Firin' Off

Alberta Clipper

2010-12-20T21:34:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to everyone.

I know it's been awhile but, you have to understand I've been pretty busy and quite frankly haven't been able to find the time to go into the lab and put some thoughts down. I'm looking to hit on a variety of things, some will be quick hitters, others will be more in depth. I'm gonna sip on some beer and see what comes out.

First of all, it's been a month since what I deem to be the most unreal Saturday I've had in a long time. Certainly a historic Saturday. Rewind back to November 20th. UVA was playing at Boston College at noon. I had tickets to the LAST DMB concert until at least 2012 back where it all started, Charlottesville of course. We lost a game we should've won and beat feet back to CVille. I hopped in a police escort and made it back in time to slay a few beers in the parking lot before jamming my face off in John Paul Jones Arena. Let's recap the night that was 3 hours and 1 minute of pure awesomeness. I had money seats of course thanks to my friend Jenny who bought the tickets in advance, rocked the real expensive draft beer hard as well as a stealthly snuck in mini bottle of Crown Royal (great idea to place in shoe kid behind me in line). Here we go:

http://dmbalmanac.com/TourShowSet.aspx?id=453056855&tid=112&where=2010

You Might Die Trying - At first it sounded like Minarets but they went into a rocking version. Dave's mumbling at the end was pretty solid.
Proudest Monkey - One of my top songs right now. Tim ripped it apart.
Satellite - Typical PM segue into Satellite. As beautiful as it gets and one of the original classics.
Say Goodbye - One of the many moments in which I lost my mind. Unreal Carter intro.
Funny The Way It Is - The first single off of BWATGGK and the second I heard it I knew that album would be one of their best.
Rhyme & Reason - A very underrated song. Joe Lawlor guested and ripped a nasty solo.
Eh Hee - Dark, jamming, and awesome.
Crush - I mean at this juncture I was really feeling it. A great song and even better live.
Can't Stop - A little diddy to let you catch your breath
Cornbread - Crowd pleaser. Epic jam. Dave broke out the dance moves. Trombone Shorty was unreal.
Digging a Ditch - I love this song, especially live. Flies below the radar.
Lying In the Hands of God - Not one of my favorites but they really go hard on this bad boy and just go where the music takes them
The Song That Jane Likes - An oldy but such a goody. "I have a sister named Jane...and this is her song."
Write A Song - Not officially released but very cool to see them playing it.
Why I Am - This song is and always will be for LeRoi. You could feel his spirit in the building tonight.
Dancing Nancies - You cannot go wrong with this bad boy. It was my summer anthem and still gets played in the rotation.
Long Black Veil - The stunner of the night. I mean I went numb and had goosbumps. Wow. Perfect version and so so good.
What You Are - The new intro takes this song to the NEXT level. Absolutely unreal and of course segued right into...
Two Step - Do I even need to write anything here? I didn't think so. Many people don't like it, but the Time Bomb intro is a favorite of mine. It certainly isn't as good as the "Daddy please tell me a story intros..."
(Encore Break, we really are just getting started...)
Some Devil - Pretty solid, especially Dave solo
Granny - You knew they weren't ending with this song. But man did it ever rock.
#40 (tease) - Really Dave? Just a tease...like always. I wonder if this song will ever get finished?
The Last Stop - FINALLY. I mean you knew this was going to be it. It was just a matter of when this song would be played. So good and so awesome.
(I thought they were done, but maybe it was the crowd cheering or maybe they knew they weren't ready to shut it down...)
Too Much (fake) >> Anyone Seen The Bridge >> Too Much (fake) >> Ants Marching - The Most raucous seguing I've ever seen/heard. Arguably the best Ants. Everyone on stage was just going ballistic. The crowd blew the roof off. Everyone was singing along and just belting it out. Yes!

This being the last show until at least 2012 left us all wanting more but this is a well deserved break for a band that's been on the road for nearly 20 years now. They've earned it. Numerous times throughout the show Dave talked about how they weren't done and how it was such a privilege to be on stage with each and everyone of those guys, how they missed LeRoi etc. He talked about getting back together and making new music. We definitely have not seen the last of the Dave Matthews Band. They'll be back and jamming out before we know it. Until then, I suggest everyone buy some CDs, DL some shows and just jam out.

Xavier Basketball has been playing pretty well since the slip up at Miami (OH). They grabbed a big home W against Butler right before the exam break and then beat Wake Forest in the second installment of the Skip Prosser Classic. Dave West was in the house to get inducted into the Xavier Hall of Fame as well as Mrs. Prosser. It was a surreal atmosphere as one friend described to me. Tu Holloway had Xavier's first triple double since of course, Dave West. Kenny Frease was huge down low once again. A couple of observations as they have only scratched the surface of a brutal non-conference run leading up to A-10 play. The guard play has been solid and Kenny Frease has really been playing well down low. Jamel has been rebounding the ball nicely too. We aren't shooting the three as well as year's past but were finding that when we play tough defensively we'll be able to stay in games and give ourselves a chance to win. Of course I'm just a "couch coach" but somehow, someway there needs to be some scoring from the bench. There is going to be a night when Tu and Kenny aren't getting it done and we need to count on some bench contributions. We play at Gonzaga Wednesday night on national television. It won't hurt to have another big time performance. A win out there would be HUGE! Overall though the team is doing what they do and that's steadily get better each game, each practice, and each day. That type of progress only results in success. Keep up the good work fellas.

Also, if you're looking to get better at defense, watch this...

Ohio State basketball is about as talented on paper as anyone in the country. It's a matter of them putting that talent together and playing as one. So far they more or less have. They haven't lost yet. Jared Sullinger is by far and away the best freshman in the country* (*Kyrie Irving held that title until he got hurt). The mix of veterans and young explosive talents could make for a big season in Columbus. I'll be in the building Thursday night when they play Oakland. I'm pretty excited to see this team in person and see what they're really made of against a team that's taken down some big boys (Tennessee). The football team is playing against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Another Big Ten Title and BCS Bowl for Jim Tressel. He just keep churning out success. Sure, people will complain because there hasn't been a National Title since 02. But they played in 2 since and while they got run you can't argue the success i.e. Big Ten Titles and BCS Bowl Games. I think the matchup against Arkansas will make for a great game. In fact it will be the first time I get to watch an entire Ohio State game all season. Right now the Buckeyes are favored. I like them down in New Orleans.

The Browns haven't completely disappointed me this year like in years past. For the most part they've played hard and competed. I can't ask for much more out of them. Colt McCoy seems to have proven that he can lead the team and possibly be the QB of the future and the defense has looked ok during the season. I think you'll see Mangini get the axe at the end of the season which I personally am happy about. The Browns need to try and get a big time WR or DT in the draft. I like the thought of a DT because WRs are a dime a dozen but if a guy like AJ Green, Dustin Blackmon, or Julio Jones is available, you cannot pass them up.

-'Killa

Spaceman

2010-11-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

I'm a little behind on this so I get to hit on three games at once. First of all, the debacle that was the Duke game. Clearly, if your offense puts up 48 points then you should never EVER lose, ESPECIALLY TO DUKE. However, that wasn't the case. I mean come on. I'm obviously pointing the finger at the defense on this one. Seriously, I'm 0-3 against Duke in football. That is what I like to call not sweet. Granted, Verica did throw three picks, two of which gave the Duke offense a short field. Still unacceptable to lose 55-48 to Duke. Did I mention that we put their BEST offensive player out of the game in the 3rd quarter? Yet, we still give up a 4th and 18 and then a 45 yard toss sweep to lose the game. UNACCEPTABLE. It's well over a week after that loss and I'm still trying to figure out what happened. Bill Lazor has proven his worth so far this year, no question. The offense has put up points. I'm asking for the defense to step up and help out a little bit. It doesn't help when key defensive player and team leader Ras-i Dowling has been hampered with injuries all season long and now will officially be laid up for the rest of the season and his UVA career with a shattered ankle in the first quarter of the Maryland game. Again, we were competing in this game and suddenly the 4th quarter arrived and things went south. I really have no explanation for what happened other than we just plain lost in the 4th quarter. Maryland certainly has some player makers on both sides of the ball in wide out Torrey Smith and LB Alex Wujciak. So the record now sits at 4-6 and more than likely little to no chance at a bowl game as it stands, even if we win out since we do have two 1-aa opponents on the schedule (have I mentioned I'm sick and tired of playing 1-AA teams?). Anyways, we go up to Boston College this weekend in what will for sure be a tough one. It's going to be cold and Boston College will be playing for a bowl berth. I gotta think that we can at least compete if not try and play spoiler and come out of Boston with a W. I still think Boston College will be at least 7 point favorites in this game.

Ohio State is still getting it done with a win over Penn State after finally waking up in the second half. Pryor only through the ball 13 times and connected on 8 of those attempts, two of which were for TDs. The defense had two pick-6's as well. As it stands as long as Ohio State wins out they will more than likely receive an at large bowl berth to a BCS bowl and potentially face off against someone like Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. This would be a preview of a match up down the road as Ohio State has a home and home contract with the Chokies starting in a few years.

Xavier won the season and home opener against Wester Michigan, although it was a struggle, only winning 62-59. Until Jamel McClean returns (which should be in time for the Iowa game later this week), Xavier will rely heavily on guard play. At this point in time, Tu Holloway is going to have to be the go to scorer as no one else has really proven themselves. Dante Jackson will for sure be the team leader and a key outside threat. Cheekz is going to be the dribble drive guy and who can get to the bucket with ease but will need to play with control. I really need and expect Kenny Frease to finally step up and use that 7 foot massive framed body. He should easily be dominating inferior competition but he hasn't which is disappointing. Jeff Robinson will be asked to step up as well. Once Jamel returns he will be the force inside both on the glass and scoring but he will need some help down low. I don't see why Xavier shouldn't be able to get past IPFW tomorrow night. The Paradise Jam holds some solid competition but with the return of Jamel down there I don't see why Xavier won't be able to compete at the highest level. I still see Xavier coming up with something along the realms of 22-23 wins this season. I know some people will probably disagree but again I always play role of super optimist when it comes to X.

I'm going to be honest, when it comes to this weekend, my focus will not be on the Boston College game, it won't be on the Iowa game (Ohio State), and it even won't be on what X is doing down in the Paradise Jam. All day Saturday, all I'll be able to think about is getting back to Charlottesville for what is setting up to be one of the most epic jam sessions known to man. I will be in attendance for my 5th DMB concert of the year and what will most likely be my last DMB concert until at least 2012 (they're taking all of 2011 off). It is their last full band concert until at least 2012 and they're closing out where it all started, Charlottesville. I'll be in attendance for night 2 of the 2 night stand. The hype that is building is beginning to overflow as this fall tour so far has seen nothing but greatness and unpredictability by the band. I've been in full jam mode since last Monday when I secured my ticket. The anticipation is like noting I've ever experienced when it comes to a DMB concert. I don't even know what songs I want to hear the most. The following would be a dream set list for this Saturday night:

Big Eyed Fish >>
Bartender
Crush
Dancing Nancies >>
Warehouse
Say Goodbye >>
#41
So Damn Lucky
Seven
You & Me
The Maker
The Stone
Grey Street
Crash (Into Me)
Don't Drink The Water
You Never Know
Stay (Wasting Time)
--------------------
Time Bomb >>
Two Step
--------------------
Dreaming Tree
Last Stop

Ok, maybe a bit unrealistic and probably lacking in Big Whiskey tracks. Jesus, I'm getting goosebumps right now (listening to Two Step, Live From Citi Field) thinking about what Saturday night holds.

-'Killa

Dope-ness

2010-11-04T08:22:00.004-04:00

Right off the bat. PROGRAM CHANGING WIN. That win last Saturday over The U was huge in so many ways. First of all, it was Coach London's first ACC win and the team's first ACC win in over a year. Secondly, it was on national television. Third there were some MAJOR recruits in the house to watch the game. Those recruits got to see a big time effort lead to a big time game. They got to see the celebration on and off the field. Most importantly they got to see what this program can be behind Coach London and his staff. Miami never seemed "into the game." We got to Jacory early and often and the BIG LUMBER hit laid by John Kevin Dolce knocked Jacory all the way back to South Beach. After that, it was all but over. We turned the Canes over 5 times. Marc Verica was never touched by a defense that leads the country in tackles for loss and second in sacks. Our run game was very successful and Verica completed big time passes in key third down situations at the end of the game to put the win on ice. We travel to Duke this weekend for a noon kick on ESPN3. I anticipate that we keep riding this momentum all the way to a win down in Durham. I mean we've lost to Puke for the past two years in a row. Quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of losing to them. I will accept nothing less than a two touchdown win. That would put us at 5-4 with Maryland coming to town next weekend. At this point in time we need 3 more wins to become bowl eligible. Left on the schedule are @Puke, Turtles, @BC, @Chokies.

Ohio State made quick work of Goldy Gopher in MInnesota last week. I can't really hate on Minnesota because they've struggled for so long and my roommate is a loyal Minnesota Gopher and all Minnesota sports fan. But, when the Bucks play Minnesota it usually results in a highlight reel beat down. Buckeyes caught a great break as well with Michigan State losing at Iowa this weekend. This opens up a huge oppporunity for the Buckeyes to potentially share a piece of the Big Ten title. While the loss to Wisconsin still hurts it won't keep Ohio State from grabbing a piece of the Big Ten title. Even if Ohio State beats Iowa, which isn't a guarantee it will most likely come down to who ranks higher between OSU, Wisconsin, and MSU. A win over the Hawkeyes should settle that tiebreaker. Keep in mind the Buckeyes still need to beat Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan. Lose one and the chance to win the Big Ten is over, lose a couple and a chance to go to a BCS bowl is over.

The Browns had a bye week so I really have nothing to report on them other than Colt McCoy will get the nod this week against the Patriots if Seneca Wallace isn't good to go. Let me just say this, if McCoy goes this week and performs well or at least manages the game like he's been asked to then you can argue that he's done more than enough to prove he's the guy for the future. He only went to Pittsburgh and played well, went to New Orleans and won, and competed against the best team in the NFL in the Patriots. That's three top notch defenses and hostile environments. Just saying.

Xavier hoops had their first exhibition game Tuesday night against Northern Kentucky. They won 73-62. However, keeping with the injury bug the Musketeers have faced this year, senior forward Jamel McClean went down with an orbital bone fracture and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Which would hopefully have him back in time for Butler. A lot of guys got an opportunity to play. Reports from Cintas say they looked a little sloppy. NKU did shoot and hit a lot of threes which kept them in the mix. Kenny Frease lead the way with a double double and Cheekz seemed to get to the rim and attack and finish effectively. It does suck to keep having guys go down to injury and not have Justin Martin this year but you know Chris Mack will rally the troops. I still think it will be somewhat of a "down" year for Xavier as it stands right now but you know like always Xavier will compete and do what we do. I expect Tu to make his presence known heavily early in the season while we are without McClean. This would be a PERFECT opportunity for Dante Jackson to finally emerge as a go to scorer as well. Xavier will most likely rely heavily on very solid defense and rebounding early as well. That will be their best chance to stay competitive as it will be hard early to try and immediately replace scoring stud Jordan Crawford.

I gotta hit on my guy Randy Moss. Let me just say this, he's been one of the most dominating and most feared receiver ever since he's been in the league. You can't argue that. Sure he's had his faults, but the just makes big time grabs whenever you need him to. I will agree with Jim Rome in the fact that this is probably his last chance to keep it right with the Titans this year. He's going to need to finish strong this year in order to try and garner one last contract as he's a free agent at the end of the year. I truly believe Moss is one of the most compelling and intriguing athletes of his time and I can't wait for someone to write a book about him. I bet there will be some great stories in there. Moss is always one for some great sound bites so enjoy the following. It may be one of the best videos out there.

Dave Matthews Band opened up their fall tour on Tuesday. It will be their last full band tour until 2011. Every ticket to these few shows is a HOT HOT HOT commodity. I'm praying to God that when we go to Boston College the game will be a noon game so I can get back in time for the show at JPJ arena. That two night stand may be the most anticipated two night stand in the history of two night stands. Word on the street is that there have been hella cameras at the first two shows prompting rumors for a Fall Tour DVD. That would be absolutely incredible, and makes this tour all the more much anticipated. I'm patiently awaiting for my arrival of these which should keep me very DMB occupied for the time being. Also something very cool to follow is antsmarching.org's Top 50 Project . So far 50-31 have been released and raising a lot of good discussion. Here is 50-41 and then 40-31.

How bad ass is Carter Beauford?

In perhaps the biggest news in the music world today, Lil' Wayne got released from an 8-month jail term on Rikers Island. Weezy fans couldn't be any happier as The Carter IV will now start getting worked on. Weezy plans to visit with family and then party hard until he can't party anymore.

Tweet of the Year: @mgberningjr: Matthew Berning on his college tour of UD had to tell the group one interesting fact about himself: "I hate Dayton basketball" @scoonie712

I need to send a major shoutout to my guy @cpgeschke. Dude has been a loyal follower of the blog. He's former management and high level member of the Looney Bunch. Thanks for the shout outs big homey. Keep Living Strong! Attack and finish. Do what we do. Win forever.

'Killa

Hoops

2010-10-28T12:23:00.004-04:00

**My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Declan Sullivan in the wake of his tragic death yesterday. Declan was a student manager for the football program at Notre Dame and died in a tragic video tower accident. This hits home as I spent my college career as a student manager and now have 8 student managers of my own. Once a manager always a manager.**

We laid the smack down to Eastern Michigan last weekend. But that was expected. Losing to that program would've resulted in me quitting my job. Our first half was a little bit embarrassing considering we were only up 17-14. But then we got loose in the second half. We scored on a kick off return and a fake punt. The defense still can't set the edge resulting in teams being able to run all over us. People can go up the middle, they can sweep right, and they can sweep left. People better start plugging up the middle and setting the edge because The U comes to town this weekend and I really don't want to see them have their way with us. The game is set to kick at noon on Saturday on ESPN. It's The U. They lead the country in tackles for loss. Jacory Harris is a pretty good QB, especially if no one pressures him and he doesn't turn it over. Keys to the win will be a strong effort by the O-Line (Big Morgan Moses is really starting to play well), flustering Jacory Harris, and stopping the run. EVen more importantly some of my top guys are coming in this weekend: Gallagher, Mazza, and @yodavethewave. Should make for a big time weekend.

The Buckeyes got back on track Saturday with a 49-0 shut out of Purdon't. They play Minnesota in a prime time game this weekend. That should be a cake walk (no offense Brent). Pryor should put up big numbers in the first half and then the back ups will get their reps. The current debate going on these days is, who is the best one loss team in college football right now? Lou Holtz claims it's the Buckeyes and they will not lose a game the rest of the season. I personally think that Alabama is flying extremely below the radar right now. They are the defending champs and were incredibly hot before they lost a tough game at South Carolina. To me, they are my top 1 loss team. They'll prove that when they smash Auburn. The big time matchup of the week is Oregon at USC. This is a big time test for Oregon and a big time opportunity for USC. First of all, no one is talking about USC but they are actually playing really good. Matt Barkley gets no love but he's played unreal this year. I really think USC is going to give Oregon all they got but that potent offense of the Ducks is going to come out on top.

The Browns took down the defending world champs this past weekend. The game was awesome. The defense turned Drew Brees over and had two pick sixes. They also had a big time fake punt that almost scored and a sweet halfback pass to Colt McCoy on third down that resulted in a first down. To be honest, I've been incredibly impressed with the play of McCoy. While he's only simply had to manage the offense, it's not like he's played terrible doing so. The Browns didn't even plan on playing the guy this year and all he's done is give his best effort against the best D in the league and then beat the New Orleans Saints on the road. You can't really ask much more out of the guy. Honestly, the Browns usually embarrass me but this year, despite being 2-5 they have played really well. I wish they did not blow those first three games in which they lead in the 4th quarter but still they have done alright. I still don't like Mangini. But I like the Browns effort this year.

Xavier basketball had about as good as weekend as you can have when it comes to recruiting. They landed a HUGE committment from D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. A big time pg out of the 2012 class. They then added big boy Michael Chandler a top 100 guy out of Indianapolis to the 2011 class. That propels the 2011 class into the top 10 for next year. Absolutely incredible. Unfortunately the big time success oversahdowed the bad breaks the program took. Brad Redford is out for the season with a torn ACL. Certainly a blow to the team as he was expected to be a big part of this year's success. His lethal long range attack with be missed and losing him makes us pretty thin in the back court. The bright side of the situation is that he will be able to redshirt and still have two years of eligibility. Justin Martin has been ruled a partial qualifier by the NCAA and will only be permitted to practice this year. Another big blow. The kid has a ton of potential and probably given the team some solid minutes this year. However, again this gives him a year to practice within a top notch D1 program, get in the weight room, and refine his game. So you put him into the 2011 class along with Travis Taylor, Dezmine Wells, Michael Chandler, Darwin Davis, and Jalen Reynolds and you have just pure danger in the waiting. I will say that as far as Xavier success goes it may be a down year for X. By down year, I mean don't expect to see 25 wins this year. I think they'll struggle at times, especially since Mack only has 10 scholarship players available but they will continue to do what they do and that's lock down D and run and gun offense. They should once again dominate the A-10 and hopefully get #5 in a row and then compete in March.

The World Series got started last night. Unfortunately, my team The Rangers got smashed by the Giants. I'm pulling for the Rangers simply because of The Claw. This world series should prove to be very entertaining and exciting. Especially if local marijuana shops in San Fran will be offering free tree to everyone inside a shop each time a Giant goes yard. Get sticky Giants.

Blake Griffin looked unreal last night in his NBA debut. Greg Oden is the biggest bust of all time. The Heat are garbage. Kevin Durant is nasty. Mamba raises the trophy again this year.

Killer crossover, with the blow of a kiss...

Killer track...

-'Killa

Burnin Down The House

2010-10-21T12:29:00.002-04:00

Scott Stadium may burn down if we lose this week to EMU. They are one of the worst teams in all of college football. To quote my guy @1421dana, "If you don't beat them by 3 TDs quit your job. I say this in all seriousness, they may be the worst college team I've ever seen." I second that notion. This is a great opportunity for UVA to get back on the winning track. The past three weeks have been less than awesome and a good old EMU beat down is just what the doctor ordered. We need to try and instill some confidence back in the program so we can try and get Ws to close out the season. We still need to win 5 of 6 to become bowl eligible which becomes tougher and tougher as we only have two more home games after this weekend. Including trips to Boston College and Virginia Tech back to back in November to close the season out. Now is the time to man up and get Ws. I'm tired of seeing missed arm tackles. I'm tired of seeing missed tackles in general. I'm really tired of turnovers in the red zone as well. So all I'm going to say is put that garbage losing football attitude in the dust and start playing like the team I know we can play like.

Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to see a Buckeye game in full this year. You can thank wack UVA start times for that. Anyways, they played about as bad as a #1 team can play last week. Like I said, I'm always scared about going to Madison especially at night and of course the worst happened. Bucky took the opening kick to the house (WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH OUR ST TACKLING?!). The defense got dominated at the line. The offense was putrid to say the least. At least they got exposed in October rather than maybe fooling everyone the entire year and getting smoked at the highest levels of competition. That's not to say I don't think they're good but I guess they are just not National Champion good. They are still a very good team but apparently can't seem to piece it all together this year. Pryor is all but out of the Heisman race at this point in time. It's going to take a very dominant second half of the season to get back in the mix and he very well could as he does have those abilities.

The Rangers are one game away from the World Series and I fully expect them to get that W back down in Arlington. While the Giants are playing very well right now I still think the Phillies come back in that series and we see a Rangers v Phillies World Series. You know I'm riding behind that Claw movement.

Look for a Xavier preview over the next couple of weeks as they started practice last Friday. They are predicted to get second in the A-10 but you know Xavier is just going to do what they do and hopefully snag #5 in a row and then roll in March like we've come to expect them to do. Another HIGH LEVEL non-conference schedule sets them up nicely to dominate A-10 play and be fully prepared for post-season play.

The Browns are the Browns. Colt McCoy did better than I expected in his debut at QB. He certainly has a lot of intangibles to be an NFL QB but doesn't necessarily have the arm. I'm behind him all the way though.

-'Killa

Recognize

2010-10-15T14:19:00.004-04:00

We lost last week to Georgia Tech. Again I thought that was a game we could win but that stupid triple option offense was dominant again. I hate that crap but it works so well for some reason. We have UNC at home this weekend. This is not only a game I think we can win but it's a MUST win game. In my mind if we don't win this game then we have zero chance at going to a bowl game. A win tomorrow keeps us alive and is going to possibly propel us into the confidence we need to finish out the second half of the season. We have had UNC's number for the past two years and with all the turmoil they've had this year I don't see why we don't win at home, at night, on homecoming. Still, I have to give Butch Davis and his team credit for playing as well as they have. Could've been a major year for them this year had guys not had papers written for them or had they not taken cash from an agent.

Ohio State goes to Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. Once again I won't be able to watch the game because I'll be busy working. Of all the teams in the Big 10, Wisconsin is the one team that always scares me for some reason. It mostly stems from out trip up to Madison in 2003 when Chris Gamble bit harder than a rainbow trout on a pump n go and we lost our first game since winning the National Championship. Madison is always hostile, especially at night. One thing I will say is that stupid jump around deal between the 3rd and 4th quarters is pretty stupid in my eyes but I'm sure everyone else loves it. Completely stupid. In the end I think Wisconsin is going to have to play up to Ohio State's speed and match the Buckeyes point for point if they want to win. I think once again the Buckeyes will prove all the haters wrong again this week. Pryor will shut up the criticism that he always takes 24/7 with a major performance as well. Basically the following is what people need to recognize (homey take six and take this, HATERS) -> KANYE WEST VOICE:

College basketball starts up tonight. Boom. Couldn't be anymore excited than I am right now. Basically what it comes down to is Xavier once again is marching along the path toward another A-10 championship. They are en route to slinging more bling and hanging more banners. They have a schedule that will once again prepare them for another run in March. They aren't even predicted to win the A-10 even though they have won the past 4 outright titles and 5 if you count the A-10 tourney won in 2006. Again, while Xavier is starting to get more national publicity than in years past they are out to prove to everyone why they are one of the top teams. Everyone needs to be aware of Tu Holloway, the PG for X. Dude is straight filthy and going to own the A-10 much like J. Craw owned the A-10. Dante Jackson was ranked one of the most versatile players in all of NCAA basketball this year so boom to that. Outside of that you're going to see Xavier do what they do and thats lock down D and run and gun O.

You know I have to give a shoutout to my guys out in Tuscon too. Coach Miller is entering his second season at Arizona and I think people are starting to feel like Arizona is going to be back on track. There is not a doubt in my mind that Miller is going to turn that program around. He's already got a top 10 class recruiting wise for next year. Man, I really miss moments like this:

For those looking to participate, go ahead and fill in the blank from the picture above. I know @1421dana @cpgeschke @kimballsw @briggs04 should be able to nail it on the head.

-'Killa

It's Been Awhile

2010-10-07T12:12:00.010-04:00

Ok so honestly, I really haven't had the energy, motivation, and let alone time to drop a new post. I was actually considering hanging it up. But I have had a few questions and inqueries about where a blog post has been lately, so I figured after eating some Chick-Fil-A for lunch I'd drop a little knowledge on you people.

Here's what I got.

UVA Football

We caught bad breaks in a very well played and great effort game at USC. Should've won that one. We dominated like we should've but lacked energy in a smash job on VMI. We played like crap and didn't make ANY plays in a loss to Christian Ponder and FSU. Dude is pretty good. He can sling and motor. We go to The North Avenue Trade School this week aka Georgia Tech. They run that dumb but usually successful triple option offense. Coach Groh is their D-Cor. So there is a lot on the line. First of all their offense isn't as bad ass as it was a year ago but it' still lethal. Their D isn't special, at least it hasn't proven to be sweet just yet. I think we limit their big plays on offense and force them to punt a lot. I like our offense to come out and play pretty well. Like the last time we were down there I see this game coming down to the 4th quarter. I think what helps us get a W is the extra added motivation for guys wanting to get a win against Coach Groh. Chalk up a W this weekend and move the record to 3-2. By the way, a win this week gives me over the top optimism of going to a bowl game.

The Ohio State University

They laid the smack on The U all while still struggling at special teams. They really laid the wood on Eastern Michigan. They struggled against Illinois on the road. The defense has lost a starting safety and a starting LB over the past few weeks. Pryor looked like crap last week and Vest went Vest by running the ball and not very successfully at that. They have Indiana at home, I like the Buckeyes getting back on track and smashing at home. Boom. Still undefeated, Pryor regains that swag and again shows why he's an elite QB.

Browns

In their first three games they lead in the 4th quarter but found ways to lose. They beat the Bengals which is always nice. They have the Falcons at home this week. ATL is looking nice and the Browns are well, the Browns. Falcons probably win in a game with which if the Browns limit mistakes could grab a W. Mangini still sucks and needs to be fired.

Heisman Race (In no particular order)

Denard Robinson - Mad running abilities, doesn't tie his shoes, limit slinging ability but still solid. If he gets shut down Michigan goes down.
Cam Newton - Very legit guy. Seems to be the sexy pick right now. Interesting to see how he looks in the SEC though.
Pryor - Very impressive numbers so far. Bad game at Illinois. Needs to get back on track and look more like the guy who torched Oregon. Still, playing very very well.
Mark Ingram - Guy missed 2 games and still is dominating. Best team in the country. Most dangerous player on best team in the country.
LeMichael James - Burst into the mix after the effort against Stanford. Dangerous.

Baseball Playoffs

Phillies in 6
Rangers - The Claw, enough said.
Yankees - They own Minnesota.
Braves - Heyward. Bobby Cox going away tour.

Randy Moss

Back in MInnesota. The Ole Gunslinger is going to be slinging to him. Moss is the man but really hasn't shown a lot this year. Maybe he gets his swagger back in Minnesota. Certainly interesting, hopefully he gives Revis 60 more minutes of his slouch effort on Monday night.

-'Killa

For: @1421dana, Bakes, @getemcc, @emilieswilliams, @briggs04

Game 1

2010-09-04T00:04:00.006-04:00

As I'm writing this it's actually already gameday. Pretty crazy. I'm entering my third season with UVA and I'm just as stoked for the game tomorrow as I was for game #1 back in 2008 when USC went 300 on us. No joke. They arrived at the stadium in a raucous fashion. Their busses were shaking like the 1989 San Fran earthquake. Right before they took the field I had to run them towels and was greeted by Brian Cushing, Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Joe McKnight, and Taylor Mays. I stood there with my towels. Sanchez took one, gave me "whats up buddy?" Then the whole team entered the tunnel and I literally thought for a period of 4 seconds that I may actually go down. I ended up not going down but UVA went down. In a matter of 18 hours it's going to be a different story in Scott Stadium. UVA is under new leadership. Mike London has formed a real solid staff and is starting to groom this team into something legit. We take on London's old regime in the Richmond Spiders in which a number of former UVA staffers now coach including former WR's coach Latrell Scott who is now the HC. There is going to be a lot of emotion in this game. I personally think there is some bad blood out there which should make for some big time hits, some chirping, and hopefully a few animated personal fouls among other things. Regardless, were going to get the W. I can feel it. Like I said, the staff in place here knows what their doing. Not that they don't at Richmond, but, I'm just feeling a real solid win to get coach London's career started off right. As for the rest of the season. I expect us to compete and be in games and hopefully win some along the way. Do I think we will win the ACC? No. But do I think we will win more than 3 games? Yes.

Speaking of USC, we head out there next week to play the Trojans in the Coliseum. I'm pretty jacked. I've never been to LA so that's enough to get me jacked but, to go on business and take on Lane Kiffin in the Coliseum, I'm extra jacked. I was in the lab last night watching them get a W against pesky Hawaii. Their offense looked good, but man, that D headed by the Tampa 2 master Monte Kiffin looked weak. We may have a chance. Time will tell. I'll dive into this later and maybe go live from the scene next week in LA.

Ohio State opened up the season last night by getting nice on Marshall. Child's play. Pryor looked phenomenal. He had some serious command in that Rose Bowl game against Oregon but he had even more last night. Dude is definitely looking like Heisman material. If he keeps that effort up all year, move over 'Bama because we got something for ya. Ohio State's O-line is unreal. The D-Line could be the best in the country, not to mention the 7 guys behind them. Pryor has plenty of weapons to spread the ball around to ranging from a deep potent backfield to legit dudes to air it out to. Not to mention he's a one man wrecking crew. The U comes to Columbus next week in a much anticipated match up. Sure Miami has talent. But seriously, I don't think they can match what the Buckeyes have. I've personally seen Miami the past two years in person and while Jacory Harris is a good QB he can't touch Pryor. Ohio State has finally gotten the memo and recruited speed so I think we'll be ok when it comes to keeping up with fast teams. I just don't see Miami coming into the Shoe and getting a W. I was scared of USC and they won. I'm not scared of The U so I'm predicting a W for the Bucks next week. After that it will be smooth sailing until they go to Iowa and Wisconsin. I absolutely hate going to Wisconsin. I still have nightmares of Chris Gamble biting like a rainbow trout on a pump and go and the Buckyes losing in Madison in 2003. Damn. Like I said, the Bucks go as TP goes. I don't even need to say it, but you know JT will always have the boys ready to play.

For those of you keeping score at home, you'll remember that I fired the visor last year midway through. Well the visor is back for gameday attire. I may even mix it up this year and rock shades if the weather calls for it.

It's been awhile since I have personally handed a beat down to Richmond. Including a 2008 football win, I am a nice 6-0 against the Spiders.

-'Killa

Day 16

2010-08-21T19:26:00.002-04:00

COMPLETION. Another camp down. Another season approaches. We scrimmaged to finish up camp today. The offense TORCHED the D today. That being said, a few key dudes sat out practice today on the D-side so it may have been slightly inflated toward the O. Regardless, Lazor was just scheming to the max today and it was awesome.

When it comes to camp, I have to give a major shout out to my homies who I worked with in Indy with the Colts. The following song epitomizes how we put it down in the 317 a few years ago. What up Pipe? What up C-Burns? What up Chirs Jones? What up Chris Bell? What up Will Dorrough aka Texter? What up Filar? Well we actually had a soundtrack of beats we laid down during long days at the Colts facility. Including but not limited to:

I'm about to get swervy tonight.

-'Killa

Day 15

2010-08-20T21:26:00.002-04:00

The end is nearing. We went at 7 tonight so I'm grinding here doing laundry. We scrimmage tomorrow then break from camp. It's a pretty exciting moment. Like I said, August is the hardest part of the season then once we get into the season mode it's all down hill.

I need to send a shout out to our video guy Luke Goldstein. He shoots great video so the team can study film. He puts together great playlists for practice. However, he slipped up yesterday and put on a live version of Too Much by Dave Matthews Band and there was a run of about 12 F-bombs dropped on that version during practice. Not smooth. But i was jamming regardless. He's also a massive DMB fan like myself. So we jam out a lot. Keep grinding Luke. Oh yeah, he's the manager for the softball squad.

-'Killa

Day 14

2010-08-19T19:24:00.003-04:00

Last two-a-day.

I am the most tired I've ever been out of the three training camps I've worked. A 16 hour day looming ahead of me for tomorrow. Scrimmage on Saturday. Then.....BOOM, outta here.

RIP 'Roi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdRkMiwJyc&feature=related

-'Killa

Day 13

2010-08-18T21:22:00.003-04:00

It's been a long grind but there is light at the end of the tunnel. We had a basic practice today. We go twice tomorrow and then finish up with a basic practice Friday and a scrimmage Saturday. Things to think about: there is a battle to win the back up job to Marc Verica, all battling are freshman. Looking toward the future UVA is looking to develop a long line of QBs that can run the west coast offense being installed by Bill Lazor. However, when Marc Verica leaves we will be young at the QB position but they will have had two springs and a full season to develop under Verica and Lazor. There is just as much a battle at the RB position too. Perry Jones is in the front running right now but there are about 5 guys right there behind him chomping at the bit to get in the mix as well.

Pay no attention to the various other news in this video. I'm trying to portray what's going down on the practice field and the battles for positions. I don't understand why they won't let me show the one clip itself. I guess you'll have to filter through the local CVille news. Fast forward to 13:49.

http://www.nbc29.com/global/Category.asp?C=175568&clipId=5036494&autostart=true

In other news. The team will travel up to Arlington on Friday to go to the funeral of teammate Colt Phillips' father who passed away in the plane crash in Alaska last week. Phillips' younger brother Willy survived the crash.

-'Killa

Day 12

2010-08-17T19:26:00.003-04:00

Today was a two-a-day. Both practices were pretty solid. I gotta love hearing that FSU's offense was "embarrassing" in their first scrimmage. A good sign for the Cavaliers as we continue to get better.

I'm currently watching a replay of the football national championship game. Watching it has me feeling so jacked up for the start of football. Preseason stuff doesn't really get me feeling it but that first gameday I'll be so worked up it won't even be funny. The one thing about my college experience that I missed was having college football Saturdays. It really is an unreal experience to be on the sideline. Having tailgated at various different college football venues there is nothing like a college football tailgate. Waking up on Sunday and just watching NFL all day is just as sweet. Then you have MNF...sweet. Thursday night college football is one of my favorite traditions. Those games always seem to have incredible hype and always are full of action. I'm getting fired up just writing this.

I wish this song was more upbeat because it would be at the highest level if it was:

REALNESS:

-'Killa

Day 11

2010-08-16T20:47:00.003-04:00

+

=

In other words. A lightening warning today set me back about an hour.

Beated.

-Killa

Day 10

2010-08-15T15:35:00.004-04:00

Today is "Meet the Team" day. Basically a pointless day for me to come into work during camp but I do because without the work of the equipment room then these guys wouldn't be able to operate.

Let me first say that my main man, Rory McIlroy is just in the primest of positions to get the W today at the PGA. Dude is one shot back and the guys in front of him are choking all while he just maintains. I will need him to start making some plays and stop putting it in the sand or the thick rough. I will be glued to the TV for the rest of the day while watching young Rory do work.

Since the spring a production company has been filming "Building the Program" here at UVA. BAsically it's a Hard Knocks about the UVA football program. Scope some episodes out. I tend to find myself in there from time to time.

I'm thinking Chipotle for dinner tonight. Per the tradition. I've been out of the mix for about 3 weeks.

-'Killa

Day 9

2010-08-14T19:57:00.002-04:00

Today we scrimmaged. It ran fairly smooth and was about what I expected to see out of scrimmage #1 on the preseason. Both sides still need work and I'll go ahead and say, good thing we still have three weeks until we smash Richmond. We're like a good bike that needs a good oiling. We're making strides though.

Rory McIlroy made serious plays today. He shot -5 on the day and is right in the thick of things to make a run and win the PGA tomorrow. If you're looking for a golfer to get on board with he definitely is the guy. At age 21 he's ranked 8th in the world! He rocks a wicked flow game. Rocks sweet sponsors and rocks hot girls. Basically all the ingredients for sweetness.

DMB is back from vacation and resumes their summer tour tonight. I'm looking forward to see what they have in store for the second half of the 2010 run. The 7.31.10 show was absolutely unreal and I've listened to it multiple times. It has serious potential to become a live release. Along those lines, if you're looking for a great place to listen to anything and everything DMB, I suggest you scope out DMBstream.com. By simply registering for free you have access to almost any show recorded in the history of DMB. I love streaming it while at work and just scoping out classic shows or recently played shows. It's really on point.

Take note of the jersey Carter is rocking!

A classic version of the same song:

The Browns open the preseason tonight against the Wackers:

-'Killa

Day 8

2010-08-13T19:31:00.002-04:00

Day 8 in the books. Halfway through camp. Reason to celebrate. Today was a two-a-day. The morning practice I really struggled. My body was sore and in pain and I just didn't have the energy at 8:15am to go through a two hour practice but I battled like I always do. Attacked and finished. There was a lot of energy in the afternoon practice which made it fly by.

I gotta holler at the X-Men. They added to their already stacked 2011 class the other day. Jalen Reynolds, a big boy down low, committed to X to compliment the stud guard combo of Darwin Davis and Dezmine Wells. Unreal. Coach Mack continues to land top notch players that will help X continue to dominate the A-10 and just go deep into the month of March.

Check this guy out! Are you kidding me. Question is, is he good?

In case you missed it, my guy Rory made big moves today going -4 on the day to bring his total to -5. He currently sits 3 shots back of the lead but well in position to make plays.

I hear this song on a daily basis at practice. It really gets people hyped.

-'Killa

Day 7

2010-08-12T19:31:00.004-04:00

Yup, that's my main man up there. Baddest man on the course and clearly a dangerous man off the course.

Day 7 in the books. Tomorrow will mark the half way point of camp. Reason to celebrate? Kind of, but not really. Nothing too exciting about going through a two a day and then banging out a hellatious weekend that includes media day on Sunday which isn't exactly awesome, for the fans it may be but for me, I don't wake up and get jacked for media day. We go twice tomorrow as I mentioned and as of right now, my body is banging. Yesterday was a two-a-day, I banged out a 5-mile run at noon today, and then we practiced. It was STEAMING outside today. Not idea conditions for a practice.

I'm sitting here watching golf while waiting for the laundry. My guy Rory McIlroy is off to a slow start but I feel him making a run this weekend. He's #8 in the world at the age of 21. Boom. I'm expecting big things out of him. Whistling Straits looks like a heck of a course. Of course I'm feeling it because it's on the shores of Lake Michigan and also for the links style of play.

-'Killa

Day 6

2010-08-11T13:11:00.006-04:00

Day 5 Video/Photos: Three Spot

Today is a two-a-day, practice one is in the books. It was hot and humid even at 8:15 in the morning. I got in a full lather sweat before the practice was done. We were in full pads again and there was some on point contact. The offense went on a little torch run of the defense during some red-zone action.

Practice #2 of the day is in the books. These days are so long. We went just shells this afternoon and had to move into "The Cage" when a storm rolled through. I wish lightening wasn't dangerous because I think it would be bad ass to practice in the middle of a storm. Doesn't that just scream football?

The 10 Deamandments courtesy of @BoardwalkJefe:

10. Though shall not covet your neighbors deam
9. Though shall not covet your neighbors wifes deam pocket
8. Though shall not bear false deamness in front your neighbor
7. Though shall not swack. That means swagger jack
6. Thou shall not committ off deamery
5. thou shall not live without deam in your life
4. Honor being boardwalk and wavy
3. Remember the definition of deam and abide by it
2. Do not use the word deam if you are off deam
1. Deam is Deam. Carpe Deam

Morning Deam-ness, Virginia running back Kevin Parks:

Evening deam-ness...WATCH OUT A-10:

In closing, I'd like to say that my thoughts and prayers are with Colt Phillips and his family. Colt is a tight end here at UVA and his dad and brother were on that plane that crashed in Alaska late Monday. His dad died in the crash but his brother survived. His brother acted courageously as he was the only one of four who had mobility got the survivors to safety amongst the freezing rain and hailed the rescuers to their position.

-'Killa

Day 5

2010-08-10T19:44:00.006-04:00

Day 4 Video/Photos: Blazin backfield!

Many of you may hear me often speak of Anthony Poindexter aka Dex. Dude used to play here at UVA and was a punisher on D! Two time all-american. Stuffed W. Dunn at the goal line to shut FSU down back in their hay day. He is the safeties coach and special teams coordinator. Basically he's a grade A bad ass. Rocks fat chops too, i.e. above pic. Just watch some of the following videos and recognize.

Dex

Bad Ass

Day five is in the books. Full pads, check. Heavy hitting, check. Hot as hell temps, check. Today was the definition of training camp. Hot. Hard hits. Sweat. Blood. Today had it all and I was really fired up. Tomorrow is the first two a day which means an epic grind. Any two-a-day equals GRIN-------DING (Pharrell voice).

UVA soccer is ranked #2 in the preseason polls. I think it's garbage because #1 is Akron who UVA beat to win the National Championship last year. Basically, we'll just roll cats again this year and dominate like we always do. I mean seriously, our olympic sports just own. Numbers don't lie. Banners don't lie. Bling doesn't lie. I wish some of our teams played Dayton so I could go and talk mad junk to those loser Flyers. That entire athletic department sucks.

A throwback classic song:

A song I'm feeling these days:

'Killa

Day 4

2010-08-09T19:33:00.002-04:00

Day 3 Video/Photos

Day 4 is in the books. Let me reiterate how I'm in such a zone that each day just kind of rolls into the next and I really don't know what day it is when I wake up. I have to say, the team is looking solid each day. Through four days of practice you can see the fellas getting into the flow of things and becoming comfortable out there. Guys are starting to feel it. Tomorrow is a big time day as we go full pads. Which means a lot of hype and energy mixed in with some shit talking and some aggression and physicality.

I'll tell you what, I wish I was still selling beer for the Cincinnati Reds. I would be making some straight cash right now. They're on top of the division. Drawing great crowds. Thus, people are looking to really feel it instead of drink their sorrows away. I'd be making great sales to people for celebratory purposes. It would be incredible. I mean, they're on track to make the playoffs which would only result in the greatest beer sales possible. Which result in great ca$h. Thus would result in mass opportunities to feel it.

Incredible Story - Bro of the Week.

Really been feeling Van Morrison lately:

-'Killa

Day 3

2010-08-08T19:28:00.003-04:00

Day 2 Video/Photos

Fortunately my bad break yesterday in practice failed to make any sort of video coverage. Looks like that will just become an urban legend. A rare showing of any sort of unathleticism by me.

Day 3 is in the books and I'm already cooked. Damn. It's crazy because I get into such a routine and grind so hard that I'll wake up on most days not really knowing what day it is. I'm just in this zombie like zone of grinding. It's always fun to wake up and try and figure out what day of the week it is. Last night I was so worn down (mind you it was only day 2) that I walked into my apartment and touched zero light switches. I walked into my room grabbed my remotes and posted hard until I fell asleep. It was pretty awesome.

I'm warning the AFC North right now. The Browns mean business this year. Well maybe not this year, but the pieces are starting to fall into place for sheer domination. Colt McCoy is the future. Josh Cribbs, Massaquoi, and Robiskie at the wide out position. James Davis, Hardesty, and Harrison in the backfield. Joe Thomas. Eric Wright and Joe Haden at the corner. My man Brodney Pool at safety. Dqwell Jackson at LB. I'm just waiting for either Holmgren to take over after he fires Mangini or Jon Gruden to come to Cleveland. Domination.

I'm pretty sure I found the song of the season for me. It may push the limits of blazin hotness against Love in the Club and Put On a few years back...Right Above It - Lil' Wayne

'Killa

Day 2

2010-08-07T19:31:00.002-04:00

Day 1 Video and Photos

Day 2: Another day another dollar and another day closer to kickoff against the Richmond Spiders. I saw some progress today which is good because everyday you look to get better. It's completely unnecessary to take steps backwards. Wide receiver Kris Burd has looked impressive both days with some spectacular grabs and some TDs. The defense really brought some intensity today and were getting hyped during the team periods. Shoulder pads go on tomorrow and we'll go full pads on Tuesday, so I'm really getting jacked for some heavy hitting over the next couple of days. Like I said, that's when the men show themselves above the boys.

Bad break of the day goes to me. I basically pulled the most unathletic move of my life at practice today. Went to grab a football, had to extend more than usual, caught the ball, began stumbling, and just absolutely ate field turf. It was pretty awesome as it went down in front of everyone there watching practice as it was an open practice today. If that ends up on the film, I'll for sure go down tomorrow.

In other news I'm currently rocking a streak of 10 in streak for the cash. I have a pick currently in action right now. I chose Cilic to win over Nalbanian in the ATP tournament in DC. He is currently struggling in the first set. He better get his act together because I'm trying to get $100,000.

Really jacked up for this, by this I mean BUCKEYES:

'Killa

Day 1

2010-08-06T19:53:00.003-04:00

Day 1 of UVA football 2010...

Solid little practice today. Being my third season here everything runs like clockwork these days. Went out there and was just instantly back in my zone. The team looked decent for the first practice of the season. Nothing really major to report. You always gotta be happy to come out of a training camp practice without injuries the second key is to get better the next day. So I'm looking forward to seeing some crispier action tomorrow. Always a lot of energy on day one but the real energy and the real men and players show themselves when we go full pads next week. When the hits start coming that's when the men are separated from the boys. Some questions that I'm looking to have answered over the next couple of weeks are: Will the pro style offense revive the UVA program? Will the 4-3 defense work? What's the run game going to look like this year? Can we get enough QB pressure to allow our athletic DBs to make plays? Just to name a few. Finally, will Coach London restore the tradition that is UVA football?

I'm looking to post up hard tonight. Scope some Entourage via Netflix and sip on a few cold ones.

Back on the grind tomorrow

Theme of the day:

'Killa

Last Post of The Summer

2010-07-27T20:22:00.003-04:00

Again, sorry for the long time in between posts but with it being summer I just haven't had the desire to sit down and write especially when I've been busy just trying to enjoy my summer. Anyways, I'll be touching on a number of subjects in this bad boy. First of all, I have completed P90X. Such an accomplishment. It really whipped me into shape and I enjoyed the muscle confusion aspect of the workouts. Importantly I really like how it has made me change my eating habits. I'm eating healthier than ever before and really watching what I eat. That's the best part about the workout. Well that and the personal satisfaction you get when completing the grueling 13-week program. The first couple of weeks really kicked my ass. Then as we moved toward the middle of the program I was really fired up each day to keep working. I'll be honest, by the end, I wasn't taking a great approach to the workouts. I was more or less just trying to finish the program. Probably a bad move on my part, but I still finished it. So boom. I'm currently just firing off 5 mile runs and throwing in the Ab-Ripper X in a few days a week. I will occasionally drop a upper body or core workout DVD in from P90X. With football approaching I plan on just staying in healthy shape as football takes up all of my life for at least 4 months. Things I'm looking to try out are swimming and a yoga class of some sort. Trust me, the yoga workout from P90X was an ass kicker. Damn.

Moving forward, just like last post, I gotta do my reviews of the two Dave shows I hit up last week. Basically, all I can say is it was an incredible way to wrap up the summer. Absolutely flawless. If you don't want to read the following you can A. skip it or B. Go to my twitter account and look at the tweets i made about each song. Let me start with the Virginia Beach show.

VA Beach - 7.20.2010
Minarets (tease) - No joke, I had a minor cardiac arrest when Dave played the first verse. Wow. I really thought it was going down.
Pantala Naga Pampa >> Rapunzel - A classic concert song. They jam out and it all crescendos into a big time just flawless ending jam. I was really in the zone from the get go.
Big Eyed Fish - This song has probably become my DMB song of the summer. A nice little diddy from the Busted Stuff album and really can segue into anything.
Warehouse - As you guys all know, this is my jam. The island feel of the chorus and ending jam just do it for me. Such a summer blast. This concert was really off to a blazin start.
Stay or Leave - A song from the Some Devil Dave solo album. It's pretty solid and full band it certainly is nice. A good time to catch a breather at this point.
Seven - Certainly a favorite of mine from Big Whiskey. I just love the lyrics, the song, and the Tim solo. Everything about this song makes it good.
SAY GOODBYE - Easily a top 7 song for me. Off the Crash album. Carter's solo intro with the Jeff flute accompiant is priceless. Man what a song. I was singing at full blast.
Funny The Way It Is - Solid spot for this song. I mean this song was the reason I knew Big Whiskey would be money. A crowd favorite as well. A lot of energy here.
Everyday - You can't go wrong with this song at a show. I was hoping for a little #36 outro, but that wasn't meant to be.
Shake Me LIke A Monkey - A high energy song and another one of my favorites off of Big Whiskey. The energy they bring with this song is just awesome.
Dancing Nancies - YES YES AND YES! Seriously, this song live, it can't get much better. I love the crowd interaction. I love Boyd's solo and the on stage battles he has with Dave or Stefan. Unreal.
Crash Into Me - Obviously this got a huge reception from the crowd as everyone knows this song. Everyone was singing along. The Dixie Chicken interpolation is as classic as anything.
Corn Bread - The roof was blowing off at this point. Timmy laid down a sick solo. DAve was doing his dance moves. I was breaking it down. I wish this song was on a studio album.
Don't Drink The Water - Pretty much a concert staple here and rightfully so. It just JAMS.
Squirm - This song is right up there with Seven as my favorite off of Big Whiskey. I just love the way it sounds and just packs so much energy during the chorus.
Granny - A rarity and a goody. I was belting out along with DAve during this song. Unreal. Again, a classic, unreleased track. But so so good.
Digging A Ditch (tease) - Just play it already Dave. Damn
You & Me - This song has grown on me ever since the Big Whiskey album came out and I really do like this song.
Ants Marching - Well, what can you say? This song defines DMB and if you don't think so, then you must be crazy. It's probably the most played and most well known song. The crowd was in full participation at this point. Boyd ripped it as Carter just went crazy on the drums. Unreal.

Encore Break
Sister - A nice little Dave solo moment here.
Time Bomb - Again, just a testament to why Big Whiskey is so good. I really don't have a song I dislike off that album. Hearing this song live is just crazy. If played too much Dave's voice will be shot, so I like how they keep it to a minimum
Stefan Solo >> All Along The Watchtower - Wow. WOW. WOW. The most well known covered song by the fellas and man it's such an awesome way to close out a nearly perfect night. Wow. Anytime you get this as a closer you just know you got a great show.

Nationals Ballpark 7.23.10
It was hot, hoT, hOT, HOT! Wow. But I'll tell you what, I was so close to the stage I mine as well should've been up there jamming with the boys. Absolutely an unreal experience to close out my four shows of the summer and potentially until 2012 as they have announced they're taking all of 2011 off. So I went hard for this show and they did not disappoint. I knew it was oging to be special when I saw Carter before hand rocking a Mikell Simpson jersey and he gave me a shout out as I was donned in my UVA men's basketball practice jersey. WOW. Pretty much made my night. Zac Brown Band opened up and absolutely killed it. They are definitely now heavy in my music library. Great stuff by them and they got it started right.

Big Eyed Fish - 4 for 4 with this bad boy this summer and like I said, pretty much my DMB track of the summer. Perfect.
Pantala Naga Pampa >> Rapunzel - Look above. This song just starts shows off right.
Seven - You know the drill. I rocked out hard at this point.
Lying In The Hands of God - Probably the one song off of Big Whiskey I'm not completely on board with. But, Jeff did rip up his solo. Pretty stellar.
Still Water >> Don't Drink The Water - Again, just a concert staple and just brings the crowd energy to a whole 'nother level.
One Sweet World - A nice little diddy from back in the day. A good song to just jam to.
Proudest Monkey (tease) - DAMN. DAve did the first verse solo and I really thought we were gonna get a full band mix in but it lead right into...
Satellite - A CLASSIC off of Under The Table and Dreaming. This is actually only the second time I've heard this song in my concert history with DMB. Really enjoyed this. There was a full moon over the stadium too at this point. Pretty cool.
Stay or Leave - This song makes me think of fall. Probably why I listen to Some Devil solely in the month of October/November.
You Might Die Trying - The album Stand Up has been pretty quiet of late. But this song is pretty fun live. Jammed out.
Funny How Time Slips Away - Zac Brown guested with Dave on this nice little chill Willie Nelson cover. Really good stuff. They did a Lie in Our Graves interpolation mid song that had me losing my mind because I really thought they would segue right into it, but not the case.
Funny The Way It Is - Crowd really roared when they heard this jam.
Break For It - An unrealsed track but with a lot of lore as it was sound checked once back in teh day but apparently the band has been working on it enough to play it live. Unreal. Perhaps signs of some studio work in 2011?!

Jimi Thing - I'm so glad I got this baby once this summer. Classic. The Sexy M.F. ending was awesome. The entire crowd was singing along and just jamming hard.
Shake Me Like A MOnkey - Really high energy level at this point.
So Damn Lucky - Full band this song is so money. The ending jam is just so right. The Digging a Ditch and Dreamgirl interpolations were awesome. We tried to get them to go into the Thank You outro but negative.
You & Me - A nice little slow jam for what was about to come...
Two Step - Wow. They really went at it at this point. Crowd was really into it. People jamming everywhere. Band going nuts.
Encore Break
Sister - Again, very stellar as a Dave solo spot.
Corn Bread - Carter did a long intro that almost sounded like Say Goodbye. Timmy ripped it. Dave made bizarre facial expressions and jammed hard.
Ants Marching - Crowd lost all control at this moment. Boyd really blasted his violin. Carter amazed on the drums. Perfect way to end my four show summer. perfect. Thanks fellas for a good run this summer. Maybe see you guys in the fall/winter as a tour is rumored to close the year out before you guys go MIA for a year. None the less. You guys never cease to disappoint. You have been on point all summer long. Keep it up.

Spain won the World Cup. Big ups to them. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to become a backer of Real Madrid because I really became a fan of Sergio Ramos throughout the Cup.

LeBron went to Miami with Dwayne Wade and Bosh. He had a right to make his own decision but the way he did it really chapped my ass. 'Bron, I'm sorry the Cavs didn't do enough to keep you in Cleveland. I just want you to know what you and Bosh did though really hurts the NBA. I think we are now going to see a trend over the next couple of years of teams forming with 2-3 super stars and everyone else being non factors. It's really going to hurt. It will be hilarious if Kobe gets #6 this year. You know he's seething at the mouth for the challenge. Good luck Mamba. You will have the ultimate respect and ultimate legend if you do it this year.

Football is approaching. Which means training camp. Which means I plan on trying to do a daily blog of camp from Charlottesville. I'll do my best to explain any and all beats I experience. Talk about what's going on in camp in terms of dudes making plays and how UVA is looking. I'll probably toss in my two cents about Ohio State and the Browns as well. Really looking forward to football season. August is the worst part. Cannot wait to whoop that ass against Richmond on September 4th. I'm going to be real fired up for that game.

The Indians had a nice little win streak but they have reverted to form. Bad.

TO signed with the Bengals today. Looking forward to watching that backfire.

-'Killa

It's Still Daytime Ya'll

2010-07-06T19:30:00.004-04:00

I know it's been awhile, and honestly I thought about hanging it up because I was starting to become lazy but with a request from @1421dana I'm going to try and put some stuff out there for your reading pleasure.

To start off my little vacation home was absolutely unreal. Among other things I got it going with some old friends, played golf, hit up two Dave shows, and kept it real. My last night home some X brothers of mine and I really got it going. We started it off watching the US fall to Ghana in the World Cup. It was frustrating because we really had a shot to advance deep, but if anything I think this World Cup really brought to people's attention the often overlooked beautiful game of soccer. It's just a shame we're going to have to wait another 4 years to bring hype for the US. But in the meantime like myself you could research and find a club team to follow or just get down with the Columbus Crew like myself. After we watched the US we really got it going like we used to in the form of a well formed power hour by Hot Rod. Then we hit the arena district and more or less burnt it down in some way shape or form. The highlights of being home outside of seeing the fam and friends were obviously the two Dave shows (thank God I have two more left because I definitely left each show wanting more). The reviews are as follows:

6-22-10 Columbus, Ohio

1. Big Eyed Fish - A very solid song to open with, one of my go to tracks right now
2. Bartender - A concert favorite, wasn't surprised to see the segue
3. Seven - This is my song right now, I really was feeling it at this point
4. Lying in the Hands of God - Not one of my favorites off of BW&TGGK but they have expanded on the jam
5. Funny The Way It Is - Three Big Whiskey tracks in a row, but this song shows how good Big Whiskey is
6. Gravedigger - Full band this song is good, Carter had a solo intro, three laid back songs in a row at this point
7. Why I Am - Another Big Whiskey track but this song has grown on me and the crowd was really into it
8. Dancing Nancies (Take me out to the ballgame tease)- YES INDEED! I love this song live especially with full crowd participation, great song

9. Spaceman - Again, another Big Whiskey track but you can't go wrong with this bad boy
10. Warehouse - BOOM BABY! I love this song live or studio. Such a jam especially during the dog days of summer
11. Typical Situation Tease - Really thought we had magic in the making here, but Dave is Dave
12. You & Me - Another Big Whiskey track but this song is starting to become a gem. Good song
13. Grey Street - Ok Dave, I see ya up there bringing the roof off in Columbus. A crowd pleaser
14. Digging a Ditch - An underrated favorite, cherish hearing this guy live.
15. Shake Me Like A Monkey - Big Whiskey again, but this song is so strong live. Really gets people grooving
16. Jimi Thing - Another live staple. Whaaaaaaaat i need is all around me...
17. Two Step - A concert staple, crowd pleaser, and roof rocker. Yes sir. Columbus was rocking at this point.
Encore Break
18. #40 Tease - Damn, damn, damn someday this song is going to come back in full and when it does, pshew
19. Time Bomb - Big Whiskey ROCKER, love the energy on this guy, but could cause Dave voice problems if played too often
20. HALLOWEEN - WHAT? Are you kidding me. Unreal. A closer that left people speechless.

Overall, pretty solid show, but Cuyahoga Falls was my favorite of the two so far this summer. Like I said, good thing I have two more left because I'm still fully charged to jam HARD.

6-25-10 Cuyahoga Falls, OH

1. Big Eyed Fish - Again, love hearing this open. It allows the band to start it off right.
2. Grace Is Gone - LOVE THIS TRACK. Now I can't say I had any roll in hearing this but I tweeted at Dave, Carter, and Stefan earlier in the day with, "Wouldn't mind hearing Grace Is Gone tonight." Just saying...
3. Seven - I love this song. I was in full jam mode at this point after the raucous ending to Grace Is Gone
4. Stay or Leave - Again, full band this song is very solid. I had to catch my breath at this point
5. Don't Drink The Water - One of my all time favorites, and such a concert staple. Gets the crowd grooving hard
6. #41 - What can you say? This is always going to be in my top 3 live or studio. Such a beautiful concert jam
7. Stand Up (For It) Partial - Thought we were going full song here then...
8. Cornbread (Tease) - Stand Up rolls perfectly here, didn't know what was coming next, stunned at this point
9. Recently (Partial) - The ending jam, I really was almost paralyzed at this point, goosebumps...
10. Eh Hee (tease) - This run was getting out of control, I thought the roof was coming off the pavilion...
11. Squirm - I mean this run of songs segued together had me in the highest jam mode possible, This has been my track for a long time and I really got down at this point
12. Eh Hee - Such a dark jam but so good, that run of 6 songs was out of this world
13. Shake Me LIke A Monkey - At this point you could tell the guys were really having fun up there and the energy was at the highest level.
14. You & Me - Yes Indeed! Finally a song to grab some air and gear up for some BIG MOMENTS ahead.
15. Dancing Nancies - POW POW POW! The energy of the band and crowd at this point was like something I've never seen
16. Warehouse - RUT ROH. The segue from Nancies to Warehouse was flawless, just like the old days and boy oh boy did my row get wild at this point. The Low Rider interpolation was unreal.
17. Can't Stop - A crowd pleaser to those who know this song is unreleased. Really enjoyed hearing this.
18. Cornbread - Dave got buck wild with the dance moves. Timmy lit up his guitar like Christmas Day.
19. Ants Marching - Just look at the high level songs in this set so far. A CLASSIC concert gem. The entire crowd was singing. Boyd got nasty on his solo. Carter did magic on the drums. Unreal
Encore Break
20. Little Red Bird - Dave soloed this and it was very solid, everyone was a buzz with what was coming in the encore
21. So Right - There was a slight Some Devil tease but then the baritone opened up with those familiar cords and the place went ablaze with the light show and Jeff on the sax. I love seeing this song making a comeback
22. So Damn Lucky - Perfect way to end an unreal show. I was screaming for Last Stop but I'll take this. The Thank You jam at the end was priceless. Someone threw a pair of shades on stage, Dave donned them and proceeded to get dirty with some dance moves. The crowd continued to sing as the band increased the ending jam to a grand finale end.

Skip to 2:30 on the above video...

Of all the shows I've been to, and I've been to a lot, but the overall energy felt between the band and crowd made me leaving this show thinking wow, I don't know if I've ever had so much fun at a show. Unreal. Again, so pumped that I have two more to go and who knows, rumors are swirling that they may close out in Charlottesville as they are planning on taking the entire 2011 off. We'll just have to wait and see. See you guys in VA Beach in a few weeks. I'll be in 102 in a UVA BBALL practice jersey ready to jam out. Carter, if you read this, can I get a stick because I'm in stick toss range. Thanks. I will also be going to the DC show three days after VA Beach.

Now back to the game. The game that is the courtship of LeBron. I'm not going to comment a whole lot on this because no one really knows what's going to happen. But a lot has happened over the past couple of days. Bron has met with all the contenders to land him. Right now the rumors are swirling that he's trying to woo Chris Bosh to Cleveland in what most likely would end up being a sign and trade deal. I'm good with this. I would absolutely be willing to get rid of Hickson, Varejao, and Anthony Parker to get Bosh and Turkgolu or someone as well. It could be any combo but if it means Bron stays and we get Bosh then I will seriously celebrate like I've never celebrated before. I've been on the fence about what Bron is going to do ever since that just brutal collapse in the post season. I just hope to God that he stays. I honestly don't know what I'd do if he left. I would still root for the guy that's for sure but it wouldn't be the same. Please stay @kingjames.

Coach Mack filled the opening at assistant with Rasheen Davis from Pitt. Everything I've heard about this guy from @briggs04 is that he couldn't be happier than to be at Xavier. Xavier got a guy who has much respect for X and a guy who's young with connections in NYC. I think X fans are really going to like this addition. I'm certainly fired up. Welcome to Xavier @rasheendavis. We couldn't be happier. Looking forward to seeing you help bring more banners and floss serious bling at the newly revamped Cintas Center (new scoreboard, banner board, and big time screen on the open wall).

The Indians are 16 games under .500. Pathetic. I don't even have a comment at this point in time. I'm sure Reds fans are pretty pumped up right now and to be honest, I'm happy to see them doing well. I really wonder what it's like to sell that cold beer now at GABP. I bet I could make some serious straight if I was still pushing product.

It's been hot as can be in Charlottesville lately. But probably not as hot as Young Guns & Old Men. We are 15-2 after a big time effort this evening. We're really looking to grab that title this year. The Building a Program crew was at the game today (UVA's version of Hard Knocks being shown on Comcast) so my skills will probably be broadcast to the east coast. How do you like me now? Nope, it's all about the team. We. Us. Ours.

JaMarcus Russell. You are a bust. You may find yourself dead like Pimp C if you stay on that syrup.

Mike Vick. Dude what are you doing? Seriously. You're done. Nice comeback buddy. Way to take advantage of a second chance.

I picked the Netherlands over Spain in the World Cup. Looking to rake in this little pool I'm in. Do it for me ORANGE.

I'm on week 13 of p90x. Which means it's the last week. It's done wonders and I'm looking forward to keeping myself in this shape I'm in by more or less going rogue and mixing and matching a couple different DVDs. This program works and I highly recommend it to anyone who can commit themselves.

Training camp is fast approaching. Am I ready? Not yet. But I'm looking forward to football. Stay tuned as I plan on trying to do another daily recap through everyday of camp.

Keep it real. Do what we do. Hold it down.

-'Killa

PS - Nice schedule once again Dayton. Weak non-conference like always. That's why you always catch a beat down. That's why you're fake and not a real program. That's why you host NCAA games and don't play in them. That's why Xavier owns you.

Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:46:00.003-04:00

Well, here I sit, back home in Columbus, Ohio posted with Big Chuck. After smacking some golf balls around this afternoon I proceeded to post the rest of the day and watch golf. I fired off a nice feast in between. Chuck and I just got done watching Graeme McDowell win the US Open and we're now scoping some Red Sox v Dodgers action. John Miller just went on a tangent for some time talking about soccer. Apparently he used to call soccer back in the day.

So I'm back home, came back on Friday. Did the drive in less than 7 hours and was really cruising. Once you hit 33 in Ohio it becomes a grind but other than that no issues. The cops were out so I mostly sat behind some lead blockers rather than play roll of fullback which I tend to do from time to time. I'm taking some vacation to rest and relax before the grind of football starts. I've already caught up with some old friends, I spent some time smacking some golf balls, and I've posted. Other items on the menu are of course, two DMB concerts, more golf, and getting loaded with some buddies.

The World Cup is in full swing. So far my bracket is looking mediocre. I will have to say that Argentina is really looking on fire. England is a big question mark. Are the French being French? A player gets angry. Coach gets angry. Player gets the boot. Team becomes angry. Trainer becomes angry. Trainer quits. Manager quits. Team refuses to practice. Good God, get a hold of yourselves France. The USA are on the verge of making the knock out round they would like to get a W over the Algerian squad as that would for sure put them into the knockout round thus I'm sure the love of soccer may grow some here in the USA.

The Lakers won the NBA Title. Kobe has five championships. Phil Jackson has 11. Pretty incredible. I was pretty happy that the Lakers won solely because I hate the Celtics. So congrats to them. The fact that Adam Morrison has two rings and LeBron has zero is pretty frustrating.

Speaking of golf, I will confess, I was a Tiger guy during his heyday and even up to the point that Elin went 9-iron to his rig and grill. So I'm currently in the market for a golfer to follow and hop on the wagon. Anthony Kim, Rory Mcillroy, Adam Scott, and Camilo Villegas are all in the mix. Anthony Kim has the lead as 1. he's American and 2. likes to get down not to mention he can play the game pretty well and rocks legit gear. I hope to have an official "guy" by the start of next season. I'll use the rest of the golf season to research and try and decide who my guy will be.

Tuesday marks DMB show 1 of 4 for me this summer and I couldn't be more stoked. They are playing at Huntington Park in downtown Columbus home of the Columbus Clippers (Triple-A affiliate of the Tribe, who are BAD by the way). I have yet to see a show in a ballpark setting so I'm pretty excited. I'll actually see two ballpark shows this year as the DC show is in a ballpark. I'm not expecting a truly out of this world set as they have been bland of late but I refuse to complain about the basicness of their sets as I know any given night they could just bust something unreal out. Not to mention why complain when I have the opportunity to see the greatest band in the world perform, especially with them taking all of 2011 off? Show #2 of the DMB season will be Friday up at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls. I have some MONEY seats for this bad boy and will be really jamming hard. I'm really putting the money on Friday being the bigger of the two concerts as far as sets and experience go however I know Columbus is going to be tight none the less. Hit me up if you're attending and we'll get it going and jam out.

Songs on my wish list:
Time Bomb
Warehouse
Pig
Dancing Nancies
Don't Drink the Water
Bartender
Granny
Last Stop
Two Step
Crush
Satellite
#41
Shake Me Like a Monkey
Squirm
Louisiana Bayou
Stay (Wasting Time)
The Maker
Lie in Our Graves

To name a few....

Oh by the way, week 11 of p90x this week.

-'Killa

Body Patrol

2010-06-10T17:58:00.002-04:00

Well, here we are, 9 weeks into P90X. I'm absolutely feeling this program like none other. I'm currently researching my next step for post P90X. I'll probably take a week off or something. I'm sure Tony Horton won't be down with that but dude, you just owned me for 90 days. I need to rest my new chiseled beach body. Not to mention training camp will be approaching and you know that means my life as we know it goes down the pipes for a few months. Anyways, I am researching options and haven't found anything yet. If you want to pass on suggestions I'll take them. This program has given me a resurgence to workout and keep the body fresh.

I'm currently reporting live from Chattanooga, TN in room 615 at the Marriott. I'm down here for work at the AEMA Convention. I banged out my certification test yesterday morning and got pretty loaded last night. It's pretty fun at this deal. Always nice to catch up with vendors and friends in the business.

UVA baseball won their regional last weekend and will be hosting the super regional this weekend against Oklahoma. I'll be taking in that action and trying to avoid getting bombed like I did last Saturday during the game. However, I WILL watch the US play England on Saturday before I do anything baseball related. Sorry Cavaliers, Nation comes first. I got some fresh Nikes specifically for the World Cup so those will debut this weekend. I really enjoy soccer but not as afluent as @loganbconner or say @mgberningjr so I don't feel right doing an analysis on the full cup. I will say I entered a pool amongst my friends and I picked the Netherlands to beat Spain to win the cup. I feel like I'm going a limb with that selection but we'll see. Teams I will also be watching closely besides the homies from America include Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, and Ivory Coast.

This "ICING" phenomenon is definitely the rave of the summer so far. I've been ICED twice. My boss got me last weekend in a relatively well planned ice, got me at our tailgate. Then, last night out in Chattanooga, after talking to some random Bros they iced me via long distance bar snipe-age via waitress. I highly doubt this phase will make it past the summer but it's pretty funny and hot right now. I have yet to break out an ICE on anyone only because when I ICE it's going to be epic and stealth. I got a big one planned and people are going to go down, not revealing how, when, or where all I have to say if you know me, watch out because it could be anyone that catches the first ICE from me.

Going along with the summer theme you know I have to plug my homies Dave Matthews Band. When you think summer it's hard to not think a DMB tour. They are a few weeks into the 2010 summer tour and they are rocking. You can definitely tell that they are holding nothing back as they will take all of 2011 off. The set lists are epic already and it's early so we can only expect major things to go down. I'm really jacked to get four shows in this summer and witness the greatest band ever to take the stage jam out. Again, I will be present at Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, VA Beach, and DC. HIt me up if you want to get down. It's going to be big time.

Keeping with the music, if you want a good party mix to pump while your sipping brews and hanging with bros and ladies I highly suggest you DL Mash-Up Mania - Volume: 1 off of brobible.com. It's definitely blazing.

Now, to Tom Izzo and the Cavs. My take on this is as follows. First of all I think it's a bad idea for Izzo to leave for the NBA solely because why would he want to leave what he has right now? He can go to the Final Four whenever he wants, he's getting paid decent money, and those who have tried the jump haven't been too successful i.e. Pitino and Calipari. Now, that being said, not everyone has had the opportunity to coach the best player in the world and will continue to be for a long time so if Izzo does go I have to think it's because he knows he'll be coaching LeBron. To me, he's too smart to risk his reputation and sign that line to coach for the Cavs without word from Bron Bron. In theory Izzo may also be using this situation to use it as leverage to get a little more money from Sparty and he'll just stay there. I wish the Cavs would've gone after Avery Johnson, he's the man, I gotta respect the Nets for getting him, that's a good land. Stay tuned as LeBron mania continues to heat up.

I'm rooting for the Lakers.
Indians are bad, Strasburg is going to mow them down on Sunday.

-'Killa

The Weight

2010-05-31T16:40:00.002-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I dropped a post so for that I apologize. I've just lately haven't had the desire to fire off. Been busy. You know what I'm saying? Anyways, keeping with the theme, I'm moving onto week 8 of P90X. It is another recovery week which will be nice. I'm well over halfway done with the program and again, I have nothing but good things to say about it. Really enjoying the workouts I get and the nudge to eat healthy. Real good stuff. Also important to note, there have been no more bad smashes or injuries from the program. I had the pleasure of sharing that story a couple of times this weekend. A lot of responses I've been getting regarding the scar are, "is that a swastika on your forehead?" Or, "are you trying to be Harry Potter?" Both cause me to shake my head, have some poise, and simply say no.

UVA men's LAX fell in the semi's in a pretty entertaining game. Tough break as Duke scored the game winner with 13 seconds to go. Damn. UVA baseball is looking to do work in the College World Series as they are a national seed, meaning they host a regional and if they win that they will host a super regional. Pretty nice to have some home field advantage. I'm definitely going to try and scope some games.

I soaked in heavy rays this weekend at the pool. Got the first burn out of the way on Saturday and applied nice color on Sunday. I still may go down there after I write this and get in a good post up session. Maybe do some reading. Bring the iPod along for the ride.

Dave Matthews Band started their summer tour this weekend. I'm pretty sure we're in for a good summer as the back to back shows in Hartford were on fire. I absolutely cannot wait to scope them. I know I said it earlier, but ill be taking in the shows in Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, VA Beach, and DC. Really looking forward to doing some hardcore jamming, tailgating, and general rocking out.

I hope the Lakers beat the Celtics.

The Indians are pretty bad as baseball.

The following are some videos for your viewing pleasure.

In the above video, notice the awesomeness of the performance. Crowd sings almost entire song. The minor mess up at about the 4:35 point. Dave feeling it. Carter feeling it. Boyd really feeling it. Stefan feeling it. Rashawn feeling it. Jeff feeling it. Timmy feeling it. Unreal. Easily my favorite song right now. Been jamming it a lot lately.

Raise a glass, bottle, can, whatever to summer of 2010 (it probably won't touch summer of 2007, best summer on record, but still...it's summer time).

-'Killa

Pushin

2010-05-20T19:24:00.003-04:00

Well to go with the theme, I'm on week six of P90X. It's still going well. I've been pretty exhausted this week as all of my traveling and busy schedule has caught up but im still sculpting and getting after it. Nothing really solid to report on other than I'm still enjoying the program and it's clear it works, at least for me as results are definitely showing. Get on this program if you have the time commitment. It's the real deal and gets the job done.

The big news of the week outside of my brother graduating from Gordon College is that I finally got my new whip. It's a 2009 Deamer in the form of a Hyundai Demata aka Sonata. It's pretty dope and I'm really feeling it. Fired it this afternoon and took it for a nice little spin through CVille to pimp my ride.

Like I said, my brother graduated this past weekend so I gotta send a big shout out to him. I finally got to experience Boston in some nice weather and man, for as much as I despise their sport teams I can really get down with that city. First of all, the food is on point. On the freshest sea food and some real legit local breweries serving the freshest beer at local spots. If there was a big city I would live in, it's definitely Boston.

Moving on to my bad smash to the dome. I got the stitches out Wednesday. Pretty successful healing so far, although I can start to see the scar forming.

UVA athletics really went jumpman this past weekend. To start it off #1 baseball swept North Carolina. Pow. #1 seed UVA Men's lacrosse looked dominant in their smash of Mt. St. Mary's 18-4. Pow. The UVA women's team also got the big 14-12 win over Towson. It was really really good to see both of those teams win. Yeardley Love was honored and remembered at both contests are the teams donned patches, shirts, and the women held up the #1 after the win. The men will be on ESPNUva on Sunday at 2:30pm against Stony Brook. A big upset occured in the men's tournament as Army knocked off defending champs Syracuse. The women will take on North Carolina this weekend. The women's softball team got themselves their first ever post season bid and will play this weekend as well. #1 men's tennis did work and will continue their push toward a ring and banner this weekend. Unfortunately the women's team got ousted. the rowing squad is still doing what they do and that's lay the lumber in the water. Pow. Stay tuned as UVA looks to add some 'Ships, rings, and banners to their resume this spring.

Now, I need to burn on something. The DMV. No, the D doesn't stand for DEAM. In fact it really should read oDMV. Off Deam Motor Vehicles. That place is just a pit. If I could avoid going there for the rest of my life I will. They messed up today when writing my title so I can trade in my old whip which almost throug a wrench into my deamness today. The people are always angry there. The wait is always long. It usually smells too. The only thing currently ranked lower than the oDMV is UD Arena, that place is just a dump.

Indians baseball is pretty bad, I wish they were good.
Joe Haden is rocking #23 for the Browns and has begun his mission to help keep LeBron as he tweeted, "hopefully there are 2 23's in cleveland."
Jordan Crawford is doing work at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Watched him work out while at work today. Do work JCraw. Make X proud. Swoosh.
Looks like a good weekend to go poolside.
The DMB Summer Tour is approaching and I couldn't be more excited to rock out at 4 shows this year.

--'Killa

Battle Wound

2010-05-12T12:11:00.004-04:00

Well, I managed to do it again. Stitches to my facial region (Eye and Nose came before the latest, also they are good stories too). I'm in Pennsylvania for work. So I brought the ole' P90X along for the ride. Before leaving this morning I thought I should get a workout in. So I rolled to the workout facility of this hotel around 7. I get it started, everything is going well. Although I' trying to think during the warmup how I would improvise without pull up bars as the workout I was doing required them. I noticed the flat bench on the floor and "ding" light bulb. I propped it up and was going to try and use it as a fulcrum to do the pull up exercises with my resistance bands. POW bad idea. As I eased into the workout I just didn't even notice the bench was still sitting on it's wheels, didn't even get one rep in before I pulled the bench right into my forehead. (I knew immediately it was bad because blood was everywhere) I got up and grabbed a towel. (Tool on eliptical didn't even say a word or stop his workout, probably a dayton fan) I went to the desk and asked for a medical kit. They asked what happened, and I explained (full knowing I'd need stitches I told them I just needed to clean and dress the wound because I hadn't figured out how I would get to the hopspital). I went into the bathroom and really saw how bad it was. I really did a number. As I'll explain later a pretty nasty scar is going to be leftover from this incident. Good think Bobby, our helmet rep from Schutt just finished his workout and was in the lobby. I went to him and said, "Bobby, I think we have a problem." He took me to the hospital where I received 15 stitches to the forehead. I'm still trying to wash the blood out of my hair but that's not really a big deal at the moment. The doctor was ON DEAM. He rolls in and asks me what happened, I said, "Do you know what P90X is?" He goes, "Do I? I'm on it and INSANITY." You get the point, the guy is deamness. So he stitched me up and we talked P90 and Insanity the entire time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The real story...

I was out on the Atlantic ocean in my 51 foot sailboat by Allures Yachting. A little storm was a brewing so I knew I would have to navigate the seas. It was getting real choppy but I was making it alright. NOthing I hadn't battled before. Pretty basic. Some waves, some wind, some spray. But, as I was coming about I lost focus and the boom caught me right on the forehead. Smash, blood everywhere, of course in the storm I had to show POISE. So I set the wheel for a course toward shore and proceeded to sew myself up. Pretty bad ass if you ask me. The boat suffered no damage.

So the beats suffered with this unfortunate accident:

Brutal face status right now (massive cut on the forehead with cuts on the nose)
The above results in limited to no action from girls, big setback for the summer
I'm flying to Boston this weekend so a bunch of people ranging from Richmond, DC, NYC, and Boston will stare and wonder what this idiot did, all I can do is tell them the real story

-'Killa

Sculpting

2010-05-10T20:24:00.003-04:00

Yeah that's right. It's the title, Sculpting. I just started week five of P90X. Today it was chest, shoulders, triceps, and Ab-RipperX workout. It was on deam. Really felt like I got a great workout in. I need to also say that week four, the recovery week, was real nice too. The workouts were less demanding but I still felt like I was sculpting and getting a great lather in. Tomorrow will be day 30 and I can honestly say, one third of the way into the program I'm a huge huge supporter of P90X. I love the workouts I'm getting in. I'm loving the results so far. More importantly I'm loving the over aggressive effort I'm giving to eat as healthy as possible, that factor of the program is what really makes this program certifiably DEAM.

Next up on the list of things to hit on is a huge shout out and promotion for Don Moose out in Tuscon. Don Moose aka Reynolds out in Tuscon as the University of Arizona got a major promotion. My man is now Director of Basketball Operations for the Wildcats. Bear Down. All Moose does is win. So basically Arizona should be very happy to see this promotion because it's about to go down majorly out in Tuscon. You can go sharpie with this right here, I am already planning my trip out west next year for a weekend action of hoops. Big ups to Moose. That's the XAVIER way right there. The Management is going HAM in college athletics right now and we keep getting more major. Tradition of excellence.

The NBA playoffs are continuing the journey. The Jekyl and Hyde team that is the Cleveland Cavaliers had better get their act right and start acting like Friday night's team and less like Sunday or last Monday's team because those efforts are not going to cut it when it comes to trying to win titles, hang banners, and sling bling. Not at all. LeBron is now saying that he will guard the Cav destroyer, Rajon Rondo, since no one else seems to have the brass to do so. I mean, if you want it Bron then go for it. You weren't voted second straight MVP for nothing, now is the time to prove it. However, the supporting cast needs to come along for the ride and show up from time to time. I'm sick and tired of having to watch LeBron time after time have to put this team on his back. I know he's the man but come on Mo, Tawn, Shaq, Parker, Varejao, Hickson, Moon, West, etc. The Cavs are the deepest in the League. A little help from time to time would be nice. I hate the Celtics, their fans, and their act. So two wins in a row to close this deal out would be nice because the Magic are utterly owning the Hawks right now and I really don't want to see us go down to them again. Let's turn it up a few notches and starting owning. Thanks.

I'm headed up to Easton, PA tomorrow to scope out Schutt Helmets and play some golf. I will then be flying out to Boston on Friday for Young Benjamin's graduation. I will then be purchasing my new whip next week. A lot of high level action going on.

Keep it real.

-'Killa

Grown

2010-05-03T20:49:00.002-04:00

Stop baby, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down...

What's going down is I'm on week four of P90X and still loving it. This week is deemed a recovery week. I opened up with Yoga tonight. Man this workout gets me every time. It's 92 minutes long and literally the first 45 minutes is INTENSE. I'm in a full body sweat and breathing very hard by the time the first phase is done. Believe it or not afterwards, I feel like I got a great workout in. I'm still watching what I eat and I can really tell a difference in my energy among other things. Healthy eating habits have definitely helped me get acclamated to the hardcore workout that is P90X. Next week is when the real test kicks in. I've been told if I make it through week 5 I'll be good to go.

I went down to Houston this past weekend to visit Douglas Shoulder Pads. A bunch of us equipment guys got together, talked shoulder pads, helmets, and some other order of business but we mostly just really felt the flow. The highlight is obviously the Crawfish Boil on Saturday. Just a full day party of feasting on fresh bugs from New Orleans (2000 POUNDS to be exact). The crawfish are boiled in a mixture of water, lemon juice, spices, corn, potatoes, and sausage. Basically you rip the torso from the head and just suck the meat out. Absolutely unreal. The later the batch the spicer. Hence the fresh cold beer on tap. We took in a couple of different bars in the Houston area. I really have to suggest to anyone in the Houston area check out Sawyer Park sports bar. This place was the definition of ON DEAM. Great service. Great food. Great drinks. Great music. Great tvs. GREAT BODIES.

LeBron James captured his second MVP award. I really need to hit on this because of how important LeBron is. LeBron not only is the MVP of the NBA but he's the MVP of Northeast Ohio. He puts on for his city more than anyone I've ever seen. Seriously, I want everyone to think about where the Cavs and literally Cleveland and Akron would be if LeBron would be playing elsewhere. I can tell you this the Cavs fold, the city of Cleveland could literally crumble, and Akron just becomes known as the city where LeBron grew up and no longer the city he put on the map. LeBron is going to keep winning MVPs because well he's the King and he does what he wants when he wants. I hope to God he stays in Cleveland which is why winning the NBA Title this year is so important. Winning his first title I believe is going to send 'Bron to another level. He'll get that monkey off his back and beginning creating a whole new monster as he will really begin to set his legacy as possible the greatest of all time. Thanks LeBron for another great season.

"I'm just a little kid from Akron." - LeBron James

I'm writing this week with a heavy heart. Tragedy struck the UVA community today as word broke of arguably the most tragic thing that could happen to an athletic department. Early this morning a men's lacrosse player was charged with first degree murder in the death of a female lacrosse player. George Huguley is being held in a regional jail and is charged with murder for the death of Yeardley Love. Both were seniors at UVA. At this time there is limited information available. Certainly this is a black cloud over the university, athletic department, and lacrosse as a whole as it seemed like the sport had finally recovered from the Duke incident a few years ago. I would like to send my thoughts and prayers out to the family of Yeardley Love. This is a terrible terrible thing.

UVA baseball did bring the brooms out and swept Duke this weekend. The men's lacrosse team celebrated senior day in true fashion in stifling the nation's top offense and drumming Robert Morris.

The following is the 2010 World Cup theme song and making an early push as my song of the summer...

I'm headed up to Annapolis, Maryland tomorrow for our district meeting and some golf. This will be the debut of my sticks this year. Probably going to be a lot of balls going right and nowhere near the fairway or green.

-'Killa

Seek Up

2010-04-28T20:19:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post. I've been caught up in a lot of extra curricular activities that have limited me from putting some thoughts down.

First of all I am well into week three of P90X and I'm loving it. The workouts are still kicking my butt, but I can feel myself getting into shape and the body is starting to react to the workouts in a positive way i.e. the ab-ripperX is shaping the beach body for some future pool action at the Jefferson Ridge Pool. Next week is what's called a recovery week and then week five will focus on working the muscles in a completely different way. A guy I know who has completed the program says if I can make it through week five then I'll be good to go. He said to that I'll need to brace myself for some more intense sore-ness as the muscles will not be used to the exercises, hence the muscle confusion method of P90X. I have nothing but positive things to say about P90X so far. Other than brief moments when I want to rip Tony Horton's head off his body, I'm feeling the program so far. A huge plus of the program is I've really been watching my eating habits and what I'm eating. I can really feel a difference. In the words of the P90X DVDs...BRING IT.

Once again UVA athletics are getting it done. Let me tell you about hanging banners and slinging bling. While that's what Xavier does in Cintas it's also what UVA does. This past weekend UVA athletics captured ACC Titles 100, 101, and 102. UVA has claimed 7 ACC titles this year (Men's LaCrosse, Rowing, Men's Tennis, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, and Women's Swimming and Diving). Baseball and Softball are still alive and well in the hunt to win titles as well so it could potentially be nine before it's done. In addition, to Men's soccer won the National Title this year. Both Baseball, Men's LaCrosse, Men's Tennis, and rowing could bring more 'Ships to Charlottesville which in turn would make us ultimate contenders for the Director's Cup. Boom.

Keeping with athletics I need to hit on the Browns and the draft. It was quite a frustrating couple of days for myself. But, I guess that's why I am not the President, GM, or coach of the Browns because while I seem to think I know what I'm doing I probably don't. I got full trust in Mike Holmgren and his decision making. The Browns took Joe Haden, a DB from Florida at #7. They then took a safety, TJ Ward, from Oregon and Eric Hardesty a RB from Tennessee in the second round. At that point I was fuming because the Browns had passed up twice on Colt McCoy. However, the Browns did make big time plays and get the steal of the draft in Colt McCoy in the third round. This in turn made me happy. The Browns continued to select solid dudes as the draft concluded on Saturday. I should also note that UVA had guys go to teams:

Chris Cook, DB, Minnesota Vikings (34th overall)
Denzel Burrell, LB, Browns
Jameel Sewell, ATH, Dolphins
Vic Hall, ATH, Bears
Will Barker, OL, Cowboys
Mikell Simpson, RB, Bengals
Rashawn Jackson, FB, Panthers
Nate Collins, DL, Giants

The NBA Playoffs are in full effect. Looks like the east and west are wrapping up the first round. The Cavs will be facing the Celtics in one of the Eastern Semi's. Meanwhile, the Magic are awaiting the outcome of the Milwaukee Bucks and Hawks. I gotta think the Hawks advance. Moving forward, LeBron had better be healthy (me over reacting to his elbow injury) because I really would like to see the Cavs danza the Celtics. I'm tired of their act. I just cannot get down with Rondo, Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Perkins, and Allen. The Magic and Hawks series would be very interesting. If the Magic even want to think about going to the eastern conference finals then Dwight Howard should probably get his act together. If not, the Hawks will mow 'em down. Looking at the West, it's been nothing short of exciting. There appears to be a rivalry brewing between the Lakers and the Thunder. Even if the Thunder don't beat the Lakers you have to think that team is going to be very good in the future. Westbrook and Durantula are nasty. The Nuggets are in a must win scenario tonight. I never saw this coming expecially with the health issues of the Jazz, none the less, that's why only the strong survive in the playoffs. The Suns are looking nice. I think it's absolutely absurd that Brandon Roy is trying to rally his team. If he does, than props to him, if not and he injures himself even further than he's an idiot. The Mavericks and Spurs series has been exciting as well. I still like the Mavs to advance especially if they get some big time efforts from Caron Butler. Looking at it now, I'm going with the Mavs to advance, Nuggets in seven, Lakers in six, and Suns in seven.

Ok, finally I get to talk about Foxfield 2010. It was indeed an epic weekend. DL, Billy, and Log made the trip east for a little afternoon at Foxfield. We hit the scene briefly Friday night to warm ourselves up for Saturday. After an early rise on Saturday we drove through the rain to Foxfield. The rain let up just as the gates opened and before we knew it, there was no rain, our plot was set up (after a flustered gay guy and his girl friends moved into their prop plot spot and out of our spot), and beer pong was going. Everyone was dressed to the nines, the music was bumping, the PBR and High Life was flowing, and the Xavier boys were making examples of everyone on the beer pong table. Let it be known that anyone associated with Xavier had an unblemished record on the pong table. Dominance. We mingled, we drank, we enjoyed ourselves, and paced ourselves perfectly. We returned back to my spot to gather ourselves with a brief rest, food, and hydration. We then returned to the scene and closed out Foxfield to the maximum. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a raging success. I'll take RSVP's now for Foxfield 2011 if anyone is willing to commit.

I'm headed to Houston for the weekend. I'll report back with a more timely post next week. Oh and by the way, Old Men & Young Guns (softball squad) remains undefeated. Pow.

-'Killa

Deam

2010-04-19T20:05:00.002-04:00

New week, new sets and reps, new smelling salts, new deam-ness, and most importantly always carpe deam-ing. That's seizing the deam for those of you who aren't down. I've moved into week two of P90X. Last week I was incredibly sore. Some mornings I really wondered if I would be able to get myself out of bed. That sore. But, let me tell you, these workouts are incredibly legit and high level. I can honestly tell you that I do see some results and I feel some results. The main thing besides getting dominated in the workouts is I've really put in a big effort to eat as healthy as possible. I did some research as far as what I need to be eating and I am now looking for low fat foods, vegetables, and fruits. I feel a new sense of energy and after the workouts I'm feeling a new sensation of accomplishment, like, "man that workout may have killed me but man I'm feeling good." So a week deep I can say I support P90X and I love it.

Big sports weekend again in Charlottesville. First, baseball was playing host to the Hokies. We took two of three from them. We should've had the brooms out but a lack of poise in the 9th inning yesterday resulted in the loss. With a painful loss to VMI mid-week we dropped to #2, but we're still feeling it on the diamond. Lacrosse was set-up to have a high level performance. Night game at home against #5 Puke was setting up for a big time win to stay undefeated. We jumped out to a 3-0 lead, then fell behind 5-3, then we went up 6-5 at half. Unfortunately the wheels fell off in the second half. I saw this coming as in the past couple of games it seems like we got complacent at times in the second halves and this time it caught up to us and we ended up losing 13-9 to Duke. In fact it was Duke's 8th straight win over the Wahoos. Let's go fellas, we're approaching crunch time and it would be really wavy to bring home the big time hard wood as we pursue a Director's Cup title here in Charlottesville.

The NBA playoffs are here and I couldn't be any happier. The NBA Playoffs are the true definition of journey. Only the strong survive in these playoffs. Obviously I'm going to hit on the Cavs. They took game one pretty handly winning by 13. We didn't shoot the three-ball well which hurt us a bit in the second half when we let a 22 point lead slip to only a 7 point lead but LeBron did what he had to do and we got the W. The Bulls are fiesty but there is just absolutely no way this series should be even remotely close. It should be a sweep like the Indians swept the White Sox this past weekend to continue Cleveland's dominance of Chicago. If the Cavs are stroking from deep then the playoffs shouldn't be a problem. They have enough legit big men to stay out of foul trouble and we all know they have the King. Again, I think the Cavs should be in the Finals against whoever comes out of the west (complete crap shoot, I like the Mavericks to come out of the west). Ok, I officially am not down with the Celtics. Their act has gotten old and it has got to go. Guys, your run was nice a few years ago but outside of Boston, no one cares anymore. I'm glad KG got the one game ban, he deserved that for that 'bow he dropped on Q. It would just be unreal if the Heat got that series. Also in a perfect world the Bobcats would beat the Magic but that's about as likely as me winning the lottery aka 0.07% chance. Anyways, everyone feel free to enjoy 40 Games in 40 Nights.

It's NFL draft time, again, I have one thing to say to the Browns, draft Eric Berry at seven and then fire off Colt McCoy at 38. If you guys do that I will celebrate like none other (I'd like to thank @getemCC for the following video, her tweet game is weak but she did show me this)...

Speaking of celebrating, Foxfield is less than 5 days away. Foxfield, combine Pig Roast, mix in some Derby, put on some DEAM gear, get some beer, some nice weather, and there you go. Foxfield. Yup, that's this Saturday. I got some homies coming in town for the all day event: DL (@dlorentz12, his tweet game is OFFICIAL), Jay, Cam, and Billy. Expect a big time post about this coming weekend's events next week.

Joakim Noah, you suck. I hate your garbage game. I hate your act. I think you're full of crap. How bad do you want to get embarrassed? By not speaking to LeBron you won't be fully embarrassed. By opening your trap and chirping at the King, well since you are merely a serf without any land in LeBron's Kingdom you will most likely be hung, stoned, and torched and possibly shot with a bow and arrow. So, I suggest you shut up, move along, and cut the crap.

-'Killa

P90X

2010-04-12T21:36:00.003-04:00

Good God, i literally just got owned by a 1 hour and 8 minute workout. Today I embarked on the P90X journey. It's 90 days of intense, balls to the wall, workout. Over a span of 13 weeks I will be working out 6 days a week for about an hour per workout. It uses the idea of muscle confusion to sculpt the body into what I hope will be a beach body for Jefferson Ridge pool action this summer. After the workout today I couldn't even lift my water bottle to take a drink. This is in part due to the fact that I haven't worked out like that in who knows how long 3 maybe 4 years. So I have decided to take this 90 day workout routine and fully committing myself to reaching maximum in-shapeness. It works out perfectly as I'll finish the program in time to start getting ready for training camp. I'll keep everyone posted weekly with my progress. The possible end results and sense of acomplishment after 90 days are the motivation for me to stick to the program. I'm really going to need to hunker down and battle the mental sides of being tired and "can't do it" attitude to complete the program. See you at the beach.

UVA's spring game was this past Saturday. It was pretty bland. Nothing too exciting. Our offense more or less looked pretty weak. I just think we had a bad day offensively. The defense looked pretty solid. I still can't tell you how the team will be this fall but I have to say the new staff has slowly been changing the attitude here at UVA and I think good things are in the future.

UVA baseball took the series this weekend at home over #2 Georgia Tech. I took in the action Friday night that featured two big time pitchers. UVA got on the board early but Tech took the lead with back to back homers to go up 4-2. UVA responded with some more homers of their own and ended up winning 7-4. They lost Saturday afternoon but won Sunday afternoon to take the series. Again, the baseball team is really on DEAM this year.

UVA LAX is the team that is boardwalk right now. They are currently undefeated and #1 in the country. They opened the new stadium at the Meadowlands this weekend by issuing a beat down to #2 and previously undefeated North Carolina. The offense is really looking high level this year for the Cavaliers. I'm about done with the lulls that come in the second half. The past two games have shown UVA getting out to a hot start, lulling in the second half but finishing strong. This weekend at home against Duke on Saturday night will be another big test for the Cavaliers as they continue to eye the ultimate prize at the end of the season. Stay tuned. It's about to go down.

In other big news, Bill Raftery retweeted me today. Yesterday I tweeted, "What if @BillRaftery and Gus Johnson called the Masters?" @BillRaftery retweeted today with a little SEND IT IN, PHIL in response to my tweet. That really made my day. Speaking of the Masters, big shout out to Phil aka Lefty. He won his third green jacket this weekend. Phil was on his game from Thursday through Sunday. He had the shot of his career on 13 yesterday. I'm sure you all have seen it, the one where he went 6 iron from about 208 out behind a tree, in the mulch, and stuck it to about 5 feet. That sealed the deal right there, well that, or the eagle, eagle, birdie run he went on Saturday. Oh, did you guys know Eldrick returned to golf this weekend? He did about what I expected. He was in contention throughout but just didn't have it to win it. The media also overplayed this like I expected. ESPN ran Tiger updates shot by shot on the bottom line, to the left of the screen, and live cut ins. Pretty ridiculous. I've had about enough of the media barrage on Tiger. A little less would be nice. You have to be happy for Phil as he's had a rough year with his wife and mother in law going through breast cancer treatments. Big time win for Phil.

Browns, please draft Eric Berry if given the opportunity. Other players I'll accept: Earl Thomas or Joe Haden. You already took care of my #1 request and that was re-signing Joshua Cribbs. You failed in free agency by signing two garbage QB's in Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme. I again threaten my loyal fandom to you if you draft a QB in the first, second, or third round or ever. DO NOT DRAFT a QB. Thanks.

-'Killa

Cutting of Nylon

2010-04-06T15:40:00.002-04:00

We were treated to quite the March. This year's NCAA tournament was one for the ages. I've never quite seen a tournament like the one we just had. Between the absurd upsets, classic games, and unlikely runs this certainly was a tournament to remember and certainly for the best. With the imminent tournament expansion to 96 (I'll get to this later) it was great to go out in style this year. My yearly seasonal obsession with college basketball came to an end last night as Duke was left standing at the top of the mountain in a great championship game. I think the fans got what they deserved this weekend in Indianapolis. Let me first congratulate Butler on one heck of a season. Their 25 game winning streak ended last night but you have to feel nothing but respect for that program. In my opinion, like Xavier, Butler has long been on the map but just waiting to get the recognition they deserve and certainly this year proved it more than anything else. Even though they don't play in a "Big 6" conference they continue to compete at the highest level. Even though they don't land 5-star one and done athletes they continue to compete at a high level. Even though they have lost coaches to bigger pay checks and brighter lights they continue to compete at the highest level. Even though their basketball program operates at $1.6 million (Duke +$13 million) they continue to compete at the highest level. Butler's 25 game win streak that ended last night included an undefeated conference play record. Gordon Hayward didn't even play AAU basketball because he was a state tennis champion and yet could leave for the NBA this year and get drafted in the first round. Coaches like Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter paved the way for Brad Stevens to be so successful at such a young age and is now a hot commodity amongst college coaches. In fact, Matta hired Stevens and got him started in college hoops. At 33 Stevens has only lost 16 games in three years, that is very impressive. How he handles himself throughout games and with the media is like Coach Wooden back in the day. Very stoic and calm. I never once saw him lose his mind or composure this year. I mean when he beat Michigan State, he cooly strolled across the sideline, hand in pocket, and shook Izzo's hand like it's not a big deal. The unbelievable eye gouging fact is that absurd difference in operating budgets between Duke and Butler ($12 million). But yet, Butler was just as competitive and was right there until the final horn sounded with just as good of a chance to beat Duke last night. Incredible. That just goes to show if you believe in your coach, system, and teammates anything is possible. You certainly have to tip your hats to Duke for the job they did this year. They were pretty steady all season long and did what Duke does and that's not only be on TV more than Leave it Beaver re-runs but its fundamentally beat opponents and wear people down with a deep bench and solid play. The big three of Scheyer, Smith, and Singler again lead the team last night along with a solid performance from Zoubek. Coach K is a sure fire Hall of Famer as he won his 4th NCAA championship last night. I really hope he doesn't go to the Nets, and I don't think he will, because that would be a shame. He does more good for college basketball than he could for an awful franchise. Overall, what a game last night. I was glued to the TV until the horn sounded. My favorite moment, the brick wall of a screen Matt Howard (sweet Larry Bird mustache) laid on Kyle Singler as Gordon Hayward rushed to get a near running half court bank shot to fall.

I do have some beefs to get off my chest. First of all, CBS, please get rid of Jim Nantz. I never realized how bad this guy is until the departure of Billy Packer. Packer was so bad he overshadowed the awfulness of Jim Nantz. Dude you are terrible. Anything would be better than you to call that game. How about the trio of Gus Johnson, Clark Kellog, and Bill Raferty?! That would be absolutely unreal. Secondly, CBS, One Shining Moment. Seriously. You butchered that one too. I have watched that for as long as I can remember but I didn't even bother giving it a chance last night after I heard you changed from Luther Vandross to Jennifer Hudson. I heard you showed more shots of her in the studio and cheerleaders than notable performances or performers. That's pathetic and a disgrace to one of the best traditions to go along with the tournament. Nike, those hats and t-shirts, terrible. That's all I'm going to say. Terrible. Finally, the expansion of the tournament to 96 teams. Sure this is a money motivating move but seriously, why? This makes end of the season conference tournaments irrelevant. It ruins the excitement of tournament in general. I don't care that it will still be a three week tournament. I don't. Why would you think this is a good idea? Twenty four seeds in each region? NO. Basically, I'm a sucker for the old school and don't want to see everyone and their brother make the tournament just because people are greedy and people wine and complain each year becasue they schedule piece of crap non-conference schedules and then don't make the tournament (Seth Greenberg). This is also a shame.

While the tournament was in full action last weekend so were UVA athletics. LAX remains undefeated and remains #1 in the country after a big time win on the road at #4 Maryland. This Saturday at 4pm UVA LAX will take on UNC in the Meadowlands to officially open up the new Ginats/Jets stadium. It will be televised on ESPNU. I suggest you try and watch this as UNC is undefeated this year. Baseball unfortunately dropped their first series of the season. I don't know what they're ranked now but they play host to #3 Georgia Tech this weekend, I will check out Friday night's game. Also this SAturday is the UVA Football Spring Game! It should be a good look for the fans to see what the new staff has got going on. I can tell everyone that the attitude has changed around here. Practices are very uptempo and guys are really buying into the new staff and looking pretty good out there. The D is legit even with a new scheme (4-3). Marc Verica has really been on fire this spring. His confidence is soaring and he seems to have control of the new offense and is really firing the rock around to Kris Burd, Dontrelle Inman, and Tim Smith. There is a high level of optimism coming out of the spring, leading into the summer workouts and this upcoming season! Stay tuned.

The Masters are this weekend so I'm pretty excited to finally sit down and watch some golf on a Sunday afternoon. Of course the hustle and bustle is all about Tiger making his return. It will certainly boost ratings and golf will be back to where it was prior to his brief hiatus. I think he is going to be somewhere in striking distance on Sunday but may end up coming up short. But, I'm really excited to see what he does. If I had a little more knowledge about golf I would provide more insight but I don't. So may the best man win. I wish Justin Leonard was still a baller because he would be my guy in golf.

I cannot wait for 40 Games in 40 Nights! For those of you unaware of what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the NBA Playoffs. The regular season is coming to an end. I love nothing more than NBA Playoffs. The Cavs should have home court throughout the playoffs. They are playing at a HIGH level right now and Antawn Jamison seems to be fitting in just fine. In case you missed it LeBron recently said he has one goal and one goal only. That is to bring a title to Cleveland and he's going to stop at nothing to bring that trophy home where it belongs! This leads me to believe 1. he's ready to go hard in the playoffs and 2. he's making a reference to wanting to stay with Cleveland when this summer comes around. Only time will tell on #2 but the Cavs have as good of a chance to win it this year as they have ever had. Let's go Cavs!

It's 91 today here in Charlottesville. A little hot for the spring but I can't complain. Nice weather means one thing. I'm compiling my summer mix to officially drop when I buy my new whip sometime in mid to late May. I plan on debuting the entire mix no later than Memorial Day weekend. Stay tuned.

-'Killa

Final Four

2010-03-29T20:56:00.002-04:00

The college hoops season is drawing to an end but not without going out with a bang. This year's tournament and by tournament I mean the NCAA tournament (no one cares about the NIT, CBI, or College Insider) has been unreal. Last weekend once again proved why college basketball is awesome.

I need to first talk about my boys at Xavier. Thursday night's game against Kansas State was arguably one of the best college basketball games I have ever witnessed. It went double OT with so many high level plays. When it looked like Xavier was done in regulation Terrell Holloway got fouled in the act of shooting a three. He calmly stepped to the line and knocked down three pressure foul shots. Then it was the man of the night, Jordan Crawford knocking down one of the biggest time shots I've ever seen. That three he laced from about 32 feet was truly an exclamation point on his season at Xavier. The guy is just absolutely unreal. Both him and Holloway put the team on their back in the extra sessions. Even though Xavier fell just short in the second over time I felt nothing but proud to be a Musketeer as the final horn sounded. There was nothing to hang your head on in that game. They played extremely hard and fought until the end. Thanks to Jason Love for a fantastic four years. Like BJ Raymond last you, Love showed what it truly means to be a Musketeer. He stuck with it, got better every year, and went out a winner no matter how you look at it. He too is a role model for any basketball player coming into that program. The more BJ Raymonds and Jason Loves they get the better. Coach Mack had a heck of a first year and I'm thoroughly looking forward to many more years like that from him at X. In closing, I would like to say that I think Jordan Crawford is jumping to the league. I mean after the numbers he put up in the tournament, how can he not leave? I've been told that he's projected as a top 20 pick. If he does return, an imminent NBA lock out in 2011 would force him to stay through his senior year and I just don't see him wanting to stay that long, especially with his talent and potential. He has the total package to play in the league right now. But then again, I read just over a month ago that NBA scouts would like for him to stay one more year. That would be unreal and certainly be huge for the team next year. It would certainly make them a pre season top 15 team in my mind. Only time will tell. Until then I will pray like five times a day that he stays. I am already looking forward to the start of the 2010 season! Do what we do.

In the first semi-final Butler will match up against Michigan State. What a story line here. First you have Michigan State making it to their second consecutive Final Four. Seriously, you can never count Tom Izzo and Sparty out in March. That guy and his teams always click come tournament time. Even with out Kalin Lucas they still have the fire power to advance to the biggest stage in college basketball. Butler is quite a story in itself. I know it was salt in the wound to all Xavier fans to see them beat Kansas State full knowing that a rematch between Butler and Xavier would've been the perfect opportunity to advance to the Final Four. But, you have to give Butler a lot of credit. They are the little school that could. In reality they have been on the map since the late 90s and finally got over the hump. Not only are they in the Final Four but it's being played in their back yard in Indianapolis. Much like Michigan State last year in Detroit, Butler has a great opportunity to do something special in front of the home crowd. Lucas Oil Stadium will certainly be rocking on Saturday night. I think on paper you have to give the slight advantage to Michigan State in this match up. Tom Izzo is the veteran coach who has been on this stage plenty of times and knows what it takes to win. Not only that, I would argue their talent is better than Butler's talent. Not to put Butler aside, they have legit guys too. Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, and Matt Howard are three very very solid players and obviously they have proven their worth by advancing to the Final Four. My mind says Michigan State but the my great story line loving heart says Butler. This game could come down to a possession or two, I got Michigan State to make it's second National Title game in a row here. Sorry to my sister who went to Butler, but I got Sparty in this one.

In the second semi-final you have Duke and West Virginia. In Duke you have the sure fire hall of famer Coach K at the healm of the ship leading a once again very solid, sound, and skilled Duke team to their first Final Four since 2004. Duke is probably the least talked about team in this tournament. They have quietly been winning in solid fashion. They probably had the easiest run up to this point as well. Of all four teams left I would say they have the best chance at winning this whole thing. Their inside presence is really good. I mean they out rebounded a very athletic Baylor team, a team who rarely if ever gets out rebounded. They can stroke from deep as well and Nolan Smith is the slasher with a ton of potential. On the other end you have a West virginia team coached by hard nosed and well respected Bob Huggins. Huggy Bear stopped the most talented team in the country in stunning fashion. The 1-3-1 zone worked to perfection on Kentucky as they went 0-fer from long range. With the possibility of Truck Bryant returning to the line up this weekend they will be at full force. Da'Sean Butler is a very good player. Devin Ebanks at 6'8" can guard a perimeter player and seems to be coming into his own this tournament. Defensive leader Mazzula out of nowhere scored 17 against Kentucky as well. Because I picked West Virginia to lose to Kansas in the title game I'm going to stick with West Virginia here. They are my pick to match up with Michigan State next Monday night in Indy.

Meanwhile while hoops as been in full affect things have been going down here in Charlottesville. We are half way through spring practice. I really like the tempo of practice so far. The new staff is great and I can see the attitude changing in players already. Marc Verica has looked solid as QB 1 and the defense looks good in the new 4-3 scheme. Our spring game is April 10th and then we will begin getting ready for a much anticipated match up with Richmond on September 4th followed by a little trip out west to USC on September 11th. Stay tuned. The men's baseball team is still #1 in the country after taking 2 of 3 from top 5 ranked Clemson this weekend. The men's lacrosse team is also still ranked #1 and undefeated after beating Johns Hopkins this weekend. UVA athletics is just on deam right now.

It's that time of year, softball is back. I once again will be taking to the field on a football staff squad. We're looking for a little better effort this year as I think we were placed in a division a little over our heads. I just got a new glove so you know I'm ready to take right field and have that on lock. They are implementing wooden bats this year which should be interesting. I do plan on keeping my power hitting heavy in the mix. The Young Guns and Old Men are back with much swagger this year.

-'Killa

Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet

2010-03-22T21:39:00.004-04:00

As I'm writing this I'm taking in a little stand up comedy in the form of UC v Dayton. Is there anyway that both teams can lose? I say yes, per my boy Ries up in Columbus, "They could have a brawl and both get dq'd with UD getting their ass whooped by Yancy/Cashmere/Lance..." Incredible. If that happened I would be such a happy person. By the way Dayton, what are those uniforms. Last time you wore those in Cincinnati you got Rick Rolled in Cintas Center. You need to start paying attention to the facts and the facts are you can't win in Cincinnati, stay up there in the dump they call Dayton and stop trying to win down in Cincinnati because you just can't. From an equipment manager's perspective, are those black uni's screen printed?! If so, that's whack.

How about that opening weekend for the NCAA Tournament?! Are you kidding me?! I can't remember a first weekend like that to save my life. So many ridiculous things happened I don't even know where to begin. Clearly the upsets and Cinderellas in the mix are the main story lines. In the Sweet 16 you have: 9, 5, 6, 2, 1, 3, 11, and 12 seeds. Absurd. I mean my bracket is completely in shambles with no opportunity to revive it. Down for the count. But, I could care less, I'm all about the great action anyways.

So much for Kansas winning it this year. Northern Iowa said they had enough of the lay down to the master talk and came out and smacked the Jayhawks right in the mouth. I don't know if I've ever seen a dude with more balls than that Ali dude from Northern Iowa. With Norther Iowa up two and Kansas due a possession he pulls up on basically a 1 on 3 break from deep and nails it right in the coffin. Game over. Mouth. See ya Kansas. After beating Kansas anything can happen right? Like I said, they are from the giant killer conference of the MIssouri Valley and clearly aren't afraid of anyone. From the terrific guard play to the scrappy post play they seem to have it clicking on all cylinders. They will be facing off against the always battle tested and deep-run-in-March Michigan State Spartans. How can you not root for Tom Izzo and the Spartans in March. I always have them in the second weekend if not further. Dude just knows how to win in March. Unfortunately they will be without stud and leader Kalin Lucas as he tore his achilles in the first half against Maryland. Thus the question posed is, do they play inspired hoops to get to the Elite 8? Only time will tell. Even without Lucas Michigan State has to be the favorite. Raymar Morgan, Draymon Green, Korie Lucious, Delvon Roe, and company are certainly enough to handle Northern Iowa, but like I said, anything can happen after the magic Norther Iowa pulled off against Kansas. Going with my brain on this one, I like Michigan State to win without Kalin Lucas. Tom Izzo just knows how to win in March. I will point out though with out Lucas Michigan State is 0-1 this year.

The midwest bracket was the most stacked bracket I've ever seen. But now the door is open for Ohio State to not only make the Final Four but make a run at the national title. Ohio State isn't deep at all but the starting five is so tough I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Ohio State taking advantage of the opportunity. First of all they have probably Player of the Year Evan Turner running the show. He doesn't just do one thing great, he does everything great. It is certainly his time to shin on the national stage and show why he's the man. Then there is the long range threat in Jon Diebler. Many believe Ohio State goes as he goes. If he is hitting from deep then they are a very tough team. If not, they then must rely on Turner to really shoulder the burden. David Lighty is not only a lock down defender but he has evolved into an offensive threat who is now stroking from deep as well. William Buford is a young stud too who can fill it up. Dallas Lauderdale is the force down low who really is a true post player. He defends, rebounds, and even does a little scoring. Ohio State is facing off with Tennessee. Tennessee only goes about 6-deep as well so this should make for an interesting match-up. It will be interesting to see if the Bucks slow it down to take Tennessee out of their comfort zone of run and gun or if the Bucks play the up-tempo style of play. I gotta think the Bucks may grind it a little bit but also take their chances to score buckets on the run. I like Ohio State in this match-up.

Butler has shed the Cinderella slipper and is now a well recognized elite squad. They are working with a 22-game win streak at the moment and the best not talked about player is Shelvin Mack. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward seem to get all the publicity by Mack is the real deal. Butler will be matching up against a tough Syracuse team. Syracuse looked very impressive Sunday afternoon even without Onuaku, the big fella down low. Andy Rautins has been lights out so far in this tournament and Wes Johnson is showing why he is in the mix for POY. Again, I like the favorite in this game. I just think Syracuse is a far superior team with a far superior coach. Don't get me wrong Brad Stevens is obviously one of the best young guys out there, but that's just it, he's young. Jim Boeheim has been around the block a few times and knows what it takes to win in March. I think Syracuse wins the match-ups at every position. I like Syracuse in this game.

Kansas State has basically breezed through this tournament. They really haven't even been challenged yet. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente are scorching hot right now. Pulled is clearly a big time player and enjoys the spotlight to shine. Frank Martin brings that Bob Huggins style of coaching and it transforms into their play; tough, gritty, nasty, and over-powering. Kansas State hung all year in a tough Big 12 and gave Kansas a run for their money. The interesting part about their match-up against Xavier is that they have met before this season. Kansas State won the match-up in Manhattan back in December. That was a very scary time for X as things could've gone off the deep end if they hadn't pulled together as a team after that loss. Looking at the box score from that game we shot terrible and didn't play well at all. Jordan Crawford and Brad Redford both had 16. It's going to take a much higher level effort to beat Kansas State in Salt Lake City. First of all, Jordan Crawford is playing out of his mind and proving why he is an elite talent. Dude is averaging 27.5 ppg in the tournament all while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three. Wow. Filthy nasty numbers right there. He has taken over when he has had to take over and played within the team as well. He is scoring from deep, taking it inside, and the mid-range game is wet. Jason Love as been as steady as ever. Just doing what he does, rebound, sky hooks, and go to the line. Dante Jackson has also showed his March veteran leadership by knocking down threes. But Dante, please have some poise when you go to the line in late game situations and just hit your free throws brother. I think the game is going to be a down to the wire game. Xavier is going to need a big time effort defensively to try and cool off Pullen and Clemente. They will also need to crash the glass hard. On the offensive side of things, obviously they will need a heavy dose of Crawford but guys like Holloway, Jackson, and Love will need to be present as well. Brad Redford is healthy and hit a three against Pitt which was nice to see. If they can get some nice minutes from him that will be key. Redford could easily be the X-Factor in this game. My heart says Xavier in this one. You know what, my brain says Xavier. I'll tell you why, they are a much different team than in December right now. I think they have continued to get better and are poised again for another Elite 8. Xavier wins in Salt Lake City.

Time to pimp Xavier with some facts:
1. X and Michigan State are the only two teams to make three straight Sweet 16s
2. Memphis and Xavier are the winningest teams in the NCAA Tournament outside of the Big Six conferences
3. Last time they played in Utah they lost to Gonzaga in a heart breaker
4. Chris Mack is the winningest first year head coach
5. John Calipari and Chris Mack are the only coaches to be in the tournament as coaches in their first year with their respective programs
6. Jordan Crawford is averaging 27.5 ppg (19.7 regular season) shooting 50% (40% regular season) and 40% 3pt (30% regular season) in the tournament

Kentucky has looked as good as ever in the tournament. They certainly look like a team on a mission as they have man handled their opponents so far in this tournament. The young bucks at UK really look like they mean business. John Wall has been solid and Demarcus Cousins is just a hoss. John Calipari certainly has his guys playing at an elite level again in March. They will be matching up with the upstart Cornell Bears. Jay Bilas was all about Cornell before the tournament started and they certainly have made Jay Bilas look like a genius. Their methodical style of play has just flustered opponents and completely embarrassed the Wisconsin Buzz Cuts. Again, I look at this match-up and just see too much fire power in UK for Cornell to handle. I like Kentucky to advance to the Elite 8.

Keeping with the upset special, Washington has come from nowhere and looked good while doing so. The Pac-10 was pretty whack this year which prevented Washington from getting any respect. However, they seemed to have shown why many people saw them as a top 20 team early in the season. Quincy Pondexter is the driving force for this team while Isiah Thomas continues to lead this team to victories. They will be playing West Virginia. Now I have West Virginia in my Final Four. I just think they are really solid at every position. DaSean Butler is a baller. Bob Huggins has done a tremendous job with this team. I think this game will be closer than people think. Washington has earned my respect and I like the way they are playing in this tournament. However, at the end of the day, I like West Virginia to win this one.

The Duke and Purdue game would be so money if Robbie Hummel was healthy. Purdue has been riding the tail of Chris Kramer, E'Twan Moore, and JaJuan Johnson. These guys are trying to make up for the loss of Hummel. However, will that be too much to overcome against the always solid and fundamental Duke team? Certainly Duke is Duke right now. They just do everything right and rarely seem flustered in times of panic. This is Coach K's 19th Sweet 16 I believe. Again, this will be a pretty good game with a lot of interesting match-ups. However, in the end Duke will win. Their road to a possible Final Four berth is the easiest of all favored teams and I think they stay on that road with a win over Purdue.

Finally you have Baylor and St. Mary's. This game is being played in Houston so you have to give the immediate edge to Baylor (Plano, TX). Baylor has a baller point guard in Tweety Carter. When he is hitting from deep he is tough to stop. They then have a stat stuffer Lacedarius Dunn who has inside/outside game of a NBA player. He can hit from deep but also slash to the bucket. Rounding out the necessary entities to be successful in March is Ekpe Udoh. The big man down low alters shots, blocks shots, and can also score down low as he was the only one to show up in Baylor's first round game. St. Mary's is lead by this really annoying big man Omar Samhan. I'll give him his credit, he is a polished block player who can score with both hands. But the guy bumps his gums a little too much. Dude just shut up for once. You're just as annoying as Vasquez from Maryland. Unfortunately, I said St. Mary's wouldn't win a game in this tournament but they have constantly proved me wrong. Again, this match-up will be very interesting. I'm picking Baylor. One reason is that I have Baylor in my Final Four. Another reason, I will be rooting against St. Mary's simply because Samhan is really annoying and everyone seems to be down with him but me. Baylor Bears advance.

So there you have it. I picked mostly favorite teams except for Xavier. Now is the time where you can really tell the men from the boys. Like they say in football, "September is for pretenders and November is for contenders." Well the same goes for the Sweet 16. At this juncture in the tournament, teams seem to separate themselves from each other. You begin to see who the elite squads are while generally the Cinderella runs seem to come to a halt as far superior competition is faced. However, after what Northern Iowa did to Kansas on Saturday, that may not be the case this year. Either way, strap on your seat belts as the wild ride that is March continues. Dayton sucks.

Let's go X!

-'Killa

65 Pieces of Silver Pt. 2

2010-03-15T23:05:00.002-04:00

I generally do not like to toot my own horn but last year’s 65 Pieces of Silver got a lot of publicity and a lot of people complimented me on that piece of work. So I’m back again for another go around at 65 names, teams, coaches, or whatever people should be looking for as the NCAA Tournament gets rolling. Seriously, if you don’t love this time of year then you are a loser. Let’s stop beating around the bush. Take some notes, well actually don’t, just enjoy because I’m not here to give anyone advice on their brackets. I’m just here to give the readers some things to look for. Yo dj, drop that beat.

Cornell is the first team to go dancing. They knocked off the Brown Bears in dominating fashion. This is Cornell’s third straight trip to the dance. They have lost in the first round as a 14-seed the past two years but three years ago almost upset #1 seed Kansas. Look for Cornell to stroke it from deep. They hit 20 of 30 from downtown against Brown. They are deep and experienced and could provide teams a little bit of trouble come dance time.

Winthrop is dancing after beating Coast Carolina on their home floor for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Winthrop’s smothering D is key to their success. Not trying to hate on the Eagles, but they only have one guy averaging in double digits and that guy only averages 10.4. However, like I said, it’s their D that is key.

The Bucs from ETSU are back dancing. This is their second straight appearance in the big dance. Pretty impressive if you ask me as they lost three starters from last year’s squad from either graduation or injury.

The Racers of Murray State are dancing. Check this out, they have 30 wins! They are 30-4. Murray State is no stranger to the dance as this is their 14th appearance however; it’s their first since 2006. Not sure if they are gonna do the things or not, but look for them to be slinging on the hardwood.

Out of the giant killer conference that is the Missouri Valley Conference comes Northern Iowa. They topped the Shockers of Wichita State to grab the automatic bid. Wichita State needed the win more than Northern Iowa, so now they are going to have to wait an agonizing week to see their fate. UNI used a 25-3 run in the second half to help grab the W. Their suffocating D held the Shockers without a field goal for over 12 minutes. It was once again Kwadzo Ahelegbe who laid pipe. Look for Northern Iowa to cause some trouble in the tourney. Teams out of the MVC are the real deal; people should take them more seriously.

The Monarchs are in the mix! Out of the Colonial Athletic Association come the Monarchs of Old Dominion University. Check it, little known fact, the alma mater of my boss! I’ll tell you what though. As much as I want to give this team props, it’s hard for me to say they are a team that can get a win in the NCAA tournament. They struggle to make free throws and only average four made three-pointers a game. To me that’s two very important categories. If a team wants to sit in a zone on ODU and ODU isn’t hitting from deep then I just don’t see them advancing. I will say that they rebound like a bunch of crazed banshees, so that there is an important category when it comes to advancing. Throw them in as a 10-seed and they could make a little noise.

The giant killers are back. Siena. Out of the MAAC, Siena is coming strong. They were down by as many as 17 and 15 in the second half. They battled back and gutted out an overtime victory in front of the home crowd. Let me break it down for you about Siena. First of all, they beat Ohio State last year so that should send enough shockwaves across Bracketville. Secondly, over the past four years the program has 96 wins, which is comparable to 115 wins over four years at a place like UNC. Siena is a team that other teams use as a resume builder so everything comes earned. They have a group of seniors who have scored 4,000+ combined points over their careers as well. So you have to think Siena is in the mix to make big time noise. As always, I have to give a big shout out to my main man Bob Gavagan. Dude was a manager at Xavier with me but moved on to lay it down at Siena and if there is one thing I know Bob does, it’s hang banners and sling bling. I see you Bobby G!

The Wofford Terriers from the SoCon are dancing. This is there first ever dance. Shoot they have only been a D1 program since 1994 so this is big time. They jumped out early on Appy State and then used lock down D to shut App State out of the dance. It should be noted that Mark Prosser is on staff at Wofford and that Wofford is on the schedule for X next year. So take note, another NCAA tournament team on the schedule for next year. See that Dayton, when you schedule teams who make the tournament you set yourself up to be dominant late in the season. I don’t really see Presbyterian in the mix this year.

Out of the West Coast Conference is St. Mary’s. Don’t worry, Gonzaga will be in, but St. Mary’s grabs the automatic bid, one they just missed out on last year when they really probably deserved an at large bid. But you know what, no sympathy for this team this year. In fact I’ve reversed my feelings on this team this year. I was all about them and Paddy Mills last year. This year, not so much. They have this tool who plays down low that I really could care less for. Omar Samhan. Not a fan of this guy or his game. His numbers are solid but not a fan of him regardless. Dude you’re really annoying and no one gives a damn about how much of a “beast” you proclaim yourself to be. I’m not picking them to win a game in the tournament.

Looming on the Horizon of a deep run in March is Butler. They ran the table in the Horizon League and kept running it in the conference tournament. Impressive enough is the unblemished run in conference but this little team that could has been dancing 7 times in the last 11 years which is a testament to them knocking the mid-major label of their back. They were ranked all season long and won some big games while doing so. This team is very easily a team in my mind that can go to at least the second weekend of the tournament if not further. Between Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward on the perimiter and Matt Howard down low they have the tools to be dangerous. Did I mention they’ve won 20 games in a row? I will also say that Butler matched Xavier for conference wins (15) but couldn’t beat Xavier’s margin of victory in a championship game (26). Xavier still getting work done.

Oakland is dancing out of the Summit Conference. Besides IUPUI and IPFW I have no idea who else is in this conference. Completely irrelevant. I mean Oakland has their last names below the number on their jerseys for pete’s sake. Stupid. Their coach rocks like a mock turtle neck during games. Bad. They have a bunch of wiggers on the team. Awful. Don’t count on this team to win a game in the tourney. Just not feeling this team. Derick Nelson did drop 36 points for them in the title game though, with a broken nose. Pretty fresh. This is their second dance too. Limited experience leads to limited advancement.

Ah yes, North Texas out of the perennial powerhouse Sun Belt conference. The Mean Green, former employer of @hehateme183 aka @dclark183, is dancing thanks to the late game heroics of Josh White. They are currently riding an 11 game win streak and that can be attributed to the amount of POISE they show. As we all know POISE is very key to making runs in March. While I’m not saying to pick the Mean Green just remember POISE is the key.

Robert Morris is dancing out of the Northeast Conference. They took down Quinnipiac at Quinnipiac to punch the ticket. Bob Morris is lead by an unlikely character in Karon Abraham. Dude is a pure freshman and can flat out play. He jumped into the mix after the cat in front of him went down to an injury and has really been doing it since late December. Better keep your eyes on this 5’10” baller. Secondly, their coach has been around the block and has learned under plenty of high level mentors including Jamie Dixon and Phil Martelli.

Certainly Duke is Duke. On TV more than Leave it to Beaver re-runs. Duke won the ACC. Blah blah blah. Not surprising here. They are dancing. The team America loves to hate is back to their old tricks. This Duke team will frustrate you with their fundamentally sound play and stiff D. They have guys who can stroke from deep and bang down low. Really, they have all the mixings to challenge for a title. But I just don’t think they will win it all. Final Four if they’re lucky, but I’m thinking more like Elite 8.

Vermont came out of the America East Conference. The last time Vermont was dancing they knocked off Syracuse. So they are certainly looking to find that magic again. Vermont is lead by Marques Blakely who is an all around guy who can absolutely sky.

Temple got the automatic seed out of the A-10 after beating Richmond. Temple loves going to Atlantic City as they have won the 3 of 4 tournaments in that dump of a city. Boardwalk Hall is a dump. The Pirate ship that is painted on the one wall is just weird. Temple is going to be a tough out for anyone in this tournament. They dominated the A-10 and played Kansas very well back in January.

Speaking of Kansas, they got the automatic bid out of the Big 12 conference. Ever since UNC was holding the trophy up last year I said Kansas would be the team to win it all this year and I’m sticking with that. I love what Bill Self has built at Kansas. This team in particular is laden with veterans and talent. They defend and can score in bunches. I just love everything this Kansas team brings to the table. The only guarantee I have when it comes to this bracket is that I’m going to put Kansas on the champion line as soon as I fill out a bracket.

West Virginia won the Big East tournament. What a heck of a league and conference tournament. Year after year the Big East continues to impress me. The amount of talent and skilled basketball is awesome. You have to like West Virginia’s chances to go deep this year solely based on their body of work. They were ranked in the top 10 all season long, they played the toughest schedule, and they were successful in playing the toughest schedule. All of those factors make for a great March. I like West Virginia this year. Bobby Huggins is back up to his old tricks.

Montana won a sick game in the Big Sky to grab the automatic bid. Just when Weber State thought they had the game in the bag Anthony Johnson decided to show up. Dude went straight medieval on Weber State who led by 22 in the second half. Johnson finished with 42 and single handedly tore apart Weber State. Just for this ballsy effort I gotta like the Grizz. Plus their nickname is the Grizz……..nice.

Ohio State is coming out of the always tough Big Ten. It took a little magic early to help the Buckeyes propel themselves through the tournament. Michigan gave the Bucks a little scare and Evan Turner, soon to be player of the year, answered the prayers of Buckeye nation as he hit a half courter for the win. Blame the Michigan staff for not having anyone guard the inbounder (see Christian Latener). Unbelieveable. Ohio State maybe goes 6 deep but that starting five is pretty leathal and built for a run. Evan Turner is a beast. He leads the team in every category. David Lighty has morphed from a lock down defender to an offensive threat. William Bufford is just the man. If Jon Diebler is feeling it from deep then teams will pay the price. Dallas Lauderdale is just a force down low, a true low post player. I think the Bucks could make a potential case for the Final Four.

UC Santa Barbara won the automatic bid out of the Big West. First of all their nick name is The Gauchos. Second of all it’s the alma mater of Jim Rome, cue karma. They may be destined for a little magic. This is their first dance since 2002. I don’t know too much about these guys, therefore I think I’ll see them exiting stage left in round one. Sorry Gauchos.

Houston is back out of Conference USA. Whle Houston is lead by journeyman Tom Penders, this is their first bid in 18 years. Not to mention they had the 7 seed in the C-USA tourney. I guess you could say they are poised for a run. But I’m going to go with my better judgment and just say this is a team that got hot when they needed to. I don’t see the Cougars rekindling the fire of Phi Slamma Jamma.

The Bobcats of Ohio University are dancing out of the MAC. Good old John Groce and rebirthed Armon Bassett are dancing. They certainly were not predicted to win the MAC, but good for these guys. Groce comes from the Matta line of coaches, so you gotta be happy for this guy. Bassett is one of the handful of guys displaced after the fiasco at Indiana under Kelvin Sampson. Bassett is definitely a force and I’m sure he’ll be putting the team on his back in the tournament, I just don’t know how much this team has to make a run. Party on OU.

What do you know about Morgan State and the MEAC?! I really don’t know too much but I do know they beat South Carolina State for their second straight MEAC Title. The Bears are playing inspired basketball as they have dedicated their season to redshirt freshman Anthony Anderson has leukemia and watched from home in Baltimore receiving chemotherapy. Certainly a nice story line and inspired play always makes for exciting games.

My main man Steve Fisher and the Aztecs of San Diego State are dancing out of the Mountain West. They are lead by freshman phenom Kawhi Leonard. Dude put out 16 and 21 in the championship effort. As a freshman he averages 13 and 10, so that’s pretty impressive. I like SDSU as a sleeper pick in my bracket only because this team has been on the rise and no one really knows what they bring to the table.

The Pac-10 was really weak this year but the Huskies from Washington are dancing. Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas are the leaders for this Husky team. Lorenzo Romar is a decent coach too. This team was a bubble team so obviously they had a resume worthy of dancing. I like for this team to grab a win or two in the tournament.

Lehigh grabbed the Patriot League title. I seriously thought their mascot was a pigeon, but it’s actually a mountain hawk. Same difference I guess. This is their fourth appearance but first since 2004.

It wouldn’t really be March without a little Kentucky action. Kentucky secured an automatic bid by beating Mississippi State in the final of the SEC tournament. It also wouldn’t be March without John Calipari. It wouldn’t be March without the best freshman to be dancing, literally and figuratively. The John Wall dance is captivating hoops fans everywhere. Plus his play is just as captivating as the tiny but athletic point guard demands attention because he’s that good. In fact the entire freshman class at UK is that good. Demarcus Cousins is a freak down low but his hot head can get him in trouble sometimes. Then you have Horton and Bledsoe too. Everyone seems to forget about Patrick Patterson. These are guys that even attracted my main man LeBron James to a game in Rupp Arena. Pretty special and arguably the most talented team in the country but will their youth and plain dumb-ness catch up with them? Only time will tell. Do the John Wall. Do the John Wall. Do the John Wall.

Out of the Southland Conference is Sam Houston State. Not to be confused with the Cincinnati Bearcats who are not dancing these BearKATS are dancing. That’s right BearKats. Jeff Van Gundy provided inspiration via text for the Bearkats, telling them to, “ATTACK.” Easily one of my favorite motivational tactics, ATTACK. Attack and finish, right LooneyBunch?

Arkansas Pine Bluff is dancing out of the SWAC. Pow pow pow. Besides knowing little to nothing about this team, I’m loving that they’re dancing because I used to play as them in NCAA Football. For what reason, I can’t tell you, but I was pretty nasty. So I gotta think they are due for a little action in March. Well maybe not really, but congrats as it is their first ever NCAA bid.

New Mexico State surprised the favorite, Utah State to grab the automatic bid out of the WAC. Point guard and tournament Jamhar Young willed his team to victory after visualizing the team dancing. He said, “after watching other teams win all afternoon, I could just picture us winning and going dancing.” Pretty nice to see it happen and then it comes true.

You know a team is making strides when you see UNLV back in the mix. It’s so refreshing to see them back dancing. I believe they danced last year but they really set out this year with a tough schedule and the Mountain West was pretty strong in itself. I expect UNLV to be prepared and I definitely like them as a team to make a little noise.

Wake Forest received an at large bid. The ACC was fairly competitive this year but Wake kind of fell off toward the end. Certainly getting smashed by Georgia Tech in the first round of the tournament didn’t make things better but may have lit the fire under this talented team. Ish Smith is one of the quickest dudes in all of college basketball and an absolute play maker when it comes to point guard ability.

We can’t say March without mentioning Michigan State and Tom Izzo. Year after Year Sparty is competing at the highest level. To remind you, they lost to UNC last year in the title game. Everyone knows I love Izzo and State. While they had ups and downs this year, don’t count them out, especially when it comes to tournament time. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan are two guys very capable of taking over games and dominating both outside and inside.

Texas. Wow. What more can you say? This team was once ranked #1 in the country. Since then it seems like they haven’t been able to get back on track. I see them winning one maybe two games, but no more than that. Just by watching them play over these last few weeks I have been less than impressed. No hooking of horns this year. No sir. Bad karma ever since Colt McCoy got smashed in the title game out in Pasadena.

Arguably one of the hottest and most dangerous teams coming into this boogey down is Maryland. But man, I really hate Vasquez. That guy is all talk. Dude gives a fore-arm shiver everytime he goes to make a move. Be a man and don’t cheat tool. I have to give this team credit, they are playing really well when it really counts. Maybe that beat down in the ACC tournament was a rude awakening? Sweet 16 potential.

Wisconsin, the buzzcuts, the team everyone hates in the Big Ten. Certainly the Kohl Center is a tough place to play. But seriously, how annoying is it when you get beat down by a bunch of dudes flossing flattop lettuce? Really annoying. Trevon Hughes is legit though. I certainly expect Bo Ryan to have the fellas coached up and ready to go. But due to my allegiances and grudges I hold, I don’t see myself giving this team a lot of respect.

Tennessee is dancing. This means Bruce Pearl is in the house. I’ve warmed up to him and this team because of someone finally getting control of the thuggery that was going on down there. Dudes with guns blazing the hemp, just out of control. I think everyone got refocused after that incident. Shoot, they beat Kansas, my favorite to win it all. That kind of says something right? They do like to run and gun and press and trap. Reckless play leads to reckless results.

Marquette is in the mix. Certainly not a surprise as they played pretty well in the Big East this year. I can’t decide if they flew under the radar this year or just didn’t do much to have people talking about them? The Big East was loaded this year and it seems like Marquette just kind of flew below the radar while the Syracuses’ and West Virginia’s stole the show? Lazar Hayward is pretty nice. I like what he brings to the table.

The Hoyas of Georgetown are in my opinion the hottest team coming into the Dance. They too flew below the radar, but at the national level this year. They got the job done in the Big East but never really got the national attention Villanova, Syracuse, Duke, Kansas, or Kansas State was getting. I like this team for the inside and outside presence. Plus, John Thompson III is a pretty damn good coach. Hoyas run deep in March.

Steve Alford has New Mexico dancing. The Lobos actually made legit statements this year. If you don’t know basketball then this is definitely a pick for a sleeper type run in your pools. I love them for the sole fact they beat Dayton (how’s that NIT feel suckas?).

Oklahoma State is dancing. James Anderson is a BEAST. Travis Ford is young and good. What more can you say about the Cowboys? Their uniforms are sick too. James Anderson is arguably the best two guard in the country and if your best defensive player doesn’t show up to play against him be ready for a clinic.

Mike Anderson and the Tigers of Missouri are back in the mix. This team is funny to me. Again, I felt like everytime I saw they they were losing so they never really garnered my interest. But they did play in a tough Big 12 and they did get an at large so they must be worth something. I’m just not so sure how much they are worth it. Their pressure D can cause problems and as we saw last year, they made a decent run because of their athletic ability.

Georgia Tech made a late season surge to go from bubble to dancing. Gani Lawal is the real deal. Derrick Favors is a freshman phenom that a lot of people outside of the ACC are unaware of. Paul Hewitt is still getting it done. I think the job he did this year probably bought him some more time at the North Avenue Trade School. The sole fact that they got hot in the ACC is a good sign that they are ready to rumble later this week.

Another ACC squad is Clemson. This team had a lot of high expectations early one and then fizzled or like I’ve said about other teams, they just lost my attention. That’s not to say they’re not good because they do have talent. Take Demontez Stitt for example. Baller. Trevor Booker is also a guy you should probably keep your eyes on. Pure play maker.

Syracuse fans about had massive heart attacks when Onuaku went down in the losing effort of their Big East tournament game. However, all signs point toward a return if they make the sweet 16. They certainly have the talent. Andy Rautins can stroke it from deep and Wes Johnson is a legit POY candidate. If they make it to the round of 16 and Onuaku returns then look for them to make a late season surge toward Indianapolis.

Cal barely squeaked in. Had it not been for their ambitious schedule then they would be flossing NIT status. But, they built their resume and here they are. The Pac-10 was pretty horrific this year. Cal lost to Washington in the Pac-10 Title game. As much as I want to be a believer in Cal, based on the overall badness of the Pac 10 I don’t have a lot of faith in them or the Huskies.

By now March and Gonzaga are basically one in the same. Gonzaga has tossed the Cinderella name aside and are now legit every year which I think is a huge testament to Mark Few. Matt Bouldin is your typical Gonzage point guard. Very fundamental, can beat you in a variety of ways, and loves getting his teammates involved. You can thank John Stockton for the long line of point guards to come from Gonzaga. I wasn’t too impressed with their play against St. Mary’s but that being said, Gonzaga still doesn’t get the respect they truly deserve which is why I think they have a shot at advancing to the second weekend of March.

Louisville is in which means Rick Pitino is in the mix. Somehow Louisville secured big time wins in a tough tough conference to help propel themselves to the dance. Edgar Sosa is pretty bad though. I’m not really a fan of him. Samardo Samuels on the other side of things is a force down low. I like what he brings to the table.

The Seminoles are dancing. I’m really beginning to wonder how so many ACC schools got in. I didn’t think the conference was overly impressive this year. Florida State doesn’t bring anything sweet to the table other than some black jerseys. You must be reminded that they did challenge for the ACC title last year so experience plays a role in deep runs in March. Experience and poise, very key to runs in March.

Texas A&M is another team out of the Big 12. All year long they battled and got big wins when they had to. I have to think with the possibility of playing in nearby Houston is a huge motivator for these guys to make it to the second weekend. If that happens then who knows what may happen. A home town crowd is always helpful to runs.

UTEP is easily my biggest dark horse in the tournament this year. I just love what they have going on down there in El Paso. Remember Derrick Caracter? The guy who disappeared from Louisville. Well he’s resurface down in El Paso badder than ever. Big hoss daddy down low. Not to mention his athletic partner in crime, Randy Culpepper. Seriously, I’m down with UTEP and I like them to make big noise.

The Aggies of Utah State are dancing. They were one of those teams that built a strong resume and RPI to assist them in their selection to the tournament. This team’s ability to do more things right than wrong and do them well will be a big factor in their chances at advancing.

Vanderbilt is in out of the SEC. Here is a team with run potential as well. Kevin Stallings is a heck of a coach. I really like the versatility of Ogilvy. He reminds me a lot of Dirk Nowitzki. If there was a team that you wanted to go out on a legit limb to go to the Final Four this is the team. Not only do they have play makers but their team defense is pretty solid too.

Purdue is in. I loved this Purdue team until Robbie Hummel went down. What a crushing blow to lose him. With him, Moore, and Johnson you had a trifecta ready to do damage. I think it’s going to be tough for Purdue to make the Sweet 16. If they do make it that far things will only become more difficult.

Xavier is dancing. First of all they went out and scheduled a schedule worthy of a team to go dancing. There are 9 teams in the NCAA tournament who Xavier played this year. Pow Dayton. The A-10 was also surprisingly strong this year and Xavier won title #4 in a row. Pow Dayton. Coach Chris Mack is the only first year coach to be in the dance too. I think that speaks to his ability to coach a team. I think this team is as good as they come. You have a point guard who has a big game mentality and won’t back down to anyone. Rob Lowery you suck. Next you have arguably one of the most explosive scorers in all of basketball in Jordan Crawford. He’ll make you pay from deep or he’ll go mixtape on you and set you up for a nasty finish, fade away basline J, or just a basic mid range J. From there you look at the vocal leader in Dante Jackson, a guy who’s been there before. Then you have big Jamel McClean who only gets better everytime he sets foot on the court. He goes up and gets any rebound in his radius, he finished emphatically, and he plays with heart and soul. Speaking of heart and soul, Jason Love it eh engine on this train. I still think Xavier goes as Jordan Crawford goes but Jason Love is the main guy here. He is the career winning leader at Xavier, he is a true post presence with moves to both his left and right hand, he’s the hardest working player in all of college basketball, and the guy is just a winner. Seriously, four A-10 Titles, a game for the ages back in 2007, an Elite 8 run, a Sweet 16 run, and whatever this year holds. All in all I certainly think this team has second weekend potential and when they’re on they are one of the better teams out there. But its going to come down to effort on the defensive end, attention to detail and smart basketball offensively, and an overall play to win attitude. Attack and finish. Do what we do. Play to win.

Notre Dame is heating up at just the right time. It must be nice to have Luke Harangody back and coming off the bench and straight owning fools. You also have Jackson at the point who only drops sick dimes. I’m personally not a Notre Dame guy, but I have to give this team credit. They are playing well when it counts and I think they are Sweet 16 material.

Minnesota snuck in, certainly a team that barely made it. They have the most losses of any at large team in the tournament. But they do have Tubby Smith coaching them and that’s a pretty big advantage anyway you look at it. They also have some size down low. I think they’re magic has come to a crashing halt though.

Baylor is another team from the Big 12 and another one of those teams that has deep run potential. Lacedarius Dunn is a prime time player. Tweety Carter is a big time point guard with silly quicks and silly handles. He also may torch you from deep if your not careful. Then there is Ekpe Udoh downlow who sends your shot back if you come weak. I like the Bears to make mega noise in the tournament this year.

Pitt is back in the tournament. Should we be surprised? Jamie Dixon just gets W’s at Pitt. He literally lost almost everything from a talented senior class last year. But, he came back this year and played with the cards dealt him and damn near almost got himself a Big East ring. A very dangerous team but also a very beatable “big-name” team.

The Richmond Spiders are the third team out of the A-10. They are one of the more sneaky teams in the tournament. I will give credit where credit is due. Kevin Anderson is a very solid player and one of the most underrated guards in the entire country, the guy gets no publicity and only continues to put up big time numbers. Davd Gonzalvez has ice in his veins and is liable to ruin a lot of people’s days and brackets. Heed the warning.

The Mormons are coming strong in the form of BYU. Let me introduce America to Jimmer Fredette. The guy can straight score and do it from anywhere on the court. Just ask Arizona, he torched them for 40+ earlier in the season. This guy is certainly one of the names I expect to hear throughout March as putting up big time numbers. But seriously, who names their kid JImmer?

Villanova has had one of the biggest falls from grace, not as bad as Texas’ though. This team has really fell on hard times lately. But I wouldn’t count a team with Scottie Reynolds on it out quite yet. I think they are poised to make a run. Shoot, they were in the Final Four last year. Jay Wright knows how to prepare the team for a March run.

Florida snuck in out of the SEC. This breaks a three year drought for the Gators. They certainly had a resume to make the tournament but almost blew their way into the NIT. I like Florida and their team but I just don’t know if they have anything left in the tank. I’ll be rooting for them but I don’t see them making big time noise.

Kansas State is a team that everyone has been talking about. But are they really all they are cracked up to be. My answer is no. Sure they have some talent and sure Frank Martin is one of the most intimidating dudes in all of college basketball. But I think they peaked a little too early as I thought they were playing their best back in late January. I think they have lost site of the prize of late and that could prove costly in March. Still a Sweet 16 potential though. Jacob Pullen and his beard are nice.

That concludes my NCAA Tournament Preview for 2010. I haven’t filled my bracket out yet, but I’m going to do so before going to bed tonight. The only thing I can be sure of is I will be putting Kansas on the National Championship line. Outside of that, I’m going on pure gut feeling this year when making selections. I’m going to look at the match-up and simply deduce by what I’m feeling who’s surviving and advancing. It’s my favorite time of year. Get ready to hunker down and post up. Let the dance begin.

-‘Killa

X4 - Championship Week

2010-03-08T18:09:00.005-05:00

Right out of the gate I need to give a huge shout out to UVA Baseball and LaCrosse. Both teams are ranked #1 in their respective sports. That's what I'm talking about. That's how you come strong for the Director's Cup, especially with the top dog revenue sports (football and basketball) not performing. Baseball remained at #1 even though they dropped a game to Wright State on Friday. The LAXers were #2 and had a tilt against #1 'Cuse this past weekend. The Cavaliers jumped out early and held on for a 11-10 win to shot them up to the top spot. Let me tell you something, everyone needs to try and get in the mix for a UVA LAX game. These deals are on point. Especially when the weather is crispy and the fellas are dominating. So chalk that up as something that needs to be done. Plus you're killing two birds with one stone: A. You're visiting me in Charlottesville and B. Getting down with the fastest sport on the grass. Ya dig?

Now, to my main men holding it down at Cintas Center, 3800 Victory Parkway to be exact. By victory I mean hanging banners and straight slinging bling. Yup, that's right. Chalk it up for a fourth A-10 Title in a row. How's that sound? Pretty good if I may say so myself. Xavier got busy on Fordham last Wednesday and then dropped the hammer on St. Bonaventure this past Saturday. Saturday was Senior Day, so the lone senior, Jason Love went out the way he should a winner and a champion. He is currently the top dog when it comes to all time wins at Xavier and that number continues to rise. You can't say enough about this guy's career. The numbers don't lie, improvement every year. Arguably the hardest worker in all of college basketball if I have a say in things. Jason Love fits the mold of a Xavier basketball player. If you have to ask what that is, just go look at his stats, ask about his work ethic, look at the dramatic improvement over the four years, and look at the banners that hang above the court at Cintas Center. Enough said. Like I said, Xavier wrapped up the A-10 title and will have the #2 seed in the A-10 Tourney. They will face the winner of Dayton and GW on Friday at 6:30. So in honor of GW going to Dayton check this classic out, get some Karl Hobbs.

That's how you go into that dump of an arena and win. Speaking of winning, St. Louis crushed the dreams of all of Dayton's seniors by stomping them on senior day. Their fans cried as the Bilikens went into that dump and got the job done on Saturday. I digress, the regular season awards and teams were dished out yesterday. Jordan Crawford got first team and Jason Love got third team. Immeditately you should see some serious issues with that past sentence. Jordan not being player of the year and Love being on third team. First of all, how do you not give the best player on the best team the POY?! I mean seriously. Crawford dominated the A-10 the entire year. No one had an answer for him. Not to mention he means more to his team than Kevin Anderson does for Richmond. You have got to be kidding me. Love, on third team?! This may be the biggest joke I've ever seen in my life. The A-10 coaches mean to tell me that there are two more centers better than Love in the league? You must be crazy. How many times are these coaches going to get it wrong before they get it right? This goes all the way back to 2008 when Stan, Drew, and Josh got absolutely robbed of what they deserved. I personally think that the coaches in the league have a serious beef with Xavier. Look, if you have a problem with us dominating, get over it. Face the facts, the tradition of excellence runs right through Xavier. I think the banners, the Elite 8's, the NCAA tournament appearances, and NBA jerseys speak for themselves. Clearly Xavier is the cream of the crop not only in the conference but in the country. As one of my friends put it, is it even good to have Bobby Lutz, Brian Gregory, and Jim Barron vote as their teams choke?! Seriously, facts don't lie. Love and Crawford got robbed and the fact that Terrell Holloway didn't get any love is bogus too. The last thing you coaches needed to do was to give those guys any extra added incentive as this conference tournament approaches. I hope you're well prepared to feel the wrath because the hammer is about to be dropped. Looking to the NCAA tournament, I have to think if Xavier can finally win the A-10 Tournament they are looking at a 3 or 4 seed. If not I would say anywhere between a 5 and 7 is possible for the fellas. I would like to say they will go no worse than a 5 but you never know when that committee sits down what goes through their heads. Again, as I look at their resume, there is not a SINGLE bad loss. So that has to play in their favor among other things i.e. RPI and strength of schedule.

Unfortunately, Gordon College fell in the first round of the NCAA D3 tournament at Middlebury. It just wasn't their night. That's about all that can be said. Just one of those deals where the better team won. I got to hand it to the five seniors. They came into Gordon on the heels of a D3 tournament appearance. They worked their butts off to get back there and they did. They left a legacy and are walking out slinging bling and hanging a banner. Boom.

The Buckeyes wrapped up the Big 10 regular season title. Evan Turner is still my vote for national player of the year, as long as A-10 coaches aren't voting he should get it. If they win the Big 10 tournament I have to think they have a good shot at a #1 seed. But again, you never know what's going down behind those closed doors of the selection committee.

Smokin' Trees & Strokin' Threes fell in the intramural tournament. But not without controversy. We were down 10 in the second half, came back and even took the lead by 3 with about 7 minutes to go. We ended up losing by 6. But let me tell you something. I want everyone to take a good hard guess at what the foul differential was? For those of you unable to make a guess, it was 25-7 in favor of the other team. You have to be kidding me. 25 to freaking 7?! How the hell is that possible? Especially when we were attacking the basketball all night? I'll tell you how it's possible, out of shape and clueless refs afraid to make a call. Wait, they weren't afraid to blow the whistle, just in favor of the dumb mormons we were playing. Absolutely pathetic.

The Browns signed Joshua Cribbs. Thank God because if they didn't do this move I would be furious and drop all allegiances to that franchise. The Browns are also in the market for a QB. Rumor has it both Anderson and Quinn could be out the door as The Walrus claims that neither are capable of leading the Browns to the promised land aka the Playoffs. Who knows who they are going to get as the Eagles claim to not be dealing Kolb and likely will try to keep McStabb. David Carr signed with the 49ers. Seneca Wallace is bad. I mean do they go after Jason Campbell? Who knows. Just please don't trade draft picks. That's the future there and I prefer that you don't tamper with that.

Be on the lookout for a big time post next Sunday night or Monday. I've got a NCAA Tournament Special in the works. I would also like to take the time now to promote my man BernBomb as he and his brother have started a blog of their own. Consider us partner's in crime when it comes to Xavier hoops coverage and all things sports. Check it out...

http://mackisberning.blogspot.com/

-'Killa

Here We Go

2010-03-01T19:12:00.003-05:00

Big big big week has just gone down. I've got a lot of things to cover. After hella persuading I have finally jumped onto that deal they call twitter, so follow me (scoonie712) as I have quickly become immersed into the twitter lifestyle. You may be wondering what the heck is scoonie712? I'll tell you what it is and it's not what but who. James "Scoonie" Penn. My all time favorite basketball player. He lead the Buckeyes to greatness in the late 90s. The banner may not be hanging anymore, but he was so crucial to the 1999 Ohio State Buckeye Final Four run. I still claim that had he not had to wear the #35 jersey they would've beat UCONN and played Duke in the championship game. The number 7 represents my lucky number and also the number Joey Galloway wore at THE Ohio State University. The number 12 represents Scoonie Penn's number and also a favorite number of mine. That should explain everything.

Onto the more important items. The Musketeers are once again peaking at the right time of season like they always do. The Muskies went into St. Louis last Wednesday and gutted out another big time road conference win. Jason Love is just absolutely a man possessed this year. It's no coincidence I'm hearing swirling rumors that the man has a legitimate shot at the League. His work ethic is unmatched and easily has made the greatest improvement of any Xavier basketball player over his four year career. One thing Xavier players are known for is their ability to get better every single day. In came the Spiders from Richmond on Sunday. The Cintas Center was ready and so were the Musketeers. Jordan Crawford did what he does but it was the stellar play of Terrell Holloway that stole the show on Sunday. Xavier won in a double over-time thriller that will give them no less than a share of the A-10 regular season title provided they don't have a disastrous melt down against Fordham and St. Bonaventure. Make that four in a row. All we do is hang banners and put rings upon our fingers, something completely foreign to the Dayton basketball program. When Jordan Crawford appeared worn out from chasing Richmond players all over the court and running through screens it was Tutu who stepped up into the spotlight and showed once again why when his time is done at Xavier he will surely be the program's best point guard. The tradition is seriously continuing to grow at Xavier. Every year, down the stretch Xavier steps up when it means the most. In the month of February Xavier went on the road 4 times to hostile environments and grabbed 3 wins. They also took care of business in conference. You can't say enough about the job Chris Mack has done. If Xavier wins out and wins the A-10 tournament they seriously could be looking at a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think a 5 is a lock right now but if they continue to play well that seed will only rise giving Xavier better chances at moving on into the second weekend of the tournament. Even when there was doubt at the beginning of the season, Xavier stayed the course. It's not a sprint and it's not how you start but it's how you finish in the marathon that is college basketball as Xavier has entered the top 25 poll. Keep doing what we do fellas.

Gordon College basketball is also hanging banners and donning bling to the fingers. My brother's team won the regular season title and did work in the TCCC tournament to grab an automatic bid into the NCAA D3 tournament. They will face off against #6 ranked Middlebury on Friday. According to my brother they are young and are capable of committing mistakes. The Fighting Scots are a seasoned team with a lot of veterans including 5 seniors who came in with a goal to go dancing and after four years of hard work they are dancing. But, they are not satisfied. They are looking to make noise and show why Gordon is a legit program. I would like to plug in that my brother was named Co-Conference Defensive player of the year.

Ohio State is doing work and has a chance to win the Big 10 regular season title. Again, the play of Evan Turner is unreal. The guy has got to be the front runner for POY in the college hoops. I've been pimping him all year and all he does is go out there and lead the team in almost every statistical category. They are getting great play from David Lighty and William Buford. If they even had an ounce of legitimate depth they would be a team, on paper, worthy of a Final Four run. I just wish people cared more about that program in Columbus. Seriously, why is it everytime I watch a game Value City Arena looks empty? Can we please get some support for that program?

I hit up my boy Pete's wedding this weekend in Chicago. To say it was quite the event is an understatement. It was HIGH LEVEL. The Management came strong and rocked the house. A biased yet arguable fact would be that the Management table shared MVP honors this past weekend. We rocked Oak Brook, IL with vigor. Everyone did work and was in rare form. Quite the reunion of old friends. Congrats Pete and Natalie! I will say that I of course owned the Electric Slide. Other highlights include: the late night party in room 904 that lasted until the sun came up, hehateme183's studio rapping that will soon be featured on a mixtape, taking charges on the dance floor, and the reminiscing of our time as managers at Xavier.

Tonight Smokin' Trees and Strokin Threes takes to the floor as a #2 seed in the intramural tournament. It will once again be a prime-time, west coast tip at 10:30 at the AFC. The overly confident football team will be in the house to take note of what they could be facing down the road in the tournament. Looking to make a deep run a la Xavier basketball.

I'm still working on The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, but it's a great book and highly recommend it.

Current Song: Dancing Nancies - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds (Live from Las Vegas)

-'Killa

George Wasington

2010-02-22T21:32:00.003-05:00

Karl Hobbs, sorry, not your team, but the President. My favorite of the two Presidents recognized this month, his birthday is today, so lets give a big birthday shout out to the man who stood up in a boat when you're not supposed to and owned the British. While on this revolutionary kick, I was up in Boston this past weekend with the family to watch my brother and his teammates dominate on Salve Regina in their "final" home game of my brother and the four other seniors on the Gordon College men's basketball team. They dropped a 30-point beat down on S. Regina (Providence, RI). They already wrapped up the regular season TCCC title but it gave those seniors one more chance to go out and do what they came to Gordon to do and that's make the NCAA DIII tournament. Gordon will have home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament, a court they only lost once on this year, so hopefully they win tomorrow, Thursday, and Saturday and go dancing. (The DIII championship is in Salem, VA so I want to have a good excuse to go up there, that being my brother and the Fighting Scots are laying it on the line to raise the hardware) So I took in a little DIII action while I was up in Boston but I also did some things I've been meaning to do for a long time. I went to Glouscester, MA (home of The Perfect Storm, both book and film). I not only wanted to see the memorial for all the men lost at sea from the oldest fishing town in the United States, but I wanted to go to The Crow's Nest. I scored a shirt from the watering hole and just because and in a little tribute to the fishermen who went down I ripped straight Jaeger at 11:45am on Saturday. The lady either A. did not know how to make a so-co lime or B. just didn't have the ingredients. I'm guessing A&B. When I asked for a Jaeger Bomb she said, "We don't do bombs here honey." So I went with straight Jaeger, which she and I both agreed I couldn't go wrong with. It wasn't just a rinky dink shot either. She meant business when she gave me a full glass of Jaeger. I downed it and scoped the pictures just in time for my welcome to wear out. I could literally feel the locals eyes burning a hole through my back as I took in the scenery, it's ok, I'm sure they get a lot of "me's" in there so I'm cool with it. I also discovered a new favorite beer that unfortunately I'll never be able to get again until I return to Massachusetts. Mayflower Porter by Mayflower Brewing Company out of Plymouth, MA. Unreal. I highly recommend it if you're in the Boston area. Overall a very successful trip to Boston. Oh and by the way, Essex County where Gordon College is, most expensive cost of living county in America. According to my brother, there is no house less than $2 million in the county and believe me when I say that would be a correct statement.

Meanwhile down in Charlotte, NC, Xavier grabbed another big time road win, this time in conference. Xavier pulled away from the surprisingly strong 49ers late in the first and kept them at bay in the second half. Once again Jordan Crawford did what he does and that's ball out. Jamel McClean continues to impress each and every outing. I pose this question to you, imagine how good Jamel could be if he had the range of Derrick Brown? If he had any sort of outside game, even if it was 15 ft. and in, he really could cause a lot of problems. The guy in my mind is more athletic than Derrick, he cares more than Derrick (rebound effort shows this), his energy is higher than Derrick's. Just imagine with any sort of mid-range let alone outside game the guy could be a big time hoss in the A-10 and college basketball. I love his effort this year and he certainly has got to be in the argument for most improved player next to Tutu. Let me reiterate the greatness of Xavier basketball, especially in February and March, the most crucial moments of college basketball season. Currently we have won 3 of 4 road games so far this month and we are playing like we always do when it comes to this time. That just goes to say what a strong SOS can do for teams when it matters. (Dayton, maybe you should take notes, or maybe you'll just continue to suck) Dayton lost at Duquesne yesterday. What a bunch of chumps. They got all the pre-season accolades and look where they are. Middle of the pack, crying because the truth hurts, they just aren't very good and are overrated. Listen here Dayton, and this is in no way shape or form in disrespect to Richmond or Temple, but we all know the A-10 runs through Cincinnati. The Tradition of Excellence lies right off of exit 5 on 71. I hope Dayton enjoys the NIT with Cincinnati, I'm sure it will be a great field of teams that you guys are used to playing since your RPI and SOS are garbage. I'll continue to advise you to stay in the shallow end Dayton until you can learn to swim with the sharks. Sorry, I lost my train of thought, Xavier, yeah, we're setting ourselves up for a strong stretch run into March and hopefully late into March.

Well, Ohio State is continuing to do the things. Evan Turner, you are the man, there is nothing more I can say. The Buckeyes are a half game back of Purdue in the Big 10 after a big time win at the always hostile Izzone in East Lansing. I didn't get to see the game but it sounds like the Buckeyes had an all around good game and held off a run by Michigan State to get the big W.

The Cavs have yet to win a game with the new line-up but I'm not worried. This is definitely the team they need to do big things. The next step is to play like a team and win the title. After that, roll out the red carpet, open up the check book, and do everything it takes to keep LeBron. Finally, win the title and keep LeBron. Simple.

Rumor on the street is that the Browns are close to finalizing the deal up with Joshua Cribbs. Great news! Soon I can go back to being a happy Brown fan. That's exactly what they need to do in order to prevent mass rioting in the streets. Mock drafts have the Browns taking Joe Haden. I like it. Not as much as I like them taking Eric Berry, but that's just too much to ask for. I like Haden and him and Eric Wright should be two solid corners.

I can't leave out the spectacular effort the USA showed last night in beating Canada. I can only imagine what it must have felt like back in 1980 during the Miracle on Ice, but last night was pretty awesome. USA is so young but so talented, not nearly as talented as Canada though so the win is big time. Plus we hadn't beat Canada...ever. So that's pretty fresh.

My tour of everything east of the Mississippi continues this weekend when I head to the windy city for a wedding. I'm pretty jacked. Is there anything than weddings? No. Dressing up, feeling the flow, and cutting a rug...you can't beat that. It should be a great time and I'm looking forward to this weekend.

--'Killa

Two Step

2010-02-16T19:18:00.003-05:00

Big big big time week for Xavier basketball. Xavier completed it's big three game road trip with a HUGE win down in Gainesville on Saturday night. They catered pure excellence to a national audience. Xavier wasn't scared of the Gator chomp. A full week of practice showed they were truly prepared for a big time non-conference road game late in the season. Just when things looked bad after getting smoked last Saturday up at Dayton, Xavier bounced back with a big time resume win. The NCAA is going to see this game, late in the season, road win, and be like, "yup, Xavier, we're going to invite you back to the tournament. You once again prove to us with a lethal schedule and tough conference play that you deserve to be playing with the big dogs." Not to say Xavier isn't a big dog, but year after year, Xavier proves they deserve national recognition for scheduling ambitiously and doing what they do, compete and win. A stellar effort by Jason Love lead the way for Xavier. Jamel McClean was a maestro on the glass and a destructor of iron as he rocked the rim a few times. Jordan Crawford took over when he had to and proved why he is an elite player. His growth throughout the season is phenomenal. You have to hand it to the Muskies for scheduling this game in the thick of conference play and getting the job done. That marks two wins against SEC foe this year. Their RPI and SOS are again tops in the country. Do I need to say anymore about how strong this basketball program is? I think they are starting to speak for themselves. They set the standard when it comes to drawing up blueprints for making the NCAA tournament and making deep runs into March. They prepare themselves during the season so that they are playing at their best when it counts! That being said, Xavier needs to take care of business in conference this week. Tomorrow they play St. Joe's at home, obviously Xavier needs to win that game to keep the A-10 Title hopes alive. An even bigger match up this week down in Charlotte will really set the table for the A-10 crown. If Xavier wins both these games this week they should be sitting in the driver's seat controlling their own destiny. We need big time efforts this week from the team, staff, and us fans. Let's go X!

I would like to compliment Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes of ESPN for calling a great game. Xavier seems to have drawn the lower tier commentators this year on the ESPN family of networks. Finally, they got a big time duo and they did not disappoint. Nessler and Dykes both had high praise for the University, program, and staff! Dykes is such a wizard when it comes to basketball knowledge and Nessler is a prime time MC on the mic. He is great in college football and basketball alike. Good job fellas.

I have to give a shout out to Kevin McGuff and the Xavier women's basketball team. McGuff has the ladies playing at a very high level. How high level you ask? How about #6 in the country high level. After last year's crushing loss in the NCAA tournament it looks like McGuff has been on a mission this year establishing the women as not only tops in the A-10 but a force to be reckoned with nationally. Are they UCONN, I can't say they are, but shoot, #6 in the country is pretty impressive. I'm looking forward to seeing the women do damage come March!

Ohio State got a real solid W at Illinois on Sunday. They are tied for first in the Big Ten with some big time games coming up against Purdue and Michigan State. These two games will certainly set the field apart. You have to think the way the Bucks are playing they could make a push at least into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Evan Turner, in my mind, is without a doubt the most rounded and arguably the best player in all of college basketball this year. At 6'6", he's running the show for Ohio State. He leads in all the key categories: scoring, rebounding, and assists. His game is just so silky smooth. It's "nasty" to quote my friend Jay (although he has never said that about Evan, it's just his phrase).

How can this time of year not be everyone's favorite time of year? It's unreal. You have college basketball revving the engines for the home stretch, NBA basketball heating up, NBA trade deadline, and right now the Olympics are alive and kicking. The Cavs have won 13 in a row and are looking to make BIG TIME plays when it comes to the trade deadline. Multiple sources are trying to gather information on the rumors swirling about regarding a possible deal to lande my main man Amare Stoudemire in Cleveland to help LeBron really do the baddest things in the playoffs. Amare may be that missing link the Cavs need to raise the trophy in Cleveland. Not only that, but landing Amare would all but guarantee LeBron stays in Cleveland and continues to give us chills everytime he steps on the court. I've really been pumping the USA this year in the Olympics. Of course Shaun White is going to own on the slopes and you know I'm pulling for USA hockey even though they are up against nearly impossible odds but so was the USA team in 1980. If Canada doesn't win the gold this year that entire country may just implode. They have Sid the Kid and are playing on home ice. Let me remind you though that Team USA beat Canada to win the World Juniors. Perhaps another sign is that this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice! Maybe with a little karma on their side a young USA team can make plays. Let's not forget Alex Ovechkin isn't going to let this happen if he has anything to say about it. All eyes will be on the pond as hockey brews up.

I'm headed up to Boston this weekend to watch my brother play one last time at Gordon College. It's senior night this Saturday and the team is really balling. They are currently 19-4 and 10-1 in conference. This weekend should seal the deal on a conference championship and hopefully they have enough fuel to win the conference tournament in order to make the D3 NCAA Tournament. If you're feeling it, tune in at 3pm to see if they lay the wood Saturday. I know X plays at Charlotte at 2pm but maybe at half you supporters can check out Big Ben and the Fighting Scots.

A little intramural basketball update for Smokin' Trees and Strokin' Threes. We are 3-0 and prior to last night's 27 point smashing we were ranked 10th out of 54 teams. I'm pretty sure that beat down we served moved us up in the rankings. Stay tuned as tournament play approaches!

-'Killa

Rhythm of Your Shoes

2010-02-11T16:40:00.004-05:00

*****************HOOK 'EM HORNS?!***************************

Ok, sorry for the delay, but like my man Randal Hill from The U said, it's not my fault, "I told Craig Erickson, I said listen, 'I don't care what route you just gave me' I said, 'I'm runnin a go route. And you will throw me the ball because I haven't caught a ball all day.' As I ran through the tunnel, I turned around and with my imaginary 6-shooters uh, I shot him down...in cold blood. It wasn't my fault that they built that stadium where there was a tunnel in the endzone that I scored in. It wasn't my fault that the doors were open in that tunnel. It wasn't my fault that it was not illegal for me to run through that tunnel. Don't blame me. You can blame the architecture of that stadium. You can blame the University of Texas for taunting us. You can blame Robert Bailey for setting up the whole thing by knocking the first person out. You can blame Craig Erickson for throwing me the ball. You can blame the defensive back for not being good enough to cover me. It's just not my fault I ran through that tunnel." I blame the Jefferson Ridge Apartment Complex because the internet has been down since Saturday. So now that you get the point, let me get to the point...

Congratulations Dayton on your one and only signature win of the season. You beat Xavier soundly, on national TV, in front of a hyped up crowd. Good work. Jordan Crawford still owns you and Xavier still owns you because if you look up to the ceiling of our respective arenas and look at the banners you will see A-10 Championship Banners and NCAA Tournament Banners in Cintas Center and correct me if I'm wrong you'll see Maui Invitational Banner and that's about it hanging up in that dump of a half-pipe looking arena. I will also say that Xavier fully intends on hoisting another banner this year. Thanks for beating Charlotte last night. That helps Xavier out. Time to get serious, Xavier plays at Florida on Saturday on ESPN at 6pm. The last of a 3-game road stretch. This is a must win in my opinion in order to give Xavier that signature road victory they are missing from their resume at the moment. It won't affect conference standings but it will be huge as far as confidence goes. After having a week off Xavier should be fully prepared to hoop on the national stage and prove once again what we do.

It snowed again this weekend and it was another monster. I am so sick and tired of this crap it's not even funny. I'm definitely kicking myself now for wishing for snow back in December and I'm paying the price dearly. This stuff sucks. However, it was an excuse to get loaded and feel it.

I bought the LeBron documentary, More Than a Game. Like the book it gave me the chills. So unreal. It uses raw footage and great interviews to show how LeBron, Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, and Romeo Travis put Akron on the map. Absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend the DVD and book.

My tour of America begins next weekend. I'm headed up to Boston next weekend to get up with the family and watch my brother ball on his senior night and more than likely clinch The Commonwealth Coast Conference title. So if any readers are in the Boston area let me know as I'll be there Friday-Sunday. The following weekend I'm going to the midwest and hitting up the Windy City for a little wedding action. My boy Pete is getting married. So if you're in Chicago I'll be available Friday and Sunday as my flight doesn't leave until like 9pm Sunday night.

Terrelle Pryor had surgery yesterday, he'll be 100% and ready to slap people around by April 1st.

Evan Turner is the best player in college basketball period.

The Cavs are really feeling it going into All-Star break I'm looking forward to seeing what moves they make at the trade deadline. Rumors are swirling that one of the following could be in Cleveland to help LeBron bring a title to C-Town: David West (yes please), Antawn Jamison, or Amare Stoudamire (baddest man).

The NBA All-Star weekend is obviously the best All-Star experience. It kicks off with the celebrity game and Rookie Sophomore Challenge tomorrow night. Then Saturday is the skills competitions including the 3pt contest, ball handling, and the ever popular dunk contest (I got money on Nate Robinson). The game is always a treat.

The Winter Olympics start this weekend with the opening ceremony tomorrow night. I'll be tuning in as it's always a joy to watch America flex its muscles on the world. Lindsey Vonn is an absolute babe.

--'Killa

The Facts...

2010-02-04T08:31:00.005-05:00

Just living in the present, for any Dayton fan who wants to open their mouth and make ill-advised comments. Face the facts. Enter reality.

First of all we already beat you guys once this year in a game we didn't even play well at all. Now, a time in which we're peaking like we always do the fluidness of Xavier basketball right now is like Drano going down a drain. Just look at the last four games. Outside of the first half against Rhode Island and about 10 minutes against UMASS, Xavier is playing it's best basketball and continues to get better. Just a few simple statistics for your reading pleasure.

Collegerpi.com

Xavier - 22

Dayton - 40

Jeff Sagarin's College Basketball Strength of Schedule Rankings

Xavier - 14

Dayton - 72

Atlantic-10 Predicted Standings

Dayton - 1

Xavier - 2

Atlantic-10 Current Standings

Xavier - 1

Dayton - 6

A-10 Overall Statistics

Scoring Offense

Xavier - 1 (79.8)
Dayton - 9 (69.5)

Scoring Defense

Dayton - 4 (62.0)
Xavier - 6 (67.7)

Scoring Margin

Xavier - 1 (+12.1)
Dayton - 3 (+7.5)

Free Throw Percentage

Xavier - 4 (70.7%)
Dayton - 8 (67.2%)

Field Goal Percentage

Xavier - 2 (46.5%)
Dayton - 6 (43.8%)

Field Goal Percentage Defense

Xavier - 5 (40.3%)
Dayton - 8 (40.4%)

Three Point Percentage

Xavier - 1 (39.6%)
Dayton - 7 (32.6%)

Three Point Field Goal Percentage Defense

Xavier - 3 (28.3%)
Dayton - 9 (33.2%)

Rebounding Margin

Dayton - 1 (+5.8)
Xavier - 5 (+3.7)

Blocked Shots

Xavier - 6 (4.3)
Dayton - 13 (3.4)

Assists

Dayton - 4 (14.8)
Xavier - 5 (14.3)

Steals

Xavier - 6 (6.8)
Dayton - 10 (6.1)

Assist/Turnover

Xavier - 3 (1.1)
Dayton - 6 (1.0)

Offensive Rebounds

Dayton - 8 (12.5)
Xavier - 9 (11.8)

Defensive Rebounds

Xavier - 1 (27.5)
Dayton - 5 (25.6)

Three Point Field Goals Made

Xavier - 1 (7.3)
Dayton - 6 (6.5)

Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you the facts.

Is better than...

Child Please

2010-02-02T17:27:00.003-05:00

I'm going to try and be a little more thorough with this post as I just hit on a few brief thoughts last week. First, I gotta hit on the weather situation. So a month and a half ago Charlottesville got dumped on with about 30 inches of snow. This past weekend we got hit with about 6 inches. It just started snowing again this afternoon with an anticipated of 4-6 over night. Even more is expected this weekend. The local weatherman is claiming a, "significant amount" of snow is expected. As my co-workers and I researched this the weather map shows 24-30 inches expected this weekend. So in a matter of less than two months Charlottesville has the potential to see 72 inches. If my math is correct that's about 6 feet of snow. Are you freaking kidding me?! What is this? Alaska? Buffalo? Jiminey Christmas. Either way, I still own the snow. I'm basically balling like Jordan Crawford on the snow out here whether it's in my whip or via foot. The snow can't stop me and my agenda I like to keep. Nope. No thanks.

Speaking of Jordan Crawford, Xavier is just laying the wood of late. They took care of the three game homestand by knocking off Rhode Island in a come from behind fashion when Jordan Crawford took over. They then made quick work of Duquesne. Finally, they slapped Fordham around winning 108-60 on Sunday afternoon. Jordan Crawford has been nothing less of spectacular in these three games. He took over and willed the Muskies to victory over Rhode Island. He did what he does against Duquesne. However, it was Kenny Frease who finally played like a guy of his size should play in the A-10. Straight dominance. He recorded his first career double-double after Coach Mack let him know that Xavier is not a place for soft and weak players, not that Kenny is, but with a guy of his size he can easily dominate the competition down low. Jordan Crawford made it look like child's play on Sunday as he dropped 17 in the first half against Fordham and finished with 23. He got to the bucket with ease and recorded a number of "old-fashioned" three point plays. Xavier now enters an extremely brutal stretch at a crucial point in the season. They go to Amherst on Wednesday to play UMASS. Then on Saturday it's up to Dayton to try and ruin that team's season again. They cap it off by going down to Gainesville on the 13th in a nationally televised bout against the Gators. I would love to see X take all three but I'll settle for two. It's such a tough stretch. All away from Cintas and all against formidable foes. It's going to take clamp down defense, super rebounding dominance, and an all out attack on offense. If Xavier even begins to smell blood then they need to go for the kill. One thing we do know about Xavier is that this is their favorite time of year to play. They historically dominate February which in turn leads them to be the great team they always are in March. As long as Xavier continues to play the way they are and continue to get better then everything should be ok as they go into the final stretch of the season and into post season play. Let's take care of business tomorrow night and propel ourselves into a big time matchup on Saturday!

I returned to intramural basketball last night. In a prime-time, west coast, 10:30pm tip "Smokin Trees and Strokin Threes" got a big season opening W. We played against a scrappy squad that went about 15 deep to our 7 deep. In fact we were down by 8 with about 2 minutes to go. We installed a 1-2-1-1 press and scored off turnovers to grab a 52-49 victory. In true Xavier fashion I took a charge with about 15 seconds to go to seal the deal. I was really feeling my return to intramurals. I brought my lunchpail to the AFC and did work on the low block and high post. Look for this team to make plays all season and into the tourney.

Evan Turner is arguably the best college basketball player, if not, he possesses the smoothes game I have ever seen. He just does it all.

The Pro Bowl is bad and I didn't even watch it.

I highly recommend everyone read LeBron's autobiography written with Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights). I also recommend scooping up the documentary as I will do over the next week.

The Grammy's were OK. Dave Matthews Band got robbed in Rock Album of the Year and Album of the Year, but it is what it is. P!nk is the most awful and worst musical artist I have ever seen and heard of. She is garbage. Lady GaGa is really weird.

Do what we do.

Current book: The Blind Side - Michael Lewis

-'Killa

Yeah 'Cause that's the situation

2010-01-26T21:09:00.002-05:00

This is going to be short and sweet. I'm going to hit on a couple of things and ride out.

1. Reunion Weekend this past weekend in Cincinnati was ON FIRE! Everyone showed up and we really GOT. IT. GOING. I actually think Dana's is smoldering in a heap of ashes right now because we burnt that place down on Saturday we were so on fire. While everyone was an MVP this past weekend, Kong took away the MVP in stunning fashion and DL took a close second. Among other things Kong orchestrated the night at Hofbrauhaus Friday night, he fired off Das Boot, he cooked a honey glazed ham, and then he went to the casino after dropping me off at the airport on Sunday. DL, well, what can we say about DL. He really did the things Thursday through Saturday. Highlights include getting beated Thursday night with a $30 cab ride, he walked from Edwards rode back to his apartment, he did what he does Friday night, he got the party started at Dana's, and he raked beer from Dana's. Great weekend fellas. It couldn't have been better.

Councilman...it was great to see you!

2. Xavier played a pathetic first half and rebounded with a baller second half to beat Rhode Island! Crawford had a dub-dub. Again, more often than not this year, Xavier goes as JC goes. Keep up the good play JC. Coach Mack, you're doing a heck of a job. Terrell Holloway is well on his way to being the best point guard Xavier has ever seen.

3. Dayton lost to St. Joe's. Dayton lost to Rhode Island. How's that sound pre-season champs? Keep crumbling under the pressure of "being so good." You obviously don't know what it takes to "be so good." Stay in the shallow end and enjoy the NIT.

4. Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour 2010 Tour Dates came out today. I'm attending:

Columbus, OH 6-22-10
Cyahoga Falls, OH 6-25-10
Virginia Beach, VA 7-20-10
Washington D.C. 7-23-10

So mark your calendars. I just gave everyone a clear time frame of when I'll be back in Ohio as well as what I'll be doing. That also should look like an open invitation to a rendezvous in VA for anyone interested in getting down.

****The Grammy's are this weekend, hopefully Dave Matthews Band gets what they deserve.

5. Colts v Saints in the Super Bowl. I gotta go with my former employer in this one, the Indianapolis Colts. I would also like to say as the Wide Receiver's manager I would like to take full credit for the development of Pierre Garcon. He was a rookie when I was there. I shot the jugs with him after practice and of course helped coach Clyde Christenson with all his wacky drills. Let's go horse.

Do what we do.
--'Killa

25 Straight

2010-01-18T12:47:00.003-05:00

78-74 Xavier. Victorious. 25 straight times in Cincinnati. Over. Dayton. I really shouldn't have to say anymore, but because Dayton has so many delusional fans I'm going to take the time this afternoon to address one of the most idiotic things I've ever seen in my life. It was brought to my attention on Thursday afternoon that there was a post in UDpride.com more or less explaining how Dayton was going to not only beat Xavier but win in Cincinnati. A task that proved once again too much to overcome for what many claim to be be Dayton's best team in history. Well, the fact remains that they still can't win in Cincinnati. Thanks, try again Dayton. The following was written in that stupid forum they have (I will never be caught dead going to that site, I don't even read musketeermadness). I would also like to forewarn everyone that if your IQ drops as a result of reading the following I can only blame the stupidity of Dayton fans. I will follow the posting with rebuttals...

The End of the 30 Year Insanity
BEVERLY HILLS (MI) -- Forget the upcoming three-day MLK Day weekend, what we have here, boys and girls, is your basic two-and-a-half-day work week. Following the Fordham victory, the Flyers and their Faithful followers now have roughly 60 hours to get ready for BG and the Boys to erase 30 years of frustration in the Queen City by dumping the Musties on their collective keisters.

It’s considered bad juju to get pumped up for the Eggsavior debacle until the previous Flyer opponent has been summarily dispatched. Good thing the Flyboys were not allergic to MSG. Otherwise, we’d all be wasting a lot of energy hitting the “ignore” button on the UD Pride MB to avoid the trolls, dipwads, toolboxes and doomsayers had UD somehow fallen to FU. They didn’t and so, after observing proper decorum and not risking the wrath of the Woof gods, we all move on to the game this week that actually matters vs. that school to the South.

Here are some observations on the upcoming battle royale:

-- First off, I’d like to know who had the brilliant idea of making reservations for “Breakfast at Sphinctas Center?” Let me take a wild guess: E-S-P-N, mayhaps? 11:00AM? Who plays college hoops at 11:00AM? If this game has to be played that early, at least bring in Dickie V for the occasion instead of Bob Wischusen and Tim Welsh. Just imagine how ticked off all three of those “World’s Strongest Man” fans will be that they can’t watch a repeat of the finals for the 37th time because UD/X is pre-empting it. Bummer, bro.

-- For the first time in a long time, the Mouskies don’t have a big guy who can bang and also stroke the three. Dudes like David Wuss, Justin Dullman, Duhrick Brown and their ilk could always hurt you inside as well as from beyond the arc. Name me one guy on the current Eggs Over Easy roster that fits that description? Jason Love and Jamel McLean have yet to attempt a three let alone make one!

-- Who’s gonna cover Chris Johnson? With those long arms, rebound-magnets for hands and that sweet lefty jumper, Mr. J will be a handful for Head Coach Chris ”In Your Face” Mack to gameplan. CJ is what I thought Dante Jackson would turn out to be when UD and X were both recruiting DJ, only much more so. Looking to the future, X fans will be delighted to know that BG has 3 more Chris Johnson-types signed to LOIs in the form of Devin Oliver, Ralph Hill and Brandon Spearman.

-- Yes, Jordan Crawford is a talented basketball player, but answer me this: does he make his teammates better? Is he a shoot-first or pass-first player? No and the former. Crawford has more shot attempts than the next two Mouseketeers combined; he leads the team in minutes played and in turnovers. He has launched 15 more 3 pointers than Opie Redford, even tho the little redhead shoots them at 45% to JC’s 39%

-- For all of the above reasons, Opie should be thinking seriously about transferring to another school. Believe me, it’s only gonna get worse, Red. Wait until next year when Crawford believes that he smells an NBA contract in the air -- you think JC shoots too much now? The times that I have seen X on TV, there was inevitably a play (or five) where Crawford would come down the floor, Opie smartly drifted to the corner and was wide freakin’ open for a triple. Did Jordan pass him the rock? Hell no, he would instead heave up a one-on-three circus shot. As one of the best pure shooters in college basketball, that really has to **** you off after a while, doesn’t it? Imagine yourself in a Michigan uniform, Brad: less than an hour and a half away from home, playing in John Beilein’s system where they value a guy who can stroke the trey like you -- why not give them a call? (734) 647-BLUE. Former UD Assistant Coach Mike Jackson is waiting for your call!

-- The other guard Terrell Holloway gives better shoulder than Quasimodo. I’ve seen defensive linemen who create less contact. Wouldn’t you love to see LW or RL “pull the chair” on Holloway: get up in his grill, lean on him, let him dip that shoulder and then step back and watch him fall flat on his face and get called for traveling. Me too.

-- Mark Lyons is banged up. Geez, what a freakin’ shame, huh? Kinda makes up for all those times over the years that CW, BRob, CLittle, Rob, Brooks Hall and countless other Flyers were hurt, had the flu or were otherwise incapacitated and the Miscues were able to take advantage.

-- Does Brian Walsh even play for the Musties?

-- Who the hell is Andrew Taylor? Seriously. I have never heard of this kid before this season and he is a junior? Was he in suspended animation for the first two years or what?

-- How about everybody’s favorite Frankenstein, Kenny Frease, ladies and gentlemen! Someone on the MB remarked that if Freeze bothered to stand up straight he would actually be 7’6”. I look forward to watching Kenny trail the play while Devin, Josh and, yes even KH, consistently beat the big slug down the floor for easy buckets. Kenny Boy put up an interesting line in the GW game:

11 minutes, 1 shot, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers

Not exactly All-World stats there, Kenny. Remember that “Spalding sandwich” that DS served you last year in the Arena? There’s more where that came from, big boy.

-- It seems that Dante Jackson and Jason Love had to be separated from fighting by the zebras during the GW game…from each other! Now there is some serious team unity for you.

-- What are the chances that the Eggs players try to pull some punk pre-game shenanigans again this year? The fact that Las Vegas is refusing to lay odds on this happening will give you a clue. Better cordon off all of the water fountains while you’re at it.

-- Don’t count on The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy providing coverage of the big game. TSN Mike would love to be there, but he’s been assigned to do a magazine story in Texas. He hopes he’ll be able to make the rematch. That’s okay, Mike -- we’d much rather have you post a story from our house.

-- In their preview of the game, the excellent College Chalk Talk website questions ExSaveYer’s “ability to guard athletic power forwards.” Gee, good thing that UD doesn’t have one of those, Wright?

-- Speaking of CW, he ended up with 7 stitches over his eye and flatly refused to come out of the Duquesne game. I got your warrior mentality right here, pal.

“From the Swamp” prediction:

Flyboys 67

Mouseketeers 64

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: swampy@udpride.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The guy's name is Swampy Meadows. Enough said.
2. The nicknames...dude please realize that these nicknames you gave to Xavier players and Cintas Center are some of the most absurd things I've ever heard. Do you not realize that these people you're calling out completely own you. In fact they made Dayton their bitch in their time at Xavier. Let me also point out that Dayton cannot win at Cintas Center. Furthermore, are you like tight with Dayton players and coaches? Are you boys with them? Or do you merely just give them hand jobs? Let me know because the way you talk about them makes me think you service them. If not, then stop dropping nick names.
3. While the tip was questionable both teams had energy...no beef there other than ESPN failed to give the game any credit. Typical. But wait, A-10's RPI is 4th in the country. Riddle me that.
4. Fair enough, we don't have a big guy who can stroke from deep. But Jason Love, Kenny Frease, and Jamel McClean shut down your boy Chris Wright inside. Enough said. I thought that guy was supposed to be the real deal?
33 WRIGHT, Chris....... f 2-7 0-0 6-9 6 3 9 4 10 1 2 1 0 14 (That's his stat line)...not very dominating.
5. If I didn't know any better Chris Johnson is Dayton's best player, not this supposed Chris Wright. Johnson dominated the boards, he's versatile, and has great size. That being said, Dante Jackson, oh yeah, he was the player of the game. Looks like your boy "BG" really gameplanned for him right? All this talk of your recruiting class. Well take a look ahead, Xavier's recruiting class is ahead of yours. Not to mention, why should we care about some dudes you stole from the MAC? We stole guys from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12. That's the talent we get.
6. Jordan Crawford had 4 assists. That's two behind your starting point guard. Not to mention he owned you in the second half. I don't think I should say anymore other than he out performed your golden boy "CW." He'll be another Xavier player drafted in the league. That reminds me, Derrick Brown. Where's he from? Dayton. Where did he play? Xavier. Where does he play now? Charlotte Bobcats. Who's that? NBA. What does he do? Drop 18 points.
7. Opie Redford. He torched you guys again. LIghting you up from deep. No answer for him. His name is Brad which also happens to be my name. So I do take offense to you butchering his name. I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that next time. You're the one calling yourself Swampy...
8. Terrell Holloway. Ok, well for one thing, as a sophomore he's better than London "Jacksonville Jet" Warren and Rob Lowery put together. He is arguably the best player on Xavier next to Jordan Crawford. He scored 17 points on you idiots.
9. Do not ever make excuses for losing to us. Mark Lyons played anyways. Stop making excuses. Just except the fact you suck and can't and won't ever beat Xavier.
10. Sure Brian Walsh doesn't see a lot of time. But why does that concern you? Are you worried he might own you too? He's just biding his time. Andrew Taylor. I'll tell you who he is. He's a role player. He comes in and gives X solid minutes. He rebounds, sets screens, defends, and scores. Can't really ask the guy to do much more. How about that sky hook he dropped on you guys?
11. Kenny Frease. Sure he has some growing pains. But are you really going to hate on him too. He's far better than Sean Finn and Waleskowski or whoever those stiffs were back in the day. For as bad of a game as he had, he still owned you guys. So I don't see any need to knock the guy.
12. Why are you so concerned for what Xavier does in other games? Worry about yourselves. Maybe start by getting a better non conference schedule before talking about how good you are. Maybe start winning when it counts. Stop trying to be Xavier.
13. Again, don't be mad because we punk you guys before, during, and after the game. If I didn't know any better I would think you're scared of the toughness Xavier brings to the court.
14. You should also stop worrying about what writers have to say about us. We have respect for what we do and you don't. In case you missed it, Joe Lunardi said with a loss to Xavier, which happened, he would take you out of the NCAA bracket. Whoops.
15. "CW" really showed "warrior mentality" on Saturday by committing fouls. Nice.
16. Fact: Xavier 78 - Dayton 74
17. Fact: Your e-mail you post is fake. You must be scared to face the music.
18. Fact: You can't win in Cincinnati.

That is all folks. Another year, another beat down in Cincinnati. We do our talking on the court Dayton.
I'm really looking forward to Reunion Weekend.
--'Killa

Do What We Do

2010-01-13T09:53:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay. Honestly, I've been too tired and too lazy to drop a blog. But I think I have finally mustered up the energy to put some thoughts down.

I'd like to start with the team we all love, Xavier. The A-10 may have been trying to set Xavier up for failure in their pursuit for a 4th straight A-10 title. But, they weathered the storm. Xavier went on the road to Philly and Washington, D.C. and grabbed two big time wins. Now granted they didn't play particularly well in either game but they made the plays necessary to get the tough wins. First, LaSalle. Xavier jumped out early and even built the lead up to 20 in the second half before going ice cold for almost nine minutes. LaSalle stormed back and had they been a little bit better could have beat Xavier by 10. But, Xavier took control in the last four minutes and did what they had to do to win. Next they headed south to D.C. for an always tough match up against Karl Hobbs and George Washington. It's always tough to go into GW and win. The environment is usually hostile and typically GW plays Xavier tough. GW jumped out and went up by 11 and maintained that lead throughout the game. Xavier didn't play particularly well for about 30 minutes but over the last 10 minutes Xavier battled and Jordan Crawford once again stepped up and put the team on his shoulders and Xavier escaped with another big road, conference win. Xavier is now tied with Temple at 2-0 in the conference with 5 of the next 6 games being played at home. Xavier really needs to take advantage of this schedule to really set the tone in the conference. This week Xavier has Charlotte at home and then the big one, Dayton comes to town. But before I spout off about Dayton, Xavier needs to take care of business tonight. As a matter of fact, I'm not even going to say anything about Dayton. Although, it took overtime for them to beat Duquesne at home by only one point.

I would like to take this time to say that I need to apologize to Xavier, the players, and the staff. I think I came off a little to harsh on them. I had the opportunity to hang with the team this past weekend. Obviously, it's not like it used to be. I'm not around them everyday so I don't have the inside track as far as how the team chemistry is, how the coach is coaching etc. So after spending some time with the team I can honestly say I may have had the wrong perception. Coach Mack is a grinder. He stays up late looking at film, stats, etc just preparing for the next game. He puts a ton of effort into what he's doing and he definitely knows what he's doing there. As far as the team goes. I was only hard on Jordan Crawford because I know how good he can be. But, I honestly think it was just taking some time to adjust to playing and finding his role with the team and fitting in. You are now seeing him play within the offense. He's taking shots that come as a part of the game flowing to him. He's distributing, he's rebounding, and he's taking control of the team when he knows he has to. That's exactly what it's going to take if this team wants to win the A-10 and be competitive in March. Jason Love is working extremely hard day in and day out to get better everyday. Jamel is doing what he does and that's providing energy off the bench and being extremely productive. I know Xavier didn't play particularly well in these two games but they still won, isn't that all that matters? Getting a W at the end of the day? Now, just imagine how good this team can be if they play like they did in the last ten minutes of the GW game all the time. That's pretty sweet. They got stops, they rebounded, they scored, they shared the ball, they played extremely good team basketball. That being said, let's go out and get win number three tonight fellas.

My next take has to do with the Cleveland Browns. It's very simple. PAY JOSHUA CRIBBS. That easy. Pay the man. Again, he is the best player on that team but he's the 30th highest paid player. That doesn't make sense to me. So then you come out and offer him $1.4 million. No. Look, I know he doesn't have a true position. I get that. But the guy goes out there, every game, and gives it his all. He has said time and time again he will do what it takes to win. Whether it's playing running back, wide receiver, going wild cat, returning kicks, whatever. On top of that, the guy almost broke his neck and ended his career and still came back and played. Don't you think you should give the guy some money? PAY JOSHUA CRIBBS.

I'm really looking forward to Reunion Weekend.

-'Killa

The Rant

2010-01-11T15:33:00.004-05:00

Hello all and Happy New Year. This is my first post of the decade so I figured what better way to kick it off than with a good ol' fashioned rant. So without further ado, here we go.

Mike Leach: You are just an absolute nut. You were in trouble before this year even began because of your terrible relations with those in charge at Texas Tech. It would have taken a simple apology to the university and the kid and you would have gotten your fat bonus. Instead you chose to be an ass and admit to nothing.

The James Family: Yes, this may be a contradiction of the previous statement on Leach, but I dont care. Craig James is nothing but a "helicopter dad" that got too involved. Listen, I understand that you want to protect your kid, but seriously, these coaches are going to motivate in various ways that may not make sense to many. Suck it up. Adam James, you just simply didnt have the talent to be getting major time in the Big 12. So what did you do? You went crying to daddy at ESPN and created a major hoop-la that ultimately got Leach fired. Mike Golic even called you and your dad out saying that his kids would never think to come to him with a problem they had with the coach. You are a big boy now, Adam; deal with it yourself and quit being a pussy.

USF: You fired your coach after the action in question was clearly explained by not only members of the team but the player involved. Jim Haslett then got canned for "grabbing his players shoulder pads and shaking them. I'll give props to the kids for trying to stick up for their coach, but USF? WTF?

ESPN The U: My brother and I were talking about this over break so I figured I'll bring it up here. While I do agree with Gaskill that the special on the U was great; there is one thing that really grinds my gears about the whole thing. Butch Davis. He was not really given credit for the work he did in making the u, THE U again. Dennis Erickson had to deal with an almost impossible task in taking over for Jimmy Johnson, but he did nothing but run that university into troubles with the NCAA. Yes, I know that he won a couple of National Titles, but honestly, he did so illegally. He left Davis with the task of rebuilding the U with less scholarships than usual because of . Butch Davis came along and turned the U into a powerhouse again, and he did it the right way. He got talent that is littered all over the NFL, and he set that university up for years to come until Larry Coker screwed the pooch. So to you Butch Davis, I raise my glass.

Roy Williams: You are simply a jackass. Now, I'll be honest, I have never liked the man. However what he did in a home game against Presbyterian is inexcusable. I mean are you seriously going to kick an opposing fan out for saying "hey Deon, dont miss"? You responded by saying that nobody should say anything negative to your players. Wow. Every free-throw that the opposing team takes your fans are yelling something negative at them. Are your players that special that they deserve to have their asses kissed by an opponent when they are shooting a free-throw? Dont think so. Suck one, Roy.

Pete Carroll: This is another coach that I have never liked. Pete Carroll says that this job with Seattle "came out of nowhere." Yeah right. You know who is coming, the big bad NCAA. In talking with Doc Gaskill on the matter there seem to be some similarities to Jerry Tarkanian and UNLV in the early 90's, and the U under Dennis Erickson. These were 2 powerhouses that were controlling their respective sports worlds, but their, how do I say this, generous financial aid to players really put their universities behind the 8-ball. In UNLV's case it was an 8-ball that lead to their downfall when a recruit, Lloyd Daniels, bought crack cocaine from an undercover cop in NYC. Tarkanian was then forced to resign for the association between his players, himself, and a sports gambler/briber that supposedly had mafia ties. We all know the U's past so we wont get into that here, so on to the Poodle we go. Petey the Poodle has troubling issues concerning Reggie Bush and most recently Joe McKnight. That whole athletic department is in trouble with the basketball team already banning themselves from post-season play. The Reggie Bush situation is not looking pretty, and it will be interesting to see how this thing plays out as the case will be open to the public. Joe McKnight has been riding around in an SUV that is definitely not his. Pete Carroll has a press conference coming up and it will be interesting to see what load of crap he has to say in the press conference. He saw this job as a way out from a "hairy" situation and he was going to jump at any opportunity in the NFL to get out of the mess he is going to leave at USC. I hate USC, but I feel sorry for the next coach who is ging to have to try and pull a Butch Davis anod save that football program. And one closing thought, JA Adande just compared Pete Carroll to Lou Holtz. That is complete garbage. Was there some question to what Lou was doing at ND? Yes. But he was essentially forced out by the alumni. He loved and still loves the University of Notre Dame and he would have stayed there had the alums not run him out of town. Pete Carroll is not being forced out. He is taking the easy way out.

Alright thats all I have in me for right now. Anways, hope all is well with everyone. Xavier plays _ayton this Saturday and "Reunion Weekend" is next weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone next week. Travel safely.

Holla Man.

Shake Me Like A Monkey

2010-01-04T22:21:00.003-05:00

Xavier is on the fence...of being really good or not being really good. Last night's game brings a new sense of urgency to the program. Xavier fell to Wake Forest in the first of 10 Skip Prosser Classics. I guess you could say Skip got what he deserved. A thrilling edge of your seat match up that took two extra periods to decide the outcome. Now we can sit here and debate all night and all day about the game but let me lay a few things out there. First of all, without Jordan Crawford, Xavier isn't even in the game. But, with Jordan Crawford there are still questionable decisions being made that may or may not have an affect on the game. I'm telling you guys, he is tremendously gifted and clearly was the most talented player on the floor last night. But, it just blows my mind at the lack of general basketball IQ he has. That's being blunt and maybe he's not entirely to blame. Before I give my opinion on what was the biggest mistake of the game I would like to point out ways Xavier wins that game in regulation. First of all, why in the world would you foul a guy taking an off-balance three at the end of the first half? This gives the Deacons three free throws that cut the lead to two (if this doesn't happen Xavier wins by three in regulation?). How or why is Jordan Crawford shooting two technical free throws that he misses? In the media timeout, you are made well aware of the fact there will be two technical foul shots awarded, so why not sub in Holloway (I don't think he was in the game at the time) who leads the A-10 in free throw percentage at almost a 90% clip or even sub in Brad Redford, a guy who just doesn't miss from the line (Xavier wins by 5?). You also have to look at about a 6 or 7 minute stretch in which I really wondered if Xavier was giving any sort of effort on the floor. Wake went up by 10 and Xavier had to crawl it's way back in and did a good job doing so but these lapses have to stop. After getting a call that blew me away, why with thirty seconds left, after taking two timeouts does nobody tell Jordan Crawford that shooting a fade away 25 foot jump shot is not the best decision? I mean it doesn't take a genius but with the ball game tied, wouldn't it just seem logical to create and try to get into the lane and put up a shot, layup, or even maybe get fouled to win the game? Let's face it, Jordan Crawford was unstoppable last night. He was scoring in every way possible: dribble drives, fast break, contested jump shots, the patented turn around baseline J, I mean he couldn't be guarded last night. So, why in a game where no one can match his athletic ability does he not try to create instead of hoisting up a shot that has a 30% chance of going in? I can't answer that question. That being said, I'm really tired of people saying well, go back to Miller's first year, look at the trouble he had. You know what, and I mean this in no disrespect, but are you being serious with me with that argument? Are you really being serious? That team, talent wise, couldn't hold a torch to this current team talent wise. There is just no argument. None. So don't bring that to me. What you have to ask yourself is, do you genuinely see this team getting better everyday? What I see is flashes. I see flashes of how good this team can be but I have yet to see it fully put together. It's scary to think about how good this team could really be when the click on all cylinders for a full game or for a full conference schedule. I need to be very clear about how I'm coming across as some may think I've thrown in the towel or being completely negative about a team who is still trying to find their identity under a first year coach and one that will be very good in the future. What I'm trying to point out is that this team needs to just have some accountability. They need to just go play. The parts are there. You have a point guard who is well on his way to being arguably the best point guard at Xavier. You have tremendous outside shooting with an inside game to compliment the range which spreads the defense out and opens up lanes to dribble drive, kick the ball for a shot, or get the easy bucket. You have a player who has the tools to play in the league and is still finding his way and chemistry with the team. Basically, as frustrating as it is, this team has one option and if it isn't taken then it could be a long and disappointing season. As a team, take accountability, show up everyday, and know that you're going to get better everyday and as a result you're going to look like Xavier teams of old. But, who am I to judge? I'm just an equipment manager. "Do what we do. No excuses, no explanations."

THE Ohio State Buckeyes finally got the monkey off their back. They came out and proved everyone wrong. By everyone, I mean everyone. Everywhere I read and everything I watched and heard was in favor of Oregon and their high powered offense. Well, there was offense from Oregon but there was also offense from Ohio State. Ohio State also had the D to lock it down. Ohio State's first drive was incredible. I mean #2 just picked apart that defense. Who would've thought that the Bucks would've come out throwing on the first possession of the game? I know I didn't. But being up 10, the Ducks struck and struck quickly. They marched down the field and scored with such speed to tie the game up. But in the end Ohio State wanted it just a little more as the defense made big plays and the offense was very efficient. I think that should shut up all the haters for awhile. I mean seriously, it's no argument that the SEC is king. Ok fine. But year after year Ohio State wins the Big Ten, they play in BCS Bowl games, and they produce NFLers. I'm already looking forward to seeing what they can do next year. If young Pryor can just keep getting better than it could be mistake city for a lot of people out there.

The Browns closed the season out with a four game win streak! Incredible. They found a running back, or so we think in Jerome Harrison. They damn well better pay Joshua Cribbs. They hired a man who knows what the heck he's doing. I think you gotta believe that Brady Quinn showed strides before getting hurt, he's gotta be the guy. The defense will only get better. The offense might be ok. Woah, I better stop because I do this every year, get way too optimistic. But, with a hope and a prayer maybe the Browns will no longer embarrass me.

The Cavs might be starting to really get hot. Happy belated to LeBron! Your book is pretty good homie.

Reunion weekend countdown: 16 days
Current Song: So Damn Lucky - Dave Matthews Band (Europe 2009 Box Set)

-'Killa

'Cause to Me She's Ze-ro Degrees

2009-12-29T09:08:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm back in Charlottesville after a pretty successful trip home to Columbus for Christmas. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and is preparing for a celebratory New Year's Eve and even better 2010 (by the way I'm going to use the pronunciation "twenty-ten"). As I'm typing this I want everyone to know that I can barely feel my fingers because I think it's 20 degrees in my office right now. They are trying to conserve energy so they drop the McCue Center down to like 62 degrees, but it's colder than that for sure. Back to my trip back home. It was pretty successful. I went down to Cincinnati to watch Xavier play Miami (oh), I went to Akron to get it going, and I held it down in Columbus.

I think I'm going to start off with the Browns. They have fired off three in a row. Woah, easy Browns, I'm loving the winning and closing the season out on a positive note but I was hoping for a high draft pick. Well, either way Jerome Harrison is really making a statement to be a starting running back in the league and I applaud his efforts as he looks like the running back who had prolific numbers in college which is where he earned the nick name "Ghost." I love the hire of Mike Holmgren. I think you're going to see him really bring the Browns back to a competitive level. First he needs to pay Josh Cribbs. That has to be done. Second, fire Mangini. Third, hire a NFL head coach who knows what the hell they are doing. Fourth, stick to your job and run the team. Do your job and let everyone else do their job and everything will be ok. If Eric Berry is available, please select him. He's a ball hawk and a superb athlete. I want just a BA like him back there in the secondary regulating the air traffic and lighting guys up like Christmas Day.

Like I said, I took a trip down to Cincinnati to watch Xavier play Miami (OH). Pretty solid game. Xavier got the win. But, they could've really dominated but let Miami go on a run at the end of the first half and Xavier had to really work to grab the W in the second half. But a win is a win. Xavier will take that. It's half time of the LSU game now (it was too cold for me to type at work) and the first half was pretty solid. If only Xavier would play like that every game all 40 minutes then we're sitting here talking about a team with no more than 2 losses on the season and a team that can run through the A-10. Terrell Holloway is playing awesome. I'm feeling the flow on offense and the defense is looking real solid. I would like to point out how much Xavier loves playing games before the change of the New Year. Dating back to the 1983-84 season, Xavier has won 25 in a row and right now they are up 17 looking to make it 26. I dug deep into the archives for that. Thanks to the Xavier staff for mailing me the 2009-10 media guide. Ok, Xavier has a 20 point lead now. Another thing I have noticed about Xavier teams during the winter break or playing right around New Years is that it's generally when the team really hits their stride and starts coming together as a team. I hope this tradition continues. I mean let's face facts, we all know what happens when March comes, but this is a very important time of year as they head into conference play. It is crucial to get off to a good start so they don't have to try and crawl back. The lead is up to 22. Nice no look pass by Tutu and Frease actually finished. Make it 24 as Love went Baseline. No thanks Tigers. Go back to the bayou. Looking good Xavier, looking good.

My bowl game predictions haven't been too stellar. I've been correct on only 5 of the 12 bowls so far. I guess that shows how much I really care about these rinky dink bowl games. In fact, none of the games have been intriguing at all. I'm still trying to figure out what was going on in the Emerald Bowl. Both teams were on the same sideline. That seemed to make a lot of sense. If Ohio State wants to win the Rose Bowl the defense needs to force turnovers and force them on the Oregon end of the field, then the offense needs to convert these turnovers into points. The one thing Tressel is pretty good with the bowl games is the creativity with the play book. I'm interested to see what he has drawn up. I hope the torn PCL doesn't affect Pryor's play. It's going to be an epic battle for sure and I'm looking forward to really "bringing the noise" (Sarah, that was a shout out to you since you said it like 5 times the other night when we were having beers at the Rusty Bucket, I know you're reading) down here in Charlottesville.

Ohio State basketball is doing their thing, and that's winning games against teams they should win games. However, they are looking pretty good without Evan Turner. I saw Evan Turner at the mall while I was home, he was walking fine, I expect to see him back sooner than expected in time to make plays in the Big 10. I also saw Ron "You Ruined My Life" Lewis and Ja'Kel "I drain Threes" Foster.

I guess I should make a couple of closing thoughts as the decade is closing. I thought about this while I was flying back from Columbus yesterday and I'm going to try and do this right. I'm going to go ahead and say it's in no particular order but these are my top 10 moments for the last ten years:

1. 2007-2008 Xavier Basketball Season

2. 2002 Ohio State National Championship

3. 2003-2004 Xavier Basketball RUN

4. My four years of college (The 1932 Years were unreal)

5. Seeing Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville on back to back nights

6. The win over Westerville South on Friday, February 13, 2004 at Westerville South, double OT
7. Troy Smith's Heisman Trophy Year

8. Cavs drafting LeBron

9. The Run William Run game (Browns win over the Falcons with epic goal line stand)

10. Meeting Dave Matthews in Indianapolis at Deer Creek while he was riding his bike

Current Book: Shooting Stars - Lebron James & Buzz Bissinger
Current Song: Halloween - Dave Matthews Band (Recently EP)

Until Twenty-Ten
-'Killa

Blizzard

2009-12-20T15:54:00.004-05:00

I don't even know where to begin. I have a lot I need to hit on before I bust out of Charlottesville for Christmas in Columbus. I guess first and foremost I'm going to have to hit on the blizzard that attacked this city with some serious force. It started snowing around 5pm on Friday and didn't stop until late Saturday night. I would say there is easily 30 inches of snow on the ground. By far and away the most snow I've ever seen in my life. Here is an excerpt of an e-mail I sent to my college buddies yesterday morning. Disclaimer, try not to pay too much attention to the attempted free-style I dropped. White Girl (remix)- Young Jeezy was the inspiration for the few lines I dropped...

"You know we got that white girl, that fresh snow powder My car is so covered, baby where the plow at? I'm talking 24 inches shovels can't stop it They know we can't drive in the streets so I walk it You know we got that white girl, that fresh snow powder My car is so covered, baby where the plow at? I'm talking 24 inches shovels can't stop it They know we can't drive in the streets so I walk it

Fellas, I'm telling you guys, there is so much snow here and it's still snowing. No joke, there is 24+ inches out there with no end in sight. I actually can't even see my whip outside. But, do you think this stops my style? No. I walked from my apartment to my buddy's house last night. Probably a little over a mile At that point in time there was 4 or 5 inches of snow. I just flossed Bud Light, heat, and my ipod. Real legit. We drank beers all night and felt real good. Big shout out to Villanova for winning the FCS! That's what I'm talking about. Steph Curry is the real deal. So I woke up this morning to 24+ inches with it still snowing on Charlottesville. This town is completely shut down. But my phone was dying so I had to walk back to my spot. I did so. Strapped the ipod on, grabbed a bottle of water and was on my way. No joke, at some points in my walk when I wasn't able to walk through the tracks where cars had driven snow was above my knees. So here I sit, scheming my day. It looks like after I feast and recover I'm going to hike back to Chris' for the rest of the day/night as we're expecting another 12 inches of the white stuff. Obviously gonna view X. Gonna view bowl games. Gonna view the Saints danza the Homos. Gonna get D. Gonna heat. I'm going to represent for you guys. Hopefully I can get out of here on tuesday. May be a bad break if I can't leave."

So that e-mail should sum up my weekend. I spent the rest of the afternoon at my buddy's house. We watched any and all events that were on TV, we watched Christmas Vacation, we listened to Christmas music, we drank beer, we had a fire, we grilled out, we through a bottle of liquor on the fire, and we posted. Unfortunately the Homos won, pretty dumb if you ask me. I've been feeling the Saints this year. But I think this loss is ok for them. It's going to allow them to refocus and maybe get it going in the playoffs. Don't worry Mercury Morris, the Colts are still undefeated and they're coming for ya. We also watched the Xavier game...

Now let me say this, I'm sure most of the readers of this blog saw the game or saw what happened on Sportscenter. There was some controversy at the end. It is what it is. First of all, that was a horseshit way to end a game and the refs definitely got that deal wrong without giving Xavier a chance. I mean how are you going to call on a clock operator error in favor of the home team. Absolutely garbage. But, I'm going to say this, Xavier had plenty of opportunities to win that game. There should've never been the opportunity for the refs to end that game. Xavier never should've let the game get into the ref's hands. A little more toughness a little less selfishness and Xavier wins that game. Which brings me to my final point. I'm pretty sure Coach Mack doesn't have control of that team. There are three constant offenders who just seem to be completely out of control. Jordan Crawford, the guy is just selfish and at times is way more concerned with his stats than the team. Mark Lyons, dude shut up and play. Kenny Frease, soft, weak, can't control emotions, terrible foul shooter. My thing is this, if Xavier would realize it and recognize that the way they played in the second half yesterday is winning basketball. If they show up like that ever game for 40 minutes then I wouldn't have to voice my frustrations with this team on a weekly basis. So until they have some consistency and start proving me wrong then I'm going to continue make people face facts and those facts are this team just isn't very good right now.

Ohio State beat Delaware State. There was like no one at the game. Columbus let me ask you this. Can you for once take your heads out of your asses and support the basketball team. I know football is what Columbus cares about but that basketball program is pretty good and is going to be getting better. No one seems to want to support the program. I mean this is a large city with no NBA team. The Buckeyes are the only basketball in the city, why not go and support the team? Pretty simple if you ask me. It's not like they are a bad team, they have been in the top 25 ever since Matta has been there.

Bowl games are in effect, here are my picks:
Fresno State
Rutgers
Southern Miss
Oregon State
Cal
Nevada
Ohio
Pitt
USC
Clemson
Georgia
Temple
The U
Bowling Green
Nebraska
Houston
Stanford
Missouri
Minnesota
Virginia Tech
Auburn
Florida State
LSU
The Ohio State University
Florida
South Florida
UCONN
Oklahoma State
Arkansas
Texas Tech
TCU
Georgia Tech
Central Michigan
'Bama

The Browns won their second game in a row! Unreal. Josh Cribbs is the man. He had two returns for touchdowns setting the NFL record at 8 returns for TDers. PAY THE MAN CLEVELAND! IF YOU LET HIM LEAVE OR DON'T PAY HIM I WILL PERSONALLY COME TO CLEVELAND AND RAISE HELL. Jerome "Ghost" Harrison had a heck of a game! Dude rushed for 286 yards and 3 TDs. I love the Browns, but I hate Mangini.

A commercial that I find hilarious:

The next time I drop a blog will be after Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone

-'Killa

The U

2009-12-14T19:29:00.004-05:00

First things first, we gotta hit on the Crosstown Shootout. It hit classic levels last night. I mean I felt like we were back in Cincinnati Gardens, Huggins was coaching, Lenny Brown was lacing em up, and it was a Thursday night, prime time game on ESPN with Dickie V in the house. Unfortunately it really wasn't quite that but it was one for the ages. If you tuned into ESPNU last night at 7 or had the privilege of being in the mix at Cintas Center, you were treated with an early Christmas present. I'm talking about an all out battle royale that had a little bit of everything. Lately, this game has almost been tossed to the side, but last night proved why it is still one of college basketball rivalries. Xavier and UC. Jesuits vs Convicts. Small school vs big school. Whatever you want to call it, it was awesome. Things got heated quickly after a hard foul against Dante Jackson in the first half that resulted in some chirping, a little shoving, two technical fouls, and the pot was boiling. That pot boiled over just a few moments later when Jason Love committed a hard but good hard foul on Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson. It all looked like everyone was going to their benches for the media timeout, then all hell broke loose. UC came all the way to half court and both teams had to be violently restrained before a rumble went down. (I still think none of those guys really had the balls to throw a punch, but that's just my point of view) Anyways, both sides calmed down but at that point Xavier was down 19-12. They used this momentum shifter to go into halftime up five. Xavier went as far up as 10 points with under 8 minutes to go but UC hopped on the shoulders of stud freshman Lance Stephenson and fought back. REgulation wasn't enough to decide the game. We went to OT and just when I thought it was over, Xavier was down five with a minute to go, my main man Terrell Holloway showed we the spotlight was on him last night. He brought the team back and helped send the game into a second overtime. Let me talk about the man wearing #52. The guy dropped 26 last night. He hit on all 11 of his free throw attempts. He even took on the task of guarding Lance Stephenson who had 22 points on 19 attempts. That's what I'm talking about. The growth of Holloway from last year to this year is incredible. When I was told he was the hardest worker in the off season, they really weren't kidding. I think you're seeing that hard work pay off right now. Xavier finally was able to fight off the Bearcats and captured another win in the Crosstown Shootout. This marks Xavier's 8th win out of the last 10 and 3 of the last 4. UC fans are salty like they always are. Their coaches are still grease-balls and their players are still classes thugs. But, all in all, this game went down as one for the ages. Already an ESPN Instant Classic. Last night rejuvenated the rivalry right back where it needed to be. Right where we want it to be, with Xavier sitting on top and still kings of the Queen city.

Now, onto my people here in Charlottesville. The UVA Men's Soccer team won the College Cup yesterday 0-0 (3-2, on PKs). They beat unbeaten and #1 Akron in a thrilling double OT and PK match. It was pretty sweet. Both teams were very evenly matched and UVA came out on top. Don't forget baseball and lacrosse seasons haven't started yet. If you remember correctly Baseball was in the College World Series last year and LAX fell in the semi-finals of the NCAA tourney last year. Director's Cup here we come.

Now, you all know how I get down with The U. Well, if you haven't had the chance to see ESPN's 30 for 30 The U then you need to find some way to watch it. It was incredible. It discusses the rise of Miami football during the late 80s and into the early 90s. I literally had goose-bumps at the end when all the former players were shown claiming The U. It is so BA. It talks about the swag they brought to the field and just the straight bad ass-ness they possessed. I loved the quote, "if you don't like us dancing then stop us from scoring." I was dying laughing when another guy blamed stadium architects for his TD celebration against Texas in the Mobil Cotton Bowl. Man, how far has Bernie Kosar fallen? That guy has got to be a raging alcoholic. At one point I had to stop and rewind to actually comprehend what he was saying. He was visibly sweating profusely and if he wasn't bombed during the taping then I don't know what bombed is. Unreal. All in all, The U invented swag and they are still the most BA program out there. I'm almost sure that the guy from 2 Live Crew was most definitely interviewed in a strip club.

Oh and by the way, Mark Ingram won the Heisman. The first ever for the historic Alabama football program. His speech was very emotional and heartfelt. Congrats to him.

A couple of videos for your viewing pleasure:

'Killa

All Decade Team

2009-12-10T20:00:00.002-05:00

I was e-mailed this article today while at work and I figured I'd do my best to try and come up with my all decade Buckeye roster:

Coach: Jim "JT" Tressel

QB: Troy Smith
RB: Beanie Wells
FB: Jamar Martin
WR: Michael Jenkins
WR: Anthony Gonzalez
WR: Santonio Holmes
TE: Ben Hartsock
OL: LeCharles Bentley
OL: Kirk Barton
OL: Nick Mangold
OL: Doug Datish
OL: Alex Stepaniovich

DE: Will Smith
DL:Cameron Heyward
DL: Simon Fraser
DE: Vernon Gholston
LB: AJ Hawk
LB: Bobby Carpenter
LB: James Lauranitas
CB: Chris Gamble
S: Mike Doss
S: Donnie Nickey
CB: Malcolm Jenkins

KR/PR: Ted Ginn Jr.

K: Mike Nugent
P: Andy Groom

My current all body team:

Jenn Brown

Melanie Collins

-'Killa

Burrrrrrrr

2009-12-06T16:18:00.005-05:00

What a weekend of football. A lot of things went down that caused me to celebrate. First let's start off with the SEC Title game. Alabama came out and picked Florida apart in every facet of the game. Mark Ingram was a beast. I honestly don't think having Dunlap would've saved any sort of beat down issued by 'Bama. I would generally bash Florida right now but I'm not going to. I'm going to build them up and give them so props so they feel good about themselves when they get the stupid Bearkittens in the Sugar Bowl. Listen to me Florida. I know you're angry. So what I want you to do is take that anger and just take out all your pain and suffering on UC. Tim Tebow, you've had a great career and even though everyone is on their knees for you I want you to go out and give it to UC. Throw all over them, run all over them, score all over them. I want you to destroy those idiots so much so that they are crying on the sideline and their fans riot because their football team is in fact really bad. This brings me to another point. Memo to UC fans. Please, I aks again, please act like you've been there before. I mean I know you haven't because just a few years ago no one wanted any part of your weak ass football program. Listen to me UC fans. You are the biggest bandwagon tools I've ever witnessed next to Bengal fans. Seriously, no one was going to Nippert stadium a few years ago and suddenly you guys get a wide receiver and a QB and a coach that is going to leave for Notre Dame and you act like it's the hottest thing out there. Let me tell you something. Do you want to play a football team? Do you really want to go out and play a real team? Well, why don't you play Ohio State. I know you will next year and I can't wait because it's going to be the biggest beat down next to the one Florida is going to give you. I was actually somewhat hoping Nebraska would've beat Texas so that your sorry program could get beated and have TCU go ahead of you to the National Title Game. They are the real deal and are a legit program. You are not. So cut the bull crap and bandwagoness because you're about to face reality. Back to Nebraska, valiant effort fellas. I gotta hand it to you, you guys gave Texas all they could handle. The Black Shirt D was back in effect. Texas just happened to catch a good break. Cornhuskers, you have nothing to be ashamed of. ACC Title Game was pretty solid. I mean I was rooting for Georgia Tech and rooting for CJ Spiller to have a great game so I got both. I'm gonna pat myself on the back for that. Georgia Tech is going to be a tough matchup for whoever they play simply because their offense is just so dynamic. Trust me, I've seen it first hand. That triple option with Nesbitt, Allen, and Dwyer will just kill you. You may stop them for some losses and get some tackles in the back field but they are just setting up a big time play that will hurt you when it counts. So beware, Paul Johnson's offense is on a mission and the most dynamic running game in the country is ready to lay it to someone. My main man, CJ Spiller. Dude has to get some serious Heisman Trophy consideration right now. Ingram stated his case yesterday but CJ Spiller I think stated a better one. The guy is just a true goon. I mean one fast goon who is a bad mama jamma when it comes to smoking fools and making defenses look dumb. He'll torch you on kick returns, punt returns, runs, catches, and if they gave him a chance I bet he would be a BA defensive back too. How can you not love this guy, he's always smiling and he's just so unbelievably gifted with speed it's not even funny. He is my pick to win the Heisman and I hope he does because he sure does deserve it.

The Buckeyes are going to play Oregon in the Rose Bowl. I'm sorry Oregon, you got skills and your offense is nice but you haven't seen a D like the Bucks' D. So my early prediction is a Buckeye win. I mean would I honestly go against them in the first place? On a serious note, I'm pretty confident with this claim right now because the Bucks are due. The media will most likely suck off the Ducks and hate the Bucks as they analyze and preview the game so it is my hope that the Buckeyes not only win but win big to get the monkey off their back and try to gain some respect back from the haters.

Moving into the pro realms. My homies from the bay area represented big time this weekend. Raider Nation came into Pittsburgh and really wasn't too concerned about the Steelers. The Silver and Black attack matched Pittsburgh all game long and scored a late TD for the win. I was jacked! If only the Browns could win a game then I would be really happy. I will say this, Brady Quinn has played pretty solid since being thrust back into the starting role. If only Mangini didn't suck so much maybe the Browns wouldn't be the laughing stalk of the NFL.

I'm going to step into the prep world and give some much deserved shout outs to some teams in Ohio. First of all, Hilliard Davidson, representing the OCC (my conference when I was in HS) beat Cleveland Glenville to win the D1 State Title. Davidson made a gutsy call and went for two and it paid off as they converted and won 16-15. Big time win for the Wildcats! Moving on, we all know I'm a Worthington Kilbourne Wolf through and through so I would like to point out the continued dominance over Dublin Scioto. The men's basketball team beat the Irish this weekend. Now I will say this, WKHS has never been good at basketball and the fact they beat Scioto surprises me because I was told Kilbourne struggled to score points against Brookhaven. As long as Tom Souder is the coach at WKHS the program will never be good. Everyone knows it. He still runs the same offense that he ran when I was there. Ohio, Loop, AJ, etc. I can still run through the plays if you'd like. My man, the game is changing, you have got to run and gun, it's what people do and it's how you win games. Well run and gun and then play D. I can't wait when I'm coaching basketball at the high school level. I'm going to run and gun the hell out of teams. I'm talking about getting shots up early and often and scoring at will. Anyways, I do want to congratulate Kilbourne on beating Scioto. Kilbourne has and always will dominate Hard Road.

Xavier bounced back from a horrible showing in Orlando and beat Kent State Friday night. Xavier has had some problems being selfish this year so that was the focus all week in practice. At times Friday night it looked like guys were trying too hard to share the ball. The chemistry has got to get better and guys just need to take a page out of the 2007-2008 Xavier team's book and just play. Play together and play off each other. It's not hard. Just stop being selfish and play. If you do that then you're going to win games. Xavier's team is not as bad as some people think. They are going to have their ups and downs this year but come conference play I think you're going to see a well polished and finely tuned team. The non-conference schedule will prepare this team to make plays not only in conference play but come March as well.

The search for a new coach here at UVA continues. Here is a list of candidates:

Mike London - This has really heated up as the hot rumor as Virginia sought to speak with London only a day after losing to Appy State in the 1AA playoffs.
Al Golden
Kevin Sumlin
Tommy Tubberville
Jim Grobe
Butch Jones
Chip Kelly
Danny Rocco
Skip Holtz
Chris Petersen

I expect an announcement within a week as to who will be coaching here next year. I personally believe that the program needs to hire someone without any ties to Al Groh. I mean just look at the firing, everyone including four GAs got fired. So what does it say to the general public, team, and support staff if the athletic department hires someone like London to be coach? I'm not saying London is a bad guy by any means or that he's a bad coach because both are wrong. But Virginia needs to go in a completely different direction. They need to hire a young guy who's enthusiastic. They need to go away from what this University has seen for the past nine years. Which is why I'm so enthusiastic about Tubberville or Pertersen. The coaches who have spent time under Groh include London, Golden, and Rocco. Grobe graduated from UVA and I think he's too old and fits Wake Forest perfect anyway. Skip Holtz is related to UVA in the fact that the AD at ECU is very close with Craig Littlepage here at UVA. I like Sumlin, I think he would be a baller coach here. I already said I'm down with Tubberville. Butch Jones isn't exciting enough for me. Chip Kelly has no reason to leave UC for this job, he's better off at Notre Dame. Rocco, I don't know much about you but I'm just going to go ahead and give you a thanks but no thanks. Petersen could be solid but I don't see him leaving Boise State to come here.

Current Book: Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond - Paul Shirley

Current Track(s): Cortez The Killer - Dave Matthews Band (Live from Central Park)

I Got No Ceilings - Lil' Wayne

A few videos for your viewing pleasure:

I'm a fan of the Saint Bernard

I cannot wait for this to be released. It's a Christmas gift to myself.

Some Holiday music. A remake of a classic.

-'Killa

This Hurts

2009-12-02T13:59:00.003-05:00

I will always respect Charlie Weis. I completely understand where you are coming from Gaskill in your remarks about your disdain for Charlie Weis. However I cant hate the man who showed so much passion for the University of Notre Dame over the past 5 season. I predicted a few weeks ago that Weis would win a few more games and save his job as head coach, but I was blinded by my own love for ND and my desire for Coach Weis to stay on as head coach. With that said I am not blind enough to realize that it is time for a change in South Bend. The one flaw in Charlie's years as a head coach is that he never found any one close to his equal on the other side of the ball. He worked his ass off on the recruiting trail and the next coach will certainly reap the benefits. The knock against Willingham was his overall lack of interest in actually doing work. Charlie proved that you can still recruit top-flight talent to Notre Dame as long as you are willing to work at it. He consistently had top 10 classes over his years at ND but again, just couldnt get it the right pieces on the defensive side of the ball. Did Charlie go to back-to-back BCS bowls with Willingham's players. Yes. What most people don't know is that Brady Quinn would not have even gone to ND if it wasn't for his high school teammate, Chinedum Ndukwe, saying he would only come to ND if Brady was allowed too. Willingham didn't work on the recruiting trail at all and that's why when he went to Washington he was able to lead them to an 0-12 season.

So now, who will the next coach at ND be? There are rumors flying around every day that ND's next coach will be this guy or that guy. Hell I think even heard the Councilman's name thrown into the hat a few times. Who I ultimately believe will get the job is Bob Stoops. He is a catholic guy from Ohio and he is the perfect fit for ND. I really want it to be him because I believe he will be able to continue to recruit top-flight talent to ND on both sides of the ball. He is a defensive minded coach that would be able to work some magic on the defensive side of the ball much like Weis did with the offense when he arrived in South Bend.

Basketball
In watching Xavier over Thanksgiving break and to say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I constantly sat and wondered what happened to the team that truly epitomized team ball and not beating themselves by hitting free throws and not turning the ball over? I watched a lot of selfish and inexplicable play from our guards, and we simply cant have that if we plan on making any sort of run in March. Crawford has NBA talent, and Lyons is quick as a hiccup, but until those to begin to understand the concept of team ball this Xavier team will be stuck in neutral. At this point I am too frustrated to go on any further in this post. Between the Irish, G-MEN, and Xavier I am a drained and beaten man.

Holla Man

p.s. Christmas post coming next week.

Lights on, Nobody home

2009-11-30T13:24:00.003-05:00

Let me start off with a little UVA update. Well it first went down on Saturday after jumping out early on the Chokies we stumbled to even finish the game. The Hokies decided they had seen enough after we methodically marched down the field and scored on our first possession. It then went down on Sunday with not only coach Groh getting the axe but the entire coaching staff including the four GA's got the axe and were asked to turn in their cars, phones, and be out of the offices by Tuesday and asked not to come back. So of course now the rumors will swirl as far as who the next coach will be. Early names floating about in the media outlets include: Chris Peterson from Boise State, Brian Kelly from UC, Mike London from Richmond, Al Golden from Temple, Tom Tuberville, and Charlie Strong from Florida. As far as I'm concerned, I'm excited for a fresh start with a new coach and staff. In my opinion since they completely cleaned house it's hard for me to see Mike London or Al Golden getting hired since they were here under Groh at one point in time. Cleaning house means cleaning house to me and that means a complete fresh start and not bringing in anyone who has any ties to Groh or the previous staff.

Ohio State didn't play so I don't really have anything to talk about other than The Villain is still balling and the Buckeyes are rolling over so so competition on the hardwood.

Speaking of the hardwood, Xavier went 1-2 down in Orlando. I did not expect this. Against Marquette, the only person to show up and play was Jason Love. He had a monstrous effort going for 21 points and 19 rebounds. The team looked solid against Creighton and pulled out a solid win. However, it was awful decision making that cost X the game against Baylor. Baylor was a game that was very winnable. All I know is that Coach Mack better get a hold of Jordan Crawford and his decision making because those selfish plays are not going to cut it down the road. I will say this, it took Drew Lavender until December to finally get back into true game form and I'm thinking maybe that's about how long it will take for JC to regain true game form. Mark Lyons needs to try and cut the circus street ball out of his game and start playing a little more fundamentally sound because behind the back no look passes to Brad Redford are not going to win ball games especially when you're trying to battle back from being down 11-0. All in all the selfish play needs to stop and Xavier needs to take note from the 2007-2008 team and start playing as a team instead of like a bunch of selfish cats just trying to get theirs. What's even more frustrating about Orlando is that Xavier could've won the whole thing. The Marquette game was winnable and if we make our free throws we're right there in position to win at the end.

Did anyone check out the end of the USC and UCLA game? USC was ready to call the game. They took a knee and then UCLA called a time out. Sure Neuheisel tried to say he was playing the game. He was trying to force a punt or maybe force a fumble. But my man...if you're trying to play the game you better be ready to be played right back because USC was playing the game too after that timeout. They said, ok, call a timeout, two can play this game. Barkley drops back, play action, pass deep and 48 yards later USC put six up on the scoreboard. As a result a raucous celebration ensued and a fight almost broke out between UCLA and USC players. I'm not a UCLA guy nor am I a USC guy. But, I'm going to side with Pete Carrol on this one. Look, if Neuheisel claims to be playing the game then why can't Pete play the game? What's funny about this is Pete was just on the other side of this situation when Standford went for two late in the game. Now, Pete didn't come out and publicly complain about Harbaugh trying to run up the score but according to sources the hand shake wasn't too pleasant as Pete and Harbaugh asked each other what their problems were? So here we are two weeks later and Pete is doing the exact same thing so it's kind of funny but not completely outrageous as UCLA got what they deserved. Why not just accept the loss and go to the locker room rather than calling a timeout with the game all but decided. Just accept it UCLA, USC is the best team in LA.

Pete Carroll runs up the score on UCLA from First and last name on Vimeo.

The question remains now, who takes over at Notre Dame? Whoever it is, how will they rectify another 6 loss season?

-'Killa

Tis The Season

2009-11-26T22:45:00.004-05:00

As I'm wrapping up my Thanksgiving I basically feel like not moving. I spent the majority of my day at work. Then I finally got the opportunity to relax and feast. I'm about to pop in Rudy, a Thanksgiving tradition of my own. Texas is in a battle with Texas A&M. The Broncos are rolling. Xavier didn't show up to play today. Neither did the Lions. And the Cowboys won. But as I'm winding it down I thought it would be necessary to step back and hit on something other than sports. So without further adieu, I present to you in no particular order my holiday list of things I enjoy during the holiday season.

1. Christmas Music

A. Kenny G
B. Manheim Steamroller
C. A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack
D. The Eagles
E. Various Songs from Home Alone, Theme song being the best
F. Christmas Hymns/Carols
G. I can’t forget Wham!
H. Various others, the list grows every year

2. Christmas Films

A. Home Alone
B. Christmas Vacation
C. A Charlie Brown Christmas
D. A Christmas Story
E. Elf
F. Rudy
G. A Muppet Christmas

3. Christmas Sports

A. Bowl Games
B. NFL Action
C. College Hoops
D. NBA on Christmas Day

4. Christmas Literature

A. The Christmas Story
B. Polar Express
C. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas

5. Christmas Beverages

A. Christmas Blend – Starbucks
B. Winter Lager
C. My mom’s slush

6. Christmas Feast

A. My mom’s Christmas Day Breakfast
B. Honey Baked Ham
C. Cheese Potatoes
D. Pistachios and Chashews
E. Cookies
F. Pie

7. Christmas Threads

A. Slippers
B. Sweats
C. Sweaters

8. Christmas Lights

A. Candle lights in windows
B. Wreaths with spotlights on them
C. The Snoopy and Shark thing the people in my old neighborhood have
D. Christmas Trees
E. The Martiny’s pine tree in the backyard
F. Advent wreath

9. Christmas Eve Church Service

A. Silent Night
B. O Holy Night
C. Pastor Paul’s Sermon

10. Snow
11. Dressing up for gatherings
12. Christmas party at 1932 Cleneay
13. Scents

A. Pine
B. Cinnamon
C. Vanilla

-'Killa

The Meetings Were Boring

2009-11-23T13:03:00.005-05:00

Death Valley and Howard's Rock got the best of UVA this weekend. With Clemson coaches rocking fatigue pants, senior day, and a baller in CJ Spiller it didn't go too well for Virginia. The crowd of 75,000+ brought the noise in what was one of the best atmospheres I've ever worked in or been a part of (NCAA Elite 8 run still is at the top). That place got loud and even louder after we fumbled the ball and turned it over on the first play from scrimmage. We chalked up 21 points in the first half by running some wildcat and mixing in run and pass plays well. However, in the second half the offense just couldn't produce and Clemson proved too much. CJ Spiller is the real deal. He only had 78 total yards this weekend but I would vote for him for Heisman. The guy is going to eclipse 7,000 total yards in his career and be a first rounder. He is clearly very underrated in a media biased Heisman trophy race. The entrance by Clemson, running down the hill after touching Howard's Rock is BA status. In a matter of days the Groh era is going to come to an end at UVA and someone new will take the reigns and put Virginia back on the map before you know it. Virginia Tech comes to town this weekend in a game that will take place at 3:30 on ESPN for those of you who would like to tune in to the battle for the Commonwealth Cup. It would be a nice way to end the season and era of Coach Groh to win this one. Unfortunately, Tech fans have bought tickets and it could be as much as a 60-40 advantage for the Chokies on Saturday.

The Buckeyes won their 6th straight against Michigan. They did so with a dominating defense that forced turnovers with which the Buckeyes converted into points. Michigan's program is on a steep decline and it's sad to see because I love when that game means a lot more than Ohio State clinching the outright title in the Big Ten. The game did not go without confrontation as a member of the Buckeye staff brushed shoulders with a Michigan player prior to the game inciting an exchange of words. Is Rich Rodriguez done? I don't know, but I have to think that he is on a very very hot seat. Les Miles? Harbaugh from Stanford? Both would be possible candidates if Rodriguez is ousted. Not only does Rich Rod have two back to back losing seasons and no bowl games but there is a brutal investigation going on that could bring the program even farther into the darkest depths of college athletics. I hope this program is revitalized because I do like seeing the maize and blue not only in the top 25 by taking down opponents. There is too much tradition with that program to see it fall from the graces of football lore.

Speaking of falling from the graces of football lore take a look at Notre Dame. I'm sorry Gallagher but I hate Charlie Weis and always have. His cockiness and arrogance rub me the wrong way and I know you won't like hearing this but I love seeing the Domers lose under Weis. I know you said Jim Clausen wants Weiss to stay but it may be too hard for a program of such class and history to continue to keep him there when the team continues to struggle. Charlie Weiss arrived in 2005 and had a heck of a season and went to a BCS Bowl where they lost to Ohio State. However, this team was all players recruited by Ty Willingham. In 2006 the Domers went to the Sugar Bowl. They had a great season, rattling off 8 wins a row at one point. In 2007 Notre Dame had arguably it's worst season under Weis. They had 9 losses. By 2008 Weis had his players in running his system and they finished 7-5 with a win in the Hawaii Bowl over Hawaii. If people want to continue to crown Notre Dame as an elite program then it needs to have seasons like the 2006 and 2005 season. People continue to talk about how great the program is and how it's going to rebound but when is that going to happen? I think it happens when Weis leaves. To me the results with his own players and system speak about his ability to coach. I know Notre Dame goes out every year and plays USC, Michigan, Michigan State, and Stanford but of late Notre Dame has struggled with these teams and even has lost to Navy twice at home. That has to be very frustrating. It's just hard for me to give Notre Dame any credit for Weis' success under teams built by Ty Willingham. I still think Willingham caught a raw deal but it's just the nature of the beast.

Let's holler at some Xavier basketball because it is basketball season and Xavier is all I care about when it comes to the hardwood. Xavier is their name and smack downs is their game. Xavier laid it to BGSU 101-57 behind a career high 24 points by Jordan Crawford. They then got down and laid the smack down to Sacred Heart 105-65 behind another career high 26 points by Jordan Crawford. Does anyone notice a theme here? I do. Jordan Crawford is the real deal. Not only is he the engine that makes Xavier go but he does more than just score. He dimes it up he hits the glass and he defends. He is an all around talent that the A-10 has not really seen. A guard in a forward's body with an outside and inside game and athleticism to go with it. Crawford isn't the only reason for Xavier's success. Everyone is contributing. Five people got in double figures against BGSU and 4 people got in double figures against Sacred Heart. Jason Love had a heck of an effort against Sacred Heart snaring 15 rebounds to go with his 14 points. You have Brad Redford who is just money from anywhere on the court. Cheekz and Tutu are running the point well. Dante is doing what he does and that's defend and contribute offensively. The offense is running smoothly and the defense has been good. The last time Xavier reached the century mark in back to back games the team went to the Elite 8 and that was against Kansas State and UVA. This team is a team full of talent up and down and if they continue to get these types of efforts all season long it's going to be another successful season in Cincinnati. I would like to point out to all you _ayton haters like myself, they are 2-2. Suckers. Thanks but no thanks. What did I say about that team this year? Overrated. I cannot to give them the business like always this year. By the way, Chris Wright, I think you got a challenger for player of the year in the A-10. He goes by the name of Jordan Crawford and he's more rounded as a player than you are. London Warren, glad to see you're still up to your same tricks and that's turning the ball over. Nothing new there. Teams just salivate at the mouth when he's on the court because it's like a 6-4 advantage the way he turns the rock over. Xavier has Marquette on Thanksgiving day at 2pm on ESPN2 so you better believe I'll be feasting and watching basketball. The first true tests of the season are this weekend down in Orlando as they face either Creighton or Michigan after Marquette.

Last but not least, Thursday is Thanksgiving. It is the start of the Holiday season and I couldn't be happier as it marks my favorite time of the year. Stay tuned as I have a special post planned on Thanksgiving noting all of my favorite Holiday traditions.

PS - I have two Virginia vs. Virginia Tech tickets if anyone wants them.

-'Killa

One Big ?

2009-11-19T18:00:00.003-05:00

Hello all. Much to the surprise of many of my colleagues around here I made it back from UGA successfully. Let me tell ya something about UGA if you have not had the privilege of going to this date, GO. Now, tomorrow, I dont care, just go. Schuta and I had a blast down there and UGA has the most amount of bars per capita in the great US of A. There beautiful babies everywhere and I must have fallen in love 1000 times. After licking a few broads on the face as an introduction I was set for the rest of the weekend. Won a bunch of people over with that one and we were truly greeted with southern hospitality. Well that's all I have on UGA because to be quite honest it cannot be put into words as to how magical that place is.

Charlie Weis- I predicted last week that Charlie and the Irish would go 3-0 and to close the season and Charlie would keep his job. Well they obviously lost last week and I have read everything from Urban Meyer becoming the next coach with a 10 year $50million contract to Lou Holtz coming back until he has to be put 6 feet under. At this point I just dont know, but the uncertainty in the situation just gives me a feeling that Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbick might just keep him around. Swarbick is having such a tough time with this decision because he truly understands how much Weis cares about ND. The $18million buyout is also going to be a hindering factor here considering the potential next coach is going to be given a ridiculous contract. In closing my scattered thoughts on Weis I will leave you with this. I think he is back if he wins the next 2 games, and I sure as hell hope he is. This will give Swarbick the opportunity to come out and declare that Weis is back for next year, and ND will be able to close strong on the recruiting front. The one factor that people are not really looking at as much as they should is the Clausen factor. Clausen said at the beginning of the year that Weis will not get fired because of him. I would not be surprised if Jimmy went to Swarbick and told him he better keep Weis if he wants his stud QB back. This is more important than it was about 3 weeks ago when the Irish had a stud QB in waiting, Dayne Crist. However he tore a ligament in his knee and wont be ready until August at the earliest. Thats all for my rant. I promise.... For now.

College Basketball
Well real college basketball is underway now and I am pumped. We have had a few great games this week which hopefully is only the tip of the iceberg for the rest of the year. I watched Xavier really lay wood to BGSU the other night and young JC and the boys looked "pretty pretty pretty good" (Larry David voice). In talking with Redford this week he told me he thinks that we have the best combination of guards in the country. Xavier has 5 guards that can get out there and straight ball in a variety of ways and this team is going to be putting up mad points. The only area of concern is on defense. Xavier is going to be able to score with any team this year and I cannot wait to add watching them to the list of Thanksgiving traditions as they will be taking on Marquette at 2:00E.T. on ESPN2. In other news gayton beat Georgia Tech today, woopee. They can win all the games they want but we all know what happens when the venture into Norwood. LOSS. Suck it gayton. Enjoy your time in the lime-light because much like George O'Leary's time as the head coach for Notre Dame, it will be short lived.

Predictions

Last week was a solid 4-0 week and hopefully more of the same will come this weekend. After Thanksgiving I will start throwing out more picks as there will be mass bowls and college basketball games on a daily basis.

Ohio State @ Michigan- This is a huge game, and I really could careless who wins. I know it's a rivalry game and that Dick Rod is fighting for his job, but Michigan has fallen so far from where it was under Carr, and they are really going to regret forcing him out. OSU -11.5

UNC @ BC- BC is tough, but Butch Davis is one hell of a college football coach and I don't see them having trouble with the Golden Eagles. UNC +3.5

UCONN @ ND- ND is fighting for their coach. I truly believe the players are 100% behind him and they want him back. UCONN does have former ND QB Zach Frazier coming in to prove that he should have been the starter 2 years ago which should make the game interesting for a bit. However ND is going to play inspired ball and put up mass points. ND-6

LSU @ Ole Miss- This one I honestly think could go either way. Ole Miss is finally playing up to their pre-season hype, but LSU is always a tough game for the Rebels. Ole Miss is at home in this one and I have mass respect for the tailgating work they put in at The Grove. Ole Miss -4.5

Kentucky @ UGA- Well I am officially on the bandwagon of the Bulldogs. They are really doing it down there in Athens both in the stadium and on the tailgating scene. This spread could be 50 and I would still take the Dawgs. UGA -10

Cal @ Stanford- I am not going to lie, I love Cal, got a buddy playing DE for them, but playing sans Jahivd Best against arguably the hottest team in the country is not exactly what they were hoping for. Stanford has young Toby stepping on bodies on his way to TD's and they should roll against Cal at home. Stanford -7.5

Holla Man

p.s. gayton, where dreams go to die.

Talk to me

2009-11-16T18:29:00.003-05:00

To start off I gotta go with my alma mater. Xavier opened up the season on Friday night and did so in great fashion. Others may say dominating but I don't want to go that far. Don't get me wrong, I was never worried for a second while watching that game but at the same time their were times in both halves when we hit the scoring slump we've become all too familiar with. On top of that we were fouling...a lot. There are definitely some things that need to be worked on as the non-conference schedule on gets tougher. I will say that the offense flowed really well. It took a little bit but Jordan Crawford got it going. Redford is possibly one of the purest shooters I've ever seen. He is such a weapon and a threat. The big fellas did their jobs. Jamel, Love, and Frease all looked good. Frease is still a little raw but give him some time and I think you'll see a good player out of him. The guard play was good. Tutu looks 100 times better and from what I've been told he was by far and away the hardest worker in the off season and I think it showed Friday night. Cheekz is extremely quick and really handles the rock well. We will just have to get used to some errant turnovers from him. He plays at such a fast pace he's bound to make some turn overs. That being said, he's going to be great at point. Xavier players Bowling Green tomorrow night, should be another good test leading up the the Thanksgiving Tournament down in Orlando. I'd like to leave everyone with this, Dayton only beat Creighton by 10 at home. The score was 90-80 which tells me that Dayton may not have the D this year. That is probably their toughest non-conference foe. Good job stupids.

UVA lost to BC on Saturday. We had a chance to win but unfortunately came just short. Some costly penalties may have lead to the loss. Two more games to go. We head to Klimpson this weekend. Watch out, here comes CJ Spiller, the all time leader in all-purpose yards.

Ohio State won in OT by a field goal by the third string kicker. Incredible. This secures their berth to a BCS game, most likely the Rose Bowl. It's Michigan week. I'm looking forward to going up to Ann Arbor once again and getting that W. Also, Michigan has no record of their hours which doesn't bode well for the program and the ongoing investigation into violations. The Buckeye hoopers have looked good in both their games so far. Evan Turner is the real deal. Trip dub to open the season and another dominating performance to follow. Having David Lighty back is good too, the lone soldier from the highly touted class of 2006.

BQ is back at starting QB tonight on national television. I just ask that the Browns do not embarrass us tonight and keep it respectable. The Bengals beat the Steelers to sweep the series this season. Troubled RB Larry Johnson appears to be headed to the Bengals as Ced Benson went down with a hip injury. The interesting thing about Benson going down was I read about how a RB's production will drop toward the end of the season if he averages 24 carries a game which is what Benson was doing. Low and behold he goes down with a hip injury. Unfortunate because I was loving his resurgance. I am also pumped about the emergence of Jamaal Charles in Kansas City. I was a fan of his when he was at Texas and now with LJ gone he has the opportunity to represent. Big Beanie Wells got in the end zone twice yesterday as well. Man I love when the big fella gets going. Just imagine if he was still at Ohio State. Mistakes.

The Equipment Room repped for the 8th year in a row in the annual Keg Bowl. Equipment staff versus video staff. We secured a 34-24 victory behind a potent offense and solid defensive effort. At one point it was 18-6 in favor of the video staff. We mounted a come back and never looked back.

Current Song: Louisiana Bayou - Dave Matthews Band - Live Trax Vol. 10, Portugal, Spain.

-'Killa

Hello Dixie

2009-11-11T15:01:00.003-05:00

Well this coming marks the opening weekend of Xavier's basketball season, and much like Gaskill and the Cheff did a couple years ago I will be venturing down to Athens, GA for the UGA-Auburn game. As it stands right now I have Doc Vinci and the biggest man himself, Schuta, making the venture down with me. I can't even begin to explain my excitement level to you right now as I am sure something is bound to happen that is worth reporting back about.

Hoops
The Knicks suck and they don't have their first round pick this year because of a garbage trade to Utah. Thanks a lot Isiah Thomas. Thats all I have to say about the NBA at this point.

Now looking into college hoops I can't wait for January 16 when Xavier lays the smack down on gayton. Gaskill hit it right on the head with their charmin ultra-soft schedule this year and their rating is going to be ridiculously inflated all year. Hey, maybe we should look at this as a good thing seeing as Xavier will just look even better when they tony smack Chris Wright at least 2 times this year. Gayton is also continuously rated in the top 5 or 6 of some sites braketologies. Ok experts, I'll have your crow ready on a platter when you see them flop this year and Xavier continue its domination on the A-10.

College Football
Weis. I continually hear people saying that they want Weis gone day in and day out, but I am not one of them. I don't believe ND can afford to fire him. He works his ass off for that university and he truly cares about the success of that football team. Standards are just different at ND and people that say they are no longer ND are wrong. If they are not ND than how come every single time ND plays an opponent they play it like it's their super bowl? People had high expectations for ND coming into this year, myself included, but the fact remains that this team is still very green, especially in the front 7 on defense. I do think that Tenuta may need to go, but not Weis. To those of you who hopped on the Weis bandwagon as the next great coach at ND you better stay on that wagon the entire way into the fire. If you are going to stand with a man when he is up you better be willing to stand with him when he is down. ND- 3-0 to finish the regular season. Weis will be back.

Predictions. It has been a couple weeks since I have done this but since I don't do anything with my life I might as well pick on some games this week.

ND@Pitt- Floyd and Tate are the best WR duo in the country. Hello motivated Irish team and hello shootout. ND +6.5

Florida @ South Carolina- "The Ol' Ball Coach" against his former team again. You have to take him to at least cover here. Suck one Timmy and Urban. SC +15.5

WVU @ UC- I love Noel Devine and I hate UC. I don't want Brian Kelly at ND and the big east is garbage. WVU +9

Auburn @ UGA- Well I'll be there so I might as well pick it. Gotta go for the home team if nothing else than to save me from getting my ass kicked if I root for Auburn. If AJ Green's lung is feeling better they better just throw him the rock every time the QB drops back. the AJ Greens -4.5

Holla Man.

p.s. Tebow is out this week. Rumor has it he has the clap.

Ouch

2009-11-09T15:10:00.006-05:00

Well, my Hajj to The U didn't go as planned. First of all I was unable to officially pay homage to The 7th Floor Crew as The U plays at Landshark Stadium, no longer The OB, which is actually in Ft. Lauderdale and no where near Mahoney Hall on The U's campus. I would also like to add that Miami as a city is pretty much a dump and I certainly wouldn't want to live there. Just when we thought we were in the mix at old Pro Player Stadium the beehive we had stirred up struck with a ferocity never quite seen before. By clicking on "seen before" be sure to take note that Miami had an all out block on. There were six dudes on the returner then he got all Devin Hester on us, a few shifty moves, a few bone crushing hits, and about 60 yards later put six up on the board. Not good people, not good. That plane ride back was painful. I'm trying to hold out hope that we're going to snatch up three wins in a row to close out the season and become bowl eligible but each week that passes it's harder for me to do. This week Boston College comes into town. They really have the football gods on their side as Mark Herzlich is a cancer survivor and a man's man not only on the field but off.

In other news, there is some chatter around Charlottesville today that Jon Gruden was in yesterday as a possible candidate for the football job as it will more than likely open up after the season. I cannot confirm this. I have no evidence to say he was here nor do I have information that he wasn't here. All I can say is that it is a rumor and that these types of rumors will certainly continue to swirl until a coach is hired in the future. Personally, I don't know why Chucky would go to collegiate level. There is too much work involved in recruiting and then on top of that he would have to develop players. I don't think he has the patience to do all of that especially with some coaching jobs sure to open up in the NFL. But, stranger things have happened. Chucky is from Sandusky, Ohio. He grew up in South Bend so Notre Dame could go after him, but he chose not to attend Notre Dame. He spent a year at Muskingum College in south east Ohio and then, wait for it, wait, wait waittttttttttttttt, transferred to _ayton where he was a back up QB. So, if he was hired I would have to quickly explain to him how I feel about his alma mater and lay out how much Xavier owns that program. Other than that, his resume speaks for itself. He's won a super bowl and essentially put together the Raider team that lost to his Buccaneer squad. I will say that if he is at the collegiate level he will surely land recruits because they know his work and that he would surely be able to develop them into true players. He loves QB's but right now UVA doesn't necessarily have a true stud QB, but maybe Gruden would be the guy to develop the dudes we got. He is a heck of a play caller. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned as the carousel music is cuing up. Hop on the ride.

The Buckeyes went into Happy Valley and quickly made it unhappy Valley. Vest and company did a terrific job on Saturday winning 24-7, arguably their best game played this season as far as results are concerned. Perhaps this was the win Ohio State needed to start taking that monkey off the back. Pryor looked good as he was rolling out of the pocket, making some good reads both in the air and on the ground. The defense again showed why they are one of the most dominating forces in college football this year giving Clark all that he could handle. Cameron Heyward is an absolute beast on the line. He could easily go top 10 if he leaves, but of course the Bucks will just reload and that defense could be something special next year.

Xavier won both of their exhibition games last week in a dominating nature. Both games had multiple double digit scoring from players. Jordan Crawford was clearly the highlight as he played tremendous is both outings and really looks like he is going to be "the guy" for Xavier this year. He not only scored from inside and out but also dished out assists proving that he is an all around player ready to step up and dominate the A-10. Watch out Chris Wright, you may have a contender for player of the year.

EAch week that passes it becomes easier and easier to see how soft and awful _ayton is. I just read the power rankings on ESPN.com as the season opens tonight. I took note that _ayton was in fact #23 in the first week of the rankings. What I also took note of was the fact that zero of _ayton's opponents this year were in those rankings but five of Xavier's opponents were in the top 37 of the rankings. Good job _ayton. Let's see how that pre-season talk holds up in March.

College basketball officially starts tonight. North Carolina, Syracuse, and Ohio State all play tonight. I will certainly be tuned into ESPNU to scope out the early season action. I really would like to see Denver win tonight in Monday Night Football so that the Bengal nation doesn't start popping off about being first in the AFC North. I will give the Bengals their credit, they looked impressive in a grind it out win against the Ravens. Cedric Benson seems to have really turned his game around as he is having a nice season and even ole' boy Ocho-Cinco is doing his thing. That being said, Mangini is one step closer to being fired. The Browns fired his boy Kokinis as GM and have stated that the job is Mark Homgren's if he chooses to accept. That would mean that the Browns plan to run their organization like the Dolphins. Holmgren would essentially be like The Tuna and be in charge of all football operations. I hope the first step taken by whoever takes that job is to fire Mangini. He sucks and absolutely ran this team the furthest possible into the ground.

It's only a matter of a few weeks before I can start listening to Christmas music and pop in Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. There are so many things I love about the holiday season. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving so I can get into full Holiday mode.

-'Killa

Young Money Y'all

2009-11-02T12:37:00.006-05:00

Yo check it, it didn't go down as planned this weekend. UVA got beat by Puke for the second year in a row. UVA basically held a big sign up in the end zone that said, "Duke, please score 19 points in the 4th quarter." It was just overall a bad game. We had some momentum after some big plays in the 4th quarter but that all came crashing down like the first two little pigs houses that the wolf blew down. I really want to go bowling for the sake of the players because I know most if not all of them have put in a lot of hard work toward this season and unfortunately we just haven't caught any decent breaks.

The Buckeyes smacked New Mexico. I haven't been able to see a lot of the games this year but anytime I see 45-0 up on the scoreboard you just have to think a smack down was issued by the Vest and co. Yo Reynolds, if you're reading this, I'll be looking for those 'Zona game shorts as soon as we beat Michigan. You not only said Michigan would win but win by 10, easiest bet in my life. All in fun though my man. But anytime Michigan gets waxed by a really bad Illinois team then it certainly won't be going down for them when The Vest and company roll up there. The Vest has only lost once to Michigan and that was to Lloyd Carr who was a far more respected coach than Bitch Rod.

Xavier has an exhibition game tomorrow against Rollins College. It will be everyone's first look at the Chris Mack era. Just refer to my Xavier post if you want to know what I think about this year's team. I definitely can't wait for the season to really get rolling. I'm so tired about talking about how bad _ayton is that I don't even feel like giving them the time of day right now. But trust me their weak ass strength of schedule will come back to bite them majorly in the ass. Just when their fans think that team is good they will come back to their shitty level. Hey B. Gregory I hope that cupcake of a schedule you signed up works out well for you...oh wait, it won't. YOu don't challenge yourself one bit. That 244 strength of schedule will really pay off come conference play, conference tournament time, and if you're lucky NCAA tourney time. The way I see it, you won't be playing for long in March. Meanwhile, X will be doing what they do and that's winning championships and danza smacking opponents because they prepare themselves the right way by playing legit teams. Let's go X.

The World Series is four games deep and the Yankees lead 3-1. Going back to my post season predictions I said Cardinals and Yankees with the Yanks winning in 6. Well I'm still on track for the Yankees winning in six because I think Cliffy Lee gets it done tonight but it may be too much to ask for the Phils to get one going back to NY. However, if Pete is on the mound in NY, he just may have the right stuff.

Now, as promised I have a Gordon College basketball preview. My brother balls there so you know I gotta throw some love their way. Gordon College is a small D3 school about 20 minutes north of Boston on the North Shore. There are big cribs in the area. The book The Perfect Storm and movie all take place in Glousceter which is just a quick drive from campus. Really sweet area for school and I'm looking forward to getting up there for a game this year. For those of you wondering, that's young Ben getting a smash in on some weak ass fools.

Roster:

4 Brady Bajema 2010 Guard 6-2 Whitinsville, MA*
15 Austin Bentson 2011 Guard/Forward 6-3 Branchville, NJ*
25 David Dempsey 2013 Forward 6-5 Wallingford, CT
32 Jeff Derr 2010 Forward 6-8 Barrington, Ill.
3 Benjamin Gaskill 2010 Forward 6-9 Columbus, OH*
14 David Hammer 2013 Guard 6-5 Santa Monica, CA
12 Garrett Harden 2012 Guard 6-2 Worcester, MA
20 Adam Herod 2012 Guard 6-0 Manchester, NH
22 Stephen Herod 2012 Guard 6-0 Manchester, NH
1 JT Himmelstein 2012 Guard 6-0 Glendale, AZ
50 Jon Himottu 2012 Forward 6-9 Sterling, MA
34 Jordan Kelly 2012 Forward 6-7 Braintree, MA
2 Jordan Logan 2012 Guard 6-2 Marietta, GA
33 Timothy MacDonnell 2010 Guard/Forward 6-2 Jericho, VT
21 Scott Nelson 2013 Guard 6-0 Oakhurst, NJ
23 Luke Perkins 2012 Guard 6-7 Wilmington, DE
10 Aaron Trigg 2010 Guard 6-1 Overland Park, KS*
13 Greg Walker 2011 Forward 6-7 Uxbridge, MA*

*Starter (All returning starters from 2008-2009 season)

Coaches:

Tod Murphy - Head Coach (1st Season)
Keith Krass - Assistant Coach (2nd Season)
Phil Whitley - Assistant Coach (2nd Season)

Key Facts:

-Graduated 1 senior from 2008-09 squad, but return all starters and key contributors. (Starters: Bajema, Bentson, Gaskill, Trigg, and Walker. Contributors: Derr and MacDonnell. Players who will see minutes in 09-10: Dempsey, Himmelstein, Himottu, and Kelly)
-Head coach (Mike Schauer) from last year took head coaching position at Wheaton College in Illinois
-New head coach, Tod Murphy, was on the original starting 5 for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Also spent time with the Clippers, Warriors, and Pistons. Played in the ABA and overseas as well. Was a 4 year starter at UC-Irvine, and was most recently their assistant coach.
-Toughest competition within the league will be Colby Sawyer College, University of New England, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Endicott College (main rival).
-Looking to be the most conditioned team in the conference, will focus on a more up-tempo style of play
-Did not receive any votes in the d3hoops.com pre-season top 25, mainly because it is based on reputation. Were ranked 27th at one point during the 2008-09 season. Looks to improve upon that.
-Main goals: Win conference regular season and tournament championship, advance to Sweet 16 in NCAA DIII tournament, undefeated at home.

Stats for starting 5 last year:

Bajema: 14.2 ppg (50% 3pt), 4.6 apg, 2.1 rpg
Bentson: 4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Gaskill: 7.9 ppg, 7.7rpg, 1.0 bpg (61% from the floor, conference leader and new school record)
Trigg: 18.2 ppg (43% 3pt), 4.3 apg, 3.6 rpg
Walker: 13.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg

This year looks like it could be one of the best in Gordon history if everything can go as planned. We unfortunately didn't get any national recognition in the pre-season polls, but we will just use that as motivation and catch people by surprise. The conference polls have not come out yet, but hopefully we can get recognized as the team to beat this year. We return everybody, while the top teams from last year lose a lot of players from their programs. Some teams have added division 1 transfers (Wentworth has 2 players from UNH on their squad) and others have added some good talent from prep schools and junior college transfers, but that doesn't phase us because we have the tallest line up in the league and the two best guards in the league as well. We will be playing with the main 7 guys we played with last year, but looking to add a few role players this year with some of our sophomores and a freshman. We create a lot of match up problems because we have 3 guys that can play the 1, 2 or 3 at anytime. We have 5 big guys of 6'7 or taller that can be interchanged between the 4 and 5 spots. Our expectations for right now include winning the conference, both regular season and tournament, and to advance as far as possible in the NCAA tournament. We have never gotten past the semi-finals for the conference tournament and we have never gotten past the 1st round of the NCAA tournament and if there is any team that is capable of reversing those trends, it is this years squad.

Big shout out to my brother Ben and the Fighting Scots.

If you haven't heard or copped Lil' Wayne's latest mixtape that dropped on Saturday I suggest you do so. No Ceilings is hot. Weezy if up to his same old tricks just killing other rapper's tracks. Just go to weareyoungmoney.com to download the mixtape.

Current Song: Sleep Through The Static [Live] - Jack Johnson

In honor of today being my 24th birthday, I would like to say I'm pretty jacked about sharing the same birthday with the baddest drummer of all time...Happy Birthday Carter Beauford.

Also, in case you were wondering, I was born at 1:54pm on a football Saturday. Ohio State beat #1 Iowa the day I was born 22-13. Let's go Bucks!

-'Killa