Ok, so in the Cowboys- Browns thread over here on LSB, I've been arguing with someone over who's the bigger chokers, the Cowboys or the Steelers? And also over what dynasty from what decade was the greatest. My explanation was that the Steelers were the bigger chokers because esince the early 90's, they've won one super bowl, while having numerous oppurtunities to play playoff games at home (especially AFC Championship games.) The Cowboys choked last year against the Giants. There is no getting around that, but at the same time, they have won 3 Super Bowls in that time span (despite them all being early in the timespan.) As for the other question,  apparently that person thinks the 70's Steelers would be able to take down the 90's Cowboys, which I highly doubt.

So, I have 2 questions.

1. Out of these 4 teams- the 70's Steelers, 80's 49ers, 90's Cowboys, and the turn of the century Patriots-  who was the best? And if your a fan of one of those teams, answer truthfully. Despite being a Cowboys fan, I would honestly have to say that the 80's 49ers would probably beat the 90's Cowobys.

2. Who are the bigger chokers: the Steelers or the Cowboys?

 

Since I want to hear everyone's opinions, there is no poll.

Well yesterday the Ranger's Farm teams event 1-2, with Frisco winning.

Clinton game has been postponed, so we'll have to wait to see Main.

OKC sends Lee because of Hunter's injury.

OKC Box Score

As for Frisco, Feliz goes. Man I can't wait till the end of next year, when we may have Feliz and Holland back to back in the rotation.

Frisco

Lastly, Spokane will send Boscan in their game, which according to Shroomer's site, is Game 1.

 

Hoopefully, this is 75 words long.

 

Should be some pretty easy wins for most of the big 12 south with texas tech, UT, OU, and A&M facing teams from non power conferences or Division 2. OSU may have a bit of trouble with WSU, but thats pretty much it for the South. As for the North, the big showdown will be with Mizzou and Illinois. Also, alot of the top 25 is also starting this week, making for a nice start to the season.....

 

btw Appalacian State is already losing 17-0 to LSU. Its gonna be tough to pull off the upset 2 years in a row.

Well, someone suggested that I place a poll when I asked this question after he resigned with SA. imo, I think you have to because, honestly, hw is more deservant than Brad Davis was. And you can say what you want about Dirk, but it was Finley who brought the Mavs out of those tough years in the 90's. Aalthough Dirk may go down as the greatest Mav ever, I think Finley is tied for 2nd with Rolando. Lastly, I'd  like to finish by saying that the amount of class and proffesionalism that he brought and still brings to the game was second to none, and imo, despite I'm only 17, Finley has been my favorite player to play for any oof our DFW teams.....

Poll

Do you retire it?

70%

yes

45 votes

29%

no

19 votes

64 votes | Poll has closed

Hopefully, this hasn't been posted yet and sorry if it has but Jeff Wilson writes that

 

A major league source said the Rangers have inquired about Royals right-hander Zack Greinke, who is 8-7 with a 3.98 ERA and would command top prospects in return.

The Rangers have also asked about two other pitchers: the Twins’ Boof Bonser and the White Sox’s Nick Masset, a former Rangers prospect, according to a source. Trading Bonser would allow the Twins to call up Francisco Liriano.

Consider Hank Blalock off the block now that he has landed on the disabled list. The Rangers had to inform two teams about the injury, and a source said one of them was the Giants.

The Giants could become another team interested in catcher Gerald Laird, but only if they trade Bengie Molina to Florida.

Interesting names here with Masset and Bonser. But I read recently that Bonser was having a bad year. I wonder if their's any way we could get Baker instead from the Twins.

The Laird situation ahs been mentioned with the Giants, but it would be interesting to see what we could get from them.

I was thinking that since Training Camp for most teams start this week, it'd be a good time to see everyone's predictions. So post them, and we can look at the end of the year and see who was right...

 

Here are mine (in predicted order of finish in division):

 

NFC East

Dallas- I got 4 losses for them: GB, at Wash, at Pitt, and at Phili to end the season. This is clearly the superior team in the conference, but the question remains as to whether they can succeed in the playoffs.

Philidelphia- This team played great down the stretch last year, and you always have to beware Andy Reid following a losing season.

NY Giants- This is a solid team, but they are not going to win 10 straight road games again this year. Either Eli is going to have to learn to play in Giants Stadium, or they can forget about another SB. Plus, the loss of Strahan is going to hurt alot more than most people think.

Washington- Even though they went on a solid run to end last year, I think it was more a rallying point around Sean Taylor than on how good they were. I think this year, even with Jason Taylor, they return to being a mediocre team.

 

NFC North

Minnesota- Yes, Jackson is inexperienced at QB, but in this division, with the likes of Grossman, Rodgers, and Kitna, the Vikings should still win it because of their front 4 on Defense and the playmaking ability of Peterson and their new reciever, Berrian.

Green Bay- I have to commend McCarthy on making the move of keeping Rodgers as the starter. Look Farve is not going to be around forever and the way Rodgers played last year against Dallas, I think he should take over. However, I think he'll need one full season before he's ready enough for the Packers to compete; so for now, I'll go for the Packers as my SB pick for '09-'10.

Chicago- It seems that we say this every year about Grossman, but this has to be the year that he produces. Also, the move of cutting Benson was a little confusing. Maybe because of his behavior off the field, but still, is Forte anywhere near an upgrade? This offense has nowhere near any playmakers (even if you count Hester) to compete.

Detroit- If I'm Marinelli, I just let Drew Stanton take over and see what he can do. This team is going nowhere with Kitna this year and it'd be nice to see how Stanton, or any other young QB for that matter, teams up with Williams and Johnson.

 

NFC South

New Orleans- The addition of Shockey does put them into competitor status and will put them into the playoffs, but their defense still sucks, and Jonathon Vilma is not the answer at linebacker.

Tampa Bay- This team continues to live in the past. In this day's NFL, you cannot succeed with you QB and top WR over the age of 35. Plus, this defense is getting old fast, and some young pieces would probably be more useful.

Carolina- This all depends on two factors: the health of Dellhome and the play of Peppers. If both of these factors work out, then they should compete woth N.O., if not, they will be down with.....

Atlanta- For this team, any kind of success would be viewed as a positive as they are in clear rebuilding mode. They should, however, try to find a trade partner for Joe Horn.

 

NFC West

Arizona- Look, if Matt Leinert cant succeed with this arsenal of talent he has around him, he never will. But otherwise, Wisenhunt has brought a new attitude around the Cardinals that they can succeed and that should translate into winning the West.

Seattle- This team is due for a downfall and it should start this year. When you're desperate enough to sign Julius Jones and TJ Duckett to be your leading backs, you know you have problems.

St. Louis- They should recover with a defense that is young and getting better, but they might have to concentrate on drafting offensive players, as their offense is getting older.

San Francisco- This is one of those teams that could either surprise and win the division or fall apart and be very, very bad. The growth of Alex Smith is a must.

 

AFC East

New England- This team scares me because they will be seeking revenge for last year. I could very easily see them going undefeated again with their schedule, but with that age on defense especially at LB, I don’t see them winning the SB.

Buffalo- They have two great playmakers in Evans and Lynch and an improving young defense. The key will be the development of Trent Edwards.

NY Jets- The season will depend on the development of Clemens. If he can come in and perform solidly, this very easily could be a wild card team with some of the players they have.

Miami- Although not the case with Dallas, this will be a typical first year for Parcells, as the Dolphins will probably be not be that good, bit watch out in Year 2.

 

AFC North

Cleaveland- Last year, this team had sort of a late season swoon typical of the Cowboys, but they have revamped their run defense with Williams and Rodgers, and Braylon Edwards is going to become one of the best recievers in the game.

Cincinatti- This seems like a team that could very easily fall apart due to the amount of ego’s. But the fact is that this team just has way too much talent to not suceed at some point.

Pittsburgh- The Steelers fell apart last year and I’m still not convinced that Ben R. is going to become an elite QB. Watch out for that tandem at RB of Parker and Meandenhall, however.

Baltimore- Joe Flacco is going to have a rough first season in Baltimore playing in this division.

 

AFC South

Indianapolis- The Colts seem like the Mavs a few years ago, when they played their best when they were underdogs, while choking as the favorites. This year, the Colts should be viewed as underdogs which would be scary, but the South is not going to be an easy 6 wins anynmore.

Jacksonville- This is a talented team, but it’s a shame they have to be in a division with the Colts and their dominance. However, they should be a wild card yet again.

Houston- They’ve never been to the playoffs, but it seems like they’ve finally found some good players, and with the likes of Johnson, Schaub, and Williams, they should make the playoffs in ’09.

Tennessee- I don’t know what to make of this team. They seem to be good on Defense and Special Teams. And they seem to be solid at RB and the O-Line. But at the same time, the problem seems to be Vince Young. They’ve got him a solid playmaker in Crumpler, but it will be interesting to see fi they can get him a WR, i.e Roy Williams.

 

AFC West

San Diego- Well, for Josh Lewin, this should be great. He gets to call a team that will make it to the Super Bowl, and then get to turn around and call a team that will a pennant in the summer. Honestly, this may be the easiest pick overall.

Oakland- Laugh if you want, but they have got some great young players on Defense, and if Russel can play adequately at QB, he’s got some weapons in Walker and McFaddee.

Denver- This team has never really impressed me while somehow managing to make it to the playoffs. Champ Bailey is great and Jay Cutler is improving, but nothing of about this team honestly scares me.

Kansas City- Like Aatlanta, any success is a plus. But with their draft this year, brighter days are ahead in KC.

 

 

Playoffs- NFC

1. Dallas
2. Minnesota
3. New Orleans
4. Arizona
5. Philidelphia
6. NY Giants

Wild Card

New Orleans beats Giants

Philidelphia beats Arizona

Divisional

Dallas beats Phili

Minnesota beats New Orleans

Conference

Dallas beats Minneosta

Playoffs- AFC

1. New England

2.  San Diego

3.  Indianapolis

4. Cleaveland

5. Jacksonville

6.  Cincinatti

Wild Card

Jacksonville beats Cleaveland

Indianapolis beats Cincinatti

Divisional

San Diego beats Indianapolis

New Englans beats Jacksonville

Conference

San Diego beats New England

 

Super Bowl

Dallas beats San Diego  :)

 

 

Meet Mitch Harris. After a senior collegiate season that saw him win 20 games and average almost 12 strikeouts per nine innings, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of last week's draft.

So the next stop is the minor leagues and then the majors, right?

Not quite. Harris threw his 94 MPH fastball while playing for Navy's baseball team, which means he now has to fulfill the five-year service obligation that's required of every midshipman.

On Thursday, the Navy has made it clear that no exceptions will be made for Harris, who might have been drafted in the third or fourth round if his availability to play had been more certain.

Harris had said he was hoping to work around the service requirement or simply delay it for a few years while waiting to see iif his baseball dreams panned out. 

From the Virginian-Pilot:

Through a spokesman, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter ruled out (the) possibility.

 

“We are a nation at war, and we believe it’s inappropriate to allow Navy and Marine Corps personnel to be released from service obligations to play professional sports at the same time that other sailors and marines are carrying out their service obligations,” Lt. Karen Eifert, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said Thursday.

Eifert, who contacted The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday to make clear Winter’s position, said the Navy would not support any request to be stationed near a particular professional team or to be allowed to travel with that team.

 

Thing is, if Harris had pitched for Army, things might have turned out better. West Point features a recently implemented Alternative Service Option, which has allowed cadet Caleb Campbell to pursue a career in the NFL after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in April. Campbell currently serves as a part-time recruiter on his off days and can buy out the last three years of his active duty commitment by agreeing to six years of duty in the Army Reserves.

But, of course, Harris belongs to the Navy and the rules are the rules. While part of me wants to say that the Navy would be helped a lot publicity-wise if Harris became a star — anyone remember Roger Staubach? — I also realize that many other Navy students are passing up lucrative careers to fulfill the service they agreed to complete when they arrived in Annapolis. Why should a baseball player be any different? 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Navy-nixes-midshipman-s-Major-League-aspirations;_ylt=AmMl2D9fykdSXMikccAPfA4RvLYF?urn=mlb,87867

 

From my viewpoint, I am somewhere in the middle on this. I mean the guy signed up with the full intention that he was going to have to serve his commitement, but then again this shlould be a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for a guy who was taken relitavely high. What do you guys think?