my hatred for officials

Every sporting event I am involved in, whether it be playing in or as a fan, always ends up with me wanting to do bodily harm to an official. In basketball I was known to get a technical foul or two. My baseball days saw repeated conflicts with umpires. I couldn't judge the officials that well playing football b/c I was always running routes, or pretending to.

When I watch professional sports I like to think the officials are far more advanced in knowledge and judgement than I am, but more and more I find myself wondering "what the hell was that call?"

Such an instance occurred Sunday night in the Giants/Cowboys game involving "my mans and 'em" Kenny Phillips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSf1-9TmgU&feature=related


As you can see in this video the referee is in perfect position to make the CORRECT call! My question is - what are you looking at? This guy is the reason I have problems with officiating.

I'm sure you saying to yourself, "that's why there is instant replay." Replay could not reverse the fact that the official blew the play dead negating the touchdown.

I had a fantasy victory hinging on that touchdown and you screwed me, Mr. Official!

AFC Predictions

AFC EAST

*New England 13-3
Miami 8-8
Buffalo 7-9
New York Jets 6-10

AFC NORTH

*Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincinnati 8-8
Baltimore 8-8
Cleveland 6-10


AFC SOUTH

*Indianapolis 12-4
*Houston 9-7
*Tennessee 9-7
Jacksonville 7-9

AFC WEST

*San Diego 12-4
Denver 7-9
Kansas City 7-9
Oakland 5-11

PLAYOFFS

San Diego over Tennessee
Pittsburgh over Houston


Indianapolis over San Diego
New England over Pittsburgh


New England over Indianapolis

JOLXG Regular Season Champ, Mike Turpin!

Mike Turpin almost single-handedly dominated the regular season of the John Olerud League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. His shrewd moves and overall baseball knowledge placed himself atop a league sporting quite the baseball IQ's. I got ahold of Mike earlier this week and asked him some questions regarding his stellar record.

Rich: What did you do to dominate the regular season?

Mike: Without giving to many trade secrets away to "a rival", so to speak, I would say I started with a strong keeper base I'd cultivated over a couple of years. Having drafted Braun, Lincecum, and Kershaw as prospects, and having traded for Gallardo with that that status, keeps their value low and allows me to secure big talent with late round picks. That enables me to draft more big talent early on. This year, with the aforementioned trio and Joba Chamberlain, I concentrated on picking up big hitters, and took advantage of Miquel Cabrera's third base eligibility to slide him over and fill 1B/UTIL with Berkman and Gonzalez. That's likely 90 homers in the first three rounds.

From there it was all about trades. When a struggling Jimmy Rollins hit the block, I was able to get him cheap for Rich Harden. This helped bc I was playing an equally bad JJ Hardy at the time. I also picked up Nick Markakis at what I believe was low value, in exchange for Jered Weaver. Also, I was able to leverage players who for one reason or another would not likely be kept by me into better one-season plays. And of course, there is always a lot of luck involved.

Rich: Who would you say is the MVP of your team?

Mike: Over the course of an entire season, in a head-to-head league, you will get more value out of consistent everyday players, so i will eliminate pitchers. In this case, my MVP was Miquel Cabrera. He was consistent as a hitter, which is why you draft him in the first place, but his 3B eligibility cemented that. 3B was deceptively shallow, and I think he provided excellent value there. Ryan Braun warrants mentioning, and I think I got a lot of early-season value from Adrian Gonzalez's torrid start.

Rich: On a scale of importance in your life, where does the JOLXG rate?

Mike: I spend a lot of nights watching games with StatTracker up, and more still doing baseball related reading online and on paper. So, I'd say it occupies a position of great importance. The fact that many of my best friends are leaguemates makes me determined to give it a good shot year in and year out.

Rich: Do you see a team in the playoffs your wary of?

Mike: I am wary of Scott's team., since he beat me and tied me in the regular season. So, I'm rooting for you to make it out of the first round and give me a good challenge. I also hope Minger ends up in the finals., bc 19-5 over two regular season matchups isn't enough of a beating for me. Remember in "Goodfellas" when Billy Batts keeps giving Tommy shit about the shoe shines, and Tommy acts tough because he's not the shine boy anymore now that he's a big gangster? He'll always be the shine boy to Billy Batts. And Minger will always be my shine boy in the JOLXG. Now, unlike Billy, I am not going to get beaten to death should I reach the finals.

Rich: Does a JOLXG championship compare in anyway to the joy of the impending birth of your daughter?

Mike: It can't compare. The JOLXG crown would be the third-most importantachievement in my life, right behind the wife and daughter. It completes the Manhood Triple Crown. And you can't get much higher than that!

Random odds and ends

-- Chad Ochocinco was fined $5,000 for wearing an orange chinstrap against the Rams on Thursday.

-- A sports bar owner has purchased the item Onterrio Smith has made famous, "The Original Whizzinator." Apparently he won it at an auction for $750.

-- Tedy Bruschi has retired today.

Steve Saslow, creator of www.billsdaily.com

We have our first interview here on Sports with Rich!!!! Let us welcome Steve Saslow, creator of www.billsdaily.com, to the blog world. Steve gives us all the latest news on the Buffalo Bills and he is here today to update us on the team's training camp, rookies, Terrell Owens, and much more.

Rich: What are your thoughts on Buffalo's training camp and preseason so far?

Steve: They have worked exclusively in the no huddle offense for every snap of training camp and the preseason. The main reason for this is to hide the deficiencies of the offensive line. It remains to be seen if they will use it exclusively throughout the season. Probably not. The offense has struggled and the defense has not looked much better. There isn't much optimism based on what has happened this summer.

Rich: If that's the case, what are your expectations for the Bills this year?

Steve: It will likely be a very tough year because of the division they are in. With a totally rebuilt offensive line making things more difficult for the offense. It could be tough to match their 7-9 record in each of the past three seasons.

Rich: Your feelings on the rookies?

Steve: The rookies have a lot of promise. The two first day rookie guards, Eric Wood and Adam Levitre, could solidify the middle of the offensive line for years to come. They will start on opening day and this year may be tough as they experience growing pains.

4th round pick TE Shawn Nelson looks like a steal as he plays more like a wide receiver and is blocking is better than expected.

7th round pick Ellis Lankster has had a huge offseason making play after play including 2 picks in one preseason game. He likely will make the team.

Top pick Aaron Maybin should be able to help as a pass rushing specialist despite the long holdout. 2nd round pick Jairus Byrd has been slowed by a sports hernia which may keep him out of the starting lineup opening day.

Rich: What's your take on T.O.?

Steve: They have nothing to lose. His $6.5 million salary is a bargain b/c of all the jersey sales and increased ticket sales that happened based on excitement of his arrival. He is a legitimate national figure in Buffalo for the first time since Jim Kelly.

On the field he has to open things up for Lee Evans and could make the passing game potent if Trent Edwards continues his development. If he self-destructs and starts ridiculing Edwards, well, that means they weren't good enough to win anyway. I dont think that will happen since it's a one-year deal. He needs to perform and be good to get one more big payday.

Rich: Any specific things to watch out for this year?

Steve: Need to see if the no huddle works or is scrapped.

Can the defense sustain a pass rush to keep pressure off a talented secondary?

Can they stop the running game?

I hope that quenched your Buffalo Bills thirst for now! You can catch Steve at the Bills home opener against Tampa Bay. I want to thank Steve Saslow for taking the time out to answer a few questions for me and remember visit http://www.billsdaily.com/

Sanchez named starter

Just a note, Mark Sanchez was named starting QB for the Jets this morning. No surprise on this end. The guy has $28 million guaranteed coming his way, let him earn it. I've liked what I've seen so far, hopefully it can translate into the regular season.

He struggled a bit against Baltimore but finished up strong, of course with rookies there will be plenty of ups and downs. Congratulations Mark.

FoxSports first reported this story a little while ago.

QB Battles

Today we'll talk about some teams that are up in the air with their QB decisions......

Cleveland Browns

Brady Quinn vs. Derek Anderson

I understand The Browns are in a tough spot here, but I think it may be time just to hand the job over to Quinn. He has been held in such high praise, it's about time you let him earn it. If I'm not mistaken the Browns rebuffed a very tantalizing offer from the Vikings for Quinn (2 first round picks I believe). Do you leave someone with supposedly all that potential sitting on the bench? It's not like he is a rookie anymore. I need to start seeing some Brady Quinn football highlights rather than Brady Quinn wedding photos.





Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper

I think this is an easy call, Stafford all the way. The Lions are coming off a winless season - it cannot get any worse than that! Give the ball to the rook and let him have his ups and downs. Worse comes to worse he can throw it as far as he can and let Calvin Johnson go after it. It's sad to say, but a 1-win season still beats last year!




New York Jets

Mark Sanchez vs. Kellen Clemens

Once again I am siding with the rookie here. This time for different reasons. I just think Sanchez is better than Clemens right now. No, it's not because of his first career pass - it's because I just don't think Clemens is all that good. Can you honestly say Clemens can deliver more wins for the Jets? No, and if you do, you were probably an Oregon teammate of his or a fellow cattle rancher!