Olbermann On Goodell

It's not like Roger Goodell is going anywhere, but Olbermann makes a strong case.

POTpourri

• Leading anti-marijuana crusaders are paid by pharmaceutical companies.
• Leaked U.N. Climate Change report has some grim findings.
• Rich pricks have ruining Burning Man shouldn't surprise anyone. 
• Bernie Sanders proposes a Wealth Tax to stem inequality. 
• Much respect those involved in the #BurnISISflagChallenge.
• The Koch Brothers have funded 44,000 ads in the 2014 elections.  
• You can find a great Anthony Bennett profile here. 
• Count me as a big fan of Craig Bohl, great hire by Wyoming. 
• RIP Marvin Barnes, Bob Suter & Molly Glynn.
• Props to Chad Taylor and the Kansas Democrats.  
• LCZ696 sounds like a promising new heart drug!  
• Are you familiar with the Obamacare news that Republicans don't want you to hear? 
• Serena Williams & Marin Cilic win 2014 U.S. Open Tennis titles. 
• The axe falls on the Ravens Ray Rice, deservedly so.    
• Howard Stern's Joan Rivers eulogy struck the perfect tone for her.
• Deadbeat one percenters endanger U.S. democracy.   
• Kris Bryant named Baseball America's 2014 Minor League Player of the Year.
• Paul Krugman makes a strong case in support of a higher minimum wage. 
• Media outlets need to stop it with their lame attempts at balance. 
• Is Antonin Scalia really someone we want on the Supreme Court? 

VS Fearless

Just because!

Cardinals 18, Chargers 17

The Cardinals kicked off their 2014 season tonight with an 18-17 MNF win over the Chargers at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  What a nice win!  They trailed 17-6 after 3 quarters and then battled back with 2 4th quarter touchdowns!  They do need to clean up some things though, they looked rather sloppy at times and their offense really wasn't clicking until near the end of the game.  Still, a win is a win, I'll take it.

Observations:

• The Cardinals run game needs some work.  
• Larry Foote looks like he may be a great pick up.  
• I love the aggressiveness of Todd Bowles play calling. 
• Ted Ginn Jr did not impress me returning kicks.  
• I think that this could be a breakout year for WR Michael Floyd.  
• Tyrann Mathieu was inactive tonight, they need him on the field.   
• Wherefore Art Thou Larry Fitzgerald?   1 catch for 22 yards. 
• I was not a fan of that failed Wildcat 2-point conversion attempt. 
• Calais Campbell was uncharacteristically quiet tonight. 
• The Cardinals had 2 punters active tonight.  
• I really like this John Brown kid!!
• Chandler Catanzaro was solid in his first action as Cardinals kicker. 
• That Charger no huddle offense looked like more trouble than it's worth. 
• Carson Palmer can run the ball when he needs to.  
• The NFL's new pass interference rule needs revision ASAP. 
• I've decided that I don't like Jeremy Attaochu.  
• It was nice to see Kurt Warner inducted into the Cardinals Ring-of-Honor. 
• I'm really not a fan of Chris Berman in the announcers booth. 
• Up next?  @ NY Giants on Sunday. 

Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson is a Beast!

Vikings 34, Rams 6

The Vikings opened the Mike Zimmer Era today with a very impressive 34-6 win over the Rams.  I was impressed, the played well in all aspects of the game (offense, defense & special teams).  Like I have previously stated, IMO much of the problems the Vikings had last year could be attributed to outdated schemes, not so much a lack of talent.  Today, they just looked so much better coached.  All of their stars showed up too.  I'm actually excited about this Vikings team!  Skol Vikings!

Observations:

• It's hard to believe that the Rams were favored in this game. 
• No touchdowns allowed???  Are you kidding me???
• The Vikings did not win a road game all of last year.  
• Matt Cassel was very solid at QB for the Vikings.  113.8 QB Rating. 
• 5 sacks for the Vikings, I love the aggressiveness.  
• Cordarrelle Patterson is going to touch the ball a lot.  Rare talent. 
• Sharrif Floyd looks like a different player out there. 
• Turnovers:  Rams 2, Vikings 0
• Brandon Fusco proved that deserved that fat raise he got this week. 
• Linval Joseph seems recovered from that gunshot wound.  
• 2 field goals and multiple touchbacks for Blair Walsh.  Nice weapon to have.
• Harrison Smith is going to be very good in this Mike Zimmer defense. 
• Anthony Barr had a very nice fist game.  Promising start!
• Adrian Peterson had 75 yards on 21 carries.  
• 6 catches for Greg Jennings, he is much better with Cassel at QB. 
• Lots of penalties out there today.  Early season jitters? 
• Including the pre-season, Mike Zimmer is now 5-0 as an NFL head coach!
• Jeff Fisher's switch of QB's in the 2nd half was curious.  
• I wonder if the Rams would have any interest in Christian Ponder? 
• Up next?   Patriots @ TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 

Haboob!

These Phoenix dust storms amaze me.

Arizona State 58, New Mexico 23

The Sun Devils improved to 2-0 today with a 58-23 win over New Mexico in Albuquerque.  It got a little sloppy for ASU in the 2nd quarter, but otherwise it seemed like the Sun Devils were just toying with the Lobos.  There are certainly areas that need to be cleaned up, but it was a nice win, especially given that it was on the road.  

Observations:

• Except for that hiccup of a 2nd quarter, ASU dominated this game.
• This Sun Devil offense is just loaded with talent. 
• ASU now has 10 games of 50+ points under Todd Graham. 
• The Sun Devils are a very young team, they may need some time to gel.
• D.J. Foster is a threat to break it long every time he touches the ball. 
• Taylor Kelly surpasses the 7000 career passing yardage mark. 
• The Arizona State pass rush needs some work.  
• All Kalen Ballage does is score touchdowns.  
• That's now 29 straight games with a catch for D.J. Foster. 
• Total Yards:  Arizona State 621, New Mexico 337
• It's Arizona S-T-A-T-E, not Arizona!  
• Nice game for Arizona St DB Jordan Simone.  
• Turnovers:  New Mexico 3, Arizona State 1
• Will Sutton is much missed from the Sun Devil interior DL.  
• Is Arizona State playing without Tight Ends?  
• The Arizona State special teams units have some work to do.  
• New Mexico played without 3 starters, including their QB. 
• You don't see the Triple Option offense much anymore. 
• I'm a Bob Davie fan, given time I think that he will win at New Mexico.  
• Up next?  @ Colorado to kick off Pac-12 play. 

Minnesota 35, Middle Tennessee St 24

The Gophers improved to 2-0 today with a 35-24 win over Middle Tennessee St in Minneapolis.  Just like last week, they built a big early lead then seemed to let up the gas.  Hopefully, they will play all 4 quarters next week.  The Gophers running game was very impressive once again!   They still need to get that passing game going though, that really will be the key to their season IMO.  Good win though!

Observations:

• The game was over at halfime.  No quit in the Blue Raiders though. 
• David Cobb was a beast, 220 yards rushing and 2 TD's.  
• Damien Wilson was the Gophers best defensive player for the 2nd game in a row. 
• Mitch Leidner has been quite underwhelming as starting QB thus far. 
• Mark my words, Maxx Williams will be playing on Sundays. 
• Maxx Williams also needs more passes thrown his way.  
• Jalen Myrick has looked very good at CB this season. 
• The Gophers OL was mashing people in the run game today. 
• Only 11 pass attempts by the Gophers, they need to get the ball down field more. 
• Minnesota was only 5 of 12 on 3rd down, they need to do better.  
• Gophers keep getting injured, that's not good this early in the season. 
• The Gophers need to do a better job of pressuring the QB.  
• Way too many missed tackles by the Gophers today. 
• I think that it's safe to say that Jack Lynn had his best day as a Gopher. 
• The Gophers secondary continued to impress.  
• Only 3 penalties for the Gophers today, they are not beating themselves! 
• K.J. Maye needs more looks for the Gophers too.  
• Minnesota is 2-0 for the 3rd season in a row.  Cupcakes?   
• The Gophers just cannot score on their first drive.  
• Up next?  @ TCU next Saturday!  

RIP Joan Rivers

A true original.  RIP Joan Rivers.

2014-15 NFL Predictions

The NFL season kicks off tonight!   That means that it's time for my fearless 2014-15  NFL season forecast.  It's so hard to repeat as Super Bowl champs nowadays, I really like the Seahawks but I can't predict them to win it all again this season.  I really want to predict the Cardinals higher than 3rd place but I just can't, the NFC West is just too tough and they will be missing 3 key pieces of last seasons defense.  Surprise teams to watch?  You've got to know there will be a few, there always are.  The Eagles have a lot of steam around them and I think it's well placed, they could make a serious push this season in Chip Kelly's 2nd season.  I like the Vikings too, they have a lot of good young talent and I really like their new coaching staff, I'm just not sure how far they can go with Matt Cassel at QB.

NFC EAST
1)  Philadelphia Eagles *
2)  Dallas Cowboys
3)  New York Giants
4)  Washington Redskins

NFC SOUTH
1)  New Orleans Saints *
2)  Carolina Panthers
3)  Atlanta Falcons
4)  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC NORTH
1)  Chicago Bears *
2)  Green Bay Packers *
3)  Minnesota Vikings
4)  Detroit Lions

NFC WEST
1)  Seattle Seahawks *
2)  San Francisco 49ers *
3)  Arizona Cardinals
4)  St Louis Rams

AFC EAST
1)  New England Patriots *
2)  New York Jets
3)  Buffalo Bills
4)  Miami Dolphins

AFC SOUTH
1)  Indianapolis Colts *
2)  Tennessee Titans
3)  Jacksonville Jaguars
4)  Houston Texans

AFC NORTH
1)  Baltimore Ravens *
2)  Cincinnati Bengals *
3)  Pittsburgh Steelers
4)  Cleveland Browns

AFC WEST
1)  Denver Broncos *
2)  Kansas City Chiefs *
3)  San Diego Chargers
4)  Oakland Raiders

* = Playoffs

NFC Championship = San Francisco 49ers over Seattle Seahawks
AFC Championship = New England Patriots over Denver Broncos

Super Bowl = San Francisco 49ers over New England Patriots

MVP = Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Rookie of the Year = Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Houston Texans

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was a smart man!

Top 10 All Time Timberwolves

With the Timberwolves officially dealing Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it got me to thinking about how Love ranks on the team's All Time Best Player list.  Obviously, it's not a storied history, so there's not a lot of greats on this list, but here goes:

1. Kevin Garnett
2. Kevin Love
3. Tom Gugliotta
4. Tony Campbell
5. Wally Szerbiak
6. Al Jefferson
7. Terrell Brandon
8. Sam Cassell
9. Sam Mitchell
10. Christian Laettner

Others:  Doug West, Latrell Sprewell, Ricky Rubio, Stephon Marbury, Isaiah Rider, Tyrone Corbin, Joe Smith, Nikola Pekovic

Goodbye Summer!

It was a nice run!

POTpourri

• Texas Governor Rick Perry indicted for abuse of power. 
• Pretty damning eyewitness accounts of the murder in Ferguson. 
• RIP James Foley & Don Pardo.  
• It looks like I may need to stop eating at Burger King. 
• 2014 Emmy Awards winners list here. 
• The U.K. has got a real ISIS problem.  Time for action? 
• It's always a good day when Laura Cremaschi hits the beach.  
• Ferguson is a prime example of the importance of voting.  
• Maya Moore wins 2014 WNBA MVP Award. 
• You've got to love Bill Murray!!
• Contraception is saving the U.S. billions on teen pregnancy. 
• RIP Richard Attenborough & Albert Ebosse. 
• U.K. declares that clean coal isn't clean! 
• You can't beat a great Underbutt!
• You can track the progress of the future home of the Minnesota Vikings here. 
• Could Jim Webb pose a threat to Hillary Clinton in 2016?  
• 2014 MTV VMA winners list here! 
• Jen Mateo wins the 2014 SpyonVegas Hot 100 Contest.  
• More hidden hotel fees!  This is starting to smell criminal.  
• How come I don't know more about Jessie J?  
• Is the NHL really looking at expansion?