Fire

This week’s blog will be a personal vendetta against somebody who told me I would never be anything, somebody that never really did care about me. He lives in his own world, a world that I once enjoyed when I was in my undergraduate heyday only a couple years ago, but he’s enjoying it now almost at the age of fifty. If anybody knows who I’m talking about (which will most likely be family) then you will understand the ugly in this personal letter. I could care less if the world read this letter for it is an embarrassment for a human being to treat a human being the way this shmuck has especially towards his own son. Hence the name of this blog will be called fire, for it is pure truth and despair that I have for this human being for he hasn’t talked to me in a year. So here we go.

Dear Child Care Provider est. 1992-2013,

           

            I don’t want to say anymore that needs to be said for that this letter should be vindication for how I know you truly feel about me. When you left my mother the way you did, had the audacity  to think I hated you after she divorced you, and then assume that our bridge had burned before I hit my teen years. I was 12 years old in 2003, the year I decided to call you and remind you that I love you, that I miss you, that I hadn’t seen my child care provider in way to long of a time. We bonded from the beginning. We talked about sports first thing, football and the crazy baseball memories from your high school days. We got along as if we were long lost friends and it was something I cherished and I was so glad I could rekindle a bridge that needed repairing. I came down to visit during spring break while you were in San Antonio and I remember you introducing me to the San Antonio Spurs, how much you told about the greatness of Time Duncan, the Flare of Manu Ginobili and the youth and dash of the 21 year old Tony Parker. A connection was seriously bonding between the two of us and I could feel us growing closer as though we could make this work. We talked more and more about my little league experiences through middle school, we chatted constantly about the spurs, and you would inspire me to push my limits even when I didn’t think I could do so.

High school started and you pushed me to pursue the most difficult of challenges, play sports, and give me some sort of motivation to get into college while attaining an honor graduate diploma in high school. You sat me down in New Orleans and gave me the speech of doing so well on the SAT and ACT and figuring my shit when it came to my after school plans. You opened my eyes similarly to how my mom opened my eyes before I started high school and those things are only more than impressionable on a teenage boy than you can ever imagine. I remember when I was going through senior year of high school and you were so pumped that your first son was going to a private liberal arts college unlike so many people that I went to school with. You were so stoked you changed your profile picture and nearly made me the center of your world with how proud you were of my accomplishments. I couldn’t have been prouder of my dad and how far we had come through our relationship.

Then college came and you became a totally different animal. You saw that my grades dipped below where I had planned to have them, you saw that I joined a fraternity, and you saw that I didn’t have a job. Your perceptions changed for the worse as if I had become a demon child and that I was “throwing away my life” because I had joined a fraternity. My brothers are more family then you ever have been and all they did was promote a sense of family along with a sense of scholarly improvement that I so desperately needed, but your media driven air force miniature brain couldn’t get its head out of its own ass to realize the extra curricula’s I was doing to boost my chances of getting a job and then eventually graduate from college with a more well-rounded background then I could ever imagine. But you never really came around. You supported me, you would listen, you would even lend me a helping hand if I ever needed it, but at the end of the day, your views had changed of your own son because your world was not getting attended to. The bridge began to lose its stability.

The summer of 2012 came and I decided to take on the ultimate test of independence as a college student. Living in a home where I was working to pay my own rent, food, and gas and I would let you know how I was doing as often as I could because I knew it would take you and mom to help me every once in a while. You stopped answering your calls, you stopped answering my emails, and you completely lost faith in my ability to have what it took to become an adult. My senior year started and my hours got cut from work, I was basically in the most dire of situations when it came to my financial situation. I never asked for money in the past and this was the only time I ever wanted to ask you. You flat out denied me and ignored all of my messages, ignored anything your own son asked of you. Then the phone call that changed our relationship forever.

I call you the day before my 22^nd birthday and we discussed my situation of moving out of that house I was living in. You called my decision moronic, brought up every worst case scenario your little mind could think of and you ignored all of my answers to your questions. If there was a definition of ass hole in this conversation, you displayed every feature. You corrected me as if you had lived my life the past 3+ years not providing the positive feedback I had expected like you did in high school, you didn’t give me the opportunity to explain why everything was going to be ok, all you did was give your side of the story and bitch me out like I was a 16 year old sheep. A year ago today you hung up on me when all I did was try to explain my side of the story when all you did was explain to me your perspective, never allowing me to provide mine, the definition of narrow-mindedness. Ever since that day, I haven’t owed you an apology, I haven’t done anything wrong to make you mad at me, it’s your world that has seeped out and poisoned that people that love you. Your family, they love you, but you push them away, your first wife, she cares about you as a person, but you bitch her out too. Your 3 children, you find ways to bury them in the dust just to get your ego to prevail (believe me, I have that same feeling, it’s genetic, I get it, but it doesn’t mean you need to extract it onto other people). Most of the things you do dad, I have already done and I completely understand your thought process, you forget I am your son, and I know exactly why you feel the way you do about your family, but does that mean the disrespect and the one-upping needs to occur constantly so you don’t have to compensate for something we all know you lack? Dad you’re a fucking failure at life, you disrespect your son, you hang out with 23-26 year old graduate students and take pictures of young women like you are living your college days in your late 40’s. What makes you think this is cool? What makes doing something so youthful at such a gross age is so cool in your arrogant stubborn world that you live in? Apparently all the things I did to build our relationship to what it became prior to college was just another outlet for you to display your puny world that you call Jim Allen.

Fuck you dad, this bridge will never be fixed until you owe me an apology, till you admit your wrong doings to me and why you acted in your childish ways and how you still do. You are not a man if you can’t follow through with your commitment to your children and you are definitely not one if you have to stoop down to the level of a 6 year old girl in a candy store who doesn’t get her way. I’m done with you dad, I will always take a sincere apology, but I’m not jumping back to fix a relationship that I decided to sew back up in 2003. I’m not doing it again 10 years later when you’re the one acting like your brain hasn’t fully developed. I thank you for the 20 years of child support and also trying to get your way out of paying the last 6 months of it because you were fed up with paying for a “failing college student.” Let’s see, what have you missed in the past year that I should bring up, Oh yeah, I graduated from college, got a job working with Autistic kids and then moved into the Recovery field to help kids. I’m doing something with my major right out of college and you couldn’t give 2 shits. Well here’s my letter to you, let me know when your ready to apologize because I hope it’s before your 70 and need depends to hold your own shit.

Sincerely your child support bill

See you all next week.

Define Blowout

Today marks the 97 year anniversary of the biggest blowout in NCAA History, and it’s not even close. Georgia Tech and Cumberland played a game on October 7^th 1916 where Georgia Tech won the game by a score of (yes this is real life) 222-0. So with this day, I will officially claim it as National Blowout Day as there couldn’t be a better way to describe a blowout. Think about it, 222 points? You couldn’t do that in a video game if you tried, and if you were playing in the park I’m sure if you scored 100 points the other team would forfeit. How is this possible? Well factor in the popularity of American Football in the 1910’s and there is your answer. It wasn’t on Americas radar in terms of popularity and with the amount of people that went to go watch the game back in those days, you might as well have a club rugby team trout out there to attract more followers. The National Football league wasn’t even a thing, and baseball was in its dead ball era as Ty Cobb was racking up benchmark records for modern day players to marvel at. 222 points? Even Peyton Manning couldn’t score that many points against my old University of Puget Sound football squad who is a division III bottom dweller. That should give you the perspective of this game and understand how ridiculous 222-0 should be. Since this is the day of the blowout, let’s look at some blowouts of the week to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Brian Hoyer blew out his ACL after only a couple starts of sheer brilliance as he seemed to be the savior for the Cleveland Browns. Granted, it was only a couple starts, but the way he powered this team to a 3-0 start after the Trent Richardson trade, is truly Tom-Brady-like. Unfortunately, a blown ACL will have to hold him back from taking the top off the terrible franchise the browns have put together for the past 20+ years.

A blown call was heralded as well as Dee Gordon of the Dodgers was called out in the 9^th inning a clear steal of second base. He was trying to get himself into scoring position as the Dodgers were down 1 to the Braves. This was one of those calls that clearly irked instant replay to make an appearance ASAP and it was a real gut turner if you are a fan of the dodgers. Every play is critical in the postseason in Major League Baseball, and for this to happen was another travesty to the sport, but it does celebrate the Blowout because of the blown call.

Now the conventional celebration of the blowout has to be the Florida State/ Maryland matchup in college football this past weekend. A matchup of two top 25 teams and Florida State made sure Maryland never sniffed the top 25 for the rest of 2013. 63-0. It’s definitely not 222-0 but can we be clear that when one top 25 team does this to another, it’s a clear sign that maybe national attention is not quite ready to step foot in Maryland anytime soon. What a gutless performance by the Terps and I hope they recognize their performance was on par with the 1916 performance of Cumberland.

 There is also one game on the horizon when it comes to blowouts we need to discuss quickly before I go back to watching Postseason baseball. The Denver Broncos might actually put up 100 points on the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend and I honestly don’t think it’s that out of the question. The overall line for the game is -28 heading into the beginning of this week and that could cause a stir for becoming the biggest spread in NFL history. To be honest, if you don’t take the points, do you really think the Jaguars can score 30+ points against the Broncos, because I honestly think 70 is an automatic for the Broncos offense that is definitely scoring 600 points this season (which would be the most in NFL history by a long shot). If you think the Jaguars can score more than 30 points this upcoming weekend, then maybe you need to be checked out into a mental hospital, or maybe you just played for Cumberland back in 1916 and for some reason are an old fart still living at the age of 120.

I’ll see y’all next week! And remember to embrace the blowout!

2013 MLB Playoff Predictions

It’s October and there is literally only one thing I really care about when it comes to this time of month: MLB Postseason. This past regular season was quite interesting and teams that should not have entered the playoffs are in! The Pittsburg Pirates are into the playoffs for the first time in 20 years and will be playing a team that has won 2 World Series since they last joined in the St. Louis Cardinals. The NL Playoffs this year have matchups that should make a grown man cry with the Dodgers and Braves facing each other in the other NL Divisional Series. The best team in the NL all season in the Braves facing the midseason fire squad in the LA Dodgers should be the best matchup of the entire postseason and honestly should be the NL Championship matchup.

In the AL we have the Red Sox who came out of nowhere after the barn burning season of 2012. They finished first in the AL East and did it with ease as the Blue Jay reloaded, Orioles were destined to make a playoff appearance, and Tampa Bay Rays were close on their heels. Speaking of the Tampa Bay Rays, didn’t they have themselves quite a last couple of games having to win game 163 and the wildcard game just to make it to the big dance. Speaking of matchups how about Tigers and Oakland A’s. Who here really thinks this Oakland A’s team is for real? I think they are probably the worst team in the postseason because of the salary cap they throw out on the field every single season, but they have again proven that money means nothing when it comes to winning ball games. The defending AL Champion Detroit Tigers will definitely be looking to capture a world series title, one that has evaded them in 2006 and 2012, and hopefully they can have a less than 100% Miguel Cabrera to carry them. Anyways let’s get to these predictions shall we?

I skipped the Wild-Card matchups because if somebody lost in one of these games it would completely change the outcome of my prediction which is why this is going up immediately after the AL Wildcard matchup game. I called the World Series winner in 2010 with the Giants winning the series and have been miserable at predicting ever since but I do think my prediction should be the legitimate winner in this year’s fall classic. Reason being they have been the best team in baseball all year and almost nobody knows it because of other teams taking the spotlight, but here we go! Here are your 2013 MLB Playoff Predictions.

AL Divisional Playoffs

With the Tigers coming into the playoffs hungry for another shot at the AL Crown, I think the Oakland A’s picked the wrong team to play in the first round. It’s not their fault that they finished as the #2 seed, but seeding isn’t going to help them win ballgames especially against a powerhouse such as Detroit. I see the Tigers coming in with their 21 game winner and Verlander taking care of business sending Oakland back to their dump of a city and starting the process of Detroit heading back to the World Series. Prediction: DET 3 OAK 0

Considering how these two teams know each other I could seriously see this series going either way. I think with the experience the Rays have and their ability to play in close games (which they have shown the past two games) if they play the way they have the past two games, the Red Sox will have no chance. But I do see the Red Sox putting up a great run and making a solid effort at getting to the next round. I think the Red Sox will get it done and take their beard show to Detroit. Prediction: BOS 3 TB 1

NL Divisional Playoffs

This is the matchup of the postseason whether we like it or not, the best team in baseball versus the hottest team in baseball. Yes I know, the Dodgers haven’t been hot as of late, but from June till September this was the best team in baseball. The only difference is that the Atlanta Braves have been the best team in baseball from April till the last week of the season when St. Louis took the #1 spot in the NL. I think there is some strategy in the Braves ability to get the #2 seed instead of the #1 seed because the wildcard has generally caused headaches over the past decade and I don’t think the Braves wanted to face the magical Pirates. I see this being a 5 game classic and honestly whoever wins this series will be a strong contender in the World Series. But I see it being the braves due to their strong consistency throughout the ENTIRE season. Prediction: ATL 3 LAD 2

I honestly have always been a big Cardinal supporter especially when Albert Pujols was in his prime but the magic of the Pirates is really hard not to root for. I could see this series going either 5 games or being a straight rout from either side. Both these teams have played each other a ton this season and honestly they know each other like the back of their hands. Matchups in this will really not matter because both teams know each other so well, so I could see this going the distance. I think the Cardinals will come out on top but I wouldn’t be shocked either way. Prediction: STL 3 PIT 2

ALCS

Detroit will not be stopped in this series and here’s why. The Red Sox do not have the drive like the Tigers to put their head to muzzle and gut out a win to make it to the World Series. I want you to give me a reason as to how this team a year ago who had less than 70 wins will beat the last years AL Champions who got swept in the World Series. The motivation factor for the Red Sox will not be their like it will be for the Tigers and as long as Miguel Cabrera is healthy, this team will be too hard to beat. Prediction: DET 4 BOS 2

NLCS

C’mon… this game is way too easy to predict. The Cardinals have made it through the regular season and after the Pirates series I see them being worn down a little bit. Although, they do have some serious playoff experience with David Frees and his ability to do anything that is magical. But this Braves team is just so stacked I can’t see how the Cardinals beat them. With how gutty the Cardinals are, I definitely see it being a series, but with the powerful bullpen the Braves have, I just don’t see how they get it done. Prediction: ATL 4 STL 2

2013 World Series

The Atlanta Braves are the best team in Baseball, there is no doubt and I think the Tigers are just not strong enough in their bullpen to keep up with the abilities of Atlanta. The Braves don’t just have a great pitching staff, they have a batting lineup that they have built through their farm system with a couple of guys through free agency the past couple of seasons. They are set to really make a big time statement in October and I could see the Tigers winning the World Series as well, but this is Atlanta’s year. They were so good in one of the games I saw when they played in Seattle in 2012, I had a feeling that they had a chance to win a couple World Series in this new window for themselves. They are back to being the divisional powerhouse I think they can become and everybody in that division needs to look out over the next 5 years. Detroit, I’m sorry, but you just can’t match Hotlanta this postseason. Prediction: ATL 4 DET 2

Nothing But Money

Another week. Another day. Another season. This summer went by way to quickly and with how much I have to say about this week, I’m not going to recap the summer with a bunch of similes and adjectives to describe how it was like. I’m too fed up with the NCAA to really care about a seasonal change and the only thing to really change my mood will be the feel of the MLB Postseason which is literally around the corner. The stretch run is upon us and Major League Baseball is heating up in some races along with Champaign already popping in others. But let’s get to this NCAA bullshit shall we?

Nothing but money. The title of the blog this week. Why? Because the NCAA has not just turned into a money driven scum bucket, it’s turned into a form of used condoms and paper contracts that spell out the inconsistency of the American Constitution. Why used condoms? Because they are literally fucking over individuals who lack the resources. I was reading the second part of the Oklahoma State investigation in this past week’s sports illustrated and I had to stop reading after a couple pages and step back to realize these are all young men who are being extorted of their situations and used for the benefit of their natural abilities ONLY. I could not believe how much they actually picked up players through recruiting then threw them to the curb if they didn’t perform to the level of their scouting number. That’s all these athletes are now today, they are just numbers. They don’t just go to class, they get picked up, taken advantage of, and let go if they don’t make the cut. I thought a scholarship was supposed to keep these kids in school, to help free them of the incessant bullshit they have been a part of for a majority of their lives? Apparently not. In fact, it’s the opposite and it was one of the most disturbing reads I’ve ever come across and to believe a place as prosperous as college can turn into a meat grinder like this article made Oklahoma State seem to be, it’s absolutely disgusting and to see how young 19 year old me can get extorted for their 4.3 speed, and their 430 pound bench pressing while being ignored for their 1.0 GPA’s in their magnet high schools that are run into the ground because of the values our society has preached towards to lower income portion of our country. Why don’t we just reverse this trend instead of push it forward to make these unfortunate individuals with the backgrounds they have get no opportunity to shine in these 40,000 deep public institutions? You know why? Business. It’s killing these individuals and nobody cares because it will only turn their stock up to make the American economy look good for yet another 24 hour period. That’s what my feeling was for this Oklahoma State story for this past week, and if it’s happening at Oklahoma State what makes you think it’s not happening anywhere else? The NCAA is such a money murk that it makes me want to actually punch a baby in the face. Get the youth here for the right reasons, not for a game that is played on a grass field for 60 minutes.

In other news Trent Richardson was traded to the Colts making them a legit Super Bowl thought in the process now. Big time fantasy trades occurring in the NFL like it’s nothing.

Alright, the new Drake album just came out. Bye.

What is Defense?

Defense. It’s an art that requires discipline and the ability to withstand your opponent. It’s an ability that has seriously been lacking in the sport of football within this first month of the season in both College and the NFL. With what happened this weekend, which was one of the best weekends in sports for 2013, defense was not the mantra except for one entity which involved the sport of boxing.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather has the best defense of any boxer in the history of the sport. The guy is so good, he makes other potential stars look absolutely awestruck with his tenacious speed and cat-like reflexes. Watching the fight on Saturday night, the guy was absolutely unhittable. The guy made Alvarez look like another tomato can when Alvarez is actually one of the best fighters in the entire world. Both these fighters were undefeated and clearly Mayweather dominated like he has since 1996. The man is now 45-0 and nobody seems close to even hitting him with the prowess they think they can. In fact, Floyd is so great, he makes fights look almost unwatchable because when competitors try to hit him, he dodges them like the ghost he is. Also, every couple of rounds, he changes his stance and his angles for which his fighters can take, he constantly changes his approach and with his speed it seems nearly impossible to attack. Money is the greatest defensive fighters of our era, so much so it’s almost not entertaining.

When it comes to football though, defense is something that’s been lacking. A key example of what a shootout looks like is what the Alabama and Texas A&M game was this weekend. This was clearly one of the most hyped games of the year and it lived up to expectations, and defense was not part of the equation. As Texas A&M ran up and down the field, Alabama matched them step for step along with actually shutting down Alabama mid-way through the game. But the definition of shutting down definitely meant holding Johnny Football to 42 points. In the 49-42 win the Alabama juggernaut showed no mercy as they made Johnny Football finally recognize his place, an SEC superstar who does not have National Championship capability. Maybe it’s because of the defense he has, but either way, he couldn’t get it done.

The NFL this entire season has had plenty of games where defense has not been the factor in the outcome. Several big time matchups have had games decided in the 30’s and the games almost have a basketball type feel with back and forth scoring where defense seems non-existent. One game this weekend really broke that mold as a team in the great northwest decided to dominant in the thunder. In a 29-3 game that felt like 59-0, the Seattle Seahawks came out and played like the team they represent on paper. Their defense and home field advantage was a huge deciding factor in the NFL’s currently best rivalry. With the Seahawks now 2-0 and having a clear advantage in the division, they are on pace to have one unforgettable year.

To other news that happened throughout the week, U.S. Soccer got it’s qualifying on when it came to the 2014 World Cup. It’s always exciting to see our country represent the way they can especially in the world’s biggest sport.

Jim Furyk hit a 59 which is always impressive no matter what course you are playing on. Anytime you shoot a -10 you are having an unbelievable day on the golf course. Unfortunately he became the 3^rd person in PGA history to shoot a round of 59 and lose the tournament. Either way, a 59 is something worth mentioning and giving dap too.

What happened in Tempe was another ridiculous story worth mentioning this week. Speaking of officiating, how about how Wisconsin got screwed over when it came to time management and the referees letting the Arizona State player laying on the ball. 20 seconds left as Wisconsin tried to get the clock down to a couple seconds and instead the clock ran to zero. Talk about controversy, it more or less sounds like home field advantage. Wisconsin did get screwed, but at the same time, they should have just kicked the ball to win the game instead of get greedy.

That’s my blog fellas see you next week!

Peyton Manning for President

There was a bamboozle of NFL Games on Sunday which really felt like Christmas Day for football fans. Peyton Manning definitely didn't disappoint in the teaser either as he had 7 touchdowns tying a record set in 1969. The guy is a Hall of Famer no doubt and his performance lit up the record books on a night that the lightning decided to delay the NFL opener.

Peyton Manning is a quarterback known as the most precise, on the button player the NFL has probably ever seen. The guy makes everyone around him better with his perfectionistic characteristics that border on verge of psychotic. With this much intensity you would think it would leak out towards the rest of the team, but apparently it doesn't when guys like linebacker Danny Trevathan decides to showboat and drop the ball a yard short of a pick-6. What should be made of an example for the rest of the league fortunately did not overshadow what was an exceptional performance by the great Peyton Manning who helped the Broncos blowout the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on the Thursday night kickoff game.

At the same time, considering it is the beginning of the regular season, it is only week one. The New York Jets won a game, indicating the NFL season is still relatively young. Speaking of relatively young, how about some of these upsets in college football this past weekend? Miami destroyed Florida, the Mormon people wrecked the overrated Longhorns, and some team from Pullman decided to show up in the Southern California and win a PAC-12 game for the first time in forever. All I know is college football has it’s rematch of the year with Alabama and Texas A&M this Saturday and all eyes will be on CBS Saturday afternoon.

In other news, Floyd Mayweather is getting paid 41.5 $million this Saturday which will put him around 80 $million in prize money just from his two fights this year. You think you’re getting bank? This guy is easily the highest paid athlete in 2013 and all he has to do is fight tomato cans along with promote to those who think he’s the hottest thing under the sun. There’s no doubt he’s the best boxer of his era, but does that mean he is the most entertaining thing to watch? I’d argue he’s the least entertaining boxer I’ve ever seen, and I’d rather watch a one round destruction of Mike Tyson in the 1980’s. No disrespect to Floyd Mayweather, but boxing as we all know is just not the sport it once was, and with the way he finagles around the rules of finesse and defensive fighting, making it ever more boring to watch from a bird’s eye view, it won’t get much better.

Check out my new Basketball blog on here it’s called One Hoop, One Ball, One Dream and it should take you in-depth with stories about the game I dearly love along with NBA news with a twist, NCAA coverage and awesome insight about NBA2K, Fantasy Basketball, and passionate stories from my past with fictional, motivational, and insightful pieces that hopefully you can enjoy. My first post “The Playground” is up and ready to view. More posts will come in about a month as this is just a preview post for when basketball season is back up and running.

It’s really nice in the Pacific North West and I’m going to enjoy my week of beautiful weather and enjoy what is left of this summer. See y’all next week.

Johnny, Get It Together

It’s the last Sunday before the NFL season gets underway and we have football on every weekend until sometime in February. Get ready to enjoy the ride because I’m ready to dive into my 20 fantasy leagues, pick ‘em weeks, eliminators, and college pick ems as well. Let’s get this blog on the road.

Tracy McGrady retired this week and ended on a pretty cool note playing in his only ever NBA Finals this past season. Granted, his team lost to the Miami Heat, but nonetheless, the guy had a phenomenal career and will go down as one of the most lethal scorers the NBA has ever seen. His defense was suspect and his team play was a bit questionable, but when it came to his ability to put the ball in the hoop, you couldn’t find a better guy in the early 2000’s. It’ll be sad to see him go and we all will remember his breakout performances on the Orlando Magic and in his Houston Rocket days.

Madden 25 came out this week and all I have been doing is playing it and if you play it too, you should add me at chrismorrison99. I find this to be one of the best Madden games out since the 2005 Madden that introduced the hit stick. So much variability when it comes to team game play and with some of the precision features they added, the game feels more realistic than ever. I was a skeptic of Madden the past 2-3 seasons with the way the game play was shaping up, but this season the game play is fantastic and I love playing it anytime I get the chance.

 NCAA Football came back this week with a bang as some big time matchups took the stage especially with probably one of the best games we may see all season with Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. A back and forth fourth quarter and a refreshing new look at the start of the 2013 Football season. Georgia and Clemson was another big matchup this weekend and Taj Boyd came out slinging and made me drool at his NFL potential on Saturday especially with the way he carved up that Georgia defense. LSU and TCU was another great matchup where I expected LSU to run TCU out of the building, TCU showed up and made a name for themselves against a respectable SEC opponent. There were some embarrassing upsets in the first week as North Dakota State beat Kansas State on Friday sending Kansas State into a tail spin for the rest of the season. The most embarrassing loss was the Eastern Washington win over #25 ranked Oregon State which only makes PAC 12 land look that much more pathetic heading into conference play. Football is back everybody and it is only going to get better when the NFL kicks off on Thursday night!

Let’s talk about Johnny Manziel for a little bit shall we? When it comes to his actions off the field, I have no place in putting that in my blog because it is a story that really doesn’t appeal to me because I already am fed up with the way the NCAA is run and how players are treated like pawns in their scheme to make tons of money for big wigs while giving little to no compensation for players who don’t even get to sniff the millions of dollars these schools are generating every season. So talking about his off the field issues are not in my agenda but what he did on Saturday against Rice was absolutely embarrassing for college football and I found it shameful and immature of him to act the way he did in the second half of the football game. First of all, He’s playing Rice university who (first of all is a baseball school and) can’t compete at any level when it comes to major football competition. They are the definition of a cupcake team. He’s taunting their front seven all game and showing up their team and making referees pull flags out of their pockets to shut him up. Seriously dude? First off, it’s disrespectful and has no place in the game of football, and it’s Rice University. I honestly would cut him some slack if he came into the second half of an Alabama or LSU or Florida game and threw 3+ TD’s and started talking smack because in actuality that would be pretty bad ass and “baller status” if he ever did such a thing. But this is Rice, Johnny. Seriously? You’re going to taunt 2 star talent (at best) and tell them you own them and to “look at the scoreboard” because you’re winning? You are ranked top 10 in the country and they won’t even sniff a vote to reach the top 25 and you’re telling them to check the scoreboard? How about you check your ego at the door and come play to dominate instead of getting your pompous ego in the way of what your team can achieve this season along with forgetting about what teams like Rice have to say to you on the field. I know you are in the spotlight and that the news about you may be getting on your nerves and people might be saying things about you that you don’t like, but honestly, champions don’t give a crap about the critics in fact they feed off of them and attempt to turn their heads, not rear them up for battle. And Johnny, you are rearing many people’s heads at your actions on the football field as well as off, and if you don’t play to the level you played last season, expect to be undrafted and playing in the CFL with the golden boy Tim Tebow.

One final note before I go, Justin Morneau was given to the Pirates by the Twins. If you know anything about him he played for them forever and won AL MVP back in 2006. The guy is an on the verge Hall of Famer and he is going to provide the spark the Pirates need to help them in this final stretch run they need for the post season. I hope he can get it done for them, or else, he’s done.

Also, if you all haven’t checked out my NFL Preseason predictions, you should do so they should be just below this blog and I also will be doing my Vikings Vlogs starting this week so be on the lookout for those. If you don’t know my YouTube channel, here it is (chrismorrison99).

See y’all next week on Monday Night after the two Monday night games! Football is back and Autumn is in the air, I can FEEL IT!