Premier League Contest - Match 38

Welcome to the last (probably) weekend of matches. Match 38. To me, that was one quick season.
Many highlights, some lowlights, but a great season all round.

Today's guest...

Thank you Amanda, you may go now....

Not a lot to play for this weekend. Only one lone spot battle for Champion's League play.

Let's look at the table.

Club	Pld	Pts
Man Utd	37	88
Man City	37	78
Chelsea	37	72
Arsenal	37	70
Tottenham	37	69
Everton	37	63
Liverpool	37	58
West Brom	37	48
Swansea	37	46
West Ham	37	43
Stoke	37	41
Norwich	37	41
Newcastle	37	41
Southampton	37	40
Fulham	37	40
Aston Villa	37	40
Sunderland	37	39
Wigan	37	35
Reading	37	28
QPR	37	25

The battle is between Arsenal and Tottenham. There can be only one. heh... Mathematically, Chelsea could be the one to miss out, but they would have to lose to Everton, while Arsenal wins AND Tottenham beats Sunderland by 17 goals.

I wonder what Vegas is giving on those odds. Even IF you won that bet, you'd never collect. Vincent Savino would have you buried under a cactus somewhere near Area 51.

So the eyes will be on Arsenal/Newcastle and Tottenham/Sunderland.  My bet is that both clubs win and the Spurs just miss out yet again.

In other matches, Sir Alex watches over his last game as Manchester United vist The Hawthorns to play West Bromwich Albion.
Elsewhere we say goodbye to Wigan, Reading, and Queen's Park Rangers.
Next season will see new participants Cardiff City, Hull City, and the winner of the Crystal Palace vs Watford match on the 25th.

All matches are on Sunday, so please post your final results on/by Monday evening.

GO United!

OH! I almost forgot. There could be a tie for the final Champion's League position. Should Chelsea draw with Everton, AND Arsenal win by exactly 2 goals, Chelsea and Arsenal will have to play a playoff game to decide the position sometime this coming week at neutral ground. (Villa Park has been chosen)

Example, if Chelsea and Everton draw 1-1, and Arsenal beats Sunderland 3-1, then we will have a tie because the only tie breaker used is goal differential.
Not likely, but still possible.

by popular request.....

at the April trade night, the owner of the shop called me over and handed me this.

 

As most of us know, these box toppers from 2013 Heritage are a wee see-through. For the box he opened for pack sales, he saved this for me for being "the resident Braves guy".

 

Oooohhh..... who could it be? I flipped over to the back, and could see a partial number. 50?

I could only see the first two digits. Could it be #500?? Topps puts stars on those even numbers! Could it be Hank Aaron?!?! Was Hank #500?!??!

 

Open it!!!

 

No.

 

It was not #500.

 

It was not Hank Aaron.

 

It was.....

 

 

A very beat up Bobby Bragan. Card #506
This baby is warped, has a few creases, and has no idea what the word 'corner' means. It's almost oval.

HOWEVER.

I happen to need this card for my Braves team set. So it will fit nicely in my binder until a replacement without that gold shield comes along.

And I think..... card #506 was card #1 of the sixth series of seven in 1964. So it's kind of a high number. Someone may no better... let me know.

Either way, it's ALWAYS a good day to add a '64 Brave to the old collection.
Thanks Darren!

Premier League Contest - Match 37

We be awarding the trophy this weekend. Well, not on this contest, that seems to be going down to the wire.
But in the Premier League, Machester United is playing their last home game of the season, so the trophy, medals, etc, will be awarded on the pitch after their game with Swansea. There will also be a tribute to retiring manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

I know it's the World Cup.... I'm on a deadline here and couldn't find a good one of the league trophy.

I'm sure you'll forgive me. Most of you probably wouldn't have noticed. Trophy? What trophy?Where?

Anyways.

Let's check the table and see how the qualifications for Champions League is going, as well as Wigan trying to avoid the drop.

Club	Pld	Pts
Man Utd	36	85
Man City	36	75
Chelsea	36	69
Arsenal	36	67
Tottenham	36	66
Everton	36	60
Liverpool	36	55
West Brom	36	48
Swansea	36	46
West Ham	36	43
Stoke	36	41
Fulham	36	40
Aston Villa	36	40
Southampton	36	39
Sunderland	36	38
Norwich	36	38
Newcastle	36	38
Wigan	36	35
Reading	36	28
QPR	36	25

City in purple is confirmed for Champions League.
Light blue is the fight. Three clubs for two spots. However all these clubs are locked in for Europa League.
Dark blue, well, there's always next season.
Yellow, don't relax, one slip and it's the drop for you.
Red, forget it, you're dead.

Games are Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. So please post your comment by Wednesday lunch at the latest.

Go United!

Premier League Contest - Match 36

Welcome to Match 36!

We've got some great matchups this weekend. So let's take a peek.

 Many different colours on our table today....

Green - we know for sure United has won the Championship.
Light blue - teams battling for Champions League play next season. Only the top four clubs qualify.
Blue - clubs with nothing left to play for but pride
Yellow - Danger zone of getting dropped. But any type of result should see them through.
Orange - Chances are, one of these clubs will be relegated.
Red - it's too late. Turn out the lights. The party's over. Oprah is singing.

Club	Pld	Pts
Man Utd	35	85
Man City	34	71
Chelsea	34	65
Arsenal	35	64
Tottenham	34	62
Everton	35	59
Liverpool	35	54
West Brom	34	48
Swansea	34	42
West Ham	35	42
Fulham	35	40
Stoke	35	40
Southampton	35	39
Norwich	35	38
Sunderland	35	37
Aston Villa	35	37
Newcastle	35	37
Wigan	34	32
QPR	35	25
Reading	35	25

we have some cool matchups this weekend, including Norwich and Aston Villa in a battle to avoid the drop. I think Villa will upset the Canaries.

Matches are throughout the weekend, so please post by Tuesday afternoon.

Go United! 2012-13 Champions!

The colour of the day..... is purple.

Today's post is brought to you by.... the colour purple. And the number 9.
For there are 9 different purple cards I want to show you. Everything made sense when you were a kid. I'm not sure what happens to change all that or why.

Here, we like it simple. Some might call me simple. I've been called worse. But I digress.

I came across an online seller who had a card I wanted. Before buying it, I looked to see what else he had. This is why this post has 9 cards, and not 1.

I, like a lot of you, have a weakness for Topps Chrome coloured parallels. Orange may be my favourite. But if you've been paying attention, you'll know that today, we're talking purple.

Craig Kimbrel. I also have the black version of this card. Still need blue, red, orange, etc... etc..

Brian McCann. This one scans really well.

Tommy Hanson. I miss Tommy. I wonder how's he doing on the left coast? A quick check shows he's leading the Angels in wins and ERA (for starters). Good for you Tommy!

 

Brian Snitker. No. Wait. Dan Uggla.

The entire Braves team. It should be Michael Bourn. Find Jason Heyward.... then look down.

Brandon Beachy. I hope he's back soon.... think how good the first place Braves would be with him back pitching. Woot!

Andrelton Simmons. He threw some guy out at first from the outfield grass while sitting on his butt last night. Awesome.

Tyler PastorIwontplayaslongasAndreltonishealthynicky

and the card that started all of this, my old pal and fave, Adam LaRoche.

Not too shabby for $7.50 shipped.

Now I just have to find the rest of the Braves team set in purple. And Orange. And red... blue... black...

Premier League Contest - Match 35

Welcome to Match 35. As far as the Premier League is concerned, Oprah has sung, the party's over, Manchester United has earned the championship trophy with over a month still to play.

As far as we're concerned, the race is still on.

Being late in the year, I've assembled an All Star squad to help us get through the last few matches.

Pick your favourite, and let's get going.

Just to make it official...

Club	Pld	Pts
Man Utd	34	84
Man City	33	68
Arsenal	34	63
Chelsea	33	62
Tottenham	33	61
Everton	34	56
Liverpool	34	51
West Brom	33	45
Swansea	33	42
West Ham	34	42
Fulham	34	40
Southampton	34	39
Norwich	34	38
Sunderland	34	37
Stoke	34	37
Newcastle	34	37
Aston Villa	34	34
Wigan	33	31
QPR	34	24
Reading	34	24

I've highlighted the teams in blue that are in the race for Champions League status... as you know, top four clubs make it... with them as well as the fifth place finisher also eligible for Europa League play.

All of that means more $$$ in the coffers.

At the bottom of the table, QPR and Reading face off, with the loser being confirmed to relegation. If Aston Villa beats Sunderland, both QPR and Reading are in the drop regardless.
Wigan is in tough hosting Tottenham.

That Villa match is on Monday, so let's get your comments in by Tuesday afternoonish.

Go United! 2013 Premier League Champions!

Your long awaited 2013 NFL Mock Draft...

 

 

 

The Chiefs need help everywhere. Thankfully in the NFL, you start at the lines, and build out. And in this year's draft, top quality linemen are everywhere. We'll give Kansas City the best of the bunch. From Central Michigan, OT Eric Fisher. 6'8" 305 lbs.

Rumour has it the Jags want to move down for multiple picks. We aren't a live blog cast, (yet), so here they stay. If they really think Blaine Gabbert is their guy, they need to keep him alive. Luke Joeckel OT from Texas A&M 6'6" 310 lbs will help with that immediately.

In the words of the immortal Al Davis, "The other team's quarterback must go down.... and he must go down hard." And that's exactly why they select DL Sharrif Floyd from Florida. 6'3" 305 lbs.

The new look Eagles where  witness protection candidate Chip Kelly is hiding from multiple violation accusations from his time at Oregon. With the new up tempo offence, he'll need faster lineman. Lane Johnson OT from Oklahoma. 6'7" 303 lbs.

The Lions have had the worst secondary in the NFL for four years. Despite their need on the O-line and with Chance Wormack available, they take the top corner, CB Dee Milner from Alabama. 6'1" 199 lbs.

Cleveland. Ah Cleveland. Here we go again. I have a feeling that despite what the new people in charge are saying... going into the year with Brandon Wheedon, Jason Campbell, and Thaddeus Lewis as their QB's scares the hell out of them. Look for a reach pick here and QB Geno Smith from West Virginia. 6'3" 214 lbs

Folks, have your kids grow up to be lineman. Another team with issues here. The tackles aren't horrible, so the Cardinals go Guard with Jonathan Cooper 6'3" 310 lbs out of North Carolina.

I'm going to give the Bills and their new QB a new toy here. WR Tavon Austin from West Virginia 5'9" 174 lbs. Although with OT Chance Wormack still available, they might be tempted.....

The J-E-T-S with the first of two picks in the 1st round. They need a LOT of help. And they need some players too.... Dion Jordan will help any defence. And he'll excell in the Jets 3-4 scheme at outside linebacker. From Oregon 6'7" 241 lbs.

Going off the board a bit here... The Titans will take Ezekiel Ansah. A DL from BYU 6'6" 270 lbs. There are corners on the board, but they'll be some available in the 2nd round as well.... Ansah is too good to pass up.

Finally. Chance Wormack OT from Alabama, 6'3" 320 lbs come on down. Look for the Bolts to plug him in at guard.

another need, another lineman. RT D.J. Fluker from Alabama. 6'6" 335 lbs. Can the Dolphins afford to feed him?

if Sanchez is your guy (snicker) then you gotta help him out. TE Tyler Eifert from Notre Dame 6'6" 251 lbs will help. Great hands and a nightmare for linebackers.

more line help. Sound familiar? This time on defence. DL Sheldon Richardson out of Missouri. 6'4" 295 lbs.

I'm just going to flat out say it. Barkevious Mingo. Yes. That's his name. LB from LSU, 6'5" 242 lbs. Not much against the run, but will find the QB.

The Rams first of two picks. Everything I've heard or read for the last two months say the Rams go safety here. And I agree. That probably means they draft a punter. What do I know, anyway? S Kenny Vaccaro, Texas. 6'1" 215 lbs.

For the first time in a long time, the Steelers need help at linebacker. With James Harrison let go, Jarvis Jones will step right in. Georgia. 6'3" 241 lbs.

Da Boys are thrilled to see DT Star Loyulelei fall to them at 18. Nose tackle is a key position in the NFC East, and Star will help Pro Bowler Jay Ratliff take a rest after an injury plagued year.  Utah. 6'4" 320 lbs. Besides.... where else did you think a guy named Star would end up?

another team with need of line help. The Giants O-line is old. Dallas Thomas, OT from Tennessee helps right away. Can also play guard. 6'5" 300 lbs. I love a guy named Dallas playing for the G-Men.

Here we go. Insert joke here. Urlacher? A memory. Mant Te'o. LB from Notre Dame. 6'2" 255 lbs. The Bears hope the hype is worth it.

One of the league's top defences gets better. Safety Eric Reid from LSU. 6'2" 208 lbs. Mike Zimmer is smiling.

with safety taken care of in their first pick, I'll continue to imrove their D by adding the top LB left... Alec Ogletree. Georgia. 6'3" 252 lbs. The Rams D is now a whole lot better.

The Vikes traded their top WR, so, they need to draft a top WR. This isn't as difficult as some people think. Cordarrelle Patterson out of Tennessee. 6'3" 205 lbs. A little immature, but Minnesota likes that. Just avoid boat rides.

the Colts have other needs, but when D.J. Hayden falls to 24, their grab him. Corners of theis quality are hard to find. An injury hurt his draft stock, but if anyone likes comeback stories, it's Inday nad Chuck Pagano. Out of Houston, 5'11" 195 lbs.

The Vikes will use their second pick of the round to help their defence. DT Sylvester Williams will plug in and stuff the run. Something the Vikings have forgotten about recently. North Carolina, 6'3" 320 lbs.

I wasn't going to do it, but what the heck. I'll draft a running back in the first round. And what better place than here? Green Bay hasn't had a number one back since Ahman Green. So we'll give them RB Eddy Lacy. Alabama 6'0" 220 lbs.

Houston needs someone to take pressure off of Andre Johnson. WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee 6'4" 205 lbs is that guy. He's fresh and needs coaching, but will turn into a beast with a little patience.

No way the Horse Heads figured on Bjoern Werner falling to 28. So strategy goes out the window as they select the 6'4" 255 lb linebacker from Florida State.  Elvis who?

The Pats nab the top rated corner left, Xavier Rhodes. 6'1" 215 lbs out of Florida State. Besides, he wears glasses, which means he's smart. And Belichek likes smart.

Atlanta helps their depleted defence with CB Desmond Trufont. 6'0" 185 lbs out of Washington. He'll start opposite of Asante Samuel and might evern return kicks.

More weapons for Kaepernick. TE Zach Ertz from Stanford. (the Harbaugh connection) 6'6" 245 lbs. With the addition of Ertz and Anquon Boldin.... look out NFC West.

With the last pick of the 1st round, Baltimore selects LB Arthur Brown. 6'1" 228 lbs from Kansas State. The Ravens 'backers are old and slow... Brown will help solve that.