Derek Carr was mic’d up when he broke his leg and the video is insane.

(WATCH) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p-UjeOmBUro

Derek Carr, what an animal. Im honestly suprised guys suffering brutal injuries while mic’d up doesn’t happen more often. Leave it up to the Oakland Raiders to have their franchise quaterback break his leg just two weeks before the playoffs begin, especially after coming off such an exciting regular season; winning the AFC West. As for Carr, this video shows what kind of football player he is. A true competitor. Impossible to not be a fan of this guy. So respected by his teammates and coaches; hes going to be back with a vengeance next season. “It’s broke! It’s broke! Don’t touch it.” I would of been shrieking like a hyena and this dude is as cool as a cucumber giving himself an extremely accurate injury diagnosis. Ive never broken my leg (KNOCK ON WOOD), but I guess when it happens you know its broken right away. Tough as nails, the way an Oakland Raiders quarterback should be. This kid is going to have a great career in the Bay Area. As for the upcoming playoffs, the Raiders are SCREWED without him. Throwing Matty McGloin in there like a human sacrifice. Ill be rooting  for them, but I dont see Oakland making it too far this postseason without #4.

UFC 207: The Return of Rhonda Rousey

On December 30th, Rhonda Rousey makes her return to UFC, fighting in the main event against current women’s bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes. This will be Rousey’s first fight since brutal loss to Holly Holm in November of 2015. Although this event is basically revolving around Rousey’s return; the UFC 207 fight card is loaded with, what should be, exciting fights.

The prelims include fan favorites such as Johnny Hendricks v. Neil Magny and Dong Hyun Kim v. Tarec Saffiedine. You really have to feel for Johnny Hendricks. Who knows how different that dudes life would be if he would of won the decision against George St.Pierre at UFC 167. I think that loss kind of fucked him mentally and he hasnt been the same since. I always root for Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim. Not only does he have the best nickname in all of professional sports, but his fights are extremely entertaining and typically dont go to the judges. 

Regarding the main card, there are fights im more excited to watch than Rousey’s. Fabricio Werdum v. Cain Velasquez being one of them. I dont think ive ever seen a Cain Velasquez fight leave the first round and/or go to the ground for that matter. Should be a slugfest since Werdum is also a guy whose not afraid to put his head down and swing for the fences. UFC men’s bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will try to defend his belt against undefeated (10-0) Cody Garbrandt. Not a huge fan of Cruz, but not a huge fan of Garbrandt either. About two weeks ago these guys embarassed themselves trying to shit talk each other on Fox Sports 1, (see below) and  it made me hate both of them instantly. Im rooting for the old simultaneous knockout in this fight. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N1IuWp5r8ns
TJ Dillashaw is another fighter whose fights are usually exciting as well. Hell be taking on 29-7 John Lineker. I dont know much about Lineker, but I do know Dillashaw is coming off a bit of a hot streak, winning 5 of his last 6, only losing to current champion Dominick Cruz in a split decision. Rousey v. Nunes being the main event means one thing, Rhonda is going to try and put her name back on the map. Personally, I cant stand Rhonda Rousey. Curses Holly Holm out, insults her and her entire family, acts like shes the toughest, most badass person in the world.Then she gets her ass kicked and goes into hiding. Plays the sympathy card saying shes going to “kill herself” because she lost so badly. Poor girl. I hope Nunes beats her 10 times worse than Holm did and we never have to watch this phony again. If you cant walk the walk, dont talk the talk. Thanks for reading and make sure you tune into UFC 207, should be another great UFC event.

Who will play in the National Championship?: Peach Bowl/ Fiesta Bowl Predictions

As promised in an earlier blog, I am putting forward my predictions and betting advice for the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. Also known as “The only college football postseason games that actually matter.” With these games kicking off in just a couple of days on New Years Eve, its time to take a closer look at the chances all four teams have at winning the National Championship.

Peach Bowl: Alabama v. Washington- The Crimson Tide role into this matchup with the number #1 defense in the nation and an undefeated record. Saban looks to go back-to-back, winning two National Championships in the first two years of the college football playoffs. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year as a true freshman and has the potential to be a  Heisman trophy candidate in years to come. This game will be the ultimate underdog game for the Washington Huskies, as nobody, inclduing myself, sees them winning this matchup. Enetering the Peach Bowl with a 12-1 record, the Huskies are coming off one of their programs best seasons. Quarterback Jake Browning has been extremely efficient in the air, ranking 8th in the nation in yards per attempt and completing 63.2% of his passes. If the Huskies want to shock the world they are going to need to pull out all the stops. Playing against the most talented team in the nation, Washington must enter this game with a “nothing to lose” mentality if they want to pull off the big upset. Unfortunately for the Huskies, I dont see it happening. As a matter of fact, I predict a blowout. Alabamas defense, combined with the altheticism of Hurts will be too much for Washington to handle. Expect things to get ugly quick. Spread and Over/Under: Alabama (-14), 53.5 points. Prediction: Alabama wins 43-27. (Bama/Over)

Fiesta Bowl: Clemson v. Ohio State- Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers will look to get back into the National Championship this year to get redemption, after falling short to the Crimson Tide last year. Watson isn’t the only reason Clemson has become a playoff mainstay. The relentless defensive front of the Tigers has been responsible for much of their success these past two years. Clemson showed last year that in big games their defense steps it up a notch and has the ability to change the game. Look for Dabo Sweeney to put forth a strong defensive game plan to counter Ohio States explosive offense. As for Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes; they look to derail the Tigers and find their program back atop the college football world. JT Barret has had a huge bounce back season after losing his job to Cardale Jones last year. Debatebly becoming the best quarterback in the Big Ten. By his side is one of the most explosive players in the country, running back Curtis Samuel. This guy has the ability to take off down the field for six on just about any play. The outcome of this game will rely heavily on the amount of productivity the Buckeyes get out of Samuel. I expect this game to one the most exciting games of the year. In the end im taking the Tigers winning and getting their rematch with Alabama. Spread and Over/Under: Clemson (-3) and 59.5. Prediction: Clemson wins 32-20. (Clemson/Under)

I will be releasing a post-game analysis on both games, as well as a National Championship prediction following these matchups. As always, thanks for reading. 

Dude paints and sings national anthem at the same time

(WATCH) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z5BxC4CoBKU

Apparently this video is from October, but im just seeing it for the first time so cut me some slack. Artist and musician Joe Everson was chosen by the Toledo Walleye, of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), to perform the national anthem before their game against the Brampton Beast. Patriotism and art collidied as Everson simultaneously painted and sang the anthem. At first I was unsure of what he was throwing together on that canvas, but it turns out he was upside down painting a picture of American soliders raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Other than the talent that it takes to both sing and paint at the same time, the timing of him finishing the song and painting simultaneously is remarkable. Talk about TALENTED. Painting and singing at the same time? I cant even remember to breath while eating.

 A true Picasso/Bon Jovi/Uncle Sam hybrid. That artwork is better than anything I could put together on my best day. Not gonna hype this guy up and say he has the voice of an angel, but ive heard worse. He’s playing it safe. I know he probably has some killer pipes, but hes not gonna put himself out there at an ECHL game. I bet hes waiting for Gary Bettman to call him up for Stanley Cup game seven to really blow us away. Whats up with the Walleye fans anyway? What the hell did they yell in unison?  I couldnt really put together what they said but it sounded fucking sick. Like a war cry. The ECHL is no joke I guess. If im an away player at a Toledo Walleye game and I hear that roar from the stands im a little rattled. At the end of the day this is one of the best videos on the internet. Im embarassed it took me 2 months to see it, but still really cool. If the Islanders can get Joe Everson to the Barclays Center im there.

Merry Christmas: Twas the night before Christmas/Christmas day 🚨HOT TAKE🚨

If you’re reading this its most likely Christmas morning/afternoon. I hope your Christmas has been everything you hoped it would be thus far. Christmas becomes more about family and loved ones as you get older and less about gifts, which makes it such a great holiday. Im currently couped up in my room like a crazed chicken because its Christmas eve and frankly I cant control my excitement. There are two things that refuse to rest in this world. One, content. Two, drunk uncle Jimbo on the night before Christmas. Im juiced up folks. The holiday season straight up gets the best of me.EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR. 20,40,60,80, 100 years of age, I dont give damn how old I am; Christmas will always get me hot and bothered. Just to hit the ground running, let me start off by saying I ate enough seafood to revitalize the southern pacific’s ecosystem tonight. If I had a dollar for every scallop I took down id be eligible to be Forbes magazine next coverboy. The food, the gifts, the family; how do you beat Christmas?

Heres how; you dont. As I grew older I started to think Christmas was a sham. No Santa Clause? Such a bullshit holiday.Boy was I wrong. Maybe its just the child inside of me, or maybe im one step ahead of the game; but I have a master theory that proves Santa Clause exists. As you get older you become smarter and more aware of the world around you. “How can a guy travel around the world in one night? Impossible!” You start to believe he doesn’t exist and when your parents tell you, reality hits. Exactly what the United States government wants. Talk about protecting your biggest asset. This “Santa Clause” idea didnt just come out of thin air. My parents believed,my grandparents believed and so on. At somepoint in time somebody realized that Saint Nick could be an advantage fighting on the front lines. He pretty much travels at the speed of light which in my book, is the best superpower a super solider can posess. “We cant let the young minds of the world know a power so strong exists. Lets build up their hopes and dreams then shatter them to pieces.” Scumbags. You didnt fool little Jimmy Lettieri from Tanglewood road. Every year an unaccounted gift or two slips into my pile and now its all starting to make sense. SANTA IS REAL. Every nation on Earth is battling for his magic powers and now that they have completley shattered every childs sense of trust, they are able to keep the battle for Clause between them. Like I said, this is just a theory. Is it full-proof? Yea its fucking rock solid and pretty much 100% true. But the government will never let you know that. 

Enjoy your Christmas with your family and continue to fight the good fight to keep Kris Kringle out of international affairs. Happy Hanukah to my jewish friends as well. Whip that dradle one time for your boy.  

UFC 207: The Return of Rhonda Rousey

On December 30th, Rhonda Rousey makes her return to UFC, fighting in the main event against current women’s bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes. This will be Rousey’s first fight since brutal loss to Holly Holm in November of 2015. Although this event is basically revolving around Rousey’s return; the UFC 207 fight card is loaded with, what should be, exciting fights.

The prelims include fan favorites such as Johnny Hendricks v. Neil Magny and Dong Hyun Kim v. Tarec Saffiedine. You really have to feel for Johnny Hendricks. Who knows how different that dudes life would be if he would of won the decision against George St.Pierre at UFC 167. I think that loss kind of fucked him mentally and he hasnt been the same since. I always root for Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim. Not only does he have the best nickname in all of professional sports, but his fights are extremely entertaining and typically dont go to the judges. 

Regarding the main card, there are fights im more excited to watch than Rousey’s. Fabricio Werdum v. Cain Velasquez being one of them. I dont think ive ever seen a Cain Velasquez fight leave the first round and/or go to the ground for that matter. Should be a slugfest since Werdum is also a guy whose not afraid to put his head down and swing for the fences. UFC men’s bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will try to defend his belt against undefeated (10-0) Cody Garbrandt. Not a huge fan of Cruz, but not a huge fan of Garbrandt either. About two weeks ago these guys embarassed themselves trying to shit talk each other on Fox Sports 1, (see below) and  it made me hate both of them instantly. Im rooting for the old simultaneous knockout in this fight. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N1IuWp5r8ns
TJ Dillashaw is another fighter whose fights are usually exciting as well. Hell be taking on 29-7 John Lineker. I dont know much about Lineker, but I do know Dillashaw is coming off a bit of a hot streak, winning 5 of his last 6, only losing to current champion Dominick Cruz in a split decision. Rousey v. Nunes being the main event means one thing, Rhonda is going to try and put her name back on the map. Personally, I cant stand Rhonda Rousey. Curses Holly Holm out, insults her and her entire family, acts like shes the toughest, most badass person in the world.Then she gets her ass kicked and goes into hiding. Plays the sympathy card saying shes going to “kill herself” because she lost so badly. Poor girl. I hope Nunes beats her 10 times worse than Holm did and we never have to watch this phony again. If you cant walk the walk, dont talk the talk. Thanks for reading and make sure you tune into UFC 207, should be another great UFC event.

Patrick Maroon gets emotional in post game interview

Two days ago the Edmonton Oilers defeated the St. Louis Blues in overtime by a score of 3-2. This game served as a homecoming for Oilers left winger Patrick Maroon, a native of St.Louis. During the third period, Maroon tied the game up on a deflection goal, forcing overtime. Although Maroon played a major role in helping his team win the game, he showed his true character in his post game interview. (Watch below) 

https://instagram.com/p/BOPlXtVDYdP/

Gets me choked up every damn time. Seeing his son celebrate his goal is one thing, but seeing Patrick Maroon’s reaction to the video is priceless. He loves his son so god damn much he gets emotional just watching him celebrate a goal. Understandably so. These guys spend so much time away from their families; it must drive them a little insane. You figure most professional athletes, who have kids, are in the prime of their careers during the crucial years of their child’s development(4 years old-12 years old). Just ask Antonio Cromartie. Hockey players are an emotional breed, on the ice and off. These guys wear their heart on their sleeve 24/7. Gained a ton of respect for Patty Maroon. Hope he has a wonderful Christmas with his son Anthony and rest of their family. 
P.S. This guy has to have the best hair in hockey.

Star Wars Rogue One: Movie of the year? (🚨SPOILERS🚨)

Ill be honest, im not a huge fan of going out to the movies. I’d much rather save my money and wait for the film to come out on DVD or netflix. It’s not because im cheap or don’t like to have fun, it’s just something about the commitment of sitting in a theater for over an hour. You are trapped. If you want a snack or drink you have to get it before the movie starts or else youll miss something. That drives me nuts. Although, every once in a while ill crack if something that im really interested in seeing is playing. Star Wars has been a series ive followed since I was a little kid and with the release of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, I could not pass up the opportunity to see it ASAP.

So the story of this movie is based in between episodes III and IV, basically Star Wars III 1/2. Although this movie has no major implications on the main storyline of Star Wars, it does revolve around a major event that occurs in episode IV; the destruction of the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. Starting off with the first half of “Rogue One”, we are introduced to Galen Erso and his daughter Jyn Erso. Mamma Erso is pretty irrelevant as she gets blasted to death in the first 30 seconds. The movie begins with a young Jyn retreating to her home to inform her parents about the arrival of Director Orson Krennic; aka the dude who is involved in creating all of the weapons that the Death Star is equipt with. Krennic’s there to recruit Galen Erso, a scientist who worked for the Galactic Empire during it’s reign, to help him design and create a “planet killer”. Basically a beam that will destory any planets opposing the Empire. Although Galen is captured rather than recruited, Jyn escapes and lives the next 15 years without seeing her father. 

The middle portion of this movie is kind of a bore-fest. Mostly character introductions. Probably this movies best assest were the characters it birthed. Caspian Andor, Baze Malbus, K2-SO and of course Chirrut Imwe all had their badass moments at some point in the film. Chirrut was my personal favorite. A blind dude that has a very similar fighting style as Yoda. He’s virtually “the force” personified. Everything he does is based off of natural instict. Something tells me he was a Jedi at one point or another. K2-SO serves as the comedic relief throughout the film. A reprogramed droid with a witty personality. Although he  obviously doesn’t hold a candle to CP3O and R2-D2, he will definitley go down as a great character in Star Wars history.

During the time of these character introductions and plot building I was trying to figure out who was who and if there were any secret messages being translated by the directors. Before I knew it the Rebel alliance was game planning an attack on Scarif, home of an Imperial Security Complex. When Galen Erso helped construct the “planet killer”beam he left unrecognizable flaws in the system. Flaws that have the ability to destroy the Death Star if exploited. The battle that occurs on Scarif revolves around Jyn and Casspian getting their hands on the Death Star blueprint and transmitting it to all rebel forces in the galaxy. Going into this movie I knew every main character introduced was most likely going to die. It was the only way it could work. If not, we would of been introduced to them as major characters in episodes IV, V and VI. Unfortunately, I was right. K2-SO goes down like an absoloute G, taking bullets for Casspian and Jyn to buy them time to get their hands on the blueprint.

Bowl Mania Begins

With College football Bowl games beginning today, we are presented with a handful of games that may turn out to be pretty exciting. At the half right now, University of Texas San Antonio trails New Mexico 10-6. At 3:30 Houston faces off against San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Arkansas State plays UCF at 5:30 in the Cure Bowl, Appalachian State plays Toledo in the Camellia Bowl and Southern Mississippi faces off against Louisianna Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl. For new comer college football fans, these game seem pretty irrelevant…….they are. But, these games usually turn out to be some of the most exciting football played all year. Here are my picks for the games starting at, or after 3:30.

Houston v San Diego State: Greg Ward Jr. has been one of the most underrated football players in all of college football this year. Even though San Diego State’s defense is a top 25 defense in the country, most of their competition has been Mountain West Conference teams, who have finished the season with a losing record. Pick: Houston wins 32-21.

Arkansas State v UCF: After getting off to a bumpy start of the season, Arkansas State is carrying a ton of momentum into this matchup, coming off of a 7 win 1 loss run to finish the year. UCF’s strongest asset this year has been their defense. With this game being played in Orlando, its virtually a home game for the Knights.Pick: UCF win 32-27

Appalachian State v Toledo: A toss up game here. A strong pass defense in Appalachian State, ranking fourth in the nation in total yards against per game, facing off against a high powered offense in Toledo, who went 8th in passing yards this season and 18th in scoring. I expect a shootout. Pick: Appalachian State win 41-35.

Souther Mississippi v Louisiana Lafayette: With this game being played in the Superdome, expect the Rajun Cajun fans to make this feel like a home game for Louisiana Lafayette. A pair of 6-6 teams with high scoring offenses. These are this kind of games that end with an 80 point total. Pick: Louisiana Lafayette win 45-42.

To end this post id like to give a shoutout and wish goodluck to everyone in “Dyno” Dave Devlin’s Bowl Mania pool. Especially Connor Fleming, he is going to need it. 

Rest in Peace Craig Sager

A legend has left us. Today, long time NBA field reporter and broadcaster Craig Sager, passed away at the age of 65 after losing his battle to cancer. Although, when you look back on it, Craig didnt really lose his battle. The late and great Stuart Scott once said “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”. Craig Sager did exactly that. Even after his terminal diagnosis, he traveled long distances to work games because thats what he loved to do. Craig was as tough of a person as he was happy.  He brought a smile to the face of everyone he encountered. Its a shame that bad things happen to great people. Legends never die. Craig Sager you will be missed.  Below is a montage of Craig Sager’s best moments. Well worth the 2 and a half minutes. #SagerStrong

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUZmUuKbf8