SPLOG Wednesday

The Orlando Magic continue to roll. They're now 16-4, 11-2 on the road. Dwight Howard is an MVP candidate. His per game line, 23.2 points, 15.1 boards, 3 blocks, while shooting 61.1% from the field. They definitely made the right choice in picking Howard over Okafor in the draft a few years back.

Tough time to be a Miami sports fan:
Dolphins 0-13 (last in the AFC East)
Heat 4-13 (last in the Southeast Division, Eastern Conference)
Hurricane football 5-7 (11th out of 12 in the ACC), no bowl game
Marlins 71-91 (last in the NL East), and just dealt the 2 faces of the franchise, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis

There are six bowl games that I'm excited about this year, and the rest I don't really care about. Here are the six that intrigue me (all times Central):

AT&T Cotton Bowl @ Dallas, TX -- Missouri vs. Arkansas (1-Jan, 10:30am, FOX)
As I've said before, I'm a big fan of Chase Daniel and Darren McFadden, who will face each other in this game in possibly their last games as college athletes. The matchup should be a solid one. Mizzou really got shafted by not getting a BCS bowl, and the Razerbacks can be very tough on any given day.

Capital One Bowl @ Orlando, FL -- Florida vs. Michigan (1-Jan, 12:00pm, ABC)
Again, should be a great matchup. Florida's my team, so the reasons are obvious that I'd have interest in this one. It'll be fun to watch Tebow one last time before his Junior year. I've a feeling they're going to give the Heisman to McFadden this year. Next year, there will be no reason not to give it to Tebow.

Rose Bowl presented by Citi @ Pasadena, CA -- USC vs. Illinois (1-Jan, 3:30pm, ABC)
I'm thrilled with the season that Illinois has had... they're the only team to defeat the #1 team in the country (Ohio St.), so far. This will be a very tough test for them. The Trojans are fully healthy and are playing well. I imagine the Trojans will win, since it's basically a home game for them, but I'm looking forward to watching the Illini one last time.

Allstate Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans, LA -- Georgia vs. Hawaii (1-Jan, 7:30pm, FOX)
In a normal system, this could be the national championship game. The #4 team in the land (prior to #1 and #2 losing) and the undefeated team. I think it will be a better game than the real title game. Georgia should have been there even if they didn't win the SEC. Knowshon Moreno will win a Heisman in his junior year. He's an absolute beast. Hawaii will try to continue their perfect season. Should be a fun game.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl @ Glendale, AZ -- Oklahoma vs. West Virginia (2-Jan, 7:00pm, FOX)
By my eyes, Oklahoma is the best team in the country and should have been facing Georgia in the title game. They dominated a very, very good Mizzou team. West Virginia really layed an egg against Pitt. Assuming full heath for both teams, this should be another game that's better than the title game.

Allstate BCS Championship Game @ New Orleans, LA -- Ohio State vs. LSU (7-Jan, 7:00pm, FOX)
I find this to be the least interesting of the games I have any interest in. I only have interest in it because it will determine the champ. I saw LSU play several times toward the end of the year, and I just don't think they are all that great. I'm not sure what Ohio State's strength of schedule was, but it was not very good (the very reason Hawaii is not being considered). I hope LSU wins, but I think there'll be 5 better games than this.

Prediction record: 14-6 last week, 49-31 overall
No predictions this week. It's more fun to pick college games than anything else, so I'll put a haitus on the predictions.

Also, depending on the influx of sports news, I may put the SPLOG on hiatus. College football took up a large portion of the SPLOG, and now that it's nearly over, I won't have as much to write about. Maybe an entry here and there.

POLL OF THE WEEK

Hello boys and girls. It's that time of the week again where you help us out by letting us know your thoughts and opinions on various and sundry topics.

It appears, even though a majority of people have a majority of their shopping done, 40% have yet to begin their Christmas shopping. Procrastinators!

In keeping with the Christmas theme, my pondering this week leads me to question... What is your favorite Christmas movie. Undoubtedly there is one movie in particular that stands out in your mind. Maybe you watch it annually with your friends or family. Maybe it's one you have a certain feeling of nostalgia about. Whatever the case may be, here's a list of 7 movies that are typically ranked as some of the best Christmas movies out there. There's always the chance that I will leave yours off. Nothing personal, I assure you. I'll add the infamous "other" category, and you can comment to tell me how foolish I was to leave it off the list. In fact, how about this... everyone comment and tell why the movie you chose is your favorite. It'll be fun. I promise.

Here's a rundown of the options (all descriptions from IMDB):

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas.
2. A Christmas Carol - An old miser who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when 3 ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve.
3. A Christmas Story - Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940's.
4. Elf - After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.
5. It’s a Wonderful Life - An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.
6. Miracle on 34th Street - When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.
7. White Christmas - A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.

JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Pic o' the Week-o of What I've been hearing

A few CDs I've gotten recently that I'd recommend:

Emerson Drive - Countrified (4.5/5)

I didn't really have any country albums in my collection, so I went out in search for a country band. I stumbled across this band. I honestly think the lead singer has one of the best voices in country music. The songs have a positive message. They are upbeat and catchy, but not too twangy. If you're a country fan, or are willing to give country music a shot, give these gents a listen.

TOP TRACKS: A Good Man, Testify, Moments, Devil Went Down to Georgia (cover).

Josh Groban - Noel (4.75/5)

I didn't know he had a Christmas album out until recently (the album was released in October). I gave it a listen online, and it's a very good album, as you might expect. Groban does duets with Faith Hill and Brian McKnight. All in all, I'd say it's one of, if not the best Christmas album that I own. If you're a Groban fan, this CD is a must have.

TOP TRACKS - Little Drummer Boy, I'll Be Home for Christmas, The Christmas Song, The First Noel (with Faith Hill)

Relient K - Let it Snow, Baby... Let it Reindeer (4/5)

This album is comprised mostly of songs from a previous album (Deck The Halls, Bruise Your Hand). There are a few songs new to this album which are in typical fun, silly, light-hearted, Relient K fashion. If you enjoy punk rock, or Relient K, you may be interested in this album. There are a few Relient K originals, and some really good versions of well knowns, but it's definitely not your typical, classic Christmas album.

TOP TRACKS: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More, Good King Wenceslas

SPLOG Wednesday

First of all, have you noticed the handy little scoreboard over there on the left sidebar? You can choose which sport to view and all kinds of cool stuff.

It's sad to hear about Sean Taylor's senseless murder. I just hope he turned his life around from previous indiscretions and knew the Lord prior to his passing.

About a NCAA football playoff, I used to be for trying to figure out how one could work. Maybe it's because of the craziness of this regular season, and the fact that I know someone will always be unhappy (e.g. if a non-conference winner gets in over a conference winner, the #9 team will be upset if it's an 8 team playoff, same with #17 if it's a 16 team playoff, some bowls will get shafted, etc). It seems like the best team generally wins or at least has the opportunity to play for the title. I don't see it as a broken system. A playoff wouldn't be a perfect solution, so I'm for leaving it as is at least for the time being.

BCS Standings
1. Missouri
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Kansas
6. Virginia Tech

Well this is no longer possible. However, I would be very pleased to have picked one of the two teams to play for the title after this crazy year. Personally, I'd love to see it end as it is now, with a Mizzou vs. WVU finale. I've really grown fond of Mizzou. However, with the way this season's gone, I wouldn't be surprised if both teams lose next week and idle Ohio State plays LSU (who'll jump over Georgia and Va Tech if the the Tigers beat Tennessee).

High on:
Chase Daniel - Will be a great pro QB.
Darren McFadden - Will be a great pro RB.
Colt Brennan & receiving corp - I'm finally on the rainbow colored bandwagon. Better late than never. Colt is a solid player and the receiving corp is quite possibly the best in the nation.

Down on:
Andre' Woodson - Kept KY in it versus TN, but also lost it for them. He doesn't seem to have the "it" factor, the internal clock that Daniel has.
LSU - I knew they'd lose at some point. They were possible the most overrated team in the 2nd half of the season.
Hawaii - They are better than I thought, HOWEVER, I am not on the bandwagon that if they go undefeated and win their bowl game, they should be the nat'l champs, as I've heard some say.

Predictions (7-3 last week, 35-25 overall)
Since it is the last week of college football before the bowl games, I'll pick every college game this week, as well as 2 pro games to make it an even 20 picks. Since it's twice as many games, I'll leave out the commentary.

NCAAF
(1) Louisville over Rutgers (2-0)
(2) Fresno St. over New Mexico St. (3-0)
(3) Central Michigan over Miami (OH) (4-0)
(4) Navy over Army (5-0)
(5) UCF over Tulsa (6-0)
(6) Virginia Tech over Boston College (7-0)
(7) Troy over Florida Atlantic (7-1)
(8) LSU over Tennessee (8-1)
(9) Nevada over Louisiana Tech (9-1)
(10) USC over UCLA (10-1)
(11) Oregon St. over Oregon (11-1)
(12) BYU over San Diego St. (12-1)
(13) North Texas over Florida International (12-2)
(14) California over Stanford (12-3)
(15) West Virginia over Pittsburgh (12-4)
(16) Missouri over Oklahoma (12-5)
(17) Arizona St. over Arizona (13-5)
(18) Hawaii over Washington (14-5)
NFL
(19) Dallas over Green Bay (1-0)
(20) Miami over NY Jets (14-6)