The Sports Guru

I know this site is geared sports, but every once in awhile I like to throw something to the masses and get your opinion.  I am sure you have all read about or heard about Genarlow Wilson, a former high school football star currently 2 years into a 10-year prison sentence, convicted on aggravated child molestation charges.

You can read more about it HERE, but in short, Genarlow was at a party and received oral sex from a 15 year old classmate.  In Georgia, the law was a bit outdated you see, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.  Instead of a slap on the wrist, Wilson was facing major time, and the “sexual predator” tag that goes along with it.

Unlike two of the other players charged with Wilson who plea’d to lessor charges, Wilson did not want the tag, and what being a sexual predator brings along with it.  He was found guilty by a jury, who later was incensed when they learned that the minimum sentence was 10-years without possibility of parole.

Even better, Georgia has sinced changed the law to include oral-sex in the misdemeanor, but did not allow the law to work retro-actively to past cases.  In short, Wilson will spend the next 8 years in prison for a crime that isn’t a crime anymore, and never really was meant to include 17 and 15 year-olds, but to punish pedophiles.

I understand that the law is the law, but at the same time we watch criminals given leniency all the time.  Drug dealers, murderers and the like are set free all the time.  Everyone in this case knows Wilson has been wronged, but no-one will help.  It is a true breach of justice.

If you’d like to learn more about the case, head over to Wilson Appeal.com.  I am not passing my beliefs on to anyone, I just ask that if you read the details of this case you might want to sign the petition.  Georgia law-makers are in the process of looking at a revision to the law that would allow Wilson’s legal team to get Wilson free’d.

Please let me know your thoughts on this matter, and thanks for letting me rant!

Technorati Tags: Genarlow Wilson

Hello All…The site is going to be undergoing a major upgrade in the coming weeks. It might actually be breaking up into a couple different sites, but a final decision hasn’t been made.

Head on over to MileHighReport.com to keep up to date with what is going on in the NFL, and check back often to see what happens here. With a new version of Wordpress coming out in a couple weeks, as well as my Podcast launching around the same time, it is a good time to re-align some things and clean up some others….

Thanks again, and head on over to the MHR!!!

TSG

Sometimes it’s the bets you don’t make that come back to haunt you.  I have been known to play the numbers a little bit, not Art Schlicter-like, but enough to to know what I am talking about and be a resource for people I know.

I had a decent year, not great, but finsihed ahead.  Fast forward to this weekend and my PICKS for the four playoff games.  Last year, the road team went 3-1 during Wild-Card weekend.  There was alot of talk that it might happen again, simply becuase road teams this weekend are usually playing better ball than the home team becuase they probably had to fight just to get in.  An interesting theiry, for sure, but one that I did not take to this year.

So, to review, here were my picks for each game, followed by the result….

Kansas City @ Indianapolis — People actually thougt the Chiefs had a shot in this one.  A 9-7 team is a 9-7 team for a reason, and the Colts play a much different style of game at home.  Even with the Colts playing hooribly, the Chiefs couldn’t muster a single first down in the 1st half and Larry Johnson struggled to 32 yards.  Though I was a bit surprised by the low-scoring, I was not surprised by the margin of victory.  Chalk one up for the Guru - My Pick - Colts 34-20(14 points), Actual - Colts 23-8(15 points) —  WIN

Dallas @ Seattle — The closest I came to taking a road team this weekend was this game, though I had a strange feeling that Dallas would find a way to blow, and boy did they ever.  A safety, followed by a bothced hold by the Romonator, and the Cowboys are going home….Again.  Hey, national media, the Cowboys haven;t won a single playoff game in A DECADE!  To put that into perspective, the Arizona Cardinals have won a playoff game in that span, over the Cowboys no less.  My Pick - Seahawks 27-21(6 points), Actual - Seahawks 21-20(1 point) — WIN

NY Jets @ New England — This was my blow-out special of the weekend.  I knew Billy Boy and Brady would be geeked up to show the Mangenious who the real mastermind was.  I will give credit to the Jets for hanging around as long as they did, with the help of a Corey Dillon fumble.  Which reminds me, Dillon may fumble more that Tatum Bell.  Amazing.  In the end, however, it was the Patriots showing the Jets who’s the boss, and sending Pennington and Co. home for the year.  My Pick - Patriots 31 - 13(18 points), Actual - Patriots 37-16(19 points) — WIN

NY Giants @ Philadelphia — I thought this would be a slug-fest, with the Giants having too much talent to lose big, while Jeff Garcia has got to wake up and realize he is, in fact, Jeff Garcia.  I still thought the Eagles would be too  much at home for a Giants’ defense without names like Strahan and Arrington.  Tiki Barber played like it was his last game, and Eli Manning is quickly becoming a draft bust.  Chances are Tom Coughlin has coached his last game, so let the Charlie Weis rumors begin.  My Pick - Eagles 24-20(4 points), Actual - Eagles 23 - 20(3 points) — WIN

Final tally, 4 games, 4 wins, 8 points off in total point differental.  Not bad.  And for those keeping track, a 4 team teaser, just pikcing winners, $100 best would have netted $1340.  Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda, no doubt about it….

Technorati Tags: Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, NFL Playoffs

How about some football talk, I know I can use it…

It hasn’t even been a week since the end of the regular season, yet coaches are being fired, quitting, and retiring at a fever pace.  There are already 5 openings on NFL teams, with some big names finding themselves out of work.  Let’s take a look at the teams and which direction they might go in to find a replacement –

Pittsburgh Steelers — The worst kept secret of 2006 was the status of Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh.  From the moment it became public knowledge that Cowher and his family had moved back to North Carolina the speculation arose that this could be it for “The Chin” in the Steel City.  Cowher will make the announcement official on Friday, giving the Steelers a chance to talk to their own in-house candidates who are sure to be hot prospects in other cities.

Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt already has an interview scheduled in Atlanta and Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm would have gotten the Lions’ job last season had the Steelers not advanced all the way to the Super Bowl.  Even Defensive Coordinator Dick Labeau, former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, might get a looksie from some NFL teams.

As for Cowher, I expect him to take a year off before coming back to the league in a high profile/high paying job in a place like Dallas or Washington, both of which will probably have openings in the next couple of years.  There is talk that the Dolphins will make a play with a big offer the minute Cower announces his resignation.

Miami Dolphins — Speaking of the Miami, the Dolphins start the search for a new head coach for the 4th time since Don Shula retired in 1995.  By now everyone has heard of the Nick Saban debacle, and listening to Owner Wayne Huizenga the team has no idea which direction to go.  He even went so far as to ask the media and fan base for any opinions, good or bad, that they had for the team.  Yikes.  Besides Cowher, the Dolphins will also take a close look at Jim Bates, the interim coach after Dave Wannstedt resigned, as well as Jim Mora, who just got fired in Atlanta.  No matter who it is the Dolphins will probably take there time and search high and low.  Since Shula each coach has been hand picked and the results have been disastrous.  I can’t help but think that the presence of Don Shula might have something to do with all the coaching mal-content.  He was unhappy with Jimmy Johnson, wasn’t a fan of Wannstadt, and had nothing but bad things to say about Saban.  It can;t be easy following a legend, especially when he is still on the Board of Directors and he is the only coach to have a “perfect” season.

Oakland Raiders — It seems the “false rumor-monger” was right after all.  It is being leaked that Art Shell won’t be back after a 2-14 season.  Whether Shell quit or was asked not to return remains to be seen but regardless the coaching carousel continues.  Finding a replacement won’t be easy, especially with a skeleton in a sweat-suit running the show.  As Al Davis has gotten older his treatment of coaches has gotten worse and since John Gruden begged his way out of town the Raiders have seen a steady stream of failure follow with Bill Callahan, Norv Turner and Shell.  Leading the way might be D-Coordinator Rob Ryan who actually did a nice job with the Raider defense this past season.  With the #1 pick in the draft and two quarterback right at the top of everybody’s draft board an offensive mind might be the better choice but with the skeleton you know he isn’t thinking about what’s best.

Atlanta Falcons — It was the antics of Jim Mora off the field as much as the bad play of the Falcons on it that cost Mora his job.  After getting caught telling a Seattle radio station that the UW job was his dream and he would “leave the Falcons immediately” if the job were open Mora tried to play it off as a joke.  Too bad Falcons owner Arthur Blanks wasn’t laughing.  Neither were the fans that had watched 2 years of late season collapses.  Having your dad call the star QB a “coach-killer” isn’t a good way to maintain quality relationships in the locker room either.  Atlanta will start with Whisenhunt, and if they can’t land him they will probably stay with the strong offensive mind to try and get the most out of Michael Vick.  In hindsight the Falcons were probably better off sticking with Dan Reeves, under whom Vick had his best season to date.

Arizona Cardinals — Pete Carroll’s name keeps being bandied about, but I can’t see Carroll leaving the college game, especially with what went down with Saban.  The Cardinals have a lot of talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and will be very tempting to a coach looking for quick results.  Ownership concerns will always surround the team, with the Bidwell’s having a reputation for keeping there hands in every aspect of the organization.  They will probably not want to lose out on the hangover from the new stadium, as well as the Super Bowl which comes to Arizona next year.  Bobby Petrino from Louisville is a possibility, as are San Diego O.C. Cam Cameron, Chicago D.C. Ron Rivera and former Packers coach Mike Sherman.

There are a couple of situations to keep a close eye on, depending on how this weekend’s playoff games turn out.

If the Giants get run out of Philly, Tom Coughlin’s days in the Big Apple would be numbered, though I have a feeling the Giants’ brass are sending feelers right now to a certain college coach who might just be thinking he’d be better off in the NFL.  (When exactly did Notre Dame win a bowl game last??)  The Seahawks are another team that may have an opening after the season.  Mike Holmgren almost walked away after the Super Bowl, and might actually do it if the Seahawks were to get back, or get shown the door by the Cowboys this weekend.

Technorati Tags: Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Jim Mora, Bill Cowher, Nick Saban, Art Shell, Denny Green, NFL Coaching Changes

There are three BCS Bowl games remaining this year. If I wasn’t from Ohio, and a fan of Ohio State, there would be no reason to watch. Nor is there a good reason to watch any game in 2007 because the Game of the Year happened the first day of the year, with the Little Team That Could, Boise St., knocking of the Big Bad Wolf, OU, in a classic Fiesta Bowl. If you didn’t watch the game, I’m sorry, you missed one heluva game.

Few times in my life have I stood and cheered at the television. Even fewer times has that happened at nearly 1 AM on a work night. I did last night, my sleeping family be damned. I’ll be honest, part of me wanted Boise St. to win, just for the little guy, yet another part of me wanted them to lose so Ohio State would be the only undefeated team should they win next week. Plus, Oklahoma was getting All-World running back Adrian Peterson back in the lineup in what figured to be his last college football game. I didn’t give Boise much hope.

Much to my surprise, it was the Broncos that came out and hit OU in the mouth. Like a boxer, who knows he doesn’t have the stamina to go 12 rounds with the World Champ so they try and throw as many hay-makers as possible trying to land the lucky punch, Boise got out to an early lead. Mid-way through the 3rd quarter the game looked to be over for the 1st of many times when Boise St. played the Pick-5 game to take a 28-10 lead. Certainly several of you went to bed at this point. I didn’t, riveted by the upset I thought I was watching.

The best was yet to come. Oklahoma, playing like the proud and storied team they are, battled back to within 8 with the help of a fluke bounce on a fumble. Fast forward to late in the 4th quarter. I am starting to get the sense that a great story, a Cinderella story, is about to come to an end. Boise St. looks tired, out of gas, out of hay-makers. With 1:31 to go, OU gets the TD they need, and the 2-point conversion to boot. The success rate of 2-point conversion in college football is less than 50%, and OU had to do it twice, the second from 7 yards out because of penalties.

Ok, no problem, Boise has two timeouts, a minute and half, to try and get the winning score. Worst case this game goes to OT. Ummm, not so fast. It’s OU who decides to play the Pick-6 game, taking a 7 point lead with a minute to go. My heart sank. I could hear all the big-school, BCS conference homers saying, “I told you so, small schools just don’t belong.”

The next half hour will be stuck in college football lore forever. Boise State has less than a minute, 2 timeouts and need a TD just to tie. After a completion and a sack, the Broncos face a 4th and 18. What do they call? The Hook-and-Ladder play, what else. Worked to perfection with 7 seconds to go the Broncos incredibly tie the game. I nearly choked on the water I was drinking.

To Overtime we go, and it doesn’t take long for the Sooners to regain the lead, with Peterson going 25 yards on the opening play for a 42-35 lead. It’s at this moment I say to my daughter’s Cabbage Patch Doll, my only company at the time, that if BSU can somehow get into the end zone they need to go for the win.

Boise gets the ball, and after driving to the 7 yard line, puts the ball in the hands of, who else, a sophomore WR. With their 5th year senior running in motion Boise scores on a 7 yard touchdown pass. “Gotta go for 2, gotta go for 2″ is all I kept saying, or yelling is more like it.

They do, and what play do you call in that situation? The same play I ran as a quarterback on my elementary school playground, the Statue of Liberty. A fake pass to the right, while handing the ball off behind your back to the left. Works like a champ, and Ian Johnson, a running back who broke the record for most TDs in D-I college football, runs untouched into the end-zone. I yelled, and what I said I won’t transcribe here for the sake of remaining kid-friendly. Game over, right?

WRONG. Johnson immediately hoes over to his girlfriend, a BSU cheerleader, drops to a knee and proposes, right then and there. Luckily for him she says yes, and the Broncos ride off into the sunset.

Final, 43-42 Boise State, and the Broncos win one for the little guy. Sure, the Broncos needed a bit of Daivd Copperfield and David Blaine to get it done, with illusion and magic, but they did it none the less. Congratulations Boise State, from one type of Broncos fan to another!

Photo Courtesy Of SI.com

Technorati Tags: Boise State, Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma Sooners, Ian Johnson, Adrian Peterson