 Saturday, January 05, 2008
Bowl Championship Series Pick
Ohio State returns to the BCS Championship game against against another worthy SEC team, LSU, on Monday night.
Ohio State had better players in 2006 including Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith but the 2007 team is just that, a better team. Ohio State must contain LSU's explosive offense by controlling the ball and mixing the run and pass. LSU's Les Miles is a great coach and a Michigan alumnus but Ohio State's Coach Jim Tressel is slightly better. The margin between victory and defeat is usually not much and this promises to be a classic like USC and Texas a couple of years ago.
The religious and sports holidays continue as I am looking forward to a Christmas Night present according to the Julian/Old Calendar. My Holiday Season starts with Thanksgiving and ends at Chinese New Year.
Let the good times, holidays, and football roll. Wooooo!
Posted by The Tank in NY.
Friday, January 04, 2008
NFL Wildcard Picks
Last Week: I was 3-0 last week and 27-11 for the regular season.
This Week's Fearless Picks:
Sorry Buffalo Steve, Jacksonville wins at the Steelers.
The Chargers beat the Titans at home.
The Seahawks beat the Redskins at home.
The Giants win at the Bucs. Avoid picking this game because I don't know which Giants team will show up. The Giants are injured but pumped after playing the Patriots hard last week. Eli Manning has to manage the game and let the running game win the game.
Posted by The Tank in NY.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Time for New York to Boycott the Knicks
Isiah Thomas has come to town and ruined a good franchise. Bad trades, sexual harassment suits, lineup changes, and bad coaching, has lead Isiah Thomas to be ineffective. More importantly, the team has stopped playing for Isiah Thomas. The Yankees got rid of Joe Torrie after 13 years of constitutive playoff appearances. The Knicks are in last place yet again. Time for Isiah Thomas to go. If not we will start to watch the Brooklyn Nets next year. The problem is that the Knicks still make money. It is funny since each game is a sellout but only half full. You can't give away tickets. I think that new political refugees that land at JFK get free tickets and turn them down. That is the only way for New York to get rid of Isiah Thomas, start boycotting the games. When the Garden is completely silent, then the ownership will respond. Posted by Steve in New York
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
A Shootout win in Buffalo
Over 70,000 hockey fans were treated to an icy and snowy overtime shootout in Buffalo, where Sidney Crosby's dramatic goal lifted the Penguins past the Sabres 2-1 in an outside game at the home of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, NY. The NHL decided to hold an outside game in a large venue as a template for future games. I think it worked and should lead to more in the future. Crosby said of the day:  "Growing up, I played a lot outside," said Crosby, a Nova Scotia native. "When you see 70,000 people jammed into a stadium to watch hockey, it's a good sign. The atmosphere and environment, I don't think you can beat that." You can't. This is something the NHL should do two or three times a year. It got everyone engaged and brought out a ton of fans. In essence, it was a media event. There have been rumors of Rangers v Detroit in Yankee Stadium or even Rangers v Islanders. Posted by Steve in New York.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
2007 Year in Review
2007 was an incredible full of highs and lows. I was lucky and honored to meet so many great people like Playboy's Miss November 2007, A-Rod, Ozzie Smith, and many others. It was fun covering traditional sports like baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. It was even funner covering non-traditional sports like Amateur Female Jello Wrestling and Girls Only Pillow Fighting League.
It also marked the first full calendar year of SteveAndTheTank.com. Though very challenging with ever changing work and travel schedules, Steve and the Tank were able to post every day from far away places like Pakistan, Egypt, The Bahamas, and New Jersey to name a few.
What to look for in 2008:
(1) Will Steve and The Tank be elected to vice president and president, respectively, on the Baseball Integrity ticket in November 2008? On behalf of Steve, many thanks in advance for your support.
(2) Whoever you vote for, you can rely on SteveAndTheTank.com to give you all the sports, scoops, perspectives, and insight you can count on.
Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy and happy 2008.
Posted by a grateful Tank in NY.
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 Person of the Year: Barry Bonds
The first annual Steve and the Tank person of the year for 2007 is Barry Bonds. (Yes Barry Bonds.) The person of the year is the person who, better or worse, defines the sporting year. We at Steve and the Tank could not think of anyone else more deserving of this distinction. 
2007 was a very turbulent year. 2007 saw Barry Bonds break Hank Arron's home record, Tom Brady's record 50 TD passes, Randy Moss' record TD receptions, and the Patriots cheating in their first game on the way to a perfect record breaking 16-0 season. 2007 saw milestones like Tom Glavine's 300th win and Roger Federer steamroll his way to several records. We also saw one of the greatest collapses in sport history when the Mets lost the NL East in the final week of the season. And yet this year was filled with too much scandal and sadness. The year opened with news of Denver Broncos Darrent Williams' murder in a drive by shooting and ends with Jim Leyritz charged with DUI and manslaughter. In between is Sean Taylor's murder, Michael Vick convicted of dogfighting and Barry Bonds indicted for lying. Not to mention the NBA refs cheating and almost the entire elite riders in the 2007 Tour de France dropping out for doping. And then of course the Mitchell Report. While Yankees fans still think the Irish Catholic who brought peace to Northern Ireland somehow was loyal to the Boston Red Sox, the Mitchell Report, despite all of its flaws, cast a very dark shadow over the nation's pastime. 2007 was a year of records and scandal. Like it or not, Barry Bonds is the face of 2007 as he is the epitome of records and scandal. Posted by Steve in New York waiting for a better sports year in 2008.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Am I in Giants or Gillette Stadium? Will the Patriots Go 16-0?
The Patriots are on a historic mission to go undefeated.
This is part of the Boston Sports Apocalypse that I have long rued.
The Giants are 3-4 going into this game and 7-1 on the road. One of the Giants players remarked that they play better on the road and there are many Patriots fans here who make it feel like Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts instead of Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
The Giants were 3-5 last season at home so recent history doesn't help the Giants. Giants Stadium doesn't offer lots of advantage as the Ghost of Jimmy Hoffa (GoJH) blows at unpredictable times. Bay Ridge Bob and I saw Bruce Springsteen in the summer of 2003 and the GoJH was a nice cooling breeze on that warm summer day.
Different story on a winter's day as the GoJH made a cold night even colder.
The breakdown of fans is about
Giants Fans - 70%
Patriots Fans - 25 %
History Buffs - 4.99 %
Praying Against the Boston Sports Apocalypse - Me and God knows how many others.
Getting a ticket to this game was one of my daunting challenges ever. I think trying to buy a ticket on Craigslist from Staten Island Tom (SIT) summed it up best. I e-mailed SIT that I live and work on the Upper West Side and could meet him near Columbus Circle and give him the money for the ticket. Sounds logical, right? No, he goes to the Bullpen on 88th and 1st and says he came in special for me. SIT went there to drink. Listen bro, I have to go to Bay Ridge Bob's daughter's Baptism on Saturday morning in Jersey so either please go to the Upper West or sell it to someone else.
Everyone is trying to get in on the action as a player's girlfriend or wife named "Toy" tried to sell his ticket for $1,000 which included pre and post game parties. Nice but no thanks.
After Bay Ridge Bob's daughter's Baptism in Passaic, I took NJ Transit from Montclair to Newark. I saw the new Prudential Center, AKA The Rock, as I was waiting for the Greyhound to take me back to Port Authority. Gotta love public transportation. Which presidential candidate is most committed to the environment and reducing traffic? The Tank. I look forward to your vote in November 2008.
I let Brooklyn Pete and his buddy George into the bus ticket line at Port Authority. We briefly catch up and then it's off to Linda's for a brief cameo at her surprise birthday party. It's good to see Johnny Versace, Erin, Sara, Lana, Steve, Kathleen, PermaGuest Outlaw Jack, White Fedora Mike, Adam, Linda's Mom and Aunt, amongst others.
Back to Port Authority to scalp a ticket. "I won't sell a ticket to a guy in a Canadiens jersey," some guys snidely remarked. Hey, I am a Canadiens fan and was asked to wear red to Linda's surprise birthday party. I bought a ticket but had a bad feeling that it was fake. I had a bad feeling but game time was less than an hour away. As I try to enter Giants/Gillette Stadium, the Giants score but my scalped ticket did NOT scan and it was fake. Darn it! There were no more tickets in the booth. Double darn! I scalped a second ticket from a guy named Gus and get in. Thank God!
The Patriots Stephen Gostkowski unfortunately kick a field goal in my end to close the gap to 7-3.
Junior Seau is a great player and makes a great tackle. I loved him on the Chargers but can't root for him here. He's a great player like KG on the Celtics, a future Hall of Famer who never won a ring, trying to win one before his ends. I'm conflicted and I'm sure he is too for selling out to the Pats.
3rd and 14 and they call a ridiculous penalty on the Giants defense. The NFL really wants the Patriots to go undefeated. This is worse than the Monday Night Game against the Ravens a few weeks back.
After the end of the first quarter, Tom Brady to Randy Moss to tie the Peyton Manning's quarterback record at 49 and 22 to tie Jerry Rice's wide receiver record. Patriots 10 - Giants 7.
Not to be undone, the Giants take the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown to retake the lead at 14-10.
The Patriots drive down the field to kick another field goal to close the gap to 14-13. The young lady, "Diane", to my left took the Patriots for the over for the game, 14, and the half, 24 for both teams. She should be in Vegas. Her boyfriend, "Jack", comes back and graciously buys me a water as I am in full blog mode. Thanks "Jack"!
Randy Moss drops what would have been the tie breaker. Gostkowski kicks another field goal to give the Pats a 16-14 lead with 1:59 left in the first half.
There is a WPLJ radio ad for Pub 46 in Clifton, New Jersey. Hey, I passed by there Saturday afternoon as Bay Ridge Bob's uncle-in-law Oleg gave me a ride from the Church in Pasaic to the Baptism Dinner in Montclair. Thanks Uncle Oleg!
Eli Manning leading a drive down the field? Wow, I really need laser vision surgery. Talk about history in the making.
There is a fight between Brandon Jacobs and Junior Seau. Penalty against the Patriots. Imagine that?
The Giants have a first down at the Patriot 19. But wait, the refs moved it to the Patriot 14 with 31 seconds left.
Eli takes off running to the Patriots 3. Whoa!
Eli completes a touchdown pass to Kevin Boss pictured below.
The Pats get the ball back but don't do anything with it. At halftime, Giants 21 - Patriots 16.
Robert in Tampa calls and Steve texts to say hi. Robert is afraid that the Giants will play that well against the Bucs next week. Steve is cheering Eli and the G-Men on. Is this the night that Steve becomes an NFL fan again after the Jets scarred him by moving to Giants Stadium? Steve was more emotionally scarred than The Tank and that's saying lots.
The Giants kickoff goes in the end zone and the Patriots start at the Giants 20. Tom Brady is almost sacked on third down and the Pats are three and out.
Can Eli continue to lead the G-Men? Only time will tell.
The Giants run the ball. If there is any weakness on the Patriots, it's run defense. Jacobs continues to pound the ball. This softens the Pats defense up for touchdown pass to Burress. Giants 28 - Patriots 16. Can Tom Brady and the Patriots come back?
Wow! What a game! I'm not happy to get ripped off on the first fake ticket but thanks to Gus for selling me a real ticket.
The Patriots take the kickoff to their 27 yard line. Talk about TV timeouts! I'm freezing. Giants stop the run. Brady has to pass. He's got the weapons to do it. Bon Jovi's "Born to Be My Baby" plays on WPLJ. Hey, I can't hear the FAN radio feed probably because I dropped my geeked out AM/FM/TV/Weather Band radio which also plays MP3s for the 50th time.
Brady converts the third down as he he always does. He goes into shot gun mode. Another quick slant pattern. Prince's "1999" is playing on WPLJ's Saturday Night 80s with Jamie Lee. Gotta love Jamie Lee. Yeah, I know she's married.
Brady throws to Moss in the end zone but there's a flag. Of course, it's against the Giants. First and goal at the one. Incomplete pass but a penalty against the Patriots. Finally! Both teams sub out run for pass situation. It doesn't matter as Mulroney runs for a touchdown. Giants 28 - Patriots 23 with exactly four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Giants have the ball at their 40 after another solid kickoff return.
Can Eli put another solid drive together and take time off the clock?
Wow! Slant pattern to Burress converts a third and three. But, back to Earth, Eli is sacked for a big loss. 3rd and 22 from the Giant 45. Jacobs catch takes him to the Patriots 46. The Giants punt goes to the Patriots 17. It's only a net of 29 yards. Ouch!
The Patriots drive starts in my end but the end of the quarter means they will switch ends. At the end of the third quarter, Giants 28 - Patriots 23.
The Patriots get the first down. The Giants dig in for 3rd and 10 at the Patriots 28. Brady calls a timeout. Good idea.
The Giants Stadium TV shows a guy dressed up with a Giants cape. The crowd goes wild.
Moss drops the pass and the Patriots have to punt. No return. Solid coverage by the Patriots special teams. Giants ball at their 30 yard line. During the TV timeout, Jamie Lee is spinning the Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian". Hey, you expect no less than total media coverage from The Tank.
Fumble! But Eli recovers. Whew! OMG! Is the Patriot Black Magic at work? The Bible doesn't specifically mention the Patriots in Revelations but all the other plagues of the Apocalypse -- wars, famines, floods, etc are sadly coming to fruition. It's time to repent people!
Giant timeout as I ponder the parallels between the Boston Sports Apocalypse and the One referenced in the Bible. To quote The Church Lady, "How convenient?!"
3rd and 11 from the Giants 11. The Giants don't convert. Of course. The Patriots return the punt to their 35.
Moss drops an under thrown Brady pass at the Giants 16 yard line. Wow!
On the very next play, Brady throws another bomb to Moss for the record. #50 for Brady breaking Peyton's record and #23 for Moss breaking Jerry Rice's record. The Patriots convert the two point conversion to take a 31-28 lead.
There is a penalty on the kickoff. Giants ball at their 24. A good return goes by the wayside with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter.
Jacobs reverses on second down to get the first down. There is a penalty against the Giants.
Eli goes back to his old ways as he overthrows his receiver for an interception. Patriots ball at their 48 yard line. Sack for the Giants. Yeah! Walker gets nine yards of it back to the Giants 36. 3rd and 11 from the 36 but Pierce catches the ball to the Giants 23.
Mulroney on the run. Another run. Complete pass to Walker to the Giants 9. First and goal. Slant pass to Moss to the five. Mulroney runs for the touchdown. Patriots 38 - 28 with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter.
Giants fans start to leave en masse. Not The Tank. I am too much of a history buff and want to maximize bang for my scalped bogus and real ticket. I don't leave unless it's a medical emergency or if I have to go to work.
After the kickoff to the Giants 32, the Giants inexplicably run the ball. The only saving grace is that their is a penalty against the Patriots. The Giants have a first down on the Patriots 46 yard line. Run the two minute drill Eli. Come on. An under thrown ball to Toomer inside the 10.
Get out of bounds Jacobs. Time ticks down to the two minute warning. 3rd and 1 from the Patriots 18 yard line.
Good pass to Smith who goes to the four. Eli has to call a play. Eli goes to Burress but it's thrown over his shoulder. The Patriots call their final timeout. Why are the Giants public address people playing "New York, New York"? That's only for victories at Yankee Stadium. The Giants are losing. WTF?
After a pass completion that loses a yard, the Giants lose their second timeout. Penalty with 1:07 left. 3rd and Goal. What a one handed catch by Plexico Burress! Patriots 38 - Giants 35 with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter.
Can the Giants recover the onsides kick? ACDC's "H*ll's Bells" blares over the speakers as the kick is made. Vrabel recovers the onsides kick with 1:03 left. Brady takes a knee and the Giants take their final timeout with 1:01 left. The Giants can't stop the clock again as Brady takes another knee to seal the Patriots 38-35 victory.
Congratulations to the Patriots for completing a perfect 16-0 regular season. Please join me in prayer for someone to stop them in the playoffs to prevent the Boston Sports Apocalypse.
Posted by a cold but historically fulfilled Tank reporting live from Giants Stadium in the Swamps of Jersey.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
NFL Week # 17 Picks
Last Week's Recap: I was 2-0 in my picks and 24-11 on the season. This Week's Fearless Picks: The Boston Sports Apocalypse continues as the Patriots march to another Super Bowl and beat the Giants at the Meadowlands on Saturday night to complete a perfect 16-0 regular season. Steve agrees with me that the Patriots are cheaters. The Patriots were warned by the NFL last season but still cheated anyway. The Bills lose to the Eagles. This is a tough game to pick, avoid it if you can. The Jets beat the Chiefs in former Coach Herm Edwards' homecoming. Written by The Tank and posted by Steve in NY.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Why the Patriots must lose
The New England Patriots are on course to win 16 straight games and finish the season a perfect 16-0. Normally most sports fans would be cheering them on, wanting to see some history. There are a few reasons why nobody wants the Patriots to win. First they are cheaters. In Week 1, Jets head coach Eric Mangini caught a Patriots cameraman trying to tape Jets signals from the sidelines. The Patriots got off easy with a $250,000 fine, coach Bill Belichick got a $500,000 fine, and the Patriots lost a first round draft pick. (Got off easy? They cheated and Belichick should have been suspended. Just look at all the hoopla with Barry Bonds now.) Now Bill Belichick knows that the Patriots are a much better team than the Jets and can win normally, so why would he cheat? They cheated because they are not nice people and want to win at all costs. This leads into point number two, the Patriots are not classy, they put themselves above all else. They cheat, they run up the score, they leave in their starters up until the last minute with a 50 point lead. That is not classy, it is saying "We rock, you suck, get out of our way." Last reason why the Pats have to lose is because the NFL is boring for the rest of us. The Patriots always win. I thought salary caps were suppose to prevent dynasties from forming. The Yankees made baseball boring for the rest of us in the late 90s, and as proof the last time the Yankees won a world series in 2000, it was the worst rated world series since they started keeping statistics. Memo to the NFL-most of the country will still watch the Super Bowl, but they probably will channel surf when Belichick starts to run up the score. Posted by Steve in New York
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