1st Online Review

Since Barnes and Noble decided to delete my first online review I decided to post it on here:

Wuthering Heights
I was assigned this book as part of the syllabus for my literature class. As I started reading it, I noticed that the plot never ceased to be interesting. Every step of the novel was filled with twists and turns that leaves the reader not wanting to stop reading. The characters are also fascinating in their personalities. There's Heathcliff, who's transformed into this monster-like human due to the treatment he receives at the hands of his guardian, Catherine, who's torn between her love of Heathcliff and her fear of living in poverty, and Nelly Dean, who's caught in the middle of the struggle between Heathcliff and the other characters. In a fairly unique style of dual narration, readers see the transition of the Earnshaw, Heathcliff, and Linton familes, united by several marriages, from one generation to the next. For anyone interested in the literature that marks the transition from the Romantic era to the Victorian era, this is a must read. It's a shame that Emily Bronte did not live longer to write any additional novels.

Week 15 picks

Because I got killed last week on my NFL picks, I can't end the semester with those predictions. Here's another try.

New Orleans at Chicago: Saints
Tampa Bay at Atlanta: Bucs
Washington at Cincinatti: Redskins
Seattle at St. Louis: Rams
San Francisco at Miami: 49ers
Buffalo at New York: Jets
Detroit at Indy: Colts
San Diego at Kansas City: Chargers
Green Bay at Jacksonville: Jags
Tennessee at Houston: Titans
Minnesota at Arizona: Cards
Denver at Carolina: Panthers
Pittsburgh at Baltimore: Ravens
New England at Oakland: Pats
New York at Dallas: Giants
Cleveland at Philly: Eagles

DE Website

Here's the link for my online community:

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/

Sunday's Picks

Since I have quite a busy schedule, here are my quick picks for Sunday's game:
Jacksonville vs. Chicago: Bears
Minnesota vs. Detroit: Lions
Houston vs. Green Bay: Packers
Cleveland vs. Tennessee: Titans
Cincinatti vs. Indianapolis: Colts
Atlanta vs. New Orleans: Falcons
Philadelphia vs. New York: Giants
Kansas City vs. Denver: Broncos
Miami vs. Buffalo: Dolphins
New York vs. San Francisco: Jets
New England vs. Seattle: Patriots
St. Louis vs. Arizona: Cardinals
Dallas vs. Pittsburgh: Steelers
Washington vs. Baltimore: Ravens
Tampa Bay vs. Carolina: Bucs

My prediction for the BCS National Championship matchup: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Looking at Week 12

Last Week's record: 11-4
I gave myself a loss for the Eagles game event though it was a tie because I did say the Eagles would win by ten points. But I digress...

Cincinatti at Pittsburgh: I wasn't exactly impressed with the Steelers on Sunday. Eleven points against the Chargers (yes, I realize the refs blew the call on the last play of the game...but I could care less...that was a freak play anyway and really shouldn't reflect on either the Steelers or Chargers)? Still, they're playing Cincinatti. STEELERS.

Houston at Cleveland: This has the potential for an offensive shootout, since neither team's defense is that good. However, since the Browns have a knack for blowing leads, I'll go with the TEXANS.

San Francisco at Dallas: No question. COWBOYS.

Tampa Bay at Detroit: I have to say, Detroit this season is one of the worst teams I have even seen play NFL football...with the exception of the Rams this season before Linehan was fired. BUCS.

New York Jets at Tennessee: This has the potential for an UPSET. My head says to go with my guy Jeff Fisher, but my heart says Brett the JETS.

Buffalo at Kansas City: I know Buffalo is in a slump right now, but unless Marty Schottenheimer runs onto the field and grabs the headset away from Herm Edwards, I can't go with the Chiefs. BILLS.

Chicago at St. Louis: I'm tempted to pick the Rams here...but I can't. BEARS.

New England at Miami: Hmmm....Tuna's new team vs. Tuna's old team...NEW TEAM.

Minnesota at Jacksonville: Knowing the state of Jacksonville's offensive line, I gotta go with the VIKINGS, even with the entire Defensive line facing possible suspensions.

Philadelphia at Baltimore: After last Sunday...it doesn't matter that Donovan McNabb doesn't know the rules of overtime...the Eagles don't deserve to win another game. RAVENS.

Oakland at Denver: I don't think there's much of a question here. BRONCOS.

Carolina at Atlanta: Could go either way. However, I'll go out on a limb and pick the FALCONS.

New York Giants at Arizona: GIANTS...but I'll be rooting for Arizona.

Washington at Seattle: Jim Zorn goes to face his old team, and I think he goes home happy. SKINS.

Indianapolis at San Diego: This game just doesn't have the flair that it did earlier in the season. And what's all this MVP talk about Peyton Manning? Yes, he did lead comebacks in a couple games that another quarterback might not have done....but maybe...they wouldn't have needed to come back in Manning hadn't thrown a couple picks earlier in the game. COLTS...but this says more about the Chargers than it does Indy.

Green Bay at New Orleans: Wow, I did not think that Green Bay's game on Sunday would be as lopsided as it was. With that in mind, I can't go against them, especially against New Orleans' terrible defense. PACKERS.

Looking ahead to Sunday

It was a great game on Thursday-The Jets proved they are the class of a very competetive AFC East. But now let's have a look at the other NFL games this weekend.

Denver vs. Atlanta- The Falcons are doing great. Both the run and passing games are spectacular. They are a stark contrast to last year's Falcons. Denver, well, they're on top of the AFC West but the conference sucks and their defense is terrible, so I gotta go with the FALCONS.

Philadelphia vs. Cincinatti- No question here. EAGLES by at least ten points.

Chicago vs. Green Bay-This is a must-win for Green Bay. It should be a very close one, but I have to go with my PACKERS.

Houston vs. Indianapolis- The Colts seem to have a run going while the Texans are reeling off a blowout loss to Baltimore. Is Sage Rosenfels still in at QB? Yes. COLTS win.

New Orleans vs. Kansas City- I'm tempted to pick the Chiefs but that would require a "suspension of disbelief." SAINTS, but it might be closer than some think.

Miami vs. Oakland- Again, no question. DOLPHINS dismantle the Raiders.

New York vs. Baltimore- This should be a great, albeit low-scoring game. However, it seems that after watching the Colts beat Baltimore the Ravens are susceptible to the passing game. GIANTS by a close one.

Minnesota vs. Tampa Bay- The defense manhandled A-Rod last week and AP ran all over. But...they won only because Mason Crosby's kick went wide right. Note to Vikings-Tampa Bay has a better run game than Green Bay...and a better defense. CHUCKY-I mean, BUCS.

Detroit vs. Carolina- LIONS-no wait, just kidding. PANTHERS-by a lot.

St. Louis vs. San Francisco-This, I think, is largely contingent on Steven Jackson playing. Assuming he doesn't, 49ER's win.

Arizona vs. Seattle-Yes, Matt Hasslebeck is back. But he can't cause everything else that's wrong with the Seahawks to improve. CARDINALS.

Tennessee vs. Jacksonville- I can't go against my man Jeff Fisher, not against the Jaguars. TITANS.

San Diego vs. Pittsburgh-I bet Chargers' fans are missing Marty right about now. STEELERS.

Dallas vs. Washington- this should-note the word "should" be a close game. I'm gonna go with homefield advantage and pick the REDSKINS. Note, this is technically an UPSET.

Cleveland vs. Buffalo- Buffalo needs this one to stay in the playoff hunt. Yes, Brady Quinn looked good, but it was against a pathetic Denver defense. Oh yeah, and they still lost. I think coaching plays a factor in this too. Dick Jauron manhandles Romeo. BILLS.

Wiki Article

This article is on Citizendium and is about Jeff Fisher, who is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and the longest-tenured current head coach for a single team:
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Jeff_Fisher

2nd Review

Here's the link to my second online review:
http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/review.aspx?reviewid=1025006

He's a man-and a Coors Light Fan

In a tribute to Oklahoma State's 7-1 start, here's one of the many youtube videos that was created from coach Mike Gundy's famous rant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyTQUWEKx0o

For the actual rant, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E

Chris Johnson TD Celebration

This is how you celebrate a touchdown:
http://www.realclearsports.com/video_log/2008/10/titans_chris_johnsons_td_celeb.html

Big Ten Recruiting

I'm posting this link to a Big Ten Recruiting Commercial that's on the Big Ten Network. Pay particular attention to Joe Paterno.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfLYO3F4D78

Review Link-Finally Up

Barnes and Noble finally posted my review online
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780486292564&tabname=custreview&crvAll=1&crvStart=1&displayonly=CRV#cr6

Book Review Link

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780486292564&tabname=custreview&crvAll=1&crvStart=1&displayonly=CRV#cr6
Unfortunately Barnes and Noble doesn't post reviews until three days after you write it, so you might have to wait to read it until then

Life in the Gutter

While most of the speculation about getting fired rests on Lane Kiffin in Oakland, his Raiders can't compare in how bad they are to the three teams at the bottom. It's not as if these three teams are just coming up short in hard-fought games, like the Dolphins of last year did in several games. These teams are just pitiful. The '01 Panthers (record 1-15), the '96 Jets (1-15), the '73-74 Oilers (2-26), the '76-77 Buccaneers (2-26), the (insert any year in the 1990's) Bengals (19-52 under Dave Shula) could look like the '85 Bears compared to these teams. Fortunately for humanity, none of these three teams play each other.
Kansas City Chiefs (32 points for, 78 points against)-Under Dick Vermeil, the Chiefs had one of the best offenses in the NFL. Under Herm Edwards, they have one of the most predictable. Of course, with a starting trio of Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle, and Tyler Thigpen, don't be surprised. After Vermeil retired, the Chiefs' management was just gushing over getting Edwards from New York. The result? A 13-23 record, and losses in 12 of the last 12 games. Edwards once said, "Hello? You play to win the game!" These guys just play to show the team has a pulse. I'm not convinced as of yet. Ironically, we only have to travel across the state of Missouri to find the next terrible team.
St. Louis Rams (29 points for, 116 points against)- Yes, this is the team that won the Super Bowl in 2000 and went to another one in 2002. The "Greatest Show on Turf" is now an episode of "Football Follies." These guys just stink, and some of it stems from horrific coaching by Scott Linehan, who probably won't last through the bye week (you know, there actually used to be good NFL head coaches in Missouri). Linehan's latest move has been to replace Pro-Bowl QB Marc Bulger with concussion-prone Trent Green, all of this behind a line that couldn't pass block against the "Little Giants." Ladies and Gentlemen, start your Fantasy players against these guys.
Detroit Lions (58 points for, 113 points against)- GM Matt Millen has been shown the door, something long overdue (and all the overrated WR's mourn). However, there is a huge road ahead, because these guys have now lost ten of their last eleven games, their only win coming against (guess who!) the Kansas City Chiefs. They did manage to build a one point lead over Green Bay in week two, but then surrendered 24 points in the final five minutes. The crowning insult was losing in week 3 to San Francisco, beat by Mike Martz, the OC they fired, and J.T. O' Sullivan, the QB they cut. Martz, who was criticized for not running the ball enough in Detroit, ran all over Detroit with Frank Gore. If I were Detroit, I'd be missing Wayne Fontes right about now.

Days of Our Raiders

Doesn't it seem like yesterday Al Davis was firing Art Shell and hiring Lane Kiffin? Well, at the rate Davis has been hiring and firing coaches, that's a fair assumption.
For the fourth time since 2003, Al Davis has been thinking about firing his head football coach. The only problem is that Davis doesn't want to pay Kiffin the rest of his contract. Kiffin, likewise, doesn't want to resign and lose his pay, but it doesn't take a keen eye to see that he wants out. What coach wouldn't want out of Oakland? Aside from the fact that the Raiders are just a pitiful team (even with five years of early first-round draft picks; lucky for them the Chiefs are in the same division), Kiffin doesn't even have control over his own personnel. In the future, Davis should simply keep hiring young coaches trying to beef up their resumes, because no one else is going to want the job. This team is going to be in the ground for a while, but seeing as how owners of other franchises have hurt their teams through micromanagement (Bidwell-Cardinals and Brown-Bengals), should I be surprised?

On the Hot Seat

NFL Sunday has come at last, and already several coaches on the hot seat have either improved or worsened their situation. Here's a blow-by-blow account of these coaches and what this week, if anything, went their way.



Rod Marinelli (Detroit Lions)- Since Matt Millen took over as the General Manager of the Lions, he's had his fair share of head coaches. First came Marty Mornhinweg (dubbed Marty "Moron"-weg by the press) with an overall record of 5-27. Then came Steve Mariucci with an overall record of 15-28. Mariucci was fired during the 2005 season and Dick Jauron took over as the interim head coach, although the team didn't do much better, going 1-4 in five games. Now Marinelli is at the reigns of this sinking franchise (actually, its tough for the team to be sinking when they're continuously bad), and after Sunday's loss against the Falcons, his record stands at 10-23, and boy did his team look pitiful. This is a game in which the Lions were favored (that won't happen much this season) and their defense (Marinelli's specialty) got run over. Whether the Falcons were running or passing, the Lions couldn't stop them. If the way the Lions played today is indicative of how they'll play the rest of the season, Marinelli, and possibly Millen, will be leaving the Motor City by the end of the season.



Scott Linehan (St. Louis Rams)-Why did the Rams hire this guys again? The Rams have gone from a respectable franchise that won Super Bowl XXXIV to a 3-13 season in 2007. In their 38-3 loss to the Eagles, the Rams couldn't seem to do anything right. Sure, some of St. Louis's problems are not Linehan's fault, but in the NFL, that doesn't matter. In week 2, they have to play the Super Bowl Champ Giants, and it will not get any easier for them as they play Dallas, Buffalo, New England, and the Jets. I wouldn't be surprised if Linehan doesn't last past the bye week.

Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders)- We already know owner Al Davis, who regularily hires and fires coaches (only one has lasted more than two years since 1994), wanted to fire Kiffin at the end of last season. However, who coaches this team might not matter. In the 41-14 loss to Denver, the Raiders looked pitiful on all levels. Even though Davis has spent money on draft picks and free agents like a drunken sailor, it seems to be to no avail. Kiffin looks very likely to join the many who have been fired from the least safe job in the country (except for Chicago Bears quarterbacks).

Mike Nolan (San Francisco 49ers)- Even though San Francisco lost 23-13 to the Cardinals on Sunday, their offense looked better than the pathetic excuse for an offense that showed up last season. They were actually a few plays away from making the game a lot closer. However, for Nolan, who is in his fourth season, being better may not be enough. He needs to win more games to save his job.

John Fox (Carolina Panthers)- This is actually a good coach who took a team from 1-15 to the Super Bowl in two years but who has struggled as of late due to injuries to his quarterback. This Sunday though, the Panthers showed they still have some style. They managed a last-second victory over the highly-ranked San Diego Chargers without wide receiver Steve Smith. While Fox probably needs to make the playoffs to save his job, that seems more likely now than it did during the preseason.

Marvin Lewis (Cincinatti Bengals)- I can't say why this coach is so widely admired. Cincinatti's defense (Lewis's specialty) has ranked close to last in all of the five years he has coached the Bengals. On Sunday, they deserved a last ranking in their 17-10 loss to Baltimore, especially after rookie QB Joe Flacco (who is 6'6'') rushed for a forty yard touchdown. Their offense, led by pro-bowl QB Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad "Ocho Cinco," didn't look much better. Why Bengals owner Mike Brown, who had no hesitation letting Forrest Gregg (who took the Bengals to a Super Bowl) go to Green Bay or firing Sam Wyche (who took the Bengals to a Super Bowl) hasn't fired Lewis yet is a mystery worthy of the CSI crew. Maybe this year Brown will see the error of his ways.

Some people might note that Mike Shanahan (Denver Broncos), Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles), Herm Edwards (Kansas City Chiefs), and Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings) aren't on this list. That's because as of now, there is no evidence to say that any of them are on the hot seat, though Childress's job could be in jeopardy if the Vikings perform drastically below expectations. Also, there tends to be at least one coach not on the hot seat at the beginning of the season who gets fired at the end of the season (e.g. Brian Billick and Marty Schottenheimer). However, all of these coaches are generally accepted to be on the hot seat, and most of them this week showed us why they are.