World Cup Wrap up

Final Recap

The World cup of Hockey finished up last night after two quick goals in the final three minutes were scored by Canada after they were down 1-0 to Team Europe the majority of the game.  Team Canada's goals were scored by Patrice Bergeron on a tip in and by Brad Marchand off of a wrist shot, both players are members of the Boston Bruins and Zdeno Chara who is also a Bruin scored the only Team Europe goal.  The Europeans were a few minutes away from extending the finals series but the constant speed and pressure Team Canada was rolling proved too much for the under dogs.  Both goalies, Carey Price, and Jaroslav Halak kept their teams in the game and at the end it was the superior talent team that won out.  The first game of the finals set was won by Canada 3-1 in an effort that was not so pretty to watch, it speaks to Canada's talent that even on off nights they have the talent to get W's.

Tournament Take away

My prediction for the tournament was that Team North America would take home the gold, I was most certainly incorrect, but they were by far the most exciting team to watch.  The North Americans had speed, pride, and the most upside of any team in the tournament.  TNA went 2-1 losing only once, to a Russian team who scored 4 goals in a matter of 6 minutes, that game ended 4-3 after TNA scored two more goals of their own to put pressure on the Russians.  TNA's victories were 4-1 over Finland and 3-2 OT over Sweden after Nathan Mackinnon undressed Henrik Lundqvist (we wish literally am I right?) all alone in front of the net to end an absolutely electric Over time session which also featured an important toe save by John Gibson at the other end right before Mack's goal.  TNA ended up not advancing because of their loss to Russia, a game they would have won if not for their 6 minute collapse.  From what I saw in the tournament, the U24 team from the NA was the second best team overall in the tournament, maybe first overall in talent, but Canada definitely had the upper hand in overall experience and success from its players.

Team Europe was a huge surprise in this tournament, the only team to beat them was Canada, albeit 3 times over the course of two weeks, nobody was expecting The Europeans to have any sort of success.  Europe and North America were the two gimmicky teams that were implemented this year, North America was the young guns and Europe was the mixed bag of less than elite countries and old Slovakians.  I thought the gimmick teams were a joke at first, but at least North America would be exciting.  Team Europe was beaten badly in each pre-tournament game they had but stepped it up when it mattered and beat USA, Czechs, and The consistently good Swedes to advance to the final series with Canada.  Some of Europe's best players were Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, Tobias Rieder, and Leon Draisaitl, the former two being near the end of their careers and the latter two the same age as the North Americans.  Europe contained Canada for much of the final two games but it was obvious that their level of skill and talent just wasn't on par with Canada.  Europe was a surprise considering many pundits did not expect them to even win a game let alone come in second overall.

Team USA took over what I thought Team Europe would be, they scored 2 goals over their first two games, both losses, before putting up 3 in their final game, which was also a loss.  I don't know if it's because Team USA isn't Canada, filled up with much less pride and determination, with zero comeback in their blood, but yeah actually that's exactly what I think it is.  If the Americans do well in an international tournament, it is big news, we slayed the top hockey talents and are on our way to being on par with Sweden, and Canada.  If America does not do well in an international tournament, nobody in America cares, so I have to think that is on their minds throughout these matches.  We big time hockey fans keep hearing that Americans are on the precipice of hockey greatness, but every time I see these guys get down in a game, there is no fight.  One huge knock on America though is that the TNA took away their most skilled guys, players like Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Shayne Gostisbehere, Seth Jones, and Auston Matthews.  Team Canada was so good that they didn't even need a superstar like Connor McDavid, however Team USA did not have that luxury and really missed out on high end talent.  Team USA was disappointing but at this point I'm not surprised if they lay a goose egg, they either medal or are an embarrassment. 

Here wraps up the wrap up

Team Canada was head and shoulders above the rest and it comes as no surprise that they hoisted the hardware.  If you have a fourth line of Matt Duchene, Joe Thornton, and Ryan O'Rielly, and at any time Claude Giroux could be your 13th forward, you are gonna win some tournaments.  I give credit to The Canadians but there is almost nothing to say about them, it is like USA Basketball, winning is expected and almost a given.  For the most part the tournament was kinda boring, the surprises were how good Europe was and how bad Finland was, the former second team in the world put up a goose egg and highly touted prospect Patrik Laine's claim to fame was a big hit against the North Americans.  Yet again America had hopes that were diminished, Russia much the same, making the semi's and losing to Canada, Putin is for sure pissed.  Team Canada and TNA would have been the bet matchup of the tournament but sadly that never came to fruition.  Team Europe and TNA made for exciting hockey but they will more than likely not be in the tournament in 2020, replaced by a more traditional format.  I give this tournament a 6 out of 10, 4 points taken off for all the games North America did not participate in.

Fire Jam Friday

ALL new music this week as we get pumped up for a helluva weekend. Drink a lot this weekend, it'll do some good. Go Tigers.

College Football Roundup: Week 4

Plenty of exciting games in week 4 so let's get started.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (vs. Kent State, W 48-0): Tide lookin good I guess.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes: BYE

3. Louisville Cardinals (@ Marshall, W 59-28): Honestly, screw Lamar Jackson. Dude's gonna get smoked in Death Valley.

4. Michigan Wolverines (vs. Penn State, W 49-10): Blue still rolling.

5. Clemson Tigers (@ Georgia Tech, W 26-7): Clemson probably shoulda won this game by 50 points but penalties and conservative play calling kept Georgia Tech in the game. But my spin on it is that Clemson has found zero success in their recent trips to Atlanta, and were only 10 point favorites against a poor Georgia Tech team. Not a bad W if you look at it that way. The defense shut down Tech's rushing attack again this year which I was really pleased with. Could still use some work on offense. And if we're winning, please continue to pour it on. It's better that way. So pumped for the big game this weekend though. Can't wait to be back in the Valley.

6. Houston Cougars (@ Texas State, W 64-3): A close one in Texas.

7. Stanford Cardinal (@ UCLA, W 22-13): A solid 4th quarter by Stanford led them over the Bruins after playing from behind for most of the game. Another solid showing by McCaffrey as well. Also, for people who had UCLA +3.5 that scoop n score as time expired must have been a heartbreaker.

8. Michigan State Spartans (vs. #11 Wisconsin, L 30-6): Pretty poor showing from MSU this past weekend after taking care of Notre Dame the week before. I guess that game was more indicative of Notre Dame sucking than it was of Sparty being good.

9. Washington Huskies (@ Arizona, W 35-28 OT): Another pretty good game out on the west coast. Huskies needing some OT action to beat the Cats. Arizona has always been a tough place to play for ranked Pac 12 opponents I feel like. So I won't make anything of the fact that Washington needed OT to beat them. I'll actually give em props for pulling it out on the road.

10. Texas A&M (vs. #17 Arkansas, W 45-24): Tied at the half, the second half was all A&M. Didn't watch much of this game but how bout Trevor Knight with 157 yards on the ground? How in the hell did Arkansas let that happen?

11. Wisconsin Badgers (@ #8 Michigan State, W 30-6): What a win for the Badgers. Pretty incredible showing on the road against a top 10 team. It looks like Wisco could have an elite defense this season. Which isn't really anything out of the ordinary. They usually do have a solid defense.

12. Georgia Bulldogs (@ #23 Ole Miss, L 45-14): UGA just getting pummeled by Ole Miss. Tough loss but Ole Miss was better than their 1-2 record probably. Never know which Swag Kelly you'll run into.

13. Florida State Seminoles (@ South Florida, W 55-35): 35 points is a lot to give up. Tough look.

14. Tennessee Volunteers (vs. #19 Florida, W 38-28): Impressive comeback by the Vols but screw them. Aren't actually good.

15. Miami Hurricanes: BYE

16. Baylor Bears (vs. Oklahoma State, W 35-24): First non-rape of the season for Baylor. Gonna need to step it up if they wanna be a contender.

17. Arkansas Razorbacks (vs. #10 Texas A&M, L 45-24): Arkansas is not back.

18. LSU Tigers (@ Auburn, L 18-13): LSU STINKS. And now Les Miles has been fired. Probably shoulda fired him when we all realized he couldn't recruit a halfway decent quarterback.

19. Florida Gators (@ #14 Tennessee, L 38-28): Sick blown 21 point lead Florida. Tough look.

20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (@ Northwestern, W 24-13): Welcome back to the top 25 Nebraska.

21. Texas Longhorn: BYE

22. San Diego State Aztecs: BYE

23. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. #12 Georgia, W 45-14): Swagggggggg.

24. Utah Utes (vs. USC, W 31-27): Boy does USC suck.

25. Oklahoma Sooners: BYE

Hopefully next time we check in we're talking about a huge W for the Tigers in Death Valley. Can't wait. Also, I'm real sick of the SEC not having highlight packages of their games up on youtube. Every other friggin conference has highlights of all their games. It's like the SEC thinks they're too good for people who can't make it to the games or see them on TV. Unreal.

1992

First and foremost I want to tell any readers to check out Mark Dignacco's piece about Jose Fernandez which is on Top Cheddar as well.  I am not writing this to compete with Mark and his tribute because what he wrote was phenomenal and I want that to get just as much exposure as this, maybe even more.  I am writing about Jose Fernandez's untimely death but not so much as a tribute.

As a fan of sports and pop culture, when an athlete or icon dies I usually take a step back and think about if that person really made an impact on my life, because when it comes down to it, I do not know any of them on a personal level.  From time to time I find exceptions such as Robin Williams, and Glenn Frey's deaths because Robin's movies and Glenn's music definitely both had impacts on my life.  The deaths of the Lokomotiv hockey team in Russia a few years back and the few former enforcers from the NHL who passed impacted me as well because hockey has always been big in my life.  

Jose's impact on me has been much different than the deaths of those I listed above, at first it doesn't even seem like I should care much.  Yes it is sad that Jose died, he was a good guy and a great young athlete, he did not play for a team I root for (though i conveniently have a Marlins hat) and at times I even thought his showboating was a little much.  I was shocked to see that Jose had died today once I opened twitter, the level of shock when I thought about it a few minutes later was sort of surprising, he plays for the Marlins, he wasn't one of my favorite athletes, why do I give a shit?

1992-2016........  Those eight numbers are what made me sad, due to the fact that 1992 was the year in which I was born as well.  1992 stood out to me and then the social media flood gates opened, I saw that Jose was stoked that his wife was pregnant, in a few short months Jose was going to become a father.  Gifs of Jose owned the internet, usually Gifs are silly and show athletes messing up and we all have a laugh, but these were Gifs displaying the pure joy he got from hitting baseballs and striking people out.  It looked as if at times that Jose could injure himself purely off of fist pumps emphatically shot into the air.

I started to think of who I was as a person just based on the fact that Jose was my age and he left a mark on not just baseball, but the sports world as a whole.  Jose defected from Cuba at the age of 15, it would be easy for him to resent the hardships he had to go through and pout when he did not get his way, but he did not do that, he pulled up chairs to watch firework displays after the Major League games he played in, he hugged, he cheered.  Jose is the perfect example of not taking anything for granted, he worked hard to play the sport he loved and he'd be damned if anyone would take the joy away from him.

Jose Fernandez's death caused me to think of my own life, and when I do I don't mean comparing how successful I am to him, that would be a silly comparison and not fair to myself.  Often people ask me what is wrong, why I look so sad, at times I am sad, and it is something I struggle with, other times it is just the expression on my face that leads people to believe I am not happy.  Jose had many difficult times in his life, to an extent that I will never be able to relate to, we both have spent 24 years on this earth, thousands of miles a part and with paths that have been completely different.  Tomorrow I hope to smile a little more, fist pump a little more, and realize that the moments that make up each and every one of my days are special.  

RIP Jose Fernandez

By now, I'm sure everyone knows that Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident early this morning, so this is more just a tribute blog to him than an informative one. I still can't even comprehend the fact that Jose is gone. I woke up this morning and I got the update on my phone that he died and I just didn't believe it. I figured it was just some other Jose Fernandez. I mean there's gotta be quite a few of those. That's like a Mike Smith dying. But evidently it was this Jose Fernandez. This electric, talented, joyful and brave superstar. He truly was one of sports' brightest and youngest stars. Not just for baseball. For a casual baseball fan, you may not know much about Jose Fernandez. But if you follow baseball you know that it was more than his talent that made him a joy to watch. I honestly don't know if I've ever seen anyone have more fun on a baseball field than Jose Fernandez. You hear a lot when people die, and it often is true, that they could light up a room or that you'll remember them by their smile. But with Jose, I think that is most definitely true with almost everyone who has ever loved him, met him, or watched him on TV. I've never met Jose Fernandez, never even watched him in person, but along with his electric fastball and his absurd slider, I'll remember that huge smile that he carried around the ballpark, and the incredible joy that he got out of playing baseball. And just being alive. This truly is a sad day for many people. I don't think I've ever been hit harder by a death of a person I've never met than this one today. I can't stop thinking about how sad it must be for his family and friends and teammates. People he had a great impact on every day. Basically I'm just shocked that this happened and I'm gonna miss being able to see him pitch or watch highlights of him every five days. He had an incredible future in front him career wise, but it really is about more than just baseball. Jose has a baby on the way, and it sucks that he won't be there for the birth of his child. This whole thing just sucks. But some of the stories that were coming out today about his life just show how amazing of a life Jose lived in his way too short life. 24 is too young. Rest in peace, Jose Fernandez.

Jose Fernandez a real-life hero. Jailed for trying to escape his country, saved mom from drowning. All by 24. Now he's gone. Gut-wrenching

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) September 25, 2016

The most incredible part of this is that when Fernandez jumped, he didn't know who had fallen in. He risked his life for a random person https://t.co/VPec8SiFxy

— Ben Diamond (@_BenDiamond) September 25, 2016

And the best for last. Never thought I'd use this gif in a sad way. Just look at how damn happy he is. Love the guy.

Fire Jam Friday

Two separate songs called Echo on the playlist, gotta be a record. Plus an absolute lavalamp fire jam from The Weeknd and Daft Punk. 

College Football Roundup: Week 3

Week 3 already, huh? Well I'm behind as always since week 4 starts today. Soz.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (@ #19 Ole Miss, W 48-43): Screw Alabama. Always sneaking away with wins. Think they're so cool. 

2. Florida State Seminoles (@ #10 Louisville, L 63-20): FSU got absolutely trampled on by Lamar Jackson and co. Made me scared for October 1st.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (@ #14 Oklahoma, W 45-24): Impressive win for the Bucks on the road in Norman. Personally I love it. Screw Oklahoma.

4. Michigan Wolverines (vs. Colorado, W 45-28): Michigan got a scare from Colorado early but they were too good the rest of the game. 

5. Clemson Tigers (vs. South Carolina State, W 59-0): Tigers finally put a game together. Although I woulda liked to see Deshaun play a whole half, and them put up an 80 spot on these guys. We got Georgia Tech in Atlanta tonight. Gotta play well, we got some bad luck down there. Hopefully it plays as just another tune up for Louisville who all of a sudden looks like the best team in the ACC. 

6. Houston Cougars (@ Cincinnati, W 40-16): Good way to start conference play for Greggy Ward and the Cougs.

7. Stanford Cardinal (vs. USC, W 27-10): Another tight game for Christian McCaffrey. Easy win for the Cards. 

8. Washington Huskies (vs. Portland State, W 41-3): I see Washington still is in the midst of the difficult stretch of their schedule.

9. Wisconsin Badgers (vs. Georgia State, W 23-17): Such a Wisconsin win.

10. Louisville Cardinals (vs. #2 Florida State, W 63-20): I love and hate this win by Louisville. I love it because screw Florida State. I hate it because it makes me nervous about Clemson facing them.

11. Texas Longhorns (@ California, L 50-43): Just when you think Texas is back, they aren't.

12. Michigan State Spartans (@ #18 Notre Dame, W 36-28): Honestly I though Sparty would have to hold Notre Dame to like 17 points for them to win this game. Didn't really know they were this good.

13. Iowa Hawkeyes (vs. North Dakota State, L 23-21): No Carson Wentz? No problem.

14. Oklahoma Sooners (vs. #3 Ohio State, L 45-24): Oklahoma STINKS.

15. Tennessee Volunteers (vs. Ohio, W 28-19): Sick win Tennessee.

16. Georgia Bulldogs (@ Missouri, W 28-27): Impressive game winning drive by the freshman QB. Other than that, I don't know why they were losing in the first place. Didn't everyone on Missouri quit because they aren't safe enough? 

17. Texas A&M Aggies (@ Auburn, W 29-16): Nice way to start conference play for the Aggies. I think.

18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (vs. #12 Michigan State, L 36-28): Tough 1-2 start for the Irish.

19. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. #1 Alabama, L 48-43): Dammit, Swag.

20. LSU Tigers (vs. Mississippi State, W 23-20): LSU really isn't that good.

21. Baylor Bears (@ Rice, W 38-10): First road rape of the season for Baylor. Albeit, a pretty weak one.

22. Oregon Ducks (@ Nebraska, L 35-32): Didn't know Nebraska was on the comeback trail. Kinda love it. 

23. Florida Gators (vs. North Texas, W 32-0): Sick win Florida. 

24. Arkansas Razorbacks (vs. Texas State, W 42-3): Razorbacks stayin hot.

25. Miami Hurricanes (@ Appalachian State, W 45-10): People were calling this a good win. What? It's god damn Appalachian State. Chill. 

Welp, see ya in an hour for the start of week 4. Go Tigers.

Team North America is Bae

-Barrel

Well looks like my prediction is well on its way to becoming a reality, Team North America is electric.  The young guys are taking the hockey world by storm, mainly if the world is Canada and my stupid brain.  Yesterday was the second Sunday in the NFL season and nothing made me happier than coming home from work at 7:30 to see that Team North America was straight up embarrassing Team Finland aka The World's second best team, aka Team never Finnished.  I came back to see a score of 3-0 which soon climbed to 4-0 after Nathan 'Return of the Mack' innon put the Finns in their grave.  This team is stupid fast, incomprehensibly skilled and had a line of Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel at one point, that line of course found the score sheet as it is my wet dream of a combination.  Teams often say that when God is on their side they will be successful, well McDavid, Matthews, and Eichel are essentially the holy trinity, probably better.  The Dmen are huge, going into this tournament I thought maybe that could be a weak point in this team because most Dmen who breakout are certainly older than 24, mostly in the 25-27 range.  Seth Jones is as smooth of a skater as an, regardless of position, he is not overly physical but he does everything efficiently enough to break the puck out, move with the flow of the play and get back to the blue line to defend against elite level scorers.  Colten Parayko has come out of literally nowhere (Alaska) to be seen as one of the best young defensemen in the NHL, they guy is built like superman, legit about 6'6 230 and has a heavy shot, and an edge to his game, using his size to knock guys off the puck.  Shayne Gostisbehere aka The pride of South Kent was tossing guys and he's the basic opposite of Parayko in size at about 5'10 170, but he throws all 170 of that around.  Patrik Laine aka every European in every 1980's movie and also the second overall pick after Auston Matthews was invisible aside from a huge hit on Dylan Larkin in the third period.  The momentum seemed to be swinging in Finland's direction after Valteri Filpula scored to break the shutout and Laine rocking sweet Dylan to the ice, but what impressed me was that Larkin got up and tossed the mitts, giving several pounds and height inches in advantage of the other guy, refs broke it up but I loved to see Larks standing up for himself.  At the final horn, the Score read 4-1 in favor of the little guys, the team comprised mostly of kids who would get arrested for sipping brew.  Matt Murray carried the momentum he gained from winning a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh and backstopped the boys to victory, he made 24 saves, not insanely busy but the skaters put 43 shots on Rinne so the Finns were not exactly in his end much.  Auston Matthews was impressive in his first game on Toronto's ice as property of the Maple Leafs, he had an assist and was frequently visible as one third of the 'Holy Trinity.'  Connor McDavid found the scorersheet along with Jack Eichel and everyone played well and was very exciting and fast.  Nathan Mackinnon came into the tournament as a skilled winger and might be a power forward by October, he's just flying around the ice, throwing his body and slipping the puck past goalies like it's no thing at all.  Dylan Larkin showed his speed as he always does and wanted to throw down.  The Kids are doing it all.  Tonight at 8 pm Eastern time the North Americans play 0-1 Team Russia for their second game.  Stay tuned, Stay woke, because it's lit fam.

Highlights of last night's Electricity found below:

Team North America, The Future is here.

-Barrel

Okay, as a hockey fan I am looking forward to the World Cup of hockey which starts tomorrow.  One thing I was not expecting was looking forward to Team North America and how they would perform, having a U24 team in a tournament of the best players in the world sounded straight up useless to me at first.  Not only are these young guys not as experienced as Team Canada or Team Finland, but North America isn't even a country, it's a continent and two countries will be represented, the sense of patriotism is missing.  Canada, Sweden, US, Finland... they'll all crush North America, won't they?

No, nope, no way, Stoked is a tiny word that can't even hold a candle to what my true emotions are for this team now.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I follow hockey, religiously.  Every year I get excited for the new crop of guys from the juniors, European, and Collegiate ranks that get selected in The National Hockey League draft.  The oldest guys on this team were drafted five years ago in 2011 and the youngest member, Auston Matthews is a generational American Talent who turns 19 tomorrow.  TNA is stacked with first round picks and includes 6 of the last 7 first overall picks.  There are young guys 24-27 who are in their prime and a few on the European squads that are under 24 but no team has as many players on its roster who are guaranteed to break out in the next few years as TNA does.

Leadership Core.

Connor McDavid was chosen by Head Coach Todd McLellan to be the captain of TNA and his Assistants are Sean Couturier and Aaron Ekblad.  Sean is the grey beard of the group at the old age of 23, then Aaron at 20, and Connor at 19.  Hockey is growing in America but Sidney Crosby remains the most notable name in the states as the best player in the world, well, just so everyone knows, Connor McDavid will be just as good, possibly better.  Both Connor and Aaron gained exceptional player status at the age of 15 to play in the Ontario Hockey League, one whose rosters are dotted with 20 year old and sometimes 21 year old men, a league that does not normally allow players to be drafted until they are 16.  Sean was drafted 8th overall in 2011 and is an up and coming two way forward on the Philadelphia Flyers.  Connor will most likely becoming the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers before the age of 20, Aaron Ekblad will probably be a captain some day and Sean will have an increased role in Philly too.  Connor accumulated above a point per game average in an injury shortened rookie season last year, impressive considering most rookies top out at around 50-60 points over 82 games, he scored 48 in just 45 games.  Aaron is a two time All-Star in his first two seasons and won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year in the 2014-2015 campaign.  Sean Couturier is coming into his own and has potential to be a Selke winner (best defensive forward) in the future.

Depth

TNA's depth is undeniable, They have cup winners like winger Brandon Saad and goaltender Matt Murray.  Aaron Ekblad and Johnny Gaudreau have each played two seasons in the league and made all star rosters both years, guys like Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and Jack Eichel will be perennial All stars possibly as soon as 2016-2017 and those are just the no brainers.  Shayne Gostisbehere and Colton Parayko will join Ekblad as future Norris trophy (top defenseman) candidates.  Jonathan Drouin, Nathan Mackinnon, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Morgan Rielly, Seth Jones, join Matthews, Eichel, and McDavid as top five picks in their respective draft years.  The pedigree is there for this squad, and unlike other teams with pedigree, these guys are young and won't tire out as quickly as their counterparts.  A guy like Dylan Larkin who made an all star team this past season as a rookie and won the fastest skater competition might spend games in the press box as a healthy scratch, which is absolutely absurd.  John Gibson, a guy who has started for the Anaheim Ducks in net since 2013 when he was only 20 will serve as a back up to Matt Murray, a 22 year old netminder who backstopped the Penguins to a Stanley cup in 2016.  These guys are fast, have endurance, and won't hit the prime of their careers for another season or two.

X Factor

Connor McDavid started out his rookie season with 5 points in his first 12 games.  Any other first year player would be fine having that kind of output but as the heir to the poster boy throne, it was quite underwhelming.  Connor finished his first year with 48 points in 45 games which indicates an insane tear, putting him at 43 points over his last 33 games, something 10 year veterans would be envious of.  When McDavid is on his game he is a top 5 player in the league.  Connor did not put together much on the stat sheets in his pre tournament games so TNA will be looking at him to lead them and step up his play, I don't see there being any problem with that and McLellan has been mixing up his linemates, seeing who he would have chemistry with, one of his latest linemates being Auston Matthews.  The best prospect to come out of America since Patrick Kane playing with the best prospect in Canada since Sidney Crosby sounds like the kind of thing I dream of on hockeyless summer nights, an explosion of talent that legitimately does not come together often in any pro sport, the closest comparison I can think of is the left side of the yankees infield in the mid to late 2000s.  Some of these players could shy away from the spotlight and make vital mistakes.  The trouble that TNA could have is if McDavid does not perform, I think he'll be fine.

Prediction

My tame picks is for TNA to finish top four, hopefully medaling in their debut.  I am going to spit some fire on this take because it is hot, my true and honest prediction is that TNA is going to win this thing, Team Europe and TNA are gimmicks but the latter actually has talent and potential.  The smattering of nations put together for Team Europe is just dumb, and my theory throughout since the teams were announced is that Europe was added strictly so Anze Kopitar could play in the tournament, sorry Anze but you come from a dumb country that isn't a consistent hockey power and therefore you should not be able to participate.  Are they going to play all 9 anthems after games that Europe wins? dumb just dumb, stupid, not about that.  Sweden is skilled but their goal tending is suspect, their backups are not good and Lundqvist actually got pulled after getting shit on by the lowly Euros.  Russia scares me but that's actually just Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, and I've seen international hockey so I know they'll most likely disappoint Putin.  Team USA has nice depth and solid goalies so they will be a threat and Canada's lineup is basically a 25 and up version of TNA, just a stupid, disgusting array of talent.  TNA lost to the Czechs in the pre tournament games but I'm sure they learned from that and it was just a minor setback to a major comeback.

-----TNA WINS GOLD-----

Fire Jam Friday

Happy Friday folks. Got a good one for ya again this week. Enjoy this shit.

College Football Roundup: Week 2

Basically zero good games in week 2, so let's get started. Also, sorry again for doing this late. I'll be better at some point. Also, I don't know who I'm apologizing to. No one reads this shit.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (vs. Western Kentucky, W 38-10): Good game Bama.

2. Clemson Tigers (vs. Troy, W 30-24): Pitiful performance. No clue what's going on with the offense but Deshaun apologized so I'm assuming we'll be better this week. Or we just suck for no reason.

3. Florida State Seminoles (vs. Charleston Southern, W 52-8): Sick game FSU.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (vs. Tulsa, W 48-3): Great job Bucks.

5. Michigan Wolverines (vs. UCF, 51-14): Tight, Blue.

6. Houston Cougars (vs. Lamar, W 42-0): Houston stayin hot.

7. Stanford Cardinal: BYE

8. Washington Huskies (vs. Idaho, W 59-14): Nice job, Washington.

9. Georgia Bulldogs (vs. Nicholls, W 26-24): At least Clemson wasn't as bad as Georgia.

10. Wisconsin Badgers (vs. Akron, W 54-10): Badgers lookin good.

11. Texas Longhorns ( vs. UTEP, W 41-7): Lot easier than Notre Dame, huh Texas?

12. Michigan State Spartans: BYE

13. Louisville Cardinals (@ Syracuse, W 62-28): Lamar Jackson looks like the real deal.

14. Oklahoma Sooners (vs. Louisian Monroe, W 59-17): Hey way to bounce back, Sooners!

15. TCU Horned Frogs (vs. Arkansas, L 41-38 2OT): The only good football game of last weekend. Thought Kenny Trill was back, but maybe not.

16. Iowa Hawkeyes (vs. Iowa State, W 42-3): Way to get the W, Hawks.

17. Tennessee Volunteers (vs. Virginia Tech, W 45-24): Cool venue. Congrats on win Vols.

18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (vs. Nevada, W 39-10): Good first win of the season, Irish.

19. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. Wofford, W 38-13): Swag.

20. Texas A&M Aggies (vs. Prairie View, W 67-0): Toughest opponent A&M will face all season. Big W.

21. LSU Tigers (vs. Jacksonville State, W 34-13): Way to get that first win out of the way in week 2 LSU.

22. Oklahoma State Cowboys (vs. Central Michigan, L 30-27): Big upset, but it came with controversy. Apparently Central Michigan shouldn't have gotten the free play at the end of the game that ended up being the hail mary game winner.

23. Baylor Bears (vs. SMU, W 40-13): C'mon Baylor. You coulda raped better than that.

24. Oregon Ducks (vs. Virginia, W 44-26): Good for Oregon for taking on and beating the most feared ACC team.

25. Miami Hurricanes (vs. Florida Atlantic, W 38-10): Good game, Canes.

Week 2 in the books.

Fire Jam Friday

Almost exclusively new music this week. Great selection of new tunes. Enjoy.

College Football Roundup: Week 1

Week 1 is in the books! Pretty good slate of games for week 1 so that was solid. Let's cut the chase and get to it though.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (vs. #20 USC, W 52-6): Lane Kiffin getting the last laugh against USC. Bama looked very impressive and gave a convincing reason to stay at #1 this week. I also think USC is just overrated though. Also, what's the difference between Derrick Henry and the running back the Tide has now? I see zero differences.

2. Clemson Tigers (@ Auburn, W 19-13): Wasn't the best game for my Tigers, but it's a road W and I'll take it. If I had to guess too, I'd say they played at the toughest venue of any road top 25 team. A lot of big games were neutral sites, others had cakewalk first games. Auburn is a difficult place to play, even if they aren't a great team. With that being said, I'd like to see Clemson polish some things up before conference play starts. 

3. Oklahoma Sooners (vs. #15 Houston, L 33-23): Sick season Oklahoma. 

4. Florida State Seminoles (vs. #11 Ole Miss, W 45-34): FSU mounted a pretty impressive comeback in their first game of the year. Down 28-6 in the first half, they outscored the Rebels 23-0 in the third quarter. The frosh QB looked real good to start the season, and Dalvin Cook served as a multipurpose threat outta the backfield, running for 90 yards and receiving for 100. 

5. LSU Tigers (vs. Wisconsin, L 16-14): Love the Badgers taking this from LSU in Lambeau Field. Brandon Harris is pretty much the worst QB in college football. Fournette can't do everything for them, despite him trying to. Also, worst cheap shot of all time at the end of this game. Unbelievable.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (vs. Bowling Green, W 77-10): Ohio State getting their tough Big 10 schedule started early.

7. Michigan Wolverines (vs. Hawaii, W 63-3): Michigan saw Ohio State's Bowling Green and raised them a Hawaii. 

8. Stanford Cardinal (vs. Kansas State, W 26-13): Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffrey dazzled in his first game of the season. I don't know what else to expect from Stanford this year but I do know McCaffrey is freaking sweet.

9. Tennessee Volunteers (vs. Appalachian State, W 20-13 OT): Wasn't buying the Tennessee hype before the season. And they gave me no reason to buy it after week one either. Tennessee sucks. No way they're number 9 in the country.

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@ Texas, L 50-47 2OT): The game of the week came on Sunday night. An absolutely unreal game that was not only back and forth but full of comebacks at the same time. Had no idea Texas was gonna be good enough to beat the Irish, but they were. Both these teams looked real solid, with the Longhorns just coming out on top in double OT. Blocked PAT returned for 2 points to force OT was the first absolutely ridiculous impact play of the college football season.

11. Ole Miss Rebels (vs. #4 Florida State, L 45-34): Awful second half for the Rebels ruined a once 28-6 lead. Chad Kelly looked great, and then looked horrible. I imagine that's kinda how his season will go. Also, Swaaaaaaag Kelly (that's Mia Khalifa btw):

12. Michigan State Spartans (vs. Furman, W 28-13): Michigan State saw Michigan's Hawaii, and raised them a Furman. And beat them by a whopping 15 points.

13. TCU Horned Frogs (vs. South Dakota State, W 59-41): SDSU gave em a run for their money but faltered in the second half.

14. Washington Huskies (vs. Rutgers, W 48-13): Didn't know Washington is expected to be good. Nice start to the season though against a shitty opponent.

15. Houston Cougars (vs. #3 Oklahoma, W 33-23): Even though they're ranked 15th, this was probably one of the bigger upsets of the weekend. Oklahoma is supposed to compete for a national championship and Houston is in the AAC. Greg Ward Jr is sweet though, and so was that 109 yard "Kick Six." Big win for the Cougs.

16. UCLA Bruins (@ Texas A&M, L 31-24 OT): Unreal play to force OT against the hometown Aggies, but UCLA lost in OT to open the season. Tough venue to play at obviously so I don't consider this a huge upset. UCLA will still be a contender in the Pac 12. 

17. Iowa Hawkeyes (vs. Miami (OH), W 45-21): Iowa saw Michigan State's Furman and raised them a Miami of Ohio. The Big 10 schedule this week was NUTS.

18. Georgia Bulldogs (vs. #22 North Carolina, W 33-24): Nick Chubb's big and dominant return led the way for UGA's comeback. He's pretty freakin good. 

19. Louisville Cardinals (vs. Charlotte, W 70-14): Easy first game for the Cards, nothing to see here.

20. USC Trojans (vs. #1 Alabama, L 52-6): USC sucks.

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys (vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 61-7): Cool game.

22. North Carolina Tar Heels (vs. #18 Georgia, L 33-24): UNC had it. And then they didn't.

23. Baylor Bears (vs. Northwestern State, W 55-7): Women and dogs aren't the only thing Baylor players raped last week. Welcome to the club Northwestern State.

24. Oregon Ducks (vs. UC Davis, W 53-28): Sick game.

25. Florida Gators (vs. UMass, W 24-7): Beating UMass by 17 is pretty badass.


And that wraps up week one. Sorry it's so late this week. I'll be better.

Clemson Tigers 2016-17 Season Preview

The Clemson Tigers will win the 2017 National Championship. There it is. Now I could sit here and write a one sentence season preview and there wouldn't be anything wrong with that, no one would say anything in opposition because everyone knows it. But I wanna go through my usual preview talk for you, the people.

Now, obviously last season ended in heartbreak as we lost the Natty to Alabama and it ruined our undefeated season. And for a while I wish it had ruined my ability to breathe as well. But, with the best player in the country coming back you can't stay depressed for too long. There will be 7 other returning starters on offense to assist Deshaun as well. The defense will need revamping again but nothing Brent Venables can't handle. The schedule is pretty favorable for the Tigers this year except for having to play FSU in Tallahassee. No other game really scares me though. Now let's get to some Tigers players to look out for this year.

DESHAUN WATSON, QB

There's really not much to say about the 2015 Heisman finalist. He's got the arm, the legs, the poise, the clutch gene, the big dick, the swag, everything. Obviously you can always improve on things, which makes him even scarier to opponents, but nothing phases this kid and he's got all the talent in the world. He can take the Tigers back to the National Championship. 

WAYNE GALLMAN, RB

The Wayne Train set the school record for rushing yards in a season last year, and he's poised to have just as good a year in 2016. He might not get as many carries as he did last season because Clemson does have other solid backs behind him but Gallman is still the clear #1 back and will be a serious weapon for the Tigers again this season. Love the way this dude runs.

MIKE WILLIAMS, WR

Clemson missed Williams last season as he suffered a serious neck injury in the first quarter catching a touchdown pass in the first game of the season. The Tigers obviously still had a great season, but having a tall downfield threat with the athletic ability of Williams would have been nice to have. Dabo says Williams is looking better than ever so it will be awesome to have him back. He'll be the next Clemson wide receiver to be picked in the first round. Absolute stud.

JORDAN LEGGETT, TE

ARTAVIS SCOTT, WR

HUNTER RENFROW, WR

CORDREA TANKERSLEY, CB

Tankersley led the Tigers in interceptions last season and is ready to have a breakout campaign as a shutdown corner. The secondary lost three starters to the draft so if Tank doesn't perform, they could be in trouble early on with all the other inexperienced guys in the back four. I'm expecting him to have another great year though, so hopefully we don't have to worry about that.

CARLOS WATKINS, DT

One of the few mainstays on defense for Clemson is the big man Carlos Watkins up front on the D line. He probably could have left early and been a pretty solid draft pick but he's back to clog up the middle and try to lead a young defense to great success once again.

BEN BOULWARE, LB

Ben Boulware is the energy and soul of the Clemson defense on the field. Dude is a straight up baller. He can sack the QB on one play and then intercept him on the next. A true balls to the wall style player, I'm excited to see him go all out for one more season as he wraps up a great career at Clemson.

CHRISTIAN WILKINS, DT/DE

SCHEDULE

Like I said, not really scared about anyone but Florida State on the road. Louisville is at home and Auburn sucks. So does everyone else. 

PREDICTION:

12-0 Regular Season

ACC Champions over Miami

15-0 NATTY CHAMPS

Fire Jam Friday

Don't have much time so I'm just gonna post this real quick and make some adjustments tomorrow. Happy opening weekend of college football! Let's gooo!

Princeton Review Top Party Schools

Every August, college students around the country avidly await the reveal of the Princeton Review list of top party schools in the nation. Every year the list looks pretty similar with a few changes. Just about every year after the list is revealed, these schools will get an email from the administration talking about how this list is inaccurate and the school is much more focused on academics, blah blah blah. I'm not really here to talk about 1-12 or 14-20, who  cares about those schools. Not me. I'm here to talk about #13 baby. 

University of Rhode Island is finally back on the list!!! LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! After the University and local police made a huge effort to crack down on drinking and partying, we made it back to where we belong. For a school that really doesn't have much other than a potentially sick basketball team, this is a nice lil somethin to hang our hats on. If you know anything about anything, you know that URI is an absolute ZOO. The parties are just absolutely incredible and I for one am glad that we are getting the recognition we deserve. Shoutout to all my Rams out there. If you have never spent a night at the University of Rhode Island, I highly recommend you do so. As the kids say, it's lit fam.