OAC PREVIEW (PART 3 of 5)

Second Team All OAC:
Brian Pollock
Maurice Haynes
Chris Switzer
Andrew Bene
Tyler Felt
Rudy Kirbus

6. Baldwin Wallace: Projected OAC Finish: 6th Projected Wins: 9 Floor: 6-12 Ceiling: 12-6 Players to Watch: Andrew Bene, Kyle Brown, Denny Santiago Analysis: Duane Sheldon returns to his alma mater to coach the new look Jackets in 08-09. They lose several catalysts (Bub, Tyler) from a 4 year run of consistent play that brought with it an OAC championship and two NCAA tournament appearances. The loss of two of the top 5 journeymen of the last four years leaves many lingering holes in the back court. One could pose the question: how do you lose two OAC journeymen, and even have the ability to field a team the next year? We will find out this year as Andrew Bene leads the charge through the conference. BW is a team that can really have a great year, or get on a bad run and struggle. They have a lot of tough guys, its just a question of getting the chemistry together under a new coach and system. Kyle Brown is a great shooter and scorer, same goes with Tumblin and Santiago. Its just a question of whether they can play well at the point guard position and whether they can defend well enough against the good teams. BW is definitely a skilled team, with a lot of talented guys that are hard to stop. Good teams have good point guard play, and thats a question for BW to answer.

5. Mount Union: Projected OAC Finish: 5th Projected Wins: 11 Floor: 8-10 Ceiling: 12-6 Players to Watch: Dave Pellrite, Chris Switzer, Sam King Analysis: Mount is a sexy pick this year. They have jumped out to a 5-0 start. They have good players that have been playing well in this league for a long time. They are pretty balanced. But never in my right mind am I gonna put a Mount Union team anywhere near the top of the OAC Conference. I dont care if they start 11-0. I would still bet on them falling apart. They hate their coach. Hes like the Byron Scott of the OAC. He has some credibility, hes coached some good guys, but in time teams just begin to resent him and stop playing hard for him. Chris Switzer is a really cool guy, and a shoe in for the All OAC Party Team, and I am positive he would have a lot of things to say about his coach. It would be funny to hear. But bottom line, I think Mount is good but just not good enough to get over that hump. There a tough matchup at the guards though. Dave Pellrite is a Rudy Kirbus type player, who is big and thick yet quick enough to go by you and score. He shoots it nice and gets to the line as well. I think they will have an up and down season with many peaks and valleys. The coach-player relationship is the thing that brings questions and makes me not believe in them.

OAC All Breakout Team:
RJ Brown
Travis Kinn
Rudy Kirbus
Ross Niekamp
Chris Zajac
Brian Pollock

OAC PREVIEW (PART 2 of 5)

First Team All OAC:
Nate Stahl
Ryan Wood
Brandon Rogers
Kyle Meyer
Trevor Scott
Kyle Brown

8. Heidelberg: Projected OAC Finish: 8th Projected Wins: 7 Floor: 4-14 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Josh Calver, Jake Smalley, Travis Kinn Analysis: New head coach (the big black assistant from ONU the last couple years), new core of players (the figthing josh calvers) and coming off the best season in school history, heidelberg may be in for an up in down season in the OAC. They are off to a 3-1 start, probably due to a couple of nice cupcakes wins but maybe not. They have some toughness at the guards but none have proved it over the course of a marathon season. I am sure they are having some concerns at the 3-4-5 positions. Travis Kinn is kind of a tweener, but is strong and tough and seemed to be able to hang in there against bigger players last year. Its just a question of whether there guards are gonna be good enough to get shots for themselves against good defensive players. It was easy for them to get good shots when Shriver and Lemmon were playing. It will be much tougher for these current guys to create there owns shots and get 3s with no real post presence. I definitely think they can beat the bad teams and can beat the medium skill teams when they shoot the ball well and get lucky.

7. Musky: Projected OAC Finish: 7th Projected Wins: 8 Floor: 6-12 Ceiling:9-9 Players to Watch: Trevor Scott, Pat Byrne, Tyler Felt Analysis: Muskies are thin at all positions, but the guys they have are pretty good. This is the part of the conference that can really start to go many different ways. The 4-7 range is really gonna depend on how these teams do head to head, and how lucky/well they play on the road. Without Brandon Todd, and his robot arms, the Muskies are gonna struggle handling the ball. He made things a lot easier for the team last year, and they still finished in the lower rung of the conference. They have a healthy Trevor Scott, who was decent but still no 100% last year coming off major surgery. He is long, quick and a pretty good all around player. He shoots a high percentage and is a great free throw shooter. He has a pretty good middle game. Tyler Felt is one of the many paper champions in this conference. What an anomaly. You'll see great numbers from him (20 and 10) and then just be baffled at how bad he sucks when you play against him in real life. I'm sure he is good I just havent seen it and probably never will cause JCU will dog him again. You cant win in this conference with 7 guys. At least I dont think so. Its too long of a season, and the guys in this league are too good. They will have some nice wins, some nice first half fights, good 10 minutes of the second half, and a lot of close last minute losses. Definitely good enough to beat teams that dont come to play.

OAC COY: Damon Goodwin

OAC PREVIEW (PART 1 of 5)

After a little time off, JC is back. Over the next couple days, I am gonna break down the OAC conference. A conference where every game is decided by several crucial second half minutes. A league where no lead is safe. A league where names like Oosiley, Grogan, Todd, and Lemmon echo for all eternity. This has been a conference dominated by a John Carroll program who not only is the nastiest team in the league year in and year out, but is also perenially the best drinking team as well and takes full advantage of the hot bed of young coed jersey chasers/pantydroppers that flood the streets of South Belvoir. I am gonna provide some analysis on the teams and rank them from 10-1, and offer some predictions. I havent paid a ton of attention to whats going on in the league, but my time as a journeymen is plenty of expertise. I know every team in this league like no one else. If you wanna great snapshot of how the league is gonna play out this year, I encourage you to take a spin through my writing in the next several days. FROM 10 TO 1....


10. MARIETTA Projected OAC Finish: 10th Projected Wins: 4 Floor: 0-18 Ceiling: 7-12 Player(s) to Watch: Isaiah Creasap Analysis: Marietta sucks guys. I think we are all pretty aware of that. They just have never gotten enough good guys in there who are tough and get the fact that they are playing in one of the most unique conferences in America. They play shitty defense, like laughable score at will defense if you take 20 seconds to get a good shot. Offensively you can dog the shit outta them and they panic and turn the ball over or shoot a bad shot in which you can get out and score in transition. This is a night off in the conference similar to when the elite teams in the NBA go to OKCity or Memphis. Isaiah Creasap is a good shooter. He is gonna have 3 30 point games this year, maybe more. But I dont think he could be a good player on the top 4 teams in the conference. He would be a great great weapon to a good team, but I dont think he would be tough enough to hack it day in and day out. Just dont really see much from Marietta. I hope I am somewhat wrong though cause it sucks being shitty year in and year out. Maybe they have a Mimes this year. A program changer.

9. OTTERBEIN: Projected OAC Finish: 9th Projected Wins: 6 Floor: 2-16 Ceiling: 8-10 Players to Watch: Adam Wells (kidding, hes a fag who had a nice 6 year career) Corey Ratai, Ryan Kennedy??? Analysis: The Ross Banaszack era is over folks. He has moved on to bigger and better things namely Ross Jr. His absence creates a decent hole, seeing that he had possession of the ball for 90% of Otterbeins offensive possessions. Never bet against Dick Reynolds, a somewhat competent coach with a time tested system. But come on, I think this is a team that the good teams will throttle both home and away if they play well. I wonder if Ryan Kennedy is back. He was fresh on the scene for his sophomore year strapped with a couple of barb wire sleeves on his intimidating arms, and had a few nice scoring games early. Then he fell off the grid and no one has heard from him since. He was rumored to be playing on a club team in Turkey, being paid 200K in addition to free room and board. All in all unless they have a few decent new post players, and a couple of shooters who play well all year, this is a team thats gonna get beat. They are gonna play with teams for a half hard because they have a stickler coach, but good teams will pull away for easy wins.

MUST SEE TV

I sent a text to my buddy Josh at the 17:49 mark of the first half of last night's Davidson at Oklahoma game. It read: "The only guy I'm watching this year is Curry." He texted me back and said that he is the man, but there are a lotta good players and teams out there. NO THANKS. Stephen Curry is must see TV. Have you ever seen anybody like this guy? On a shitty night, against a sexy pick team, in their house, he goes for 44. HE DIDNT EVEN PLAY WELL. And if the refs hadn't fucked that game up by making him sit the last 8 minutes of the first half, they would have beat Oklahoma.

This year, Curry has the ball in his hands all game. He's gotta handle it and instigate the offense. He never gets a break anymore, and when he gets rid of the ball now, teams try to make it impossible for him to get it back. And he always seems to just walk around, yawn, orders dinner and comes off a screen for a WIDE open look. He moves without the ball so naturally that he makes it look so easy. And they dont even do that much for him. I watched pretty closely last night, and they didnt have a ton of sets and moves to get him open. He initiated the offense, ran to the block, hung out for 13 seconds, and came off a half hearted single screen and that was usually enough. Davidson runs a lot of motion, but Curry doesnt do a ton. At times, he moved without the ball a lot. But its mostly a lot of action from the other 4 players that leads to Curry getting loose. But he's just so good when he has the ball. He can create space to get his 3, he can get space to shoot a fadeaway in the key, he can hit the floater. And he can really create opportunities to get the line where he's automatic. Im pretty sold on Bob McKillop. He seems like hes a pretty smooth operator. His teams are always so fundamentally solid. But I mean above all things, hes just got the sweetest stroke in the world right now. I mean there is no doubt when that thing comes off his hand. Fran Fraschilla said he has never seen anyone in his life swish so many 3's in a practice session. Guy barely hits the net. And Stephen Curry has some stones. Hes a big game player. Hes always there in the last 5 minutes. I fear that they are gonna start to triple face guard him with three guys. That might be the only way to stop this cat. But I think you can pencil him in for 5 40 point games and 2 half-100 games. In addition to Stephen Curry, my other guy is BC's Tyrese Rice. Guy is un-guardable. Peg him in for 4 40 point games. NASTY.

JC III

Fantasy Draft

I had a huge fantasy draft last night. 12 teams. Big money. Good times. Im not really a big fantasy guy. I have never really gotten into it. The over/under on how long I stay interested in my team is 14 days. But after last night, I might not have to fool around with my lineup the whole year cause I had a great draft. I got everyone I wanted to some extent. There is only really one or two guys that I missed on cause I thought I could get them late. Anyway, I am willing to take you inside my war room for a minute and give you some insight into why I picked who I did. I lucked out and started to the draft in the 3 hole.

1. CP3--LeBron and Kobe went 1-2 so it was on me in the 3 hole. I was set to take D Wade after his 28 8 8 debut the previous night. Then I was gonna go Amare. With about 30 seconds later I settled on CP3. I couldnt let him get by me. I think hes the hungriest guy in the league by far. The Hornets are getting serious run from all the experts. They have a lot on the line. A lot of people like them in the finals. Assists are at a premium in these fantasy leagues. I figure hes gonna go 19, 11, 6 minimum. Hes gonna have some huge scoring games too. And they are gonna be grinding to finish number 1 in the west so there gonna play every game hard. So CP3 goes to me.

2. Melo--It wrapped around back to me and I went scoring and rebounding. Carmelo is gonna have a big year. Scores and rebounds and gets some assists. Great FT%. Makes some 3s. AI is slowing down a little. The Nuggets are right on the cut line to make the playoffs in the west so every game is gonna matter. He is a little nicked up right now. I am not sure whats wrong with him. Im sure hell be in the lineup next week. But Melo scores the ball probably easier than anyone on the planet. Hoping he has a nice year.

3. Al Jefferson--Had a big fantasy year last year for the Wolves. Just a consumate 18 and 11 guy who is hopefully gonna go 22 and 12 this year. Gets you some blocks. Shoots a high percentage. Gonna be a good numbers/bad team (GNBT) but this is fantasy. Its a numbers thing not an integrity of a player thing. And this guy gives you some stats. K Love is gonna be a solid pro, but I dont think hes gonna take touches away from Al Jeff until next year. Almost went Chris Bosh here, but settled on Al Jeff.

4. Corey Maggette--Went off the board here a little. In hindsight, coulda got him A LOT later cause people were asleep on him. But I had to make sure I got him. I know he just got paid, but its gonna be hard for him not to average less than 25 a game in Nelly's system. He gets you some boards and his assists are gonna up a little cause theyll be flying up and down. Hes gonna get you some steals too. Moped Ellis is gonna be out til January at the earliest and Captain Jack isnt a volume shooter. Maggette gets to the line like crazy and shoots a great percentage. A little bit of a reach at round 4 but I couldnt take the chance of him getting auto-picked. I wasnt sure about the skill level of my peers. But this was a pick I had circled. I was getting Maggette no matter what.

5. Jamal Crawford--SLEEPER ALERT. I coveted this guy because I think he's gonna have a MONSTER YEAR. He went 29, 4, 4 in their debut win against the Heat the other night. Gets a lot of steals. Hes gonna thrive with D'Antoni. Crawford is nuts. He can easily score 50 points in a game any given night. I think hes gonna have at least 5 40 point games. He gives me 3s at a high clip too. He sneakily made 170 3s last year. That might go up this year cause hes gonna be shooting more. The Knicks are gonna be improved, but they are also gonna be getting killed some nights and hell get buckets in mop up time. He was another guy that I had to have and probably drafted too early cause no one drafting had a clue. But I know who I wanted so I grabbed him here.

6. John Salmons--This guy has been getting a lot of buzz by the experts. Hes a sneaky fantasy guy. Went 24, 8, 5 in the first game. No one ever gets to see the Kings. But hes a 17, 7, 5 guy who gets a lot of steals. Hes pretty consistent too. I had him high on my big board. I think hes gonna have a pretty good year. Probably could have gone big but this was a good value here. The Kings are another team that can never win but can almost win a lotta games. So they will be playing their main guys big minutes. Salmons is another guy that I am taking a gamble on to have GTBT.

7. Andrew Bogut--I went big here, with a guy that a lot of fantasy dorks like. Bogut gives you a double double, but more importantly is gonna give you some blocks and shoot a high percentage. Another guy who just got paid, and is a pussy who gets hurt a lot. But hopefully he stays healthy and has a productive year. So far I think Scott Skiles hasnt totally burnt them out yet. They seem to be playing hard for him. The Bucks are a lot better than they were last year despite losing Mo Money. R Jeff is still pretty good. Michael Redd is solid, and Villanueva is coming on like a freight train. But off the subject for a minute: How is Luke Ridnour still in the NBA? What championship are you winning with Luke Ridnour starting for your team? I have a list of guys that I just cant figure out how they stick in the league. Its amazing. Whats the case for Ridnour other than hes a safe bet not to get in trouble and make the organization look bad, hes cheap at only about $2 mil a year, and he can run an offense in a somewhat productive matter. Other than that he gets abused on D, cant really shoot anymore, and cant make anything happen for anybody. But back to Bogut, I addressed my need at big and got a decent fantasy guy. Almost went Andrew Bynum here.

I JUST WANTED TO STOP MY ANALYSIS OF THE FANTASY DRAFT TO SHARE SOME DISHEARTENING NEWS. I JUST LOOKED IT UP. LUKE RIDNOUR IS ON THE BOOKS FOR $7 MILLION THIS YEAR AND $7 MILLION NEXT YEAR. ONLY IN THE FUCKING NBA! UNBELIEVABLE.

8. Troy Murphy--Drank the Murphy Kool Aid after a big first game for the Pacers. Went 14, 15,5,2 with a couple 3s. He plays hard every night. Makes more 3s than you think. Rebounds the ball hard. Good guy to have.

9. Z BO--Stole Zach Randolph here, who has had a good pre-season and had an easy 20, 10 in the first game. Seems to be the big that is gonna get the touches for the Knicks. Hes relentless, tough, shoots FTs pretty well and cleans the glass. This was a definite steal here. It made up for the Troy Murphy pick a round ago. Him and Crawford could have huge years and keep the Knicks relevant.

10. Thaddeus Young--Picked him way too high here. Sentimental pick here based on the fact that he came onto the scene in a big way last year helping the Phillies go on a run and make the playoffs. But you know what youre gonna get with him--12 and 8 with a couple blocks and steals mixed in. Brand could help him cause Thad can go get some of his bricks and dunk um back in. But EB will most likely hurt him cause he demands the ball and holds it on the box for so long. But sidenote here--the 76ers are a joke. I mean are you kidding me? Anybody who thinks they are a contender in the east is an idiot. My man Jalen Rose made a big blunder putting them at #3 in his east rankings. Marc Stein has been drinkin the Sixers kool aid but I expect him to start to backpeddle a little bit cause hes pretty smart. But they are in a no way a threat to the Cavs or Celtics or Stons. That Elton Brand deal is BAD. He was good 3 years ago Ed Stefanski. Sure hes a good fantasy cause he gets 12 rebounds a game, but he cant hack it against good guys. He beats up on bad guys. I just hate that contract.

11. Marc Gasol--Drank the kool aid here after a productive double double the first game. Hes gonna be productive. Hes gonna have a lot of double doubles. He shoots FTs well. Theyre gonna be horrible so hell log a lot of minutes and put up decent numbers.

12. Mario Chalmers--Kind of a steal here no pun intended. He had a big first game albeit against the Knicks. Hopefully he gives me some 3s and steals.

13. Jason Thompson--Not the John Carroll Jason Thompson. The Rider Jason Thompson. On the night he got drafted 25 spots too early at #12, Coach Joe Mihalich, one of the most prominent minds in the college game today sent his son Matthew a funny text--"Pretty high pick for a pussy." Nevertheless, he had a nice 18,11 in his NBA debut. Hes gonna have to work hard to get into my rotation.

14. CDR--I picked him simply cause he has the best nickname going in my opinion. Simple. Sounds great. Fun to say. No other reason. Steals maybe. And plenty of two handed dunks off the wrong foot.

15. Aaron Brooks--This guy is pretty good off the Rockets bench. Hoping that Skip to my Lou gets in trouble which he has a custom of doing, and Brooks gets major minutes. Last night he had 14,5,5 in 20 minutes. Good 3 point shooter. Plays aggressive when he gets minutes.

GUYS I WANTED THAT I MISSED ON--Devin Harris (went right before I picked), Derrick Rose (gonna have some crazy games 8 steals maybe), Charles Villanueva (coming on nicely, gonna have nice numbers) Wilson Chandler (Mike D'Antoni loves him, thinks hes the next Matrix Marion), Jason Terry (3s), Nick Collison (pencil in 10 and 13 every night with a block), Mehmet Okur(great percentages, great shooter, jazz are good), Matt Barnes (gonna get a lot of Grant Hills minutes, gets steals and 3s) AND MOST OF ALL--David Lee (born to play for Mike D'Antoni, one of my favorite players in the league).

jc3

Week 7 Picks

Browns +7
Giants +3
Frisco -5.5
Texans -9
Ravens -7
Saints +3
Chiefs +14
Dolphins PK
Bucs +1
Falcons +9.5
Pats -9
Panthers -5
Skins -8
Titans -4


Season Record: 33-26

A Hilarious Letter to the Editor

"I dont agree with the number one oac club of all time. Obviously you picked your alma mater on a clearly biased impulse selection. BW's 05 06 most def. belongs in that spot. One, we ran the through the league like mount does consistently in the fall, winning both regular season and tournament championships advancing to the NCAA tournament where we defeated a solid Carnegie Melon team. None of this cakes, pies and pastries Westminster, and Lake Erie inferior teams. We could of combined our managers of the time and they would have beat them. (Sticks D. and Greg Fitzsimmons) Then we had to go to Wittenberg where we had no business being there with a 24-4 record. We were clearly out matched with two dues 6 9 splashing threes having no business being at the division three level. They go on to lose a national championship by a miracle three. Terrible selection JC"

This was a letter I received late last night from an obviously drunk, retarded BW honk. He tried to make somewhat of a case for the yellow jackets 05-06 but was obviously hamstrung by intoxication and bad rationale. However, I felt like I should sort through this paragraph of hyperbole and false notions in order to appease several of my loyal readers.
First of all, lets talk about the statement "tough Carnegie Mellon" team. If there was ever a more fitting oxymoron, I would like to see it. I guess "clutch Ohio Northern team" would work or "cool Capital team." But to throw the likes of Bethany and Westminister and Lake Erie, solid organizations under the bus is just unacceptable and silly. ANY team you play in the NCAA tourney is gonna pose somewhat of a threat to your team. And those 3 teams were no different. Carnegie Mellon would have had a tough time with Bethany and vice versa.
And if I recall correctly, I think ONU had you guys on the ropes in the OAC tourney, and there was a combination of them playing with both hands on their throats and the refs having money on the game and giving you guys a couple calls down the stretch (the OAC ref bias toward BW and the complete hatred for JCU is another article altogether.) Anyway, that is worth noting in my response.
And the bottom line still remains that both teams went into Wittenberg in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Both teams probably had the same record. We might have had one more loss than BW. Two games were played at a high level. One team beat Wittenberg. One team lost to Wittenberg. John Carroll beat Wittenberg in overtime. So, SCOREBOARD BW fans. The bottom line is scoreboard. We beat probably the same team as you guys lost to, only a year younger. And they were studs, no question about that. We were just a little tougher. Maybe we worked out a little harder in the summer that year. We definitely drank at a much higher level than that BW team. That's for sure.
And we are not even having this conversation if the most shocking basketball moment in history happened a week later. If that doesnt happen. We win the next night and go to the final four D3 which would have been very fun. Anything could have happened. That's just the kinda club we had.
As always, I welcome constructive criticism about my blog and look forward to further discussions about OAC legends, journeymen and ball clubs. Out.

JC III

Birthdays

October 21:

Happy Birthday King Zaj (21)

Happy Birthday Tony D (23)

TOP 10 OAC TEAMS OF THE JCIII ERA

To appease some of my loyal readers, who had no interest in my takes about Mad Men and the Pickup Artist 2, I offer a very fun list of the best clubs in the OAC over my career. Real quick, must have been very cool to be at the game last night. It had to be the best Browns game to be at in the last 10 years. The bye week is such a huge asset in the NFL. You got the feeling when the Browns came out in the Wildcat set that they werent fucking around. I mean they had to really establish some offense early and they did. When Derek Anderson makes good deep throws, he is a very effective NFL player. When Braylon Edwards makes deep plays down the field, the Browns and Chud look innovative and creative. It was as simple as this conversation: DA--Look Chud, you gotta give me some plays that are gonna fucking work. You're making me look like an asshole. I'm a pro-bowler. Chud--Alright dickhead, why don't you make some big plays downfield. You're fucking me too. I'm an innovater who might be in line for a head job if we get our shit together.
So OBVIOUSLY, this list is highly highly arguable. It is very subjective, yet at the same time, its somewhat true. You can shuffle the order around quite a bit but I think the top 5 are pretty solid picks. I dunno I am just gonna start writing it and see where I go.

10. Otterbein 2006-2007: These guys make the list for a lotta reasons, mostly sentimental. These guys beat Capital, which made us OAC champs. SO thanks for that. We had a nice win with them at home to start the season. And we played one of the funnest games of my life with them at Otterbein. OAC legend Tyler Ousely had a nice night--somewhere along the line of 25,18,6 blocks. Mimesy fouls out with about 9 minutes left. We're getting killed the whole game. And we win. We got fucked by the refs more than anything I have ever seen on a basketball court. And we win. Joe Kimener goes legend with his tip. Insane tip. His nuts were on Ousley's chin, and he could have tip dunked it, but he made sure with a layup. That was the kind of player Joe was. No flash, all business. So we play out of our asses to get up two, and we end up fouling some neck whose shooting a 3. How can you ever make that call first of all? Some ass clown is taking a 35 footer, and you call a shooting foul on the best player on the court (t walsh)? Long story short, he chokes the ft, time runs out, hysteria and euphoria on the court. Hysteria and euphoria continues in the locker room and throughout the course of the evening. These guys ended up making the final four of the OAC tourney. Decent team. Might notice that a lot of these teams are gonna be teams that I played well against and had nice games against.

9. Muskingum 2004-2005: This was a team of complete badasses that featured several stout OAC journeymen. It featured a much skinnier Jeremy Ady, who was very good when he was a freshman, and got progressively worse as the years went on(reminds me of a lotta guys including myself). They had this guy named Zach Ross, who got kicked off the team for weed the previous year. This guy was a strong build guy who could stroke and get to the line. Really good player. They had these great posts who were just tough led by Cole Pittis. These guys handed us our first loss of the season with a tip at the buzzer by Jeremy Ady(sending us reeling to 13-1) and then came back and beat us at Musky when we were up possibly 20 in the second half. These guys were tough as hell. Really strong kids. Then they had us in the final four game of the OAC tourney at Carroll, but the crowd and big efforts carried us home. Very respected team in my eyes.

8. Baldwin Wallace 2004-2005: These guys are slotted a little high for several reasons. They were supposed to be better than they really were. I think the OAC ranked them higher than us in the preseason and guys on our team were pissed about it. Then we went to BW and kicked their ass. Then they spiraled into the middle of the OAC and finished middle of the pack. Nevertheless, they got HOT and ripped the OAC tourney from us, and beat us at home during the season. They were good definitely. They lost in the first round of the NCAA. We didnt. A middle of the pack regular season and quick exit in the postseason gets you #8.

7. Ohio Northern 2006-2007: There had to be an ONU team on this list because they were a pretty good group of players. That pretty much covers it though. Good players. Great numbers. Nice individual accolades. So so team. The streaks owe them a bit of graditude though for beating Wittenberg and Wooster in the preseason. If Witt beats them, the Streaks arent dancing in 07. Plain and simple.

6. Capital 2006-2007: Picked 5th in the preseason poll. Beat us in the tourney chip. They were a good team. You have to give them their due. But we lost that chip game much more than they won it. We got a couple bad calls and a couple bad breaks. O well. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. They got wacked in the first round of the postseason. We didnt. Really really really wish I could have seen my colleague Chris Day get into a full out scuffle with Damon Goodwin. There was definite possibilities in the hand shaking line. Cap guys and our guys and Mikey Miracle should have let that go. That would have rivaled Ali-Frazier, Ryan v. his brother in the OC episode where Marissa Cooper ended up shooting Ryan's brother, New York v. Peanut in Flavor of Love 1, the list goes on. Personally, I think Goodwin was favored, but he didnt have a sweat going, or as much adrenaline as Day did at the time. Plus Day is likes-to-fight-guy. In terms of backup, Casey Brown would have caused some problems, but I would have liked Hamrick against him. If I had to get into it with someone, I would probably have gone at Ben Gunn and just gotten into his body and negated his reach advantage. I think Joe K would have mopped the floor with Stahl.

5. Heidelberg 2007-2008: These guys shot the lights out. Hibatchi. After four years of deep deep mediocrity, broke through and won an OAC tournament. Got blasted in the playoffs. Didnt have the experience. The hot shooting went cold. These guys had a lotta nice skill. They really played well when they started to play 9 guys like we do. All 9 guys were really good, but more than anything they played without fear. And thats the only way D3 players play well. When they have no fear and are just playing and having fun. No worries. Was very very pumped when I heard they beat Capital in the finals.

4. Capital 2007-2008: Ran through the league. Solid national ranking all year. Very good players. Nice team. Won a game in the NCAAs. Congrats.

3. Baldwin Wallace 2005-2006: Had a really solid year. Really crossed the league and clinched it early. Won the tourney on their home court. Must have been a fun feeling. Who did they beat? O ya, Ohio Northern. I forgot they ever made it to the Friday-Saturday of an OAC. Tori Davis one his first of two POY's. The emergence of two of my readers, one as a stopper/slasher finisher, the other as floor leader/great shooter really set them apart from the rest of the league. Won a game in the NCAAs.

2. John Carroll 2006-2007: The Kings of the OAC returned after a year absence. The acquisition of Terry Walsh, the re-signing of Brandon Mimes, a 28 year old point guard, a bad ass winner, the explosive scoring and defense of a Journeyman, and solid contributions from several rookies in their first campaign led us to the OAC supremacy we enjoyed. The season flipped when we got an emotional home win against the always tough yet alway choke ONU Polar Bears early in the season, and we didnt look back. Woulda shoulda coulda against Cap in the chip. Surged into the NCAAs, had a very fun home victory against Westminster. Great game against Lake Erie. Couldnt get it going against Wooster. It was a season of great playing, high level drinking, low level picking up girls, high level traveling, and high level Pizzazz visits.

1. John Carroll 2004-2005: Won our first 13 games. 25-6. Got as high as #3 in the country behind Wittenberg and Wisconsin Stevens Point. Win the league. Host the tourney. Take a tough loss to an inferior BW team. Put it behind us and crush Bethany by 40 in the first round of the NCAAs at home. Then we do what separates us from this entire list. We go into Witt, rip their hearts out and beat them. Not an easy task. Probably the best game I was a part of at John Carroll. Would been dancing in fucking Salem if one of the most unlucky things ever to happen in basketball history doesnt happen. I cant even describe what happened. You had to be there. It was sick. Really enjoyed that year. Was fortunate enough to play right away. Play pretty consistently with a couple highlights (11 pts in the Witt win). Got to play with some of the legends of the OAC. The Mike Grogans. The Drew Salatas. The Pete Kochs. The Kyle Roggenburkes. Met Rory O'Neil and saw him celebrate wins at bars like The Pub, and Parnells. Great experience for me. Something that I take a lot of pride in.

THATS THE LIST. PRETTY SWEET HUH? We were the only two teams to get to the sweet 16 of the NCAA. Plain and simple. No one else did, and that's why were the two best teams over the JC III era. We should have fucking gone to the Final Four in 2004-2005 for God's sakes. I mean shit. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that piece of literature, and any comments are appreciated.

Kevin Eastman, Mad Men, Pickup Artist 2, and Observations

I wanted to start this blog off with a joke about how pathetic the people are that have been tailgating in the muni lot since 7am this morning, but then I realized that several of my readers (king zaj, stanley barret, tdis, rudy, josh) would die for such an opportunity and/or are drinking and playing cornhole as I write this. So I am going to refrain from any such jokes. And for the record, I wish I had that in me. I wish that was part of who I was. I take some criticism for my cynicism about the Browns and the Cavs, and rightly so in some instances. But as Howard Zinn, author of The People's History of the United States put it: "dissent is the highest form of patriotism." So, in that respect I care very deeply for Cleveland sports teams, but my passion calls for accountability and intelligence from the front offices all the way down to the coaches and players. Having said all that, I think the Browns have a very nice chance of winning the game tonight, and hopefully getting on a role and getting back into the playoff picture. Romeo and Chud have had a nice bye week to establish some things and hopefully guys have gotten healthy. More than anything though, the way the NFL season has gone so far, THE TEAMS THAT NEED THE GAME MORE DESPERATELY HAVE WON THE GAME. I think if we would have played the Giants yesterday we would have knocked them off. Playing on Monday night hurts us because the Giants players are motivated by that factor. And probably only that factor. They have been watching this shitty Browns team on film all week and are probably bored to tears. The game could go a lot of ways, I have no idea. The Giants might mail it in until winning time and steal it, or the Browns could play well and win. Well see. Speaking of pathetic, lets get to my takes on tv shows and basketball clinics....

Kevin Eastman:
Got to spend a couple hours listening to Kevin Eastman talk about basketball yesterday. He is the top assistant for the Boston Celtics, lead player development trainer for Nike, a successful college coach, and has recently started to dabble into leadership speaking. The guy is a worker, and for all intents and purposes, probably one of the 20 smartest basketball minds walking this planet right now. He talked for an easy 4 hours, everything from why the Celtics won it, to individual skill development, to overcoming the mental hurdles that plague not only hoopers but businessmen and the like. He had a really interesting perspective about a lot of things. A lotta great mantras and quotes, and a very analytical approach to the game. He touched on a lotta cool tid bits, some of which I had already heard from his protege Ganon Baker. Stuff like Kobe Bryant doesnt work out anymore cause that's what all players do. He blacks out when he works out now. Kobe kill boxes--the places on the floor Kobe wants to get to to dominate a game. Shoulders to hips on the dribble drive. "Eyes make layup, feet make shots." Improving vs. Proving. He was VERY high on KG. What was interesting to me was the fact that he really didnt talk about BRON much. He almost went out of his way to not talk about him. Which is interesting considering he's the best guy in the world. He kept the focus much more on Kobe and KG. Interesting. But Kevin Eastman was superb, and I would love to sit down and talk to him one on one, or watch him work with pros in an intimate setting. I can go on all day about how sharp he was but let's get to Mad Men.

Mad Men:
This is the best show on TV, and no one watches it. I am telling you, this is a show that you have to stick out for a couple episodes and watch because it is worth it. It is kinda too late now, cause were 8 episodes into season 2, but its a great show to get into while you have all this downtime in college. And I say all this, and I believe it, but I know that I am a little weird. I love character piece TV shows, and have the patience to stick them out and get into them. A lotta people dont like that, and that's fine. This show is written by the right hand man of David Chase. David Chase created the Sopranos. Matthew Weiner wrote a lot of Sopranos episodes and now writes Mad Men. He is very good. But it's a very unique show. It takes you into the 1960s, at a marketing/advertising firm called Sterling Cooper. The main character, Don Draper, is the man. A Tony Soprano like giant of a role. The women on this show are off the charts. It really is incredible. These girls in season 2 have been phenomenal. And this is not the kind of hot that you see with the extras from Entourage. There is an unique elegance to their hotness that is just spectacular. If you dont believe me, google January Jones and you will start to change your mind a little bit.

Pickup Artist 2:
Probably never been more excited for a second season of a TV show ever. This show takes us into the mind of Mystery, the most innovative pickup artist in the whole world. He is an expert on social dynamics, dating science and seduction. And this show focuses on transforming 12 trainwreck guys who have never gotten their shit together into novice pickup artists. A couple of my buddies introduced me to this right about this time last year, and I have just become entrenched in reading about this and learning about it. Now I covet every article that discusses social dynamics, female dynamics and the like. And every aspiring article and method digs deeper and better. If you have no clue about the MM, it is predicated on building value with everything you do and say. It is about maximizing your social value, your survival value, and your replication value. Here is an easy thing to do, its called the 3 second rule: if you see a girl that you think is interesting and you wanna talk to her, approach her in 3 seconds or faster. Pretty good rule. Eliminates approach anxiety. Shows you have guts and confidence. Etc. I am very excited that I have convinced a couple of my friends to watch this show and look into some articles about it, because their lives are about to change for the better. And make no mistake, this is a facet of interest that will help you establish and build the life that you have always wanted. And I still have friends that feel weird or are just scared to look into it, and I think that is just so silly. All this stuff is a great base and guideline for your life. Your not fuckin going to a bar and reading off a script. Very much not so. It is more about carrying yourself in a confident way, and improving your social value in all phases of your life. So there is my pitch on that, and I look forward to a great season.

WEEK 5 LINES

Colts -4
Titans -3
Chargers -7
Panthers -10
Skins +7
Bears +4
Packers -5.5
Giants +8
Broncos -4
49ers +3
Bengals +17
Jags -6
Bills +2
Vikes +3

Week 4 Record: 7-5
Season Record: 33-26

Week 4 Picks

Browns +3
Broncos -9.5
Texans +7
Jets -1
Titans -3
Packers +1.5
Chargers -7.5
Cowboys -11
Eagles -3
Bills -8
49ers +4.5
Panthers -7

Week 3 Record 9-7
Season Record 26-21

JCU Moneyball

Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center, 8:15pm, February 9, 2009:

Casey Goetz: Coming to you live from the TDVC for the second half of a pivotal late in the year OAC matchup. John Carroll used a 10-0 run to close the half with a 44-34 lead over Baldwin Wallace. A run spearheaded by Rudy Kirbus' three straight baskets.
STO Chump: That's right Casey, Kirbus made absolutely 0 athletic moves but still forced the ball in the basket on 3 terrible looking drives.
Casey Goetz: That's his game man.
STO Guy: I'm glad its not my game Casey.

Timeout BW, Streaks led by 9 15: 43 Second Half

Cameras pan to the band, then cheerleaders:

Casey Goetz: As we have become accustom to, the JCU band is year in and year out the best band in the OAC
STO Chump: I have to agree with you Casey.

Camera pans to a focused slightly balding man sitting at a table with Coach Sean O'Toole in the Blue and Gold Room:

Casey Goetz: And there ladies gentlemen is John Curran. The GM of the John Carroll Blue Streaks. Curran, a former standout for the Streaks and OAC journeyman has been a catalyst in developing this roster, and bringing changes that were necessary for the proliferation of this team and their identity as a franchise.
STO Idiot: Many have credited Curran with changing the culture of this team, a dynamic move that his catapulted the Streaks into a tie with Capital with 3 OAC games to play.
Casey Goetz: His evaluation of player personnel has been off the charts. He knows the OAC better than anyone I know. But the way he has crafted the lineups we have seen this season has produced chemistry, high skill levels, and unlocked potential.
STO Idiot: I was talking to Chris Zajac before the game, and he credited Curran as being the guy who inspired him to have the huge season he is having.
Casey Goetz: JC is the Theo Epstein of the OAC. A young dynamo who has infused life into this old front office and staff. We are really seeing shades of Billy Beane's Moneyball at JCU this year, but in a basketball sense.

I played in an open gym today with the Streaks, and after winning 8 straight games I thought I might collapse and die. I hadnt played 5 on 5 on a regular sized court since March. I had focused mainly on the Lakewood Y league a 4 on 4 league played on small courts. As I was driving home, I thought about how the games went and who I liked, and who I thought was good, and who I thought was tough, and skilled, and quick and so on...And the main thing that I took out of this 40 minute car ride was: this is something that I have passion for, that I feel like I know pretty well, and that I feel like I can be pretty good at. So I created this role for myself: GM of the John Carroll Blue Streaks. Is it far-fetched? It probably is, but that doesnt mean its a bad idea and I couldn't do it. I genuinely feel like I could do it and add a ton of value to this organization. It's DEFINITELY something that needs to be addressed. Here's my case:

1. I know the guys on this team: I have a pretty good feel for the guys on this team, even after 2 hours of open gym. We'll see how it progresses into October and a couple scrimmages but I left with a pretty good idea of who I would play and who I would play with who. I played with a lot of these guys for two years in good times and bad. You give me any guy and off the top of my head I could give you 5 pluses and minuses about each guy. It's a talent and passion I have. And I know what these guys go through everyday. I know where guys heads go during practice or at school or where ever. I can really relate to guys because I have been through it.
2. I know every guy in the OAC: Kerry Wilkinson from Wilmington is a hot and cold player. He's a streak 3 point shooter whose left handed, who plays with a cerebral attitude. He doesnt force much, and is very subtle on the dribble. It doesnt look like he can go by you, but he changes pace and can really get into the key when hes playing well. Don't let him get an easy basket early. Gambles on defense, and is late a lot, but can get in your shit if your fucking around with the ball.
It really is sad, but I know stuff like this about every decent guy in the league. That was one example. The OAC has an ebb and flow with teams and their personnel. Watch ONU will have another Loudon Hammersmith this year riding pine. I spent so much time in this league that I just have a pretty good feel for teams and the guys they have.
3. Coach Moran needs a new voice: I love Coach Moran. I think he's a great guy, and he was very good to me. I do think he needs a new voice though. Not Pete. Not Matt. A voice that he hasnt really heard before. A constructive voice from a guy who knows how he thinks. And I do possess that. I know him pretty well, heck I spent A LOT of time with him. 114 games worth. I think I can speak to him in a way that can keep his main values in mind, but also give him quality insight that allows him to make better decisions.
4. This is the only team I know that can have a GM: The John Carroll hoop team is a special team. It is unique in a lot of perspectives. Its a team of local guys, who were great players, and can play at Carroll and be close to home and enjoy the game and have fun. Its campus is centrally located, so there is a lot of people from the westside and eastside who keep tabs with how the team is doing and who is playing. And were the only team in the league who has the kind of depth that we do. We have 15-18 really good guys who can play. You dont need a GM at Heidelberg or Musky. Our success has garnered loyal fans and our facility allows us to have great crowds when things are going good. I want to foster that environment and strengthen it. I want really good guys from Eds, Ignatius, X, Elder etc. to stay home and play for the Streaks. As GM, I would bring in guys that love basketball and can play.
5. The time is now: I think we got a lotta good guys. I think if things go right, this team can win an OAC championship. The league is definitely getting better. More and more kids are staying home and playing hoops. We played right with Cleveland State for a while, even though they were on cruise control playing at about 50% seriousness level but thats not the point. The point is that we have a lot of good guys on this team. And we have to have to right guys and lineups out there, or were gonna struggle. I can help with that and evaluate that throughout the year.

So, those are a couple of things I had going on in my messed up head today. I think it definitely warrants some consideration. You wouldnt have to pay me much. I was thinking about $50 grand a year with some incentive clauses that are front loaded. I say front loaded because I definitely want to apply for the Brooklyn Nets Gm job when King James moves over there in 2010. What would be bad about bringing me on as GM? Nothing. I can only help. You wanna do something good for this team? Bring in a journeymen. Bring in a guy who can evaluate personnel. Bring in a guy who isnt afraid to disagree with the norms. JC for Blue Streaks GM. LETS GET DIRTY!

Week 3 Picks

Falcons (-6)
Raiders (+9.5)
Titans (-4.5)
Bengals (+13.5)
Skins (as Rory Would Say) (-3)
Pats (-13)
Bears (-3)
Panthers (+3.5)
Seahawks (-10)
Lions (+4.5)
Broncos (-6)
Steelers (+3.5)
Browns (+2.5)
Packers (+3)
Chargers (-9)
Colts (-5)

Week 2 Record 10-5
Season Record 17-14

OAC Journeymen Part 1 (2 of 2)

5. Greg Tyson Jr. (Heidelberg): Aside from Brandon Mimes, the best dunker in the OAC the last 4 years. He makes this list because he was a 4 year player, a two sport athlete, and a really cool guy. A true slasher. He was a very good alley-oop catcher, something Brandon Mimes was only okay at. He disappeared for a weeks at a time throughout his career, but his dunks and big games were notable. He played out of his mind a couple times against us at Heidelberg. And while were on the subject, Heidelberg's gym is by far my least favorite gym ever. I dont think I ever made a three or two consecutive free throws there in 4 years. It was dark, the rims were shit, the crowd was annoying. It was a terrible facility.

4. Zach Broerman (Wilmington): A journeymen. Zach had a very consistent career. He could stroke the ball. He was unbelievable at buying fouls. It was insane. He could make it look like you were fouling him, when in reality, he was hooking the shit outta you or obviously pushing off. He never got called either. Everytime you looked at the refs expecting an offensive foul call on him, you were shocked that some ass hole ref was calling it on you. His longevity in the OAC was impressive and thats why hes on this list. Another potential Party Team candidate.

3. Brendan Shuler (Baldwin Wallace): Big time player. Got better and better as the years went on. The best passer in the league. Great shooter. Bub and I played against each other for a long time. The journeymen bond is big between him and I. We played against each other in grade school a lot. Never really played with each other much, but will probably team up for the next couple decades in the lakewood y league.

2. Jeremy Ady (Muskingum): Ady typifies the term OAC journeyman. The heart and soul of the muskies during his career. When I was a freshmen, we were the best team in the league and musky beat us twice, and probably should have beaten us three times. Ady had the game winning tip at John Carroll to send us reeling to a 13-1 record. It was great tip too. I thought we were gonna go undefeated at that point. He was a solid solid player. Could shoot the 3. Could draw you out and go by you. Would occasionally post a mis-match and use his bulk. Lost a bit of game when Brandon Todd came on the Musky scene. Nevertheless, if you have a list of OAC journeymen, Ady has to be on it.

1. Andrew Lemmon/Brian Shmidt (Heidelberg): Had to fit these two in because they were there from the beginning, and they were really good. Lemmon was the best player in the league this year by a pretty wide margin. He was nasty. Double doubles, efficiency, toughness. Shmidty was a great post player. Best up and under move in the league's history. Nice faceup game. Both these guys kept getting better, and if we didnt win the OAC chip, it was nice to see them cash one in.

Well there you have it. An extensive list of OAC journeymen. This is quite a compliment to have. I bet you're thinking "hey JC, where are you on this list? Afterall, you are probably the greatest journeyman of the last 4 years?"
I agree with you guys. JC has become synonymous with the words: nasty game, toughness, closer and journeymen. I am comfortable enough with my game that I don't have to be on this list. But make no mistake, I am the journeyman. My peers know full well what kind of game I had in big games. My OAC tournament and NCAA statistics speak for themselves. Keep your eye out for the ALL-OAC PARTY TEAM/WANNA PARTY WITH TEAM. It should be coming in the next couple weeks. Followed by a 3 part OAC 2008-09 Season Preview. OUT.

jcIII

OAC Journeymen Part 1 (of 2)

Special double dip this week...in addition to my weekly picks article...I will also be writing a special two-part article detailing some of the greatest OAC journeymen of my career in the league. My former teammate, current potential journeymen, and great friend Rudy Kirbus gave me the idea for the article because it's always a major topic of discussion between the two of us. I jumped at the idea, considering that the term OAC journeyman is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a player in the league. It's a special fraternity of guys that achieved phenomenal success in the league, and left their mark on the league in a big way. This is the kind of article that really should be turned into a 150 page book. So, it is going to be difficult to do justice to some of these players. As I am sitting here thinking about how to write this, I am trying to find the appropriate metrics and pre-requisites in order to be eligible to be on this list. I think for the most part, I am going to write as I go, finding reasons why guys should make this top 12 list subjectively. Everyone on this list however will be my graduating class. Yes, it is unfair to the Mike Grogans, Tyler Ousleys, and Cole Pittis' but it is more relevant to me, as my colleagues and I in the class of 08 have a special journeyman bond. In no particular order....

10. Tyler Sekarak (Baldwin Wallace): A very cerebral player, Tyler was a great 4 year player for BW. Great floor game, dominant defender, always played well in big games. Always at the top of the list in steals, and made a lot of big plays that didnt show up in the stat sheet. Peaked in his sophomore year when BW ran through the league on their way to the NCAA tourney. When I said in no particular order I mean it, because he's easily in the top 5 of all time. More than anything, we have kinda become buddies over the summer, and he's a really cool guy who is fun to drink with. A definite candidate for the All OAC Who Would You Wanna Party With, another article you can look forward to in the coming weeks.

9. Kyle Gehle (ONU): Makes the list only because he was a 4 year player, skilled, with a lot of game. Other than that, pretty big douchebag. Much like his ass hole choke artist predecessors (Badenhop, Lee etc.) all he has is his 4 years and 1000 points. ONU never won one big game, no championships and they had the most skilled talented kids pretty much every year. I mean it was hilarious my junior year, when ONU was so over-hyped and we smashed them twice. Yet, they were still in that top 25 every week. It was always a game that you perceived as a tough during the week, but you were always pretty confident you were gonna win because these pussies would crack in the last 3 minutes. No heart, no guts, no confidence--essential qualities for an OAC journeymen. Having said all that, the guy had some game.

8. Fred Harrison (Wilmington): An obvious choice. Fred was a pretty good player. Really athletic swingman. Fred was a catalyst for Wilmington when they made their runs and surges up the rankings in the OAC. Wilmington doesnt have much to show for themselves, but they had a knack for beating good teams on the road and at home. They always went on a nice run in the league at some point, beating good teams along the way. Fred got A LOTTA buzz this summer when he went to NY for a hoops summit for guys who wanna go overseas. He knocked down some 3's, which he was perfectly capable of, made some athletic plays, and turned some heads. He'll be overseas for a couple years, plenty good enough.

7. Shawn Shriver (Heidelberg): Exploded onto the scene with his tatoos during his freshman year, and had a nice career. Capped off a nice run with an OAC title his senior year, which validated his career and the careers of a couple of his colleagues that may appear on this list later. Really strong, good driver, good shooter. He was a great offensive player. He and I were always pretty cool with each other. I think for the most part me and him were pretty even with each other all things considered. I would probably say he was a little better. A DEFINITE candidate for OAC All Party team, as his drinking decisions became somewhat notorious his senior year.

6. Ross Banazsak (Otterbein): Ross was a force most nights in the OAC. Drove it well, got to the line where he was automatic, and shot the 3 ball pretty good. He had the ball 95% of the time, which made it easy for him to play well and make things happen. He got better and better as he went, mostly due to the fact that the whole offense ran around him. He was a strong driver and pretty creative. Not easy to guard. Another guy who doesnt have much to show for himself other than 1000 points, short shorts, and Ross Jr.

In the afternoon, PART 2 and closing remarks...

Week 2 Lines

We are back for the Week 2 line picks...and I am very much excited to see if I can redeem myself after a very sub par performance in week 1 based on my skill level. And after the 3 nights of crying myself to sleep after going 7-9 on my first weekly pick article for a big audience I realized that picking every game is kinda silly, especially when you picking against the spread. It's pretty simple, picking ATS in the NFL is BAD NEWS. It is not fun. It is very hard. So, I am still gonna pick every game just for the sake of measuring it over a whole season, but in my closing thoughts I wanna discuss 4 games that I am pretty confident about, and would potentially bet if gambling was legal. However, I will say that a lot of my comments and predictions were pretty solid.

Just a follow up on what I touched on last week, Entourage and Mad Men did not disappoint last week. They both gave us big efforts, and their is a lot to be excited about in the weeks to come with those two shows. My sister DVRs One Tree Hill, and I have kinda started to piece through that again. I watched the first season pretty closely. I think it came out my senior year in high school. But it really is a pretty good show. I have missed several pivotal seasons but its pretty watchable. So well see how that goes in the future. On with the picks.



Home team in caps



CHIEFS (-3.5) OVER Raiders: God I feel bad for Lane Kiffin. Here's a really smart, young, charasmatic guy, who was calling the shots at USC and winning national titles. And he's leaves a stress free environment with the best college coach on the planet to go work for Al Davis and one of the worst run franchises in the NFL. And it's been a nightmare ever since. He didnt look like he was having much fun on Monday night. The life has just been sucked out of him, and its way too early in his career for that. Anyway, I am sure when he gets fired next year, he will be better for it in his next head coaching gig down the road. Not a very big decision to fawn over here. I think the Chiefs win and the artist formerly known as Larry Johnson shows up nice.



Titans (+1) OVER BENGALS: Another bad early game that I is hard to give an educated pick on unless youre a degenerate. The Titans D seemed to be pretty fierce, and LenDALE White and the next big thing Chris Johnson were strong. Johnson is a baller. Carson Palmer has just never been the same since his knee injury. Pats fans should be worried. Brady might be on the same path. I wanna see Chad Cinco have a big 12 for 225 and 2TDs so he can remain somewhat relevant as a football player.



VIKINGS (+2) OVER Colts: Man, did the Colts look pretty average last Sunday. We don't know a ton about these teams because the Bears and the Packers could be pretty good teams. Matt Forte ran through that Colts D pretty effortlessly. Adrian Peterson might have a huge game. This will be a good game. Both teams need this game for psyche purposes.



REDSKINS (+1) OVER Saints: I am far from giving up on the Jim Zorn era. He got thrashed pretty bad by the media after that dismal performance against the Giants. I like them to look much better and get a quality win here. Where do you guys stand on Kim Kardashian? I think she has big talent, but I wouldnt necessarily have her in my top 10. Just thinking about it for a minute, I think my current top 3 HB's are tennis star Ana Ivanovic, Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, and Nastia Luikin.



Packers (-3) OVER LIONS: So far, so good for the new look Pack. They seem to be a pretty nice squad, and favorites to win that division. They have a lot of great young guys. That Greg Jennings is a BEAST. Very Colston like. As good as he is, he's the third best receiver on the field this week, no questions asked.

PANTHERS (-3) OVER Bears: I have to see more of the Bears in order to buy them. They caught the Colts at a good time, got a breakout game from Matt Forte, and Kyle Orton managed the game a little better than normal. Like I said last week, the Panthers are frisky and they compete pretty well. Might be a Devin Hester sighting that can swing this game. This is a big game for both teams here though, and should be a defensive struggle.

Giants (-9) OVER RAMS: The Rams are a joke man. Scott Linehan, how does that guy still have a job? I guarantee he quits or resigns and he won't be the only guy this year to do it (Marvin Lewis is a lock too).

Bills (+5) OVER JAGS: Bills were getting a lotta late buzz like I said last week, and they played pretty well last week. Nice sleeper team. M. Lynch is a monster. Jags are in a tough situation right now, with the shooting incident being the catalyst in their demise.

BUCS (-7) OVER Falcons: Brian Griese giving 7 points is a very scary proposition, but Im gonna take it. I like Tampa's D to keep Michael Turner under 200. Matt Ryan's first road start will hopefully go terribly, so my prediction last week will seem somewhat true. I like the Bucs big this week.

49ers (+7) OVER SEAHAWKS: Two words: JT O'Sullivan.

CARDINALS (-7) OVER Dolphins: I was rooting pretty hard for the Fins last week. I am back to being indifferent about them this week. I wanted Pennington to stick it to the Jets, but at the same time, I didnt wanna hear about how much of a genius The Tuna is if they would have been 1-0 after a 1-15 campaign last year. Love Kurt Warner. He comes on Jim Rome a lot. Great guy.

Pats (+1) OVER JETS: Very intriguing game. This injury to Brady is a bad thing for the Pats no question about it. But it does kind of put them back into the position where they won 3 Super Bowls. No respect. Everybody's counting them out. This is the corner that the Hoody likes to be in. I hope Jaws keeps a close eye on Randy Moss in the next couple weeks in his film breakdowns. He might check out quick if things go south. I think this old old D cowboys up for a nice win.

Chargers (PK) OVER BRONCOS: I like the Bolts here.

Steelers (-6) OVER BROWNS: Sitting in the office here today, one of the advisors had lunch downtown. He sat with a guy close to the Browns, and he had some pretty good tid bits about the Browns and LeBron. He said that Lerner, the owner of the team, went CRAZY when Romeo kicked that field goal last week. And he almost fired him on the spot. And if the Browns lay an egg Sunday night, Romeo might be out on Monday. The Steelers are the best team in the NFL, and theyll just put HEAT on DA. The Browns tried to throw this huge blitz scheme at the Cowboys last week and it was a complete joke. They gotta watch film of the Steelers and see how they disguise stuff and bluff blitzes and really mix it up and deceive you. The Browns were so obvious with things and the Cowboys just picked stuff up and Romo picked it apart like he was ordering lunch with Jessica Simpson. Bright side, if the Browns win here, they are in GREAT shape. A win here, and all the sadness and despair turns into Super Bowl talk again.

COWBOYS (+7) OVER Eagles: Great game. Two teams that are fun to watch. Donovan v. TO. Well see how Romo responds to being the new best QB in the league. Im pretty happy about my DeShawn Jackson call. I think the Cowboys are playing with a lotta confidence and might just steam roll the Eagles. I think the Eagles are pretty formiddable. Might not matter. Romo struggled against the Eagles last year. It was the game that Jessica Simpson was there. Doubtful that she will be there this week.

TEXANS OVER Ravens: No line here because the game got moved because of Hurricane Ike. I like the Texans to bounce back.

WEEK 1: 7-9
Season Record: 7-9

jcIII

Week 1 Picks

On the eve of the 2008-2009 NFL football season kickoff, I thought I would take some time to make some picks. I am gonna try to make this a weekly thing, but I will probably miss a couple weeks. And to be completely honest with all of you, I would say that I am not very prepared for this upcoming NFL season. I really don't have a tremendous feel about the teams. I like to believe that I have a unique feel and perspective and am a pretty good picker, and hopefully this blog arena will expose me for what I really am. I have been busy with a lot of things throughout the summer and this month, and haven't really watched or read good NFL stuff. As the season progresses, I am going to try my best to provide a little more insight into why I like the picks through numbers and trends, in addition to just feel and subjective thinking. I do read Michael Lombardi everyday and for those who don't read him should probably start. He knows his shit.
Possibly the biggest question that my readers have been emailing me non-stop about is the question about what am I gonna watch at the 10pm hour: Mad Men or the season premiere of Entourage? Very good question. Short answer is Entourage cause its the season premiere and its been my favorite show for a couple years. I can DVR Mad Men. But the Mad Men v. Entourage is a great topic that might provoke a column devoted entirely to that debate.

(Home team in caps)

GIANTS (-4) OVER Redskins: I like the Giants here. I think it will be the case of the Giants being a little better in every facet of the game. It's Jim Zorn's first game as a head coach, and I really like this guy from what I have read about him. He seems like a pretty cool customer. But, Plax Burress is healthy, Eli is playing with a lotta confidence, and I think they do just enough to win and cover.

BUFFALO (-1) OVER Seahawks: The Bills are getting a lotta late buzz. I like them here at home only a little bit. I think Marshawn Lynch is a pretty nice player, set to have a nice year for his fantasy owners. The Seahawks are old and banged up and seem to be content with playing a rotation of 4-5 average running backs. My dad used to work with a guy who played QB behind Matt Hassleback at BC, and he said MH is not a very good guy and was an ass to him. I have always kinda held that against him. However, he's definitely good enough to win this game for the Seahawks on his own. I like the Bills here.

Lions (-3) OVER FALCONS: I hope I am wrong, but I am definitely picking against Matt Ryan for at least the first 6 weeks. I mean I thought he was very average at BC even in his big stat games. He seems like a really cool guy, who definitely has something about him. Todd McShay loved him and graded him off the charts. Mel Kiper was a little less admiring, but still felt he was pretty good. So it will be interesting to see. I'm not a buyer of him yet. I think Calvin Johnson kills it this year. He's a freak of nature. It's a shame one of these teams will be on pace for 16-0 after week 1.

Bengals (-1.5) OVER RAVENS: I don't have a feel for either of these teams. This is a weird line. I think this is an anti-Joe Flacco line. If Troy Smith is starting this game, I am positive Vegas would have the Ravens favored by at least 14 points. Aaron Shatz, author of Pro Football Prospectus has the Ravens winning the division as one of his sleeper off the wall predictions. It's hard to pick against my former teammate and special teams phenom Haruki Nakamura. I don't like this Bengals team at all, but I like them this week.

EAGLES (-7.5) OVER Rams: Philly's getting A LOTTA BUZZ. Where's Steven Jackson at in his preparation? Deshawn Jackson outta Cal is an intriguing guy. Lotta fantasy geeks might be waiting for that 2am waiver wire after the first week to scoop him up. I think he's a little skinny, but might be McNabb's guy this year in the seams. Could be the beginning of the end for Marc Bulger, but at the same time he could have a monster year left in him. Probably gonna be the last year for Scott Linehan in Saint Louis.

Texans (+7) OVER STEELERS: This is the first game I did not pick the favored team. I like the Steelers to pull it in a high scoring game. Santonio Holmes is getting a lotta break out buzz, and it will be interesting to see where Willy Parker is physically. Mendenhall is another intriguing guy. I think this Texans team is frisky though, and potentially a wild card team. Matt Shaub could have a nice season in year two as a starter. Texans have a nice front four that could give Big Ben some heat. I think this game will be right on the line either way.

TITANS (+3) OVER Jaguars : A nice physical game that features my big sleeper of the year: Titan's RB Chris Johnson from ECU. NEVER a good omen for the season when an OT gets shot at 3am in the middle of preparation for week 1. That unfortunate incident is why I am going with the Titans. The Jags are good. I like them to rack up 10-11 games again this year. I think they'll be a little distracted this week though. More than anything I think this pick is a challenge to VY. Let's see Vince Young do it this year huh? I mean why does he get such a free pass when talking about busts? The guy stinks. He's done very little since he made that amazing run to beat the Texans in OT his rookie year. We crush Matt Leinart but VY seems to skate criticism all the time.

Buccaneers (+3) OVER SAINTS: Minor upset here. I think the Bucs sneak up on the Saints this week amidst Hurricane Gustav. Luckily, the game will go on as scheduled, but the Saints players have had to agonize over the what ifs all week. Brees-Shockey-Colston-Bush is a nice attack. I don't know what to think about either team, nor care. We'll see how it plays out.

PATRIOTS (-16.5) OVER Chiefs: LOTTA points to cover for the Pats right outta the shoot! Vegas is obviously implementing a "Pats tax" this year, like they have for the Colts the past few years. It will be interesting to see the Chiefs a year after the Hard Knocks cameras are off them. But, what's Brodie Croyle gonna do against this old, old banged up Pats D? My guess is nothing just turn and hand off 35 times and pray that it stays close. I kinda like the Chiefs from a gambling perspective, but I think Brady will settle in. LT doesn't do the pre-season. Peyton doesn't do the preseason. Why should Brady?

DOLPHINS (+3) OVER Jets: Definite STAY AWAY game. Don't you feel like Pennington sticks it to them? I feel like Ted Ginn Jr. returns a punt, and they get some lucky 80 yard fumble return. At the same time, lotta buzz about Broadway Brett and Jets. They added a lotta pieces. Thomas Jones has looked great. Jericho Cotchery is a dangerous little player. There was a report this week talking about how Brett doesn't know anybody on the team's name. He calls everyone ace, buddy, partner, homeslice etc. I thought that was pretty funny. I like the Dolphins to overachieve this year in the Tuna's first season in the helm. Tuna's team always seem to have good first years: i.e. 10-6 first year with the Cowboys with Quincy Carter as the QB.

Cardinals (-2.5) OVER 49ERS: Both teams suck equally.

CHARGERS (-9.5) OVER Panthers: Nice game here. I think Carolina is a little frisky. I think this is too many points. This could be the last game of Sean "lights out" Merriman's career, barring he doesn't tear every ligament in his knee in one play. Where's LT in his preparation? Same with Phillip Rivers? Without Steve Smith, I think the Chargers do enough to win and cover here.

Dallas (-5.5) OVER BROWNS: Unfortunately, I don't love the Browns here. I think they're gonna have a tough time covering and stopping the Cowboys. I hope they show up huge and blow them out, but they have just been rattled by these injuries. I mean, our best player Josh Cribbs is nursing a high ankle sprain, which is a nagging injury. Braylon is a question mark with his little injury. K2 is always a health question mark. DA has just been getting crushed by all these analysts who are hedging their bets on the Browns like crazy after months and months of positive hype. I am pulling for DA to play a nice season and play well in big games. We got blown out the first game of last year and were able to have a great season. I hope we can get outta this week with a lot of improvement and injury free and look forward to our next daunting opponent on a brutal schedule. This isnt gonna be a fun season for the Cowboys. Sure, they'll probably go 13-3 14-2, but it will all be predicated on if they can get off the snide in the playoffs. The Pac Man story line is great stuff too. I'll set the over under at 9 weeks before Pac hits a "scrip club." 7 weeks if he is "being rebellion."

COLTS (-9.5) OVER Bears: The "Indy tax" is in full effect here, but I still like them. I think Peyton will have more than enough to beat the fighting Devin Hesters. Kyle Orton sucks. We'll see sexy Rexy before their buy week. Peyton is the only question mark here this week. I think Tony Gonzalez is legit and will have a nice year next to Reggie weezy Wayne. If Harrison is healthy that will be a scary bonus. Now that I am thinking about it Jeff Saturday being out for the first 6 games is a huge blow for the Colts. They should have enough this week though at home.

Broncos (-3) OVER Raiders: I like Jay Cutler to have a nice season. Same goes for RUN DMC.

Vikings (+3) OVER PACKERS: I'm gonna buy into the Vikes hype machine in week 1.

As I stated in the preface, this is not as solid or confident as I wanted the week 1 picks to be. But it is what is. I think last year I went 13-2-1 in the first week of picks. Things seem to go according to plan in week 1 but who knows. As I sit here finishing this up, I am feeling for of a 9-5-2 type week 1 in terms of picks. Nice time of the year to be a sports fan and a TV fan. Lotta football coming up from here till February.

jcIII

The Season of Dreams Comes to an End

My rookie season in the Lakewood Y Men's League came to an end tonight after a tough loss to EFG Property. Facing a steep learning curve, an inability to secure full sponsorship, nagging injuries, constant matchup problems in the front court, character issues, and a lack of commitment from several members of the club, it is safe to say that I learned a lot about the economics, style of play, and intangibles of the D1 Men's League. I am very confident that I can be a successful GM in this league, and look forward to a off season of advanced scouting, roster shakeups, and a renewed commitment to the 2009 summer session.
Throughout the season, I felt like a lot of the criticism I was taking was for the most part unjust. At times, it was hard for me to wake up Thursday and Monday mornings, knowing full well I was going to get hammered by the Plain Dealer and other local publications. It was a tough time for me as a rookie GM after the 3rd week of play when the Associated Press called me the Chris Wallace of the Y league. The lowest point in the season came when an unidentified member of the team called me the Danny Ferry of the Y league for my inability to make a move at the deadline. I will agree that there was a glaring need to address our front line but I will remain steadfast in my belief that the players available at the deadline (Mimes, Stilphen, Adler, Whitney, Marando, Rian Powell) would not have fit into our long run plan as a franchise or would have created huge cap issues and possibly put us over the luxury tax. Having said all that, I decided to stand pat in hopes that the chemistry would begin to assimilate in the second half of the season.
What's done is done. I am looking to next summer and next summer only. And all I can say, is that I am going to do everything in my power to make this team a contender for the D1 league championship. In my years as an assistant GM, the number one thing I took from my predecessor was this: the franchises that are successful year in and year out are those that are the most honest in the evaluation of their personnel. And to that point, it is safe to say that no one on this summer's roster is safe. I am going to address the glaring needs of our team through all avenues. The draft will obviously be an integral part of the building process, but free agency will undoubtedly be an option as well. There are a number of free agents that I am gonna throw mid-level offer sheets at. I'll have my scouts out everywhere: if you can play, you will be evaluated. MORE THAN ANYTHING, I AM LOOKING FOR GUYS THAT WANNA PLAY A HARD 36 MINUTES EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS IS THE FUCKING LAKEWOOD Y D1 LEAGUE. DOES ANYBODY UNDERSTAND THAT BUT ME? You wanna run around and shoot 3's -go play in the D2 league.
As for me, I have a busy winter coming up. I will be taking a trip overseas to meet with some of the elite European 4 on 4 league GM's for the month of October to discuss offensive philosophies. November and December will be dedicated to advance scouting of winter men's league sessions both in Lakewood and Avon. IT'S ALWAYS THE WORST DAY OF THE YEAR WHEN THE SEASON ENDS, BUT TEAM CURRAN HAS A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR.

jcIII

Bayside's Class of 2008

It's nice to see Mr. Belding still capitalizing.

I mean are you FUCKING kidding me?

What was his opening line?



jcIII