January 23, 2007 SHOW!!

As always, Pardon the Raheel Ramzanali is the exclusive home of The Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup.

This week on the show, we talked about the playoffs, minority coaches in the NFL and how the NFL should not be tooting their own horn about having two African American coaches in the Super Bowl, UT Men’s Basketball and the NBA breakdown!

Due to technical issues, we could not get the S.E.X segment on the podcast but to make up for it, we put up the Intro for the segment.

On next week’s show, we will look at the line for the Super Bowl and give some free picks. In addition, we will also have pro NBA trainer Coach David Thorpe. He will talk about the best guards in the league, Kevin Durant vs. Greg Oden as the No.1 pick and much more! Enjoy the SHOW!!!!

T-mac Hater??

So after the Rockets dismantling of the Lakers, I got a few text messages depicting me as a T-mac hater. That is the last thing I am. In fact, I think T-mac is a good player but just think Kobe is a better player because he is more consistent. Many people also label me as a Rockets hater but that is not true. The Rockets have given me the happiest moments of my life. As a matter of fact, if you listen to the Tuesday Morning Longhorn at all, you know I picked the Rockets to make it to the Western Conference Finals with a HEALTHY T-Mac and Yao Ming. The proof is attached below in the podcast. I still stick to this because with a healthy Yao and T-Mac, the Rockets are a very efficient and dangerous team. So please stop making it seem like you need to rub it into my face every time the Rockets win or T-Mac does well. I am happy that the Rockets are doing so well right now without Yao because this is a tough stretch for them. If the Rockets even finish .500 in the games Yao misses, they will be okay.


powered by ODEO


So Who Do You Root For?

Ever since I started working at KVRX and hosting my sports shows, I learned the important lesson of being unbiased. After spending a year in San Antonio, I started rooting for the Spurs. But now when they lose, it does not hurt. (The only team I am bias for are all the Longhorns' teams...I feel like crap when they lose.) I do not have ONE team that I can make mine and that's one thing I hate about my job. I wish I could argue about my team with other passionate fans and be a homer. I love getting in sports debates for the sake of debate and trying to improve my skills but I never do it as a homer.

I root for a lot of players and don't mind it all when people call me a "bandwagon fan" because it is hard for me to be a fan. I love watching Kobe Bryant play because of his work ethic and his passion to win. I love AI because he never stops with the grind. I love seeing good basketball in the NBA. I think the NBA is the best league in the world and has the best athletes. I am a journalist at the end of the day when it comes to basketball so I try to be unbiased as much as I can.

Football Roundup

Never Doubt Them

I was one of those idiots that picked the Jets to beat the Patriots on Sunday. Boy did I doubt the Patriots. They dominated the Jets in every manner and showed the young Jets that they are still a few years away from making a strong run in the playoffs. Coming into the season the Patriots were getting cocky about their "team concept" and that they could plug in anyone into the system. I thought this was going to bite them in the butt this week but it did not. For crying out loud, the Patriots made Jabar Gaffney into a go to receiver. JABAR FREAKING GAFFNEY!! If you are a Texans' fan then you know how bad Gaffney is. Even though they beat the Jets and ManGenius, they will not beat the Chargers next week. This goes against my No. 1 rule in the NFL playoffs, A first time playoff QB's team will not win a game. For some reason (the Patriots are not fast enough on defense), I think LT will open up some easy throwing lanes for Rivers.

Tony OH-NO!!!

"Tony Romo will guide us to the playoffs...He is the greatest QB ever...yes even better than Troy Aikman"...That was Cowboy fan on Thanksgiving day when Tony Romo had a great game against the less than impressive Bucs. Now, Cowboy fan hates Romo because he blew the season. A first time playoff QB will not win a playoff game for his team! The rule holds up once again! How bad must it feel to have your season end on a botched snap! I really hate the Cowboys because I am a Texans fan but in all honesty, the Cowboys have a bright future. Tony OHNO will come in as the starter and get more time to get down routes with his players during camp. The Cowboys chances will only get better if Parcells and T.O. come back. If the Cowboys let Tony OHNO's number one weapon go, they will regret it.

Major Applewhite does it again

If you have not heard, UT legendary QB Major Applewhite was offered a job at Alabama to be on staff with new head coach Nick "Pack your things" Saban. There is nothing Applewhite can't do. People doubted his play when he was a QB here and he ended up being one of the greats in UT history. Now, Major is moving up the coaching ranks. He is the offensive coordinator at Rice and after one year has been given an offer at a big time program. He turned around Rice in one year and got them to a bowl game. Major Applewhite will be the UT offensive coordinator in three years and the head coach after Mack Brown. Mark my words.

NFL Playoffs

The Colts won with Peyton having a bad game. Next week's match up of the Ravens and Colts is going to be awesome. I am getting chills just thinking about the Ravens' defense taking on the Colts' offense. This game is very similar to last year's Steelers loss for the Colts. A tough and nasty defense is the Colts' weakness.

Farewell to Tiki Barber. It is sad to see such a great athlete and person leave the sport. He is one of the few true good people in sports. He left the sport in his prime because he knows there are more important things he can do. I would have loved to see him leave on top but sometimes fairy tales only happen for buses.

Buckeyes win BCS Title

I have the Bucks winning by at least two touchdowns. Florida is too young to upset this powerful monster. UT upset USC because that team had been together for almost three years. Florida does not finish the basketball and football sweep. Troy Smith will have a MONSTER GAME! final score: Buckeyes 31, Gators 17

NBA Round-up

Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert

Talk about a hot player. Gilbert Arenas is a kid and the League is his playground. For those of you who listen to the show, you know I am a huge Gilbert fan. RIGHT NOW, he is the best offensive player in the game. He is making shots from 40-feet out with ease and at the same time taking it to the hole. The best thing about Gilbert is that he knows he is this good but never comes off as cocky. He has a personal vendetta against anyone who doubts him. Even if your favorite NBA's water boy doubts Gilbert, he will come after your team and light them up. Gilbert is that kind of player. For the season, Gilbert is putting up 30.5 points, almost five rebounds and 6.6 assists. He is shooting 44% from the field and only getting 9 freethrows a game (making about 7.5 of them)...Those are MVP numbers. Gilbert Arenas is the MVP right now.

The Tables Turn

With the big win over the Spurs on Friday, the Dallas Mavericks have turned the table. Now they are the team that dominates opponents and wins the big games against their fierciest rival. I think the Spurs are a good team but they lack that winning edge at the end of games. The championship Spurs teams would be winning all the close games but now it seems like every close game goes agaisnt them. The Mavericks have more talent right now and have made more moves to upend the Spurs. The Mavericks are made to beat the Spurs and thats it (hence the horrible showing in the Finals)...The best move they made was signing Devean George. He is a finals tested player who can make big shots in the clutch. Dirk is playing his best basketball yet. Harris is panning out to be a solid NBA player and Jason Terry is still thanking the Houston Rockets for his coming out party two seasons ago.
---The X-Factor--- In the first meeting between the Spurs and Mavs, Coach Pop used Francisco Elson to keep Dirk in check and it worked. Since then he has not used Elson...He is probably doing this to leave the matchup for the Playoffs where both teams know they will face each other. I'm not saying Elson will shut down Dirk but he will give him problems like Haslem did for the Heat.

Shhhh Dont Jinx Him

This is what every Tracy McGrady fan is saying. If you have not noticed, T-mac is on a very hot streak right now. Since coming back from injury, he has lead his team to big wins against the Jazz and the Nets to name a few. During the team's five game winning streak, he is putting up 32 points, 4 assists and about 6 rebounds a game. He is taking the Rockets and putting them on his back while the best center in the league is recovering. The most impressive stat from this steak is that he has only shot 42 freethrows (making 31)! In a day where most stars get 15-25 freethrows a game, T-Mac is putting up 30+ points with about 5 freethrows a game. Now this is impressive to me but at the same time it says that T-Mac can get a lot more points from the charity stripe. It seems now that T-Mac is like a very hot girl that you have no chance with, he is a tease. Whenever he really gets going it seems like something bad happens to him. Now the only thing T-Mac can do for Rockets' fans is not get hurt while Yao is out.

T-mac vs. Kobe

Just to get the NBA season going, here is a poll about one of the most debated topics in Houston. Feel free to leave comments about your vote!

Who would you want to build your franchise around?
	Kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who would you want to guard the oppositions best perimeter player?
	Kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who would want to take the last shot?
	kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who has the most upside?
	Kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who do you want taking free throws at the end of a game?
	Kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who is the most prolific scorer?
	Kobe
	T-mac
Free polls from Pollhost.com

December 12th: The Final Show for the Semester

Hey everyone!

Thanks for listening all semester long. Thanks to Dan "the man, the true voice of the south" for being a great co-host. We wish him the best now that he is going into the real world, g'luck Dan! Please leave comments about Dan and your memories about him!

Listen to Dan's Farewell segments...here is the breakdown
part 1: fall 2002 until spring 2004
part 2: fall 2004 until spring 2005 with special guest Dan's Dad
part 3: fall 2005 until now

Betters Note: Listen to the Bowl Parlay segment to find out about our picks for the bowl season...guaranteed winners!

Shan and I will be back next semester for more of the Roundup and I will put up more information about show timings. Thanks once again and enjoy the Show and the awesome youtube pick of the week, Kobe style.

Come back to the Blog for my take on the NBA, NFL and college football...

The BIG December 5th show!!

What up peepz!
This is the second to last show of the semester! We talked about the BCS and I introduced my playoff system that would allow 16 teams to get in. Next week will be the final show and in it we will have Dan's Farewell show!

If you are not in the Facebook group (The Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup) please join it! If you are in it, invite more people! We need to get 1,000 members in before the last show so we can make Shan dress up like a girl! Thanks everyone!! Enjoy the show and Dan's YouTube pick of the week!

The Post Thanksgiving Show

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break! The show is up and Dan's YouTube is right by it. Here are some pictures from my Thanksgiving night adventure at BestBuy in Dallas, Texas. Thank you to Steve for taking and e-mailing me the pictures.

November 21st Show with Ian

November 21st Thanksgiving Show!

Our dear friend Ian Harris from Simply Sports with Ian Harris joined us this week to give his thoughts on everything and tell us about the powerful movie, "We Are Marshall"...We also had the big Celebrating Life Through Sports segment this week that discussed the movie and what we are thankful for. Enjoy!

Nov. 14th show

Here is the big November 14th show!



Dan's YouTube pick of the week:

The Show Before the Horns lost to the Wildcats

Due to technical difficulties, the Texas Football and College football segments did not record. Here is what you missed on the show:
• Dan now has a man crush on Colt McCoy
• Limas Sweed is three touchdowns away from setting the all-time UT record for receiving touchdowns in a season
• Texas took care of Oklahoma State and Raheel’s pick was right, UT would dominate.
• Kansas State is NOT going to pull the upset.
• UT has a shot at getting into the title game if a bunch of teams fall
• A&M freaking lost to OU and now messes up its ranking
• Raheel says the Horns win by 35+
• Shan says about the same thing
• Dan says the Horn run all over the Wildcats




Dan’s YouTube pick


Shan’s YouTube Pick: Russell Peters standup special “Out Sourced”

Raheel’s pick:

Halloween Show

October 31st show

We did not get to finish the whole show because we ran out of time. We will make up for it by doing more NBA preview next week and double the S.E.X. Enjoy this week's show and please join the facebook group!

October 24th Show

Oct. 17th Show

October 17th Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup

Dan's YouTube Video of the Week:

Favre to Freeman

Raheel's Lock of the week: Texas to cover -6 against Nebraska.

Come to the Women's Volleyball game on Wednesday against No. 1 Nebraska.

Dan's YouTube Video of the week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAlgil_iyyc


Preview of next week's show:

• Recap of UT vs. Baylor...Did Raheel's lock hold up?
• the NFL Zone Coverage
• S.E.X---for all your pop culture news and notes
• Classical Poetry Renditions by the gang
• NBA Talk
  
• Much more

Awards from the show

Since we did not get time to do the awards on the Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup, here they are.

Raheel

Ashlees: Houston Rockets fan for believing that Bonzi will get them to the NBA Finals

Wilmers: Colt McCoy because he is the greatest QB in the history of Texas football

Dan

Ashlees: Burch High School in West Virginia for giving up 658 rushing yards to a 5'8 white running back

Wilmers: Jevan Snead for proving by his stellar performance against SHSU that he is a better QB than Colt McCoy


Shawn
Ashlees: Florida Marlins organization for firing Joe Girardi
Wilmers: Rex Grossman!



The show is underneath on the Podcast player...Enjoy it!

The Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup

THE TUESDAY MORNING LONGHORN ROUNDUP NOW AT KING OF SPORTS.

Pardon the Raheel Ramzanali is now the exclusive home for the Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup with Raheel and Dan. You will be able to find the podcast for my show on the blog every day. You can subscribe to the blog by going to www.odeo.com and searching "Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup." Subscribe to the feed and enjoy!

The show air lives every Tuesday from 9-11 a.m. at www.kvrx.org. The Tuesday Morning Longhorn Roundup blends a unique look at sports with life. We talk about anything and everything.

I will still write in the blog but it will serve as the home for the show and the podcast player. Enjoy the show and blog.

The Best Week EVER (for football)

Football is king in Texas. Football is really king in Texas when you have the start of high school football, a No. 1 versus No.2 and the start of gamblers united, I mean the NFL. This is upcoming week is one that I am going to tell my kids about. This will rank up there with me scoring a date with Jessica Alba. In addition to this, the WNBA season will finally be over this week! I love women’s sports as much as the next guy but its time for the WNBA to take a one-year hiatus. Goodbye Lisa Leslie, hello Lisa Guererro. This week can be described in one word. As Johnny Drama would say, VICTORYYYYYYYY!. Here is why I am excited about this week.

1. Monday: Florida State v Miami…Nothing like facing your hated rival in the first week. Rumor has it that Miami will get most of its players out on parole for the game. Football ranking: 4 out of 10.

2. Thursday: Opening week for the Connally Cougars. For those of you who are not familiar with the Connally Cougars, they are my team. I am doing play-by-play for the Cougars on Kmacsports.com. No other high school sport is as exciting as football in Texas. I will be part of a team that made it to the state semi-finals. I get a chance to follow a team and call them my own. I will go through the ups and downs with the players. I will make bias calls half way through the season. I am going to enjoy seeing high school players make strides to achieving their goals. What better way to start the weekend than my first ever play-by-play call for the Cougars. If you would like to listen to the play-by-play, log onto Kmacsports.com around 6:45 p.m. Football ranking: 7 out of 10

3. Thursday: the first game of the NFL season. The Dolphins take on the Steelers. The Steelers will start their championship defense without Ben “What’s a helmet” Rothlisberger. How will Daunte Culpepper fair against the stingy Steelers defense? Will Chris Chambers have a Steve Smith like year? Will Bill Cowher get a chin reduction? All this and more on Thursday night! Football ranking: 5 out of 10

4. Friday: Every high school team in Texas will have played at least one game. Football Ranking: 4 out of 10.
5. Saturday: Texas v THE Ohio State University…ESPN Gameday, Mack Brown, Bevo, Colt McCoy, Ramonce Taylor (oh wait that’s right), Troy “Poor man’s Vince Young” Smith and Woody Paige. This game alone is worthy enough to make this week the best football week ever. No.1 vs. No.2…one team’s National Championship hopes will be put to rest and the other will have the pressure to win out. The monkey is not on Mack’s back anymore, it has jumped to Jim Tressel. How will Texas handle the new OSU explosive offense? Will ESPN finally stop covering USC and focus on the biggest game of the year? Will ESPN give this game five good minutes on SportsCenter or will they need permission from Notre Dame to do that? This game is going to be amazing. It is going to live up to the hype. UT will extend its winning streak to 22 when its all said and done. Troy Smith will come back to Earth and take a back seat to Brady Quinn like everyone in the nation. Ted Ginn Jr. will be on his way to becoming the next Maurice Clarett. Football Ranking: 10 out of 10

6. OPENING DAY IN THE NFL! Gamblers from all over the world will miss more games than the USA did shots in the FIBA championships. Opening week in the NFL means that Chris Berman gets to do real work and that ESPN will stop talking about Notre Dame. This is the Sunday where you can finally see a game that is for real. No more pre-season or scrimmages. No more seeing 4^th string players. Opening week brings us one week closer to seeing David Carr being benched. I finally get to see my Texans go out and win a game against the Eagles. The curse of T.O. starts this season for McNabb. McNabb will never make the playoffs again. Football Ranking: 10 out of 10.
   

I will be updating the blog after every football moment to let yall know my thoughts about everything. VICTORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

Three Reasons Why I Think USA Basketball Is Not Ready

Team USA made it into the round of 16 today by beating Slovenia 114 to 95, but the score was much closer than this. This same team beat Puerto Rico by 11 points and blew out a weak Chinese team that has horrible guard play by a final score of 121-90.

So why am I suggesting that Team USA is not ready to win the World Championships? Because unlike every other person who thinks this team is built for success, I think this team is another glorified All-Star Team that is not ready to win.

Before I start the list, you have to understand the tendencies of international rules basketball. The elite teams have good guards who can penetrate and shoot the three pointer. Big guys in FIBA basketball are not as important as they are in the NBAÂ…Ask Tim Duncan about that. The team with the most experience is probably going to beat a team with less experience 90 percent of the timeÂ…Ask the USA when they faced Argentina in the Olympics. Here is the list.

1. Lebron, Wade and Melo: Coach K has made these three the centerpiece of Team USA for the next decade or so but right now, they are not ready. These three are the future for everything NBA, marketing, playing, sales, etc. What Coach K failed to recognize is that these three players are horrible defenders. If you have been watching the games, the Big 3 have not been able to guard any of the mediocre guards. Players like Beno Udrih and Carlos Arroyo were getting into the lane quicker than a new celebrity into Paris Hilton. In addition to that, the Big 3 have been good in the half-court but when they play a tougher defense like Spain or Argentina, they will have to trust their jump shot more than trying to over power a defender with their athleticism. Eventually these three will become good defenders but right now they are one of the reasons why Team USA is not ready.
2. Role Players: Coach K put a premium on role players going into the “training camp” but now I only see three legit role players, Shane Battier, Kirk Heinrich and Chris Paul. Antwan Jamison has not been playing enough in close situations to count as a role player. Joe Johnson at times has looked like the best player. Look at the other rosters for elite teams in the tournament, most of them have one superstar and four role players who can flourish at anytime. When you have up to four superstars on the floor at the same time, no coaching will stop their instincts of taking over. When four players want to take over at the same time in a close game, that team is not going to win. The perfect starting lineup would have included both Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen, LeBron, Wade and Dwight Howard. In my opinion, the reason why Coach K cut Bruce Bown for the World Games is because he did not score enough points.
   
3. Experience: By experience, I mean on the court with each other and with the FIBA rules. The FIBA game is much different from the NBA. Its on a court that features a shorter three-point line, the officials allow rough play, unlike the NBA where a whistle is blown every five seconds, and a big guy is not effective unless he plays like Dirk or Pau Gasol. After watching the first three games, the USA has not been able to guard anyone or use their set plays. The USA really gets going when the other team makes costly turnovers and the USA runs out for a dunk. When the USA faces a team like Argentina, their team defense will be exploited more than anything.

This USA team has a lot of potential but right now the team is in the baby stages of something big. This concept of keeping guys around for every summer is going to backfire on Team USA. I will not be surprised if a prominent player drops out because he wants to stay fresh for the NBA season. Remember, at the end of the day, the players get their checks from the NBA.

The days of the Dream Team are long gone. When the Dream Team dominated in 1992 and 1996, other teams were afraid of them. I have heard stories where opposing players would go up to the Dream Team and ask for autographs before the games. When you have a team that consisted of MJ, Magic and Bird, that team CAN meet up a day before the tournament and win. Those players were good defenders and had another level to the game that Lebron, Melo and Wade have not achieved just yet. Yes, Wade dominated the NBA Finals, but tell that to Manu Ginobli, a player who also dominated the NBA Finals the year his team won. So far, Puerto Rico and Slovenia gave USA their biggest test because they have good guard play. If these teams did not make bad turnovers in the second and third quarter, they would have won the game. When the USA faces the elite teams that do not make costly turnovers, they are going to be in a for a rude awakening.

Thoughts on Everything

· ASTROS

o The Astros just lost another one but don’t worry! The Astros went 4 for 9 in their latest home stand and now head to the road for 11 games against Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. This is the big road trip the Astros need to dominate if they want to become contenders for the Wild Card and the NL Central.

o After this road trip, the schedule gets incredibly hard for the Astros. They start the month against the Mets, get a little Cardinals and throw in some Phillies to top it off. Oh and if the Reds are still in the Wild Card hunt, they also get a three game set against them. Time to make a move now!

· Texans

o The Texans looked good in their first pre-season game but I still need to see them against other teams’ first team defense before I can jump on the bandwagon.

o After covering weeks of training camp, I have found some guys I like to root for. Please join me as I root for these guys

§ Antwan Peek: Talking to Peek, I have concluded that he is the nicest 250lb man. Peek is coming off a sub par season and is ready to become a monster on defense. He has been working his tail off in the off-season and has said all the right things for a player who is ready to have a break out season.

§ Morlon Greenwood: This linebacker lead the Texans last year in tackles with 112 and also added 2 sacks and 2 fumbles. He is a humble player who plays with an edge. Greenwood is ready to show that he can flourish in the 4-3 defense.

§ Ephraim Salaam: You probably have not heard of him because he is an O-line man. These guys don’t get attention because well, they don’t make big plays since they don’t get the ball. Salaam is a great person to talk to and brings experience to much scrutinized O-Line. Salaam has worked with Coach Kubiak before so he knows the system that will help the Texans win some more games.

· Longhorns Football

o Ranked no.1 going into the season…as I told my friend Ian Harris, host of “Simply Sports” (Simplysportstalk.com), Vince Young brings a lot to this team. Here is the exact quote of what I told him.

§ Vince Young is so good that his residue from last season is going to take UT back to the promise land. Vince is a GOD! God's dont need to know how to spell or add, just win games.

o Hook Em!

X- FREAKING GAMES!!!

I am a fan of the X-games. No clever introduction for this entry, I love the X-games. I stayed up every night this week to watch almost every event. I count down the days of my summer until the X-games start. I watched the first X-games when I was about 10 years old. After watching, I went out and bought a skateboard. I never mastered the board because of my fear of breaking bones against concrete. Because of my love of the X-games, I want to give some quick thoughts on the X-games.

Amazing Athletes

Allen Iverson is a warrior. He goes in against men twice his size and keeps playing every night. The athletes in the X-games make Allen Iverson and Bret Favre look like T-mac. These athletes risk LIFE every time they attempt a jump. For example, right now I’m watching the Skateboard big air. Sorry, BIG AIR! These skateboarders are taking off a ramp that is six floors up at an almost 90-degree angle. After they take off, they do some insane trick over a gap that is about 60 feet wide. Wait, there is more. After you land, you go up on another ramp and fly about 25 feet without any safety nets. These athletes are brave. These guys define superb athletes. They play hurt, change their sport and do it for the love of the sport.

If the Big Air example did not convince you that these guys are athletes, maybe this one will. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iFrKpR6QOA) Travis Pastrana landed the first double back flip in the history of the motocross best trick competition. If you have not seen a motocross bike, look at the picture. The bikes weight between 200 and 250 pounds. Pastrana, and every other rider, go 30 feet in the air with a 200 pound bike over them or under them. One wrong move and that bike can land on them or they can fly off the bike onto concrete hard dirt. Look at this picture; I know its going to send chills down your back.

Sure, these guys aren’t competing against a defense or a blitz package, but they are against other riders and death.

Growth of the Game
I’m not going to pull up TV ratings or anything like that to talk about this point. When the X-games first started back in 1995, most people thought it would fail. ESPN took a bold risk of putting the sport on mainstream cable even though most consider it illegal and for punks. Even though ESPN has grown to a powerful media conglomerate that can support any type of programming it wants, it does not have to support the X-games. Any business will pull the plug on something that will not make them money. The X-games has grown into the premier extreme sports competition in the world. During the first X-games I remember only a few events were on TV. Now, every event is on and ESPN has even started to put some on pay-per-view. Yes, people are willing to pay to watch the X-games.

The X-games started to become accepted in mainstream media when Tony Hawk landed the first ever 900 during the skateboard best trick competition. After that, ESPN held the games in major cities but never the home of extreme sports, LA. When the X-games went to LA in 2003, the ratings were off the charts for ESPN. I was in LA a few days before the X-games started in 2003. I have never seen so many people excited about a sport that should have been dead by now.

Athletes and Drugs

Extreme sports athletes have a stereotype surrounding them that all of them are dopeheads. I mean yes, you have to be high on something to do some of the crazy things they do but in reality they are not all crackheads. Here is a test for you doubters. NAME FIVE EXTREME ATHLETES WHO HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW FOR DRUGS. GO! GIVE UP? Now, name five NBA players. How about five NFL players? I bet you can name more than five for both sports. I’m sure some of those athletes light up a joint once in a while, just like athltes in every other league, but at least they aren’t stupid about it. I can’t name one extreme sports athlete who was an addict or pulled a Damon Stoudemire. Drugs in sports is as common as an NBA player having more than four unknown kids on each coast.

I love watching these athletes pull amazing tricks even though it could mean the end of their career or life. I respect extreme sports athletes. I respect ESPN for staying with the X-games and helping it become the monster that it is today. Only 364 days until the X-games kicks off again.

Vince Young, a Solution for Every Situation

Brad Lidge messed up another 9^th inning last night against the Reds as the Astros lost 8-4. This got me thinking, should the Astros trade Lidge and bring in another hitter or pitcher, or should they simply look to trade for another piece?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Astros should trade Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, Troy Patton, Matt Albers and Tim Purpura for Vince Young. Yes Vince Young. He will solve every problem for the struggling Astros. He will provide clutch hitting and clutch pitching. He will run out every routine grounder and make doubles into triples with his blazing speed. He is the second coming of, sorry, he is the FIRST coming of Vince Young in the MLB. The Astros do not even have to field 9 guys anymore, Vince can play pitcher and center field. Vince Young is the solution for all problems.

Yesterday, the Titans signed Vince to a five year, sixth year optional, about $58 million deal with $26.5 million guaranteed. The Titans gave Vince first pick money as the No. 3 pick. Beat that Reggie Bush. Vince is the solution for the Titans future.

The Knicks should trade Stephon Marbury, Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, Isiah Thomas, Nate “24 attempts” Robinson and three up and coming concession stand workers to the Titans for Vince Young. All Vince needs is Channing Frye on his team to win the NBA Title. I would hate to be any player trying to guard Vince Young. I can see it now, 4^th quarter, the Knicks are down by 2 with five seconds left and Vince has the ball. You know its going in. It’s going in, all the way to an undefeated season.

President Bush is having some problems with, well everything. Instead of keeping “One Shot” Dick around, President Bush needs to appoint Vince as his new Vice President. His approval ratings will go from crap to 98%, plus minus two percent for people voting in California and Oklahoma. Vince will solve all the issues that are driving this world to war.

Vince: Come on yall, we don’t need to do this. Why don’t yall come back to Auuuuuustin and we can kick it with my boy Sleeeem Thugggg.

(translation for those who are not familiar with Vince talk: Hello respected delegates, we must solve these pressing issues that are driving the world to insanity. How about we take the next flight out to the city of Austin, Texas and solve these problems over dinner with my friend Slim Thug. We will have a delightful time and shall succeed in solving all of our differences. )

World Wide Diplomats: We agree, that sounds riveting.

(translation: holla)

Vince is the solution to all the world wide problems. World hunger you say? Well that $58 million can buy a lot of double cheeseburgers.

Al-Qaida called for a holy war against Israel yesterday, I say we put Al-Qaida and Israel on one team and let them fight Vince. I mean, if the greatest NCAA football team of all time could not catch Vince, do you think a bunch of guys with guns could?

Over the last few weeks, California has been going through some energy crisis. The state of California should trade the City of San Diego, the MTV show Laguna Beach, the Fox show The O.C. and the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 to the Titans for Vince Young. Just strap all the power lines onto Young and his energy will power your whole state.

Vince Young really is the solution for everything. The other day I could not find my car keys so I thought to myself, what would Vince do? I decided to run to work and along the way, I broke through every car that tried to hit me.

If you are reading this column and thinking, “wow this guy is such a Vince homer”, then you are right. I am not going to lie; I will always be a Vince homer. I watched the guy over come a lot of obstacles, on and off the football field, since he came to UT. If Vince really were given any of the positions listed above, I would not count him out of helping that organization succeeding in whatever they need to. If every person who has a chance to make a difference in the world had an outlook like Vince, the world would be a better place. That outlook is the do whatever it takes to win by preparing and working your ass off to achieve the ultimate goal but at the same time keep a humble head on your shoulder that allows you to enjoy the little things in life outlook. Even if Vince is a total bust in the NFL, which he won’t be, he will always be the solution to everything.

Reggie Bush= spoiled kid

If you have not heard, the second pick of the NFL draft, Reggie Bush might hold out and sit the season for the New Orleans Saints. This is by far the most stupid move any rookie can pull. I think Reggie Bush is overrated as it is, so with him holding out I get the impression that he thinks he is too good for the game. Throughout the draft process, Bush was showing a lot of signs that he is excited to play in the NFL and for the city of Houston. When Houston pulled a fast one on him, and what looks like the right move from a financial and burden stand point, Bush lost all of his leverage. Bush wants No.1 pick money at the No. 2 spot. How does that work?

I am one of those guys that support hold outs for veterans because the NFL game can end your career in one snap. I support veterans who are trying to get a lot of money up front with their signing bonus because nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. When a rookie, who has not taken a snap yet, starts holding out, I just want the player to be kicked out of the NFL forever. Do not give me this crap that Bush is trying to make his money. Bush will get his MONEY. IF he has a good season, he can try to work a new contract out, but it probably will not work. If it ever comes out that Bush is holding out for one or two million more, he will officially join my list of players whom I hate.

Bush is a spoiled athlete that has always been the big man on campus. He received endorsement deals from companies before the Saints drafted him. Those deals are worth more than five million dollars. Let me write that out, 5,000,000! If Bush sits out the season, he will go down as one of the biggest idiots of all time. Hey Bush, get your ass out on the field and show why you are an overrated player. I predicted that Bush would get hurt nine games into the season. I guess I was wrong, he won’t even play a game.

Don’t Sleep on the Astros

The Astros lost yet another game they should have won against the lowly Chicago Cubs. Fans can point to the lack of run support, to the horrible hitting with runners in scoring position or you can point to Roy-O giving up a three-run homer to Phil Levin but none of it matters. Yes, the loss put the Astros four games under .500 but it also marks the game where the Astros start to turn it around. The Astros will face the Cubs for two more games with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte on the mound against a Maddux and Zambrano. With the way Pettitte pitching in his last two outings, the Astros should take both of these games. The biggest series comes on Friday when the Astros take on the New York Mets for three games.

If the Astros can take one or two games, they will be solid. One of those games will be Roy-O, make that game a lock. After that series, the Astros will take on the wild card leaders Cincinnati Reds at home for three games with Clemens and Pettitte on the mound for two. These are the games the Astros need to win and can win because of their pitching. With Brandon Backe set to return and Wandy Rodriguez in the bullpen, I think the Astros are ready to make a push for the central. After the Reds series, the Astros play 15 games against Arizona, San Diego and Pittsburgh, of those three, only one is above .500 right now.

Stop with the Crap

John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil became the oldest baseball player last night by batting twice in a minor league all-star game at the age of 94. (http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2523029)

Are the minor leagues so desperate for attention that they have to get Buck to bat in an all-star game? Everybody knew that the pitchers were going to walk him before he took his at bats. Stop the crap! This is not amazing or inspirational. This is a cheap gimmick by morons in some minor league to get attention for one night. This would be a good story if Buck was on a comeback trail, played some regular season games, and put up the stats to be an all-star, but he didn’t! You wont hear about Buck again until he turns 95 or passes away. What a joke. This minor league should be ashamed to exploit a legend like that.

If you don’t believe me that this was just a cheap media stunt, just look at another headline: Jose Conseco to pitch for minor league all-star game.

Zidane to get punishment Thursday

Why is this still in the news? Why is Zidane going to face punishment for his head-butt? The guy is not playing anymore FIFA regulated games and for crying out loud, he faced the biggest punishment when his team lost the World Cup. FIFA needs to stop pursuing this. Zidane lost his cool in the biggest game of his life and lost it for his team. Nothing else will hurt or punish this guy more than a loss. If FIFA strips Zidane of the Golden Ball, the best player in the World Cup, I will never watch soccer again without thinking it is setup. Zidane was the best player in the World Cup even with a bonehead play. One play does not take away his whole tournament. FIFA is to soccer as Vince McMahon is to the WWE. Seriously FIFA, if you want to force results and set-up games, just get into the sports entertainment business and not the sports business.

I'm back! It took me more than a week but I'm finally settled back in Houston. I will be starting my internship back at Sports Radio 610 on Wednesday so that should be fun. What do I have on tap for the internship? a lot of early morning Texans Training Camps at oh how about 6 a.m.! I will do my best to pass information about the Texans from what I see.

A lot to talk about so Let's get started.

Barry Bonds:
Many newspapers are now reporting that Barry Bonds will be indicted soon from the Grand Jury leak to tax evasion. Here is my take on Bonds: where there is smoke, there is fire. Look, there is no way that a fabricated story about Bonds taking steroids could be going as far as him being indicted by the feds. Even if someone started a rumor that Bonds took steroids, there is no way in hell that a rumor would have gotten this far! He obviously took some steroids because every day more and more witnesses are found. Could those witnesses be lying to get Bonds back? Probably, but I believe the feds the can weed out the liars in cases as serious as this. Until more information is passed down about this, we will not know what really happened. I believe that Bonds did use enhancers.

T.O.: the media portrayed me as a selfish player
Before I give me opinion about this, I would like to let every reader know that I own a Terrell Owens jersey. I own a jersey because I enjoy watching T.O. on the field. I am not going to sit here and defend T.O. and what he does off the field. For T.O. to blame the media for his portrayal as a selfish player is like saying Saturday Night Live is responsible for the downfall of Ashlee Simpson's career. The media did not make T.O. rip McNabb, even though it might have been deserved. The media did not make T.O. call a press conference in his drive way and make him do sit-ups in his drive way. The media did not make you call one of your other quarterbacks in San Fran a "fag." The media did not make you sign Drew Rosenhaus and make you hold out. T.O. is a tremendous talent on the field but his antics off the field might be what his career might be defined as from now until he retires.

Allen Iverson---Why not to the Jazz?
I have been an Iverson fan since he played at Georgetown. I was rooting for him before he became the MVP in 2001. I was rooting for him before it was okay to root for the bad guy. I was with him when his sneakers only cost $89 and not $109.99. I was with A.I. when he almost became a Detroit Piston before the 2001 season. I am with A.I. today when he is unsure of his future, like every summer in his career. Before A.I., the 76ers were a horrible franchise in the mid 90's. Iverson single handedly resurrected that franchise and took them to the playoffs and the Finals in 2001. He made the 76ers the hottest ticket in basketball for a few years. What the 76ers are doing to Allen Iverson should be the story. Every summer they put him on the trading block to thank him for playing every game like it is his last. Iverson is getting better with age, look at his stats. Last season he put up 33 points, 7.4 assists and shot 44.7 percent from the field (the second highest in his career). All of his critics say he is getting old and his body is breaking down, he only missed 10 games this year. Allen Iverson is still a top 5 to top 10 talent but is getting treated like Shane Battier.
The 76ers need to trade him or shut up and admit a bad trade and get Chris Webber out of Philly. Trade Webb, open up some cap room and bring in some real help for AI. In my mind, the perfect situation for A.I. would be getting traded to a coach that would enjoy him and help him get to the finals again, that team? The UTAH JAZZ! Think about it, Jerry Sloan loves players who play hard nose basketball. Sure, the Jazz might not want him but if I could see AI with one coach right now, I want to see him with potential hall of fame coach Jerry Sloan. Sloan has always loved players who leave it on the floor and knows how to manage hall of fame players. Sure Utah might not be the best social environment for AI but maybe being away from a big loud city might help A.I. Iverson probably won't be traded to the Jazz because he won’t want to be there, but in my mind that is the perfect fit.

What a Sunday!

This Sunday (July 9th, 2006) is going to be one of the best international sports days in a while. It is one thing to have one good final on, but on Sunday you get two! Let’s give the rundown:

•8 a.m.: Men’s Wimbledon Finals: No. 1 Federer versus No.2 Nadal

What a way to kick off championship international Sunday! This is the rematch of the French Open finals but this time on grass. Roger Federer must win this to get his mojo back that he lost against Nadal in the French Open. Nadal is the only player Federer has not defeated this season. Nadal owns Federer on clay and Federer owns Nadal on grass. If Federer wins this, this will be four in a row for him at Wimbledon. I think this is going to be a humiliation for Nadal. Federer, when it is all said and done, will be one of the best, if not the best, player of all time. Wake up early and enjoy some good tennis!

•12:30 p.m.: World Cup Finals: Italy versus France

After a nice morning of tennis, take a quick nap and settle down for the most exciting soccer game in the last four years. Will France’s miracle run end in victory or will Zidane end his career with another World Cup Championship trophy? Is Italy’s scandal plagued soccer season going to end with a bright spot or is there another disappointment on tap for the boots? I think this final is going to be watched by a lot of Americans because this time around a lot of people actually followed the World Cup. This should be a good game so the ratings will be amazing. What is my pick for this match? Look, Italy tied with the USA! Yes, Italy is hot but they tied with the freaking USA!! France has Zidane and up and coming player Thierry Henry!

•7:05 p.m.: Astros versus Cardinals

Fine, this is not an international final but I might be going to the game so I’m adding this to the list. I am excited about this game because I get to see Andy Pettitte and Chris Carpenter. In addition to that, hopefully Albert Pujols dresses out so I get to see a hall of fame caliber player play.

Enjoy your Sunday! Good watching to everyone.

Quick Hits:

· Chicago Bulls and Big Ben

o This is a great signing for Chicago. Yes, he is not the best scorer but his defense is the reason the Bulls are a top 4 team in the East. A potential starting line-up of Big Ben, Noccioni, Benny G, Captain Kirk and say a PJ Brown or Luol Deng is impressive. Chicago was the best defensive team last year in terms of field goal percentage so Big Ben is only going to help them be an even more dominant defensive team. The obvious thing the Bulls were missing against the Heat was an inside presence. Big Ben will not shut down Shaq but he sure will help the guards help slow down Dwayne Wade. The Bulls paid a lot of money for Big Ben but you have to make bold moves to get back bold results. By signing Big Ben the Bulls catapulted themselves over the Pistons.

· The Detroit Pistons

o The Pistons are officially changing from the defensive minded team to the new breed of basketball of scoring and locking up on defense once in a while. They brought in Nazr Mohammed to pick-up the scoring drought but the defensive void is going to be much bigger. The Pistons will have to rely on Billups and RIP more than ever. Rasheed is getting older and has a horrible post game. Flip needs to change this team to a fast break team before age and bad jumping shooting catches them again.

· MLB All-Star Game

o What a joke. This game is the worse All-Star game in the big three. The NBA AS game is the best one followed by the Pro-Bowl. If the MLB wants to make this a real AS game, change the home field advantage rule. All-Star games are EXHIBITIONS! WHO CARES IF THEY END IN A TIE!! I watch the All-Star game to see some matchups that I don’t get to watch every day. I don’t watch it to see what league is better, that is for the WORLD SERIES! Come on MLB, aren’t you in the news enough with your other bad policies.

· World Cup Finals

o I hate Christiano Ronaldo. He is the player that caused Wayne Rooney to get a Red Card and put England in a disadvantage against Portugal. When I saw Ronaldo play I thought the guy was a solid player but his weak antics and dramatic flops made him my least liked player in the World Cup.

o Goodbye Beckham…I picked England to win the World Cup but that pick is long gone. I enjoyed watching the best of the best play every morning for the last three weeks. I am going to miss soccer. The club soccer games don’t do it for me. I wish the World Cup was every two years but I don’t think the world economy could take a hit every two years.

o Italy versus France…who is going to win this match? It comes down to a simple Nike question. Who is featured in the Nike campaign? Thierry Henry! When all fails, pick the Nike player. I think France is destined to win after seeing all the lucky breaks they got in the playoffs. France 2, Italy 1.

· MUST SEE CLIP!!!

o I don’t have cable so this took me a while to get a hold of, the 720 degree dunk by And 1’s “the Air up There”…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkwSGrXXJwM

The next big dunk is a flip dunk! Everyone remembers that from NBA Jamz! War the flip dunk!