NFL is Here

Well it is that time of the year again. Time for football. So far my Huskies are 1-1 and my Seahawks are 1-0. Good start. After tonight my Fantasy Football team will be 0-2, but there is a lot of time left. I have decided not to take the Seahawks to win it all again this year, last year I think I jinxed them. I do think they should be considered one of the top teams in the NFC. When healthy, they can match up with anyone. Health can also derail the season, as it did last year. So, my pick this year is going to be the Pittsburgh Steelers to repeat. Now, I hope that jinxes them. Pats may win too. Hopefully that jinxes them as well. I hate both those teams. Pittsburgh, for being involved in the biggest Super Bowl screw job ever and New England for winning too much.

As for my University of Washington Huskies, I have been impressed with their turnaround so far. Well since they won 0 games last season, winning 1 is a step in the right direction, but we’ll see how they fair against USC. I think USC has this in teh bag, but don’t be surprised if the dawgs keep it close for the 1st half.

If you have never heard of the book “I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell”, you should read it. A family member of mine gave it to me to read while I was dealing with my Dad’s passing. I read it nonstop on a plane ride and couldn’t stop laughing out loud. I was absolutely devestated by my Father’s death, but the book still made me laugh. That’s how funny it is. Now, I have to say, if you are not into sex, booze, blood and potty jokes, DO NOT READ THE BOOK. If you are, it is a must read. They are actually making the book into a movie opening 9/25. I am posting the trailer for your viwing pleasure.

EPL Starts

I am very excited this weekend as the English Premiere League has started play again and my Citizens have started off the season by winning 2-0. While I don’t believe Manchester City will win the League this season, I do think they will qualify for Champions League, meaning they will finish top 4. I think 3rd place is not out of range, with Manchester United winning again, followed by Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. I think Arsenal is on the outside looking in this season.

Last season, City had millions of dollars in transfer fees available to spend, but they could not draw any players. This transfer season has been much different, with City landing high quality players Carlos Tevez and Gareth Barry. This is the beginning of a new era that should see City competing to sign the biggest names in Football. I hope. We’ve seen what has happened with all the money Portsmouth has. At this point, winning is the most imortant thing. The only players that will join horrible teams are players that want to get paid and don’t care about winning. The players being brought in are not losers, so I think there are big things ahead.

Max Contract

Going into this offseason, I was really excited about the prospects of the Portland Trailblazers. We were going to make a nice free agent signing and more importantly, sign Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to 5 year deals. Well, so far, none of that has happened. It is very disappointing. While Hedo Turkoglu was never someone I was terribly high on, I felt he would have been a nice fit for our offense and taken a lot of the ballhandling pressures off Roy. Thanks to Mrs. Turkoglu, he signed with Toronto.

What is unforgiveable to me is the fact that Roy has not been signed up for a max deal for 5 years, with Aldridge in tow. That should have been the easiest contract deal of the offseason. Roy is EVERYTHING to this franchise. When everyone gave up on teh Blazers and its players, Roy came in and started turning everything around. He has done everything asked of him. It’s time to pay him what he is worth. he is one of the top 10 players in this league and means even more to this team. Get it done already before you risk insulting him. If Roy leaves, the Blazers may never get their fans back again.

As for Aldridge, I believe he will become and All Star in the next year or 2. He is improving from seaon to season and looks like he should approach 20 ppg and 10 rpg each season. He is developing into one of the best power forwards in the game. Once Roy is signed, Aldridge deserves a nice contract. He does not deserve a max contract, from what I read he does not expect one, but we really need to make sure that Aldridge is also not insulted. From what has been published, Aldridge does not easily trust people. If the Blazers break that trust somehow, he may be gone. We do not have a viable backup option for him either. Losing Aldridge would be a step in the wrong direction.

As for our “big” signing of the off season, Andre Miller… I like Andre Miller, I like him 7 years younger though. Miller is a very solid point guard. He is smart and makes the right passes. However, this team needs someone who can defend and Miller cannot. He also cannot hit the 3 point shot which is vital. Brandon Roy often drives and kicks the ball out. If Miller cannot hit the open 3, Roy’s penetration and pass will not be as effective.

I am hoping that come the trade deadline,teams that are out of contention will be selling players to cut salary. Due to the amount of money Paul Allen has, he may be willing to be a buyer. Maybe we get a player that can fill a long term need.