Professional Tailgating: Step One

So the OTWT Tailgating Crew kicked off their 1,000 miles of sports related  travel in Philly for Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series between the Cards and Phillies. After falling behind early the Cards rallied to be the Phillies 5-4 and even the series at 1-1.

It's playoff baseball when you see this many TV trucks

 Phillies players go through pregame warm ups

 Cliff Lee and Chris Carpenter warm up in the bullpen 

 This lady a blanket made out of all of the rally towels she had collected over the years

Mascots from all of the Phillies minor league teams where there for the game

 A sea of rally towels

Stop one is now complete, now its on to Rutgers for the Big East battle between Rutgers and Pitt on Saturday afternoon.

The Andy Reid Coaching Tree

Check out Andy Reid's 2001 coaching staff, look at all of those head coaches on that staff. It's Bill Walsh like. 

What A Week

 

Starting Sunday, the OTWT Tailgating Crew will have one of its busiest weeks ever. During the next week, we will be attending Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Phillies and Cards, the Pitt at Rutgers college football game on Saturday and then head up to the Eagles at Bills game on Sunday afternoon.
My poor car will be racking up the miles:

• Mays Landing to Citizens Bank Park: 48 miles 
• Citizens Bank Park to Mays Landing: 48 miles 
• Mays Landing to Rutgers Stadium: 109 miles
• Rutgers Stadium to Ralph Wilson Stadium: 366 miles
• Ralph Wilson Stadium to Mays Landing: 423 miles 
• Total: 994 miles

It might be a long time in a car, but there are stories that are sure to be told after its all over. Follow our trip on twitter or check youtube  for videos from our fun.

ESPN's Next College Football Star

First it was Kirk Herbstreit, now ESPN is in the process of grooming their next college football television star. If you have watched David Pollack's career at ESPN over the last couple of years, you have to think that he is set to be a major force on the four letter network over the next coupe of years.

Pollack's broadcasting career starting in Sept. 9, 2008, after a neck injury forced him to retire from football, as an afternoon sports talk host on Atlanta's 790 The Zone. Also in 2008, Pollack began studio work for CBS's college football coverage. He also is a college football analyst for ESPNU.

Pollack's big chance happened this year, he was selected to be part of the traveling road show that is know as College Game. Also he is a host on the Palmer and Pollack show, which is 2.5 hours long on ESPNU.

While the show is great, being part of College GameDay has served as Pollack's big break. He has been a standout when he has appeared on GameDay and has done a great job breaking down things, he adds a passion that sometimes is lost on people. I heard him on Sirius XM Radios 24/7 College Sports Radio with Bill King a couple of weeks ago and came away very impressed. During the interview, no matter the topic, he had a view on the subject from conference expansion to LSU.

With Lee Corson starting to get up there in age, could David Pollack be the perfect replacement for him on College GameDay. I have no idea what ESPN is going to do, but they could do a lot worst then having Pollack, join Fowler and Herbstreit on a full time basis.

This Tevez thing could blow Man City apart

Why do I think this could spell the end to Manchester City rise. According to the Daily Mail Manchester City players are going to claim they 'didn't hear' Carlos Tevez's refusal to play in the Champions League. This is starting to sound like it could turn into a circus.

College Football QB Geography

Where do college football quarterbacks come from. Rivals.com answer that question for all of us. According to the story California has the most starting qbs at the FBS level with 25.

The Cover Story: Boston Collapse

 The Collapse of the Red Sox is complete and the Boston papers did their best to sum it up in a way that only they can do.

 

Fox might have something

More then a week ago, Fox tried something new and they were rewarded for it. After showing the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game live on FSC, the network decided to show the game on their regular Fox stations after the local NFL was over.

In Philly it was during the 1 p.m., while in other cities it was the 4 p.m. slot. While showing soccer games on tape delay sounds like a bad idea, it did not turn out that way for Fox. According to industry reports the game had 2.5 million viewers making it the most watched Premier League game ever.

Now here is the question, would Fox be willing to do that every week. So lets the Eagles are playing at 4 p.m. on Fox would they show the Sunday 11 a.m. game on tape delay on that Fox station at 1 p.m.. Traditional stations that have a late game  show infomericals during the time leading up to game and the same thing with an early NFL game with respect to the late slot. Now the ratings might not be the same for a game that features Aston Villa and QPR, but it would increase the footprint of the league on network television and might drum up a lot of interesting. So what's the risk.

Professional Tailgating: The Homecoming Edition

Instead of taking in Rutgers game vs. Ohio, the OTWT Tailgating crew returned home to William Paterson University. It was homecoming in Pioneerville and the Pioneers defeated Brockport 35-23. Here are some of the sites from the game.

What I saw on Saturday

...what I'm used to seeing on most Saturday. There is a big difference.

 The Pioneer coaching staff decked out in their orange

William Paterson's Dawys German  scores a touchdown during the game German finished the day with 157 yards rushing, 69 receiving and three touchdowns.

Maybe this guy will be a future coach at his parents old school 

 I did not know the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL where now part of the NJAC

This has to be a first

So yesterday while watching the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers game, I thought to myself wow I think that I just saw history.

During the game, Panthers' QB Cam Newton was picked off by Packers' DB Charles Woodson twice and after thinking about it for a while, I thought it may have been historical. Since Woodson was the only Heisman Trophy winner to play defense and Cam Newton won the Heisman last year, was this the first time that a Heisman Trophy winner was picked off by another? I have to think it was and if it was I don't think enough has been made of it.  

The greatest sports rant ever

Sports talk radio is full of classic rants, but Mike Valenti of the Detroit based show of Valenti and Foster has a classic that will go down in the history books. The rant after Michigan States 2006 loss to Notre Dame is classic. Where in the world can you have a rant that features the terms: pudding, HR Pufnstuff and Hurricane Katrina. Its classic and the raw emotion that comes out is epic. Just remember: "Timeouts are not like cellphone minutes, they don't roll over.'' In honor this weeks game, its time to relive the rant. 


Part 1


Part 2

Time and Practice

A great column by the Daily Mail's Martin Samuel on how it takes time to get to the top of the Champions League. City discover it's a steep climb to Carnegie Hall. They might get there one day, but its going to take time especially in a group that features Napoli, Munich, and Villarreal.

Champions League by the Numbers

A breakdown of the Champions League by the CIES Football Observatory. The report states Ajax are young, Barcelona are short & France are well represented

The Cover Story: NFL Kickoff Sunday

The Monday after the first Sunday of the NFL season can only mean one thing usually: the front pages of newspapers in NFL city are dedicated to the opening days games. This year was different, with the 10 year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, only four of the NFL cities had the games on the front pages of their newspapers. The only paper go completely with the NFL theme was the Philly Daily News, not surprising given the passion of the Philadelphia fan base.

Chicago Sun Times

Tampa Tribune

The Baltimore Sun

The Philly Daily News 

How can you keep Choppin if there is no stump

So what happens when you go 5-7 in college football, well they start taking things away and at Rutgers that is no different. For the last couple of years, the theme at Rutgers has been "Keep Choppin" and this year its the same, but there is one difference. How can you "Keep Choppin" if there is no stump. According to the Rutgers athletic twitter page, the team decided to go in a different direction and not put the stump out for games. I was shocked to hear the news, it was almost heart breaking.

What could be

With talk of Real Madrid and Barca destroying Spanish soccer and leaving for a European Super League, I talk you back to a post I did two years ago on what a European Soccer League would look like. The League would feature 24 teams and could be really interesting. It could work, but I would hate to see the current structure destroyed.

A must have for soccer fans

All soccer fans love transfer deadline day, but no one loves it more then Sky Sports'  Jim White. This DVD honors the closing of the transfer window and the fans that enjoyed it.

The Fall of BJ Wallace is complete

In 1992 BJ Wallace was the talk of college baseball, the tall left hander was expected to be a good major league pitcher. The Expos thought so and took him with the third overall pick in the 1992 draft, but ever since that day things have gone down hill.

First he flamed out in the minors and now Wallace has been charged with making meth near an Alabama school. Maybe the Expos should have taken Derek Jeter or Jason Kandall or Johnny Damon in that draft and things might have been a little different as a franchise.

Professional Tailgating: What's the name of this place

After a couple of months away, the OTWT Tailgating Crew returned to Rutgers for a football game, but many things have changed since we where there for the spring game. 

The RAC has turned into an active construction zone

 It's no longer Rutgers Stadium. It's now High Point Solutions Stadium 

 Nothing beats a live mascot 

Rutgers take the field for the first time 

True freshman Savon Huggins score his first, of what will be many, touchdowns

Is there such a thing as college sports reporting anymore

Have major universities and colleges made it too hard to cover college sports? Around the country it's becoming harder and harder to cover sports at the college level. Programs have started to restrict access to players and coaches. The journalism site, When Journalism Fails, take a look at what is happening around the country.

StrasMas Part 2

Its the second coming. Stephen Strasburg of Washington Nationals set to return to majors on Sept. 6. This is the best news Nationals fans have had since they signed their four top picks in this years draft.

Is Ross Barkley the New Wayne RooneyEverton rising star Ross Barkley | Mail Online

While Everton might be a mess, when it comes to come money, they do have something to smile about: Ross Barkley. Everton's rising star Barkley is the best come out of their academy since Rooney. Over the last couple of years, Everton's academy has produced a ton of talent over the last couple of years and is starting to look like the West Ham Academy that produced so many great players in the '90's.

An Unlike Dream

For some the Europa League means nothing but to Irish club Shamrock Rovers it might as well be the Champions League. After fighting extinction, Shamrock Rovers are savouring their chance to play European football. While some kill the Europa League, I can not wait to the see the small little club that could play Spurs in the group stages.

A new Premier League Transfer Policy

Things are changing in the Premier League, gone are the days of clubs spending $14 million on a 26 year old players, now its all about the kids. The Daily Mail's Matt Barlow takes an interesting look at practice.Clubs are looking at the resale value of a player kind of like what happened with Ronald at Manchester United.  

Such a sad story

For years she has been most dominating coach in college sports, but now Pat Summitt is fighting a different battle. The Lady Vols head coach has been diagnosed with the early onset dementia. Such a sad story, I hope that she is able to battle through and coach as long as she wants.

Prospect Watching: Harrisburg Senators

The original reason for making the three hour drive to Harrisburg was to see Bryce Harper play in Double A, but that did not happen after he got hurt and was ruled out for the rest of the season. But that did not stop me from scouting a couple of other Nationals prospects.

After Harper, the next best ranked player in the system is catcher Derek Norris. During game Norris struck out twice and did not look doing it against a left handed pitcher. Norris was the second ranked player in the Nats system coming into the season by Baseball American, but that is going to change after the season is over. My only question is what positions does he play, Wilson Ramos appears to the be the catcher of the future, so does that mean Norris moves to first base. I know he has impressive stats, but I think that he will never make the grade in Washington

 

Professional Tailgating: A trip to Expo's Mecca

For Expos fan, a trip to see the Harrisburg Senators is a like a trip to mecca. For years the Senators have played a key role in player development and that appears to be continuing with Strasburg and Harper suiting up for the them over the last couple of years

Senators = Championships

 Brandon Phillips once part of the doomed Bartolo Colon deal

 You know its Minor League Baseball when the kids are warming up with the players

 Vlad near I say anything else. The banners around the stadium show how many great players that have come through Harrisburg

 Somewhere Phillies rookie pitcher Michael Stutes is smiling 

 Downtown Harrisburg

Also during the game the Senator's gave out t-shirts honoring their 25th anniversary team, later in the look we will take a look at that, I do have some issues with their picks.

It's not the Yankees and Red Sox anymore

In the past teams like the Yankees and Red Sox dominated the signing bonus list in Major League Baseball, but this year that all changed. Instead of the Sox and Yanks, the list is topped by the Pirates and Nationals. This shows that other teams are willing to invest in young players.

The New Fab Four

During the last two drafts the Nationals have shown they are willing to spend money and this year was no different as the Nats splashed the cash. The Nats spent $16.5 million to sign Anthony Rendon and other top Nationals draft picks at the signing deadline last night. Who knows if the Rendon, Meyer, Goodwin and Purke will work out, but for Nationals fans it shows the organization is willing to spend for top players.

Professional Tailgating: Cars Go Fast

While NASCAR is not something we focus on, I could not help but post these videos my brother sent me from his trip to The Glen for the race.

Cars go flying by his seat
 
 The power of a restart
 

Professional Tailgating: Seven Unearned Runs, Yes Seven

The OTWT Tailgating Crew made their final regular season trip to Citizens Bank Park to see his beloved Nationals play the Phillies. The only thing that we learned was that defense is something that the Nationals don't care about. They gave up seven unearned runs, yes seven. 

Ground crew takes the tarp off before the game.

Phillies honor alumni that included Tommy Greene and Mark Leiter

 As a rookie, pitcher Michael Stutes has to put up with a lot include carrying this pink backpack to the pen. 

 Since we have had these seats we have seen a variety of different right fielders from Jayson Werth to Dom Brown to John Mayberry Jr. and now Hunter Pence. Hope it ends there. 

 Fans behind us showing their love for Chooch. 

Before the game started, I was able to hook up with my friends over at Sox and Phils and they filled this report.

No One is in Charge

New York Times College Sports Reporter Pete Thamel gets to the heart of the ongoing conference reshuffling. It's basically football run Anarchy.

Premier League A to Z

The Premier League season is here and here is a look at league from A to Z. Should be a fun and interesting season, can not wait for opening kickoff in a couple of hours. Seems like it has taken forever for the season to return.

Professional Tailgating: Rutgers Ticket Day

Like a scene out of Fever Pitch, today was season ticket. My season tickets for Rutgers came today and I love this years theme. Theme is a countdown to kickoff, starting with five hours before with tailgating and ending with the chop. This years theme is a lot better then last years.

MLS deal shows NBC/Comcast is ready for primetime

I know a secondary Major League Soccer television package is not a big deal, but for NBC/Comcast it shows that they are ready to get involved in all sports.

On Tuesday Major League Soccer announced games will be televised by NBC's networks starting next season, doubling the number of homes that dozens of games will be available in.    The package currently on Fox Soccer Channel will move mainly to the NBC Sports Network, Versus' new name beginning Jan. 2. The cable channel will air 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. men's national team matches each year. NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games and two national team appearances under the three-year contract announced Wednesday.

In addition to the Major League Soccer deal, NBC/Comcast has been rumoured to get involved in the bidding for the Big East football rights package that is up after the year. I know its only the Big East, but it shows that these two giants are ready to really get involved in big time college football and challenge the ABC/ESPN group.

Anytime you create competition for something its a good thing and in tv its no different and these two moves show that NBC/Comcast is committed to being a player in sports television. 

Move Over RVP, Stevie MBE is taking over

Stevie MBE might not win a league title anytime soon, but he is at the top of another table. Gerrard was voted 'hottest player' by gay men. I hope the Kop salutes him for this accomplishment.

It's gotta be the shoes

The Premier League season is about to kick off, and here is a look at the boots that the players will be wearing.

Kobe shows his skills

Kobe Bryant, an avid soccer fan, takes a PK during half time of Manchester United vs. Barcelona game on Saturday in Washington DC.

Professional Tailgating: Wembley Revenge

It might not have been the Champions League Final but Manchester United and Barcelona faced off in Washington DC on Saturday as part of the World Football Challenge. Manchester United won the game, here are some of the sites and sounds from the game. 

The scarfs are hung 

All types of jerseys where on display, even Afellay 

 Game was part of the World Football Challenge

Manchester United and Barcelona take the field

Teams ready for battle

PSG outguns Chelsea with Money

PSG has outgunned Chelsea in the race for Javier Pastore. The $62 million move is more then a move to acquire a top rated creative midfielder, its shows that PSG is set to become a huge force in the transfer marker for years to come.

Turning unwatned QBs into Gold

This is why the Eagles are so good at what they do. In the last 18 months, the Eagles have traded two QB's for two 2nd round picks, a 4th round pick, and a 25-yr old CB with 13 career INT's. Some people thought the franchise would go down the drain after McNabb left but that is far from it. In Andy and Joe we trust.

Not the Greatest way to earn respect

While European teams look at the World Football Challenge as a way to get ready for upcoming season, Major League Soccer have looked at it as a way to show Europeans how far the league has come. This year the league has done nothing but embarrass itself. Through the first six games that have featured MLS teams vs. top European clubs, MLS teams have been outscored 16-6 and lost all five games.

Here the list of results

• Manchester United 4-1 New England Revs
• Real Madrid 4-1 LA Galaxy
• Manchester City 2-1 Vancouver
• Manchester United 3-1 Chicago
• Real Madrid 2-1 Philadelphia Union 
• Manchester City 1-1 LA Galaxy

After a couple of years of closing the gap, MLS has appeared to fallen behind again. Something needs to be done so this does not continue. 

College Football: The Cover Story 2011

The start of the College Football season is right around the corner. So here is a look at all of the preseason magazines from the Sporting News. Note that TP is still on the cover of the Ohio State one, very interesting.

More Money Please

It's not like Manchester City have not spent a bunch of money over the last two years, but that is not enough for their manager. Roberto Mancini claims Manchester City need to sign more players in order to challenge Manchester United for the title. Wow now Mancini is crying poor, I feel bad for someone who regularly throws down $30 million for a player. Come on cry me a river.

A September Return?

Stephen Strasburg rehab from Tommy John surgery appears to be going so well that he could be back on the mound for the Nats by September. National's manager Davey Johnson is optimistic about Strasburg progress after watching him throw a simulated game on Monday.

Five Clubs to Watch this Season

Teams are returning to preseason training around Europe and there are ton of story lines. But here are five clubs that I will be keeping on a close eye during this upcoming season.

• PSG: I have highlighted them in the past, but they are the team to watch in France this year. They are closing in on QPR's Adel Taarabt, that should be the first of many big money signings at the capital city club. 
• Maluga: They are turning into the Manchester City of Spain. Sheikh Al Thani purchased the club on June 11, 2010 and became president on July 28. Jesualdo Ferreira was brought in as coach but was sacked after a series of bad results. Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, who had previously been in charge of Villarreal and Real Madrid, took the reins while the club was in the relegation zone. He oversaw a revival thanks to five consecutive wins later in the season, a historic first for the club. With several new signings, which included Maresca, Martin Demichelis, Ruud van Nisterlrooy (above) and Julio Baptista, the club managed to finish in 11th place.
• Manchester City: It's one thing to make it to the Champions League, it's another to deal with the demand. They have a big enough squad, now the fan base is going demand that they contend for the league title and not just qualify for Champions League.
• QPR: Once the richest club in the world, now the club is going to face a tough return to the Premier League. Will the owners spend enough to keep them there and how much is the pending loss of Taarabt going to effect them. 
• Bayern Munich: Last years was a disaster in the league finishing third. How does the big spending club bounce back. 

Twitter 100: The Sports Figures to follow

A great list of the Top 100 sports people to follow on Twitter. From Chad Ochocinco to Dana White

How not to take PKs

If you where a fan of the art of taking penalties kicks then Sunday was not the day for you. In the Women's World Cup Final, the United States butchered their attempts, while at Copa America Brazil put on a performance that was fitting of a under-8 game, it may have been the worst display of pks ever.

United States in the Women's World Cup



Brazil PKs at Copa America

A Local Legend

As the United States Women Soccer Team gets ready for World Cup Final tomorrow, we take you back to a time when their captain, Christine Pearce now Rampone, was just a young high school player. One of my former colleagues Mark Blumenthal take a look back at her freshman year at Point Pleasant Boro High School.

Futures Game Notebook

The MLB Futures game was held on Sunday and here a couple of thoughts on the some of the players.
• For once it looked like Bryce Harper was nervous. Did not look like himself at the plate.
• Phillies prospect Jarred Cosart most impressive of U.S. pitchers. FB all 96-97, got strikeouts w/curveball and change.

• For all of the people who are still killing the Rays for taking Tim Beckham number one overall a couple of years ago it finally appears to be paying off.
• I can not believe that the Futures Game is 13 years old. It was a brilant idea when it started.
• I know it was only one inning but Brad Peacock looks to be a good piece for the Nats. 92 to 94 mph not bad.
• Everytime I see Shelby Miller I think that he is ready to pitch in the majors and today this no different.
• Tampa's Matt Moore might have the most effortless delivery I have ever seen. Hitting high 90s with that little effort is unfair.