NBA Western Conference Preview

Yesterday I previewed the JV, now it’s time for the varsity. Yes, despite KG, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Zach Randolph all moving east this summer, the balance of power is still in the west (and a has a particular southwest feel this year).

15.Minnesota Timberwolves
This is pretty much a lost season for this team. They’ve turned over more than half their roster, their most experience returning player is Mark Madsen, and they lack a proven go-to-guy at pretty much every position. Now, if each of the high-ceiling guys on their team (Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Randy Foye, etc.) reach their potential, this will be a very good team in two or three years. This year, they’ll be lucky to win 25 games.

14. Portland Trail Blazers
Writing about this team makes me sad. I really wanted to see Greg Oden play this year. Oh well, think of ‘07-08 as a do-over year, Blazers fans. Next season is your real season.

13. Seattle SuperSonics
Kevin Durant sprained his ankle in a preseason game last week, which I like to think was a sign from the basketball gods that Sonics fans were getting a little too giddy about having Durant while Oden was hurt. Just a reminder Seattle, KD has a fragile build. He could go down real quick. (Oh, and also, Seattle fans, don’t forget, you won’t have this team within 3 years, so enjoy KD while you can.)

12. Los Angeles Clippers
Shawn Livingston: might never play again. Elton Brand: out for at least 4 months after Achilles’ surgery. Chris Kamen: still Chris Kamen, minus the goofy hair. This is pretty much what we came to expect from the Clippers in the 80s and 90s. Sorry.

11. Sacramento Kings
I could write something insightful about the development of Kevin Martin, or Mike Bibby’s injury, or the need to move Ron Artest, but I need to cover something else here. Reggie Theus is coaching in the NBA. His first “coaching job” was playing the role of Coach Bill Fuller in the NBC Saturday Morning sitcom “Hang Time”. This would be like the Magic hiring Martin Lawrence off the strength of his performance in “Rebound” or the Grizzlies hiring Nick Nolte because he was so convincing in “Blue Chips”. I don’t care if Reggie Theus was a good NBA player and a decent college coach. He coached a fictional high school team whose star player was a girl! He should not be coaching in the NBA!

10. Golden State Warriors
I loved them last year. You loved them last year. Hell, anyone who wasn’t a Mavericks fan fell in love with their playoff run. But let’s be real. They barely made the postseason last year (postseason=one word), then they traded a key offensive contributor (Jason Richardson) for a guy who probably won’t get much run this year (Brandan Wright). Could Marco Belinelli step up and take Richardson’s points? Sure, why not. Will it happen? I’m guessing no.

9. New Orleans Hornets
They’re back in New Orleans full-time this year, and they have to be praying they get a full season out of Peja Stojakovic, who barely played at all last year after signing a huge free-agent deal. I’d really like to see more from this team, if only to raise the profile of Chris Paul, the NBA’s most unknown superstar, but they just don’t have all the pieces.

8. Los Angeles Lakers
(I originally wrote something here that might have said some awful things about Kobe Bryant. I thought better of even posting that, so I replaced it with this lame paragraph. I feel the Lakers will finish 8th and lose in the first round. I hate Kobe Bryant. Please, just go away.)

7. Memphis Grizzlies
That’s right. Don’t forget, before the Pau Gasol injury and the tank-a-thon last year, they were a pretty consistent playoff team in the West (though they’ve never won a playoff game). Gasol is healthy this year, and they brought in his buddy Juan Carlos Navarro, who is the best international point guard prospect, maybe ever.

6.Utah Jazz
(Remember those awful things I deleted about Kobe Bryant before you could read them? Well, everything I could write about Carlos Boozer would be 10 times worse. So, um, I’ll just say, I think the Andrei Kirilenko situation will end up being a distraction at some point. Also, it’s worth noting that this team right here is the cutoff between East and West -- meaning I think the 8 best teams in the NBA are the Top 6 in the West and the Top 2 in the East).

5. Houston Rockets
I really think the Rockets are the 4th best team in the West, not 5th, but I’m doing this based on playoff seeding, and so the Rockets get screwed. If things shake out the way I see them, then Houston will have home-court in the first round (just like last year). Yao and T-Mac are a great one-two punch, and I think Stevie Franchise will be rejuvenated in Houston (plus they don’t need 35 minutes a game out of him).

4. Denver Nuggets
Speaking of great one-two punches, Denver should be getting a full season out of ‘Melo and A.I. Toss in the front court rotation of Marcus Camby, Nene and Kenyon Martin (if he’s finally healthy) and this is a pretty loaded team.

3. Dallas Mavericks
This team is due to take a step back, after back-to-back crushing playoff defeats. Also, part of me thinks that they’ll give less than their all in the regular season, not wanting to tire themselves out for the playoffs (this has become known as the “LeBron Approach” after what happened last year).

2. Phoenix Suns
I really wanted to put them in the first spot. But here’s the thing. They have exactly ZERO frontcourt depth. Trading Kurt Thomas was obviously a needed financial move for them, but it kills them up front. I read somewhere last week, some columnist suggested that at this point, they should trade Amare for Kobe and just run the entire game and try to score 150 points. I don’t know if that would work, but it’d be damn fun to watch.

1. San Antonio Spurs
I hate this team so much. But, damn, they’re good. That’s all I have to say. I’ll have more in my playoff preview later this week.

This Week in “Buffy” History: October 29-November 4

October 29

2001 - Angel Episode 3.06 “Billy” airs on The WB

2003 - Angel Episode 5.05 “Life of the Party” airs on The WB

October 30

2001 - Episode 6.06 “All the Way” airs on UPN

November 2

Unknown year - Michael Bailey Smith born (played Toth in episode 5.03 “The Replacement”)

1999 - Episode 4.05 “Beer Bad” airs on The WB

1999 - Angel episode 1.05 “Rm w/a Vu” airs on The WB

November 3

1997 - Episode 2.07 “Lie to Me” airs on The WB

1998 - Episode 3.05 “Homecoming” airs on The WB

2002 - Angel Episode 4.05 “Supersymmetry” airs on The WB

NBA Eastern Conference Preview

The last image of Eastern Conference basketball from the ‘06-07 season was LeBron and Boobie Gibson absolutely destroying the Pistons en route to the NBA Finals. One summer later, and things look pretty damn different in the East. So here’s how I think things will shake out. This is important though: these are my REGULAR-SEASON predictions. My postseason bracket will come later this week (after my Western Conference picks).

15. Philadelphia 76ers
Honestly, I liked what this team did when they realized they had to trade Allen Iverson, but they haven’t done much right since then. I didn’t like their draft, they haven’t done anything to improve their roster, and I’m pretty sure Andre Iguodala is plateauing as a player. I’m an Andre Miller fan, but not enough of one to move this team out of the cellar.

14. Charlotte Bobcats
This team has lots of talented players. But when two of your lottery picks from recent years are already out for the season with injuries, it’s a bad run. In addition to Sean May and Adam Morrison missing the year, the Bobcats will likely have to deal with Emeka Okafor’s latest ailment. Gerald Wallace is awesome, but he’s not Superman.

13. Milwaukee Bucks
I still wish Michael Redd had signed with the Cavs a couple years back. Then he and LeBron would be a great one-two punch, and Redd wouldn’t be stuck with the shitty team he has around him. Andrew Bogut is a stiff, and yet somehow he’s not the biggest stiff on the team (that would be Yi Jianlian, who only looks good when he’s posting up a chair). Maybe Charlie Villanueva and Bobby Simmons can bounce back from their injury-plagued ‘06-07 seasons and give the Bucks a nice up-tempo attack.

12. Indiana Pacers
This franchise has been going downhill ever since the Palace Brawl, and it’s not gonna get better. Last year they swapped Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson for Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, in the rare trade where one team (in this case Golden State) gets the two best players in the deal. Now they’re eventually going to be forced to trade Jermaine O’Neal for 30 cents on the dollar, and could be looking at a 5 or 6 year stretch without a playoff berth.

11. New York Knicks
Sports Illustrated has them 6th. I’m pretty sure that’s all the evidence I need to get a refund on my subscription. Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry are the same flawed player, Stephon Marbury is still crazy, and Nate Robinson is the shortest 2-guard in NBA history. Plus, Isiah Thomas is still prominently involved, which has never been a good thing for any organization that wasn’t the Detroit Pistons.

10. Orlando Magic
I know they made the playoffs last year AND they went out and got a big piece in the form of Rashard Lewis, but here’s the thing: someone that was in the top 8 in the East last year HAS to fall out (because Boston isn’t missing the playoffs). Orlando, last year’s 8 seed, is the easy choice, because Lewis is a prime candidate for a drop-off year now that he’s gotten paid. Plus, Orlando’s division isn’t exactly a cakewalk.

9. Atlanta Hawks
This may be high for them, but I feel like all their talent has to mesh at some point. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are all incredible athletes, and Johnson and Smith can really play the game too. I don’t know if Acie Law IV is the answer at point guard, but he can’t be any worse than the crap they’ve been running out there in recent years.

8. Toronto Raptors
I actually like this team and what they’re doing, but the East is crowded this year and they seem like they might take a step back. Not because they’re not good, but they got career years out of some guys last year, who probably aren’t going to duplicate that. Plus, I think losing Mo-Pete is going to hurt more than they expect. I do like the addition of Jason Kapono, even if he’s making too much, because he does one thing very well, and Toronto’s very underrated coaching staff can take advantage of that.

7. New Jersey Nets
Remember these guys? Kidd, Carter and Jefferson may not be as sexy as Garnett, Allen and Pierce, but they’ve been playing together longer and they have one big piece Boston lacks (a legit point guard). Plus, they should have a healthy Nenad Krstic for the whole season. So why do I have them one spot lower than they were last year? Well, Jefferson never stays healthy, and Carter’s a crap shoot (especially since he got paid again).

6. Detroit Pistons
This has nothing to do with me hating them, I swear. After their second straight collapse in the Eastern Conference Finals, they seem like they’re poised for a collapse. Flip Saunders can’t possibly keep Rasheed Wallace in line for another year, Chauncy “Mr. Big Shot” Billups was already in decline last season, and at some point, Rip Hamilton is just going to fall apart.

5. Miami Heat
Remember, this is a regular-season positioning. I actually am much higher on the Heat’s long-term prospects, but with Dwyane Wade likely to miss the first month of the season, Shaquille O’Neal likely to miss time at some point, and Ricky Davis trying to integrate into the team of the fly, there are going to be some speed bumps. All this team needs to do, though, is get to the postseason.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers
This may seem like a step back for the Cavs, but remember, last year, they were one game away from entering the postseason as a 5 seed instead of a 2 seed. Everything broke exactly right for them in the season’s final days, then again in the playoffs. Plus, they haven’t re-signed Sasha Pavlovic or Anderson Varejao (who were much bigger pieces in the playoffs than the regular season). I don’t think they’ll miss Sasha and Andy as much as some experts, but you can’t lose two of your rotation players and expect to be better. Then again, maybe LeBron will play motivated for the entire season this year, not just February through June.

3. Washington Wizards
Speaking of teams in the East that also have Big Threes (New Jersey, Miami), here are the Wizards. When Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were healthy, the Wizards were the best team in the East last year. The injuries they suffered last year weren’t recurring-type injuries, so you have to assume a season of health from them. So as long as Agent Zero doesn’t pull a Starbury (that is, go so completely batshit insane that it affects his game), the Wizards should be pretty damn good.

2. Chicago Bulls
I know they’re still young, but Luol Deng is a really good player, Ben Gordon can shoot the lights out and Kirk Hinrich is a legit point guard. Too bad they don’t have a single frontcourt player who can play offense worth a damn. Also, this ranking is pre-Kobe trade. If they trade their entire team for Kobe, I reserve the right to move them way the fuck down. If they get Kobe for Gordon, Thomas and Nocioni, I reserve the right to make them the favorite.

1. Boston Celtics.
Blah, blah, blah, Garnett. Blah, blah, blah Allen. Blah, blah, blah Pierce. Boston is wicked awesome! (Oh, and by the way, they only go seven deep, they’ve got no point guard depth at all, their center could balloon to 400 pounds and if any one of their big three gets hurt, they’re screwed. Then again, they are still the favorite.)

The Greatest Play of All-Time Ever!

That’s not hyperbole. Watch this play, and you’ll understand. 15 laterals with no time left leading to a 61-yard game-winning touchdown. Holy crap.

College Football Top 10

I’ve downgraded the college football landscape from a nuclear explosion to a ticking time bomb (complete with generic time-bomb image) because something weird happened this week -- none of my top 6 lost. Sure, two of them were off, but that doesn’t change the fact that they remain with the same number in the L column that they had last week. The 3 losses in my top 10 (by No. 7, No. 9 and No. 10) were hardly landscape-shaking. So here’s how the Top 10 shapes up for this week.

1. Boston College (last week: 1)

I’ll admit, my rankings were a minute away from going ka-blooey all over again, but then Matt Ryan came in, saved Boston College, saved my rankings and probably won the Heisman in the process. Now while BC does still have some games that may seem challenging, they’re only superficial. They get FSU and Miami at home, and Maryland and Clemson aren’t as good as their records would suggest. They’ll get Virginia or Va Tech (again) in the ACC title game, so there’s a good chance they’ll make it to New Orleans unscathed.

2. Ohio State (last week: 2)

They destroyed Penn State with ease, which is good for their resume, but honestly, I didn’t think much of Penn State before this week. I do however think that Ohio State won’t be tested until the season finale at Michigan (and how funny is it that Michigan is now seen as a challenge, after how pathetic the Wolverines were after two weeks).

3. Oklahoma (last week: 3)

The Sooners had a week off this week. Now here’s their remaining pre-Big 12 championship game schedule: home vs Texas A&M (6-3), home vs Baylor (3-6), at Texas Tech (6-3) and home vs Oklahoma State (5-3). The sad thing: none of those teams are as good as their records would suggest. All of them should be an easy handle for the Sooners.

4. LSU (last week: 4)

You think that schedule is sad, check out LSU’s: at Alabama (6-2) -- aka the Saban Bowl -- home vs Louisiana Tech (3-5), at Ole Miss (2-7), home vs Arkansas (5-3). They’ve survived the tough part of their schedule with just one loss, and now they just have to hope BC or OSU loses.

5. Oregon (last week: 5)

Oregon looks more impressive every week. I seriously have no idea how they lost to Cal (a Cal team that, as an aside, is 0-3 since that win). The Ducks offense is clicking on all cylinders, and their defense made Mark Sanchez look like a pretty bad quarterback on Saturday (and for those that don’t remember, Sanchez was a blue chip recruit just a couple years back).

6. West Virginia (last week: 6)

Slaton and White, White and Slaton. However you want to cut it, this is the best one-two punch in the nation. If only they could figure out how to beat South Florida, they’d still be the drivers’ seat for the national title. They are still in control of their destiny for a BCS bowl berth, since they host Connecticut in the Huskies’ season finale, and their other three games are against teams that already have at least two conference losses.

7. Arizona State (last week: 8)

Challenge 1 passed with flying colors. The Sun Devils sent Cal to its 3rd straight loss. However, I was tempted to actually move them down because of the way their fans acted after the game. They stormed the field (despite beating an opponent ranked 17 spots lower than them in the BCS), then spent 20 minutes trying to take down the goalpost -- and failed!

8. Kansas (last week: unranked)

They’re not good. I keep telling myself that. And then they keep winning. They’ve got three straight games against Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Iowa State, none of whom should pose much of a challenge. The season finale, against Missouri, could be their only challenge before the Big 12 title game.

9. Missouri (last week: unranked)

Speaking of Missouri, lookie here. The Tigers are now 7-1 and their only loss was to Oklahoma. And I know it seems strange that I have 3 Big 12 teams in my Top 10 and only 1 SEC team, but if the SEC teams are going to keep kicking the shit out of each other, I can’t leave them in my top 10, if only because I have no idea which ones to put there.

10. Hawaii (last week: unranked)

Whatever. Just, fuck this season. Sure, they’re undefeated, but they haven’t beaten anyone worth shit. But here’s the thing. The teams between them and the top 10 of the BCS entering this week were as follows: South Florida (lost), Florida (lost), USC (lost), Missouri (won), Kentucky (lost), Virginia (lost), and South Carolina (lost). In addition, No. 8 Virginia Tech (who I had at No. 10 last week) lost. So here are the Warriors, by default. Good luck to them.

Dropped out: South Florida, USC, Virginia Tech

Looking ahead to next week, here are the games that could impact the rankings the most:

LSU at Alabama, Saturday, 5 ET on CBS

The way LSU is playing this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tigers won this game by 20, won on a last-second Hail Mary, or lost by 30. I’m sure Nick Saban will have his team more keyed up for this game than any other game this season. And if LSU loses, it takes the entire SEC out of the title picture.

Arizona State at Oregon, Saturday, 6:45 ET on ESPN Gameplan

This is easily the game of the week. The winner of this game is in total control in the Pac-10, and could become a favorite to make it to New Orleans. If ASU wins, they might vault ahead of either OSU or BC in some of the computers, or even the human polls.

Rutgers at Connecticut, Saturday, 7:15 ET on ESPN U

Did you know that UConn still only has one loss and is coming off its first-ever win against a ranked team? Did you know that if the Huskies win out, they go to a BCS bowl? Did you know that the BCS bowl between UConn and Hawaii will be lower rated than an episode of “America’s Next Top Model”?

Three to Get Ready: October 27-29

Saturday, October 27
USC-Oregon, 3 ET on FSNThis is a battle of two great squads, one of whom has a bigger national reputation, while the other may be more talented, but less known because they aren't based in L.A. The football teams? Well, yes, sort of, but I'm talking about the cheerleaders. The USC Song Girls have the rep (and you know I love them), but ask anyone from Pac-10 country (who isn't affiliated with USC) and they'll tell you that Oregon's cheerleaders are the best in the nation. This game should decide that once and for all -- oh, and, ya know, maybe put one of these teams back in the BCS title picture. Oh, and by the way, I think the Towson Dance Team beats the Song Girls and the Oregon cheerleaders in terms of hotness.

Sunday, October 28
Redskins at Patriots, 4 ET on FOXI hate the Patriots. I hate Tom Brady. I hate Bill Belichick. I hate Robert Kraft. I would like nothing more than to see my favorite team wipe the smiles off all their smug faces. I'd settle for the 'Skins covering the spread (currently at 16 points). I'd be much happier if Sean Taylor picked off Tom Brady's first pass of the game while covering Randy Moss, have Moss break a hand while trying to tackle Taylor, then have Taylor run over Brady -- breaking Brady's collarbone in the process of scoring a touchdown. That'd be AWESOME!

Monday, October 29
Red Sox at Rockies, Game 5 (if necessary), on FOXI honestly don't think this game will be necessary. If it is, though, I'll be watching, because Josh Beckett will be pitching. This guy is money when it comes to the postseason. He's so money, he's Yen (which is the opposite of Dice-K, who is anti-money... He's like a Canadian loonie when it comes to the postseason). I honestly don't like the Red Sox, but I have friends who do. I don't really know anyone who likes the Rockies. So I guess I'll support my friends. Oh, and if this game isn’t necessary, watch the Packers-Broncos MNF game on ESPN. I will.

Thursday Morning Preseason NBA Ramblings

I haven’t written much about the NBA recently, and with good reason -- it’s the preseason. Preseason NBA games are about as meaningful as a Britney Spears lyric (and I love both the NBA and Britney, but let me tell you, those are not meaningful). That said, we are less than a week away, so time to get some ramblings out of the way. I’ll have my Eastern and Western conference previews this weekend, and I’ll try to have a separate post weeding out the pretenders and picking my 2007-08 NBA Champion (and remember, last year I predicted a Spurs-Cavs finals at the start of the playoffs, so I know what I’m doing).

• Kevin Durant sprained his ankle playing very late into a meaningless (there’s that word again) preseason game against the Warriors. I understand P.J. Carlesimo is trying to win games, but why? He might be a new coach, but he’s not a first time coach. He doesn’t need to prove himself in the preseason. As for Durant, he’s supposed to be ready for the start of the season, but if I’m a Sonics fan, I’m worried. The history of No. 2 overall picks in the NBA of late has not been good. LaMarcus Aldridge (2006) and Marvin Williams (2005) both missed almost 20 games last season. Emeka Okafor (2004) has been a walking injury. Darko Milicic (2003) is one of the biggest punchlines in league history. Jay Williams (2002) hasn’t played since his rookie season. Tyson Chandler (2001) has never averaged double-figure scoring, and likely never will. Stromile Swift (2000) is a certifiable bust at this point. And Stevie Franchise (1999), when not killing the Knicks, is just crazy (plus he demanded a trade immediately from the team that drafted him). Not exactly the history I’m looking for if I’m a Sonics fan.

• The Timberwolves, meanwhile, continue to trade away anyone that ever played for them. After Wednesday’s trade that shipped Ricky Davis and Mark Blount out of town, they’ve got only 5 players left on the roster who were there last season. Hell, they’ve got just as many guys on the team who spent last season on the Celtics (and one of the guys who DIDN’T play for Boston last year is Randy Foye, who was DRAFTED by Boston). As this team is currently constructed, they look like they’ll be lucky to win 25 games.

• The flip side of that trade is that Davis and Blount are now members of the Heat. Miami had to “give up” Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a future 1st round pick. Now, based on what the players involved did last season, the Heat easily got the two best players in this trade (yes, last year, Mark Blount was better than Antoine Walker -- look at the numbers). Of course, that’s not the key point here. The main thing to take away from this trade is that the Heat, WHEN HEALTHY (and that’s a huge qualifier) have the best 3-man combo in the East. That’s right, better than the Celtics. I’d take a healthy Shaq, Wade and Ricky Davis over KG, Ray-Ray and Paul Pierce any day. Of course, the over/under on number of games the Heat’s big 3 play together this season is probably 35.

• At least the Heat are making moves. The Cavs, who are now 1-4 in the preseason, haven’t done shit. Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic remain unsigned. Cleveland’s “big” move this offseason was to pick up Cedric Simmons in a trade. To quote the immortal Derrick Coleman, “whoop-dee-damn-do!” To me, Pavlovic would be a tough loss, but the Cavs could get over it. Varejao on the other hand brings so much to the table. The problem is his retarded agent thinks he brings $9-million worth to the table for the next 5 years. Um, not a fucking chance. As one of my co-workers put it today, “let him prove he can give the ball back to LeBron on a give-and-go in the final seconds of an important game, instead of spazzing out, then he can get paid.” Or, maybe, just prove you’re better than Drew Gooden before asking for a contract worth twice what he got (that link is their career comparison through their Age 24 season -- Gooden’s resume was much more complete at that point, and that doesn’t even include last season for him).

Fave 5 - Guilty Pleasures

So last week was all about the Kelly Clarkson concert. And while some people would consider Kelly a guilty pleasure, I don’t think she falls in that category. I feel no guilt about my love for Kelly Clarkson. I’m not embarrassed by it. THESE 5 things, on the other hand, are definitely guilty pleasures. And while this post may preclude me from ever becoming the head of GE (see last week’s episode of “30 Rock” for details), I don’t care. I’m not a sellout like Jack Donaghy (or a game-fixer like his “brother” Tim, but that’s a post for another day).

5.Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” Album
Here’s the thing about Britney: saying she was hot (before she went all crazy) isn’t a problem. Saying you thought her later albums were dance-able isn’t a big deal either. But damn, a guy my age (or a guy in general) isn’t supposed to like Britney’s first album. But I do. I can’t help it.

4. Spider-Girl and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Some people I know would say comics of any kind fall into the guilty pleasure category, but I think there are definitely comics that can be considered a true art form. These are not them. I know they’re targeted at a teen girl market, but I can’t get enough of MJ.

3. Veronica Mars
Let’s ignore the 3rd season. The first two seasons we’re awesome. Kristen Bell is hot and she can act. But what makes this a guilty pleasure is how into the lives of the characters I got. One of the reasons I hated the third season so much is I thought Veronica should be with Duncan, not Logan (and definitely not Piz). And the way everyone just totally forgot about Lilly, even though she’d only been dead for two years. What the hell was that about?

2.Gossip Girl
Speaking of shows where I care too much about the characters lives, this one takes the cake. I know it’s only been on for 5 episodes, but I can’t get enough of it. But here’s the thing. Dan totally needs to realize that Serena is the best thing to ever happen to him. I know when he looks at her, he immediate sees a world he hates, but he needs to look past the world and see the girl, the one who is trying so hard to rise above that and become a better person. OK, I need to stop now, because if I go on much longer, I could write an essay on this show alone.

1.Clueless
Then again, I could go on even longer about Clueless. I’ll just say this -- about a month ago at work, someone brought it up and I made the mistake of saying “I think ‘Clueless’ is one of my 10 favorite movies of all-time.” Now, aside from the stupidity of saying that in a room of sports fans, I wasn’t sure I could back it up. Then I went home, and tried to come up with at least 10 movies I liked better. Now I was really scared, because I couldn’t. I COULD if I counted trilogies and the like as separate movies, but if I don’t, then I can’t honestly list 10. And that scares and embarrasses me.

This Week in “Buffy” History: October 22-28

October 22

2001 - Angel Episode 3.05 “Fredless” airs on The WB

2002 - Episode 7.05 “Selfless” airs on UPN

2003 - Angel Episode 5.04 “Hell Bound” airs on The WB

October 23

2001 - Episode 6.05 “Life Serial” airs on UPN

October 24

2000 - Episode 5.05 “No Place Like Home” airs on The WB

2000 - Angel Episode 2.05 “Dear Boy” airs on The WB

October 25

1979 - Sarah Thompson born (played Eve in Season 5 of Angel)

October 26

1999 - Episode 4.04 “Fear, Itself” airs on The WB

1999 - Angel Episode 1.04 “I Fall to Pieces” airs on The WB

October 27

1997 - Episode 2.06 “Halloween” airs on The WB

2002 - Angel Episode 4.04 “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” airs on The WB

Kelly Clarkson Concert Review

So Kelly Clarkson Week comes to a close with the event we’ve all been waiting for (or at least, the event I’ve been waiting for) -- The My December Tour at Mohegan Sun.

The show was EVERYTHING I’d hoped it would be. Kelly’s voice is really something special in person. The concert was worth every cent I paid to attend.

The show started about 10 minutes late, with opening act Jon McLaughlin taking the stage. He’s got a decent piano pop sound, but mostly the crowd was just there for Kelly. Still, they cheered his music, which really wasn’t bad.

There was one funny moment when he was introducing a song, telling the story of how he wrote it, then said, “this is ‘Beautiful Disaster.’” As everyone in attendance knows, that’s the name of a Kelly Clarkson song, so the crowd went nuts. One problem. Jon McLaughlin has his own song called “Beautiful Disaster.” It’s not bad, but it’s not what the crowd was expecting. Needless to say, we got quiet pretty quick.

After his set, lots of people went to the concourse to buy his album -- for $10. Really not a bad price for a CD. However, I decided to do it my way -- I hopped on the iTunes WiFi Store on my iPhone and found the album, for just $7.99. I’d purchased and downloaded the entire thing before I even made it to the front of the line. I love my iPhone.

Now it was time for the main event.

The curtain opened and Kelly started the show in the “My December” cover dress on the stairs, singing a couple bars from the album’s closing track, “Irvine.” Then the stage got dark and the show really began.

Kelly opened with “One Minute”, one of the better, fast-paced tracks off her new album, then, after a quick intro, she launched right into “Behind These Hazel Eyes”, which you know got me going. I loved it so much that I had to capture some of it. So if you call my phone now, you’ll get a brief snippet of how awesome it was.

Next up was, as Kelly described it, the “I hate men” part of the show, with “Don’t Waste Your Time” and “Never Again.” Both of these songs are very angry, but have great energy and are so much fun to sing along to at the top of your lungs. At this point, I was already starting to lose my voice, but it was worth it.

The three-song swing of “Maybe”, “Gone” and “Hole” was a nice bridge to the slower part of the show. Following “Hole”, Kelly went into a little storyteller mode, explaining how the next song was her favorite, which made me so happy when I heard the opening strands of “Addicted”. I know I didn’t list it as my actual No. 1 favorite, but it’s use in my favorite Buffy mashup video gives it a special place in my heart.

Then, with a reduced band and set, Kelly brought the house to tears with my personal favorite song “Because of You.” I’m not gonna lie, it was a little dusty in the arena. I could have left right there and been COMPLETELY satisfied, having heard her perform that masterpiece live.

Of course, I didn’t leave, even when things slowed WAY down with the gospel song “Up to the Mountain”. More people went to the concourse during that one song than the other 18 combined. “Be Still” was next, and I’m not a huge fan of it, but it’s a good song to hear live.

After bringing back the rest of the band and re-opening the full set, Kelly did “Miss Independent”, which was pretty much the only appearance of anything off her first album, though she totally owned it. Then came “How I Feel”, a very similar song that had the crowd literally jumping (I did no jumping -- I’m fat and my knees can’t take it).

“Breakaway” was next, and was by far the biggest sing-along song. Kelly put the mike to the crowd a few times, and I was singing with everyone else. “Walk Away” had everyone just as excited.

Kelly wrapped things up with her two “drink” songs -- “Sober” and “Chivas”. Then, after a brief departure from the set, she came back and rocked it with “Since U Been Gone”, which is just an amazing song to jam to with 10,000 of your closest friends.

I don’t I personally could have had a better time. Then again, I’m not an “American Idol” fan. For those that are, this show is NOT for you. She made no direct reference to the show at all (the only indirect reference was when she was thanking everyone for their support, she said “everyone who bought my albums, came to my shows, voted for me or whatever”). And she didn’t perform either of her “Idol” finale hits: “Before Your Love” or “A Moment Like This”. I know she’s trying to distance herself from the show, but the songs were VERY conspicuous in their absence. Still, it didn’t even come close to putting a downer on a perfect night.

College Football Top 10

One of these weeks, the college football rankings are going to be unscathed and order will be restored to the land. Until then, I’m going to keep using mushroom cloud pictures to represent my college football rankings, since they keep getting blown up.

To be fair, it’s not just my rankings going Kablammo! Over the last 4 weeks, teams ranked in the AP Top 10 are a combined 21-15. You know what 21-15 is over the course of a 12-game college football season? 7-5. You know what 7-5 gets you in college football these days? A trip to snowy Detroit for the Motor City Bowl. Yet these teams are supposed to be battling for BCS bids. Nice job guys.

So here’s my 2nd weekly edition of the Top 10, tied in nicely with Kelly Clarkson Week. I’ll choose a Kelly Clarkson song (or at least song title) I think appropriately defines each team’s season. Click here for last week’s rankings.

1.Boston College (last week: 1)

“Maybe”

As in “maybe this team is No. 1 and maybe it’s not, but no one is going to have any real idea until after this Thursday’s game at Virginia Tech.” I’m still not sure it was right to put BC here last week, but they were idle this week and Ohio State wasn’t that impressive, so at No. 1 the Eagles shall remain.

2.Ohio State (last week: 2)

“Hole”

Ohio State’s defense is fantastic, but they do have a hole on offense. Their passing game is sub-par, and turnovers almost killed them Saturday. They also have a hole on their resume, lacking a marquee win.

3.Oklahoma (last week: 3)

“Haunted”

The Sooners hope they won’t be haunted all season by a last-second field goal against Colorado. That’s all that stands between them and a perfect season to this point.

4.LSU (last week: 4)

“Some Kind of Miracle”

They should have lost Saturday. Simple as that. I’m convinced at this point Les Miles is actually TRYING to lose his job. He had no idea where the game clock was on that final play. But the Tigers survive and remain at No. 4.

5.Oregon (last week: 7)

“Anytime”

The song title is the answer to the question “when can Oregon score 50 points?” They’ve done it 4 times so far this season, and had another game in which they scored 48. Their season low is 24 points. And that Week 2 win against Michigan is actually starting to look impressive again (funny how that works).

6.West Virginia (last week: 9)

“Breakaway”

This team will go as far as the breakaway ability of Pat White and Steve Slaton will take them. They scored 28 points in the first quarter Saturday and just cruised from there. White finished with 89 on the ground, Slaton had 127. If they can get past Rutgers this week, 11-1 is looking like a real possibility.

7.South Florida (last week: 5)

“Not Today”

Yes, I know USF beat West Virginia, but this isn’t about which team beat which other team. And I feel bad dropping USF after the Bulls played such a good game at Rutgers, but they did lose. To an unranked (but very solid) team. This just feels right for them.

8.Arizona State (last week: UR)

“You Thought Wrong”

Or, more accurately, I thought wrong. I know they don’t have that “marquee” win on their resume, but they’ve got a lot of impressive wins. The next two weeks -- home vs Cal, then at Oregon -- will tell us everything we need to know about the Sun Devils.

9.USC (last week: 10)

“Walk Away”

That’s what Notre Dame is happy it can do after the pasting USC laid on the Irish this week. That kind of beat down was exactly what USC had been missing all season. And yes, it does get semi-discounted because it came against Notre Dame, but BC struggled with the same Irish team a week earlier.

10.Virginia Tech (last week: UR)

“Thankful”

The Hokies are thankful that their one loss was so long ago that pretty much everyone else has lost since then. They’re thankful that they get a huge opportunity to make a statement at home on national TV this Thursday. And they’re thankful that they only leave the state of Virginia once more this season. They’d be more thankful if LSU had lost, because as long as the Tigers are a one-loss team, the Hokies aren’t really in the national title picture.

Undefeated and unranked: Kansas, Hawaii

Dropped out: South Carolina, Cal

Looking ahead to next week, here are the games that could once again change the landscape:

Boston College at Virginia Tech, Thursday 7:30 ET on ESPN

One of these teams will come out of this game as a legit contender. The other will basically be done (and yes, a one-loss VT is in much better shape than a one-loss BC if that’s the way this game goes down).

Ohio State at Penn State, Saturday, 8 ET on ABC

Seemingly everyone else has Ohio State at No. 1, and I might be convinced to do the same if the Buckeyes go into Happy Valley and beat Penn State convincingly (then again, if BC beats Virginia Tech, period, I’m not moving OSU ahead of them).

California at Arizona State, Saturday, 10 ET on FSN

This is Arizona State’s homecoming game, and if the Sun Devils win, it’ll also serve as their coming out party. Cal on the other hand is just trying to avoid a 3-game losing streak. They haven’t lost 3 straight since going 1-10 in 2001.

Three to Get Ready: October 20-22

A look ahead at the three sporting events I’ll be watching this weekend (and yes, because of the NFL season and my standard work schedule, Monday counts as part of the weekend. Friday does not. My life is weird like that.).

October 20
Indians at Red Sox, 8 ET on FOX
Game 6 of the ALCS with Curt Schilling on the mound for the Red Sox. The last time that was the case, it was 2004, and Schilling’s bloody sock became a permanent part of baseball lore. Nothing as weird should happen Saturday, but don’t be surprised if the Sox pull off a win and force a game 7. They hit Fausto Carmona hard in Game 2 (of course, the Indians hit Schilling hard too).

October 21
Kelly Clarkson Concert, 7 ET at Mohegan Sun
This is what I’ll be watching Sunday. Guaranteed. Oh, you want a sporting event? Well, I may try to get some movie watching in on Sunday afternoon, but if I do watch the NFL, here’s the game:

49ers at Giants, 1 ET on FOX
My early afternoon choices here at home are between this game and the Pats-Dolphins game. I hate the Pats, they’re going to destroy the Dolphins, and I have no desire to watch that game. On the other hand, the Giants are an NFC East rival, and their quarterback is starting for my ESPN.com Fantasy team. So I’ll at least have my eye on this one.

October 22
Colts at Jaguars, 8:30 ET on ESPN
Two reasons to watch this game on Monday night:

1.It’s the best game of the week in the NFL.
2.The only other sporting events on Monday are a trio of hockey games.

I’m not saying I wouldn’t watch hockey, but the only national game is Bruins-Canadiens (on Versus, if you get it) and it doesn’t compare to a division game between two teams with a combined 9-1 record. Plus, Peyton Manning has to do something to prove that he, and not Tom Brady, is still the best QB in the NFL. Or he could just film some more commercials.

Friday Morning ALCS Ramblings

• So I realized something Thursday night. If my life ever hinged on needing one starter to win a postseason game (and I have no idea why my life would ever be in that situation) I’d probably pick Josh Beckett. Holy crap, that guy’s got icewater in his veins. No, wait, he’s got something colder than that. What’s colder than icewater? I’ll tell you what is. Josh Beckett (skip to 2:53 of the video to get the reference).

• BTW, the Indians pulled one of the most awesome moves of all-time, getting Beckett’s ex-girlfriend to sing the national anthem and “God Bless America” in the 7th inning stretch. Beckett wasn’t phased in the least. But still, nice try by the Indians (worth mentioning: this is the same franchise who saw one of their pitchers get dicked over like this -- Chuck Finley was beat up by his wife, Tawny Kitaen, a former Whitesnake dancer. A few days later, the White Sox played “Here I Go Again” on the PA as Finley came out. Another awesome dick move).

• Manny Ramirez said that if the Red Sox didn’t win the ALCS, it wasn’t the end of the world. And holy crap, Manny’s actually right. Last I checked, the world will keep going well after the ALCS (well, that is, for everyone but Curt Schilling). Sometimes, beneath that facade of a retarded child, Manny Ramirez actually has some decent ideas (OK, so that only happens once every decade or so, but still...).

• This is the third time in the Wild Card era that an ALCS team has been trailing 3-2 and going home for games 6 and 7. The other two teams were the ’97 Orioles and the ’95 Mariners. They both lost Game 6... at home... to the Cleveland Indians. Eerie, huh?

• So how can I tie this ALCS post into Kelly Clarkson Week? Very easily. Game 7 of the ALCS, should there be one, is scheduled to begin at 8:00 on Sunday night. At 7:00 on Sunday night, I’ll be sitting in my seat at Mohegan Sun as the Kelly Clarkson concert begins. And trust me, my attentions will be divided. I know I don’t have a particular rooting interest in this series, but I still think I’ll have a hard time missing a Game 7.

• Looking even further ahead, Kelly has a concert scheduled for Boston on Tuesday October 23rd. If the Sox win the ALCS, Game 1 of the World Series would be in Boston on Wednesday October 24th. So no conflict there. Unfortunately, Kelly has a concert in DC scheduled for Game 1, so she wouldn’t be available to do the anthem. She does have an off day next Thursday, the date of Game 2, so she would be available for anthem duty then. And you know FOX would love to have their former American Idol star perform.

Thursday Afternoon Ramblings

• I’ve been trying to find a copy of the “My December” tour set list on the ‘net, but so far no luck. Part of me wants to be surprised when I go to the concert, but another part of me wants to know if she’ll be singing some of my old favorites, or just focusing on her latest album.

• On the advice of a friend, I’ve added a StatCounter.com counter to my site. It’s invisible to you, my faithful reader, but I know it’s there. That’s right. I’m watching you...

• I’m also watching the NBA. We’re under 2 weeks until the season begins. Some teams are starting to use their real players for more than 20 minutes a night, and we’re finally getting a sense of how good or bad some teams really are. For example, last night proved the Celtics are pretty damn good, and the Knicks are pretty damn bad.

• So something very weird happened the other day. While I was driving to work, I was passed by PooZ on the highway (we hadn’t left anywhere at the same time). Then when I was driving home from work, I was passed by Craig on the highway (I left work about 5-10 minutes before him). It’s rare that when you’re driving on the highway you’ll see even one person you know, much less two. Very strange day.

• Fantasy sports updates: I’m still in the lead in my fantasy NASCAR league with 5 races to go. I’ve also moved into the top 2,500 overall, out of more than 200,000 Yahoo! users. In my ESPN.com fantasy football league, I’m 5-1 and ranked 2nd overall in the league. I’m very happy with the roster that my co-owner and I have been able to put together. My two Yahoo! fantasy football leagues aren’t going nearly as well, but those aren’t money leagues so I’m not that concerned. My two pick ‘ems (NFL and college football) have been near disasters. So, um, let’s not worry about those anymore.

• OK, actually, let’s address the college football one. That one actually gets picked against the spread, so there’s more thought involved. I’m at about 53% correct for the year, which means if I’d been betting, I’d be up. Can’t complain about that. There was even a week where I picked 12 of 16 posted games correctly. Of course, I followed that up with a week where I went 7-for-21. Ouch.

• I leave you now, on Kelly Clarkson Week, with another Kelly video. This one is her live performance of “Never Again” on The Today Show.

Fave 5 - Kelly Clarkson Non-Ballads

As a follow-up to this morning’s entry, I’ve got my Fave 5 non-ballads from Kelly Clarkson. Basically, just any song of hers that isn’t a ballad (and I’m not counting the dozens of dance remixes either).

5. Never Again (from My December)
I wasn’t a huge fan of this song at first, because it sounded too much like her hit songs from Breakaway, but it definitely grew on me. It’s such an upbeat song with a downtrodden message. I could listen to this song almost all day.

4. Miss Independent (from Thankful)
This was the first Kelly Clarkson song I really liked. I actually bought her CD the day it came out (back when I still bought physical CDs) and played this song on repeat for a long time. I love the banging chorus.

3. Don’t Waste Your Time (from My December)
I don’t think there’s a single Kelly Clarkson song that has lyrics I can relate to more than this one. When My December came out, I wasn’t sure if it’d have a heavy rotation song, but this quickly became the one. It’s easily the best song off the album (and the video, which just came out a couple weeks ago, is pretty good too).

2. Since U Been Gone (from Breakaway)
This was the first huge post-Idol hit for Kelly and got me hooked on her. It didn’t sound like ANYTHING from her first album and showed she would really succeed as an artist. Plus, it’s catchy as all hell. Seriously, if you hear it, you’ll find yourself humming it hours later.

1. Behind These Hazel Eyes (from Breakaway)
This song followed up Since U Been Gone, and while some people complained it sounded the same, I really think there’s a different feel to it that makes it better. It’s a song that balances the pain of loss with the empowerment of freedom. Plus, it’s also damn catchy, and I think it’s more re-playable than Since U Been Gone. Oh, and the video? 4 words: In Cred I Ble. OK, so that’s one word, 4 syllables. Whatever, this song is awesome.

Fave 5 - Kelly Clarkson Ballads

My original plan for the Kelly Clarkson Week Fave 5 was to do my Fave 5 Kelly Clarkson songs. Only, I was being so indecisive on which 5 songs I liked the best that I decided to split it up into two editions. That’s right, you’ll get 2 Fave 5s this week for the price of one! (Then again, the price of all of them all-time has been exactly $0.00, so stop your complaining about all those weeks I didn’t do one.) This entry covers my Fave 5 ballads, then later I’ll do my Fave 5 non-ballads. And yes, this list actually does NOT include “A Moment Like This”, which I do like, just not enough to include here.

5.“Sober” (from My December)
At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of this song, but it definitely grew on me. I was very impressed with the visual montage that it accompanied at the end of the season premiere of “Smallville” (about the only good thing about that episode). It’s a very slow but very solid song.

4.“Addicted” (from Breakaway)
I wasn’t actually sure how to classify this song, but it seems more ballad-y to me than not. It’s a song I loved when I first heard it, and I grew to like it even more when I set my Buffy/Spike video to it. It really tells the story of how love can be like a drug, for good and bad.

3.“Beautiful Disaster (Live)” (from Breakaway)
I didn’t really like this song when it was on Thankful, but this live version is incredible. THIS is the pace this song was meant to be performed at. Plus, who hasn’t been in that relationship with a person who you know is totally wrong, but totally right at the same time?

2.“Before Your Love” (from Thankful)
I pretty much covered this song in my Fave 5 from 2 weeks ago, but it’s worth mentioning again. This is the kind of song you hear playing in your head when you find that perfect someone.

1.“Because of You” (from Breakaway)
And this song is pretty much the exact opposite. Describing that kind of relationship that hurts you so much that you’re not sure you’ll ever be whole again. This has my favorite Kelly lyric of all-time: "I'm force to fake a smile, a laugh, every day of my life. My heart can't possibly break, when it wasn't even whole to start with." I hear those words, and my heart breaks. There’s a reason why this song is one of the 5 most-played songs in my entire iTunes Library, despite having been added almost 3 years after iTunes began tracking play counts.

Kelly Clarkson Week is Underway!

I’m getting more and more excited about this concert on Sunday. I haven’t been to a concert for a while, and I haven’t ever seen Kelly perform live, so it should be pretty damn fun.

The picture above is Kelly presenting with Jimmie Johnson at the ESPYs (I finally dug a bunch of photos off my Treo from my trips to New York and L.A. this summer).

The Kelly Clarkson Desktop Girl of the Week picture is posted on the main blog page.

For more Kelly enjoyment, here are some YouTube videos (yes, it’s a YouTube post -- the true favorite of every lazy blogger).

Don’t Waste Your Time - Video for Kelly’s Latest Single

A Moment Like This - American Idol Finale

Addicted - Live in Orlando

Being a vampire sucks...

Yes, it was a bad joke when you first heard it as a kid, it was a bad joke when “Moonlight” used it in the series premiere three weeks ago, and it’s a bad joke now. But it’s true.

No, I’m not a literal vampire, but I live vampire hours. Even on days when I’m not working, I find it hard to go to sleep before 4 a.m. I generally work from 5:30 at night until 3 in the morning. By the time I get out of work, get in my car, and get home, it’s just before 4 a.m. Then I’m in bed at 5 a.m. and I usually sleep until 2 p.m.

No, I don’t sleep in a coffin, but I do sleep in a room that’s darkened by black curtains (on my windows and door). And I don’t have any mirrors in my bedroom. And I do have an alter. So yeah, I’m a little weird like that.

But mostly, my hours screw with my social life. If I want to ask someone out, it has to be on a Sunday or Monday, or for a mid-afternoon date on Tuesday through Saturday. Yeah, ‘cause early-bird dinners are pretty damn awesome. And my hanging-out time with my friends is nearly non-existent.

But I’m looking past that right now -- starting Tuesday, it’s Kelly Clarkson week on AdamReisinger.com! I plan on making her DGOW again (even though she got it just a few weeks ago), I’ll have my Fave 5 Kelly Clarkson songs on Wednesday, and then it all leads up to Sunday night, when I go to the Kelly Clarkson “My December” Tour at Mohegan Sun. Next Monday I’ll be sure to have a concert review. It’s no “Jessica Biel Week” but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

This Week in “Buffy” History: October 15-21

October 15

2001 - Angel Episode 3.04 “Carpe Noctem” airs on The WB

2002 - Episode 7.04 “Help” airs on UPN

2003 - Angel Episode 5.03 “Unleashed” airs on The WB

October 16

1968 - Todd Stashwick born (played M’Fashnik Demon on episode 6.04 “Flooded”)

2001 - Episode 6.04 “Flooded” airs on UPN

October 17

2000 - Episode 5.04 “Out of My Mind” airs on The WB

2000 - Angel Episode 2.04 “Untouched” airs on The WB

October 19

1999 - Episode 4.03 “The Harsh Light of Day” airs on The WB

1999 - Angel Episode 1.03 “In the Dark” airs on The WB

October 20

1998 - Episode 3.04 “Beauty and the Beasts” airs on The WB

2002 - Angel Episode 4.03 “The House Always Wins” airs on The WB

The Duel in Dallas - LiveBlog!

We’ve been hyping this game all week -- and with good reason, since it’s only the 5th time in NFL history that two teams at 5-0 or better have met -- so I have to do a liveblog. I’ll update every few possessions or so.

7:48 p.m. - Patriots 48, Cowboys 27 FINAL

Here’s all you need to know about the Patriots: they were down 24-21 early in the second half, and outscored the Cowboys 27-3 over the rest of the game, including an icing-on-the-cake touchdown in the final minute. The final Brady-Romo comparison looks like this:

Tom Brady Tony Romo

Comp-Att 31-46 18-29

Pass Yds 388 199

TD-Int 5-0 2-1

Passer Rating 129.6 91.0

Yeah, Brady smoked him. They both had one turnover but you don’t see Brady’s there because it was a fumble. And it ended up being pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Now the question is will the Patriots and Colts both be undefeated for their Week 9 meeting. And what will we call that game? My first thought is “The Duel in the Dome” but we may be all dueled out by then. “The Most Important Regular Season Game Ever Played in the History of Everything” is probably too long. Though that’s what it’ll be treated like if they’re both undefeated.

7:33 p.m. - Patriots 41, Cowboys 27

After Dallas wussed out and settled for a field goal, the Patriots marched right down the field and settled for a field goal of their own. They had a TD from Brady to Moss, but that was taken away by a weak offensive pass interference call (Michael Irvin got away with more every week at this stadium). Still, it’s pretty much a wrap at this point. I’ll come back for one last update when this thing goes final. And yes, I know Dallas pulled off a miracle comeback last week, but that was the Bills. This is the Patriots. It’s a pretty damn big difference.

7:09 p.m. - Patriots 38, Cowboys 24

Donte’ Stallworth is the 4th player to catch a TD pass from Tom Brady today, as he absolutely shitted on Jacques Reeves. The Cowboys DB should have been able to tackle Stallworth after about a 30-yard gain, but Stallworth just shook him off and took it to the house. How ‘bout the Patriots receivers today: Welker, Stallworth and Moss have combined for 268 yards so far (and only 23 by Moss). None of them were on the team last season. Remember when Brady would end up with 225 yards, 175 of which were to tight ends and running backs? Yeah, not anymore.

6:56 p.m. - Patriots 31, Cowboys 24

Guess I spoke too soon about the unstoppability (not a real word, I know) of the Patriots offense. The long review off the Moss non-catch seemed to hurt their momentum, and they had to settle for a field goal. They do still have a 7-point lead with the third quarter winding down, but in a game like this, that could be gone in a second.

6:51 p.m. - Patriots 28, Cowboys 24

Randy Moss made what looked like a spectacular catch at first, but upon further review, the ball came out. The fact that he almost came up with it was remarkable in of itself. The Patriots still have first down in Dallas territory and look unstoppable on offense right now.

6:43 p.m. - Patriots 28, Cowboys 24

Marion Barber just had the greatest 2-yard run in the history of the NFL. On 1st-and-20 at the 10-yard line, he got the ball, then somehow ended up getting pushed back to his own endzone and nearly getting tackled for a safety twice before getting it out and nearly breaking it off. He ended up out of bounds at the 12. The play didn’t lead to anything, but I guarantee you’ll see it in every highlight package tonight.

6:37 p.m. - Patriots 28, Cowboys 24

Something you won’t see often: a linebacker double-teamed on offense. But Mike Vrabel isn’t your standard linebacker. In fact, Tom Brady was looking for him off the snap there, but when he saw the double-team, he adjusted and hit a wide open Kyle Brady -- the 3rd different receiver with a TD in this game for the Patriots, and the 7th different player to catch a TD from Brady this season. Mr. Gisele now has 20 touchdown passes on the season. Not bad for Bridget Moynahan’s baby daddy.

6:24 p.m. - Cowboys 24, Patriots 21

Well, that changes things a bit. The Cowboys came out of the half, forced the Patriots into a 3-and-out (with another sack of Brady to boot), and then rammed the ball right down New England’s collective throat, taking their first lead of the game. Julius Jones, who was a non-factor in the first half, had a couple big runs, Terrell Owens had a nice catch, and Patrick Crayton was the one who caught the TD. On top of the quick march down the field, the Cowboys also played with a fight to them that wasn’t there early in the game. This is the first time today I really think Dallas could actually win this game.

5:58 p.m. - Patriots 21, Cowboys 17 at the half

New England just settled for the kneel down, so no deep shot and we’re at the half. Check out the numbers for Brady and Romo so far:

Tom Brady Tony Romo

Comp-Att 16-27 12-18

Pass Yds 213 142

TD-Int 3-0 1-0

Passer Rating 121.4 109.0

Most of Romo’s production came on that final Cowboys drive, where he was 7-of-8 for 104 yards (yes, you read that right. Dallas had a bunch of penalties on the drive, so Romo actually had MORE than 100 yards passing on one possession).

5:54 p.m. - Patriots 21, Cowboys 17

So much for that being a tough third down. The Patriots brought the house at Tony Romo and he just lobbed it right over them to Terrell Owens, who broke free on a slant inside and took it into the end zone. So Moss and Owens both have touchdowns and it looks like it’ll be a four-point game at the half. Then again, there is still time for the Patriots to do something, especially the way their passing game has been working today. Maybe this is where Brady and Moss finally hook up deep.

5:53 p.m. - Patriots 21, Cowboys 10

Well, apparently you can’t change the ruling to a pushout, since they overturned the catch and ruled Owens out of bounds. Now the Cowboys face a tough third down to keep this drive alive.

5:51 p.m. - Patriots 21, Cowboys 10

A catch by Terrell Owens is under review right now. He clearly didn’t get both feet in, but he was pushed out of bounds. I’m not sure if they can rule a pushout on the review, but either way, this is killing the Cowboys momentum.

5:36 p.m. - Patriots 21, Cowboys 10

If you’re the best team in football, that’s how you respond to a defensive touchdown: 12 plays, 72 yards, 6:51 of game clock, all culminating with Tom Brady’s 3rd TD pass of the game (19th of the season). Wes Welker has two of those touchdowns, to go along with 94 receiving yards. Welker’s career high for receiving yards in a game is 97 (against Tampa Bay in 2005) and coming into this season, he had one career receiving TD. So it’s probably safe to call this a career day for him.

5:15 p.m. - Patriots 14, Cowboys 10

Well, that changes the complexion of this game. Greg Ellis sacked Tom Brady and forced a fumble, which was returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Jason Hatcher. Prior to this game, Brady had only been sacked 3 times. He’s already gone down twice today. He’ll have to connect one one of those deep passes to Randy Moss (he’s missed twice now) if he wants to get the Cowboys defense to back off.

5:07 p.m. - Patriots 14, Cowboys 3

The ‘Boys are finally on the board, after a drive that probably should have netted them more than a field goal. Terrell Owens made a nice catch for a first down, Marion Barber strung together some solid downhill runs, and Dallas even benefited from a stupid Patriots penalty. But Patrick Crayton fell down on 3rd-and-4, causing Tony Romo’s pass to be very incomplete. Nick Folk makes the field goal, meaning this won’t be a COMPLETE embarrassment for Dallas.

4:54 p.m. - Patriots 14, Cowboys 0

After a couple mediocre offensive possessions by each team, the Patriots strike again, this time Brady to Wes Welker. Brady has two touchdowns on the day and 18 on the season. That’s 18 touchdowns in 21 quarters, which puts Brady on a 54 TD pace for the season. That would obviously break the NFL record (which is currently held by Brady’s rival, Peyton Manning). By the way, Terrell Owens has been very quiet so far today, save for a dropped pass (a category in which he led the NFL last year, and is near the top again this year).

4:31 p.m. - Patriots 7, Cowboys 0

And it's Randy Moss with another TD. He's got 8 already this season, which matches his best season in Oakland. And he was WIDE open on that play, which is just absurd. How is there not a DB glued to him at all times?

4:29 p.m. - Cowboys 0, Patriots 0

The Patriots had scored on their first possession of every game this season, and it looks like they’re about to do so again. Wes Welker fumbled inside the 10, but got it right back. The Pats went deep for Randy Moss on the first play (not a bad decision, but it didn’t work) and faced some tough third downs, but always managed to convert. Dallas’ pass rush has been pretty good so far, but Brady’s getting the ball out just in time. If that keeps up all game, the Cowboys’ D-Line will probably be pretty tired in the 4th quarter.

4:15 p.m. - Cowboys 0, Patriots 0

The Cowboys receive the opening kickoff and don’t get good field position to start. Dallas is going to need better average starting position than this to have any chance to win. The Patriots defense plays with an attacking style that can kill a team that’s playing from the shadow of their own goal post.

College Football - Still Crazy After All These Weeks

That picture right there: that’s your college football championship landscape.

Let’s review the last few weeks:

-Two weeks ago, Oklahoma, Florida, West Virginia, Texas and Rutgers -- all of whom were in the Top 10 at the time -- lost.
-Last week, No. 1 LSU survived a scare against Florida, No. 2 USC suffered the biggest upset (based on point spread) in history and Top 10 teams Wisconsin and Kentucky also lost.
-Did someone say Kentucky? The Wildcats came right back and beat No. 1 LSU, and No. 2 Cal also went down. It’s the first time in 11 years that 1 and 2 both lost on the same day in the regular season.

Entering the week, Ohio State, Boston College and South Florida were 3 through 5 in the rankings, and could be 1-2-3 when the polls come out Sunday. The early projections on the first BCS Standings of the year actually put South Florida at No. 2, behind only Ohio State. If you had those two teams atop the first BCS Standings of the year when the season started, congratulations, you are now the proud owner of Las Vegas.

Obviously, with all the craziness, you have to throw out the week-by-week rankings and just start over. Don’t just keep moving USF up because the Bulls haven’t lost. Don’t rank the 1-loss teams in order of who lost the longest time ago. That said, here’s my Top 10:

1. Boston College
I know they struggled with UMass two weeks ago, but they’ve otherwise looked very impressive this season.

2. Ohio State
They’ve had their share of struggles too (can you say “3-2 halftime lead against Akron”?) but they find a way to win.

3. Oklahoma
A 3-point loss on the road is all that stands between this team and a completely dominant resume. They way they destroyed Missouri Saturday goes a long way to putting them back in the national title picture.

4. LSU
A triple-overtime loss on the road against a ranked conference opponent shouldn’t damn them. But they’ve looked less dominant in the last 3 weeks (bad 1st half vs Tulane, near-loss to Florida, loss to Kentucky).

5. South Florida
Their resume isn’t completely invalid. They’ve got impressive wins over Auburn (a win that looks better with each passing Auburn win) and West Virginia (ditto). Still, I’m not sold on a program that wasn’t even I-A a decade ago.

6. South Carolina
The fighting Steve Spurriers’ only loss came on the road against LSU. They’ve got a nice win over Kentucky. The win over Georgia doesn’t look as good as it did earlier in the year, but the Gamecocks seem to find a way to win.

7. Oregon
Here’s where things get hard. There are three 1-loss Pac-10 teams.The only two who’ve played each other are Oregon and Cal, and Cal won that game. However, I’ve watched Oregon just DESTROY teams on more than one occasion this year.

8. California
Really, this is like 7a and 7b. Should I be giving Cal more credit for winning AT Oregon? Maybe. But losing at home to Oregon State probably offsets that. Plus, I didn’t like how anyone on that Cal team (coach, QB, o-line, etc.) handled those last few seconds Saturday.

9. West Virginia
This ranking relies on them having a healthy Pat White. If they don’t, drop them out of here. But with White and Steve Slaton running that offense, there’s no reason they couldn’t run the table and finish with one loss.

10 .USC
The last of the one-loss Pac-10 teams (and yes, I put any of them ahead of Pac-10 leader Arizona State). I know USC hasn’t looked great yet this year (the win over Nebraska is looking pretty shitty now that pretty much anyone could beat Nebraska). But they’re still USC. We’ll get a lot of answers in two weeks when USC plays at Oregon. The loser of that game is out of the Top 10 for the rest of the year.

Some other things worth keeping in mind:

-Arizona State, Kansas and Hawai’i are also still unbeaten, but haven’t done anything to prove themselves to be Top 10 worthy. If ASU beats Cal next week, I vault them into my Top 10, I promise.
-Don’t look now, but the Michigan Wolverines control their own destiny for a BCS Bowl berth. Since starting 0-2 in embarrassing fashion, the Wolverines have ripped off 5 straight wins, and are one of two teams unbeaten in Big Ten play (Ohio State is the other). How funny would it be if, after all the calls for Lloyd Carr’s head (and I’ll freely admit I was among them), Michigan ruined Ohio State’s perfect season and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl?

Looking ahead to next week, here are the games that could once again change the landscape:

South Florida at Rutgers, Thursday, 7:30 ET on ESPN
Speaking of teams not completely out of it, Rutgers has one conference loss, but could re-gain control of its BCS hopes with a win here. A South Florida win goes a long way toward establishing the Bulls as a real BCS favorite.

Michigan State at Ohio State, Saturday, 3:30 ET on ABC
Sparty hasn’t been bad this season, and could create some problems for Ohio State. If the Buckeyes want people to consider them a true No. 1 (rather than No. 1 by default), a double-digit win here is a must.

Auburn at LSU, Saturday, 9 ET on ESPN
How do you bounce back from a loss and get back into the title picture? Beating a ranked team that’s on a 3-game win streak wouldn’t hurt. Obviously LSU can’t REALLY be in the title picture until some of the other unbeatens lose, but the Tigers can’t worry about that right now. They need to take care of their business first.

Three to Get Ready: October 13-15

A look ahead at the three sporting events I’ll be watching this weekend (and yes, because of the NFL season, Monday counts as part of the weekend).

October 13
1 LSU at 17 Kentucky, 3:30 ET on CBS
The Tigers survived a scare last week against Florida, with what one ESPN anchor predicted would be a “man’s drive.” He said that drive would be the one we looked back on when LSU wins the national championship. Of course, for that to be the case, LSU needs to take care of business this weekend against Kentucky. You might remember the last time these two teams played in Lexington, which didn’t go so well for the Wildcats.

October 14
Redskins at Packers, 1 ET on FOX
I know everyone’s all up on the jock of the Patriots and Cowboys (who came so close to pulling my desired choke job on Monday). But for me, this is the game to watch. If the Redskins can beat the Packers, it legitimizes them as an NFC contender, plus I get to tell Todd Johnson that the Packers suck. Plus, if the ‘Skins can pick off Brett Favre once, he’ll break the interception record.

October 15
Red Sox at Indians, 7 ET on FOX
Game 3 of the ALCS, the first home game in the series for the Indians. Cleveland is sending the inconsistent Jake Westbrook to the mound against the enigmatic Daisuke Matsuzaka. I’m really hoping the Indians win the series, and getting a win in a game that Sabathia or Carmona doesn’t start would be a huge help.

Fave 5 - Teams I Love to Hate

There’s really only one sports team I truly love: the Washington Redskins. I’m a Mets fan, and I root for the Cavaliers because of LeBron, but I only have one love. I do, however, have plenty of hate. I drank a tall glass of haterade and ranked my top 5 most hated teams.

5. Carolina Hurricanes
The former Hartford Whalers were one of my loves growing up, but then they decided that North Carolina was more of a hockey hotbed than the northeast and so the evil Peter Karmanos up and left. I was at the team’s last game in Hartford and there was a definite sense of loss. The franchise has embraced its Whaler past, but that doesn’t make up for abandoning Hartford.

4. Detroit Pistons
Whether I’ve been a ‘Nique fan, an MJ fan or a LeBron fan, I’ve always been a fan of someone going against the Pistons. And since I’m a fan of talented athletes who can do amazing things with the basketball, I’ve always hated the bad boy mentality of the Pistons. Beating Detroit was more satisfying last year than anything in the Finals could have been (except, maybe, winning a game so I could go to game five).

3. Baltimore Ravens
This one dates to my college days at Towson. I couldn’t stand being surrounded my all these so-called Ravens fans who actually grew up Redskins fans and abandoned them as soon as the stolen Browns showed up in town. Plus, for Baltimore to embrace a moved team is just very hypocritical. Oh, and then there’s the Ray Lewis thing. Check SportsPickle.com for details (every week for 6 years).

2. New York Giants
This stems solely from the rivalry with the Redskins. I know most Redskins fans hate the Cowboys, but because of Deion Sanders (my former favorite football player) I don’t have as much hatred for the ‘Boys, plus, growing up in Connecticut, you learn to detest Giants fans (and Red Sox “nation” and Yankees fans too, but that’s a column for another day).

1. New England Patriots
Taking a team out of a city is bad (see #5). But promising that you’re going to move to a city, taking season ticket orders for that city, then bailing on that city when your crappy one-road borough agrees to build you a shiny new stadium, well, fuck you. That’s right, fuck the Patriots, fuck their cheating coach, and fuck their stupid actress-impregnating, model-dating, butt-chin quarterback. I actually hope the Patriots remain undefeated until their game against the Colts (who’ll hopefully also be undefeated), when they’ll lose by 35.

This Week in “Buffy” History: October 8-14

October 8

2001 - Angel Episode 3.03 “That Old Gang of Mine” airs on The WB

2002 - Episode 7.03 “Same Time, Same Place” airs on UPN

2003 - Angel Episode 5.02 “Just Rewards” airs on The WB

October 9

1981 - Zachery Ty Bryan born (played Peter Nicols on episode 7.04 “Help”)

2001 - Episode 6.03 “After Life” airs on UPN

October 10

1970 - Bai Ling born (played Jhiera on Angel Episode 1.13 “She”)

2000 - Episode 5.03 “The Replacement” airs on The WB

2000 - Angel Episode 2.03 “First Impressions” airs on The WB

October 11

1985 - Michelle Trachtenberg born (played Dawn)

2003 - Alyson Hannigan (Willow) marries Alexis Denisof (Wesley)

October 12

1999 - Episode 4.02 “Living Conditions” airs on The WB

1999 - Angel Episode 1.02 “Lonely Hearts” airs on The WB

October 13

1980 - Ashanti born (played Lissa on episode 7.14 “First Date”)

1997 - Episode 2.05 “Reptile Boy” airs on The WB

1998 - Episode 3.03 “Faith, Hope and Trick” airs on The WB

2002 - Angel Episode 4.02 “Ground State” airs on The WB

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Review

Generally when I get a new video game, I play it for a little while, then put it away for a few weeks, then eventually put it in again and beat it (and wow, in the wrong context, that sentence reads pretty sexually).

But Tiger Woods 08 is a different story. I bought it last Tuesday, and brought it home at 11 p.m. I planned on just playing for a couple hours, but I didn’t stop until 7 a.m. (that’s right, I went to sleep about 90 minutes after the sun came up).

First off, I have to discuss the Game Face feature. EA had this for some of their PC games awhile back, but it sucked. Seriously, it barely worked at all, and your “game face” character ended up looking so different from anything else in the game. But my character in Tiger Woods 08 looks so much like me its incredible. I had to take a front picture and profile shot, and the process on the PS3 is much more complicated than it needs to be, but if you put in the half-hour of work, you won’t be disappointed.

OK, now I have to be honest, I made the mistake of taking my character and jumping right into a PGA TOUR career. But with my basic character, I was basically hitting 250 off the tee, and usually in the rough. So I had to find a way to get my character better.

That’s where the Tiger Challenge comes in. It’s a series of mini-events that focus on specific areas of your game, and allow you to earn money, improve your skills, and have fun doing it. Seriously, these little mini events were WAY more fun than actual tournaments. Plus, I feel like once I complete the Tiger Challenge -- which consists of 8 hexagons of events surrounding a boss, that leads into a hexagon of next-level bosses surrounding Tiger Woods himself -- I should actually have a PGA TOUR caliber player.

As for the actual gameplay, there are 2 swing types, but 3 methods of controlling them. You can use Total Swing Control, which uses the analog sticks to swing, and choose either the left stick or right stick as your swing stick (and the opposite stick controls club loft). I tried this for awhile and couldn’t get into it, so I switched back to the 3-click method, which some people complain doesn’t give you enough control over your swing, but I still prefer it (mostly because it was the only swing method back when I started playing the Tiger Woods series).

The graphics are stunning as always. The courses look incredible. I played the 17th at Sawgrass (the famous island green) and couldn’t believe how realistic it looked. Pebble Beach has never looked better. The sound effects are pretty damn good too, though the default volume level has the background sounds pumped up way too high. And I feel like in the game, every course must be near some kind of army base, since I keep hearing helicopter sound effects. What’s the deal with that?

Overall, I’m very impressed with this game, so much so that I’ve yet to play NHL 08, which I bought on the same day.

Three to Get Ready: October 6-8

A look ahead at the three sporting events I’ll be watching this weekend (and yes, because of the NFL season, Monday counts as part of the weekend).

October 6

Cincinnati at Rutgers, 8 ET on ESPN2

This is one of 6 games Saturday between ranked teams. It’s a rematch of last year’s game, where Cincinnati upset Rutgers, who at the time was coming off that huge win over Louisville. If Cincinnati should win, it establishes the Bearcats as a real threat to win the Big East.

October 7

Indians at Yankees, 6:37 ET on TBS (6 ET on ESPN Radio)

I’ve adopted the Indians as my postseason team, since the Mets decided they were clearly too good for the NL postseason, and are resting up to face the World Series winner in an eventual True World Series (or they suck). I have a few reasons for rooting for Cleveland:

1. They’re playing the Yankees, who, while not on my “hated teams” list (a Fave 5 for a future week), are definitely disliked by me.
2. The Indians are the only team I saw play at home this season. I didn’t make it to any Mets, Yankees or Red Sox games, so the only MLB action I saw this year was on my ill-fated NBA Finals trip.
3. Somehow, I feel like the better Cleveland’s other teams do, the better it is for the Cavs. Like it somehow proves that a team from Cleveland can win. Not that the Indians’ success has any real bearing on the Cavs, but in my twisted mind it does. Please stay in Cleveland, LeBron. And stop wearing that Yankees hat.

October 8

Cowboys at Bills, 8:30 ET on ESPN

I tried to find something other than the Monday Night Football game to put here, but here’s the deal: both AL Series could be over before Monday, and there are no NL games scheduled. There’s no televised NBA preseason action, and there are only 3 NHL games on Monday, none of which are available on the approximately 300 cable channels I get. So it’s MNF again. Not that I mind MNF (actually, I love it), but it’s the freakin’ Cowboys. I hate them. I hope they lose by 30 points. Then again, hoping a team would get destroyed on Monday Night Football didn’t work too well last week.

Friday Afternoon Ramblings

• Yes, more wedding stuff. I don’t care if it happened two weeks ago. Other people are finally starting to post their pictures, including this one, where I look totally pimpish. This may in fact be the best picture of me ever. I’m the fucking man.

• I’ll have “Three to Get Ready” posted after work today. I’m honestly not sure which college football game I’m most excited about tomorrow, then I’m probably focusing on the MLB playoffs Monday (with a couple potential sweeps, if Game 1 in the Angels-Sox and Yankees-Indians series were any indication).

• I just got my Premium Format Buffy last week, and now apparently my Premium Format Angel is due within a couple weeks. I am seriously running out of room to display all this stuff. Fortunately, there isn’t much more coming.

• Last night, I finally broke down and bought a couple ringtones for my iPhone. It’s a pretty cool process, I just hate paying for ringtones again (I got so used to using Ringo on my Treo to use any MP3 as a ringtone). Still, I turned “Wikked Lil’ Grrrls” into a ringtone, since I already had purchased the song, then I bought “Let’s Go” (the song I walked out to at the reception) and turned that into a ringtone. The process is incredibly easy. Now I just need to make sure I don’t spend too much money doing it.

• And in the most time-consuming news of the week, I bought “Tiger Woods ’08” for the PS3. When I got home Tuesday I popped it in and intended to play a couple rounds. I finally turned off the system at 7 a.m. Whoops. It’s an incredibly addictive game that looks good, plays well, and has a really cool feature where you can put your own face into the game. I wasn’t sure it would be implemented well, but it was. I really look like me in the game. It’s pretty impressive. I’ll try and post a full review this weekend.

Fave 5 - Songs to dance to at my wedding

No, I’m not getting married anytime soon. Hell, I’m not even doing anything resembling dating right now. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about my future. I think about names for my future kids, where I’d like to live, etc. And thanks to the PooZ/Mrs. PooZ wedding, I’ve been thinking about songs I’d like to dance to at my wedding. I can’t even remember what song they danced to, but it was sweet. So what do I want to dance to? Here’s the top 5:

5. Bette Midler - “The Rose”

This is a trip in the way-back machine for me, but Midler was one of the first artists my mom introduced me to, and I liked her right away. Hell, I liked her more when I was 10 than I do know, but this song is still fantastic.

4. Dido - “Thank You”

Yes, this does have the stigma of being the song sampled in the violent Eminem song “Stan”, but it’s also a beautiful song. The lyrics are particularly poignant for two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together, especially on what would be “the best day of my life” (to quote the song).

3. Amber Benson - “Under Your Spell”

This would only be allowed if I was marrying another “Buffy” fan -- or at least a woman who was VERY forgiving about my “Buffy” obsession, but seriously, there’s probably no song that’s better for describing my future relationship than this one. Just check the lyrics.

2. Ludacris - “Area Codes”

No, just kidding. Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.

2. Righteous Brothers - “Unchained Melody”

Putting aside the scene from “Ghost”, this song is just an amazing song. I like to think of myself as a writer, but I’m not sure I could write anything as sweet about my lover as this song. Making it my first dance in wedded bliss would be nearly perfect.

1. Kelly Clarkson - “Before Your Love”

Yes, I’m a huge dork. Yes, most of the people who I know don’t agree with me on the awesomeness of Kelly Clarkson. But seriously, listen to this song and tell me it wasn’t written specifically for this exact scenario. The only problem I’d have dancing to this song would be that I’m not sure I could get through it without tearing up. Then again, if PooZ, a certified deathfighter, can get choked up at his wedding, then you’ll forgive me if I eventually get choked up at mine (that is, if PooZ doesn’t actually choke me first for implying that he cried).