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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Report: Zimmer to Fins

According to ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio, the Miami Dolphins are looking to name Bengals Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer as their next head coach.

The details can be found in this story from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

First Grand Slam event of 2012

Today begins one of my favorite tennis tournaments, the Austrailian Open. The Austrailian Open is the first Grand Slam event on the tennis calendar.

All the information regarding the tournament can be found here.

The tournament can be seen on ESPN, ESPN2 and the Tennis Channel.

Brockbusta's singles tournament champions: Men's - Rafael Nadal
Women's - Caroline Wozniacki

Brockbusta's Divisional Playoff picks...Part Deux

After correctly picking 1 out of the 2 games yesterday, thanks New Orleans, I am going to nail both games today.

Texans @ Ravens
1:00 pm EST (CBS)


This should be a pretty good game. The key to this game is Ravens running back Ray Rice. If Rice and the Ravens can run the ball successfully today, they will win this game.

The Texans run defense will be tested today. If they can shut down Rice and force Flacco to beat them in the air, it bodes well for the Texans.

On the flip side, Texans running back Arian Foster will be key for the Texans offense. The less of the load that is placed on rookie quarterback TJ Yates, the better off the Texans are. If Foster can get going today, I look for the Texans to control the clock and wear down the Ravens defense.

Brockbusta's pick: Ravens 24 - Texans 14

Giants @ Packers
4:30 pm EST (FOX)


This is a playoff rematch from their 2007 NFC Championship. These two teams met in a classic earlier this season in New York.

After the Giants tied the game at 35 with a minute left, Aaron Rogers led the Packers down the field on like 3 plays and Mason Crosby kicked the game winning field goal.

Most people thought this would be the best game of the weekend, however, it will be tough to top the Saints/49ers game from yesterday.

The Giants defense can definitely stop the Packers, but the question is, will they?

Brockbusta's pick: Packers 35 - Giants 28

Miami hockey going outside?

There is word that the Miami University hockey team will be playing an outdoor game at Soldier Field, in Chicago, against Notre Dame in February of 2013.

Thank you to our friends at the Redskin Warriors Miami Hockey blog for the breaking news.

Stay tuned as a lot of details need to be ironed out still, so there is a real possibility this will not be happening.

Follow us here at The 2 Sports Freaks for any news on this event.

UC and X both victorious

Both the Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers were victorious in their games on Saturday.

The Bearcats defeated Villanova 82-78 at the Fifth Third Arena. The win improved the Bearcats record to 14-4 overall.

Xavier moved to 12-5 overall with a 77-64 victory over St. Bonaventure at the Cintas Center.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Brockbusta's NFL playoff preview

This is probably the best weekend of NFL football.

Eight teams, four games with a place in the conference championship games at stake.

Saints at 49ers
4:30 pm EST (Fox)


This should be a very good game but I think Drew Brees and the Saints have too much firepower. They should have just enough to move on in this game.

Brockbusta's game pick: Saints 24 - 49ers 21

Broncos at Patriots
8:00 pm EST (CBS)


The Tebow fairytale comes to an end. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense will be too much for the Broncos defense.

They will put up too many points for Tebow to overcome.

Tebow has been the most talked about person in the NFL. Unfortunately, the ride ends with a thud.

The Broncos defense will play well but they wont be able to minimize the damage.

Brockbusta's game pick: Patriots 28 - Broncos 10

Hot Stove chatter

If you are like me, you are getting pretty excited for the fact that pitchers and catchers report next month.

According to sources, top free agent first baseman, Prince Fielder is currently visiting the Texas Rangers.

The teams that are in the Fielder sweepstakes are the Marlins, Orioles, Rangers, Brewers and Nationals. The Cubs and Blue Jays are still in the picture but the others seem to be the front runners.

The Rangers are also making serious progress in contract talks with Yu Darvish. The Rangers paid over $50 million just to talk with Darvish. Darvish is a tall right handed pitcher who has done extremely well in Japan.

Also, the Reds are very interested in free agent outfielder Ryan Ludwick. I would really love to see the Reds sign Ludwick. He would be a welcomed addition in the outfield.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Rematch for the sparkly football

As you probably know, there is a pretty big football game tonight.

The BCS National Championship between the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide will kick off around 8:30 pm EST, at the Superdome in New Orleans.

This is the rematch of the field goal battle that took place in Tuscaloosa earlier this season.

LSU won that game 9-6.

I expect this to be a defensive battle, however, it will be better than the 9-6 game earlier.

Both defenses are insanely good and this will cause the game to be low scoring.

Can LSU's defense shut down Bama's stud running back Trent Richardson?

Will LSU cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu, aka "The Honey Badger", and Morris Claiborne dominate the special teams battle.

Mathieu can definitely dominate this game.

The game earlier this year was a good one to watch and I feel this one will not disappoint.

Brockbusta's prediction: LSU 20 - Alabama 17

I truly love both coaches, Bama's Nick Saban and LSU's Les Miles so I believe that is even.

To me, since LSU went on the road and beat Alabama and the fact this game is in LSU's backyard, the Superdome, I have to go with "the Mad Hatter" and LSU.

Reds icon headed to Cooperstown

Cincinnati Reds legend and my favorite all-time Red, Barry Larkin is headed to the baseball Hall of Fame.

Larkin received 86.4% of the vote.

Only 75% is needed to get voted in.

Larkin played 19 seasons in Cincinnati, capturing the 1990 World Series and the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player award.

Larkin was also a 12 time all-star, 3-time Gold Glove winner and 9-time Silver Slugger winner.

With Larkin's numbers, there was no doubt he would make it into Cooperstown, it was just a matter of when.

Well now we know.

The Hall of Fame induction is set for July 22, 2012.

Below is a highlight tribute package put together by MLB.com:

Blue Jackets finally make change

The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a coaching change, firing Scott Arniel on Monday.

The Jackets have been chilling in last place in the NHL with an awesome 11-25-5 record.

Assistant Todd Richards has been appointed as the teams interim head coach.

His first challenge is against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

For me, this change comes too late.

This should have been done months ago.

It will be interesting to see how the Jackets respond, in this lost season.

Tebow gets it done again

Just as I predicted, Tim Tebow would once again lead the Denver Broncos to victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their divisional matchup on Sunday afternoon.

If you read my prediction from Saturday, you know that I am just kidding about the above statement.

What I didn't expect was how great the game would be.

This was one of the best football games that I have seen in a while.

The game was one of the best football games that I have witnessed.

The Broncos vastly outplayed the Steelers for most of the game.

However, like always, the Steelers caught some big breaks that caused them to get right back into the game and send it to overtime.

The highlights would have been attached, however, since NFL.com is not user friendly, you can find the highlights on NFL.com.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Bengals lackluster performance ends season

The Cincinnati Bengals had their season come to a disappointing end, as they suffered a 31-10 defeat to the Houston Texans.

The Bengals came out and played pretty well in the first half of their Wild Card playoff game.

However, it all hit the fan right before halftime, when Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had his pass picked off and returned for a touchdown by rookie defensive lineman J.J. Watt.

The Bengals never seemed to recover from that.

Cedric Benson gave the Bengals the lead with a 1 yard run in the first quarter.

Arian Foster, who ran for 153 yards on 24 carries, tied the game with an 8 yard touchdown run.

Once again, Mike Nugent failed to convert on a critical field goal, missing a 52 yarder.

He did manage to make a 37 yard field goal to give the Bengals a 10-7 lead.

The Bengals defense stood tall and held the Texans to a Neil Rackers 39 yard field goal, tying the game at 10.

The momentum took a huge swing in Houston's favor, as rookie defensive lineman J.J. Watt batted down an Andy Dalton pass and returned it for a touchdown, with a little over a minute left in the first half.

There was nothing Dalton could have done as Watt just made a damn good play. Props to him for making a play.

The Bengals never seemed to recover from that.

Things snowballed on the Bengals in the second half.

Safety Chris Crocker failed to regain momentum as he dropped an easy interception. Shortly there after, Texans wideout Andre Johnson causes Adam Jones to lose his jockstrap on a move and scores on a wide open 40 yard touchdown pass.

Crocker screwed up once again in the fourth quarter as he basically watched Foster run right by him on his way to a 42 yard touchdown run. It was truly pathetic. In a playoff game, you have to put in some sort of effort to make a tackle. Crocker failed to provide that effort. It was embarrassing.

The big question is, should Marvin Lewis come back to coach this team for another season. The three times the Bengals have made the playoffs under Lewis, they have ended the same way, with a loss.

The latter 2, have been lackluster performances.

Personally, I think the Bengals should look at moving in a different direction.

For all you fans who think Bill Cowher or John Gruden will coach here, you're insane. Neither one will ever be the coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Not in a million years.

I like Marvin Lewis, however, I feel the direction needs to change. If I were Mike Brown, I would give Mike Zimmer a shot to coach this team.

Things will be very interesting in Bengal land over the next couple of months.

Regardless, it is looking very positive coming up. With two first round picks in the upcoming draft and a young, talented team, we should be happy as Bengals fans and get behind this team.

That doesn't take away the sting of this loss.

For the last time this season, Who Dey.

Sunday Wild Card Matchup preview

Brockbusta of The 2 Sports Freaks will be predicting the results for the Wild Card Matchups on Sunday.

Falcons @ Giants
1:00 PM EST (FOX)


Eli Manning has been playing well for the Giants. I think the Giants have more weapons than the Falcons can handle.

This should be a pretty good game.

Personally, I can see this game going either way, but I am going to pick the Giants in this one.

Brockbusta's prediction: Giants 24 - Falcons 17

Steelers @ Broncos
4:30 PM EST (CBS)


This game should not be close. Tim Tebow has been the biggest story in the NFL this season.

I have never been a big fan of his, AS A QUARTERBACK. Once again, Tebow's luck runs out as the Steelers D will pummel Tebow and the Broncos offense.

The Broncos defense should be able to do a solid job on a hobbled Roethlisberger, but that will not be enough to save the Broncos.

Brockbusta's prediction: Steelers 24 - Broncos 9

My all-time favorite Jim Borgman Bengals cartoon...from Super Bowl year in 88

Playoff preview/predictions

Good afternoon football lovers.

Brockbusta of The 2 Sports Freaks is going to preview the Wild Card weekend in the NFL.

Bengals @ Texans
4:30 pm EST (NBC)


The Cincinnati Bengals have not won a playoff game since they defeated the Houston Oilers in 1991.

The Bengals have a great chance to finally end that playoff win drought today.

This is the first playoff game in Texans history, so Reliant Stadium will be extremely loud.

That could cause some issues for the Bengals and their numerous false starts on the offensive line.

Even though the Texans defeated the Bengals a couple of weeks ago, that loss is still fresh in the players' minds.

Offense: I give the Bengals the edge at quarterback. I would take Andy Dalton over TJ Yates any day. However, I would have to give the offensive edge to the Texans.

The Texans have one of the best running back duos in the NFL with Arian Foster and rookie Ben Tate.

I would give the edge to the Bengals at the wide receiver position, however, since Andre Johnson will be playing for Houston, they get the edge there as well.

Defense: Texans by far have the edge. They have the second best defense in the NFL statistically. The Bengals have a great defense, however, their play the past couple of weeks has not been the best. The Bengals D must shut down the run and force TJ Yates to beat them in the air.

Special Teams: Slight edge to the Bengals here. However, Mike Nugent must do a better job of making field goals. He was automatic earlier in the season, but has struggled over the past couple of weeks.

Intangibles: The Texans have the home field advantage. Reliant Stadium will be rocking today. However, the key is the fact, the Bengals are playing with house money. They have nothing to lose. They were not supposed to be here and they can play free. If they go out and play their game, they win. It appears the Texans might be playing this game "not to lose." If that is the case, ballgame.

This is probably going to be the best game of the weekend as both teams have not been exposed to the nation. This game definitely should not disappoint.

Brockbusta's prediction: Texans 24 - Bengals 20

Lions @ Saints
8:00 pm EST (NBC)


Drew Brees is a stud. That says it all. He is the hottest quarterback in the NFL and very well could lead the Saints to the Super Bowl.

Brockbusta's prediction: Saints 38 - Lions 27

Bengals Official Fight song

If you have been to Paul Brown Stadium this year, you have heard the Bengals new fight song...this song is awesome...makes me want to suit up and start bashing skulls...boom!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Gruden to Jags?

According to Bengals beat writer, Joe Reedy, Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden is the favorite for the vacant Jacksonville coaching position.

NKU gets number 700

The 11th ranked NKU Norse, Men's Basketball team, notched the 700th win in their programs history, defeating William Jewell 76-72 in overtime at The Bank of Kentucky Center.

It is nice to see my alma-mater doin work.

Keep it up.

Bengals cartoons

For those of you who remember the Super Bowl in 89 to the "lost decade" in Bengals history, you will appreciate the following link.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has posted a photo gallery of some older Bengals cartoons, created by Jim Borgman.

There are some classic cartoons and there is a lot of hilarity in there.

Enjoy!

Big change in Columbus?????

If you could name any player from the Columbus Blue Jackets, 99% of you would say Rick Nash.

Nash is the face of the Jackets. In fact, he is one of the best players in the NHL.

According to a post on the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo, Rick Nash would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the Blue Jackets asked him too.

There is no way Columbus could do that.

That would be the dumbest thing that franchise could do.

With a core of Nash, Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski, the Jackets have a solid base to build around.

Trading Rick Nash would be fatal to that organization, as they would be losing a fan favorite.

It will be very interesting to see what the Blue Jackets will do at the trading deadline as their playoff hopes were dashed within the first two weeks of the season.

I believe that unloading their top talent is not in the best interest of the organization.

If the Jackets feel they need to make a move, axe the coach.

Simple as that.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Orange Bowl update

Before I go to bed, I want to update the score of the Discover Orange Bowl:

West Virginia 63 - Little Sisters of the Poor 20 - 4:53 left in the 3rd Quarter

Beckham to PSG? Not looking good...

All of the soccer chatter in America, has been focused on whether or not David Beckham would be heading to play for Paris Saint German.

The deal has appeared to have fallen through and it now appears Beckham will be staying in Los Angeles.

The ownership group is currently working on getting a deal done to keep Beckham in the MLS.

Other Soccer News:

Manchester United drops second straight with 3-0 defeat away to Newcastle United.

American and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard became the 4th goalie to score in the EPL, with a goal from 100 yards out. The goal came in todays 2-1 loss at home to Bolton. Video evidence is here

Clemson getting slamdanced

At halftime of the Discover Orange Bowl, the West Virginia Mountianeers are making the Big East look good, as they are up 49-20 over Clemson.

West Virginia erupted for 5 touchdowns in the second quarter.

The momentum swung in the Mountaineers favor, with a 99 yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.

The only thing that can save Clemson, is the fact they have a solid offense.

Since I plan on hitting the sack before the end of this game, I am pretty confident in stating this game is over.

X Continues to plummet

We will never forget the 2011 version of the Crosstown Shootout.

Between the WWE style finish to the game and the final score of the game, nobody thought we would see how both UC and Xavier would react.

Xavier, once a top 10 team, continues to rack up the losses and UC just keeps on winning.

Xavier dropped to 1-5 (9-5 overall) since the shootout with a 80-70 loss at LaSalle.

Across town, the Cincinnati Bearcats continue to win, as they took Notre Dame behind the woodshed with a 71-55 victory.

The win was the Bearcats seventh straight victory, moving them to 12-3 overall.

The only thing that can save Xavier, is the fact they play in the A-10, while UC can continue to ride their hot streak into the meat of the Big East schedule.

In other college basketball news, #3 Duke was upended by Temple, 78-73. Murray State also stayed unbeaten as they defeated Eastern Kentucky.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sports bucket list

As I was sitting on my couch watching the Rose Bowl, I started to daydream about stadiums/events I want to see and experience.

I have put together my sports "bucket list" and the items in bold, I have already been to.

Brockbusta's sports bucket list:

1. World Cup
2. Stanley Cup playoffs/finals
3. Indianapolis 500
4. The Masters
5. The Rose Bowl
6. Kentucky Derby
7. World Series game
8. Wrigley Field
9. Fenway Park
10. Winter Olympics
11. Winter X-Games
12. BCS game
13. Frozen Four
14. Final Four
15. Crosstown Shootout
16. Old Trafford (Manchester United)
17. Celtic Park
18. F1 Grand Prix of Monaco
19. The Big House
20. British Open
21. Grand Slam Tennis Event (Aussie Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
22. NHL Winter Classic
23. World Cup Qualifier
24. Champions League Final
25. El Classico (FC Barcelona v Real Madrid)

Those are just some of the sporting events that I have on my sports bucket list.

Before I kick the bucket, I will have taken care of at least 15 of the 25 items.

Brockbusta's game picks

I am going to pick the winners for the bowl games today and the NHL Winter Classic.

TicketCity Bowl

Houston v Penn State - Winner: Houston

Gator Bowl

Ohio State v Florida - Winner: Ohio State

Capital One Bowl

Nebraska v South Carolina - Winner: South Carolina

Outback Bowl

Michigan State v Georgia - Winner: Georgia

Rose Bowl

Wisconsin v Oregon - Winner: Oregon

Fiesta Bowl

Stanford v Oklahoma State - Winner: Oklahoma State

As for the NHL Winter Classic, puck drop has been moved to 3 pm EST. The game will still be aired on NBC.

Philadelphia Flyers v New York Rangers - Winner: New York Rangers

Bengals 2012 opponents

The Bengals 2012 schedule will not be released until April, however, we do know who they will be facing at PBS and on the road.

Below are the teams the Bengals will be facing this upcoming season:

Home
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Denver
Oakland
Dallas
NY Giants
Miami


Road
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Kansas City
San Diego
Philadelphia
Washington
Jacksonville

A guys dream

If you are a normal functioning guy, you definitely can't beat a day like today.

Football ALL day long.

Here is the schedule for today:

TicketCity Bowl

Houston vs Penn St. 12:00pm TV: ESPNU

Gator Bowl

Ohio St. vs Florida 1:00pm ET TV: ESPN2

Capital One Bowl

Nebraska vs South Carolina 1:00pm ET TV: ESPN

Outback Bowl

Michigan St. vs Georgia 1:00pm ET TV: ABC

Rose Bowl

Wisconsin vs Oregon 5:00pm ET TV: ESPN

Fiesta Bowl

Stanford vs Oklahoma St. 8:30pm ET TV: ESPN

Playoff bound Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are heading to the playoffs for the third time in seven years.

People will say the Bengals "backed into" the playoffs.

My response, who cares, we are in.

The Bengals have a rematch with the Houston Texans, Saturday, January 7 at 4:30 pm EST.

As you remember, the Texans dropped the Bengals 20-19 with a last second touchdown from TJ Yates to former Bengal Kevin Walter.

The Bengals did not play well yesterday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens running back Ray Rice torched the Bengals on the ground.

For the Bengals to have a chance in this playoff game, the Bengals must do a better job stopping the run.

The Texans have a fanstastic running back duo in Arian Foster and Ben Tate.

I do like the Bengals in this game and later this week, I will be breaking down the Bengals/Texans playoff matchup.

Happy New Year

The 2 Sports Freaks want to wish you all a very Happy New Year...let us all enjoy 2012!