@MidtownMo & @WilliamHStrafe give @southern_bella the business on the Hater’s Call after the Grizzlies lose Game 7 at home. They also call Laker fan & Grizzlies “supporter” Curtis Richardson and William’s old roommate, Emmett the Bulls fan, and William goes on another Knicks’ rant, this time with help from @MrGetItOnJones.
Click here to listen on a mobile device (or right click & hit Save As to download).
Midtown Mo and William H. Strafe induct four people into the Hoes Be Winning Hall of Fame and Hater’s Call @MzSAS after the Mavericks got swept by Oklahoma City. The fellas also discuss the possibility of the Knicks winning Game 5, what would happen if they actually came back from 3-0, why the Atlanta Hawks should move back to St. Louis, the possibility of an all Los Angeles Western Conference Final and the Mayweather-Cotto fight.
Click here to listen on a mobile device (or right click & hit Save As to download).
Posted in Sports, Relationships & Such, Podcast, NBA, Boxing, MMA
Tagged amare stoudemire, carmelo anthony, dallas mavericks, dirk nowitzki, facebook, floyd mayweather, hater's call, hoes be winning, jennifer lopez, jlo, lebron james, los angeles clippers, los angeles lakers, manny pacquiao, memphis grizzlies, miami heat, miguel cotto, NBA, new york knicks, playoffs, timothy bradley
1. In 2011, the New England Patriots have not beaten a single team that finished with a winning record.
No one believes me when I give them this stat, especially Patriots fans. The most common response is usually “But we beat the Jets!” which causes me to break out in uncontrollable laughter.
Here are the Pats’ wins in 2011:
Miami Dolphins: 6-10
San Diego Chargers: 8-8
Oakland Raiders: 8-8
New York Jets: 8-8
Dallas Cowboys: 8-8
New York Jets: 8-8
Kansas City Chiefs: 7-9
Philadelphia Eagles: 8-8
Indianapolis Colts: 2-14
Washington Redskins: 5-11
Denver Broncos: 8-8
Miami Dolphins: 6-10
Buffalo Bills: 6-10
Denver Broncos: 8-8 (Divisional Round)
A lot of mediocrity, sprinkled in with some bad and a dash of terrible.
Meanwhile, the Pats played two teams win winning records: the 9-7 New York Giants and the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. Ironically, they lost both games.
In a completely (un)related story, the Baltimore Ravens finished 12-4.
2. In 2011, the New England Patriots finished 31st in passing yards and total yards allowed.
To make matters worse, eight of those wins came against teams in the bottom third on the NFL in yards from scrimmage. So not only do they give up yards to teams that can move the ball, they give up yards to teams that cannot. The Baltimore Ravens are 18th in the league in yards from scrimmage, which is a) just above the league average and b) came against teams like Pittsburgh (twice), Houston (twice), San Francisco, the Jets, Jacksonville, Cincinnati and Cleveland (twice), who rank in defense No. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10, respectively.
So, we have an average offense against a flat-out bad defense (and when I say bad, I mean second-worst in the history of the sport)… and I’m picking the defense… why?
3. The Baltimore Ravens will easily (and I mean EASILY) be one of two best defenses the New England Patriots will have played this season.
The Ravens defense was third in the league in points allowed, third in total yards allowed, fourth in passing yards allowed and second in rushing yards allowed. It’s easy for New England to chew up teams like Oakland (29th in defense), Indianapolis (25th), Denver (20th) and Florida State (28th… OK, I made that one up). Let’s see what happens against a stout defense.
(Side note: I’ve been hearing a lot lately that the Ravens aren’t an elite defense. Stop it. Are they the 2000 Ravens? Nope. But are there five defenses better in this league this year? Not close.)
4. The playoff game against the Houston Texans is being vastly over exaggerated.
“Y’all barely beat a rookie QB that threw three interceptions directly into your hands.”
“the Ravens D-line got slapped around like little bitches and barely touched said rookie QB all day”
- @BobbyDrake203
Well, Mr. Drake (IF that is your real name), I offer these as rebuttals.
FACT: “Turnovers just don’t happen. They’re FORCED.” – Tedy Bruschi (I’m sure you remember him).
FACT: The Texans are the No. 3 defense in the league, and their offensive line is arguably the best in the league. Neither of these qualities apply to your beloved Patriots.
I also offer this: Texans had no Matt Schaub and no Mario Williams and they lost. When the two teams played earlier this season, they had Matt Schaub. They lost. When they played last season, they had Matt Schaub and Mario Williams and Andre Johnson. They lost. It doesn’t matter who they have, they always lose.
In regards to this past Sunday’s game, both teams made mistakes. The Ravens took advantage, the Texans didn’t. Case closed. That’s what good teams do.
Besides, throughout this piece, I have used evidence spanning an entire season. Your sample size is… one game?
5. The devaluation of Joe Flacco’s quarterbacking ability is vastly over exaggerated.
You knew there was no way I could talk about the Ravens without mentioning their much-maligned QB that America loves to knock.
First of all, over the last 5 years, I’ve noticed there are two trains of thought that have prevailed in the NFL about players, especially quarterbacks:
1. You are either really good, or you suck. There is no middle ground.
2. Unless a quarterback throws for 4,500 yards and 30 TD’s, he sucks.
Joe Flacco is barely (and I emphasize barely) one of the ten best quarterbacks in the league right now… and a Ravens fan, I can easily admit that. Don’t believe me? Watch me:
Brady, Brees, Rodgers (The Holy Trinity)
Manning, P.
Roethlisberger
Rivers
Manning, E.
Romo
Vick
Meanwhile, he’s clearly better than these guys who started a significant number of games in the NFL this year:
Gabbert
Ponder
Tebow (yes I said it)
McCoy
Freeman
Jackson
Palmer
Dalton
Moore
Grossman
Painter
Kolb
Fitzpatrick
Orton
Newton (before you crown him… let’s see what happens when the games matter)
And I can make an argument that he’s just as good as or better than these guys:
Cutler
Hasselbeck
Sanchez (I think it’s VERY easy, but that’s another post entirely)
Cassel
Bradford
Ryan
Smith, A.
Schaub
Stafford
Let’s take a look at that last group. Would you say that all those guys suck? Certainly not. Yet for some reason, Flacco is branded as not a good quarterback. This goes back to what I said earlier… in today’s NFL, you’re either really good, or you suck, and there’s no middle ground.
(If you still don’t believe this is true, take a look at that last group again… for every QB on that list, you’ve probably said either, “He sucks!” or “He’s really good” for all of them, when, if you take a step back, it clearly isn’t the case.)
Second, DirecTV has roughly 20 million subscribers. Let’s be generous and say that half of them have NFL Sunday Ticket, which puts us at roughly 10 million people. This means that less than 3% of the U.S. population (and we’re being generous) have watched Joe Flacco play more than five games this season (as there were five nationally televised Ravens games this year).
Yet, these people know for sure, after consulting with stout references like SportsCenter, Twitter and ESPN First Take, that Flacco stinks.
Whenever he’s discussed by the detractors, only the negative evidence is presented, and the positives are always ignored as if they don’t matter. For example, many point to the Ravens 12-7 loss to the Jaguars as why he stinks. If I were to counter that a) the Jaguars have a stout defense with a strong front four and b) the Ravens were without 2 starters on the offensive line that day, it would be regarded as excuses and tossed out. Now look at the 24-21 win against Pittsburgh, where he led the game-winning drive that started with 2:17 on the clock and no timeouts from his 8-yard line. The detractors say, “That’s because Ryan Clark wasn’t there!” or, “It’s only because Torrey Smith ran past him!”
Exactly how does that work again?
Even if you think he’s merely an average quarterback, remember, that average quarterback is going up against the second-worst defense in the history of the sportthat allowed this to Chad Henne, this to Ryan Fitzpatrick and this to Dan Orlovsky.
And Joe Flacco has no shot, with a far better team?
See you Sunday.
Tagged baltimore ravens, football, new england patriots, NFL, playoffs, super bowl
On this week’s show, @WilliamHStrafe and @MidtownMo eulogize the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. They also preview Championship Sunday as well call up Mo’s good friend – and dejected Saints fan – @ErinnRenee for the Hater’s Call.
Click here to listen to the show.
Click here to download (or if you’re on a mobile device).
William H. Strafe and Midtown Mo throw the conventional podcast format out the window! It’s a sea of Hater’s Calls for the Pittsburgh Steelers! Nothing but Steelers hate! Damn near an hour of hate!
We also squeeze in some playoff predictions for next week, but that’s not what you want! You want hate hate hate!
Click here to listen.
If you’re on a mobile device, click here (right click and “Save As” if you want to download).
Posted in NFL, Podcast, Sports
Tagged baltimore ravens, ben roethlisberger, denver broncos, divisional round, green bay packers, hater, houston texans, mobile device, new england patriots, new orleans saints, new york giants, NFL, pittsburgh steelers, playoff predictions, playoffs, ryan clark, san francisco 49ers, tim tebow, wild card weekend
Midtown Mo and William H. Strafe give their wild-card weekend playoff predictions and argue if Santonio Holmes is a top-12 wide receiver. Also, Strafe eulogizes the New York Jets, Mo explains the Kardashian effect and discusses UFC while Strafe takes a nap.
Posted in College Football, NBA, NFL, Podcast, Sports
Tagged atlanta falcons, baltimore ravens, cincinnati bengals, dallas cowboys, denver broncos, detroit lions, green bay packers, houston texans, kim kardashian, kris humphries, los angeles lakers, miami heat, NBA, new england patriots, new orleans saints, NFL, pittsburgh steelers, playoffs, san francisco 49ers, tim tebow
So tonight begins the 2011 NBA Finals (or, as I like to call it, The Fight To Save Basketball As We Know It, Vol. 3) between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. This rematch of the 2006 championship round figures to be one of the more intriguing (and well-watched) in recent memory. Can the Big Three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh justify their celebration party last July with a championship? Or will Dirk Nowitzki erase the memories of playoff shortcomings past with a title that may vault him into the top 20 of all time?
I debated these topics (and more) with @JMikey and resident Heat fan @FLEETRL, with @MrGetItOnJones as our moderator. Check out the link below after the jump.
(Note: We had some technical difficulties with the beginning of the podcast, but we recapped what you missed, so not to worry.)
Posted in NBA, Podcast, Sports
Tagged basketball, dirk nowitzki, dwyane wade, jason kidd, jason terry, lebron james, mark cuban, miami heat, NBA, nba finals, playoffs
I managed to get some people y’all know to predict the entire MLB postseason before the games started. Some names you’ll recognize, some you won’t (but you will soon).
Without further ado, here’s how we see the 2010 postseason playing out.
(PS – Yes, I am a Yankee fan. Yes, I hope I’m wrong. Sigh.)
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| @WilliamHStrafe | @iamChrisCanada | @streetztalk | |
| Rays in 3 | Rays in 4 | Rays in 4 | |
| Twins in 5 | Yankees in 4 | Yankees in 4 | |
| Phillies in 3 | Phillies in 4 | Reds in 5 | |
| Giants in 4 | Braves in 5 | Braves in 3 | |
| Rays in 6 | Rays in 6 | Yankees in 6 | |
| Giants in 5 | Braves in 7 | Reds in 6 | |
| Rays in 5 | Braves in 6 | Yankees in 5 | |
| Rays in 4 | Rays in 4 | Rays in 5 | |
| Yankees in 4 | Yankees in 5 | Yankees in 3 | |
| Phillies in 4 | Phillies in 4 | Phillies in 4 | |
| Braves in 5 | Braves in 5 | Braves in 4 | |
| Yankees in 6 | Yankees in 7 | Yankees in 5 | |
| Phillies in 7 | Phillies in 5 | Phillies in 7 | |
| Yankees in 6 | Yankees in 6 | Yankees in 6 | |
This is what the NFL Playoffs does. It brings out some classic arguments.
Starring @ddixon2281, @JMikey, @iamChrisCanada and and an “old White Republican.”
Posted in Entertainment, NFL, Sports
Tagged arizona cardinals, dallas cowboys, NFL, nfl playoff arguments series, playoffs
If baseball in the Twin Cities were a person on a ’50′s game show, this is probably what they would have heard between the hours of 9 pm and 10 pm EDT.
Host: Congratulations, Minnesota! You’ve captured the American League Central championship by becoming the
Hey, Twinkies..don't stay happy for too long
first team to overcome a three-game deficit with four games left! Jim, tell her what she’s won!
Announcer: Minnesota! You’ve just won a trip to New York City, where you’ll face the New York Yankees, who lead the major leagues this season in runs scored! Goooood luck! Back to you, Burt!
Minnesota, it took you 163 games, but welcome to October.
Of the four major North American sports (or, three, if you still consider hockey a major sport), baseball may still have the best postseason format. Some may argue that the five-game Division Series doesn’t benefit the team with the better record. And I’ll even admit that home field advantage in the World Series being determined by the All-Star Game is downright foolish. However…
Now that we have our eight teams, let’s actually try to pick who’ll still be standing in late October (or early November, you never know.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Minnesota Twins (87-76; AL Central Champs) vs. New York Yankees (103-59; AL East Champs)
“@williamhstrafe and @jmikey i have been waiting for this day for a real long time. i wish you the worst.”
- @CarverTheGreat (via Twitter)
Carver was born and raised in Minnesota. Don’t ask me how we met. Anyway, seeing that tweet Tuesday night made me think, “I think he thinks the Twinkies have a shot.” I then received this text:
idk about you but I smell the first playoff loss in your new stadium looming. Biotch!
Yep, Carver thinks they have a shot. And you know what…they would, except…
Yankees in 4.
RIP to the Homerdome
Boston Red Sox (95-67; AL Wild Card) vs. Anaheim Angels (97-65; AL West Champs)
The Red Sox ALWAYS beat the Angels. What changes this year? And I don’t care what they call themselves, they’re the Anaheim Angels. Keep effin around and I’ll call them California again.
Red Sox in 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Colorado Rockies (92-70; NL Wild Card) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (93-69; NL East Champs)
The Phillies have seen this movie before and they know how it ends. Ryan Howard and the boys intend to write a different ending for the sequel, starring Cliff Lee. Getting swept by Colorado in 2007 was a lesson they carried over to 2008, which ended in a World Series title for the Fightin’ Phils. If they were facing anyone else, maybe the rest on their heels a bit…but not these guys.
Phillies in 3.
St. Louis Cardinals (91-71; NL Central Champs) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (95-67; NL West Champs)
Everyone seems to be picking the Cardinals to get to the World Series. Meanwhile, all Joe Torre does is get to the playoffs. I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe in baseball played between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. Both Central division winners had the lowest win total of their respective league division winners. This is not a coincidence. Pujols may win a game for the Cards, but that’s it.
Dodgers in 5.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Red Sox vs. Yankees
Full disclaimer: I’m a Yankee fan. We owe them for 2004. And those idiot bastards over there think they have this in the bag, even though 95% of them weren’t on the team at the time. This time, we have better pitching, better hitting and A-Rod isn’t a head case. Still, it’ll be close, but…
Yankees in 7 (after we come back from a 3-0 lead in Boston, which then makes THIS the greatest comeback in baseball history).
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Phillies vs. Dodgers
A rematch of last year’s NLCS. Good pitching usually prevails in the playoffs, and the Phils have two aces on their staff. But I got a funny feeling about this one.
Dodgers in 6.
WORLD SERIES
Dodgers vs. Yankees
The plotlines here are tremendous. Former crosstown rivals meet again. Joe Torre returns to Yankee Stadium… in Dodger Blue. Manny Ramirez, the Washington Heights native, back in New York. The Dodgers and the Yankees have played each other in the World Series 10 times, the most times two teams have faced each other in the Fall Classic. Honestly, I’m thinking with my heart…but can you blame me?
Yankees in 6.
Posted in Sports
Tagged alcs, alds, boston red sox, colorado rockies, division series, fall classic, league championship series, los angeles angels of anaheim, los angeles dodgers, major league baseball, minnesota twins, mlb, new york yankees, nlcs, nlds, october, philadelphia phillies, playoffs, postseason, st. louis cardinals, world series
