Ben and Jerry’s Week 12 NFL Picks

Posted on November 20, 2008 by azpremiere

Interesting week last week with some very close games, ties, and a first-time score combination as the result of a bad call. Hope no one had too much riding on that Pittsburgh game.  Neither Jerry or I did too badly, but there’s always room for improvement.  Drum roll please…  Here they are, and check back to see how we end up doing:

Ben’s Picks

Match-Up Pick Winner Result
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh W
Houston at Cleveland Cleveland  Houston L
Buffalo at Kansas City Buffalo Buffalo W
New England at Miami Miami New England L
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee Tennessee N.Y. Jets L
Carolina at Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta W
Philadelphia at Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore  W
San Francisco at Dallas Dallas Dallas W
Tampa Bay at Detroit Tampa Bay Tampa Bay W
Minnesota at Jacksonville Jacksonville Minnesota L
Chicago at St. Louis Chicago Chicago W
Oakland at Denver Denver Oakland L
N.Y. Giants at Arizona Arizona N.Y. Giants  L
Washington at Seattle Washington Washington W
Indianapolis at San Diego Indianapolis Indianapolis W
Green Bay at New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans W

Jerry’s Picks

Match-Up Pick Winner Result
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh W
Houston at Cleveland Cleveland Houston L
Buffalo at Kansas City Buffalo Buffalo W
New England at Miami New England New England W
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee Tennessee N.Y. Jets L
Carolina at Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta W
Philadelphia at Baltimore Philadelphia Baltimore L
San Francisco at Dallas Dallas Dallas W
Tampa Bay at Detroit Tampa Bay Tampa Bay W
Minnesota at Jacksonville Jacksonville Minnesota  L
Chicago at St. Louis Chicago Chicago W
Oakland at Denver Denver Oakland L
N.Y. Giants at Arizona N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants W
Washington at Seattle Washington Washington W
Indianapolis at San Diego Indianapolis Indianapolis W
Green Bay at New Orleans New Orleans  New Orleans W

At ArizonaPremiereLiving.com, we don’t just talk about Phoenix real estate, but we talk about the things we have a passion for - like sports - and that’s the whole reason for ArizonaPremiereSports.com.  For more information about us and the things we enjoy, check out our blog and visit our Arizona Premiere Living Resources Page and check out the Sports Resources section.

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Ben and Jerry’s Week 11 NFL Picks

Posted on November 13, 2008 by azpremiere

I could kick myself for not posting the previous 10 weeks of picks, but it is better now than never, so here we go: section.

Ben’s Picks

 

Match-Up Pick Winner Result
N.Y. Jets at New England New England N.Y. Jets
L
Denver at Atlanta Atlanta Denver
L
Houston at Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis
W
Tennessee at Jacksonville Tennessee Tennessee
W
Oakland at Miami Miami Miami
W
Baltimore at N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants
W
Detroit at Carolina Carolina Carolina
W
Philadelphia at
Cincinnati		 Philadelphia TIE -
Chicago at Green Bay Chicago Green Bay
L
New Orleans at Kansas
City		 New Orleans New Orleans
W
Minnesota at Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay
W
St. Louis at San
Francisco		 San Francisco San Francisco
W
Arizona at Seattle Arizona Arizona
W
San Diego at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
W
Dallas at Washington Dallas Dallas
W
Cleveland at Buffalo Buffalo Cleveland
L

Jerry’s Picks

Match-Up Pick Winner Result
N.Y. Jets at New England New England N.Y. Jets
L
Denver at Atlanta Atlanta Denver
L
Houston at Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis
W
Tennessee at Jacksonville Tennessee Tennessee
W
Oakland at Miami Miami Miami
W
Baltimore at N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants
W
Detroit at Carolina Carolina Carolina
W
Philadelphia at
Cincinnati		 Philadelphia TIE -
Chicago at Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay
W
New Orleans at Kansas
City		 New Orleans New Orleans
W
Minnesota at Tampa Bay Minnesota Tampa Bay
L
St. Louis at San
Francisco		 San Francisco San Francisco
W
Arizona at Seattle Arizona Arizona
W
San Diego at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
W
Dallas at Washington Washington Dallas
L
Cleveland at Buffalo Buffalo Cleveland
L

At ArizonaPremiereLiving.com, we don’t just talk about Phoenix real estate, but we talk about the things we have a passion for - like sports - and that’s the whole reason for ArizonaPremiereSports.com. For more information about us and the things we enjoy, check out our blog and visit our Arizona Premiere Living Resources Page and check out the Sports Resources section.

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Where’s the tipping point?

Posted on November 8, 2008 by jmurph16

new-yankee-stadium

Over the past couple of decades the price of going to a professional sporting event has skyrocketed.  Gone are the days when a father could take his kids to a baseball game for about the same price as a movie.  Now the average ticket price for a Major League Baseball game ranges from $13.71 for a Royals game to $44.56 for a Red Sox game. Football and basketball, with fewer games, are of course much more expensive.  In New York where there are two new stadiums going up for the Yankees and Mets the PSL’s (personal seat licenses) range from $2,400 to $10,000 for Yankee Stadium.

So when does it all end?  When does the average American sports fan reaching THEIR tipping point and say no mas to the corporate sports world.  Will we begin to see stadiums half full with only the wealthiest fans able to attend games in person? Will the American tradition of father taking son to his first baseball game go the way of the Do-do bird?  And when that begins to happen, will the next logical step then be pay per view at home. Don’t put it past them.  And don’t put it past the American public to buy it. 

Personally I hope it never comes to that point.  But then again, when I was a kid there was no such thing as a personal seat license.

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Is this what it’s come to? Really?!

Posted on August 15, 2008 by jmurph16

Listening to a local sports talk radio program this morning I was appalled at what I was hearing.  The host and one of his phone in reporters were talking about C.C. Sabbathia’s performance since he had been traded to the Brewers.  C.C. has pitched tremendously.  But that was not what I was appalled at. How could I be?  No, the two sports talk guys were espousing the heroic effort that C.C. was putting forth every time he stepped on the hill considering that this was a contract year for C.C.  They went on to state that C.C. should be commended for pitching 4 complete games in his 8 starts thus far with the Brewers.  Really putting himself on the line considering this is a contract year.

Now, to C.C.’s credit, he has stated that he has always been considered to be “the man” on every team he has played for and intends to live up to that roll with the Brewers.  Good for him.  What irks me is the sychophantic tendencies of sports reporters and fans these days fawning over atheletes who merely do their jobs as they are supposed to do.

Is C.C. supposed to shut it down after 6 innings each game, telling his coach and teammates, “hey man, I gotta look out for my future. I’ve gotta big contracting coming up after this season and I can’t risk blowing out my arm.” Even though the Brewers are in the midst of of a playoff hunt.

The absurdity reached a crescendo a couple of weeks ago when Manny Ramirez was given a standing ovation at Dodger Stadium for merely legging out a groundout.  What effort! He should be enshrined.

So, has it come to this? Is the level at which we have set our bar now as sports fans.  We’re just happy with any effort nowadays?

We will end up reaching the point where everyone gets a trophy at the end of the year “for trying”?

I’m not an old school type of guy, but when I hear stuff like what I heard on the radio this morning it makes me yearn for the old days, when we didn’t have 24 hour sports stations and guys like Jim Rome couldn’t have even imagined making a career of kissing atheletes asses.

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Michael Phelps Wins Gold in the Dog Paddle Competition!

Posted on August 13, 2008 by azpremiere

I know it sounds silly, but after watching Michael Phelps perform as he has throughout this olympic games, I think it’s safe to say that, had there been a dog paddle event, Michael Phelps would win that one too.  What an amazing athlete, and  what a testament to the concept of focusing on a goal and dedicating one’s self to superlative performance in the achievement of that goal.  Hats off to Mr. Phelps.

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Olympic Softball Strikes Out in 2012

Posted on August 5, 2008 by azpremiere

Beijing Olympic Logo

I think it’s kind of a shame that softball will be removed - I never watched it, but having played baseball and a little slow-pitch softball afterward, I know what kind of work it takes and how long and hard they’ve played to get to that level of competition.  Having said that though, these women can take comfort in the fact that they join an oftentimes obscure group of cancelled events in the dust bin of olympic history.  The following is as comprehensive a list as I could muster (thanks DatabaseOlympics.com):

Art Contests

 Applied Graphics
 Architectural Design 
 Designs for Town Planning
 Drawings and Water-Colours
 Graphic Art
 Literature
 Literature Dramatic Works
 Literature Epic Works
 Lyrics
 Merit for Aeronautics
 Merit for Mountaineering
 Music
 Music: Composition for One Instrument
 Music: Composition for Orchestra
 Music: Composition for Voice
 Paintings
 Sculpture
 Sculpture Medals
 Sculpture Reliefs

Cricket

Croquet

Golf

Jeu de Paume

Lacrosse

Motor Boating

Pelota Basque

Polo

Rackets

Rugby

Shooting
 
 Army Gun 300m
 Free Rifle, 3 Positions
 Duelling Pistol 20m
 Duelling Pistol 25m
 Free Rifle
 Ind. Military Rifle, 200m
 Ind. Military Rifle, 300m
 Individual Military Rifle
 Individual Military Rifle, 3 Positions
 Individual Military Rifle, Any Position
 Individual Military Rifle, Kneeling
 Individual Military Rifle, Prone
 Individual Military Rifle, Prone, 300m
 Individual Military Rifle, Prone, 600m
 Individual Military Rifle, Standing
 Individual Military Rifle, Standing
 Military Revolver
 Military Revolver
 Military Revolver
 Military Revolver (Model 1873/74)
 Military Revolver Teams 30m
 Military Revolver Teams 50m
 Military Revolver Teams 50yds
 Military Rifle Teams
 Military Rifle, Prone, Teams, 300+600m
 Military Rifle, Prone, Teams, 300m
 Military Rifle, Prone, Teams, 600m
 Military Rifle, Standing, Teams, 300m
 Running Deer, Double Shot
 Running Deer, Double Shot, Team
 Running Deer, Single & Double Shot
 Running Deer, Single Shot
 Running Deer, Single Shot, Team

Tug of War

Track & Field
 10 Mile Walk 
 3-Mile Team Race
 4-Mile Team Race
 56-Pound Weight Throw
 Cross Country
 Two-Handed Javelin
 Freestyle Javelin
 Two-Handed Discus
 Greek Discus
 Standing High Jump
 Standing LongJump
 Standing Triple Jump
 Two-Handed Shot Put
 Stone Throw

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Good move Suns! Bad move Warriors!

Posted on July 29, 2008 by jmurph16

The signing of Matt Barnes to the Phoenix Suns was a smart move.  It shores up their bench with a hardnosed player who can give them a good 15-20 minutes off the bench each night, make hustle plays, and give the team a spark when the tempo of the game deadens.  So bravo Suns for making your squad better.

As a lifelong Warrior fan though, I have to lament the Warriors for letting ANOTHER key component to their success of the past two seasons slip away.  First, Baron Davis, now Matt Barnes.  And now there’s talk of Al Harrington wanting out.  It’s the curse of Nellie all over again. We saw this same film back in 1993-94 when the Warriors last had a strong nucleus of young and upcoming players (Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Chris Webber, Latrell Sprewel, and Billy Owens) and Don Nelson single handedly destroyed that squad.

Chris Cohan, the owner of the Warriors needs to just dump this team.  Since he took over ownership before that vaunted ‘93/94 season the Warriors have been the laughingstock of the league and have served as the training ground for future NBA stars.  Too bad they never become stars as Warriors (see Gilbert Arenas)

So congratulations again to the Suns for picking up a solid piece to their championship puzzle.  And Warriors, when will you finally come out to plaaaeeeeyaaaa?!

Click here to read more about the Matt Barnes acquisition.

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Fantasy Football…Fun or Foolish?

Posted on July 23, 2008 by jmurph16

As an avid fantasy football participant I can answer the question to my title myself.  IT IS WAY FUN!  However, at one time, I too thought the millions of devotees were foolish.  I mean, come on, a bunch of middle aged weekend warriors compiling “fantasy” teams to compete against one another?! It sounded a little D&D’ish to me.

But then I got roped in by some friends at work before the 1997 season.  My first season my team sucked.  I didn’t take the draft seriously.  I remember picking guys off the top of head. No studying. No cheat sheet. Nothing.  I also remember picking the Niners D in the 3rd round.  What an A-hole I was back then.

And then I got hooked.  The following season I took it a lot more seriously, and lo and behold I made the playoffs.  Now it was getting fun.  The following season I brought my buddy Erik Ridley on as a partner and since then we’ve only missed the playoffs once, having won the championship twice in back to back seasons.

Adam Carrolla and my dad may still mock us, but all I have to say to them is, “don’t mock it ’til you’ve rocked it.”

Click here for other blogs about music, real estate, and other stuff.

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The Summer Olympics are coming, the Summer Olympics are coming…

Posted on July 20, 2008 by jmurph16

 

My fondness for the summer Olympics goes back to the 1976 games in Montreal.  Those were the first Olympics that I really remember watching with rapt attention.  It was the games of Bruce Jenner, Nadia Komenci, Vasili Alexi, and Sugar Ray Leonard.

 

One of the things that fascinated me about the Olympics back then was seeing athletes from countries around the world competing in events I had never seen before, seeing the respective colors of the flags, and hearing the various national anthems played as they stood upon the podiums to receive their medals.

 

I feel that aspect of the Olympics has been lost in recent years.  In their incessant attempt to increase ratings, the television networks who now host the games have narrowed the focus of the events we see on prime time down to a select few that they feel will draw in the casual fan.  Call it the Super Bowl effect.  And to make matters worse, we often only see events where an American is the favorite in the event.

 

Now, I’m as patriotic as the next person.  I love my country dearly.  But as I mentioned in my opening paragraph, one of the intriguing things about the Olympics is the diversity of cultures and sporting events.  Not only are the Olympics a lesson in sportsmanship and athleticism but also a bit of a cultural awakening.  Personally I would like to see a wider range of events being televised even if it means an American doesn’t always win.

 

Let us know what you think.

 

Click here to see the medal count from the 1976 Summer Olympics

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D’Backs lucky to be in 1st

Posted on July 20, 2008 by jmurph16

 

 

Last year the Arizona Diamondbacks with their youth movement snuck up on a lot of teams in the National League.  But as the old adage says, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Even though the D-Backs may have a better team than last year’s squad with the addition of Danny Harang, their not fooling anyone this year.  The fact that they are in first place is more a testament to the weak NL West than it is to the strength of the Diamondbacks.  And they better hope they win the division this year because the liklihood of two teams coming from the NL West again this year is looking slimmer by the day.

So what’s the difference between last year’s team and the 2008 Diamondbacks?  Simply put, knowledge.  We’ve seen this story before (see the Colorado Rockies for another example).  Young teams get on a roll and they don’t know any better.  Also, other teams are not familiar with the young players.  Very little advanced scouting so pitchers don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of hitters and opposing hitters are unfamiliar with the young pitchers.  The following year is always the tell-tell year.  Are these guys really that talented or did they just catch a hot streak.  As far as the Diamondbacks go, I would say it’s a little of both.  They have talent.  Orlando Hudson is arguably the best second baseman in baseball now and the 1-2 pitching punch of Brandon Webb and Danny Harang is hard to match.  But like I stated before, I think knowledge has caught up to some of the other players on the roster and brought them back to earth.

I think the Diamondbacks WILL make the playoffs as the NL West Divison champs.  But I don’t see them getting past the first round of the playoffs this year.  They need more pop in their lineup.  One or two more big bats and this team could be a force to be reckoned with for years.

Click here for D’Back stats 

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