AFC Preview

Now that I have informed you on what is going to take place in college football, it is time for me to educate you on the NFL. Let us begin with the AFC.

AFC East:

This may be the easiest division in football to predict. You could go with the self annihilating New York Jets, the always powerful Buffalo Bills, the rebuilding Miami Dolphins who can’t even show you where the end zone is, or the always consistently good New England Patriots. I’m sure you can tell who I am picking. It’s really quite simple: this division blows, minus New England. Next year they are thinking of adding Bowling Green to increase completion. The Patriots have Tom Brady and ole Bill running the team. Sure, they lose Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez (FREE AARON, thanks Pouncey Twins), and Gronks health is an issue, but no one else can compete. The Pats also found success running the ball with Steven Ridley last year (1200+ yards and 12 TDs). They also lead the league in scoring and turnover differential. The Dolphins may make a splash, pun intended, if Ryan Tannehil can improve this year. The addition of Mike Wallace should help. Bills and Jets both are in need of a quarterback. The Bills drafted EJ Manuel, so he may be the future for them. This division is simple: Patriots.

AFC North:

This Division may have the most parity in the AFC. Three of the four teams have made the playoffs in the past two years. Last year, the Baltimore Ravens, somehow, won the Super Bowl. This was one of those cases where the best team doesn’t always win in the end. That is why they play the game. This year, no dice. The Ravens lose the heart and soul of the defense in Ray Lewis. They also lose turnover machine Ed Reed and big bodied Boldin at wide out. Cleveland Browns should call themselves Cleveland Trent Richardsons, at least until they get a real quarterback. And then there were two: Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have a great wr/qb combo with Andy Dalton and AJ Green. Dalton is putting Gingers on the map with his winning ways. With help from the running game, the Bengals could be a high flying team. The Steelers, on the other hand, are that old school grinding team. The defense is always good, and, even with the loss of James Harrison, they will be stout. Drafting Jarvis Jones doesn’t hurt either. Big Ben always keeps his team in the game by not giving up sacks or turning the ball over. Le’Veon Bell will be the tipping point on this team. His strong run game will propel the Steelers to the playoffs. My pick: Steelers.

AFC South:

This division is like an imbalanced fraction. The skill level of the top two teams is far greater than that of the bottom two. Jaguars and Titans have a lot of improving to do with a combined record of 8-24 whereas the Colts and Texans combined for 23-9. The Jags made a huge mistake in not going after Tim Tebow. Hello, do you not want to sell tickets and merchandise? Apparently not. I have no idea why they didn’t make the move. It can’t be because of Tebows talents. Have you seen Blaine Gabbert play? MJD will be carrying this team, literally. The Titans have a couple strong wr in Kenny Britt and Kendall Wright, but Jake Locker has underperformed. Hey Chirrs Johnson, you going to play this year? The Colts and Texans rivalry is only getting better. Once Peyton left, Houston thought this division would be a cakewalk. Andrew Luck says not so fast. The Colts made a run at the division last year and came up short. Since then, they have only improved with the additions of Ahmad Bradshaw and Darius Heyward-Bay. Though they lose Dwight Freeney, their defense was below stellar last year. That will be the biggest concern this year. The Texans just have so much talent: an underrated qb in Matt Schaub, star rb Arian Foster, big time wr Andre Johnson, reliable te Owen Daniels, and that beast on the d JJ Watt. The Texans have tough road ahead of them, but I feel like they will win the division. It will be very close though.

AFC West:

This division, like the East, has a clear cut winner. The Broncos are just a far better team than the other three. The Raiders, Chargers, and Chiefs may as well combine the three and see if they can hang. Probably couldn’t. The Raiders only hope lied with Darren Mcfadden. That hasn’t worked out so well. He has never played more than 13 games in a season. They bring in Matt Flynn to rejuvenate the stagnate offense. Flynn threw nine total passes last year. Kyle Orton threw ten. The Chiefs may surprise some people this year. Andy Reid is a great coach, something the Chiefs desperately need. Alex Smith’s accuracy will help cut down the 20 interceptions Chiefs’ qbs threw last year. Dwayne Bowe and Jamal Charles are both big play guys. The Chargers have always been that team that had so much talent but could never win the big one. Now they are just old and untalented. Ryan Mathews had more broken collarbones last year than tds. Antonio Gates had one game over 60 yards. Phillip Rivers has been below 90 rating for the past two years. On top of this shit hill are the Broncos, and they are smelling good. The Golden Boy Peyton Manning silenced all doubters last year by leading the Broncos to a 13-3 season and home field advantage. The Broncos lose Mcgahe but get a better back in Monte Ball who used to stumble into the end zone on his way to class at Wisconsin. The already amazing wide reviver core in Thomas and Decker get the best slot receiver of all time in Welker. Throw in a top ranked defense and you have a championship caliber team. Broncos win the division by a long shot.

Well, there you have it, my AFC preview. Next week I will discuss the NFC and tell you how the Saints, WHO DAT, will bounce back from a disappointing season and why the Redskins won’t make the playoffs. Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to leave comments and suggestions please. If you also have any topics you would like to hear my opinion on, I am more than happy to oblige. Come back for the next one.

SHOWTIME College Football Preview

Time to talk to all of you about the best time of the year: Football season. No better time of the year then fall, getting your grills ready, cracking open a beer or a Loko, making dip, and just turning a game on every TV in your house. This is a time we can finally get away from the monotony of baseball and concentrate on America’s favorite sport. Now, with college football starting before NFL, this will be my brief prediction for the year with my preseason Heisman votes, Top 10, conference champs, and national title game. This season, like almost every other year, will be one to remember. There are so many story lines from Johnny Manziel to Tommy Rees to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Roll Tide. Now, this is only my predictions, and seeing is how it is my first year of doing this, criticize the hell out of me. Your input is the only thing that is going to help make me better. Also, a longer and more in-depth analysis and prediction is up on YouTube as “S ‘n’ P sports college preview” if you want to check it out. Also, follow us on facebook and our twitter handle @snpsports1. So, without further ado, here is my college football preview.

Heisman Hopefuls

Johnny Manziel, Sophomore, QB, Texas A&M

Tommy Rees, Senior, QB, Notre Dame

Teddy Bridgewater, Junior, QB, Louisville

Braxton Miller, Junior, QB, Ohio State

Jadeveon Clowney, Sophomore, DE, South Carolina

AJ McCarron, Senior, QB, Alabama

Marqise Lee, Junior, WR, USC

My pick for the winner is Tommy Rees. I feel if Notre Dame can claim a BCS berth and Tommy Rees is the main reason, the voters will buy into him and vote his way.

Top 10

1.            Alabama

2.            Notre Dame

3.            Ohio State

4.            Florida

5.            Clemson

6.            Stanford

7.            TCU

8.            South Carolina

9.            Georgia

10.          Louisville

Conference Champions

AAC: Louisville

Teddy Bridgewater is the main reason for this decision. The conference is probably the worst in college football where having a qb is everything. The additions of smu, temple, and ucf made it even easier for the Cardinals to win the conference. Their biggest test, at Rutgers, is the final game of the season.

ACC: Miami over Clemson

Miami, coming off self imposed bowl bans, brings a lot of young talent to Coral Gables. Their dual headed running game featuring Duke Johnson and Mike James will be the focal point of the offense. Clemson has Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins, which is one of the best duos this year. However, Boyd has been less than stellar in big time games; See last year against Florida State. If Logan Thomas can get out of his funk, look for Virginia Tech to make a run.

Big 10: Ohio State over Nebraska

Braxton Miller and Urban Meyer: enough said for a lack luster Big Ten. The Buckeyes went undefeated last year but were ineligible for a bowl bid. The sour taste and lack of competition should catapult them to the title game. Nebraska and Taylor Martinez should also have an easy road to the championship game if their defense can perform.

Big 12: TCU

The Horned Frogs are returning their starting qb Casey Pachall, something Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas State, West Virginia, and Baylor can’t say. That and an always strong defense should make TCU the clear favorite to win. Mack Brown is on the hot seat at Texas. He is 11-15 in conference play since the departure of Colt McCoy.

Pac 10: Stanford over UCLA

Stanford has finished in 1st in the north division for the past two years and look to do the same this year. Kevin Hogan had a completion percentage of 71 percent last year which makes it easier to move the ball. UCLA has a dual threat offense with Brett Hundley throwing for over 3700 yards and Jonathan Franklin rushing for over 1700.

SEC: Alabama over Florida

Alabama loses Eddie Lacey but returns AJ McCarron, TJ Yeldon, and coach Nick Saban. McCarron is a senior which means he has had three years to hone his skills and perfect them. Look for him to have a huge year behind center. The defense doesn’t seem to ever slow down, so I’m not worried there. Florida has a chance to overthrow the Tide if the defense performs as well as last year and if qb Jeff Driskel can improve. Texas A&M showed some skill last year mostly with the hype of “Johnny Football.” Whenever you have a qb, especially an undersized one, as your leading rusher, the season won’t turn out too well.

National Title Game

Notre Dame (12-0) over Alabama (12-1)

Notre Dame’s road to the title game goes through four spaced out games: week 2 at Michigan, week 5 against Oklahoma, week 7 against USC, and the final game at Stanford. The biggest threat, of course, is that final game in Palo Alto. If the Irish can bring an undefeated record into the finale, it could be the best game of the year. Alabama has an easy non-conference schedule featuring Chattanooga and Georgia State. They also play Virginia Tech, at Texas A&M, and LSU, plus the SEC championship game. I think the Tide slip early but still make it to the championship. Notre Dame comes out on top. Both defenses will be stout and it will come down to a grind of a game mixed with big plays. Tommy Rees can sling the ball. Having speed burners TJ Jones and George Atkinson III will give the Irish the big play edge. Also, after being embarrassed last year, the Irish have a chip on their shoulders.

Well, there is my College Football Preseason Preview. I would love to hear what you think and if you have any suggestions. Be on the lookout for more posts. Later will be my NFL predictions and in season analysis.

PopcornKnife Favorite Teams

by Matt "PopcornKnife" Malher

Just as Ryan, I have many favorite teams. I think I probably even have more than him. I’m not going to lie, I probably have too many favorite teams. However, I love sports. I could spend all day watching them and over the years I have learned that having a team to support while watching these sports is a lot more fun than just watching it willy-nilly without caring who really wins. I’ll break it down in sports. Those sports being: NBA, NHL, MLS, NFL, FIFA/World Soccer, MLB, and NCAA. Skip to the bottom if you want just the teams without explanations.

NCAA

Indiana Hoosiers – This one is pretty simple. It’s my alma mater. I graduated from this university in May of 2012. I support every sport from this university. I bleed cream and crimson and will for the rest of my life.

Michigan State Spartans – Now, this is where it starts to get complicated. I get a lot of heat from my friends for supporting another Big Ten school when I attended one. However, let me explain. I grew up a Purdue fan. I was born in Lafayette and my father had graduated from there. I even went to Gene Keady Basketball Camp (as my Purdue friends love to remind me). I was too young to know better, but at the age of 10, I was impressionable and Purdue wasn’t that great at basketball back then so I decided to find another team to cheer for. I decided on Michigan State because they had just won the National Championship in 2000. I became a die hard Michigan State fan, even having my dad paint my room forest green and painting their logo on my wall. For a long time, I thought about going there but eventually decided against it because I can’t stand winter, and my friends were all going to Indiana. Now-a-days I cheer for my Hoosiers first, but I still have and will always have a place in my heart for my Spartans.

Florida Gators – This one, like Ryan, is mostly because of Tim Tebow. I’ll cheer for Florida basketball, but mostly it is a football thing for me. Even when Tebow was there, it was more of a cheer by friend’s association kind of thing. Ryan loved Tebow and his influence on me was great, so I followed his lead and decided to cheer for Florida. And every time I think of Florida football, I think of Ryan and watching the National Championship game at his lake house with him and some of our friends so it always brings back good memories.

MLB

Chicago Cubs – This one is also pretty simple. It is the closest baseball team to me. Of course there is the White Sox, but I love the idea of the Chicago Cubs and the nostalgic feeling of their field. I, myself, have never been to Wrigley, but I hope to change that fairly soon. It’s hard to follow a losing team, but I still check the standings every now and then just to see if maybe the Cubs are edging closer to not being last in the division. With the Astros leaving the division, I was scared that we would but the Brewers are terrible this year so that makes me happy that hopefully the Cubs won’t finish last. I now live in Illinois and once again they are closest team to me and I hope one day they can be a winning ball club again.

Baltimore Orioles – This one is a funny story, and a bit embarrassing, I guess. Last year when watching the MLB playoffs, Baltimore was playing the Yankees. As most red blooded Americans outside of New York, I hate the Yankees so naturally I was cheering for the Orioles. However, I had trouble pronouncing their nickname and it eventually became a running joke to call them by my new nickname for them  because I couldn’t pronounce it, the Oilers. Yes, the Oilers. Now, I looked up the pronunciation online and have practiced it. My friends will tell you I still struggle with it, but it is getting better. I’m not going to lie; it is also nice to have a baseball team that is half decent. I also love their colors. Orange and black! Always reminds me of Halloween, and who doesn’t love Halloween? Chris Davis is a beast and hopefully we can win the pennant this year.

FIFA/World Soccer

USA – I’m American. Enough said.

ACF Fiorentina – This is my world club team. Most people like to follow EPL, but I decided to go with Seria A. I went to Italy when I was a senior in high school and fell in love with the city. I even bought a sweatshirt there that had the same colors as ACF. It is hard to follow the team because of the time difference and not as much coverage as the EPL, but I have the table for the league on my desktop and check it periodically to see how they are doing. One day I hope to follow them more whole heartedly but at a distance for right now is enough.

NFL

Indianapolis Colts – Born and raised in Indiana, this is the closest team to me. When I finally started getting heavily into sports, I love watched my Colts every Sunday and was so happy when they finally won it all. Can’t wait to see the future of this franchise with Luck at QB and even though I live in Illinois now, I’ll always be a Colts fan.

Arizona Cardinals – This one is mostly because of Larry Fitzgerald. I watched him play at Pitt and when he got drafted to Arizona, I started to be a fan of them. I was heartbroken when they lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl, but with Palmer at the helm, maybe my Cardinals can make it back into the playoffs.

MLS

Chicago Fire – Once again, the closest team to me. It is a lot easier to follow MLS because of the time. I know it isn’t the greatest soccer league in the world, but I like soccer a lot so the convenience of watching it at a decent time made me like this time. I have yet made it to Chicago to watch them play at their home stadium but I did watch them win against Sporting K.C. in Kansas City and lose against ManU at Soldier Field.

NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins – I had never really watched hockey until my Senior year of high school. The first game I watched was the Winter Classic with Pittsburgh and Buffalo in Buffalo. It was an awesome game and I wanted more. My friend, Matt Hamas, was already a big hockey fan because he was from Pennsylvania and they actually have a team in state. I decided to like the Penguins directly because of him. It is always more fun when you have someone to cheer on the team you like with, and that’s how I became a Penguins fan. Malkin is my favorite player in the league and in my opinion, the best player in the world. I’ve been to Pittsburgh to watch a game, thanks to my girlfriend, Taryn, and it was great. I’ve visited Pittsburgh a few times and love the city and that adds to my love for the Penguins.

Chicago Blackhawks – The closest NHL team to me. I now live in Illinois and have Comcast Sportsnet. I can watch every game and go to a bar and have other people cheering for the Blackhawks with me. I adapted them as my team shortly after I started watching hockey with the idea that if I wanted to go to an NHL game, it wasn’t that far away to see one. I’ve been to United Center for a game and it was a great experience and I hope now that I’m closer to Chicago, I can see them play again.

Montreal Canadiens – Yes, I have three hockey teams. Maybe you say that is too much but I have my reasons. Hal Gill is probably my 2nd favorite player in the league. I even bought his player shirt when he was a Penguin and I was in Pittsburgh with Matt. Shortly after I bought his player shirt, he got traded to the Canadiens. I was heartbroken at first but then I started to watch them play and fell in love with them. They are my Canada team. Side note, I also got a player shirt for Talbot when he was at Pittsburgh as a gift from my girlfriend, and then he got traded to the Flyers. I don’t wear that one as often because I HATE THE FLYERS, but none-the-less, I don’t buy player shirts anymore because I don’t want them to get traded away.

NBA

Indiana Pacers – I’ve been a Pacers fan my whole life. I have countless number of Reggie Miller cards, and growing up I had posters, and even a Miller jersey. Just like every other Hoosier in the state, I was in love with the Pacers as a kid and was heartbroken when they lost in the Finals. These past playoffs were great, it was so nice to see them make that deep of a run again. I just hope one day I can see them win it all.

The next section is for players I am a fan of but not necessarily a fan of the team they play for:

Any Hoosier in any sport – I limit this to people I watched play or have played since I graduated. So for instance, I like Eric Gordon, but I don’t follow him as intently as I will Victor and Cody because I didn’t watch him play.

LeBron James –I don’t really consider myself a Heat fan per say, and before he went there I wasn’t a Heat fan at all. I’ve liked (like a lot of people) LBJ since he got drafted into the league. I still like him even after he left Cleveland. It is just like when a coach leaves a program for a better opportunity. Sure, he could have stayed and kept on trying to make it work in Cleveland but it was easier for him to just go to Miami and that decision paid off. I know a lot of people like to give him flack for his ESPN show “The Decision” but that show helped raised more than $2 million for various Boys & Girls Clubs, and personally for me that outweighs the way he approached it. He’s a great basketball player. MJ is the greatest, and always will be, but LBJ is still a lot of fun to watch and will be for years to come.

Amar’e Stoudemire – I only recently got into watching NBA a lot, and I needed a favorite player. I researched and watched I wanted someone good and someone who plays like I would if I was really tall and in the NBA. Amar’e fit that profile perfectly and he was a lot of fun to watch. Unfortunately, injury lately has plagued him. And he is also plagued with Carmello Anthony being on his team. I have his signed jersey, thanks to my girlfriend, and love watching him play when he isn’t injured. I hope he can play a full season next year. I don’t really like the Knicks, but Amar’e being on their team (And Mike Woodson being the coach) makes me like them a bit and I wouldn’t mind seeing them win it all.

I think that about covers everything. Hopefully after reading this you have a better understanding of why I cheer for which teams I do. You may not like that I have so many teams, but I do because it makes it a lot more likely that I’ll have some emotional investment in any game at any time. As Ryan did, here is a recap of the teams I like if you decided to skip the beef of this.

MLB: Cubs, O’s

NCAA:  Hoosiers, Michigan State Spartans

NFL: Colts, Cardinals

NBA: Pacers

MLS: Fire

FIFA: USA

World Soccer: ACF Fiorentina

NHL: Pengiuns, Blackhawks, Habs

Players: Amar’e, LBJ, any IU alum pass 08’

Hoped you enjoyed reading. As Ryan said, we'll be putting together a YouTube show or a blog or something for the coming NFL season packed with picks, crude humor, and I'm sure plenty of arguments.

Showtime Favorite Teams

by Ryan "Showtime" Velasquez"

Iwant to set the record straight on a subject that is honestly very dear to myheart. Also, this is very long so be patient. If you can't, at the bottomhas the recap of my favorite teams. Now, before I continue any more, I need to lieout some parameters. One, I am drinking and will continue to throughout thisnote. Second, I am holding word responsible for all of my spelling andgrammar considering I am watching game two of lord Stanley Yelnats's cup. 1-1in OT by the way. Third, I really don’t care what you say about me or myopinions, and those who know me know that I don’t, unless it’s my friendsquestioning me. In that case, I will argue to the best of my ability.Anddddddddd, loko drink. Ok, to the point. The definition of a bandwagon fan,in my opinion, is someone who likes a team because they are good and for thatreason only. Then, once the team settles back to mediocrity, they pick a newteam. With my explanations, you will see that that is not true for me. I lovesports, probably more than I should. Ok, side note, paused the game becausereally got into this note. Put on backstreet boys, blame this is the end. Greatmovie. Ok, favorite teams and my love of sports. My father is a great athleteand got me into sports. We would watch all the time on TV and go to every Purdueevent we could. Those days were the best and times I wouldn’t trade foranything. Not even sex. Yeah, I know. It was that fun to me. Anyways, I lovesports, sports teams, and watching games. Recently though, I have gotten shitfrom people about the teams I root for. So, with this post, I am going to setthe record straight. 

There are teams that I bleed: Notre Dame Football, ButlerBasketball, Saints Footballs, Lakers Basketball and so on, teams I like for theplayer: Florida Gators (Tebow), Washington Capitols (Ovie), New York Red Bulls(Henry, pronounce On-ray by the way), and teams that have grown on me that I will from this day on bleed for as in New Mexico Lobos. 

Every faceoff, I drink.Glad its not game one with all those icings but I just took like three drinksin six seconds. So, I will separate my teams into the different sport categories:NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, NBA, NHL, MLB, and even MLS and FIFA. Wow, I sit down withmy soup to watch this game and Boston scores in OT. Fuck me right? Anyways,guys its book of secrets for me.

 Ok, to start it out simple, I will pick thesports I really don’t care about. Yeah, you guessed it, soccer. Besides thegoals, nothing is that cool. Oh what a great slide tackle. Bleh, boring. But, Ilove Thierry Henry. Why, simple. Soccer is not that exciting unless you areoutside the US. And, growing up in my time, it was Ronaldinho, Henry, Beckham,or Ronaldo. I chose the Frenchman and 3-time FWA footballer of the year Henry.Josh DePew and I played FIFA for hours one night with me as Henry and him asRonaldinho.  That might have been thetipping point but who really cares. He got me into the Red Bulls, and the factthat I love the drink. As for FIFA, I am an American with Mexican heritage. Ifso facto, I root for USA and Mexico. Soccer: Red Bulls, USA. Mexico. Now thatsoccer is out of the way, let us go to MLB. I am a cub’s fan that is it. Nowbaseball, with all of its 162 games and made up statistics such as WAR, I can’tstand it. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing I would trade for a game atWrigley, but the day to day is too much for me. 100 wins is an awesome season.But that also means you lose 62 times. WHAT?!?!?!? Yeah I said 62 times. Myheart nor pride can stand 62 loses. With that said, I follow the Cubs abouteveryday and always look to catch a game when I am in the area. MLB: Cubs. 

Letsget to the collegiate level. Baseball first because football is, no matter whatpeople say, is America’s sport. For basketball, I have gotten caught up inthree trends: heritage, heart, and location. First is heritage. This aspectalso relates to football and may be the greatest factor in team choosing. Mostof my family, mom, dad, uncles, aunts, cousins, and even siblings have gone to Purdue.After graduating high school, I was a week away from going to Purdue. I haveloved Purdue since I can remember. I will get into that more in football, butmy dad used to take me to basketball games all the time. My mom even got meinto the locker room and a ball signed by Gene Kedey. I love the team. My heartwas broken when the lost to VCU. That was the year I thought they could takeit, if it wasn’t for an injury to Robbie. Next, the Lobos. Now, I know what youare saying, “You never went to UNM, just moved there, how do you like them?” Myresponse is, “You never said a word about (whatever college you went to) beforeyou got to campus.” Well, I fell in love with the Lobos when I set foot oncampus. No, I have never enrolled or attended a class. However, being stationedat Holloman AFB with nothing around, going to the games made me feel like I wasa part of the team. I even felt like I was more than a student with the heartand soul I put into the team. To be fair, I never made it to a basketball game,but I watch as many as I could on CBS Sports Network (a little Mountain WestPlug), which is over 20 games. I was with them through the ups and downs.  I love the Lobos. I was crushed when Alfordleft and even more so when they lost to Harvard in the first round. In my opinion,they had the easiest route to the final four and I thought they could win itall. But, that is the madness. However, with leading scorer Kendall Williams(46 point performance against Colorado State), and point guard Hugh Greenwood,the Lobos look to continue success next season. Finally, and my favorite, isthe Butler Bulldogs. You could say it started when Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard,and Shelvin Mack lead the team to back to back national title games (minusbabyface on the second championship). That would not be the case. Little dopeople know, my grandfather used to play for the Bulldogs. Yeah, I know, suckthat dick. Who can say that about their family? Wait till I tell you about wheremy dad played as well. Anyways, the mixture of captivating play, familyheritage, and just the Indiana work ethic that goes into bulldog basketball,its easy to see why they are my favorite team in NCAA Basketball. NCAAB,Butler, UNM, Purdue. 

I believe it is NHL time. This one is pretty simple to meand may be the easiest to point out. The Avs have always been my favorite.Never a minute of wavering. I lived with my mom for the first part of my life,up to grade 4. The last three years of that time, I lived in Michigan. Whilethere, I played ice hockey and fell in love with the game. I remember watchinggames until the am and making a replica Stanley Cup with a coffee can,Tupperware, and tin foil. Those were the best days. Anyways, being in Michigan,you would think I would be a red wings fan. FUCK THAT SHIT. I hate them andalways will. For some reason, I fell in love with the Colorado Avalanche, withJoe Sakic, Patrick Roy (my favorite player of all time), Peter Forsberg, andothers. I watched, and still do, as many games as I can. They were just theteam for me. As for the Capitals, I love them because of Ovie. I liked him eversince he was the drafted first overall to the Caps in 04. The three-time HartMemorial Trophy winner is hard not to like, besides his Leborn like ability tonot perform in the playoffs. With him on the the team, the Caps are a team Iroot for. NHL: Avalanche, Capitals. 

NBA, I suppose, should be next. In my earlydays, I was never much of a basketball fan. However, once I really startedwatching it in middle school, I began to love it. Naturally, I startedfollowing the Pacers. Being an Indiana team, they were an easy team to rootfor. Having Reggie Miller didn’t hurt either. I remember when they had astacked team with Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, Metta World Peace (then asRon Artest), and others. Before the Malice at the Palace, they had a team builtfor a deep playoff run. However, one stray beer ended all of that. Recently,the Pacers have drafted promising young players to once again be a strongplayoff team. Though coming off tough back-to-back series losses to the Heat,the Pacers have the players to finally get to the finals and bring a title backto the home of basketball. Now, the Pacers were the obvious choice, but beingan impressionable kid, I was drawn to greatness. Enter Kobe Bryant and the LosAngeles Lakers. The Lakers were a dominant team with dominant players. The flashyplay, strong playoff performances were captivating to watch. Seeing Kobe andShaq play was a great show. I couldn’t get enough of it. Even now that Shaq isgone, the Lakers still have gone to the finals three times in a row, winningtwo of them. I watch as many games as possible. I remember watching them playon TNT at 1030 ET. The games wouldn’t even get over until around 1. With workthe next morning at 430, watching the games was somewhat of a feat. I didn’tcare. I loved watching the games and would be glued to the TV. The Lakers maybe the one team I follow the most intently. Now, being a fan of the Lakers fromIndiana, people have suggested that I am a fair weather fan. Think what youwant, but I put my heart and soul into the team. I watch nearly 60 games aweek, listen to the rest on the radio, and follow the team’s blogs. Can all ofyou Heat fans out there say you have even watched 10? I don’t think so.  Ask yourself this though, why would I stick bythrough the 04-05 season when they went 34-48 and missed the playoffs? Or thenext two seasons when they lost in the first round of the playoffs both times?I may have started out as a fan just because of the greatness of the players,but you have to start somewhere. Now I am an avid Lakers fan and always willbe. NBA: Lakers, Pacers. 

Now its time for America’s sport: football. NCAAFshould be first. The Gators get a short little time because I only liked themfor Tim Tebow, one of the best college football players of all time. I followedhim very closely after his Heisman Trophy win. I remember watching them beatOklahoma in the title game up at my grandparent’s lake house. Good times. Nowthat he is gone, I keep up some with scores and primetime games. New MexicoLobos have a place in my heart for the same reason as the basketball team. Ihave never tailgated before until I went to a Lobos football game at the Den.It was awesome. Just partying and getting the whole parking lot riled up beforethe game was fun. The student section was super lame. It felt like the studentsdidn’t even care about the team at all. Lu, Strick, and I took it uponourselves to get the crowd involved. We would start cheers, raise hell, and weeven started the tradition of throwing girls up in the air for every pointscored, something they still do now because of us. We became honorary studentsand will continue to go to every game while I live here. I have already boughtmy season tickets. Purdue football will always have a special place in myheart. I feel like I grew up in Ross-Aide Stadium. Little do people know, mydad played for Purdue when he was at Purdue. He played along side Hall of FamerRod Woodson. My dad would take me to games all of the time. Those Saturdayswere the best ever. Whether it was Drew Brees hitting Vinny Sutherland for a 99-yardtouchdown pass or Kyle Orton hitting Taylor Stubblefield on a quick out andseeing him break off a 40 yard run, the games were magical. I couldn’t evensleep the night before. As much as the Boilers made me happy, they have equallycrushed all my hopes and dreams. Drew Brees not being able to get a win inPasadena, breaking the streak of bowl appearances, hiring of terrible coaches,and Kyle Orton fumbling away the chance at a perfect season against Wisconsinwhen he decided to do a Superman dive instead of sliding. Crushing. However,they will always be one of teams. 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish. My favoritecollege football team. I love the Irish with all my heart. Whatever I can getNotre Dame, I do. I have a jersey in every color, many t-shirts, sweatshirts,polos, a welcome mat, hats, gloves, and even a “Play Like a Champion Today”sign. Nothing gets me going on Saturday like the Irish. Now growing up aBoilermaker, liking the Irish was a decision I had to trouble making. I alwaysfollowed them because they were in Indiana, but I never cared much about themuntil that’s where I decided I want to go school. Since that day, and they wereterrible back then by the way, I was all about the Irish. I watched as BobDavie left the team struggling, Ty Willingham putting together the pieces,Charlie Weis taking them to back to back Fiesta bowls, and Brian Kelly takingthem back to the National Title game. I bleed blue, green, and gold. NCAAF:Notre Dame, Purdue, UNM, Florida. Saving the best for for last: NFL. There arereally two teams I like a lot and one I like for the player. We shall startthere. Peyton Manning has always been one of my favorite players. How could younot like him? Hardest working player in the league, similar to Kobe Bryant forthe Lakers. He is also a professional in all the he does. As a Colts fan, Iworshiped him. As he departed, I followed him to the Broncos. When he leaves, Iwill as well. Now, like the Pacers, I am a Colts fan by location. That,however, does not take away from my feelings. I still root for them, watch themevery week, and keep track of stats and such. I remember my grandfather takingme to multiple games. My favorite team however, is the New Orleans Saints. Likethem may be the most interesting way to pick a team. Back when I used to playmy Play Station original, I had to settle for Madden since they didn’t makecollege football yet. I used to play Madden 95. Since there was no college and Iwas a huge Purdue fan, I would play as the Saints. Same colors. Doing that letme know the players, coaches, and the overall team. From then on, I liked NewOrleans. Now, they were never any good, so I didn’t get to watch them playmuch. But, one glorious day, my favorite football team and my favorite footballplayer came together. I am talking about Drew Brees. With Brees game publicity,then came a Lombardi Trophy. Brees made the Saints a high power team, which iswhy people now accuse everyone who isn’t from NOLA a bandwagon fan. Not thecase here. NFL: Saints, Colts, Broncos. There you have it. All of my favorite teams,reasons, and rankings. I hope you enjoyed it and finally have a betterunderstanding on my love for them. Here is a quick recap for those of you whoforget or didn’t want to read it all.

NFL:Saints, Colts, Broncos

NCAAF:Notre Dame, Purdue, New Mexico, Florida

NBA:Lakers, Pacers

NHL:Avalanche, Capitals

NCAAB:Butler, New Mexico, Boilermakers

MLB:Cubs

MLS:Red Bulls

FIFA:USA, Mexico

Ihope you liked what you read and keep a lookout for more posts. I will try tokeep the others more simple and short. Also, Malher and I, and more people ifthey want to join, will be starting our own little blog/show of sorts. Nextfootball season we will be having previews and predictions of all the NFL gamesand more. Let me know of any ideas or topics you wish for us to write about andwe will.

NFL:Saints, Colts, Broncos

NCAAF:Notre Dame, Purdue, New Mexico, Florida

NBA:Lakers, Pacers

NHL:Avalanche, Capitals

NCAAB:Butler, New Mexico, Boilermakers

MLB:Cubs

MLS:Red Bulls

FIFA:USA, Mexico

I hope you liked what you read and keep a lookout for more posts. I will try tokeep the others more simple and short. Also, Malher and I, and more people ifthey want to join, will be starting our own little blog/show of sorts. Nextfootball season we will be having previews and predictions of all the NFL gamesand more. Let me know of any ideas or topics you wish for us to write about andwe will.