Around the Arena (Qualifying Game 1 Started, Topic 1 Posted)

you call that hitting a guy where it hurts?

If he said that about my sister I'd have shown him his intestines.

 

Trust me, I have three older brothers and I know exactly how stupid and far family honour can go. That's besides the point.

 

yeah I know... just playin devil's advocate.


It'd be boring if everyone agreed.

 

ASG: +1 (not justified, I agree) +1 (agree, it's a publicity stunt) +1 (thanks for answering all questions)
kypt: +3 (great point, the big issue isn't morals, it's the team) +1 (for random soccer facts I don't understand, because i watch football, not soccer)
A_J: +2 (I applaud you for bringing the other side of the story) +4 ("Family> some silly european game")
kypt: +2 (yeah, stupidity shouldn't go that far)
A_J: -5 (You admit to only playing Devil's advocate? With the awesome line you had?????)

Scoreboard

This Round:

kypt: 6
ASG: 3
A_J: 1

Overall:

ApolloSmileGirl: 25
Armenian_Jedi: 22
Kyptastic: 22

And so, we have a tie, and to break the tie, we give an extra point, to the man who is not playing with a sock: Armenian_Jedi.

So, the updated score is thus:

ApolloSmileGirl: 25
Armenian_Jedi: 23
Kyptsbeengamebanned: 21

And so, we gameban kyptsbeengamebanned, and move on to the showdown!

 

<img src="http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2007/08/18/quinnx.jpg">
Brady Quinn made his pro debut in yesterday's preseason game between the Lions and the Browns. He was fairly impressive, going 13/20 for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Is this a genuine reason for Browns fans to be hopeful, or was Quinn's success the product of playing against fringe players in the fourth quarter of a preseason game?

Let's go first, to ApolloSmileGirl

 

Lucky I was knocked out, otherwise I think it would be a pretty one-sided showdown...

 

It's a genuine reason for Cleveland fans to pay attention. The Browns are at a bit of a disadvantage by not having gotten Quinn into training camp sooner than they did. He still has a system to learn, and being that he most likely will end up being the starter at some point this season, he has more than a few things to get down. Also, let's not forget who the Browns were playing. Despite the changes the Lions have made in the offseason, and with free agentship, they're still the Lions. Quinn pwning the Lion's 3rd stringers and scrubs isn't necessarily grounds for getting Browns fans excited.

Still, I think there's a great chance that when all is said and done, fans of the Browns will find that they've gotten a bargain for the player considering how far he fell in the draft.

 

I'd say they should get a tingling feeling, but not excited.

I know at least a few quarterbacks this preseason have had a horrible game, then followed it up with a great one, or vice versa. It doesn't mean squat, it's the preseason. Coaches aren't pulling out their most elaborate defensive schemes, and like you said, he played third stringers... that's practically college level players which is probably why he looked so good, he faced the same level of competition as he did just a year ago.

I've always felt that Brady Quinn was a bit overrated. With Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow to throw to, anything that's not rookie of the year will be a disappointing season for Quinn.(that's if he plays at least 12-13 games)

 

Two very similar arguments. And, to quote Stat boy, I liked it better the first time. Point to ASG.

Now, back to baseball ...
<img src="http://assets.espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/65x90/6342.jpg">
Eric Gagne finally worked a good inning for the Red Sox. Prior to that outing, however, he had a minuscule 15.00 era in Boston. Will Boston ever get what they were hoping for out of Gagne?

We go first, this time, to Armenian_Jedi ...

 

Yeah, he'll be fine. He did good in Texas and so there's no AL lineup argument here. Pitchers go through rough patches from time to time, it's better that he gets his out of the way before the playoffs begin. He's not bugged by any injuries right now(like he proved in Texas), so I really don't see this as being a permanent thing. He's proved himself to be one of the elite bullpen guys the past 5 years, and we're gonna crucify him after he's pitched 7 innings for the Sox? Come on... that's gotta be the dumbest thing ever.

Let's put this into perspective... 7 games in the major leagues is 4.3% of the entire season.

1 football game is 6.3% of the NFL season.

Would you want Peyton Manning or LaDainian Tomlinson gone if they had a horrible 3 quarters of football in the whole season?


Gagne right now has 2 holds and 2 blown saves, you're crazy if you think that ratio is gonna stay 50/50 throughout the rest of the season.

Although, if the Yankees get within a game or two of the Sox, I would consider only pitching Gagne when they either have a huge lead or are getting blown out by a lot... just to get his act together. Then, when he's back, start playing him to set up Papelbon again.

 

Gagne went from closer, to setup man. A move in position that he made crystal clear that he did not want to make. He's obviously going to need a period of adjustment going back to a different spot in the game rotation. However, age is a factor, and he's not going to be as productive as he once was, when it comes to throwing more pitches.

It was unwise for Boston to go after Gagne when they already had a reliable closer. Gagne was having a great season as closer for the Rangers, and that's the position in the rotation he'd gotten comfortable with. The Red Sox should have gone after younger pitchers that could play setup, or bumped up some talent from the farm, instead of trading for an aging pitcher that couldn't help the team in the capacity that they expected of Gagne.

The Red Sox are not going to get what they expected out of Gagne, but they have good source of talent to tap, in a limited capacity. Basically, they need to keep him as a closer, or trade him in the offseason.

 

Good arguments on both sides, but a little bit of fuzzy math from A_J, plus a good point that the Sox traded for a closer and wanted a set-up man, means the point, and the game, go to ApolloSmileGirl.

One post for face time is yours, and then I'll get the championship round going a little later today.

 

Welcome to the ASG lounge, I just want to say that a lot of media attention has been given to Michael Vick. He's decided to plea in the dog fighting case, and thats probably the best direction to take. It's a despicable charge and a despicable action that he's taken credit for. I hope he can learn a life lesson from this, and I have to say that's it's a damn shame that such a talented athlete pretty much ruined his career, if not his life, by participating in such a heinous act. Hopefully, he can live and learn from this experience.

 

Welcome, everyone, to the championship game of the first installment of Around the Arena. We have four very talented, very intelligent, very humorous, and very lucky panelists with us. Panelists who have been with us through the Michael Vick scandal, the Chris Benoit murder/suicide, the MLB Trade deadline, the start of NBA Free Agency, the arrival of Beckham, and so much more. And now we're here. Four panelists, ten topics, one ultimate winner.

It's time to go Around the Arena with ...

1. s65Horsey (undefeated in AtA play)
2. Rouge...Jedi (27 points to tie the AtA single game record)
3. whiteeagle (the only winner to not sweep a showdown)
4. ApolloSmileGirl (1-2 record in AtA play)


Let's hear it panelists ... are you bringing the heat, the mustard, or nothing at all?

 

Good game Jules. It was fun.

Guess I'll use this sock since I don't remember the passwords on any of the other ones, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows this sock is mine now anyway.

 

I'm bringing what Grossman brought to the game the other day, an interception and a few fumbles.

The College Station Eagle pleasantly reported that the Aggies are ranked 25th in the AP poll. Gig 'em. The Aggie fans will be shocked if Fran ever lives up to a promise, which by the way this year is to win the Big 12 Championship.

I'm sick of hearing about Michael Vick. Really, lets stop giving this guy attention.

*written on the board behind her*

"You can't spell win, without the IN"

 

I'm bring what Kobe brings to the USA team. All time best ball hogging skills. Oh yeah.

The Muskogee Oklahoma Phoenix reports that homegrown Sam Bradford will become the starting QB for the Oklahoma Sooners. Hopefully this homegrown QB will show more sense than the last freshman QB we had start.

BOOMER SOONER.

 

I'm bringing the mother******* pain.

Hello sports fans!!!This is my favorite time of the year! NFL and college football are around the corner, hockey and basketball are just a few months away, and baseball is nearing the final stretch, and getting exciting, and the chase in Nascar is nearing. I mean there's something for everyone!!!!

Oh btw, Convick. lol, I can't believe that I hadn't heard anyone actually put that together before now.

 

I don't know about the mustard, but I'm bringing whatever it is that those people whom you'd never heard of bring when they shock you and make you wonder who the heck this person thinks they are.

With all due respect to my esteemed colleague above, I have to ask how this is considered the best time of the year, sports-wise. Sure, baseball is getting close to the final stretch, but NFL is only in the preseason and college football hasn't even started at all yet, and basketball is still a long ways away. And as for hockey and NASCAR, half the country (or more) doesn't care about each. If this was prime sports time, we'd at least have something else to balance out the Michael Vick story, instead of listening to more and more of it all the time. Baseball helps, but its getting ignored, comparatively, and its time for that to change.

 

Nice to see the panel of experts coming out with the gloves off and swinging. let's keep that passion and energy as we go to the first word ...

We start the championship game by looking into our crystal balls and viewing glimpses of the future ...
<img src="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/football/ncaa/logos/usc_65.gif"> <img src="http://voicecats.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/sears.jpg"> <img src="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/football/ncaa/logos/lsu_65.gif">
The preseason rankings for College Football are in, and the AP, USA Today, and ESPN agree: USC is #1, and LSU is #2.

This brings to mind many, many questions. Among them:

Will we be watching LSU play USC in February?
Should we have preseason rankings, when these very rankings help determine the championship, and hence before a play is made, certain teams have an advantage?
What top-ten team will disappoint the most?
What unranked team will surprise us the most?
Is there any team that can "pull a Boise State"?
Has the SEC gone from best conference in football to most overrated conference (or both)?

And I'm sure these four panelists have their own questions (and answers), let's get to it. Tell me what happens in College Football this year, as we go Around the Arena

 

Will we be watching LSU play USC in February?

I'm gonna say no to this one. USC plays some fairly tough teams before February, and its likely that they'll take a loss that will hurt them for the #1 contender's spot. Nebraska isn't a pushover team as someone to play at the beginning, and California has been progressively been getting better. They both went 7-2 in the conference last year and California made an impressive showing in their bowl game against the young Aggie team. LSU's bowl win was impressive last year. Again though they have a tough second half of their season. Va Tech, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas...all pose potential threats to LSU. One can never count out Alabama either. They've gone awhile out of the limelight and are sick of it.

So I'd say one of those teams falls to open up for Wisconsin to get to the championship. Wisconsin will have to get past Michigan convincingly at home, and Penn St and Ohio St. convincingly away from home in order to get there, but I think its possible. They've beaten SEC teams for two years now in bowl games, one of which had a ridiculous spread showing Wisconsin to lose and they won by close to that spread.

Should we have preseason rankings, when these very rankings help determine the championship, and hence before a play is made, certain teams have an advantage?

I think this is necessary to have some sort of ranking, however in the last few years one loss (and one time even w/o the loss) has been the determinant of going to the championship game or not. A couple years ago one team went undefeated and was ranked 3 behind 2 other undefeated teams and didn't get to go to the championship. Similar instances keep occuring.

There has to be a way to determine the toughness of the schedule before game play though. The SEC is made up of very tough teams and frequently it hurts them in the rankings because they'll have a loss and then not get to go to the championship because of the toughness of the schedule. I'd rather see something that took this into consideration moreso than it does now. People complained last year of Ohio St. easy schedule and then they got blown away in the Championship game. Close games are draws. The Boise St./OU game was a more entertaining game from that perspective.

What top-ten team will disappoint the most?

I'm gonna say Texas and show a little biasedness here. But in the past, Texas has dominated the BigXII and that's not the case anymore. The teams have all become a little tougher, surprisingly Baylor has as well. So its not going to be easy for Texas to romp all over the teams like they used to. Texas Tech can never be counted out either. The rivalries have grown between Tech/Texas/Aggies and that's only going to make playing away worse. The Aggies surprised Texas at Texas last year and this year they get them at Kyle Field where the freshman QB (playing his first college game) came close to beating the team that went on to win the National Championship that year.

What unranked team will surprise us the most?

I think Kentucky is going to surprise some people. Not surprise in the way that they'll end up in the top 10 by the end of the year, but Kentucky is a basketball school and lately they've been creeping up into the football world. Look for them to have a good year and earn it.

Is there any team that can "pull a Boise State"?

If one was going to do it, I'd say KY. Definitely look for them to be in a better bowl game this year.

Has the SEC gone from best conference in football to most overrated conference (or both)?

I ride the fence on this one and I hate myself for it. I think parts of the SEC were incredibly tough in the past, however I think that some of those tough teams aren't the way they used to be. I think Florida did a good job of proving that the SEC can still go the distance as well as LSU with their victories in bowl games. So I'm leaning towards them not being overrated. Every conference has the teams that aren't as good in them and those t

 

Will we be watching LSU play USC in February?

As exciting as this would be Im going w/ no. More of a no on LSU's side. They play in the very tough SEC. Where you have to be on your A game game in and game out or you will get beat. Even though LSU gets to play Arkansas, Florida and Auburn at home they have to go to Kentucky and 'Bama. Both teams on the rise, Kentucky has a good experience QB in Andre Woodson and Bama has Saban. So I think they could lose up to two games this season.

On USC's side its more or less a cakewalk. Only hurdles I see are Cal and UCLA, if they can get by those teams they're back in the national championship game again.


Should we have preseason rankings, when these very rankings help determine the championship, and hence before a play is made, certain teams have an advantage?

I say have no kind of rankings at all until midway point of the season. That way no one has an advantage, and everybody will get to see truly how good everyone is. Ive never been a fan of preseason rankings at all and they need to do away w/ them.


What top-ten team will disappoint the most?

Tough question. Ill say Wisconsin and Va Tech. Wisconsin has to go to Ohio State and Penn State and play Michigan at home this season. I cant see this Wisconsin team beat Joe Pa, Tressel and Lloyd Carr all in the same season. Sorry Badgers.

Va Tech, another top ten team who could slip up. They have to play at LSU and play Florida State and Miami at home. I think they are just as good as these teams but I forsee them losing at least one, with a potential for 3 losses.

Also whoever loses the Texas/Oklahoma game will end up being a disappointment. Because both teams see themselves in the National Championship at seasons end.


What unranked team will surprise us the most?

Tulsa mark it down. Granted they'll have to beat a top ten Oklahoma team in week 3 of their schedule but the rest of the schedule is fairly easy. They have Paul Smith who is now running Gus Malzahn's open passing attack. The same kind of system Paul Smith ran in high school at Owasso and broke Oklahoma's career state passing record w/ 9,574 career yards. So watch out for this team.

Is there any team that can "pull a Boise State"?

Ill go w/ Tulsa again. If they can get past OU, watch out this team is good underrated team in Conference USA. Ill also throw out Kentucky even though they play in a power conference they have never had any winning seasons. So be on the lookout for them.

Has the SEC gone from best conference in football to most overrated conference (or both)?

The best.. Ive listend to players from other big power conference that the SEC has more NFL talent than other conference. And i tend to agree. You look at the PAC-10 and Big 12 they are not sending out very many first round or even second picks in the draft. Then you look at the SEC and its just loaded w/ nfl talent. So the SEC is the best conference i believe, great games week in and week out and if you wanna see future NFL talent theres no other conference you need to watch. Now ill also say that people saying the SEC is virtually unbeatable is wrong, anybody can beat any day of the week.

 

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. No on LSU, but odds are very good that USC will see the championship game this year. LSU had a good season last year, better than most expected them to(excluding LSU fans, of coures), but USC has been the dominant school for the better part of what? At least a decade. They have a much better chance of making the championship, than any other team I can think of, and sadly that includes UT.

I also just want to remind everyone that the BCS system still sucks, and the NCAA needs to implement some sort of playoff series.

 

Will we be watching LSU play USC in February?

Depends on what you mean here. I guarantee this, with 100% confidence: USC and LSU will play in February... that is, play basketball in Columbia, SC (home of the real USC) on February 27. LSU and Southern Cal, however, will not be playing in February, and certainly not against each other. There is a small chance they could play for the national title in football, but a zero chance of them playing in February. Why? Because the National Championship game is scheduled for January 7, and no college football team will play after that in the same season, until a playoff is finally instituted. Anyways, as for the title game... the SEC is just too tough of a conference top to bottom to pick someone coming out undefeated. Sure, the top teams from other conferences may be just as good as the top SEC teams... but no other conference has the depth of talent than the SEC does. SoCal may or may not run the table in the Pac-10 (a lot easier to do than in the SEC), but even if they doe get by UCLA and Cal, LSU won't get by everyone they play, though I'll be pulling for them, as my dad's alma mater (except against the real USC, obviously)

Should we have preseason rankings, when these very rankings help determine the championship, and hence before a play is made, certain teams have an advantage?

I'm kinda torn on this. I like having the rankings, they make good conversation... but I don't like their having an effect on the later polls. I think the best way to solve this would be to have a preseason poll, but then don't have polls against until after 6 weeks or so. It may not solve the issue entirely, but it would at least help a little bit.

What top-ten team will disappoint the most?

I'd like to say VaTech, with FSU coming back to win the ACC... but I have to look at Florida, who has a tough SEC schedule and is having to replace a number of key guys. Given what people seem to expect out of them, I think a couple losses will be considered a disappointment, and I think they will have at least that, if not more.

What unranked team will surprise us the most?

I was going to be a homer and go with South Carolina here, but given that starting QB Blake Mitchell has already been suspended for the first game for missing classes... *sigh* Its not that he should be needed against LA-Lafayette, its that this gets announced on the afternoon of the first day of classes. Can you possibly get in trouble for that any faster? As it is, I'll have to go with one of the ACC teams that is currently middle of the pack there right now breaking out and making a statement.

Is there any team that can "pull a Boise State"?

There are a few that can, but I don't think any of them will. Things like that don't happen every year, and this year will be one of those where it doesn't happen.

Has the SEC gone from best conference in football to most overrated conference (or both)?

In a word: no. It is still the best conference, top to bottom, though the top teams may not be much (if any) better than those from other leagues. Its depth is what makes it such a difficult conference, as I said above.