Saturday, January 31

Rivalry Resumed

In the very first story on this site we discussed the epic Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal which Nadal won in 5 sets in what some, including John McEnroe call the greatest match of all time. Tonight, or rather this morning at 3:30 AM EST (replay Sunday morning on ESPN) the two will meet again in the finals of another Grand Slam, the Australian Open. Federer can surpass Pete Sampras on the all-time Slam wins list after disposing yet again of a trimmer Andy Roddick. Nadal had to hang on in a marathon 5 set match over Fernando Verdasco. It should be another epic match with Nadal not wanting to lose his recent edge over Federer and Roger wanting to show is still the undisputed number 1.



You can see a tale of the tape between the two here.

In other Aussie news, Serena Williams blew through Safina in 59 minutes like a dumptruck to capture her tenth Grand Slam title.



Serena destroys Safina for Aussie Open title, 10th overall Slam [CBSSports]

Friday, January 30

Shackleford Files 007: The Super Bowl and UFC 94

Recorded on Tuesday, we're not posting until today due to some technical difficulties. It was a rough week for the production staff here at the ASD, because one of the interviews we recorded also fell victim to technical difficulties, but we still want to thank Walt for his time. In this episode, we breakdown a pretty big football game, look at a national championship coach that may have reached the end of his rope, and recap some of the recent college basketball games. We also welcome a new special guest to discuss Fedor, Brock Lesnar, and UFC 94.



Cleet reveals some books he won't be buying, and Catfish revisits a serious issue facing football. As always, you can download it HERE. Leave your comments and let us know where we went wrong or how good we look.

It's Friday



"Hey Janice!"

Super Bowl XLIII Mr. Green Lead Pipe Lock



Sadly, we are at our Mr.Green NFL pick of the year. Come now, dry your eyes, pick your head up and wipe that nose, face the end of football season like a man. The storylines may have been a little more dull than usual and the Cardinals may have come out of nowhere, and the Steeler fans may be annoying and even more so if they win, but we still have the chance of an entertaining game. If you are a true sports fan, you could give two shits about who is singing the sponsored pre-game show or what Springsteen will open with at halftime, you only care about watching the game and that is why the Super Bowl has become almost unbearable for those who follow football all year long. It has become so bloated with corporate partnerships, desperate attempts to reach all audiences, and media hype that it is not just a football game. It is painful if your team is in it, especially if it is a closee game; trying to focus on what is going on the field when you have Joe Buck and Troy Aikman waxing poetic about inane storylines and celebrity gossip makes you want to stab yourself with the cheeseknife coated with hotwing sauce. Just as in the BCS title game I will be rooting more against one team that for another one, so if the team I loathe jumps ahead, the 30 minute halftime show is going to seem like an eternity. More diatribing and my pick for the game after the break.

Continue reading...

Thursday, January 29

How Wrong Were We: The 2008 NFL Season


Here at ASD the loyal readers (all 4 of you) know that we like to be held accountable for how off our predictions are. It's acutally enjoyable for us to look back on what he hit on and what me missed when it comes to a picking games. Before this year's NFL season began Catfish offered up his predictions for the upcoming season and since we are doing this before the Super Bowl, you can already guess his picks were not that dead on but he did get a few right and he opened with a pretty prophetic statement:

"...all it takes is a blown ACL, a nagging hamstring, or one sultry succubus and all my plans are foiled."

See how he did after the break.

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Two Case Studies in ACC End-of-Game Management












Unless you had other things going on last night or do not enjoy college basketball, you missed some great finishes in ACC country. The games of Duke-Wake and UNC-Florida St. came down to the wire after all four teams battled hard, but as is seen so often come tournament time, a team has to be solid during crunch time if they want to win and advance. Although these games were not elimination games and merely affected conference standings and nonessential national rankings, it is a good reflection of how calling the right play, execution, and knowing your opponents strengths and weaknesses can win the game...or lose it.

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Wednesday, January 28

So... Yea... Respect

Not even the NBA is prepared to acknowledge the Bobcats' existence and we wonder why so many other basketball talking heads know so little about the team. This is from last night's "Game of the Week" on NBA TV (FOX LA feed)...

Crash Injury Update

Direct from the Bobcats as posted on Bobcats Planet...

"Gerald Wallace was diagnosed with having 30-40 percent of his left lung collapsed and a non-displaced fracture of the fifth rib following a CT-Scan at Centinela Hospital in Los Angeles. He did not accompany the team to Portland.

Wallace had a chest tube inserted into the lung to help restore it to functional capacity, but will remain in the hospital over the next 48 hours for observation. Additional information about his progress and a timetable for his return will be updated in the coming days ahead."

Checkin Up on the Sabres

It's been awhile since we paid attention to our adopted ASD NHL team and not surprisngly, Buffalo has been playing well while we ignored them. Well it's time to extend my icy lips for what is sure to be another Cleet kiss of death. Buffalo has won 4 of its last 5 including a 10-2 pounding of the Oilers last night in Edmonton. It was the worst home loss in Oilers history. The Sabres sit in 7th place currently in the Eastern Conference, 4 points behind Philadelphia and 3 ahead of Florida. Right-winger Drew Stafford scored his first goal ten seconds into the game and ended with a hat-trick.

The quote of the game goes to Oilers coach Craig MacTavish who used one of my favorite words to describe the beatdown, “It was a debacle of monumental proportions.” Anytime an event can be described as a debacle, it's a good thing, unless you are on the receiving end of said debacle.

The Sabres face a tough team in Calgary on the road tonight.

Stafford has hat trick in Sabres’ rout of Oilers [Yahoo!]

The Charlotte Bobcats Own the Staples Center




That's right, the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Lakers 117-110 in double overtime last night in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was the third straight win for the Cats in the Staples Center and 5th win in the last 6 against the Lakers. LA had won 14 of their last 17 and owned an NBA best record at 35-8 but great performances all around were enought to outlast the best team in the west even after they let a lead slip away in regulation. Raymond Felton was one assist shy of a triple-double , and Boris Diaw was one rebound and assist away from one as well. Emeka Okafor had 18 and 11 including 6-7 from the line.

Kobe Bryant finished with 38 points but fouled out in the first overtime. Pau Gasol shot just 4-16 from the field. The Lakers' furious 4th quarter comeback was aided by poor free-throw shooting from Charlotte and the Lake Show took a 6 point lead in the first OT. The Bobcats battled back however and now improve to 12-10 since they traded away Jason Richardson for Diaw and Raja Bell. "That was a heck of a win; it was a heck of a performance," coach Larry Brown said of his Charlotte team. The Bobcats get no rest as they must turn around and play at Portland tonight.

Another point of concern was a flagrant foul by Andrew Bynum on Gerald Wallace with a minute to go in the fourth quarter that sent Wallace to the floor.



Wallace was down for minutes and walked very slowly to the locker room. The early indication is that Wallace suffered a collapsed lung. It would be a huge hit to the Bobcats momentum to lose Wallace for any amount of time but it does not take the shine off a gutty performance and a great win.

Tuesday, January 27

Mr. Whipple Hired to Lead Hurricanes Offense



The University of Miami football team's offense has not exactly been squeezing the charmin out of opposing defenses the past couple of seasons. Head coach Randy Shannon made strides to remedy that situation as the Hurricanes have named Philadelphia assistant coach Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator. Whipple is 51 and before being an offensive assistant on the Eagles' staff he was the quarterbacks coach for Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh for three years which included their Super Bowl victory. His college coaching experience includes the UMass where he was 49-26 and led them to a Division 1-AA championship in 1998. His overall winning percentage in college is .672.

Whipple will be taking over a young but talented Miami offense. Jacory Harris is now the definite starter with Robert Marve transfering and he needs to make big strides if the Canes will contend in the coming years. Whipple will also have the tandem of Graig Cooper and Javaris James in the backfield along with young, physically imposing wideouts. Mark knows the expectations that come with the job as he stated, "Our goal is to win a national championship. It's been a goal of mine for awhile now."

With Whipple molding the offense with NFL experience including time spent under Ken Whisenhunt, and veteran defensive coordinator Bill Young on the other side of the ball, Randy Shannon should make strides with a 7-6 team that was very young last year. Miami was ranked 52nd in offense in the nation last year and 101st the year before under former coordinator Patrick Nix. With the players already in place and more top recruits on the way, Miami should contend nationally in the years ahead and if they do not, it will be Shannon who is replaced.



Mark Whipple Named Hurricanes' Offensive Coordinator [Hurricanesports.com]

NBA's Best Defenses and Where the Cats Fit In

In a recent NBA.com article, they took a look at the top defenses in the league. Not surprisingly, the likes of Boston, Cleveland, Orlando made the list, but also a slight surprise the Lakers were included. It's not a shock that the hometown Cats were not included, but just how do the Cats stack up? I can't go any further without acknowledging the help of Brett from Queen City Hoops and the Team Rankings.com staff for all of their assistance in compiling the numbers. Now, on with the show.

Continue reading...

Bobcats Planet Radio

After extensive negotiations, we've joined forces with Bobcats Planet. We're now hosting another weekly podcast, but this time focusing on everyone's favorite NBA team in the Carolinas. You can go HERE to check it out. We've already gotten a lot of positive response and much thanks to Ziggy and all the guys over there for getting us involved. We've even made it on to iTunes (now if our staff here would get off their asses...). Listen in and drop us a line on the new "Ham Biscuit" Hotline.

Chris Paul Narrowly Misses Crappy Quadruple-Double



We here at ASD like to bust our friend Xtra Medium's chops. Pull his string, or leg as it were. Give him the business if you will time to time. The truth is that XM knows his sports and knows as much about the NBA as just about anyone. His most famous case of verbal misstep was while we were sitting at Catfish's kitchen table circa late 1990s, when he bodly declared that "Allen Iverson is good." His most recent incident took place earlier this NBA season when LeBron had secured a triple-double. I forget the line but the rebounds and assists were 11 and 10, leading XM to state that it was a "shitty" triple-double because he barely eclipsed the double-digit mark in two of the categories. You see, getting a triple-double is getting a triple-double, no matter what the total is and we have been harassing XM ever since. So when Chris Paul missed a quadruple-double by 3 steals, he should know he will hear about this one. CP3 had 27 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and 7 steals in the Hornets 101-86 win last night agaisnt Philadelphia. Only four players have ever gotten the elusive quad-dub, and they are:

Nate Thurmond, October 18, 1974, Chicago vs. Atlanta; 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks.

Alvin Robertson, February 18, 1986, San Antonio vs. Phoenix; 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals.

Hakeem Olajuwon, March 29, 1990, Houston vs. Milwaukee; 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 blocks AND March 3, 1990 (3 weeks earlier than his other one) Houston vs GoldenState; 29 points 18 rebounds 10 assists 11 blocks

David Robinson, February 17, 1994, San Antonio vs. Detroit; 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks.

This is keeping in mind that blocks and steals did not become an official stat until the 1970s.

Paul falls three steals shy of quadruple-double. [CBSSports]

Monday, January 26

And TWINS


Sorry to burst the Coors Light twins bubble, but this is not about them. The Virginia Military Institute Keydets are atop the standings in the Big South at 16-3, 8-1 in conference and the twin combination of Travis and Chavis Holmes are a big reason. To say VMI plays an up-tempo style of offense is a bit of an understatement. The Keydets lead the nation in scoring offense thanks to their unique offensive scheme of shooting deep, early and often. The Holmes twins became the all-time scoring twin combination in NCAA history during VMI's 92-85 win over High Point on Saturday in which they totaled 47 points together. They have 3,262 combined career points and have Keydets headed in the right direction for a NCAA Tournament bid. With an early season victory at Rupp Arena over Kentucky under their belt VMI could be a tough opening round match-up come March. The twins had an interview with ESPN's First Take last week. You can watch the interview here.

4th and Long: Friday Night Lights on Acid.... in a Good Way


I went and saw an idependent film last week and reviewed it for our friends over at Arts á la Mode. The movie is titled 4th and Long and its an amusing mockumentary of people's obsessions over high school football and also an interesting character study. If you have a chance to see this one make sure you do, drugs are not required to enjoy. My review is after the break.

Continue reading...

Weekend Recap



I am doing my usual recovery job at the office and Catfish is currently giving his computer mouf to mouf in an attempt to salvage it. So before we get rolling this week, here is a look back at some of the events that transpired over the weekend.

The Coach of the 100-0 victory was fired and maintains he did nothing wrong. [CBSSports]

You probably did not notice but there was an NHL All-Star Game last night. [Puck Daddy]

This Torre-"A-fraud" thing is going to get ugly(er). [FoxSports]

Kay Yow gave cancer all it could handle, and gave a lot to those around her along the way. [NCSU]

Shows what the bookmakers know, Andy Murray is bounced from the Australian Open. [ESPN]

Arizona's Chase Budinger gets boot to face, Aubrey Coleman seems indifferent about the situation. [Rush the Court]

Catfish pointed out the Craig Morton story on our podcast, here it is in print. [The Love of Sports]

Dustin Pedroia's brother loves the kids...a little too much(allegedly). [The Sporting Blog via Deadspin]

Code Redd: Bucks guard done for the season with knee injury. [Yahoo]

This just in, Danny Granger is good. Catfish's urge to kill rising... [HoopsHype]

By the way, Granger scored 27 to help the Pacers cool off the Bobcats last night. [BobcatsPlanet]

Friday, January 23

It's Friday

Point-Counterpoint: The Curious Case of Donovan F. McNabb



There has been much debate about Donovan's McNabb role past and present with the Philadelphia Eagles, his place among all-time quarterbacks, and just how good or bad a football player he really is. In this installment of Point-Counterpoint Catfish and I debate where number 5 falls and what his legacy will be in pro football. Cat will be the prosecutor, alleging that McNabb is not an elite signal-caller for his generation of quarterbacks and that he has been a hinderance to his franchises championhsip aspirations. My role will be as the court-appointed public defender who will contest that McNabb has been vital to the Eagles' success during his ten year run and gets the blame all to often by the team's inability to raise a Lombardi trophy. The case is set, read the arguments after the break.

Continue reading...

Lose to the Bobcats - Lose Your Job


Seven NBA head coaches have lost their jobs this season. The last two, Minnesota's Randy Whittman and now Memphis's Mike Iavaroni have been fired shortly after losses to the hometown Cats. Phoenix's Terry Porter may be unlikely to get fired, but if the Suns lose in Charlotte tonight, they may find themselves outside of the playoffs (they currently lead Dallas be % points for the 8th spot). They will have lost five of their last six, including losses to the T-Wolves and the Knicks. With two of their three core players being in the twilight in of their career if they're hoping to do anything, it needs to be soon.

J-Rich will be returning to the Queen City to face the Bobcats for the first time since the trade. The last time he played against a former team was when he was in Charlotte and lit up the Golden State Warriors for half a bill. The argument about who got the best of the trade will continue at least through the end of the year, but there is little doubt that all three of the primary pieces have this game circled on the calendar.

Heading into a long five game in nine days road trip, a win tonight could be a huge lift. The team will play one basement dweller in Indiana, two division leaders in the Lakers and Nuggets, and two twenty five win teams in Portland and Utah. The last time the Cats went to Indiana, Raymond Felton played OT hero in leading the team to a win. If the team can go at least 2-3, the road trip has to be considered a success. When the team returns home, they have a stretch of six games that can all be considered winnable, so a successful road trip would be invaluable as this team continues to fight for the 8th seed in the East.

Tale of the Tube: LeBron vs. Dominique

Last week as we watched LeBron do his thing on the court against New Orleans, Xtra Medium and I entered into a debate after LeBron threw one down. While there is no doubt Bron Bron is operating now on a level all by himself, I contended that a man from my youth, Dominique Wilkins was the superior dunker. This was not to say that James cannot throw it down as well as just about anyone, but in my recollection Nique was as graceful yet violent dunker the league had seen. This was without having reviewed any footage, it was just off memory of what I saw as a kid and the Super Slam of the NBA tape I had watched more times than I could count. In my opinion at that time, there was no question it was Wilkins, the man who graced the back of my bedroom door on a poster I received inside a Kudos box. Man, I used to love me some Kudos. However, after viewing extensive footage of both dunkers, it is truly a close call. Since we have to take out dunk contests since LeBron it appears will never do one, the incredible Nique contest footage will have to be eliminated from consideration.

Let's look at the vitals before we go to the You Tube tape.

LeBron--------------------------------------------------------Dominique

The King/King James-----Nickname-----The Human Highlight Reel

Akron, Ohio-------------Birthplace---------------Paris, France

6'8"-------------------------Height--------------------------6'8"

250(more like 260-270)----------Weight------------------ 230

23---------------------Jersey Number-----------------------21

Cavs(until 2010?)-------------Main Team-------------------Hawks

Lost in the Finals------Furtherst Playoff progression-----Lost in Eastern Semis

2008-----------------League Scoring Champion----------------1986

Cockback Tomahawk---------------Signature Dunk-----------------Windmill

Kobe-------------------Biggest Rival------------------------Michael

43------------Points in a losing Game 7 to Celtics-------------47


Now we turn to the true tale of the tube. There are various videos displaying the fantastic dunks of both players, but in the interest of balance I chose the NBA TV top ten for each. There are some left off of Nique's catalog which include the one-handed putback from the Super Slam's video which made Tim Hardaway say, "You see that, you be like Gawd!" and the one-handed alley-oop where he rose over the defender but it does show what he brought to the table. Also intersting is that Lebron's top ten has two instances of players trying to take a charge or unwilling to go up and challenge the shot, there certainly was more willingness for players to go for the block 20 years ago as opposed to today where players are more afraid of getting "posterized" or showing up on the bad end of a Sportscenter highlight than contest a shot.

Bron Bron has some great dunks though, and some I had either only seen once or twice or had forgotten about including a throwdown on Rasheed. It is amazing that some of their dunks do look incredibly similar. Wilkins to me gets the edge by the slimmest of margins and his facial served up on Larry Byrd is priceless.

First we have LeBron's top ten:



Here is Dominique's:



Tough call, feel free to give us your opinion.

Thursday, January 22

Panthers' Defensive Coordinator Out



From the Rock Hill Herald, "After it appeared he was set to sign a two-year contract extension earlier this week, Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac is apparently looking for another job today. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Trgovac was initially prepared to return to the Panthers for an eighth season and seventh as coordinator, but something happened Wednesday to change his mind. Since then, he’s been in discussions with other teams while in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, looking for new work."

This means in the past two seasons, the Panthers have replaced both their offensive and defensive coordinators. Most people thought this year was a make or break year for Head Coach John Fox, but with the team making the playoffs, he appears to have avoided the guillotine. Next season, he'll be flying without a net and the buck will finally have to stop with him. One potential problem for the Panthers, is that with so much of the coaching carousel done spinning, the team has missed out on some of the best candidates for the now vacant D coordinator position. Also, with Coach Fox running out of rope with ownership, many candidates may not be interested in joining the team for what could be only a one-year stint.

Wednesday, January 21

GET TO THA TAMPA!!!



Once again the guys over at Kissing Suzy Kolber perfect the art of photoshop, creating this brilliant depiction of Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz has gone from rarely-mentioned spectacular wide receiver to knob-slobbed by every member of the media as the best pass catcher in the NFL. The only chance the Steelers have of slowing him down is to cover themselves completely in mud and make some jungle snares, or just get to Kurt Warner.

If It Bleeds, We Can Cover It. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

Also for old time's sake, the Predator Rap.

Duke Rediscovering the Recipe for Success

Sorry Duke haters, but this isn't the same Duke that has flamed out in March in recent years. This team is much more similar to the Battier-era teams. Incredibly balanced, with depth, and an emphasis on defense. It seems like ages, but it's only eight years since Duke's last title and really only the second incarnation of a team since that championship. Whether Coach K learned from his experiences in Beijing or from the failures of his previous teams is debatable, but this team is a far cry from the J.J. Redick-led teams that always fell short.

Continue reading...

Tuesday, January 20

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!


Allow me to formally apologize in getting caught up with the changing of the guard in Washington and losing track of what's really important in life. Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils are number two in the most recent college basketball rankings. They play number one Wake a week from tomorrow. Set your sun dials.

At Least You're Not This Guy


Regardless of whether or not you had to work on MLK day or Inauguration Day, at least you don't have David Akers ink covering your back. Akers missed both a field goal and an extra point in the Eagles NFC Championship loss, but at least he didn't go Scott Norwood on the last play of the game. There are so many questions about the work that I want to ask. Did you just get the tattoos around your Great One appreciation or did you get the tats in 99 (because getting a rookie QB tattood on your back can be dangerous)? Did you specifically ask for the center's arm to be included? What about the holder? Is your last name Akers? Of course, people could ask similar questions about Cleet's back mural of Reche Caldwell and my Kerry Collins inspired sleeves.

The Australian Open: Checking Down Under



Men's tennis has become dormant in the minds of today's sports landscape in America. The loss of popular personalities like McEnroe, Connors, Agassi, and Sampras have contributed but there is also another element that keeps tennis far from the consciousness: winning. The last American to hoist a Grand Slam trophy for the men was Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open 6 years ago. Roddick won his early match easily and has trimmed down in an attempt to get over the hump and claim another Slam title. Roddick, who has been the best men's hope since Agassi left, has finished second in Grand Slam finals to Roger Federer on three occasions. While Roddick has sputtered, other players like Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have emerged. Men's tennis is entering its best era in a while because it is the new talent is raising their game while Federer is attempting to hold on and surpass Pete Sampras for the most Grand Slam titles ever. If Roddick or any American could get into the mix, it could make for a great show, similar to the one Federer and Nadal gave us last July. The early rounds have begun in Aussie land with Federer looking sharp even though he is not his customary number 1 seed which belongs to Nadal who also advanced and Roger is not even the favorite, Andy Murray has received that title due to recent success.

Murray favored? Federer scoffs at bookmakers. [SI.com]