Los Angeles Angels's Los Angeles Angels friend's fan blogs

Here we are at the second week of the NFL playoffs again, which brings up the same question every year.  Is it better for teams that have clinched first-round byes and playoff seeds to rest their players at the end of the regular season, or play them to keep on a roll going into the playoffs?  Lets look at both sides of the issue.

The reason why most NFL teams decide to rest their players is simple; players cannot get hurt when they are on the sidelines.  They worry that their "star" players might get twisted knees, turf toes, concussions, or any of the myriad of unfortunately common NFL injuries.  Its the same reason most teams do not play those same players during most of the pre-season.  Seems like a simple enough approach, but lost in that explanation is the other primary benefit of resting your starters.  Their backups get real-time game experience.  Any player has the same chance of getting hurt during the playoffs as he does during any other game of the season.  If your top quarterback goes down early in game one of the playoffs, the more reps his backup has not just in practice but against live opponents the better off your team will be.  The only time to give those second-string quarterbacks, third-string running backs, fifth receivers, etc that experience without jeopardizing your playoff position is to play them while resting your starters at the end of the regular season.  Your team will be better prepared if the unthinkable happens during the most crucial game of the year.

Continue reading "Rest vs Rust in the NFL"

Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart will leave Stanford for the prospects of the upcoming NFL Draft.  He had one year of remaining eligibility due to an injury-shortened 2007.  Many Stanford fans had hoped he might return to play one last year with outstanding freshman quarterback Andrew Luck, possibly building on the success the team had this past season.  Although his decision might not be the most popular, it was the right one for him to make for several reasons.

Gerhart will have his degree in management science and engineering prior to the next college season.  Although some students will stay on campus and enroll in a graduate program to complete their athletic eligibility, very few of them have NFL potential.  Unless he plans to complete a master's program he would essentially be taking garbage classes and wasting his time just to fulfill the NCAA 'Amateur' status.  The college atmosphere might be fun and games, but he would still have to go to class and make some effort or risk NCAA sanctions.  If he truly did want to pursue higher education, there will be plenty of time for that after his body is no longer in peak condition.

Continue reading "Gerhart Decision for the NFL the Right One"

I know these 3 clips have nothing to do with sports, but I thought that it would be entertaining because all you need to do is laugh sometimes.  I will probably post 3 videos every so often so stay tuned, I guess:

THEY GET BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT GETS EVEN BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Continue reading "Funny non-sport related videos!!!!!"

I was listening to ESPN radio when one of the guys, Steve Mason, spoke about a video on the internet that had him rollin'.  I was pretty interested in finding the video and when I did I was shocked, but I had to laugh also.  The tv show Family Guy did its portrayal of Michael Vick and his crime in a short clip from the show.  I am going to stop talking and just show the video:

The video is only 16 seconds long but it says a lot.  What do you people think? Is it too soon or not?

Devin

Continue reading "Family Guy's take on the Philadelphia Eagle's Michael Vick!!!"

College football kicked off last night with offensive powerhouse Boise State going up against an equally dangerous offensive team in Oregon.  Everybody expected this game to be in the high 20's or maybe the low 30's; however, the game transformed into a defensive battle making it less entertaining.  The game featured only 27 points combined with the final score being Oregon 8 and Boise State 19.  The real "entertainment", I use that term loosely, came at the end of the game when Oregon RB, LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State's Byron Hout in the face after Hout allegedly taunted him.  You can see the punch below at this address:

http://msn.foxsports.com/video/CFB?vid=41ebaafe-d619-4cb8-bea5-ba79870d2176

All the guy did was tap Blount on the shoulder pad and he catches five knuckles in the chin.  I think Blount should be kicked off of the team.  I understand that he was frustrated because of the loss and probably because of his stat-line: 8 rushes for -5 yards.  He is a senior and he acts like this after a loss, that is ridiculous. This guy needs to be kicked of the team and possibly criminally charged!!!!

Continue reading "The Punch seen 'round the world: #16 Oregon vs. #14 Boise State"

Celine Dion and Ron Artest go together like cereal and mayonnaise yet somehow the self proclaimed "thug", Artest, makes it work.  The guy is known for his wild antics such as going into the crowd and beating up a fan, but it seems that Artest is beginning to display a softer side.  As a Laker fan I love that we are bringing a little crazy on our team because a team can always use a little crazy, right? Although he can't carry a tune and the video is clearly irritating you get a sense that he means what he is singing which makes is somewhat enjoyable to watch.  I am going to stop talking about it and just let you watch it:

Continue reading "It's official, Lakers' Ron Artest is a Celine Dion fan!!!!!!!!!!!"

I understand that Shaquille O'neal is a man that transcends just the NBA, but watching him attempt to play against other athletes in their own sport is extremely difficult to swallow.  Watching Shaq attempt to swing a bat was like watching a baby giraffe trying to walk.  It was hard to watch yet I could not take my eyes off of it, like a car accident.  The 7'1" O'neill attempted to out-slug Albert Pujols, out-spike beach volleyball stars Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and out-throw Ben Roethlisberger, needless to say he could not out-do anybody at anything.  The show is a half hour too long and the hosts are extremely annoying.  The most important part of the show, the actual competition, takes place in the last fifteen minutles of the show making the first 45 minutes irrelevant.  Here are some short examples of the show from Youtube:

Continue reading "What is Shaq thinking doing this Shaq vs. tv show???????????????????"

Being a baller, I tend to play basketball a lot. The other day I was balling, and some other ballers challenged me and my baller bros to a game of full-court. FULL COURT. I suck at full court.

I can't dribble, so full-court makes me look like an even shitter dribbler. One of my favorite dribbling techniques is to get a rebound, then take a few steps and crouch down, protecting the ball. I'll try to pass it to a teammate, then it'll get stolen. That's how I work.

One of the things I've noticed about street-balling is that there are two kinds of defense: physical and voice. "Physical D" is obvious: that's you actually playing defense. "Voice D" is when you're too tired to get to the basket, so you scream something random at your man when he's trying to score.

Continue reading "Street Ballin'"

10) They were spotted in Kobe's escalade at an 'N and Out drive-through. And yes, they both got "animal style."

9) When on road trips in Denver, Kobe's got Artest covered for booty calls.

8) Kobe's beer preference is bottles - meaning, he'll never pour anything in a plastic cup.

7) Kobe & LeBron's Nike "puppet campaign" is being replaced by "Kobe and Ron," a new puppet ad-series. However, Nike's yielding to "Crank Yankers" for the directing of this one.

6) Like Kobe, Artest is practically another Dobermamba on defense. Only difference is, Artest may bite.

5) As a peace offering, Artest bought fellow teammate and candy-lover, Lamar Odom, a year's supply of Cookies 'n Cream.

4) Finally, Kobe has a legit MC to battle Shaq with.

Continue reading "Top 10 Reasons Kobe and Artest will work out"

These days, going to a baseball game isn't what it used to be. Seldom will a pitcher throw into the 7th inning; the score is usually 7-6 or 10-9; and your favorite slugger is likely to hit one, if not two balls, out of the park. The game is shamelessly jacked up on HGH, and its obvious. The best hitter (Bonds) and pitcher (Clemens) of our generation used it, and more players are getting busted by the day (A-Rod, Manny). However, most fans don't care. They still go to the ballpark. That's because baseball, and pro sports in general, is merely another form of entertainment.

It's like seeing your favorite comedian perform stoned. You know he's on something, but you look past it, eagerly waiting for that one hilarious joke that'll make the bumbling and stumbling worthwhile. I saw Darryl Hammond do stand-up in New York some years ago, and although he was tanked (I'm talking, TANKED. He could barely walk up to the stage.), he still did a spot-on Bill Clinton impression. It's the same with sports - even if fans didn't approve of Bonds' off-the-field behavior, they still got out of their seats when he took one deep. The bottom line is, America just wants to be entertained.

Continue reading "Rampant Steroid Use Brings Up Issue of Morality in Baseball"