never-ever. He's the king of it. If there hasn't been an official ceremony yet, there needs to be.

The second — he is damn right about Tebow with the New York Jets.

Basically, Bayless makes the point that Tebow was in this exact same position in Denver last season, and he managed to rally that team to the playoffs. The current starter (Kyle Orton, remember him?) wasn't getting it done, and the Broncos bit the bullet and gave #15 a shot. And the rest doesn't need a recap.

The situation with the Jets is almost exactly the same. The only difference being that because the team is based in New York, the entire controversy is blown-up to the proportion of an international crisis. But really, at this point, as Bayless pointed out, there shouldn't be a controversy at all.

Mark Sanchez isn't winning. It's that simple.

I don't care about how he has the potential or how the pressure from Tebow has put him in an unfair position. That doesn't matter. The NFL is about winning games. And Sanchez is losing New York games. That point was underlined in the Jets' latest loss to the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.

Looking over his numbers, it's not that bad. Outside of a low touchdown total, it's about on-par with Sanchez's other three seasons in New York. But it's about much more than that. The things that numbers don't show.

The stuff that Tebow does.

Such as rallying the team, leading an emotionally charged unit and having the ability to take over a game. Being unafraid to take chances. Having trust and faith in teammates. Winning games.

This random injection of Tebow throughout games for one or two plays ins't going to cut it. As soon as the kid gets some momentum going, the Jets pull him out of the game and the offense goes dead. A two quarterback system rarely, if ever, works.

Bayless talks about how Rex Ryan needs to have the stones to start Tebow. This is where I disagree with Bayless — as I don't think it's a matter of fear. I think that it's a pride issue.

Ryan is a proud coach. He doesn't like admitting he's wrong. He doesn't like to lose. And by placing Tebow as the starter, that means that he was dead-wrong in his adamant support of Sanchez. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially in a media-frenzied city like New York.

My advice for Rex?

Give John Fox a call and ask him how Tebow turned out for him. Put your pride aside and take the risk. Because, Sexy-Rexy, I have some news for you — don't think your job is safe. This team is looking down the barrel of another losing playoff-missing season, and coaches don't last long in New York with that sort of production.

Ask Tom Coughlin about the hot-seat.

The Jets have nothing to lose and everything to gain from Tebow. This is the time that Ryan needs to make the switch and keep this team from falling even further out of contention. Unleash Tebow-Time in New York City.

It's that time. And Skip Bayless called it.

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Ten Important Things to Know About the 2012 Major League Baseball Playoffs

2012-10-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Image: mlb.com

- Adam Parker

Fall is in the air, which, in the sports world, means three things: 1) Football is likely once again dominating your television sets. 2) All thirty NBA teams are in training camp to prepare for their regular late October start to their regular season; and 3) The casual fan might finally be making an effort to tune in to Major League Baseball — after all, the 2012 MLB Playoffs are underway.

This season was the first in MLB history where ten teams, not eight, received invitations to the big dance. In reality though, it's still eight teams, with a caveat.

The new playoff settings added an additional wild card team to both the American and National Leagues, meaning each League — in addition to the regular three division winners — also saw two wild card teams in the running instead of the customary one. The four wild card teams take part in a single sudden death game with the winner officially punching their ticket to their league's divisional playoff round.

But enough explanation, let's jump right in about ten things you need to know about this year's MLB Playoffs.

10) The Atlanta Braves lose; Chipper Jones' career ends on a less than stellar note.

Last night, the dream for two of the four wild card teams, came to an abrupt end when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

Chipper Jones' storied baseball career patrolling the hot corner for the Atlanta Braves has now come to an end. It's been a great run, Chipper. Even though I'm not a Braves' fan, believe me when I say that the game of baseball won't be the same without you.

Not only are you arguably one of the greatest Braves ever — you've also been one of the game's greatest ambassadors throughout your playing career. For my money, there will never be a better switch-hitter in the history of this great game than Chipper Jones. The eight-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger was a model of consistency; whether it was with his glove or his bat.

Enjoy retirement, Chipper. Even though I didn't watch much Braves' baseball, I can say this for sure — it won't be the same without your familiar No. 10 on the field.

9) "Moneyball"! It Lives!

If this crazy turn of events doesn't have Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane smiling, then I don't know what will. The Athletics took home the AL West crown, beating out high-spending heavy-hitters like the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers. Finally, after so many down years, Beane can honestly say that he has a winning product out on the field.

The services of Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes were a wise purchase, and he, along with Josh Reddick, lead a starless but nevertheless extremely potent offensive club into the 2012 post-season. The A's have seemingly mastered the art of producing runs, having compiled the third best mark in baseball in that regard since the All-Star break and unlike teams like the Yankees and Rangers (both of which the A's beat out), Beane's boys did it while spending pennies on the dollar.

8) The St. Louis Cardinals are once again primed to make a deep playoff run after earning their spot via the sudden death Wild Card game.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the 2011 Cardinals — aka the defending World Series Champions — a Wild Card team?

Even without Albert Pujols (who will be watching his old team in the playoffs from his couch), the Cards' once again sport a top-notch offense with guys like Matt Holliday, David Freese, Jon Jay, Yadier Molina, Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran. But for how good their hitting is, we can't forget about the steady starting rotation featuring Adam Wainwright, a returning Chris Carpenter and Kyle Lohse. Like last year's Cardinals, this year's team is playing it's best ball at the right time. Will they be able to ride this timely hot streak to another title? One thing's for sure — you can never count them out.

7) The Texas Rangers' bats were silenced by Orioles' pitching.

If the Rangers' bats don't flourish, they're that much more likely to lose games. While it's true that Japanese rookie phenom Yu Darvish is indeed the real deal and was well worth the price, the entire staff had it's struggles at times throughout the regular season, thus ranking Texas in the middle of the pack in team ERA. Pitching and defense remain the keys to winning a title, and unfortunately for the Rangers, they just didn't show up the way they needed to in those two categories.

6) Buster Posey and Matt Cain will be keys to the San Francisco Giants' playoff hopes.

After completely obliterating his knee last season, the Giants' star catcher Buster Posey has returned full force and looked better than ever. How much better has he looked? To put it simply, he was the best hitter in baseball after the All-Star break — even better than Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers.

Bruce Bochy's club may not be stacked with power hitters throughout the lineup, but they certainly know how to manufacture runs, ranking second in runs per game since the break. Even without Melky Cabrera in the lineup, I definitely expect this club to make some noise before it's all said and done.

5) Good luck to the rest of the league in slowing down the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.

That's right folks, the Tigers are back in the post-season and this time around, with a healthy (not to mention beastly) Miguel Cabrera in tow. Oh, and some guy named Prince Fielder too. Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer lead the way for a starting rotation that also recently acquired Anibal Sanchez.

With skipper Jim Leyland having this group primed to play their best baseball in the playoffs, you can bet that the Tigers should be a tough out for anyone.

4) The playoff success of the Cincinnati Reds rests squarely on the shoulders of Jay Bruce.

Bruce is one of the streakiest hitters in the game today. When he's on, he's on and can occasionally carry the Reds with his offense alone. But when he's off, the Reds aren't as formidable. No doubt first baseman Joey Votto will continue to do his thing and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some timely clutch hits from Brandon Phillips as well, but Bruce is going to have to produce if the Reds want to advance.

3) 'Lady Luck' and Buck Showalter's managing decisions will be main catalysts for the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles' bullpen is probably the best in the league. Basically, if this team has the lead heading into the eighth inning, you can close the books, because it's over. Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Troy Patton, Pedro Strop, Darren O'Day and Jim Johnson make up a group that's led the O's to a mark of (73-0) when leading after the seventh inning.

Since September, the O's have an AL-best 50 home runs as a team, which hopefully means that their power is peaking at the right time.

2) The Washington Nationals may not miss Stephen Strasburg as much as we initially thought.

Cy Young hopeful Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann lead a great one-two punch at the top of the Nats' starting rotation, and you better believe that Washington would have no problem putting they up against any other team's top two starters. Like the A's, the Nationals don't really have that one true star anywhere in their lineup, but they've shown that they can be a dominant offensive club nonetheless.

While the team is young and is lacking playoff experience, Nationals' manager Davey Johnson has been to the playoffs three other teams prior, and should have no issue leading his young group through the trenches.

1) The Yankees seem to have everything coming together at the right time.

Second baseman Robinson Cano has been on an absolute tear as of late, so don't be surprised if he continues his great play into the post-season. The starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Andy Pettite (40-years old, but still plays superbly) and Hiroki Kuroda who has quietly had a solid season in his first year in Yankee pinstripes have the Yankees feeling pretty comfortable about their starting pitching.

Another reason why the Yankees will be tough to stop? The versatility throughout their roster and the amount of different lineups they can throw at opposing pitchers on a nightly basis. Good luck slowing all of the switch-hitters and lefties the Bronx Bombers can bring to the plate.

The only question that I have — as well as what's lingering in the minds of baseball fans everyhwere — can the Yankees win the title without Mariano Rivera closing games out? They haven't done so since 1978, so we'll have to wait and see.

Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!

Sunday Night Lightning Links - 10/7/12: NBA, NFL and MLB!

2012-10-07T21:40:00.003-04:00

Photo: Dry Icons

- Troy Ballard

We're spreading some love here at B&S, and starting a tradition of linking to other blogs and website posts on Sunday night with content we feel is extraordinary, worth recognition or is simply news you need to know. Because Sunday is Adam and I's off-day, we didn't want to leave you guys entirely in the cold!

As suggested by the title, it is going to be three (maybe more if we're feeling generous) fast-read links that allow our readers to sample other's work, and also bring in a different perspective to B&S. We'll also be adding a few quick sentences of our personal thoughts on each article or piece, just for some contrast. Enjoy!

P.S. — the link to the article will be clickable in the name of the website or blog!

NBA: NBA Weekly Dancers: Rebecca / San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers - Ball Before All

Thoughts: Tim Duncan.. Tony Parker.. Manu Ginobli.. Kawhi Lenoard.. Rebecca.. What's that? Rebecca isn't a member of the starting five in San Antonio? Somebody get Pop on the line — there's obviously been some sort of mistake.

NFL: Colts Stun Packers - ProFootballTalk

Thoughts: I'm a sucker for a good story. I'm a sucker for seeing Andrew Luck succeed. I'm a sucker for Mike Florio. Take it or leave it.

MLB: State Of The Sox: It All Went So Wrong - Extra Pine Tar

Thoughts: Another excellent piece by Kevin Pomeory, an awesome non-mainstream writer with an even more awesome blog. He talks how the Red Sox went so wrong, and how in the end, despite an overwhelming belief, things weren't just going to work out. My favorite line from the piece.. "We let our expectations ballon, and then it came tumbling down like London Bridge."

Bonus: Billy Cundiff Meme - NFL Memes (Twitter)

Be Sure to follow Beard and Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Troy @TroyBallards, like our Facebook page HERE!

Hey, Dwight Howard — Ever Heard of the High Road?

2012-10-05T05:57:00.001-04:00

Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea - US Presswire

- Troy Ballard

I've written a lot about Dwight Howard over the past 12 months.

The vast majority of it has not been positive. In fact, it's almost entirely been negative (here's one example, and here's another). When he was traded to Los Angeles, I had split emotions — on one hand I was upset that, despite his irrationally immature actions, he was still rewarded with a winning organization. On the other hand, I could hardly bottle my excitement at the idea of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Howard all on the same floor.

Basketball nirvana aside, I found my irritation towards Howard ever present since that blockbuster had been completed. Then comes gliding across my ESPN ticker that D12 is getting snappy with Shaq following a comment about Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez being the best 'true' centers in the NBA.

I couldn't believe it.

Here was his exact response, "I don't care what Shaq says. Shaq played the game. He's done. He's gone. It's time to move on." Then, Dwight went on to show how mature he really is by clarifying, "You did your thing. Your time is up. So, I don't really care. I don't really care. He can say whatever he wants to say."

Obviously, Howard cares enough to slam Shaq right back.

This is yet another immature emotional response, in what is quickly becoming a long line of them, to a sideways comment or assumption in Dwight's career. There are literally thousands of other things that he could have responded with, but instead, he had to push the issue.

Really, Shaq didn't do anything to affront Howard other than speak his opinion. Although, I along with most NBA fans, would wholeheartedly disagree with his assessment, it didn't even require a response from D12.

Instead, he pushed it and responded in a childish manner.

The correct response for Howard would have been to just laugh and say something like, 'we'll see what happens on the court this season.' Dilemma avoided. National media attention avoided. A potential feud avoided. That's the high road.

I'm starting to think that Dwight hasn't ever heard of it.

I have had serious doubts about Howard's ability to handle pressure since the Orlando-saga unfolded, and this only reinforces my concern. The Lakers were so eager to deal away Bynum for reasons not too different than the very thing that Howard just did. This sort of immaturity is a lose-lose for organizations, and should send up a small red flag for Los Angeles, especially given his past history.

No reason to panic, but not the most endearing media-start for Howard with the Lakers.

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