MP Talkin KU Football and Something He Knows About....BBQ Baby!!!

I want the 'Hawks football team to be good. I really do. They just simply will not be. Here is a brief preview of Kansas Jayhawks football 2010 and some other stuff from around the dial and from the world of Kansas City Bar-B-Que!!!!

Gone are about 5 good reasons why KU will compete in the Big 12 North. Mark Mangino is the largest reason. Insert McDonald's joke here. Seriously though, he put KU back on the football map and what, got run for being tough on his players? Heaven forbid he get mixed up in a ticket scandal or anything like that. Maybe had he won a little more that would have been overlooked...is that right Lew? Anyway, he is gone and so is an undersized QB from Texas named Todd Reesing (managed 10,000 yards passing in 3 years), a big time pro WR in Dezmon Briscoe, former QB turned slot Kerry Meier and big-time Safety Darrell Stuckey. Those 5 reasons are why KU will scour the bottom of the North looking for scraps.

Oh sorry I was supposed to say that Turner Gill was the savior and that Kale Pick was the sophomore sensation because, get this, Gill won 20 games at Buffalo and Pick played well in a spring game?? Ummm, ain't gonna happen here! Turner Gill ran the bone in college, or sorry NU fans, the power I (same thing), and the other side of the 20 win thing was the other column which is 30 losses! 30 losses at Buffalo (not the Bills) gets you a big time job? What is Tommie Frazier or Eric Crouch up to these days? Really though I will be interested to see his offensive philosophy with that pedigree. Kale Pick is going to throw lots of those....Picks!! Mangino, whose pedigree and offensive mind are not to be questioned, had a difficult time trusting Pick to get even small minutes last year.

The good news is that the O-Line is solid, Chuck Long will be interesting to watch at Offensive Coordinator and they have a solid up and coming bruising running back in Toben Opurum to take some of the heat off of Pick.

Overall prediction a couple of wins in League and not much outside as they have Georgia Tech and some other tougher non-conference match-ups. Bottom lining this deal: Come on Hoop season!! Anyone know where I can get in touch with a Morningstar and some tickets???

Other stuff around the ole horn! Great stuff on the Champions Tour last week with the US. Senior Open. Langer holds off Couples! I was grinding it out for Freddy!! Was at the "K" Friday night watching Baltimore play the Blue. Unreal how I pronounce Alex Gordon as the worst Royal in team history after he leaves 5 on base, then he hits a walk-off 3 run job!! Unbelievable!!! Still he is not hitting his weight and I stand by the worst Royal ever thing when you factor hype and ability. Second worst? Juan Gonzalez or Mark Davis. You choose! We did check out the Royals Hall of Fame.....awesome with a capital A!
On a non-sports note depending how you look at it....expect my tour of ballpark food soon. Still on the great subject of food and if you know me you know I love BBQ more than most else. I just checked out Gates as one of my usual stops and a new one. Kim and I waited for an hour to eat at Oklahoma Joe's. Our first time there. Verdict.....great stuff, but give me Gates, sauce is weak at OJ's!! Here is my all time BBQ top 5 in reverse order: 5: Wyandotte BBQ 4: Marty's BBQ (way underrated N. KC) 3: Fiorella's Jack Stack 2: Arthur Bryant's 1: Gates!!!! Thanks for reading!!!!

Bring on the Cats by VC!

Kansas State's fortunes, even though the Wildcats play 12 games this year, will come down to three games. The trifecta of UCLA on Sept. 4, Nebraska a month later and at Kansas the following week could very well determine if the Wildcats are still playing in December.

I'm already on record as saying the Cats go 7-5 this season which will earn K-State its first bowl game since Ron Prince (of all people) directed the Cats to a 37-10 loss to Rutgers in the 2006 Texas Bowl. I'm also on record as saying the Wildcats may take their Little Apple throng to the Big Apple as part of the New York Yankees Bowl against a Big East representative.

K-State can finish 7-5 and still lose two of those three games as noted above. I think K-State gets the job done on Labor Day weekend against the Bruins at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Too much Daniel Thomas and more importantly, too much Kansas heat and humidity for a UCLA team that will wear down thanks to a 2:30 p.m. kickoff that will be aired regionally on ABC. I know what it feels like these days at 5 p.m., which is about when the third quarter will be around the midway point. Gee, will Thomas have 40 carries by this point?

Its not a typical schedule where normally you play your four non-con games in September which lead to the conference slate in October and November. Not this year, baby!

After UCLA, Missouri State's Bears pay a visit to Manhattan. Even though it's a home game, the Sept. 18 game with Iowa State is at Arrowhead Stadium, the second of a two-year experiment where "Farmageddon" is played on neutral soil. Look for this series to continue in Kansas City, mainly the cash cow it provides for two schools that need the cash.

A Sept. 25 tilt with Central Florida should push K-State's record to 4-0 entering back-to-back Thursday night clashes with Nebraska and KU on ESPN. This is when talk of a great season will be defined or put to rest. A two-game sweep means a 6-0 start and Wildcat fans may be dreaming of bigger things. A split isn't bad and eight wins are still within reach. Lose those two and 7-5 may be as good as it gets.

I just hope the Cats don't lose both games to NU and KU. If so, an Oct. 23 game looms at Baylor. That's a place that's never been kind to Snyder's Cats, even when they were winning. Okie State and UT play in Manhattan next - two teams the Cats have usually handled in Manhattan. Then three road games to end the year - Missouri, Colorado and North Texas. The last time K-State played a non-con game the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Not pretty, big-time loss at Fresno State.

Now for the players. K-State's fortunes begin and end with No. 8, Daniel Thomas, a workhorse if there ever was one, and four returning offensive linemen. Three of the big men are seniors. Snyder will have to find someone to replace durable Nick Stringer at left tackle, and he thinks he may have that man in junior college transfer Zach Hanson, a 6-8, 313-pounder from Sacramento, Calif. Wow! 6-8, 313 pounds! How many "Beef on Buns with Fries" would that dude eat at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, thank you very much?

Thomas noted his attention this spring was ball security and footwork. They're not doubting this Thomas, not after he led the Big XII in rushing and averaged more than five yards per carry last year.

"I think he learned more about the nuances of the position, and learning how to slow down a little bit and finding the creases a little bit better," Snyder said.

Uh-oh. Imagine him a little better? Wow, strike up the Wabash Cannonball, baby! Hey Willie Wildcat, you better be working out because you may be doing more pushups each time Thomas bulls his way in to paydirt!

Last year, K-State's receiving corps was mainly Brandon Banks. He's gone, but the targets in 2010 include the likes of senior Aubrey Quarles and sophomore newcomers Brodrick Smith (6-2) and Chris Harper (6-1).

Smith, a transfer from Minnesota, caught 12 passes for 167 yards and 4 TDs in the spring game. He could be someone to watch out for as is Harper, who began his career at Oregon but came back to his native state (Wichita Northwest) when Snyder came back.

"The coaches said if I wanted to try to play professionally, wide receiver was my best option," said Harper, a former quarterback.

"He's got real quickness and speed for his size," Cat safety Tysyn Hartman noted. "He's going to be a hard player to stop."

Carson Coffman is expected to be under center. Let's just hope he gained a lot of confidence in the spring game where he threw for over 400 yards. I'm not sold with this pick and Collin Klein or Sammuel Lamur may be getting some snaps sooner than you think.

The defense will be fine as it trimmed two touchdowns off scores a year ago, giving up 23 points per game vs. the 35 a year before. And Brandon Harold is healthy at end after playing in just one game in 2009 after an All-American campaign in 2008 where he led all freshmen in the country with 10.5 tackles for loss.

Kadero Terrell, a former top juco recruit, is a key at linebacker. He missed last season due to injury.

Some say Snyder is too old, shouldn't have come back. I disagree. Heck, he may be the smartest man out there. Name me a coach who has the luxury of coaching in a stadium named after him. Nuf said.

Every Man A Wildcat!

My shout this week goes out to all the teachers and coaches who are about to return to the classroom all over this country. Without you, there would be no Friday Night Lights. To that, we say THANK YOU!

Big 12 South and More!! by MP!!!!

Big 12 South preview huh? I will give it a shot. Great work VC on the North preview, very nicely written! I actually like MU and KSU a little more than VC in the North this year as I think the battery of Gabbert and Washington should be tough. I also really like the big sticker RB in Manhattan, Daniel Thomas, along with Bill Snyder's influence coming back to KSU. We will see for sure and as always it will be great to watch unfold.

As the South goes it is not a matter of who I like, it is who I don't like. I just don't think OU and Texas are right. In Norman I think Landry Jones is suspect at QB along with an O-Line that is borderline at best. This is basically the same line that got Sam Bradford killed last year. They also seem to lack at the skill positions. I guess DeMarco Murray is solid at RB, but is also 185 lbs and I have doubts he can carry the mail as much as they need it with an inexperienced QB. If he was the guy wouldn't he have started by himself last year? Then you lose OT Trent Williams and DT Gerald McCoy with TE Jermaine Gresham and you have a rebuilding year, I don't care who you are! Still many smarter than me pick OU.

You then talk what's shakin in Austin. Similar deal. You have Garrett Gilbert at QB taking the reigns from Colt McCoy, and like OU, without a big time back to take the pressure off, I don't like 'em. Maybe I am alone in thinking you need a stud back, but spread offense or not, defenses are getting wiser and I still believe you need someone who can carry the rock!!! They lost Sergio Kindle and Earl Thomas on D, and their O was already down. Anyone recall the Nebraska game? So long story short, no way I am picking Texas.

Unlike VC, I am not savvy enough to predict records. I will tell you the order in my opinion. I like Texas 2nd, OU 3rd, A & M 4th, Okie St 5th, and Baylor last.

My winner: Hello Texas Tech and Tommy Tuberville! Gone are Mike Leach and shootout victories. Expect a more balanced solid attack with a defensive presence. They will still sling it around, but Baron Batch is the best RB in the South. They have 2 quality QB's in Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield and 3 solid WR's, 2 of which may be all conference guys. They have a new D Coordinator from National Champ 'Bama so expect a drastic improvement there too.

At the end of the day, Tech is my choice more out of process of elimination than anything. We will see what happens and if OU and Texas come back strong, hats off to Bob Stoops and Mack Brown, they will have earned their reputations. I still say Red Raiders in 2010...I am due right??

Around the horn: PGA Championship is near. Can you believe the last Major is here? Expect a preview coming soon, though I am not nearly as excited about that as The Masters, US or British Opens. Great stuff in the NBA. Can you believe Lebron, DWade and Bosh are together? Now with Chalmers, the Big Z, Juwon Howard (yeah he's old) and Mike Miller? Look out Scout!!! How 'bout those St. Louis Cards? They are en fuego baby!!! I still marvel at Pujols. I think a better hitter than George, and that hurts me to say. He is hitting .301 with 22 dongs in an off year!! Thanks everyone for reading...I am almost out. Last shot: anyone see the new Arrowhead yet? Looks good, but looks like lots of improvements for the blue bloods. What about the regular fan? Maybe they throw in another port-o-let for us tailgaters inside of 2 miles apart???

Big Red to go out in style in 2010! by VC!

There's Nooooo Place Like.....

Sorry Dorothy, when it comes to breaking down the Big XII North football race in 2010, I wished I could end that with your famous "There's no place like home" line. While Kansas and Kansas State may have a say in the 2010 North race, the Yellow Brick Road ends a few miles from here.

There's NooOhhh Place Like Nebraska! I hate that fight song, but today I can't help but hum a few bars even with my purple glasses on.

Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers nearly pulled off the upset of all upsets last December before the Texas Longhorns won the Big XII championship game at Jerry Jones Stadium or the Taj Mahal or whatever that cash cow is called down in Big D.

While they were close in 2009, I think they re-claim the North in 2010 and go out Big XII country in style as they begin to pursue their Big Ten + Two Brothers in 2011. Yep, Big Red is back to improve on their 10-4 record from a year ago when they won the North by two games over Missouri and K-State (technically three games by virtue of their head-to-head wins over those two).

With home games against Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Colorado the schedule could favor a four-game sweep by the Huskers - at worst 3-1. Ya think emotions will be flying high in the Texas game? Oh my! Press credentials will even be a tough ticket for that one, baby! Throw in a favorable road slate that includes Iowa State, K-State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, I'm seeing no worse than a 6-2 log. I don't see any other North teams coming up with six wins.

Nebraska is also the overwhelming choice by the Big 12 media to take the North, picking up all 26 first-place votes and a whopping 156 points. The media's selections found Missouri to finish second followed by K-State, KU, Colorado and Iowa State.

Patterson doesn't understand why I have this love-fest for Nebraska. We discussed Big XII football last month during our version of "A Tradition unlike any other...The Masters" at Hidden Valley near Springfield, Mo. I'm not sure if Patterson thinks the Jayhawks are ready to win their first division title or if he thinks Missouri will win it or even my boys in Manhattan.

Nebraska, until Missouri or K-State or KU proves to me otherwise, is the class of this division. Trust me, I'm swallowing a lot of purple pride here picking Nebraska, folks!

The Huskers proved their worthiness by taking UT to the final gun before falling 13-12 on a last-second field goal in the conference title game. Then in the Holiday Bowl, Nebraska did something that never happens in that run-and-gun bowl game, pitch a 33-0 shutout of Arizona.

"I feel we're in the position in our program that we can compete with anybody out there," Pelini said during spring practice. "Even though we hadn't won a championship, I felt good about the point where our program was at the end of the year."

No more Ndamukong Suh to disrupt opposing offenses. Just ask K-State. The Wildcats jumped to a 3-0 lead last November in Lincoln in the first eight minutes of the game. The final 52 minutes belonged to the homestanding Huskers, who prevailed 14-3 and went on to win the North.

To nobody's surprise, it's the offense that has everyone wandering. Nebraska was 75th nationally in scoring, 99th in total yardage and 101st in passing led by the arm of Zac Lee. Don't worry Big Red fans, pitch the ball to I-back Roy Helu, Jr. and occasionally to Rex Burkhead and you'll be fine.

One dude who should get a lot of touches is K-State tailback Daniel Thomas, who ended 2009 with 1,265 yards rushing, the fourth-best single-season total in school history. The Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year led the league with an average of 105 yards per game.

K-State returns 15 starters and 40 lettermen from last year's 6-6 squad. Like Nebraska, QB will be a concern as the Wildcats prepare for their Labor Day weekend tilt against UCLA in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Carson Coffman has the inside track, but Collin Klein or Sammuel Lamur could be called upon. And don't forget Chris Harper, an Oregon transfer who came back to his native state when Snyder returned to coach.

Harper played QB, tailback and receiver at Oregon in 2008, and Snyder will hopefully get Harper involved in this offensive attack. Let's hope so, this team only had seven TD passes for the whole year.

Look for the Cats to continue to get better on defense, where they allowed 23 points per game after giving up nearly 36 points per outing in 08.

My prediction for the Cats? 7-5 and a bowl game, which would be a first since 2006. Only Baylor (1994) has gone longer without appearing in a bowl game in this conference. Heck, they just might be the Big 12 representative in the inaugural New York Yankees Bowl! Just how cold does it get in The Big Apple in December? The Little Apple just might find out.

Missouri doesn't have to think twice who its QB will be. Blaine Gabbert finished third in the Big 12 in passing yards per game (276), second in passing efficiency (140.5) and fourth in total offense (292). His numbers nearly matched those amassed by Chase Daniel during his first season in 2006.

The O-line has all back but one and senior tailback Derrick Washington rediscovered his quickness in the spring game. Uh-oh, a running game to go with that passing attack? Eeh-gads!

Missouri starts 5-0 before it embarks on Murderer's Row (at A&M, Oklahoma, at Nebraska, at Texas Tech) before finishing with K-State, at Iowa State and KU in Arrowhead.

My prediction for the Tigers? 9-3 and a runnerup finish in the North. Might even earn Miz-zou a Cotton Bowl bid.

KU fans may want to take notice...getting the fourth slot in the preseason poll might not be a bad thing! The last time the Jayhawks were slotted No. 4 came in 2007 when Mark Mangino's boys went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl.

KU said good-bye to Mangino after losing its final seven games in 2009. The Jayhawks brought in Turner Gill from Buffalo and he's got his work cut out for him. Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe are gone. Reesing finished his career tops on nine all-time KU lists while Meier and Briscoe were 1-2 on the KU career receiving yards list with 3,240 and 2,309 yards, respectively.

The Jayhawks return seven defensive starters and eight on offense. They return all five offensive linemen, including Tanner Hawkinson, who earned Freshman All-America honors from several publications in 2009. Toben Opurum returns as KU's leading rusher and is the first freshman to lead KU in rushing since 2002.

Speedy redshirt soph Kale Pick turned in a nifty spring game performance. The southpaw from Dodge City is battling redshirt frosh Jordan Webb at the position that Reesing mastered the last three years.

KU's fortunes will be decided by the time K-State comes calling in October. KU hosts 11-game winner Georgia Tech then plays at Southern Miss and Baylor. If KU is 4-1 entering the Cat game, KU has something to look forward to. A 3-2 log, which I predict, and Gill's honeymoon will be ending quickly.

My prediction for the Jayhawks? 7-5 and a third-place tie with K-State.

Colorado and Iowa State, there's a reason the media picked you 5-6. I'm saying Iowa State and Colorado, respectively. CU is thinking about its days in the Pac-10 beginning in 2012. Iowa State is up-and-coming under Paul Rhoads and a Sept. 11 tussle at Iowa will be the most important game to ISU fans.

There ya have it: Nebraska, Missouri, KU, KSU, ISU, CU. What do you think?

Next up, we look at the Big 12 South where they may be singing that song that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote in 1955. Ya know, the one where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!

My shout this week goes to the Kansas Shrine Bowl participants, including those picked for the 200-member Kansas Masonic All-State High School Marching Band, who will be enduring the Kansas heat and humidity in preparation for the July 31 Shrine Bowl at Pittsburg State University. Congratulations to these Kansas high schoolers!

FFL Preview 2010 by Ty Blitz Co-Owner!!!

Look out scout-FFB is baaaaack!

Yes folks, here we are in July grinding on our best available lists-you know, the RB, WR, or QB, you want to pick at any point in the draft. Forget about the D’s and Kickers like Matt said. In fairness before I begin my peregrination across the landscape of fantasy football you should know our league allows a third WR instead of a Tight End and, we are in a point per reception league. This explains young Matt’s inclusion of Forte on his picks to click. I don’t think Matt expects Forte to run for 2,000 yds. This projection is based on Forte’s potential for 70 to 80 receptions out of the Bears backfield. In the words of Van the man (on a rare occasion when he is understandable,) “there I go, there I go, there I go.” Van likes to repeat his phrases ala John Lee Hooker. Back to the FFB landscape.

My draft philosophy is to not be stuck in a rut with a formula that governs your pick. Sorry Matt, but the RB’s/Wr’s before QB’s approach has not worked well for us lately. Drafting is situational. If we have the fifth pick and CJ, AP, MJD and Rice have gone do we take DeAngelo or Gore to get an RB (one that shares the rock a lot and the other that is getting long in the tooth and has had injury issues) OR do go with Brees at QB (the leading point producer in FFB last season) or and take Andre Johnson everyone’s number wide receiver? To me the latter two choices are better than a second tier RB! Now if we have pick 1 through 4 I like the RB’s mentioned. After that it gets dicey and it stays that way all through the draft. I disagree with Matt that the KISS method is best. For me drafting in FFB is all about good decision making under time pressure. And I believe good decisions require good information, preparation and the ability to avoid second guessing at all costs. They say to be a great golfer you have to be able to forget the previous shot or hole or round! Same in any activity that requires good decision making. So, however you prepare for the draft you must overcome the tendency to second guess any pick you make but I don’t advise keeping it simple to uncomplicated things. That said, our plan A hasn’t been working so who is to say? I really believe the answer lies somewhere between the extremes. That is, having studied thoroughly and consider as much as possible, gear down and settle on a well thought out plan and keep it as simple as you can.

I recommend putting together lists by rank order of all players and by position based on all the factors you want to use to determine their potential in FFB. Fantasy Football magazines all contain these rankings. Their lists along with a myriad of other factoids both obvious and obscure should guide your selection process. If you are co-owner of a team you need to vet your rankings with your co-owner before the draft and come up with lists on which you agree. This will tell you the best available performer, and in case you are loaded at the position, the best available by other positions.

One of my problems is falling in love with certain players and having an aversion to others. This year I’m already excited about Kevin Kolb for example and I just never have liked Peyton Manning. Does that mean if I’m ready to pick a QB and both are available I’m gonna take Kolb? No. But, I might decide to take an RB rather than QB against my better judgment, to avoid taking Size 8! That may seem crazy to you but it is how I roll.

Part of the excitement of Fantasy Football is from the emotional attachment to your team, just like in real football. But in fantasy you have the added dynamic of creating your team. This generates enormous attachment. And, as Matt said, your interest in how your guys are doing broadens your interest in the NFL. Despite the challenges of sharing in a team ownership I recommend it highly. My greatest enjoyment comes from sharing the total experience of fantasy football with Matt. From drafting, to setting lineups, to following our players performance, to making trades, to visiting with Matt many times each week and during the games, pro football has never been so much fun! So if you haven’t participated in Fantasy Football do it. And, if you have but never as a co-owner, get a team with someone you love. It is a blast!

My top 5’s

QB’s-Brees, Peyton Manning, Rodgers, Brady, Romo

RB’s-C Johnson, AP, MJD, Rice, Gore

WR’s-A Johnson, Fitzgerald, Wayne, Moss, White

D’s-Won’t be able to draft any in the top 5

K’s- “

Breakouts-Breaston, Sims-Walker, M.Ryan, Wells, Cutler

Sleepers-Henne, Knox, Campbell, Gage, Bradshaw

Busts-Slaton, Lynch, Favre, Jacobs, Heyward-Bey

Rookies-Bryant, Clausen, McCluster, Berry, Tate


That’s how it looks from the cheap seats!!!!

2010 Fantasy Football Preview by MP

As the playing days slowly go by you need things to keep the old batteries charged. I still watch sports and love all of them, but in recent years what has become a passion is Fantasy Football!

The beauty of FFL is when the network forces you into watching Detroit v. Washington while you are waiting on your game, you may have Matt Stafford as your backup QB and maybe you were forced into starting Clinton Portis at RB. That game may now go from unwatchable to interesting and you find yourself watching that even as the Pats and Colts have kicked off on the other channel.

Does that reclassify me as a fan? Am I now not a purist? Many hate Fantasy and don't understand. I love it and start studying in late May and really couldn't care less about what kind of fan that makes me. I like big time NFL players and big plays.

This is your 2010 Fantasy Football preview provided with very few predictions, you may have noticed my last few have been a bit off!!!

My Dad and I have been the co-owners of a team, the Blitz, for about 12 or 13 years now. Most of the same guys, same league, same rules. We have one Super Bowl title, and have made the playoffs maybe 8 or 9 times. All in all we are one of the most successful teams in our league, though we would both want more money and titles.

Here is the thing and this is probably totally different than my Dad's thoughts. What kills you in FFL is simple to me: over-thinking it! As more info, more stats, more stuff becomes available, you start making it very complicated. If you know players you know players. Forget who has a better record, who has a tougher schedule on the road, who has a rookie behind them and that one plays in cold weather more than another. Too much stuff! You have to keep it simple and most importantly get a system that works for you and your partner.

My take has always been that you load up on Running Backs. I have read plenty that minimizes the significance of RB's in recent years. The thought is because of split backfields the RB is now not as important. I say that makes it even more of an argument for getting a couple of big-timers at RB early. Who is Chris Johnson splitting time with? Is AP splitting time?? Not this year!! I also think QB's are not worth the high pick. I would rather go RB, WR, RB, WR in the first 4 rounds instead of taking a Brees or Manning and losing a shot at a killer RB or WR. You can wait and get a Schaub or Cassel or Palmer who have a shot at 3500 yards and 18 to 20 TD's in later rounds maybe starting in the 5th. I also get a kick every year out of guys passing on drafting starting WR's or TE's and take a defense or kicker earlier. You can rotate defenses based on matchup from the waiver wire and field a good scoring defense. And kickers? What a crapshoot. That position may be where weather, schedule and the other previously mentioned factors make a difference. Who cares anyway, they are going to get you single digit points, so why should I pass on a quality backup for that?

Let me bottom line this deal for ya. First key on guys on their way up, but not too far away and not on their way down, unless later on in the draft. Then go get a stable of starting backs, at least two top flight receivers, a good possession WR and a serviceable, durable starting QB and another behind him. Then build your bench, get a solid hard-nosed defense and grab a vet kicker. Providing you dodge injury, you are on the way to the playoffs. I think you succeed in the playoffs based on matchup of your guys, lots of luck, and you need at least one guy to go ballistic and have a huge game for you. Sounds simple huh?

Some may accuse me/us as being the Marty Schottenheimer of our FFL. Well can't be because we have a title for one thing!! But just like Marty, in order to win the Bowl you must go to the playoffs first and you must also get lucky, and for me good luck sometimes goes into hibernation for long periods of time!

Now that you have the recipe for success, here are the top 5 at each position, some sleepers, some guys to look out for, some rooks, and some busts for 2010. Good luck, thank me later when you win your league and most of all as always....thanks for reading!

• QB: Brees, Brady, Manning, Rodgers, and Rivers



• RB: Johnson, D. Williams, Turner, Peterson, and Rice



• WR: A. Johnson, Moss, Fitzgerald, C. Johnson, and D. Jackson



• DEF: Steelers, Jets, Eagles, Ravens, and Bears



• Sleepers (previous letdowns or busts on their way back): Jay Cutler, Felix Jones, Steve Slaton, Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Fred Jackson and Michael Crabtree.



• Guys to watch out for (ready for the elite soon if not already): Rashard Mendenhall, Brandon Marshall, and DeSean Jackson.



• Rooks: Dez Bryant, Arrelious Benn, Dexter McCluster, Jahvid Best, and Montario Hardesty.



• Busts: Miles Austin, Shonn Greene, Joseph Addai, Kevin Kolb, Sidney Rice, and Ryan Mathews.

Win by International player would put VC up 3-1!

In a best-of-seven series format, Game 4 takes on a whole new meaning when the series score is 2-1.

Well, it's Game 4 in this series between Patterson and I. Who's got the advantage? It's me, and I'm lookin to make that a 3-1 stranglehold with a win by an International player in this week's British Open.

I've one-upped Patterson by taking my purple-clad Lakers in the NBA Finals and by tabbing a foreign player to win the US Open (Graeme McDowell). Patterson's only claim to fame in this series was by virtue of our golfing showdown last month on Missouri soil. Come to Kansas, and I'll show you who is the better duffer! I promise you different results! Pomona rules, Venezuelan rules, whatever you want to call them, will ultimately favor the All-American from Eureka High!

Speaking of Eureka, a suburb to the north on K-99 is a city called Emporia that is home to William Allen White and Bren Fisher. Ya might have heard of White, a famed journalist, and you're going to hear lots more about Fisher, a rising golfer at Pittsburg State and a participant one week from now at the Kansas Amateur at Hutchinson's Prairie Dunes.

I was able to get Fisher to slow down long enough over the weekend where he works 90 hours a week on his farm and when he's not sleeping, he's playing a quick nine holes at Emporia's Municipal Course.

We didn't do so hot in our US Open picks when our five International favorites didn't even make the cut. As any good sportsmen would do, we made adjustments. That is what we called it, right Bren?

Well, great minds must think alike as we did agree on who we think will be crowned the 150th champion of the greatest golf tournament ever which begins Thursday on the most famous of all golf courses, St. Andrews.

An American has won at the Old Course the last three times the British Open has been there - Tiger Woods in 2005 and 2000 and John Daly in 1995. You have to go back to 1990 the last time a non-American prevailed at St. Andrews, that was England's Nick Faldo, whose 270 was five shots better than Payne Stewart and Zimbabwe's Mark McNulty.

Only two other times in the last 50 years has an International player etched his name on the Claret Jug by winning at St. Andrews. Seve Ballesteros of Spain bested Tom Watson by two shots in 1984 and Australia's Kel Nagle was the 1960 champ.

We all know sports revolves in cycles. A new cycle is about to begin with some International flavor to it!

Justin Rose immediately comes to mind as someone who could easily be walking toward the 18th Green to a thunderous ovation from his fellow Englanders come Sunday afternoon. He's won twice on the PGA Tour in the last five weeks at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, and the AT&T National just outside of Philadelphia one week ago.

That win at the AT&T National earned Rose a late exemption into the Open. The 29-year-old's victory assured him of one of two places in golf's oldest Major available to the leading players, not already exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from the Tour Players Championship and the five PGA Tour events leading up to and including the AT&T.

Rose, currently the 16th ranked player in the world, is no stranger to the Open. As an amateur, he holed from 60 yards on the 72nd hole during the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to finish tied for fourth. He will be making his ninth Open Championship appearance.

"The way that Justin Rose is playing he would have to be at the top of a lot of people's list for the British Open," Fisher said.

He has enjoyed success on the Old Course, winning the 1997 St. Andrews Links Trophy and finishing second a decade later in the 2007 Dunhill Links Championship.

"It's a place I love," Rose said of St. Andrews. "How can you not love St. Andrews? You've just got to stand on the first tee there and you feel like you're part of something special."

"However, you can't count out Rory McIlroy as he will be playing on a golf course that is the same type of course as the ones he grew up on," Fisher said. "And you can never count out the man with the plaid pants! Ian Poulter. It seems like every Major he is always in the mix by the weekend."

"St. Andrews is awesome," said Poulter, the 2010 Accenture World Match Play Champion, who finished second at Royal Birkdale in 2008. "I rank it among the top five courses I've ever played."

Poulter is listed No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He tied for 11th in the 2005 Open at St. Andrews.

"I like the fact I can put a 2-iron in the bag and work shots into certain pins, which isn't the case in most courses these days," Poulter said.

"Another that you can't count out would be the old (41 is old?) Ernie Els, another person that in my mind will be right there in the thick of things when Sunday rolls around," Fisher noted. "And last but not least I have to go with a guy that I think has a great golf swing and someday he is really going to come out and start playing well all the time, Paul Casey. He has a lot of game and is very capable of taking home the Open Championship."

Our favorite to win the Championship? You have to ask?

"Overall, though, I would have to say that Justin Rose would be my (uhh, our pick) as he has been playing really well lately," Fisher said.

There's our tag-team prediction. Come on International field! Gimme a winner and put me up 3-1 with a chance to do my victory lap in next month's PGA Championship!

Shout-outs: This week's shout goes to Bren and the other 155 golfers who will tee it up in the 100th Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship July 19-25 in Hutchinson. It is the sixth time this event has been held at the central Kansas course which hosted the US Women's Open a few years ago. Another shout this week to thinkin back what happened 20 years ago? What happened you ask? Me and two newspaper buds made a baseball trip of a lifetime. How's this for a trip:
Friday night - Royals; Saturday night - Cardinals. Then it got interesting. Monday - ChiSox; Tuesday - Detroit; Wednesday - Cleveland; Thursday - Pittsburgh; Friday - Cincinnati. Had a bratwurst in every ballpark and cherished every mile that was driven!

British Open at St. Andrews! By MP

First off, VC is nuts! He thinks he is ahead in a series that is more likely to go to 700 than best of 7, but who cares, here comes another prediction. I am finding this blog can be used against me when it comes to my sometimes bold prognostications!

What are we talkin now? Well Golf, and not just any golf, this is the Open Championship held at none other than the birthplace of the game, St. Andrews! The Old Course is the most revered course in the history of the sport. This week we are going to see the toughest test of golf. If the wind is blowin....forget about it!! Who is going to win? Well, I have the honor of telling you why an American will win when only 3 ever have at St. Andrews, one being John Daly for heaven sake!

Phil was close and he was my prediction for the US Open, I should pick him because he is the best player in the world right now, but I won't just to make it more interesting. I still like Steve Stricker, but he is better in perfect conditions like this week at the John Deere Classic where he is like 30 under. Heck, I am liable to break 100 on that track! What about Tom Watson, who lost in a playoff last year at Turnberry? Same deal as the US Open, I love him, just can't pick him, too old.....like VC!!! Who are the others to mention? Stewart Cink, no way....backed into it last year. Tiger, nope, has lost his marbles and swing, but did win 2 Opens at St. Andrews, last in '05. I still am not pulling the trigger on Lucas Glover or Anthony Kim, Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson or Jim Furyk. I kinda like Ricky Barnes, but he isn't ready yet, nor is JB Holmes, Steve Marino, Jeff Overton or Ryan Moore. All of these guys I mentioned are tough dudes, but we are talking the Open! Marino, Mickelson, Holmes and Glover...with the veteran Tom Lehman all played pretty well at the Scottish Open, the tuneup for the Open last week, but they are not gonna win this week.

Ok here are my big 3 and winner. I like my man Mark Calcavecchia as a huge sleeper. It is his swan song as he prepares for the Champions Tour, and has won an Open. He still strikes it as well as anyone and the guy knows how to grind it out the way is required to hang in a tourney like the British Open. Davis Love III is another who could make some noise, he has a knack of coming from nowhere in the majors.

OK after further ado here is my winner! The 2010 Claret Jug will go to........David Duval! He is another guy who can grind it out and knows what it takes to win, he hoisted the trophy in 2001. He has had a rebirth of sorts in the last couple of years and has fared very well in the majors. He has every shot in the book and putts it well. He is a good wind player and will not fade when he doubles a hole or two, he won't go anywhere, heck he is used to adversity as his career has been in turmoil almost since it began.

We will see what happens, but this could either be the worst prediction ever or maybe one of the best ever....whatever happens I will be tuned in and wishing for it to be cold, rainy, and very windy!! As nasty it can be!! How do you beat that for a test of golf?? Good luck David and the Americans!!

Around the horn: Home Run Derby time this week in Anaheim, and yes another prediction. This time I am predicting who will take last: David Ortiz!! The guy couldn't do it when he was 'roided up. Now he is an out of shape line-drive hitter, and I bet he hits less than 3 dingers!! I am pulling for Matt "good thing this is not a pop-fly shagging contest" Holliday!! Let's hope Albert Pujols, Billy Butler and Josh Hamilton have great games in Anaheim, those are the guys I will be rooting for! I always look forward to the MLB AllStar Game!! How 'bout DWade, Bosh AND LeBron to Miami? WOW!!! I had it wrong for sure. I am still blown away that LeBron left Cleveland and even more blown away by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's comments on Lebron, check this out:

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight; As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Wow! Heavy medication for sure...great stuff stay tuned after all the Free Agent stuff to slow and I will break down what the Heat and Cavs look like, along with the other teams making big moves in the offseason!

As always thanks for reading!!!

Topeka man looks back at July 4, 1939 by VC

It is a day that Americans celebrate with a bang - Independence Day or in more layman terms, July 4.

Americans love their sports. So much so that it's Americana just like Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolets.

So many great sporting events have occurred on America's Birthday. But nothing - NOTHING - may ever top July 4, 1939. The day Lou Gehrig stepped behind the NBC microphone in front of 60,000 Yankee Stadium fans to announce that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - now known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

"Fans," the Pride of the Yankees began, "for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans."

One man who remembers that day 71 years ago is Albert O. Arnold, Jr., a man Kansas Masons have known and loved for 60 years. Brother Al, as we call him, grew up in Kansas City and graduated from Southwest High on the Missouri side. He played baseball as a youth, catcher I might add, and may have termed the old baseball phrase "take two and hit the right."

"This being a national holiday, I was prepared with my sisters and brothers to set off some of the firecrackers purchased for the purpose," Al said. "As the oldest of four children, I was expected to keep an eye on the others particularly for safety reasons. My junior year in high school had just been finished.

"Although just short of my 18th birthday, I was thoroughly and completely interested in baseball. Dad was also interested, but as he had to go to work before me, he had the paper. Perhaps it goes without saying, the Sports part was the first item to receive our attention."

Al, now 87 and living in Topeka, then mentioned it was the radio the family huddled around that historic day.

"A radio was our only means of communication in those days," he said. "We knew there would be a program of sorts and we could listen in. It seemed that we were awaiting an eternity before any word was received. Introductions were made and all appeared to be in readiness, still we waited.

"Then a brief review was given. The Iron Man played a record 2,130 consecutive games, then many more records that still stand today. Finally, the Iron Man revealed his playing days were over and perhaps his life. But, he still had the courage to tell us he was 'the luckiest man in the world.' "

"Look at these grand men," Gehrig continued in his speech as he pointed to those who flanked him. "Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career to associate with them for even one day.

"Sure I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert - also the builder of baseball's greatest umpire, Ed Barrow - to have spent the next nine years with that wonderful little fellow Miller Huggins - then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology - the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy.

"Sure I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, that's something! When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something.

"When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles against her own daughter, that's something. When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing! When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know."

Brother Al said Gehrig was not unlike many of that era.

"He was the son of immigrants and had a very difficult time in his early years," Arnold said. "Some of his siblings had been lost and providing a living was indeed difficult.

"He was a gentle person and was not a part of the famous rough house bunch. Crowds were difficult for him to communicate in signing autographs and visiting. This did not stop him from joining with Babe Ruth in making the Yankee baseball team into champions."

Gehrig never played baseball again. Less than two years later, on June 2, 1941, he died in Riverdale, N.Y.

"So I close in saying that I might have had a tough break - but I have an awful lot to live for," Gehrig said as he walked away with pride - Yankee Pride, I might add.

My shout this week: Goes to Al and Marge Arnold, who in September will be blessed with their 70th wedding anniversary. How cool is that, folks! Marge, you should be sainted for putting up with Big Al for that many years! Congratulations to both of you and here's to many more years of marital bliss!

NBA FREE AGENT FRENZY!! by MP

Man, NBA free agency is goin nuts! Who is goin where? Is it true, do Bosh, James and Wade wanna play together? If so where are the dollars to sign and who are the spares on that squad...the regulars from the local YMCA??? One thing is for certain, it is gonna be awesome!

So reading today, Joe Johnson gets 119 mil from Atlanta and he is 29 and averaged 11 ppg in the playoffs. Wow, that is a bad deal for the Hawks and I love Joe. I just love Joe for 50 m not 120! Here is what else I know about today.....Rudy Gay gets 80 mil from Memphis and then scrubs like Darko and Drew Gooden get 5 mil a year?? Seems overpriced and over-hyped. Maybe the frenzy over LeBron and DWade has NBA GM's ready to open the checkbook and sign anyone with a pulse? You have to wonder if these teams really can sign two or three of these big fish now that spares are getting 5 mil a year?

Here is the deal: Pat Riley and the Heat can sign 3 max contracts by clearing the decks, meaning all they have returning are two players, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. This is what makes Miami attractive. What makes Chicago attractive is the city and the fact they can sign two max deals to go with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The Knicks are in the game with their market and ability to sign a couple of the big boys. The Nets are probably fourth with a new owner and Jay-Z, which I guess is supposed to mean something.

Here is a rundown of the big timers on the market: Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh. I think Dallas Owner Mark Cuban will sign back Nowitzki. Stoudemire is better than Bosh, but older and with brittle knees. James and Wade are the top dogs with Bosh, an athletic, left handed big guy next. It is hard to figure who will want Boozer, a potential head case and under-sized PF and Stoudemire who has maybe 3 great years left. There are also some interesting but more small time pickups out there like Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, Josh Howard, Ray Allen and Mike Miller. Mid-range guys on their way down can impact a team too, taking them from good to contender.

I am hopeful that Dirk signs back with Cuban and Dallas and that LeBron signs back with Cleveland. Loyalty should count for something right? I have wavered back and forth, but here are my final predictions on where the big timers will land. D Wade goes to Chicago, his home town, to team with Rose and Noah to be contenders in the East immediately. Notwitzki signs with Dallas and Cuban will get active to bring in some of those over-priced, moving past it, Ray Allen types to show Dirk he wants to make a run at the West. Stoudemire goes to the Knicks to reunite with Mike D'Antoni and another good front-liner in David Lee. Boozer and Bosh sign with Miami, they move Beasley cheap and start scouring the league for fill-ins. The Heat also start talkin about landing 'Melo next year. LeBron signs back with Cleveland and their new Coach Byron Scott, more or less saving the city of Cleveland.

I could be way off as usual but even if I am, it will be fun to watch! Oh yeah, look out for the Thunder to make a few moves as they have some cap room too and are quietly building a contender in the West!

Around the dial....VC asked me to write about the Rams, well here is the preview for the St. Louis Rams in 2010, bad, real bad!!! How 'bout those KC Royals?? They looked fantastic against the Cards. I told ya it would mean more to them than St. Louis! They even managed to beat Strasburg prior to that. Thumbs down to the 2010 NBA Draft, seemed to me like talent was gone after 25 picks or so. Coming up: British Open time!!! Thanks everyone for reading our blog!!! Have a Happy and safe Fourth of July!!