2013 Projections

Thought everyone might be interested in Accuscore's 2013 projections. They should make you feel hopeful (which might be a bad thing) because they project the Tigers to win the division and the World Series.

Bracketology

Let me get this straight...Wisconsin finished the B1G in 4th place and UM finished #5. Wisconsin defeated UM in the regular season AND the B1G tourney, yet Wisconsin received a #5 seed in the Big Dance and UM got a #4...and Wisconsin is the first one packing their bags (and embarrassing the B1G). I think the committee nailed that one.  VC PU

Go Blue!

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Is there any way that the Lions signing sort-of former Heisman winner Reggie Bush doesn't end up disappointing? I certainly don't see it.

No Sponsor For 'Ship

I'm a fan of this.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9044578/college-football-new-playoff-format-title-sponsor

Play of the Day

Iron Man 3

March Madness

The 2013 Monkies Tourney Pick 'Em group is available now at Yahoo. The group ID is 1416 and you all know the password.

UPDATE: You should also be able to sign up by clicking here.

Why play?

Greenly brought up a great question last week about comments and a story on Jadeveon Clowney. There is also a great article here. What motivation does Clowney have to play his Junior year at South Carolina? He's already a #1 pick if he could enter the draft. He can do nothing more to improve his draft status. All he can do is hurt it or himself. So...why not sit out and train? In the words of T.O., he has 20 million reasons not to play. What would his boy Lattimer have to say?

The rule is you have to be 3 years removed from HS. I understand the physical differences between the NFL and NCAA. Florida playing CMU is not the same as playing the Patriots. But, the government thinks at 18 years old you are mature enough to fight ( and possibly die) for our country. In the NBA, you have to be 1 year removed from HS. What does that do for the argument about fighting for your country right out of HS?

The argument against Clowney sitting out is that "football players play" and that would hurt his character.

I also realize...how often are we talking about guys entering their junior year with the potential of being a top 5 pick? Not very often. So I'd not be in favor of opening up an issue for just 5 guys each year.

Realignment

In the Detroit News Bob Wojnowski had an article yesterday about Big Ten realignment following the addition of Maryland and Rutgers. As the conference has said geography will play a major factor in determining the alignment, here are Wojo's proposed divisions:

East: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Maryland
West: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern

If you're feeling a little fuzzy on the geography, yes, both Indiana schools are to the west of MSU. Not that it necessarily matters, but it's probably worth noting. Here are the current divisions if, like me, you can't keep them straight:

Legends: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State  
Leaders: Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois

A few thoughts:

-Is there a legitimate need to have UM and OSU separated?
-Will teams in the hypothetical East have a recruiting advantage due to increased exposure?
-How much do you worry about competitive balance, if at all?
-Will they keep the names Legends and Leaders?
-Will there be 16 teams by the time the moves are made?

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Hey, remember when Ray Lewis was tried for murder? Most of the media apparently doesn't, but the New York Post has a story on it today (via Right Field). The details are probably much worse than you remember.

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Hey, did you guys hear that Jim and John Harbaugh are brothers?

Car of the Day: 2014 Corvette Stingray

I could watch this all day.

I think I need this on my phone to watch whenever I start to feel down:

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Why did the Jets bother to sign Tim Tebow if they have no plans to start him now that they've given up on Mark Sanchez?

Winning

With the lack of success from other seemingly-talented MSU quarterbacks, it's nice to see Kirk Cousins get a win in his first NFL start.

Man of Steel

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How is there nearly a full week to play bowl games after the 1st and the title game is still being played on a Monday night? Not that I think the game is going to be worth watching, but who does that when you have a Friday night available? What a waste.

Triple Crown

Every Miguel Cabrera homerun and RBI from the past season:

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I'm no Badger fan, but I love the way Wisconsin finished the first half of the Big Ten Championship Game. Too many teams, the Spartans definitely included, get a lead then sit back and play it safe, hoping they don't make a mistake that loses the game. Wisconsin had a chance to rip Nebraska's collective heart out, and they took it. Bravo.

Car of the Day: Lamborghini Miura

In what was definitely my most unlikely car sighting ever (the previous winner was seeing a Fiat 500 on the road before it was actually released in the US), I saw one of these driving in Moline yesterday.  I actually recognized the model from playing Forza Motorsport 4, but of course I couldn't believe it until I could actually see the Lambo badge. Picture from Wikipedia.

 

Not sure on the price for this one, at least $400,000.