NFL - - No Tebow I Swear...

We are just about fully completed with week 3 in the NFL, and there sure hasn’t been a lack of stories to talk about. Whether it’s the officiating, the NO Saints, the AZ Cardinals and everything in between we have been rewarded once again with another action packed season. This is truly the best time of year, especially because baseball playoffs are heating up and I don’t have to see San Jose Shark Facebook posts every time they win a game, because quite frankly people in America are not that into hockey, especially in California. I think hockey is the toughest and most under appreciated sport, but that is just the way it is and the way it always will be. But anyway, back to football. Although I loathe the ‘Niners’ with every ounce in my body, I still believe they will face the Texans in the Super Bowl. They have play makers on BOTH sides of the ball, not too many teams can say that.  They came into Minnesota who had nothing to lose, and played the best game they will mostly likely play all year. Now that the Niners are up on a pedal-stool, they will get every team very best. Even the Lions gave them a good game, and they just lost to the Titans….That’s pretty bad. Name me 3 players on the Titans??? I’ll wait….

But the Niners will be fine, obviously. It would be nice if Randy Moss can maybe show some enthusiasm and jump for a ball every once in a while…I mean come on Randy, we all know you take about half of the plays off and now you are just an afterthought, but at least JUMP. Doesn’t seem too hard, and I would hope that you would have some extra adrenaline considering the fact you are coming back to the place where you Carter and Culpepper shined a few blue moons ago.

Lastly, give the refs a break everyone. People now really want the regular refs to come back, hahahaha get over it. The regular refs suck too. Have you ever said, ‘wow what a great call by the ref!’ No you haven’t so get over it and there has yet to be a game outcome solely determined on poor officiating. Regular refs make mistakes too ya know, they just have control and respect from the players and coaches because of experience, not to mention that Ed Hochuli has massive guns that no one wants to deal with. The refs got thrown into this lion’s den; it is not their fault at all. It is the NFL’s fault, because they are unwilling to pay the 3+ million a year pension plan to the regular officials..That’s right, $3 million, that is what the NFL is not willing to divvy up to the officials….So blame the NFL, not the referees. The NFL made over $9 Billion, with a B, last year in revenue...According to ESPN. Child please!

BadgerBJ Talks Braun Baseball

As soon as news broke of the defending National League MVP failing a drug test and testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone, the general public was quick to group Ryan Braun with the dozens of other MLB players who have failed drug tests since the beginning of the current drug testing system. Without much information on the story, people began to assume the worst with Braun. Forget the fact that the alleged Worldwide Leader in Sports breached a bylaw in the MLBPA and broke a story that wasn't supposed to break until the entire appeal process was completed. Whether you believe him or not, Braun was a victim of bad journalism from what used to be a reputable source.

Braun was tested twice the week he had elevated amounts of testosterone and he passed one of them easily. The test he failed had a testosterone level of four times higher than anyone who has ever failed a drug test in the history of the drug testing era. So either Braun was taking a substance that had extreme amounts of testosterone in it or the test was faulty. This doesn't even take into account that he has documented his workouts, speed times, power numbers etc. and none of those things spiked in an unusual manner at any time over his career. I am not saying this whole situation isn't a little thought-provoking, I'm simply stating that this should have never been a story in the first place.

There is simply not enough information available to come to a definitive conclusion, but the fact of the matter is due to a mishandling of a urine sample, baseball's reigning NL MVP was exonerated of a 50 game suspension but will have an even more difficult time cleaning his image in the public arena. Until all of the facts are public, which is extremely unlikely to happen, individual judgement should be withheld on grounds of insufficient evidence. The basis of our judicial system in this country is innocent until proven guilty but too often in the public it becomes guilty until proven innocent and Braun has an uphill battle to clear his name from the likes of Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa.

*EXCLUSIVE* Interview With Jeremy Lin's High School Teammate

             Jeremy Lin has had quite a month. People try to compare him to Tim Tebow, but that's not accurate whatsoever. Just because both of them have strong faith in God and have swept the country off their feet doesn't make their story the same. Keep in mind that Tebow won a National Championship in College. Tebow was drafted in the first round. Oh yeah, he also won a Heisman. Everyone knew who Tebow was, and all the fans wanted him in the game. No one seemed to care if Jeremy Lin every got in the game, or got drafted or cut from a team. No one gave him a chance, no one had him on their radar, and if they did they just assumed he would be a good practice guy because he can shadow the other teams quickness if necessary.

The J-Lin success story is like no other

             Most people know about the Jeremy Lin story and all the puns that accompany his name, but don't compare him to Tebow. He came out of nowhere and pravaled to capture the country on the biggest stage in America. I realize it is still early, but even if he averages 10 points than he has so far, he'd still be a respectable starter as a PG in the NBA. Check out how Lin's number compare against some of the elites in the NBA over his 12 game starting spree:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/feb/28/jeremy-lin-knicks-stats-how-good


     I was fortunate enough to get an interview with  Cooper Miller; a fellow starter with Lin on the 2006 High School State Champion Palo Alto Vikings. Through his busy work schedule and other interview requests, I was able to squeeze a quick chat with him. Special thanks to Cooper, great guy.

Miller played a major role on the 2006 State
Championship team

Here's how it went:

Please talk a little bit about your relationship with Jeremy Lin and how you know him and the first time you two met?

I've known Jeremy since 4th grade. We played against eachother in NJB - he played for Palo Alto and I played for West San Jose. We were pretty serious rivals back then! I ended up moving up to PA and we went to junior high together at JLS before attending Palo Alto HS. We played bball together for both our school team and AAU - Metro Mirage (coach - Jim Sutter).

When you played with him, did you ever imagine seeing him one day playing in the NBA?

He has always had an incredible work ethic and determination and I thought maybe he could be a reserve player/back-up on an NBA team but I only started thinking that when he was at Harvard. During our playing days together, I never imagined he would play in the NBA, let alone become a star!

Why do you believe he was not really recruited out of high school, hardly even by Pac 10 schools?

College recruiting is incredibly political and Jeremy didn't have much hype around him, despite leading us to a CA state title. I think that playoff run put him on the map more than anything but it was late in the game and most schools had already commited their scholarships. He was also still fairly small and despite the fact that it's harped on as much as it is, he was asian. His size and race were definitely a factor. It's great to see that he's broken stereotypes and really exploded physically.

If you two played one on one today to 10, who do you think would win and what would the score be?

He would win, obviously. 10 - 6.

Do you have any plans on seeing Lin play live this year?

I was hoping to but he's not making any more west coast trips this year and I'm not sure I'll be able to swing a trip to NY..we'll see

Coming Soon: MLB Preview & Hopefully an Interview with Jeremy Lin himself...
(It could happen, ya never know!)

My Thoughts on Who Will Win Today

The football Giants are playing the best football that they have been playing all year at the most opportune time. After beating the Packers and edging out the 49ers (both on the road) they are the flavor of the week and have all the confidence in the world. Everyone in radio and TV is talking about Eli becoming a better QB possible if he wins his 2nd Super Bowl while Peyton only has 1. Oh come on, he's not even clsoe to Peyton. Just look what Peyton has done with that franchise. He's made it so that they did not have to move to LA and not ot metion becuse of him they were able to build Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts. Which also happens to be where Super Bowl XLVI is in about an hour. So no, Eli will not surpass his brother, and in my opinion he never will. He is a really great QB and seems like he is as tough as they come, but stop comparing him to Peyton. Come on mannnnnnnnn....

The Giants are the team beat it seems like. But oh yea, they are playing the Patriots. Everyone says 'well look what happened in Week 9' ... Yeah I do...And the Patriots have not lost a game since...

Here's the bottom line: Tom Brady is too good and too clutch. Their offense is ridiculous. Too many weapons, and Gronk will do just fine... And It doesn't matter who is rushing Brady either, he will get the job done. Never bet against Belichick and Brady. They are like Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi, or Montana and Walsh. The Giants will not have enough to beat New England. It will be a very close game for the most part, but the Patriots will end up on top and getting their fingers on the Lombardi trophy in 2012. Oh, and look out for Chad OCHOCINCO...I think he will have a catch or 2, and maybe even get loose on the sideline..ya never know!

Prediction: New England Patriots 31 New York Football Giants 26

That's Just What I Think.

The Day After

Tough way to end an amazing season for the San Francisco 49ers

January 23, 2012 is probably one of the worst days for 49er fans here in the Bay Area. An emotional hangover that people are still outraged about, some not even able to go into the office because the pain is too much. The 49ers had the opportunity to make it to their first Super Bowl since their 1995 victory over the Chargers. They were so close, they seemed like the team of destiny this season. Lead by an amazing young coach in Jim Harbaugh and a hell of a defense. Everything was playing in their favor. They had a first round bye, they beat the mighty Saints with offense of all things and than watched the 9-7 NY Giants beat the Packers in Green Bay. They did not have to travel, they got to play in from of their own fans, and seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. 

If there was a such thing as a 'tie' in the playoffs, this game would have been that. But it didn't work out that way for the 49ers and unfortunately a team had to lose. Not 1 player. the team lost. And for all those idiots who say Kyle Williams is horrible and sucks and what not, do everyone a favor and shut up. If your criticizing him and saying he should be killed and what not, than you are obviously not a fan of the team...Doesn't really make sense. He stood up like a man after the game talking to reporters. Why don't people respect him for that. I mean he is only 23 years old and was in the biggest game in his life and he made mistakes. Okay. Well he had the balls to admit that he screwed up. What else do you want him to do? The games over, move on. The kid is a hell of a player. It's not his fault Ted Ginn Jr. was hurt...It's not his fault Harbaugh put him back there and they had no veterans on the team to return punts...How can you blame the guy? He went from 1 reception last year to 3 touchdowns this year. No one ever seems to give the guy any credit for the all the good stuff he has done for them. How about people blame the Offensive Coordinator for not running the ball with one of the best running back in the league more? No one seems to mention that. People are just using Williams as the scapegoat and that's ridiculous. The kid can play ball and have speed. One thing you can't teach. He averaged 26 yards a kickoff return, and 20.5 on punt returns. So stop with all the stupid Tweets and FB statuses calling for this guys head. No one cares what you think, and how about supporting the guy and giving him praise for a great season to him and the entire 49er organization. Only 1 team can win the Super Bowl, it's not going to be the 49ers this year. Move on to next year, with that Defense I wouldn't be surprised if they get right back to the NFC Championship next in 2013 (Unless the Rams have something to say about that...Okay jk jk).

They went from 6-10 and 3rd in the NFC West with no coach and no one supporting Alex Smith to turning the team into what it is should be best known for, winning. And they did just that this year. They surprised everyone this year. Even the 49er faithful were surprised. You can't honestly tell me you thought the 49ers were going to win the NFC West in a landslide and than host the NFC championship. No way. This was a magical year for them. They deserve credit, especially Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh. This was not just a step in the right direction for the San Francisco 49ers, this was a massive leap for them. That's all I got to say. I am not a 49ers fan as you all may know, but I respect Jim Harbaugh and the franchise a great deal. Great year 49ers. Move on to next year and give Jeff Fisher and the Rams a run for their money in '13. . . . . ha ha

That's Just What I Think.

SuperBowl Prediction

                                                                New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

Saints vs 49ers and more...Tebow will be mentioned

We have got ourselves another great wekeend of football ahead of us. This is probably one of the greatest weekends of the year in the sports world (Opening day in MLB and opening of March Madness are close). Ill talk a little about the Saints vs 49ers game on Saturday and which teamsI I believe will survive to play next weekend. I won't predict anything as bold as last weekend, I'd like to feel good about myself for another week or two. Although the majority of readers will adamently disagree with my thoughts when it comes to the beloved 49ers game.

New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers:

Now everyone will probably disagree with me, but so did just about everyone in the country with my Broncos pick last week (besides the city of Denver). But I guess I don't really mind everyone going against me or thinking what I believe is 'wrong', because time will tell and the facts will come out sooner than later. With that said, I think the Saints will beat the 49ers Saturday at 1:30 at Candelstick Park (great stadium). I don't want to mention any statistics or anything like that, but rather my gut feeling. Now obviously I am not a 49ers fan, but I am also not a Saints fan either (Go Rams!) I love the Niners defense, and I get that they are one of the fiercest and most disciplined defense in the league, and Harbaugh has a great impact on their attitude and the way they play the game. I also realize that Frank Gore is a beast when he is handed the ball. And that the Saints aren't as good on the road on grass as they are in teh Superdome. . . But . .

The Saints have Drew Brees and X-factor Darren Sproles. Their offense is just too potent for the Niners and I'm sorry, but I believe that they will score some points against them. Too many for Alex Smith and Frank Gore. They live and die with their defense, and teh Saints live and die with their offense. The difference is that if the Niners make a couple mistakes on D, teh Saints will take full advantage and can blow the game wide open in a heart beat. There that good on offense. The Saints defense ism't as bad as people think it is anyway either. But the Niners offense is. Alex Smith has had a good year, and I hope he wins Comeback Player of the Year, but that's the only trophy he will get this year. This team just reminds me of the San Jose Sharks, they do very well during the regular season but can't sustain it in the post season. Sorry Niners fans. They are a great team and a great story, but I just don't believe that they have enough offense. I predict a 20-13ish game.

Saints

Denver Broncos vs New England Patriots:

Ahhhhh too tough to chose. Tebow is ridiculous. This guy is something else.

I think the Patriots will win. But Tebow and the offense did gain almost 400 yards the last time they played....But I think the magic might run out this game. I am torn. Sorry, can't pick this game. I hope Tebow continues to convert people in to Tebow believers. But I just don't know. (Broncos in the upset)

Houston Texas vs Baltimore Ravens:

Ravens are too good on both sides of the ball for the Texans.

Ravens

New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers:

Packers have too many weapons. But the Giants are finally playing like they used to by using their dual threat in the run game. Packers are too good though. Not going to be as close as analysts say.

Packers

That's just what I think