In Memoriam 2011

POTpourri

• Drew Brees sets NFL single season passing yardage record.  
• I really need to see more pictures of Nena Ristic.  
• In Memoriam 2011 in the world of Entertainment.  
• Opposed to a woman's right to choose?  Vote Republican. 
• The Best Celebrity Bikini Bodies of 2011 can be found here. 
• NFL Pro-Bowl teams announced. 
• Want to make some good money?  Run for congress. 
• More Stephanie Seymour bikini pictures here.
• Alistair Overeem defeats Brock Lesner.  Lesner retires. 
• Did the founding fathers envision the blocking of judicial appointees? 
  

2011 Year in Review

Top 20 All Time Gopher Football Players

Since we are in the midst of the college football bowl season I thought it an appropriate time to post the TPSG picks for the Top 20 football players in the history of the University of Minnesota.   

1. Bruce Smith - RB - the only player in University of Minnesota history to win the Heisman Trophy; 1941 Heisman Trophy Winner; All American in 1941; 1st team All Big 10 in 1941; Team Captain 1941; member of College Football Hall of Fame; his number 54 was the first number retired by the University of Minnesota; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.   

2. Bronko Nagurski - All American 1929 as a FB & DT; 1st team All Big 10 in 1929; the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (for best defensive player in the country) is named after him; member of College Football Hall of Fame; member of Pro Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.  .

3. Bobby Bell - LB - All American in 1961 & 1962; 1st team All Big 10 in 1961 & 1962; Team MVP in 1962; Outland Trophy winner in 1962; finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1962; member of the College Football Hall of Fame; member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. 

4. Paul Giel - QB - 3rd in Heisman Trophy voting in 1952, 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting in 1953; UPI National Player of the Year in 1953; All American in 1952 & 1953; 1st team All Big 10 in 1952 & 1953; Big 10 MVP in 1952 & 1953; Team MVP in 1952 & 1953; Team Captain 1953; member of the College Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. 

5. Sandy Stephens - QB - 4th in Heisman Trophy voting in 1961; Big 10 MVP in 1961; Team MVP in 1961; QB'd team to National Championship in 1960; member of the College Football Hall of Fame; member of the University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. 

6. Greg Eslinger - C - All American in 2004 & 2005; 1st team All Big 10 in 2003, 2004 & 2005; Team MVP in 2005; Team Captain 2004 & 2005; winner of Outland Trophy in 2005; winner of Dave Rimington Trophy in 2005; 4 year starter.

7. Tyrone Carter- DB - All American in 1998 & 1999; 1st team All Big 10 in 1998 & 1999; Team MVP in 1998 & 1999; Team Captain 1999; Jim Thorpe Award winner in 1999.  All Time Tackles Leader in University of Minnesota history.

8. Edwin Widseth - OT - All American in 1934, 1935 & 1936; 1st team All Big 10 in 1934, 1935 & 1936; Team MVP in 1936; Team Captain 1936; member of College Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.

9. Francis "Pug" Lund - RB - All American in 1933 & 1934; 1st team All Big 10 in 1933 & 1934; Team MVP in 1933 & 1934; #10 on All Time UM Rushing Yards List; Team Captain 1934; member of College Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. 

10.Tom Brown - DL - 2nd in Heisman voting in 1960; 1st team All Big 10 in 1960; Team MVP in 1960; Outland Trophy winner in 1960; member of the College Football Hall of Fame; member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame; member of University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.  

Cup Size Choir

Let Us Not Forget

Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Senate Minority Leader:

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

Remember when politicians put country over party?   

It's just shameful what has happened to our government. 

POTpourri

• Barely half of all U.S. adults are married.  
• Justice Department blocks South Carolina Voter ID Law. 
• I don't care what people say, I like LeAnn Rimes bikini body. 
• USA Today's "2011 Year in Pictures" can be found here.
• More Stephanie Seymour bikini pics here, hubba hubba! 
• You can check out 2011's Top UFO Sightings here. 
• More protests against Vladimir Putin in Russia.  
• Look here for Forbes list of the most disliked NBA players.
• You can check out "Entertainment Weekly's" Best & Worst of 2011 here.
• The 2011-2012 NBA season starts.  Finally. 

Merry Christmas!

Cardinals 16, Bengals 23

Cards lose, 23-16 to the Bengals.  This loss drops them to 7-8 on the season and officially eliminates them from the playoffs.  Let's be honest, they're really not a playoff team, not yet anyways.  I do think they've made some strides this season though, their defense has improved immensely and a full off season should do wonders for  Kevin Kolb (I hope). 

Observations:
-The Cardinals are NOT a very good cold weather football team.  
-It was a nice comeback by the Cardinals, it was good to see they didn't just fold up.
-Another missed game for Kevin Kolb, he's only started 9 games this season.
-John Skelton has career back up written all over him. 
-Beanie Wells breaks the 1000 yard mark for the first time. About time.
-Yet another 100 yard receiving game by Larry Fitzgerald (6 catches for 105 yards).
-I hated seeing Patrick Peterson getting injured, hopefully it's not serious.
-Check out this TD catch by Bengals WR Jerome Simpson, that's what you call hops.
-I predict that Andy Dalton is going to have a nice career in Cincinnati.
-Up next, the Seahawks in Glendale to close the season. 

Vikings 33, Redskins 26

Vikings Win!  33-26 over the Redskins.  They move to 3-12 on the season.  This upsets me so much!  It's a meaningless win, they are going nowhere anyways, all it does is hurt their draft prospect next year (not just in round #1 but in every round of the draft).  Hopefully, they don't win next week and screw things up even further (as of right now they would draft at the number 3 spot, with 4 wins it's conceivable that they could pick as high as number 6).  Anyways, back to the game, I applaud them on their effort, it was much better than last week. 

Observations:
-Joe Webb may be igniting a QB controversy going into the off season, he certainly wants no part of the Suck-For-Luck sweepstakes.  He finished the game with a 158.3 passer rating.  
-Adrian Peterson hurt his knee just 66 yards short of Robert Smith's team record of 6,818 yards, from the looks of the injury, I don't see him returning next week.  Hopefully, he's back next season. 
-Jared Allen had 1 sack, he's now at 18.5 sacks for the season. Chris Doleman has the Vikings record with 21, the NFL record is Michael Strahan's 22.5.
-Mistrel Raymond interception ended the Vikings streak of 9 games without an interception. 
-Jim Kleinsasser announced his retirement. His blocking abilities will be missed. 
-Nice job by Toby Gerhart once again filling in for Adrian Peterson, he had his first 100 yard game (109 yards on 11 carries). 
-Redskin LB London Fletcher is pretty good. 
-The Redskins really need a QB.  
-Les Steckel coached the Vikings to a 3-13 season in 1984 and was one and done.  Just saying.
-Up next, the Bears in Chicago to close the season. 

Happy Festivus!

AZ Tidbits

• Diamondbacks sign free agent OF Jason Kubel. 
• Vote for the Most Famous Arizonan here.  
• Stranded AZ girl found alive after 10 days lost in the wilderness.
• UA hires Scottsdale Chaparral's Charlie Ragle as assistant football coach. 
• One of Arizona States best selling points can be found here.  
• Check out ESPN's list of the Top 10 NBA players from Arizona.
• Check out 'New Times' 2011 Arizona Year in Pictures.
• Another inmate dies under MCSO watch. 
• Twin Peaks set to take on Hooters & Tilted Kilt.  
• Scottsdale Saguaro high school football star D.J. Foster gets some national publicity.

Christmas Comes Early Part IV

POTpourri

• WSJ takes GOP to task for stance on payroll tax cuts. GOP caves. 
• Pitt hires Paul Chryst; Hawaii hires Norm Chow; Houston hires Tony Levine.  
• Merry Christmas to you Leilani Dowding! 
• Are Evangelical Christians War-mongers?  
• Say a prayer for Raven Alexis.  Beautiful lady, her fight is an inspiration.  
• Aaron Rodgers named 2011 AP Male Athlete of the Year.
• Politifact may want to reconsider their 'Lie of the Year".  
• Lady Gaga named 2011 AP Entertainer of the Year.  
• Gary Johnson drops GOP Presidential campaign, will run as Libertarian. 
• Stephanie Seymour still looks good in a bikini.
  

Christmas Come Early Part III

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl

Boise State 56, Arizona State 24
Not an unexpected result for Arizona St tonight as Boise St kicked them all over the field in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.  ASU really didn't have much to play for and it looked like it, it was a very uninspiring effort.  The whole last part of the season was incredibly disappointing, they were much too talented to finish the season the way they did.  I'm ready for a new start, I'm sick of the lack of discipline, the mental errors, the lackadaisical efforts.  It's time for the Todd Graham era to begin!  

Observations:
-The Dennis Erickson era at ASU ends with a 31-31 record.
-Despite the loss, WR Gerrell Robinson had a nice last game as a Sun Devil, 13 catches for 241 yards.
-QB Brook Osweiler broke the ASU single season passing yardage record. 
-11 carries for 12 yards for Cameron Marshall today, that won't cut it. 
-It's the end of an era at Boise State.  Kellen Moore finishes as winningest QB in NCAA history.
-Junior Onyeali was suspended for the game, I hope he doesn't become Vontaze II.  
-Vontaze Burfict BTW had another personal foul penalty, he's not a quick study.  
-9 penalties for 87 yards for the Sun Devils, par for the course for them. 
-Boise State's defense is very under-rated, they are pretty solid.  
-Bring on Todd Graham already.

Christmas Come Early Part II

Thank you Kelly Brook!!

POTpourri

• AP's list of the Top 10 news stories can be found here.  
• North Korean leader Kim Jong il dies.
• Bears WR Sam Hurd arrested on felony drug charges. 
• GOP wants unemployed to pee in a cup & want to cut Pell Grants to low income students.
• RIP Vaclav Havel.  
• Michael Cuddyer signs free agent deal with the Rockies.
• Twins replace Cuddyer with Josh Willingham. 
• Pippa's got back!  
• "No Labels" offers suggestions to improve government.  
• Is 2011 the worst congress ever?  I vote YES.  

Christmas Comes Early

Cardinals 20, Browns 17

The Cardinals knock off the Browns 20-17 in OT today.  The Cardinals move to 7-7 on the season and keep their faint playoff hopes alive.  The Cardinals have now won 6 of their last 7 games.  The Lions & Falcons are both 9-5, the Cowboys are 8-6, the Cardinals, Bears, Giants & Seahawks are all 7-7, the Cardinals would need to win out and hope for a LOT of help to make the playoffs, it's been a nice run but don't count on it. 

Observations:
-This is the Cardinals first 4 game winning streak since 1999.
-A Todd Heap sighting?  It was good to have him back, he had 7 catches for 69 yards.
-Heap moved into 11th place on the All Time TE reception list.
-The Cardinals are 3-0 in OT this year.
-The Cardinals have been out scored 71-29 in the 1st quarter this year.  
-Kevin Kolb missed another game, he has hardly solidified his spot as franchise QB.
-John Skelton played okay in relief of Kolb, I'm not sure I'd call him a franchise QB though.  
-Peyton Hillis would be a good RB if he could stay healthy. 
-Colt McCoy vs Seneca Wallace?  Does it really make a difference?  
-Up next are the Bengals in Cincinnati next Saturday.

Vikings 20, Saints 42

The Vikings fall to the Saints 42-20 today.  The Vikings fall to 2-12 on the season, they are on pace for the all time worst Vikings seasons (they were 3-13 in 1984 & 2-11-1 in 1962).   If there's a positive from today, it's that the Colts finally won a game and put the Vikings back into the Suck-For-Luck sweepstakes.  Christian Ponder did not look good today, he had 18 first half passing yards (120 total for the game), he was rushing his throws, not scanning the field for his receivers, he was to quick to tuck the ball in and run it and seemed to have the dreaded happy feet working.  Granted, he doesn't have much to work with, but he has not been impressing me much lately.  

Observations:
-Since the start of the 2010 season, the Vikings are 8-22.  
-Not a lot of effort today by the Vikings.  
-Drew Brees had a historic day against Vikings.  With the Vikings porous secondary, you had to see that coming.  The Vikings have the fewest INT's in the NFL.   
-No sacks for Jared Allen (or any other Viking for that matter) today, he's at 17.5 with 2 games to go, he needs 22.5 to tie the NFL record.
-The Vikings defense is a mess. 
-Adrian Peterson was back, he finished with 60 yards on 10 carries.  
-C John Sullivan signed a 5 year contract extension this week, it had to be done.
-The Vikings may have looked bad this year, but their cheerleaders don't look too shabby.
-Stadium update here, get it done legislature, as bad as the Vikings are this season, I still don't want to be watching the LA Vikings.
-Up next are the Redskins in Washington next Saturday.

Jesus Advise to Tim Tebow

POTpourri

• Last U.S. troops leave Iraq.  About time. 
• PEW poll shows more people blame GOP for "Do Nothing Congress". 
• 75% of Americans think that the 1% has too much power. 
• UW-Whitewater wins NCAA Division III football championship. 
• Would health care repeal increase the number of abortions?  
• RIP Christopher Hitchens. 
• Count me as a fan of the white bikini trend.  
• Census show 1 in 2 people are poor or low income.
• Pittsburgh St wins NCAA Division II football championship.
• The fight to end corporate personhood heats up. 

Stephen Colbert Saves Christmas

AZ Tidbits

• You can find the best places to work in Arizona here. 
• U.S. Supreme Court takes on the Arizona Immigration law. 
• Baristas Coffee Company is coming to AZ, they may just get me to start drinking coffee. 
• Justice Department condemns Sheriff Joe for multiple civil rights violations.
• John McCain trades barbs with Vladimir Putin.
• The ASU Spirit Squad does ASU proud.
• Diamondbacks sign relief pitcher Takasi Saito. 
• Arizona unemployment rate drops to 8.7%. 
• ASU's Todd Graham & UA's Rich Rodriguez have a long history. 
• Arizona Snowbowl opens!
  

Super Models: The New Breed

POTpourri

• You can check out the Golden Globe nominees here. 
• I need to see more photos of Federica Nargi. Hot damn!
• Howard Stern joins "America's Got Talent".  
• Dominique Storelli named Maxim's 2011 Hometown Hottie winner. 
• Chris Paul traded to Clippers. 
• Hello Zaira Nara, we need to see more of you.
• Time Magazine names "The Protestor" the 2011 Person of the Year. 
• Missy Coles is hot!   Michael Schwimmer is a lucky dude. 
• American CEO's made up to 40% more than last year.
• Check out Bleacher Reports 50 Sexiets Sports Moments of 2011 here.

Arizona State Hires Todd Graham

ASU pulled a rabbit out of the hat and hired Pitt head coach Todd Graham to coach their football team yesterday.  There were no reports anywhere of Graham's possible hire before the announcement came.  It was a move reminiscent of the hiring of Herb Sendek to coach the ASU basketball team (and Dennis Erickson's hire to a lesser degree).  It wasn't the ideal search, ASU took a lot of heat for their bungling, but in the end, I kinda like the hire.  I'm willing to give it a chance anyways.

From the start they seemed to indicate that they wanted someone with some head coaching experience, they wanted someone young, they wanted someone who could improve their defense, someone who could tighten up the lack of on-field discipline and someone who would play a similar type of up tempo offense that ASU has been playing (and recruiting for).  I think they got most of that, Graham has been a head coach for 6 years, he has an impressive 49-29 career record.  He's 47 years old, that's fairly young by coaching standards (Dennis Erickson is 64).  Prior to becoming a head coach he was a defensive coordinator, so he knows how to coach defense.  His Pitt team was the least penalized team in the Big East last year (conversely ASU was dead last in the country last year).  Offensively, he plays a fast paced up tempo no huddle read option type of offense, that's not a drastic departure from what they've been playing or for what they've been recruiting for, that should help ease the transition.

A couple other points:  
1) Recruiting.  Graham may not have a lot of west coast ties (hopefully, his new coaching staff will rectify some of that) but take a look at the recruiting class he had put together at Pitt this year, it's a top 20 class (according to Scout), that's higher than Dennis Erickson's much heralded class, I don't think ASU fans will need to worry too much about recruiting.  Another positive, he knows Texas well from his time at Tulsa, I would expect that they will hit Texas hard.  One suggestion, why not offer one of the better local high school coaches, someone well respected in the local coaching community, a spot on the coaching staff and put him in charge of recruiting Arizona?  Maybe someone like Steve Belles from Chandler Hamilton or Charlie Ragle from Scottsdale Chaparrel.  They need to do something to lock down the borders and I think that could possibly help.

2) Brook Osweiler.  I'm not sure that the read option offense is an ideal fit for Brook Osweiler, that type of offense seems to require a dual threat QB to succeed, but I have no doubt that Todd Graham is smart enough to tweak his offense enough to maximize the talent on hand (much like Brady Hoke did at Michigan this year). Red-shirt freshman QB  Michael Eubank on the other hand should be doing cart wheels over Grahams selection as head coach, he seems to be an ideal fit for that type of offense, it'll be fun watching his progress.

3) Graham's job hopping.  I'm really not worried about this, the way I see it every move that he's made has been to move up the coaching ladder, I see that as a natural progression for a good coach.  The fact that they are so up in arms about this move in Pitt may also be a sign that he's a damn good football coach and they really didn't want to lose him, is that really a negative?   Let's say he can get ASU moving in the right direction and starts getting interest again from other schools, is that really such a bad thing?  Wouldn't that be a sign that he's done a nice job at ASU?

Jon Stewart on Hollywood Bias

Funny Stuff!

POTpourri

• Robert Griffin III wins the 2011 Heisman Trophy.
• Kevin Sumlin hired by Texas A&M; Jim Mora Jr hired by UCLA. 
• Fox News needs to hire a new chartist. 
• Ryan Braun tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs?  
• When did Ted Koppel join NBC?  
• Check out the 'Men's Health' 100 Hottest Women of All Time here.
• Dolphins fire Tony Sparano; Chiefs fire Todd Haley.  
• Aida Yespica is hot!  
• Christiane Amanpour leaving ABC's "This Week".  
• Where exactly is the country of Solyndra? 
  

ASU Football Coaching Search 3.0

ASU seems to have gone into lock down mode in their search for a new football coach, very little info is being leaked at this point.  I'm at a loss trying to figure out which direction they are going to go.  You'd have to think they will try to get something done quickly (so that they can salvage recruiting as well as maintain a couple of top assistants).  The way the search has been run so far doesn't make me optimistic though.  There was some talk about Utah's Kyle Whittingham but it appears that he was just using the ASU opening to squeeze more money out of Utah (which he accomplished).  Anyways,  unless they can pull a rabbit out the hat (think someone like Butch Jones, Charlie Strong, Dan Mullen, maybe Bronco Mendenhall), I'm guessing they end up with one of these guys:

1-Mike Bellotti, in my mind, at this point, this is the best case scenario.  I know some people see him as being too similar to Dennis Erickson but the fact is the guy can coach, he's got a lots of west coach ties, he has a history of putting together good coaching staffs.  He's also a fairly big name so they'd also save face with some for the mess this search has been.

2-Ron English, he's got ASU ties, he's fit's the desire for a young energetic guy and he'd probably be willing to keep some of the current staff (i.e. Mazzone & Brousard), which many people are clamoring for.  His teams at Eastern Michigan have struggled but have also shown improvement every year.

3-Robin Pflugrad, this name is growing on me.  He's currently the head coach at Montana so he's got the requisite head coaching experience.  I know, it's only Montana but head coaching experience is head coaching experience (I was very impressed with Montana when I watched them on ESPN this past weekend).  He has ties to ASU (he was an assistant from 1995-2000 and his son played WR for ASU the last couple of years).  He's got west coast ties.  He coaches a fast paced up tempo offense which would translate well to the current roster and recruiting class thus easing the transition to a new staff.  I'm guessing he'd also have an interest in maintaining some of the current staff (i.e. Mazzone & Broussard). 

4-Justin Wilcox, I keep hearing this name, the thought seems to be to bring in a young, energetic defensive minded coach and pairing him with Noel Mazzone.  There are obviously risks associated with that given that he has no head coaching experience.  Perhaps he'd also want to pick out his own staff.  My preference is that they find someone who has some head coaching experience.  I personally don't think that ASU (or the PAC12) is the place for a young coach to learn their trade. 

5-Noel Mazzone, why not just give him a chance?  He's very popular with the players and the alumni, his offense has been very successful.  The transition would be smooth.  If they're going to hire an offensive minded assistant coach I'd feel better about Mazzone than someone like Mark Helfrich. 

6-Todd Haley, maybe following the USC (Pete Carroll) and UCLA (Jim Mora Jr) model is the way to go.  Haley is a young, energetic coach who could use his NFL experience to his advantage with recruits.  He's never coached at the collegiate level though so there would be some growing pains.  His temperment also may not sit well with college age players (think Mike Stoops). 

7-Jack Del Rio, another former NFL coach, he may get a look for many of the same reasons that Haley would.  He's still fairly young too, he may just be ready for a move to the collegiate level.  There is lots of upside.  The lack of college experience would obviously be a big negative.  

8-Jim Leavitt, I've heard they've cooled on him some.  One of the reasons that Dennis Erickson was let go was that his teams committed a lot of penalites and didn't play with a lot of discipline, those were also apparently traits of Leavitt's South Florida teams.  Still, if they want an experienced coach with a great track record he fits the bill. 

9-Mark Helfrich, he's an innovative, young, offensive minded coach with ASU and west coast ties.  He does lack head coaching experience though.  I'm guessing he's a long shot but given the state of the current search nothing would surprise me. 

10-Dan Cozzetto, probably the favorite of much of the alumni (i.e. ex players), he has ASU ties and extensive west coast ties.  He also has no head coaching experience.  I'm thinking he's a long shot.  

Random Hot Girl Dancing

Cardinals 21, 49ers 19

Big win for the Cardinals today, 21-19 over the 49ers.  This win moves the Cardinals to 6-7 on the season with 3 winable games to go (Browns, Bengals & Seahawks).  They are within striking distance of a playoff spot, they'll need to win out and will need some help, but it's possible.  Their defense has really stepped up over the last 6 weeks, the transformation from earlier this season has been remarkable to watch. 

Observations:
-The Cardinals have now won 5 of their last 6 games.
-Concussion for Kevin Kolb?   He just can't stay on the field. 
-John Skelton did a nice job replacing Kolb, he was 19-28 for 282 yards & 3 TD's. 
-Fitz goes over 1000 recieving yards for the 5th straight year.  He had 7 catches for 149 yards & 1 TD today.
-The Cardinal WR's not named Fitz are stepping up.  
-I'm guessing that it helped the Cardinals that 49ers LB Patrick Willis was out with an injury.  
-The 49ers were just 3 for 17 on 3rd down today. 
-5 sacks by the Cardinals today, that's a beautiful thing. 
-Where the heck did Nick Eason come from?  He's been playing really well.
-Up next are the Browns at University of Phoenix Stadium. 

Vikings 28, Lions 34

The Vikings lose 34-28 to the Lions today, they drop to 2-11 on the season.  They dug themselves an early 21-0 deficit and just couldn't overcome it.  They didn't quit though and were within 1 missed facemask penalty of tying the game as time wound out.  How the officials missed that facemask penalty is beyond me.  It was a nice comeback though, in the end, a close loss is probably better for the franchise anyways (can you say Matt Kalil? or Justin Blackmon? maybe Morris Claiborne?).   

Observations:
-Do we have a QB controversy?  Joe Webb looked very good, Christian Ponder not so much.
-Christian Ponder has a long ways to go, his arm strength is a little lacking and his decision making today was not good (3 INT's & 1 fumble today).  In his defense, he was playing with a hip pointer today.
-24 points off of turnovers today for the Lions, that's tough to overcome.  
-No Adrian Peterson again today, that hurts.  Toby Gerhart had a nice game though (90 yards on 19 carries, 3 catches for 19 yards & 1 TD).  
-I can't decide what's worse, the Vikings OL or the Vikings secondary? 
-The Vikings have given up the most 20+ yard TD catches in the NFL this season.  
-Marcus Sherels should NOT be returning kickoffs. 
-Cedric Grifin has had a nice career but he looks finished.   
-3 more sack for Jared Allen today, his season total is now up to 17.5, that's his career high, he now has 100.5 sacks in his career.
-Up next are the Saints at the Metrodome. 

AZ Tidbits

• 'Travel + Leisure' rates Scottsdale/Phoenix as #3 American city for winter travel.  
• Diamondbacks trade Jerrod Parker to the A's for Trevor Cahill.  
• Should Arizona be separated into 2 states?   
• Jahii Carson ruled ineligible at ASU.  Ouch!
• Spirit Airlines will now fly from Mesa to Las Vegas.
• Grant Hill re-signs with Suns. 
• Sheriff Joe Arpaio facing heavy criticism for the bumbled handling of 400+ sex abuse claims. 
• The calls for Joe Arpaio's resignation are intensifying.  
• The search for a football coach at ASU is not going well.  
• You can check out The Arizona Republic's All-Arizona high school football team here.

Let Buddy Roemer Debate

Sign the pledge to include Buddy Roemer in the debates here, it's not too late.

POTpourri

• New planet similar to Earth found. 
• RIP Harry Morgan. 
• New charges for Jerry Sandusky. 
• Big East Conference expands.
• Rod Blagojevich sentenced to 14 years in prison. 
• Sick of the Electoral College?  Check out National Popular Vote. 
• Albert Pujols signs free agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
• Jessica Biel is still hot!
• Are Russians finally tiring of Vladimir Putin.
• Speak up job creators!  Tell us how higher taxes will put you out of business.
  

Is Newt a Flip-Flopper?

ASU Football Coaching Search 2.0

What a clusterfuck of a search for a football coach by Arizona State, they look like a bunch of freaking amateurs.  Hopefully, they don't screw things up too badly and end up pushing the program into a downward spiral.  At this point, I fear they've scared off any remaining big name candidates (unless those ASU boosters decide to put their money where their mouths are, which I tend to doubt will happen).  My preference is still that they find somebody with some head coaching experience, I really don't want them to hire an unproven commodity (isn't that what the MAC and Mountain West are for afterall?).

I really don't understand the problem the boosters had with June Jones, he has a proven track record as a head coach at the collegiate level, he's as innovative as they come, he's a good recruiter, I think they missed the boat on that one.

Anyways, looking at coaches with some head coaching experience who may not yet be scared away, they could still pull off a good hire.  Some of the names that I've heard that are still in play include Jim Leavitt, Mike Bellotti, Troy Calhoun and Paul Rhodes.  I could live with any of those.

I fear they may have no choice but to hire a top assistant coach though and then hope for the best, someone like Justin Wilcox, Paul Chryst, Mark Helfrich or Dan Cozetto.  How they sell those guys to recruits is beyond me though.  Take a recruit like D.J. Foster from Scottsdale for example, he's reportedly choosing between Oregon and ASU, how does he choose to play for a guy like say Mark Helfrich when he could play for Helfrich's mentor Chip Kelly at Oregon?  How do these guys even compete with Rich Rodriguez down at Arizona?  Or Lane Kiffen at USC or Mike Leach at Texas Tech or ....?  You get the picture.  Going this direction is just a recipe for disaster IMO. 

I'm hoping for Jim Leavitt or Mike Bellotti at this point but I'm not optimistic.  Whoever they hire, they had better do it soon if they want to salvage their current recruiting class (and add some quality players to it).

Victoria's Secret Holiday Commercial

POTpourri

• The Huntsman daughters reason enough to vote for Jon Huntsman. 
• Did NBC really need to cancel 'Prime Suspect'?  It was the best new show on TV. 
• Did Barack Obama ever promise unemployment under 8% or even 8.5%? 
• "A Prophet" is the best movie that I've seen in awhile, I highly recommend. 
• Ron Santo elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 
• How the GOP destroyed the U.S. Post Office. 
• Jose Reyes signs free agent deal with the Miami Marlins.
• Income inequality is rising in most wealthy countries.
• SI names Mike Krzyzewski & Pat Summitt as Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year.
• NHL adopts realignment plan.
  

Newt on Climate Change

NCAA Needs a Playoff System

LSU vs Alabama for the NCAA Championship?   I've seen it already, LSU won, in Alabama no less.  Why should LSU need to beat them twice?  Why not LSU vs Oklahoma State?  This is just one of the myriad of reasons that the NCAA needs to scrap their current system of picking a national champion and going with a playoff system.  Let's see things play out on the field not in the rankings.

Here's my proposal.
Take the winners of the 6 major conferences + 2 wildcard teams (1 of those teams being the highest rated teams that didn't win their conference championship & 1 of those team being the highest rated team outside of those 6 conferences).  That would give us an 8 team playoff.  They could then seed those 8 teams based upon the BCS rankings.  They could incorporate the bowls into the playoff too (they could rotate the bowls around every year too).  You wouldn't necessarily get the 8 best teams but everyone would have the opportunity to qualify by winning their conference championship, if they can't win their conference championship they really shouldn't have room to complain about being left out.  

So this year it would play out like this:

Round 1
SUGAR BOWL:   #1 LSU (SEC Champion)  vs #8 West Virginia (Big East Champion)
FIESTA BOWL:  #2 Alabama (Wildcard #1) vs  #7 Clemson (ACC Champion)
COTTON BOWL:  #3 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Champion) vs #6 Wisconsin (Big 10 Champion)
OUTBACK BOWL:  #4 Boise State (Wildcard #2) vs #5 Oregon (PAC 12 Champion)

Round 2
ROSE BOWL:  Sugar Bowl winner vs Outback Bowl winner
ORANGE BOWL:  Fiesta Bowl winner vs Cotton Bowl winner

BCS Championship Game
Rose Bowl winner vs Orange Bowl winner.

AZ Tidbits

• Did you know that 'Baseball Wives' on VH1 is filmed in Scottsdale?
• Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorses Rick Perry for President.  Does anyone care?
• 'Baseline Killer' sentenced to death.  Karma is a bitch. 
• Kevin Johnson named as a Hall of Fame nominee.  
• Jan Brewer gives up redistricting fight. 
• The latest on ASU's search for a new football coach can be found here.   
• Arizona State accepts bid to take on Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.  
• AZ Bowl matchups:  Fiesta Bowl (Oklahoma St vs Stanford) & Insight Bowl (Iowa vs Oklahoma). 
• Men's Health Magazine rates Phoenix the 18th saddest city in the U.S.
• You can check out 'Baseball America' list of the Top 10 Diamondback prospects here.

December Flavor of the Month ....

.... is Danica Thrall.  She's hot! 

Cardinals 19, Cowboys 13

The Cardinals are on a roll, they knocked off the Cowboys 19-13 today to move to 5-7 on the season.  They've now won 4 of their last 5 games.  Their defense has improved immensely as the season has progressed, props to Ray Horton for the job that he's done.  If they win out, they can still finish with a 9-7 record, that would give them an outside shot at the playoffs.   It's a long shot but there's hope.  

Observations:
-WR Andre Roberts had probably the best game of his career.  
-Kevin Kolb looked ok in his return to action, there's still room for improvement though. 
-This was the Cardinals first win against a team with a winning record this season.
-Nice pass rush by the Cardinals today (5 sacks).  Of course they gave up 5 sacks too.
-Patrick Peterson continues to show improvement at CB. 
-It was good to see the roof open on University of Phoenix Stadium. 
-LaRod Stephens-Howling is becoming a very nice change of pace 3rd down RB.  
-Todd Heap was inactive once again, I'm sensing he won't be back next season. 
-Cowboys have lost three consecutive games at UofP on the final play. in 08, 10 and now '11.
-Up next are the 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ

Vikings 32, Broncos 35

The Vikings fall to the Broncos 35-32 today to fall to 2-10 on the season.  Please do not try to convince me that Tim Tebow has revitalized the Broncos, they are winning despite him not because of him, he is just not a good QB.  It's all smoke and mirrors.  Their schedule has been pretty soft too.  A Vikings win would have been nice, but again, like last week, they did maintain their grasp on the #2-3 overall draft pick so there was  some positive to the loss. 

Observations:
-Heckuva game by Percy Harvin (8 catches, 156 yards recieving, 2 TD's, 19 yards rushing).
-Another sack for Jared Allen, he's now got 14.5 for the season.  He's the first Vikings to post at least 14.5 sacks in a season 3 times. 
-The Vikings tackling was atrocious today. 
-The Vikings secondary was also atrocious today. 
-How the hell are the Broncos 6-1 with Tim Tebow starting?  He's not a good QB. 
-I wish people would cut Toby Gerhart some slack, he's a decent back-up for Adrian Peterson (21 carries for 91 yards today). 
-Christian Ponder threw for a Vikings rookie record 381 yards. He did make a few very questionable decisions though. 
-I really like Kyle Rudolph, he's got a nice future ahead of him.
-WR Devin Aromashodu had a nice game (6 catches for 90 yards).
-Up next are the Lions in Detroit, MI.

Hypocrisy of the GOP

I love this cartoon.

POTpourri

• Herman Cain bows out of the Presidential race.  
• Buddy Roemer to seek American's Elect Presidential nomination.  
• Did you know that the Florida Marlins are now the Miami Marlins?   
• Cindy Crawford is aging well.   
• Great read here from a Wall Street insider who supports OWS.  More here.
• Grover Nordquist alright with raising taxes on the middle class.
• Texas A&M fires Mike Sherman.   
• Yahoo! names Anthony Weiner scandal the Scandal of the Year.   
• Ticketmaster issuing refunds to everyone who bought a ticket from 1999-2011.
• I never get tired of pictures from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. 
  

Random Hot Girl Dancing

Who Are The Real Job Creators?

I really enjoyed this article by Nick Hanauer in Bloomberg on taxes and job creation.  Nick Hanauer is filthy rich too, he knows of what he speaks.  I agree entirely with his premise, consumer demand creates jobs not tax cuts to the wealthy.   Why those on the right can't comprehend this fact is really puzzling to me.

Anyways, here are some highlights from the article:

"It is a tenet of American economic beliefs, and an article of faith for Republicans that is seldom contested by Democrats: If taxes are raised on the rich, job creation will stop. 

Trouble is, sometimes the things that we know to be true are dead wrong. For the larger part of human history, for example, people were sure that the sun circles the Earth and that we are at the center of the universe. It doesn’t, and we aren’t. The conventional wisdom that the rich and businesses are our nation’s “job creators” is every bit as false."

****************

"When businesspeople take credit for creating jobs, it is like squirrels taking credit for creating evolution. In fact, it’s the other way around. 

It is unquestionably true that without entrepreneurs and investors, you can’t have a dynamic and growing capitalist economy. But it’s equally true that without consumers, you can’t have entrepreneurs and investors. And the more we have happy customers with lots of disposable income, the better our businesses will do. 

That’s why our current policies are so upside down. When the American middle class defends a tax system in which the lion’s share of benefits accrues to the richest, all in the name of job creation, all that happens is that the rich get richer. 

And that’s what has been happening in the U.S. for the last 30 years."

Joe Kapp Taking On Angelo Mosca

There's nothing like an old man fight.

POTpourri

• Newt Gingrich made an estimated $100 million over the past decade.
• Urban Meyer hired by Ohio State.   
• Bobby Valentine hired by the Boston Red Sox.
• Rick Neuheisel fired at UCLA.  
• Washington State fires Paul Wulff, then hires Mike Leach. 
• Barney Frank announces he will not seek re-election. 
• Nicole Scherzinger has a nice ass! 
• More trouble for Herman Cain. 
• RIP Patrice O'Neal; Ron Lyle & Chester McGlockton.
• Conrad Murray sentenced to 4 years in Michael Jackson death. 

Stevie Johnson Touchdown Dance

Did he go too far???  I say people need to lighten up already. 

ASU Football Coaching Search

It's official, ASU and Dennis Erickson have parted ways.  ASU is thus in need a new coach.  My take?  I suspect that they will move quickly, I suspect a new coach will be in place within the next 2 weeks.  Given Lisa Love's history, my guess is that they will also be looking to bring in someone with some head coaching experience at the collegiate level.  Arizona's hiring of Rich Rodriguez also puts a little pressure on Love to bring in a top notch coach.

So, here's my Top 10 candidates:

1 - Kevin Sumlin - Houston - He's doing a fantastic job at Houston (they are 12-0 this season), he also coaches a wide open type of  offense that would maximize the current talent at ASU.  He'll no doubt be one of the hot names to watch for a number of schools looking for a new coach. He will be in high demand though, they'd better be willing to open up the pocket book if they want him.  

2 - Larry Fedora - Southern Mississippi - Southern Mississippi has been very good the last two years, Fedora may want to cash in while he can (while moving to the bigger stage of the PAC12 at the same time).  

3 - Dan Mullen - Mississippi St - Even though Mississippi St has struggled some this year, Mullen has done a nice job there.  He was previously the OC for Urban Meyer at Utah & Florida.  He's generally considered one of the bright young coaches in college football.  A move out of the incredibly competitive SEC might be an attractive option for him. 

4 - Chris Peterson - Boise St - Anytime there is an opening you're going to hear Peterson's name thrown around.  ASU would be foolish to not at least send out a few feelers.  Would ASU want to go the Boise State route again though after trying that with Dirk Koetter previously?   Probably a long shot.  Word is that UCLA is targeting him as their number 1 choice to replace Rick Neuheisel. 

5 - Butch Jones - Cincinnati - Jones has followed a similar career path as Brian Kelly whom he worked under at Central Michigan.  When Brian Kelly left Central Michigan for Cincinnati, Butch Jones got the head job at Central Michigan.  When Brian Kelly then got the head job at Notre Dame, Butch Jones got the head job at Cincinnati.  Jones also runs a spread based offense at Cincinnati which would translate well to the talent at hand at ASU.

6 - Mike Leach - formerly at Texas Tech - Outside of his ugly ending at Texas Tech he had a pretty successful run in Lubbock.  He won consistently, he ran a clean program, his players stayed out of trouble and did well academically.  He wants to coach again, he's a big name, he would certainly generate some buzz.

7 - Jim Tressel - formerly of Ohio State - I had to throw this name into the mix, he's easily the biggest name out there.  There are a couple of questions though, a) does he even want to coach again, & b) will the sanctions at tOSU scare ASU away?  It's an intriguing name isn't it?  Very much a long shot. 

8 - Ron English - Eastern Michigan - Former ASU Defensive Coordinator, he still has some ties to the Arizona State Athletic department.  He's known as a good recruiter.  While his overall record at Eastern Michigan is not that impressive, they have improved every year under his tutelage.

9 - Charlie Strong - Louisville - Strong has done a nice job at Louisville.  Before Louisville, he like Dan Mullen, mentored under Urban Meyer at Florida.  He's known as a good recruiter.  The general perception is that he has gotten a lot more out of this years Louisville team than was expected.  

10 - Mark Helfrich - OC @ Oregon - If they go with an assistant coach, I suspect it will be Helfrich.  He has experience running a fast paced, high powered offense, he has lots of west coast ties and he also has some ties to ASU (he worked under Dirk Koetter from 2001-2005).   I suspect that Lisa Love will want someone with some head coaching experience though. I also suspect that the masses will want a bigger name.

AZCentral.com lists their top candidates here. 

POTpourri

• Americans Elect could put Buddy Roemer on their Presidential ballot.  
• MLB reaches CBA deal.  NBA follows suit, finally.  
• Study confirms:  Fox News creates alternate reality on climate science. 
• Check out Fitness Chicks if you like fit girls as much as I do.   
• Check out Flackcheck.org to fact check political ads. 
• Props out to Michael Bay, I'd give my left nut for a shot at Lauren Stoner. 
• David Frum's "When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality" is a good read.
• Lipitor generics available Wednesday. 
• Big troubles at Syracuse.  
• Ron Zook fired at Illinois; Turner Gill fired at Kansas. 
  

Cardinals 23, Rams 20

The Cardinals knock off the Rams 23-20 today to stay out of the basement of the NFC West.  The Cardinals move to 4-7 on the season. They do seem to be playing better as the season progresses, that's a positive sign.  I really like the way the defense is shaping up too, they've got a lot of good young talent, they just need to get healthy and maybe tweak a thing or two here and there.

Observations:
-Patrick Peterson is an unbelievable punt returner.   He tied the NFL single season record for most punt returns for TD's today with his 4th.  
-Sam Acho appears to be a keeper at OLB (2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery).
-John Skelton struggled again at QB, he keeps winning though.
-Kevin Kolb should be back next week. 
-The Rams are really not that good.  
-Was that a Todd Heap siting?   
-Daryl Washington has emerged as the Cardinals best defensive player.
-Beanie Wells rushed for a Cardinals single game record 228 yards.  
-The Rams OL is not good.  
-Up next are the Cowboys at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Vikings 7, Falcons 17

The Vikings fall to the Falcons 24-14 today to fall to 2-9 on the season. The Vikings are on pace for their worst season ever. The Vikings were completely listless in the first half, they did make a game out of it in the second half though.  At this point, a loss probably benefits the franchise more in the long term than a meaningless victory as they will be in line for a higher draft pick (they are tied with the Rams for 2nd worst record). Loses hurt though, they are very hard to stomach.  Matt Kalil would look nice on that OL though.  

Observations:
-The Vikings red zone offense needs some work.  
-Christian Ponder again had a man in his face almost every play, the OL needs to get to work.
-Jared Allen is not a bad long snapper.
-Toby Gerhart is no Adrian Peterson, then again, not too many are.
-The Vikings woeful secondary got even more woeful with injuries to Tyrell Johnson & Asher Allen. 
-2 games in a row with no sack by Jared Allen. 
-Brian Robison is not an every down DE, he has really wore down as the season has progressed. 
-I have never seen a 104 yard kickoff return that yields no points.  
-I'm still not sold on Leslie Frazier as a head coach. 
-Up next are the Broncos in Minneapolis.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2011

This is the definition of "Must See TV".   Tuesday 11/29, 10PM EST, CBS. 

Minnesota 27, Illinois 7

The Gophers knock off the Fighting Illini 27-7 tonight to close their 2011 season.  They finish with a 3-9 record which is a disappointment but they never quit and improved dramatically as the season progressed which was great to see.  It was easily their best performance of the year.  This game was a great way to end the season, the momentum they gain from it going into next year is unmeasurable.

Observations:
-Where was that pass rush earlier this year?  Nice game for Ra'Shede Hageman. 
-DB Kim Royston was everywhere in his last game as a Gopher.  His 123 tackles this year is the most by a Gopher since Jack Brewer's 155 in 2001. He'd be my Gopher's MVP.  
-I suspect that this lose will be the nail in the coffin of Ron Zook's tenure at Illinois. 
-Gopher seniors go out with a flourish. 
-MarQueis Gray breaks Gopher record for rushing yards by a QB in a season (866 yards). 
-Just 2 penalties by the Gophers today, that's marked improvement from earlier in the season.
-Jordan Wettstein is not going to concede the kicker job to Chris Hawthorne next year.  
-Punting must be improved upon next year. 
-This was the first double digit win for the Gophers since 2008. 
-I loved Coach Kill's post game speech.  

ASU 38, California 47

ASU loses again, this time 47-38 to Cal.  That's 4 straight loses (and 5 of last 6) to close out the 2011 season for the Sun Devils, they fall to 6-6 on the season.  Colorado's upset of Utah earlier in the day sealed ASU's fate in the PAC12 South (clinching a spot in the first PAC12 Championship game for UCLA). What a horrible end to what appeared to be such a promising year for ASU.  ASU is still assured of a bowl game but it'll be one of the mediocre ones (maybe the Sun Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl).  I really don't see how they can bring back Dennis Erickson now, he's got a 31-30 record in 5 years at ASU (& 21-25 in the PAC 10/12), I suspect that they aspire to better than that.  Erickson's contract is also up after the 2012 season, if it's not extended now it will be used against him in recruiting next year (and they are not about to extend his contract at this point).  So, I don't see that they have much choice but to dump him. 

Observations:
-Where's the defense?  Omar Bolden & Brandon Magee sure would have helped.
-Senior night, lots of quality players suited up at Sun Devil Stadium for the last time.
-ASU RB Cameron Marshall crossed the 1000 yard mark for the season (157 yards rushing, 2 TD's). 
-Marshall also tied ASU's all time record for TD's in a season (18).  
-ASU's secondary is very thin at this point.
-ASU LB Vontaze Burfict certainly hasn't lived up to his top billing. 
-Possible candidates to replace Erickson (if he's fired):  Kevin Sumlin, Dan Mullen, Butch Jones?    
-What should the expectations be for ASU?  
-Scottsdale's D.J. Foster & Davonte Neal would look good in ASU uniforms. 
-Up next?  A mediocre bowl game of some sort at a date & location yet to be determined.

AZ Tidbits

• UA hires Rich Rodriguez as football coach.  
• ASU football coach Dennis Erickson has put himself on the hot seat.  
• Bleacher Report lists Arizona as the 10th best states for College Football Recruits.
• Jan Brewer continues in her attempt to remove redistricting chairperson. 
• Former Suns star Cedric Ceballos hospitalized.
• GAO links Arizona forest fires to illegal immigration. 
• Diamondbacks Justin Upton finishes 4th in NL MVP voting. 
• Prince Harry makes a quick stop in Scottsdale.
• Jan Brewer approval ratings tumble. 
• AZ's hottest porn star?  Amia Miley or BiBi Jones?  Tough call. 
  

Romney In His Own Words

Back story can be found here.

POTpourri

• Did you know that the richest 0.1% of Americans make half of all Capital Gains?
• Lobbyist trying their damnedest to undermine OWS.   
• FOX NEWS viewers apparently know less than those who watch no news. 
• Brewers OF Ryan Braun wins NL MVP Award. 
• Yahoo!Sports has a nice profile on Ricky Rubio.  
• Check out the "2012 Sports Illustrated Calender"!! 
• Newt Gingrich calls child labor laws "stupid".  
• Joe Nathan signs free agent deal with the Texas Rangers.  
• GQ names Kristen Wiig it's 'Bro of the Year' & Mila Kunis it's 'Knockout of the Year'.  
• J.R. Martinez wins DWTS Season 13.