Fire Jam Friday

Another FJF loaded with a bunch of new jams, and the gift of fall new music just keeps on giving. Got some new Tim McGraw, Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding (trying to keep up with Carly Rae's and Selena's level of hotness, just releasing a new song every week) and others. And you know me, I was able to throw in a couple of classics as well. Time to pound a shot or eight and enjoy the Halloween weekend.

#FireJamFriday

Derek Jeter Gets Engaged to Hannah Davis

Source: She got the best gift bag of all — a proposal.

After three years of dating, Hannah Davis and Derek Jeter are finally getting hitched. Sources told Page Six the former Yankee shortstop popped the question on Sunday.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish this was Minka Kelly. BUT I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't unreasonably excited for Jeter to finally be getting married. I still love Hannah Davis and since Jeter doesn't look a day over 30, the age difference isn't that weird. It's been a long time coming for Derek, as he's dated an absolutely unreal line up of all time smokes. Gotta grow up and start a brand new life one day though. Time for my favorite celeb couple to tie the knot. The children these two are gonna have don't know how blessed they are. The world might stop spinning the kids will look so good. Here's to the future married couple. Now roll the tape!

P.S. This blog about Hannah Davis gave us our most viewed blog ever, so if the Hannah Davis fans could come outta the woodwork again, and get us back on track, that would be great.

College Football Roundup: Week 8

Not a lot of marquee matchups in week 8, but there was still plenty of excitement in the world of college football. Another week, another INSANE ending leading the way in that department. Here we go.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (@ Rutgers, W 49-7): The Bucks made the switch to JT Barrett at starting QB and it paid off. Granted they played Rutgers, but Ohio State actually looked like they belonged at the top of the rankings.

2. Baylor Bears (vs. Iowa State, W 45-27): As I'm writing this I saw that QB Seth Russell will be out for the remainder of the season with a neck injury, so that could hurt Baylor going forward. At the same time however, no offense to Russell, but I don't think it matters. Baylor's offense will put up points. It's just a matter of time before they play a real opponent and their defense gives up 85 points.

3. Utah Utes (@ USC, L 42-24): Yikes. The Utes got absolutely worked by the Trojans and all of a sudden their hopes for a playoff birth got crushed.

4. TCU Horned Frogs: BYE

5. LSU Tigers (vs. Western Kentucky, W 48-20): LSU is playing Western Kentucky while everyone else plays conference opponents. A big thing for them though is that they got QB Brandon Harris going a little bit this weekend. If he can be decent even, with Leonard Fournette running the football, they can be a very very dangerous football team. 

6. Clemson Tigers (@ Miami, W 58-0): This was an absolute massacre from the start. Just a total and utter domination of a once proud football program. Clemson absolutely humiliated the Canes and gave them their worst loss in school history. Not only that, but the Tigers might have murdered Miami's star quarterback on a play in which Clemson only rushed TWO guys. They had 5 guys blocking 2 guys and the play resulted with a sack and a concussed quarterback. Clemson had 416 rushing yards on the day, and Deshaun was very efficient throwing the ball when he had to (rarely actually had to since Clemson was getting 7 yards a pop on the ground). I was laughing out loud when Miami players were celebrating tackles down 28-0 in the second quarter. And then 5 minutes later I was laughing out loud even harder when that 28-0 lead turned into 42-0 in a span of about 20 seconds. This game was AWESOME. And I don't expect anything different next week when we play NC State. I was looking at State's stats yesterday and saw that they've been putting up pretty good numbers offensively and defensively. And then I looked at their schedule. Their first FOUR games were against either FCS schools or horrible FBS schools. They've won one conference game and that was against Wake Forest. Can't wait to keep murdering football programs to the point where they have to fire their head coach (Miami fired Al Golden last night). 

7. Michigan State Spartans (vs. Indiana, W 52-26): This game was a lot closer than the final score. It was 28-26 well into the third quarter, and if it weren't for two missed PATs and a missed field goal it could have been 31-28 Indiana at one point. And then Indiana just started fumbling the ball left and right in the fourth quarter and it led to a blowout. Michigan State has yet to impress me. 

8. Alabama Crimson Tide (vs. Tennessee, W 19-14): Derrick Henry is really good and I like watching him, but that's about all Bama can hang their hats on. Tennessee blew another game against a ranked conference opponent which is literally all they do. Bama has some good wins this year, but this wasn't one of them.

9. Florida State Seminoles (@ Georgia Tech, L 22-16): I kinda wanted FSU to be undefeated when Clemson played them so that it would make our demolition of them that much better, but the ending of this game was awesome, and I laughed my ass off because FSU actually STINKS. Can't wait to crush them. Check out the highlights though because this was the insane ending of week 8.

10. Stanford Cardinal (vs. Washington, W 31-14): I don't usually like Stanford but I kinda like this team because they've bounced back from losing their first game of the season so well. I thought they were gonna suck after putting up 6 points against Northwestern opening weekend. But since then, I don't think they've scored less than 30 and they've demolished pretty much everyone, including some quality opponents. 

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: BYE

12. Iowa Hawkeyes: BYE

13. Florida Gators: BYE

14. Oklahoma State Cowboys (vs. Kansas, W 58-10): Kansas might be the worst Power 5 school in the country so I didn't expect anything less from the Cowboys. They stay undefeated.

15. Texas A&M Aggies (@ #24 Ole Miss, L 23-3): Not sure what's happened to the Aggies offense but playing good teams might have something to do with it. Getting their asses handed to them from Bama and Ole Miss back to back weeks shoves A&M outta the top 25. 

15. Michigan: BYE

17. Oklahoma Sooners (vs. Texas Tech, W 63-27): The Sooners are still taking their anger out on teams after that loss to Texas.

18. Memphis Tigers (@ Tulsa, W 66-42): It's a shame (not really) that Missouri and Auburn suck because otherwise we'd have a hell of a top 25 with all these Tigers in it. Memphis stays undefeated.

19. Toledo Rockets (@ UMass, W 51-35): Down 28-10 at the half on the road? No problem for Toledo.

20. California Golden Bears (@ UCLA, L 40-24): Josh Rosen and UCLA looked a lot more like the team they were earlier in the season after losing two in a row. And they knock Cal outta the top 25.

21. Houston Cougars (@ UCF, W 59-10): Houston stays undefeated. And UCF stays defeated.

22. Temple Owls (@ECU, W 24-14): And the Owls stay undefeated as they get set to take on Notre Dame, with College Gameday in town this week. 

23. Duke Blue Devils (@Virginia Tech, W 45-43 4OT): Another thriller in the ACC. And this one went into four overtimes. Duke's putting together another strong season and we could see them in the ACC title game.

24. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. #15 Texas A&M, W 23-3): Swag Kelly and Ole Miss got back on track Saturday and will look to keep it rolling as they get deeper into the SEC conference play. 

25. Pittsburgh Panthers (@ Syracuse, W 23-20): Good for Pitt, they've got a solid season going so far. But, a last second field goal to get a win over Cuse is never impressive so I don't know if they're actually anything to be scared of.

I got a quick question as we wrap up week 8 here. When was the last time that Memphis, Toledo, Houston, Temple, Duke, and Pitt were all in the top 25? My guess is never. 

Fire Jam Friday

I honestly forgot how awesome fall is for new music. Everyone releases their new singles and albums in the fall. It's incredible. We got another unreal week of new stuff, with Adele outta NOWHERE leading the charge. Even with all the new music, I was still able to throw in a few classics because well that's what I do. So enjoy.

#FireJamFriday

Guy Tries to Assault a Woman, She Promptly Bites Off His Tongue and Escapes

Source: The victim of an attempted sexual assault escaped after she bit off her attacker's tongue, and South Carolina police caught the alleged assailant when his mom called police to report that her son’s tongue was gone.

North Charleston cops arrested the teenage suspect, who has not been publicly identified, at a Waffle House on Oct. 16 after his mother placed a call for help because her son’s tongue was bitten off, WREG reported. Cops quickly connected the man to an assault that had been perpetrated earlier.

During that incident, a 33-year-old North Charleston woman told police she opened her front door at 6:30 a.m. to find a man holding a knife, according toWCBD. The suspect allegedly forced his way inside, tackled the woman, punched her and took her into a bedroom. As he began to assault her, the woman kicked the suspect in the groin, according to the police report reviewed by WCSC, at which point the man responded, “Now you have to die.”

When he subsequently forced his tongue into her mouth, the woman “bit his tongue as hard as she could until she heard it snap.”

She was able to flee and call for help. Cops found the woman with a visible bruise and swelling around her right eye and scratches under her left knee and on top of her left foot, WCSC reported.

The suspect’s tongue was located at the crime scene, along with a knife allegedly used in the attack.

Love the poise and awareness of this chick. That's some scary shit, and she was able to just bite the dude's tongue off. Pretty incredible. That's not easy to do. 

I read another source that said the attacker is only 16 years old which is pretty messed up. I don't get how a 16 year old can just be going through his daily life and then just decide he's gonna try to attack some random lady. Also, the mom called in that his son's tongue was missing. I'd love to hear that conversation. "Hey honey, how was scho--oh my god where's your tongue?!" "Uhhh, some lady bit it off when I tried to rape her." Real tough.

Cab Driver Honking Pays the Price

Source- A crowd of people standing along Market Street in San Francisco got peeved at cabbie for honking Tuesday morning, so they beat him up and robbed him, police said. The run-in started when the 60-year-old Luxor cab driver went to pick up a fare around 10 a.m. at Market and Ellis Streets near Union Square. When the driver got to the street corner, he began honking to give a heads up to his fare, police said. The honking, though, apparently irritated a small group of people standing on the corner.

This is what happens when you drive around honking. It's the absolute WORST. Nothing I hate more than when im sitting at a stop light and it turns green and I don't go in 1 second and the guy behind me honks. Chill out bro, you'll be fine, one second isn't going to effect your day that much. If someone is about to swerve into your lane and hit you, sure go ahead and honk all you want but don't just drive around the city like an asshole. Im honestly surprised that this hasn't happened more, especially in New York City. There's always asshole cab drivers just slamming on their horn, most annoying sound in the world. If you drive around just honking at everyone I hope you get beat up and robbed.

P.S.- How come once one person honks, everyone does? No need for that

College Football Roundup: Week 7

Week 7 was an unreal week in college football, largely due to one historic play, but in general there were some marquee matchups and some more upsets. Gotta love college football folks.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (vs. Penn State, W 38-10): First time in a while that Ohio State has actually looked like the number one team in the country.

2. Baylor Bears (vs. West Virginia, W 62-38): I am just straight up sick of Baylor. They aren't a good football team.

3. TCU Horned Frogs (@ Iowa State, W 45-21): Aaaaand Trevone Boykin kept his foot on the gas in the Heisman race with over 400 yards and 4 TDs, which seems pretty customary for him.

4. Utah Utes (vs. Arizona State, W 34-18): Oh you're leading going into the 4th quarter, ASU? That's cute. Utah's just gonna drop 20 unanswered on you and you guys can head back home.

5. Clemson Tigers (vs. Boston College, W 34-17): Deshaun missed a lot of deep balls in the first half, was picked off on one, and also threw another pick when he was hit as he threw, BUT he figured it out in the second half and still threw for over 400 yards for the first time this year. The Tigers offense put up over 500 yards on statistically the number 1 defense in the country. I can get on board with that. And Clemson's defense, well they continue to dominate games and I love it. A little bit of a tougher test coming up on the road at Miami, but I think we'll be ready. Keep it rolling Tigers.

6. LSU Tigers (vs. #8 Florida, W 35-28): Probably the biggest marquee matchup of the week, despite Will Grier getting suspended for PEDs. My apologies by the way since I said last week that I had no clue who Florida's back up QB was. It's Treon Harris, who started most of last year for the Gators. And he played pretty damn well. Leonard Fournette is just too good though. And Les Miles pulled out his fake field goal play call again to snag the win. Pretty incredible. I don't know where he got his massive balls from but he's been doing that shit for years and it almost always works. Real good win for LSU. Florida should be able to hang around the top 10 as well. They look like a solid team. 

And here's just the fake field goal in case you don't wanna watch 9 minutes of highlights.

7. Michigan State Spartans (@ #12 Michigan, W 27-23): This game had THE craziest ending in college football history, so I'll just let the highlights do the talking.

8. Florida Gators (@ #6 LSU, L 35-28): Considering that Florida just lost their starting QB and were playing the number 6 team in the country on the road, I thought the Gators played great. I mean, LSU needed to break out the fake field goal to beat them. I like where this Florida team is at.

9. Texas A&M Aggies (vs. #10 Alabama, L 41-23): I don't think this loss, even though they got wrecked at home, is too indicative of this Aggies team. I think they're still a very good football team, and they may be worthy of being a top 10 team. I think it's just that Alabama is finally hitting their stride and becoming that scary Bama team again. 

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (@ #9 Texas A&M, W 41-23): The only thing I have to add on here is that Derrick Henry is a frickin animal. Great win for the Tide.

11. Florida State Seminoles (vs. Louisville, W 41-21): Hey whadya know, FSU actually looked like a quality football team. Good for them.

12. Michigan Wolverines (vs. #7 Michigan State, L 27-23): Just cue it up again. Still cannot believe this.

13. Ole Miss Rebels (@ Memphis, L 37-24): Memphis is undefeated, but c'mon Swag Kelly. Memphis, bro? Really? Swaggggggg...

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (vs. USC, W 41-31): Good. Keep winning Notre Dame, it makes our win over you guys look better. 

15. Stanford Cardinal (vs. #18 UCLA, W 56-35): Christian McCaffrey had himself a day running the football. How's 243 yards and 4 TDs sound? Oh, and some Stanford guy made the catch of the year. Sick defense UCLA. 

16. Oklahoma State Cowboys: BYE

17. Iowa Hawkeyes (@ #20 Northwestern, W 40-10): Iowa keeps on rollin. Gotta love it. I still don't know anything about this football team. I guess Akrum Wadley running for over 200 yards and 4 TDs is pretty good, right? 

18. UCLA Bruins (@ #15 Stanford, L 56-35): What happened UCLA? Seriously, what happened?

19. Oklahoma Sooners (@ Kansas State, W 55-0): Hey, you think Oklahoma was pissed about losing to Texas?

20. Northwestern Wildcats (vs. #17 Iowa, L 40-10): It's too bad Northwestern didn't stay good. That was fun for a little while.

21. Boise State Broncos (@ Utah State, L 52-26): I don't think any team can win any kinda football game when turning the ball over 8 times. EIGHT.

22. Toledo Rockets (vs. Eastern Michigan, W 63-20): Yeah, go Rockets!

23. California Golden Bears: BYE

24. Houston Cougars (@ Tulane, W 42-7): Always kinda liked Houston. Hope they keep it rollin.

25. Duke Blue Devils: BYE

And there ya have it. Week 7 is in the books. About as good a college football weekend as you could have.

Fire Jam Friday

My entire week has felt like a Friday, which is awesome, but there's still nothing quite like the actual Friday. And that's largely in part because I get to cook up some hot fire playlists on Fridays. And this week is no different. We have a TON of new music including, but not limited to Demi Lovato, 1D, DJ Khaled, and Carrie Underwood. And also, I threw in a few unreal classic jams. So enjoy folks.

#FireJamFriday

Free Money Friday

I like West Virginia +21.5 here. Baylor isn't actually that great and 21 points is a lot. I think they'll be able to hang around for the game.

A&M is coming off the bye week here. They're 4-0 right now. Although, I think Alabama is going to win this. Although they had that fluke loss to Ole Miss they're still one of those teams that's always good and finds a way to win. I guess thats the Saban effect.

I love Michigan -7 here. Although the game is at Michigan State, the Wolverines have been too good this season. They lost their first game and since then they have barely given up any points. I think Michigan will roll over the little brother Michigan State.

Florida hasn't looked THAT great this season except against Ole Miss. They'll be at LSU for a night game. I like Florida +7.5, they have a good defense that should keep it close. 

I love Clemson -16 here. I was in Death Valley for the game last week against Georgia Tech and the stadium was so wild, I don't see Clemson ever losing at home.

I love Notre Dame -6 here. USC just lost their coach cause he's an alcoholic. I think it will be tough for USC to come out and beat Notre Dame.

College Football Roundup: Week 6

Another great week of college football. Had a few solid matchups, some upsets, some near upsets, some blowouts. Gotta love it.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (vs. Maryland, W 49-28): Maryland kept it close in the first half but the Buckeyes pulled away in the second. Cardale had a solid game but also they're using JT Barrett more down near the red zone and I think that may help them get back on track. They have a lot of skilled players. Nothing wrong with trying to get all of them involved.

2. TCU Horned Frogs (@ Kansas State, W 52-45): K State was ROLLING. A 28 point second quarter had them up 35-17 at halftime, but Trevone Boykin went to work in the second half and TCU outscored K State 35-10. What a game. 

3. Baylor Bears (@ Kansas, W 66-7): Can't wait til Baylor plays a good team. It'll be a real test and I want to see if they're a fraud team or not. And I know Kansas is in their conference and they don't decide the conference schedule, but I'm just saying I wanna see them play someone good.

4. Michigan State Spartans (@ Rutgers, W 31-24): Sick game Sparty. You know you played Rutgers right? Ya know, the team who spikes the ball on 4th down? Yeah them.

5. Utah Utes (vs. #23 California, W 30-24): The Utes keep on rolling. Devontae Booker had a huge game on the ground to lead the way, and the defense picked off Goff 5 times which is unreal. Utah's QB made some good plays, but wasn't too hot himself so it was a pretty sloppy game.

6. Clemson Tigers (vs. Georgia Tech, W 43-24): I'm kinda pissed Georgia Tech sucks so much because this win doesn't really mean anything anymore. That being said, Clemson dominated every facet of this game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Deshaun made one mistake again, but that was it. Seems like he throws a pick every game now which sucks, but whatever. A couple busted plays on defense resulted in 96 yards of Tech's total 230 yards. Other than that the defense was insane. Justin Thomas is gonna have nightmares after Saturday. 71 rushing yards is the lowest total for the Yellow Jackets in the Paul Johnson era which is impressive since all they do is run the ball. I LOVE our defense. Also, save for our shitty center, our offense looks pretty solid. 

Oh, and Dabo keeps the fire moves coming.

7. LSU Tigers (@ South Carolina, W 45-24): It was a road game for LSU but it was played in Baton Rouge due to the flooding in South Carolina. LSU was classy about it all week which was nice, and especially Leonard Fournette who offered to auction off his jersey after the game for flood victims. He also had another big game en route to another rout. Also, the chickens BLOW.

8. Alabam Crimson Tide (vs. Arkansas, W 27-14): Arkansas is pretty much the exact same team as last year. Hold a lead for a half, maybe longer, and then just start sucking. Also, I don't think Bama is a great football team. I mean, they had a solid win last week but struggled at home this week against a team that isn't very good. Who knows.

9. Texas A&M Aggies: BYE

10. Oklahoma Sooners (@ Texas, L 24-17): For the first five weeks of the season, Texas did not show up at all and then the Red River Rivalry rolls around and they pretty much owned Oklahoma. Tough day for the Sooners. You can never overlook a rival.

11. Florida Gators (@ Missouri, W 21-3): Hey good thing I wait so long to write these, because now I can write it knowing that Florida's QB Will Grier is suspended for the year for PEDs. Florida's defense is good, but I have no idea how skilled their backup QB is so I doubt the Gators will be able to keep it going like they are. Unless the kid's a stud or something.

12. Florida State Seminoles (vs. Miami, W 29-24): Once again, FSU with a very unimpressive win. I thought they had it in the bag and then Miami came roaring back, just to underwhelm us all at the end of the game as always. I can't wait til Clemson crushes both of these teams.

13. Northwestern Wildcats (@ #18 Michigan, L 38-0): And just like that Northwestern's run is over. Michigan's defense is just too good. Shake it off Wildcats, you still got some games to win against teams who actually give up points on occasion. Capitalize on those. This was not your week.

14. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. New Mexico State, W 52-3): Good news for Ole Miss is that they're back on track after losing to Florida last week. Bad news is that they beat New Mexico St which does not mean a single thing.

15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (vs. Navy, W 41-24): Navy kept it close for a little while but ND pulled away. Not really much else to say about this game. I'm sure playing Georgia Tech already this year helped out against Navy's option attack. Other than that, I got nothing else.

16. Stanford Cardinal: BYE

17. USC Trojans (vs. Washington, L 17-12): Not only did USC lose to Washington on Thursday night at home, but their coach is also an alcoholic and got fired. Tough few days for Trojans fans. I thought they'd be back this year, but clearly they still suck. Dammit.

18. Michigan Wolverines (vs. #13 Northwestern, W 38-0): THREE shutouts in a row, and this one coming against the #13 team in the country. Unreal! Jim Harbaugh has completely turned this team around, and has created the best defense in the country. I'm pretty sure these guys are the only defense playing better than Clemson's right now. Hope they keep it rolling this week when they play Michigan State. 

19. Georgia Bulldogs (@ Tennessee, L 38-31): An exciting game that came down to the wire, but the big story was Nick Chubb getting injured. The video of his knee getting bent in a disgusting way was terrible. Hope he gets back soon. Nothing seems to ever go UGA's way. 

20. UCLA Bruins: BYE

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys (@ West Virginia, W 33-26 OT): I didn't get to see this game, but any OT is exciting, especially when you have a team's undefeated season on the line. West Virginia is a tough out up there in Morgantown, so to come out of there alive is great. However, it does seem like OK State was pretty sloppy. Definitely gotta be on the top of their game once they face the cream of the crop in the Big 12. 

22. Iowa Hawkeyes (vs. Illinois, W 29-20): How bout the Hawks entering the top 25? I know nothing about this team except for the fact they're undefeated.

23. California Golden Bears (@ #5 Utah, L 30-24): 5 picks for Jared Goff is not good. However, they were still in this game down to the end. Goff is their best player so if he can not screw up like he did against the Utes, I think Cal might be just fine after this game.

24. Toledo Rockets (vs. Kent State, W 38-7): Uhhhhh...

25. Boise State Broncos (@ Colorado State, W 41-10): Aaaaand Boise State is back in the top 25. Things are getting weird down here at the bottom. Good win for the Broncos here though.

And that about does it for week 6. Sorry it was so late again but whatever. I was on fall break. Not trying to do things on vacation.

#GoTigers

Fire Jam Friday

Comin in a little bit later than usual today but whatever. A brand new FJF is here and it's just as incredible as always. Got some new Ellie Goulding, 5SOS, Selena Gomez, Jana Kramer, Carrie Underwood, and Toby Keith all leading the way to a golden FJF this week. Fire it up ladies and gents!

#FireJamFriday

Free Money Friday

Week 5 of college football? maybe 6? no clue.

I like Ohio State -32.5 here. Maryland is absolute ass.

I like Georgia -3.5 here. Tennesse has lost 3 straight games and they're gonna lose 4. 

I like Wisconsin +1 here and the under. Last week's total of the Wisconsin vs. Iowa game was 16. Wisconsin isn't a high scoring team and neither are the Cornhuskers.

I love Notre Dame -14 here. They had a tough one last week but they're still a solid team and should be able to pull out the W.

I LOVE Clemson -7 here. Easiest bet of all time. Georgia Tech is god awful this season and Clemson is about to be 5-0.

I was gonna say I like Rutgers +13.5 here but half their team is suspended or some shit so I'll go with Michigan State -13.5

Pittsburgh Penguins Season Preview

Hockey season is BACK and I love it. The road to the Stanley Cup starts tonight for the Penguins. As I always say, I don't know a ton about hockey but I do watch more and more every year and I play NHL on Xbox so things are looking up. The Pens are in their second season under GM Jim Rutherford and head coach Mike Johnston. Last season was a disappointment to say the least. They barely sneaked into the playoffs and lost in the opening round to the New York Rangers (again) in 5 games. For the preview of this season, I'm just gonna mention some key acquisitions and then talk about the players that will be the most important to the success of this team. 

Key Acquisitions:

Phil Kessel, F

Eric Fehr, F

Nick Bonino, F

Key Departures:

Paul Martin, D

Christian Ehrhoff, D

The Penguins decided to add both skill and depth at forward with the huge trade for Phil Kessel, and the acquisitions of Fehr and Bonino. However, they lost some solid veterans on defense. So let's take a look at some of the Penguins key players for the season.

Sidney Crosby, C

Crosby is the best player on the planet. That's pretty much fact. However, he had a bit of a down year last year recording 28 goals and 56 assists for 84 total points. He was still up there with the league leaders in points, but to me if Sid doesn't get over 100 points, it's a down year. I don't think anyone reached the 100 point plateau last year though, so I guess I'll cut him some slack. Dude's a baller. His impact on this team will always be incredibly important regardless of the stats. That being said, I'm gonna bet his points total is going to increase seeing as he's gonna be playing alongside a great goal scorer in Phil Kessel. 

Evgeni Malkin, C

Geno is another one of my favorites, obviously. He's a ton of fun to watch, but he didn't have a terrific year last year either. He had 70 total points in 69 games so still over a point per game, but he knows he can be better. He and Sid staying healthy is obviously a huge factor in how successful the Pens will be, which hasn't been easy for either. Hopefully Malkin stays on the ice for the whole season and can go back to being a dominant force on the Pens second line. He and Patric Hornqvist have great chemistry on that second line so I'm hoping that if Malkin can play a full season, those two can continue to gel. 

Phil Kessel, F

I don't know much about Phil Kessel or his style of play, but what I do know about him is that he's AWESOME. Can't not love the guy. I also know that he's scored at least 30 goals in a season five times. I also know that he's gonna be playing on the same line as Sidney Crosby. And what I know about Sidney Crosby is that he makes everyone he plays with better. So that leads me to believe that those two together are gonna be RIDICULOUS. How do ya like that flow of thinking? Pretty much on point for a guy who doesn't know much about hockey.

Kris Letang, D

Kris Letang is a huge part of this team, and for the Pens to have a realistic shot at the cup, he's gotta be healthy. He dealt with a stroke and a concussion last year so it's a tall task to keep him on the ice all season. When healthy though, he's one of the best D-men in the league in my opinion. Especially from an offensive standpoint. He's a great guy to have on the power play and is a pretty solid player all around. Definitely need him to not have a stroke this year.

Olli Maatta

Olli Maatta is an absolute stud. He's still only 21, but hey whadya know? Another dude that's had a rough go with the injuries. Well actually not even injuries I guess, he just had thyroid cancer last season, that's all. So look for him to get back on track as the stud he is this season. I LOVE the first line of defense with Letang and Maatta. Should be a very solid and productive line.

Marc-Andre Fleury, G

Fleury is the guy that everyone loves to blame when the Penguins lose in the playoffs. However, he was actually one of the few bright spots for Pittsburgh last season. Yes, he can be inconsistent, but overall he is a fine goalie and played well last year. I mean every game he lost to the Rangers in the playoffs in June was a 2-1 score, one of those coming in OT. So you can't blame him. In 2013 you could blame him. But not the last two years. Hopefully he's a little more consistent this season, but he's a seasoned veteran and the defense has gotta help him out a bit more. He'll do fine.

The Penguins will make the playoffs again, of course. No team with this amount of talent can miss the playoffs. But I still worry about how far they can really go. They have depth on the forward lines, and Crosby and Kessel on one will be one of the best in the league, they will have a dynamite power play with Crosby, Kessel, and Malkin all on the first power play line. But after Letang and Maatta on defense, they simply do not have that good of players. And that worries me a lot. I can see Fleury ending up with a lot of bad situations due to the defense screwing him over. But we'll see. I think the Penguins have a solid shot at reaching the Conference Finals, but they aren't perennial favorites to reach the Stanley Cup anymore. But screw it! They're winning it all this year! (I'm lucky I have the Packers because I have less and less confidence in the Yankees and Penguins every year.)

Boston Bruins Season Preview

If you're a hockey fan or pretty much New England sports fan you know that the Bruins season last year was a complete dumpster fire, there were very few high points for the B's. After the season they fired Peter Chiarelli and brought in Don Sweeney which I don't think the fan base as a whole was completely sold on. A lot of people think that Cam Neely will still be pulling the strings when it comes to most things. So now comes the draft, Sweeney trades Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames, a move that turned the head of every hockey fan out there. Who in the WORLD gets rid of a young stud defenseman that hasn't hit his prime yet? It turned out that Dougie wasn't happy in Boston and didn't want to play there. So in retrospect, while I would love to have Hamilton on the Bruins, if a guy doesn't want to be on a team or in a city, that's gonna hurt their odds of winning. The compensation in the long run wasn't completely unbearable either, the B's walked away with the 15th overall pick and two second rounders.

So next during the draft, Sweeney traded away Milan Lucic. I wasn't happy about this at all but i'd be lying if I told you I didn't see it coming. The writing was on the walls in my eyes ever since the infamous Montreal handshake line. Lucic was one of my favorite players on the Bruins since the day he came in. He played a great style of hockey that seemed to fit the Bruins system in my opinion. But you can't deny the fact that Lucic's play had dramatically decreased. He also only had a year left on his contract and most likely wasn't going to resign with the Bruins anyways so it was a great move by Sweeney getting something in return for him. I was actually pretty excited about what the B's got in return for Looch.

Colin Miller was the stand out to me in the trade. He's a young defenseman that has a mean slapshot and has some god damn wheels. I'm not sure if he will crack the roster right away but I think he'll end up being a stand out Bruins defenseman (if Peter Chiarelli was here, he would trade him right when he got nasty) but hopefully that won't happen and he'll be a leader on the team in the coming years. This was a super underrated part of the trade. The Bruins also got back up goaltender Martin Jones who they then sent to the San Jose Sharks for a 2016 first round pick which is a good move.

I'm gonna go ahead and say this was my favorite move of the off season by Sweeney, he traded Reilly Smith to the Florida Panthers for hometown boy Jimmy Hayes. God, I hated Reilly Smith. He was such an overrated loser. Jimmy Hayes is a guy that really wants to be in Boston (obviously since he's from Boston). He's not going to be a 1st line all star but he will be a HUGE asset on the 3rd line and anyone that thinks otherwise is an idiot and can suck brick. 

The addition of Matt Beleskey in the off season was also incredible. It came totally out of the blue to me, he was the most highly touted free agent this off season and with that being the case I did not expect the Bruins to go out and get him, but they sure enough did. The Bruins signed him for less than everyone expected him to go for which was another huge bonus. He also is pumped to be in Boston and to be apart of the organization. Beleskey had a solid season in Anaheim posting 32pts in 65 games so hopefully he can increase that number and add an edge for the black and gold.

To say I'm excited to see Pasta play this season is a HUGE understatement. He had a great pre season and I can't imagine he'll slow down as long as he stays healthy. Look for Pasta to be a contender for the Maurice Rocket Richard trophy. 

My biggest worry is how weak the Bruins d-corps are. Dennis Seidenberg is out due to surgery, Chara is hurt and old as well, so that means the Bruins are going to have to rely on a lot of young guys. Torey Krug is going to have to really step us as a young guy and I have faith that he can do it. My hope is that the Bruins will somehow make a move for a top 2 d-man. It sure would be nice to have Johnny Boychuk right now huh?

Here are my line predictions,
Marchand- Bergergon- Eriksson
Beleskey- Krejci- Pastrnak (This will be the best line in the NHL)
Hayes- Spooner- Connolly
Kelly- Kemppainen- Rinaldo

Krug- McQuaid
Morrow- Miller
Irwin- Trotman

Rask/ Gustavsson 

MLB Playoffs Preview and Predictions

Alrighty folks, the MLB playoffs get underway tomorrow night starting with the AL wild card game. I'm here to break down some of the matchups and potential matchups throughout the postseason for ya. I'll also throw in my predictions. So here we go.

AL WILD CARD GAME

Houston Astros @ New York Yankees

Dallas Keuchel (HOU 20-8, 2.48 ERA) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (NYY 12-7, 3.51 ERA)

This game freaks me out so much. Dallas Keuchel has thrown 16 shut out innings against the Yankees this year. The Yankees lineup is full of lefties. I'd be lying if I wasn't scared about losing this game. Mostly because it's one and done. It sucks, but that's what you get for blowing an 8 game late July lead in the division. There are a few reasons why I think the Yankees can win this game though. Overall, the Yankees offense has been able to put up enough runs in games to win more often than not. Dallas Keuchel has been shaky on the road throughout the season, with a road ERA up near 4.00. He's also going to be pitching on 3 days rest while Tanaka will be pitching on a solid 5 days rest. The Yankees are a good home team, and the Astros are HORRID on the road. So even though the Stros won the season series in kind of dominating fashion, I don't see the Yanks losing this game. The Yanks get to Keuchel just enough, Tanaka goes 7 strong and hands it off to Betances and Miller in the 8th and 9th to shut it down. Yankees 3, Astros 1. 

NL WILD CARD GAME

Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Jake Arrieta (CHC 22-6, 1.77 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole (PIT 19-8, 2.60 ERA)

The beauty of these one game wild card playoffs is that we get to see some unreal pitching matchups. Jake Arrieta has been INSANE in the second half of the season, and Gerrit Cole has steadily been one of the best pitchers in baseball as well. The sucky part about this game is that one of the best three teams in baseball is going to be eliminated from the playoffs after ONE GAME. That's not cool. Just from watching the games I can, these teams seem like they're very similar. Solid pitching, solid hitting, but not overwhelmingly fantastic at either. Just two very good overall baseball teams that figured out their own ways of getting a lot of wins. This game is gonna be about as low scoring of a game as you can get though, with these two guys on the hill. I think Jake Arrieta stays on a roll and gets the job done. He may never give up another run. Cubs 2, Pirates 0. 

AL DIVISION SERIES

Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Potential Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Yovani Gallardo (TEX 13-11, 3.42 ERA) vs. David Price (TOR 18-5, 2.45 ERA)

Game 2: Cole Hamels (TEX 13-8, 3.65 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman (TOR 4-0, 1.67 ERA)

Game 3: Marco Estrada (TOR 13-8, 3.13 ERA) vs. Derek Holland (TEX 4-3, 4.91 ERA)

Game 4: R.A. Dickey (TOR 11-11, 3.91 ERA) vs. Colby Lewis (TEX 17-9, 4.66 ERA)

Game 5: Gallardo (maybe Hamels on short rest) vs. Price

(Games 4 and 5 are only if necessary, obviously. Also, these aren't the set rotations, just what I would think they'd be based on each team's situation.)

Now, on to what I actually think is going to happen in this series. Both of these teams ended the season on an absolute roll. The Blue Jays already had a great offense, but getting Troy Tulowitzki (even though he sucked, and then got injured) somehow made them score 10 runs EVERY game, and also getting David Price at the deadline somehow turned every other starter into other David Prices. Kinda unreal if you ask me. The Rangers on the other hand just figured out how to win games. They have a solid offense, but by no means a strong rotation. Hamels was a great pickup at the deadline, but the only other starter with an ERA under 4.00 is Gallardo and I think that's more because he's had a lot of 5-6 inning starts giving up 0-2 runs than him actually being that great. He won't give you a lot of innings. However, he has shut down the Jays this season. The other two, they're gonna need a lot of run support to win. To me, this is about the Blue Jays making the playoffs for the first time since 1993. They aren't gonna win. They're gonna choke and let down their stupid Canadian city and I'm gonna love it. Rangers win series 3-2. 

New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals

Potential Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Luis Severino (NYY 5-3, 2.89 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (KC 10-13, 3.48 ERA)

Game 2: Michael Pineda (NYY 12-10, 4.37 ERA) vs. Yordano Ventura (KC 13-8, 4.08 ERA)

Game 3: Edinson Volquez (KC 13-9, 3.58 ERA) vs. Tanaka 

Game 4: Kris Medlen (KC 6-2, 4.01 ERA) vs. Adam Warren (NYY 7-7, 3.29 ERA)

Game 5: Severino vs. Cueto

As for this series, I don't know how the Royals managed to keep home field advantage with the Blue Jays absolutely on a tear, but they did. And I thank them for that. Because the Yankees would probably get swept by Toronto. Anyway, the Royals had a great season overall, making the playoffs for the second straight season and winning the AL Central. However, I don't think they're that great. Their offense isn't terrific, and their pitching hasn't been either (especially in September). That being said, the Yankees clearly haven't had much figured out lately either. They aren't a very good baseball team. But, you give me Severino twice and Tanaka in a 5 game series, I'm gonna pick the Yanks. Pineda is a crapshoot and Warren is better as a reliever. Obviously that would have been Sabathia's start if he weren't a drunk, but that's what we have. Fortunately, I don't think the Royals rotation is much better. I think New York will get the offense on track against KC (maybe 11 runs in the first two innings of one of these games like back in May) and they'll have just enough pitching. KC won't have enough. All their starters are righties. The Yankees line up is filled with lefties. Time to go to work. Yankees win series 3-2. 

NL DIVISION SERIES

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Potential Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Jacob DeGrom (NYM 14-8, 2.60 ERA) vs. Zack Greinke (LAD 19-3, 1.66 ERA)

Game 2: Matt Harvey (NYM 13-8, 2.71 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (LAD 16-7, 2.33 ERA)

Game 3: Brett Anderson (LAD 10-9, 3.69 ERA) vs. Noah Syndergaard (NYM 9-7, 3.24 ERA)

Game 4: Alex Wood (LAD 5-6, 4.35 ERA) vs. Steven Matz (NYM 4-0, 2.27 ERA)

Game 5: DeGrom vs. Greinke

This series is gonna have some absurd pitching matchups. On paper at least. And Don Mattingly might choose to go with a 3 man rotation to make some even better matchups. Gotta love postseason baseball. This is gonna be another great series. The Mets offense which was once just terrible is now pretty respectable, but their superb starting pitching is why they won the NL East easily. The Dodgers had another solid season, following their ridiculous two aces and formidable offense. However, Clayton Kershaw is infamous for his playoff struggles. I don't really have a reason to believe he won't struggle again, so I think I like the Mets in this series. Now I know the Dodgers as a team have the playoff experience and are probably in better position than New York, but I just think those four starters for the Mets are too good for LA's hitters. Home field advantage will definitely help LA as they had one of the best home records in baseball, but the Mets are fine on the road. I think they split in LA and then the Mets finish off the Dodgers at home before having to go back. Mets win series 3-1. 

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Potential Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Jon Lester (CHC 11-12, 3.34 ERA) vs. John Lackey (STL 13-10, 2.76 ERA)

Game 2: Jason Hammel (CHC 10-7, 3.74 ERA) vs. Michael Wacha (STL 17-7, 3.38 ERA)

Game 3: Lance Lynn (STL 12-11, 3.03 ERA) vs. Arrieta

Game 4: Jaime Garcia (STL 10-6, 2.43 ERA) vs. Kyle Hendricks (CHC 8-7, 3.95 ERA)

Game 5: Lester vs. Lackey

Another series with some great pitching matchups. I'm sick and tired of the Cardinals so I'd love to see the Cubs advance. The Cards overall as a team have the all important playoff experience, but the Cubs are young and hungry. Jon Lester is one of the best postseason pitchers in recent memory, and that's coming from a Yankees fan who saw most of that pitching done in a Red Sox uniform. He's just really good when it matters most. So if I were the Cubs, I'd feel incredibly comfortable giving him the ball twice in this series, and Arrieta will take the hill in game 3. For me, that's enough to pick the Cubs. I know the Cardinals won 100 games and all, but I actually don't know if they're that great of a baseball team. They have great pitching obviously, but when they're up against a solid offense a pitching staff on the other side, it may cause them some problems. I think Lester, Arrieta, Rizzo and Bryant lead the Cubs to a huge series win over the rival Cardinals. Cubs win series 3-2.

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers

I feel like these two teams are pretty evenly matched. A couple hitters in the Rangers line up scare me, but they aren't unstoppable. And their pitchers are more than hittable. Unfortunately, so our the Yankees pitchers. And the Yanks lineup ain't that great either. So it should be a pretty good series. I'm not scared of Cole Hamels because the Yankees already beat him in a World Series, and everyone else should be pretty easy to handle. Hopefully Tanaka and Severino can each pitch twice in this series. It might not even have to get to that point but, if so I like the Yanks chances. I kinda like the Yanks chances regardless. Yankees win series 4-2. 

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets

A Subway Series would be pretty cool right? Nope, Cubs are too good. They owned the Mets this year and they're going to continue to do that. I really like this Cubs team and I think they're going to shut down this Mets offense. Like I said, Lester and Arrieta are going to be one of the best postseason pitching duos you'll see. The Mets staff is great, but those young arms will get tired I think, Matt Harvey will throw some sort of temper tantrum/not show up for the game he's supposed to pitch/get taken out after 5 innings because his agent told him to and the Mets will lose the series. Cubs win series 4-1.

WORLD SERIES

Chicago Cubs vs. New York Yankees

Cubs Yankees would be a CLASSIC World Series. Yanks going for #28, Cubs going for their first since 1908. It would be awesome, awesome stuff. So I keep talking about Lester and Arrieta. But you wanna know who will be better? Tanaka and Severino. Obviously, on paper this seems ridiculous. But I'm a Yankees fan, and I watch these guys every night. These two are gonna put those young buck Cubs hitters in a God damn web and laugh in their faces. Can't wait. A-Rod goes yard 3 maybe 4 times off Lester in the series. Gonna be terrific. Sorry Cubs. Yankees win series 4-2. 

I was pressed for time today trying to finish this blog up before I go do things tonight, so sorry for the less serious, and less detailed analysis towards the end, but whatever. Also, if I weren't a stupid delirious, "get my hopes up" Yankees fan, my picks would be Cubs over Royals. Because the Yankees shouldn't be in the playoffs. But they're gonna win the World Series. You see what this team does to me?? Shit. Just go Yankees.