Blaine Train's College Express Week 4

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

Hello there.
 
And talk about a roller coaster ride for one team.  From a high to a low.  From a fake field goal to win a game to a heart attack.  Coach Mark Dantonio of Michigan St. is out of the hospital now after suffering the mild heart attack following the game.  I would think that calling a play like that might, and I say might, had help lead to the sad conclusion.  Now, of course, there have been many who have pointed out that the play clock did reach zero before the play took place.  But, talk about something that Notre Dame didn't expect. 

Maybe they should have.  Young kicker, long distance to tie the game at the final seconds...maybe they are going to run something else here.  Brian Kelly's look on his face afterwards said it all.  And, there wasn't much to it...the right end just slips behind the Irish defense, place kicker gets up with the ball, and floats a small pass to the lineman for the TD and the win.  Hopefully Coach Dantonio will recover enough to make it back on the sidelines before the end of the season for the Spartans, who have a real good chance to finish up top the Big Ten this year.
 
All right, onto the lists....
 
TOP 5 ITEMS TO TAKE FROM LAST WEEK.
 
1.  Mark Ingram, RB for Alabama, came back in a big way against a weak Duke team.  151 yards and 2 touchdowns off of only 9 CARRIES.  Wow.
2.  Watch out Oregon and Oregon St....Arizona might just be a dark-horse this season.  Good win over Iowa.
3.  Clemson and Auburn was just too hard hitting.  Both teams had players leave on carts because it was that physical of a game.
4.  Michigan came back to Earth after struggling to put away 1-AA UMass.  Good reality check to have before Big Ten schedule.
5.  Houston had the worst loss of the night because, not only did they lose the game against UCLA....they lost their Heisman Candidate Case Keenum and his backup.  Ouch.
 
TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS NOT GETTING TOO MUCH LOVE FROM THE NATIONAL MEDIA...YET.
 
1.  Andrew Luck, Stanford ---  Has already passed for 10 touchdowns early this season, great passer rating at 192.  Has already one big win over UCLA in the conference schedule. He will be the only hope the Cardinals have at winning the Pac 10.
2.  Cameron Newton, Auburn --- He helped led the Tigers over Clemson, even with the two interceptions.  Not saying they will get passed Alabama or LSU but, Auburn might be a dark horse in the SEC.
3.  Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma St. --- Did you know about Weeden?  Probably not.  He leads the nation in passing touchdowns at 11.  Already has passed for 975 yards in three games. 
4.  Dan Persa, Northwestern --- He has already completed over 80 percent of his passes.  Great passer rating of 192.
5.  Ryan Mallet, Arkansas --- Had to throw this name in here.  He needs to be a Heisman candidate and will have a big spotlight on him this Saturday.
 
TOP 5 STADIUMS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO VISIT SOMEDAY
 
1.  Michigan Stadium, Michigan --- I would love the chance to be on the field with a 100-thousand plus looking down at me.  On TV, it just looks massive from overhead.
2.  Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame --- Think about the history of that field.  Not the biggest fan of Rudy but, if I ever would get there, I bet I would understand how important it was for him.
3.  Death Valley, LSU --- Lance and many others say this is one of the LOUDEST stadiums in the country.  Plus, being it is in my birthplace of Baton Rouge, I feel like a trip should be in order.
4.  Beaver Stadium, Penn St. --- I would only want to be there when they do the White Out, when everybody in the stands wears white.  Looks like fun on television.
5.  Kyle Field, Texas A&M --- This is another family-related one but, even just driving by, you would be AMAZED with how big it is.
 
TOP 5 BLOWOUTS COMING UP THIS WEEK
 
1.  E. Michigan @ Ohio St. ---  After killing Ohio last week, the Buckeyes take on the Eagles.  Outside of Miami, they have had a very weak non-conference schedule
2.  S. Dakota St. @ Nebraska --- Can you name the nickname for S. Dakota St.   Jackrabbits.  Yes, that is something that strikes fear into my heart.
3.  Austin Peay @ Wisconsin ---  John Clay will probably run for 200 yards in this one from Camp Randall Stadium, another place I would like to visit.
4.  San Jose St. @ Utah ---  So, how does San Jose St. get those big money checks this season...by having games at Alabama, Wisconsin, and now Utah.
5.  Ball St. @ Iowa --- Hawkeyes are happy to be home after the Arizona loss, they will be looking to get back at winning by beating up on Ball St.
 
TOP 5 GAMES OF THE WEEK
 
First, games for consideration... all times in Eastern
 
Miami @ Pittsburgh, Thurs.  7:30 --- A pair of 1-1 teams meet.  Dion Lewis doesn't lead the Panthers in rushing, which is a bit surprising.
TCU @ SMU, Fri. 8 ---  A rivalry game that didn't really matter up until the last couple of years, when June Jones took over the Mustangs program and has made things better for SMU.  TCU won't have a problem here but, it could be interesting.
Oklahoma @ Cincinnati, Sat. 6 --- Weird road game as the Sooners travel up and destroy Cincinnati.
Kentucky @ Florida, Sat. 7 --- Wait a second, it is true:  Mike Hartline has a better Passer Rating than John Brantley. Both teams are undefeated and should be a good game in Gainsville.
Stanford @ Notre Dame, Sat. 3:30 --- I wonder if Notre Dame can rebound off the loss last week.  They will have a tough challenge against Andrew Luck.
Temple @ Penn St., Sat. 3:30 --- Temple is 3-0 going into the game...wonder if there will be a first loss here.
USC @ Washington St., Sat. 3 --- Trojans are looking pretty good so far into this throwaway season.  Another big win here.
North Carolina St. @ Georgia Tech, Sat. 12 --- Big ACC matchup as both teams have looked good so far and already have an undefeated record in ACC play.
Wake Forest @ Florida St., Sat. 3:30 --- Christian Ponder was sent back down to Earth last season after a huge loss against Oklahoma, will they rebound this week?
Fresno St. @ Ole Miss, Sat. 7:30 --- Rebels have gotten off to a rotten start and now they are going to take on a WAC team that might surprise this season after getting off to a 3-0 start.
 
NOW, THE TOP 5...
 
5.  Oregon @ Arizona St., Sat. 10:30 --- 72-0, 48-13, 69-0...those aren't Madden scores, those are the first three victories for the Ducks.  But, I doubt the score will be that high Saturday as they take on a Devils team that almost pulled off the upset against Wisconsin last season.  Quarterback Steven Threet and the passing attack seems to be the thing that will keep Arizona St. in the game.  But, Oregon has the 2nd best rushing offense in the nation.  LaMichael James and Remene Alston, along with quarterback Darron Thomas, like to keep the ball on the ground and will try to control the game from there.  Should be a good night game at Sun Devil Stadium
 
4.  West Virginia @ LSU, 9 --- Death Valley sees two undefeated team face each other, that crowd will be loud.  Noel Devine has already rushed for 354 yards this season, so the Tigers know that will be where the Mountaineers will like the ball to go.  On the other side, the Tiger's Stevan Ridley will be taking on a WVU Rush defense that is eighth-best in the nation.  Last week, LSU looked shaky at times against Miss. St. 
 
3.  South Carolina @ Auburn, 8 --- Yeah, you can talk about Alabama, Florida, and LSU as much as you want, but these two teams could upset the order of the SEC this season.  Florida hasn't looked great so far and the team that will be on their heels in the SEC East this year is...South Carolina.  Gamecocks and Stephen Garcia already off to a 3-0 start and they travel to Jordan-Haire Stadium to face Auburn.  In a hard hitting game last week against Clemson, they held on in overtime to win by 3.  Cameron Newton, quarterback for Auburn, is a true duel-threat leading the team in passing and rushing.  Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier knows that he needs to contain Newton if he wants to win.

2.  Oregon St. @ Boise St., 8 --- Big time game.  For the first time, the national broadcast primetime game of the week will be coming from Boise, Idaho and its Blue field.  Big test for both teams.  For Boise St, a win here and they keep the National Championship hopes alive.  This is the last big test they will have this season, unless Fresno St. turns out to be a good team.  Kellen Moore has looked good with games against Virginia Tech and Wyoming.  And now, in their home opener, they host the Rodgers brothers of Oregon St.  They lead the team in rushing and passing.  They played a tough game against TCU, but stumbled a bit against Louisville last week.  But, there is a lot riding on this game for Boise St.

1.  Alabama @ Arkansas, 3:30 --- Speaking of huge games, how about this one.  Alabama has killed everyone they have played this season but, the one thing they haven't faced yet is a good passing offense.  After Bama lost big names in the secondary to the draft, they will have to put pressure down the field on the receivers.  Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallet might have the opportunity to put his name in the Heisman race with a big game here.  Meanwhile, Mark Ingram is back and the two-headed beast of a running game for Bama is back in order.  Trent Richardson and Ingram will be very very very very tough to stop, but they are on the road and this will be the toughest test Crimson Tide has faced this season.
 
And with that, hope everyone has a good weekend and the Express rolls on...

Blaine Train's College Express Week 2

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

Tell me that Boise St./Virginia Tech wasn't exciting!?!?  That game could have been played in a BCS Bowl, sans the penalties.  Both teams had good moments and bad moments.  Touchdowns and stupid penalties.  And, as it is with every game, there has to be a winner and a loser.  Boise St. needed this win more than Tech, not that the Hokies weren't trying hard.  If the Broncos lost this game, goodbye any chance of a National Championship, or the possibility of a BCS Bowl. 
 
Of course, they didn't make it easy on themselves.  After going up 17-0 in the FIRST quarter, Hokies came back and took the lead in the 2nd half.  But, thanks to a little bit of poor clock management by Tech, Boise St. got the ball back with just over two minutes left in the game, down by four.  More than enough time for Kellen Moore to get his team down the field.  You can also thank the refs for the drive by calling a late hit, which I thought was questionable at best.
 
So, with Week 1 in the books, lets take a look at the best and the worst of what happened....
 
 
TOP 5 BAD LOSSES OF THE WEEK.
 
1.  Kansas losing to North Dakota St.:  It was so bad, the athletic director for the Jayhawks has decided to retire earlier than expected, like this week.  The score was 6-3.  First off, we live now in a generation of athletes that it boggles my mind that a game could end 6-3 these days.  But, one of the teams is a Big 12 team...and they lost...6-3....AT HOME....TO A 1-AA SCHOOL!!!!!!
2.  Ole Miss losing to Jacksonville St.:  After dealing with whether or not Masoli was going to play for the Rebels, it turns out it doesn't matter as they fall to the Gamecocks in overtime, 49-48.  Bet Houston Nutt wasn't too happy about it.  And, yet another 1-AA school best another power conference team.
3.  Navy losing to Maryland:  The rushing yards tell the tale...Navy rushed for 412 yards.  When you hear that, you would think that the Midshipmen dominated.  But, they didn't even win the game.
4.  Toledo losing to Arizona:  Granted, Toledo is not a powerhouse of any sort.  But, on national television, at home, they only scored a safety.  And this was to a team that isn't expected to do anything this season
5.  New Mexico losing to Oregon:  72-0...man, that's a way to start off the season for Oregon.  But, for New Mexico, maybe they can pack it in after the first week.
 
 TOP 5 IMPRESSIVE WINS OF THE WEEK.
 
1.  Boise St. over Virginia Tech:  National game of the week.  Coming back from behind the in the final mintues to win the game.  And now, they are the team to talk and debate about for weeks to come.
2.  Utah over Pittsburgh:  They welcomed Pitt and their star running back out west with a 27-24 OT win.  Along with Boise St. and TCU, they might be another mid-major that could bust into the BCS at the end of the season.  Speaking of Horned Frogs...
3.  TCU over Oregon St.:  That was a FUN game.  Both teams have some great offensive weapons, but Horned Frogs QB Andy Daulton kept it together and was able to lead the team to a win.  And, they are also a team that will be near the top of the polls when the BCS comes out.  Could get real interesting real quick.
4.  Boston College's Mark Herzlich:  Two years ago, he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.  Last year, he was battling a rare form of bone cancer.  This past weekend, he led his team out onto the field as a cancer survivor.  Played well for someone still nursing a stress fracture in his foot, helping out with a couple of tackles.  And, the Eagles won the game but, the real story here is that cancer should never slow a person down and Herzlich is another example of that.  Pure inspiration.
5.  Notre Dame over Purdue:  Brian Kelly looked good in his first game, leading the Irish to a 23-12 win over the Boilermakers.  Still a few kinks to work out in the up-tempo offense but, Dayne Crist looked good for 205 yards and 1 TD. 
 
TOP 5 INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF WEEK 1
 
1.  Kellen Moore, Boise St. QB:  This isn't about stats as much as management skills, as he was able to get the Broncos up the field within two minutes to score the game winning touchdown.  Outside of the penalties that killed the clock, he was able to get the line to the ball and snap it within a few seconds after each play was done.  NFL scouts should take note of that.
2.  Kendall Hunter, Ok. St. RB:  In the Cowboys blowout win over Wash. St., Hunter only carried the ball 21 times.  But, within those attempts, he got 257 yards and 4 TDs.  How can you stop that.
3.  Denard Robinson, Mich. QB:  Remember what Pat White did for Coach Rodriguez in West Virginia?  Here's Denard:  186 yards passing, 197 yards rushing, 2 TDs.  Yes, a Michigan quarterback rushed for 197 yards.  Crazy.
4.  T. J. Yates, UNC QB:  He didn't have a couple of his weapons catching for him and he was facing a top Tigers defense but, Yates was still able to pass for 412 yards and 3 TDs.  I don't know if that is a reflection of how good Yates is or how cold the Tigers secondary was Saturday night?
5.  Kenjon Barnes, Oregon RB:  In the 72-0 beatdown that I mentioned earlier, Barnes rushed for 147 yards and 4 TDs and caught a 60 yard TD pass.  5 TDs on the day.  New Mexico must have been starting 6th graders or something.
 
WHAT I TAKE AWAY FROM WEEK 1
 
1.  Boise St. might be looked at as a team that can go undefeated this season, but they can't look past Oregon St. in two weeks.
2.  Les Miles and LSU almost blew a game that they had NO REASON to lose, beating UNC by a little with the other team having to sit 13 scholarship players.
3.  Rich Rod. might have found a player that could save his job in Michigan, as long as Robinson doesn't get injured.
4.  Credit North Dakota St. and Jacksonville St. for reminding the 1-A schools not to look past the 1-AA schools.
5.  Don't worry about the Hokies, they can still win the ACC and could get back into the National Championship hunt after a few other teams lose.
 
AND NOW...THE MAIN EVENT....THE TOP 5 GAMES OF WEEK 2
 
Before that, here are the other games of consideration...
 
Auburn @ Miss. St. :  Yeah, this game will be on ESPN as the Vikings take on the Saints to kick off the NFL season.  Don't know if that was great planning.
West Virgina @ Marshall:  Battle for the state.  Marshall didn't look bad early against Ohio St....maybe an upset here??
San Jose St. @ Wisconsin:  After getting destroyed by Alabama, SJS heads up to Camp Randall to take on the Badgers.  Hope the money is worth it.
Georgia Tech @ Kansas:  Come on, Jayhawks.  Got to do better than last week.  Expect the Yellow Jackets to destroy here.
Georgia @ South Carolina:  SEC conference schedule gets started early this year for these two. Gamecocks looked good against Southern Miss, while the Bulldogs need to find out of A.J. Green will be able to take the field for them this year.
South Florida @ Florida:  Florida looked a bit lost to start the game off last week.  Best not do that against the Bulls.
Virginia @ USC:  Trojans open up the home schedule against an ACC cupcake in Virginia.
------------------------------

-----------------------------------
5.  Michigan @ Notre Dame:  Denard Robinson looked great but that was last week.  Now, he has to pull off the same feat against the Irish defense.  I don't think he will rush for above 100 yards will be kept in the pocket more, making him pass.  Meanwhile, up-tempo will be the name of the game again and that might keep the Wolverine's D on their heels the entire game.  I think this will be a close one and will be determined by how much pressure the defenses put on either quarterback.
 
4.  Oregon @ Tennessee:  After beating New Mexico by a huge margin, they head east to Knoxville to take on the Vols.  The key for Tennessee to pull off the upset will be Tauren Poole getting off the blocks.  Oregon's D played great last week but, will probably face a tougher offense this week that will want to run, run, run.  Maybe a upset here.
 
3.  Florida St. @ Oklahoma:  Quarterback Christian Ponder takes the Semiimoles to Oklahoma...not an easy task at all.  Sooners didn't look good last week, having to hold off Utah State late for a 31-24 win.  Laundry Jones looked shaky for Oklahoma, completing less than half his passes and throwing 2 TDs and 2 INTs.  Meanwhile, Florida State looked good.  Ponder passed 12-14 for 167 yards and 4 TDs.  While this isn't an BCS elimination game, Oklahoma knows that it has a chance at a National title and needs to win this one more to enter the Red River Shootout undefeated.  Good matchup.
 
2.  Miami FL. @ Ohio St. :  Seems like every season, the Buckeyes schedule a national powerhouse on Week 2 of each season.  This year, please welcome the Hurricanes for a revenge matchup.  These two teams haven't faced each other since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl when they played for a National Championship.  That day, Ohio St. won the double-overtime thriller.  But, things changed since then.  While the Buckeyes have played for a national championship since then, they haven't won it.  As for Miami, talk about a downturn.  But, things are on the rebound for the Hurricanes, thanks to quarterback Jacory Harris.  Miami will be bringing a passing attack while they will have to stop the ground game of the Buckeyes.  Brandon Saine rushed for 103 yards and 2 TDs last week.  And, don't forget the Heisman candidate in Terrelle Pryor.  The duel threat quarterback showed off the arm last week, throwing for 247 yards and 3 TDs. 
 
1.  Penn St. @ Alabama:  This is the best game of the week because the number one team in the country has a HUGE test in week 2.  First off, Mark Ingram is still a question mark.  While it wasn't a big deal to have him last week against San Jose St, they need him for this game.  If they can get Ingram and Trent Richardson to play against the Nittany Lions, that might be too much for Penn St. to stop.  But, don't overlook the passing attack of quarterback Greg McElroy and recieveing core, led by Julio Jones.  While Alabama had no problems last week, Penn St. wasn't as lucky against Youngstown St.  The Penguins stayed with Penn St. more than they probably should have.  Freshman quarterback Robert Bolden started off slow but, was able to pass for 239 yards and 2 TDs.  Crimson Tide lost defensive weapons from last season and, they really weren't tested last week.  But, the secondary will be tested here because Penn St. will be pass-happy.  Should be a good game.
 
 
So, it is safe to say that Week 2 will be even better than Week 1 and should be a blast to watch.  Until next time, the Express rolls on... 
 



Blaine Train's College Football Preview

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

Blaine's opinions are his only, and not necessarily Lance's.

-------------------

Anyway, I AM HAPPY.  Already have covered two weeks of high school football with a couple of great performance (Mt. Vernon, Hancock Co...I am looking at you.).  The only problem is that when I wake up on Saturday...there was NO COLLEGE OR NFL ON.  That is a bit of a bummer.  With the Astros pretty much done for the year, I have turned my personal interest from Baseball back to Football...the new king sport in America.
 
So, each week, I will be doing what I call, "The College Express"  which will preview your week ahead in college football.  Simple enough.  And, everything is in a "Top 5" format, so debate away.  I welcome it.
 
So, lets start with:
 
TOP 5 NEW COACHES
 
1.  Brian Kelly, N.D. --  Taking over from Charlie Weis will not be an easy task.  After leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to a Big East title last season, Kelly takes over a Notre Dame program that had mediocre success during Weis's run.  They will be leaving a pro-style offense for something more up beat, up tempo pace.  Wonder how much success he will find with Charlie's Boys this season?
 
2.  Lane Kiffin, USC --  Pete Carroll might be the smartest man alive.  Soon after high-tailing it up to Seattle and the NFL, he avoided having to coach this program through NCAA hell.  Kiffin, former Carroll assistant, was more than happy to bail on Tennessee football after just one season to take over the Trojans.  But, what a task ahead of him, less scholarships and no chance at winning a National Title for two seasons.  It won't be easy.
 
3.  Jimbo Fisher, Florida St. --  Bobby Bowden is gone.  After winning over 300 games, 12 ACC Titles, and two National Championships, Bowden is out the door and in walks his forever "coach-in-waiting" Jimbo.  Tough way to start the season though, after a cake against Samford...they travel to Oklahoma and have a home date against tough BYU.  Oh, Jimbo.
 
4.  Derek Dooley, Tennessee -- After the Kiffin Headache and Heartache, in walks one of the most famous last name's in SEC football history, Dooley.  Son of Vince Dooley, Georgia's famous coach for 25 years, Derek inherits a team that has an all-new offensive line, a defense that lost their top three players, and another quarterback with a famous last name.  Let's hope that Matt Simms will turn out better than Ainge.
 
5.  Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech -- Replacing the man, Mike Leach, that put this program on the map will be hard.  Tuberville isn't a passing whiz like Leach is, so will the offense will change.  But, how much will be the question?  And, they will need to get things going pretty quick, Texas will be in Lubbock in the third week of the season.
 
 
TOP 5 HEISMAN CANDIDATES
 
1.  Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama --- Defending champion + great line in front of him = Front-runner to repeat
2.  Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State --- The dual-threat quarterback can beat you with his arms and his legs.
3.  Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State --- One of the only reasons the Broncos have a chance for a National Championship
4.  Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh ---  Better running back than Ingram who could reach 2,000 yards this season
5.  Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska ---  Picks up where Suh left off and could be #1 overall draft pick next season.
 
 
TOP 5 BEST COLLEGE FIGHT SONGS (since I am a bit of a music geek.)
 
1.  NOTRE DAME
2.  TENNESSEE
3.  USC
4.  MICHIGAN
5.  WESTERN KENTUCKY (only because I performed that one so many times in my one year of marching for WKU.)
 
 
TOP 5 COACHES THAT MIGHT GET FIRED IF THEY DON'T HAVE A GOOD SEASON
 
1.  Rich Rodriguez, Michigan -- Use to be a powerhouse in the College Football world.  Now, they might be lucky to finish in the Top 5...in the Big Ten.
2.  Rich Rodriguez, Michigan -- Don't even know if they will have a chance against Ohio St.
3.  Rich Rodriguez, Michigan -- How bad is it when Michigan looks at winning 6 games as an improvement.
4.  Rich Rodriguez, Michigan -- Wonder if West Virginia will let him come back if this is the end.
5.  Rich Rodriguez, Michigan -- I am not hating on him...well maybe a bit.  Michigan was an awesome powerhouse every year...was.
 
 
AND NOW, THE MAIN EVENT....
 
TOP 5 GAMES OF WEEK 1  ..
 
But, before that, here are other games of consideration:
 
San Jose St. @ Alabama -- Defending champs open with a really easy cakewalk.  Bet the starters don't play all four quarters
USC @ Hawaii -- So, to start the first of two postseason ban seasons, USC has to fly out to Hawaii, could be an upset here.
Arizona @ Toledo -- Kind of weird to see a Pac-10 team traveling to a MAC school...
Minnesota @ Mid. Tenn. St. -- No, this is weirder to see a Big Ten school travel to a SUN BELT school.  (IU @ WKU next week)
UConn @ Michigan -- Seriously, how will Wolverine fans feel if Michigan were to lose the home opener...and they just might.
Kentucky @ Louisville -- Two new coaches take over these two programs.  I think both teams will improve within the next few years.
Washington @ BYU -- Jake Locker and the Huskies look to end their postseason drought this year.  Tough road game to start.
Illinois vs. Missouri -- This rivalry game is always a fun one to watch, both teams looking for a better season.
SMU @ Texas Tech -- June Jones and the Mustangs continue to get better; tough home opener for Tuberville and Red Raiders.
 
 
5.  Pittsburgh @ Utah --  The Panthers, led by their sophomore running sensation, Dion Lewis, heads out west to start the season against the Utes.  They are the front-runners to win the Big East and have four All-Americans on the roster.  But, a tough road date with Utah, who is just counting the seasons down before heading out west to the Pac-10.  The Utes always has an underrated defense and will bring a good defensive line, led by Christian Cox and Sealver Siliga, to slow Lewis and the Panther's spread offense down.
 
4.  Purdue @ Notre Dame -- No, neither team is in the top 25, but you are going to watch.  You want to see if Brian Kelly can get his first win with the Irish.  You want to see if it will be the same old or not for Notre Dame.  Purdue will be out there without Joey Elliot, so the Boilermakers have something to prove to.  But, can the new style of offense be able to stay on the field for four quarters, or will they tired out and give up crazy plays to Purdue. 
 
3.  LSU vs. North Carolina --- Game being played in Atlanta.  LSU knows that they are going to be in a tight race again in the SEC West.  I think the Tigers also have a bit of an outside chance at the National Championship, so a loss in week 1 would hurt a bit.  North Carolina, led by Butch Davis, has a chance to put a dent in the ACC this year.  Behind the arm of Senior T.J. Yates, they know that an upset win over the Tigers would help propel them up the Top 25 and then, who knows.
 
2.  Oregon St. vs. TCU --- Game being played in Cowboys Stadium outside of Dallas.  Yes, you probably are wondering how on Earth Oregon St. could be in the second best game of the week in my opinion.  But, it is simple...believe it or not...they could win the Pac 10 this season.  Quit laughing.  Anyway, behind the legs of Jacquizz Rodgers, they open up a tough non-conference schedule against a very talented Horned Frogs squad.  TCU knows they are favored to win the Mountain West and break into the BCS once again.  But, they are going to need to have quarterback Andy Dalton connect with wide receiver Jeremy Kerley against the Beavers defense.  This game could go either way.
 
AND, THE ONE GAME YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS WEEK...
 
1.  Boise State vs. Virginia Tech --- Game being played in Washington D.C.  If there was ever a National Championship elimination game, this would be it.  But, you say, it is the first week of the season, how can this game eliminate either team?  Well, let's take both teams.  If Virginia Tech loses, they still have a chance at the National Championship, but they will have to contend with the SEC and Big 12 teams ahead of them.  They will probably still win the ACC and get into the BCS, but they have a chance at the big prize.  If Boise St. loses, then they are in deeper trouble.  They don't have a really hard schedule.  If they go undefeated and all the other teams have one loss, what happens then?  See, don't you want to see the BCS boil over once again with that scenario.  But, the only way that works is for Kellen Moore to lead the Broncos into the nation's capital and defeat the Hokies, not an easy task.
 
 
So, there you go.  Check back here each week to get yourself ready for college football.  And, if you disagree with me, which I am sure you do, feel free to leave a comment about it.  Until next time, the Express rolls on...

Blaine Train Returns from Hiatus

By Blain Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

All right, I have been slacking off the last couple of weeks.  Can you blame me, its summer.  Plus, Mr. Wilkerson and I haven't been in the same place due to vacations, DMB, and other things.  But, as we go along for the summer, it is time to step my game up.  So, along with my soon-to-be, award-winning column "The Train Stop", I will be doing another column at the end of each weekend called, 3 Yea, 3 Nay.

The weekends usually have enough going on that makes you want to look back and wonder what was good and what was bad.  So, that is where I come in.  I take away the part where you have to think back and I help to recap what has happen so you can go into your work week with your head up high and be able to tell people that they are wrong.  Something like that...

Anyway, here we go:

1 YEA --- SPAIN

I know, some of you cared about the World Cup right up to the point that the United States was kicked out by Ghana.  Some of you didn't care at all.  And, some of you are closet soccer fanatics that thought going in that this was an important World Cup Final between Spain and the Dutch.  So, relax, it's cool, Spain gets a nod here.  First time in the finals and they made a major statement by becoming champions.  Plus, they did it right before the overtime was done.  That's important because once it goes into Penalty Kicks, it is anybody's game.  Way to go, Spain.

2 YEA --- STEVE STRICKER AND PAUL GOYDOS

If you weren't paying attention to the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour this weekend, you missed out on some really good golf.  I mean REALLY GOOD.  I mean, record breaking golf.  It started on Thursday when Goydos hit that number that all pro golfers stride for every round...59!!!  Only three other golfers hit that number on the Tour and Goydos was the fourth.  Think about this, out of the 18 holes, he only hit par 6 times, which means he birdied 12 times!!!  I can't do that, you can't do that...but Paul did. 

But, it was Stricker with the better rounds.  60, 66, 62, and 70 were the four round scores that scored Stricker his victory.  He broke the 54 hole Tour record and needed a 65 to break all four rounds.  But, Goydos came at him and Stricker was able to hold him off.  I know next weekend at the British Open, these scores will not exist at all.

3 YEA --- DONNA THE HIPPO

Among all the stories that I got to cover in the Tri-State this .weekend, the one that sticks out the most is Donna the Hippo.  If you don't live in Evansville, Donna lives at the Mesker Park Zoo and she turned 59 this weekend.  And, she continues to be the oldest living hippo in captivity in the world.  Usually, a hippo will live from 40 to 50 years old...Donna broke that hurdle.  So, how did she celebrate?  She got a large frozen popsicle, which is like birthday cake to her.  When I went to videotape Miss Donna, she just mostly stayed underwater, popping her head above once in a while.  Tell you what, if you are in the area and want something to do, go to the Mesker Park Zoo because they do a great job over there.

And now...

1 NAY --- MICHAEL VICK

Surprise, surprise...bet you didn't think you would see his name on this list.  Around 2 A.M. Sunday morning, Vick's representatives told people i charge of a sports camp that was to feature Vick that his probation officer wouldn't allow him to leave the state of Pennsylvania.  This still steams from the shooting at this birthday party a few weeks back.  Even though the police cleared him of having anything to do with it, he still might get into some legal trouble because he was within a few feet of Quanis Phillips, one of the other co-defendants in the dog fighting case. 

This will need to be an issue cleared up in the next couple of months because he will not be able to travel with the team.  And, I am sure that NFL offices in New York will continue to monitor and might have some grounds to suspend Vick again.

2 NAY --- THE PASSING OF BOB SHEPPARD

If you ever watched a Yankees game in the past 60 years on TV and those TV broadcasters stopped talking for a second or two, you heard this big booming voice introducing a player to bat.  Dark voice that people called "the voice of God."  That was Bob Sheppard's voice.

He passed away in Long Island over the weekend at the age of 99.  It is amazing to think that he has introduced players from Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter.  He worked from 1951 to 2007, think about all the Yankees that he welcomed to the plate.  Jeter still uses a recording of his voice introducing him to this day and he says that he will continue to do so.  A good P.A. announcer can put chills through your body at ball games and from what people have told me, Sheppard did that.

3 NAY --- LANCE ARMSTRONG

First off, did you know the Tour de France was going on?  Next, did you know that Lance was racing in his 13th tour?  Last, did you know that it was his last Tour de France of his career?  If you didn't, I don't blame you.  Nobody has been talking about this race or Lance at all in the past week.  But, after three crashes Sunday at a stage where he had to gain ground, forced him to fall backwards even more, he has stated that there is no chance for him to win.

"My Tour is finished," Lance told ESPN.  This is sad.  First off, I don't know why he came back.  He won the Tour and had nothing more to prove.  Plus, no matter how many times he has been proven to be clean, the country of France is still convinced that he was a dirty racer when he won.  He retired a few years ago but, like other athletes, he had that itch to race again and he did.  Hopefully, the next two weeks of racing for him, he will find that peace that will allow him to move on to other things in life. 

So, there you go.  Next weekend, baseball starts it's second half of the season and the British Open will crown a champion.  And, keep a look out this week as The Train Stop comes roaring back asking you, "Why do you care about this LeBron mess?"  Later on.

Train Stop --- Blaine Recaps The Indianapolis 500

By Blaine Fentress
lancewilkerson.com Senior Writer

When one thinks of the state of Indiana, what comes to mind? Hoosiers, Basketball, Larry Bird, Farmlands, Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning, and … The Indianapolis 500. At least that is what I think of when I think of the state I have been working in for the past 7 years.
 
Ever since I was a little Train, running around in a beach house in Bayou Vista, Texas, I always was memorized by the sights and sounds of the 500. Fast cars, going over 200 MPH, passing each other and crashing. I have watched this race since I was 7. I remember that because it was the year that Emerson Fittipaldi first won it. Now, granted I am not the biggest auto racing fan out there but, for the big ones I do get the chance to watch.
 
This race will also remind of the one time that I got the chance to cover it for WTHI-TV. It was a huge deal for me. Got there as early as they allowed media to get there. We walked around the garage areas and got to see the race cars get fueled up for the first time. Got to meet celebrities like LeVar Burton and Mike Patrick (all right, so not everything was perfect). And, I was in a great vantage point when they waived that green flag for the first time as the cars made there way down the straight away. The only problem was…it rained. Talk about your bummers. Didn’t get to stay at the race and catch everything but, I was there for a short time and that was fun.
 
That brings me to today. I work on Sundays down but, I didn’t have to fear about missing this race. That is the beauty of DVR. So, after finishing my work for the day, I am going to sit down, pour some El Jimador Tequila into my favorite shot glass, and watch one of the best sporting events (in my opinion) still in the USA. Now, won’t you join me as…

Blaine Train Recaps The Indy 500.

 
 
Before I begin, lets come to one realization…the race isn’t as popular nationwide as it use to be. Thanks to one of the biggest mistakes in racing history, when Indy Car and CART split up, the open-wheel sport hasn’t been the same. Of course that was before DANICA showed up. Like it or not, she is the face of Indy Car. Most people might not know who a Marco Andretti is? Or a Tony Kanaan is? But, you know Danica. I bring this up because, thanks to her getting her feet wet in the world of NASCAR earlier this year, her days in Indy Car might be numbered. This might be one of the last times I get to see Danica compete in the 500. Doubt she will win. My money is on Helio…because Penske is king when it comes to the 500. So, take away Brent Musburger.
 
Pre-Race: The recap will be long enough so, I will quickly get through this. Looks like a nice sunny day in Indy. This race seems to attract more rain than any other sporting event.
They did a movie intro for TV that was just a bit over the edge and for that, I now take…SHOT NUMBER 1 OF TEQUILA. Need the alcohol to wash away how bad of a intro that was. By the way, Helio is looking to win number 4 to join an exclusive group of A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser. I think Helio (and I am not going to spell the last name, hopefully you know who I am talking about) has a great chance at winning it today because, I really don’t think too highly of the field he is competing against.
If there is a team of racers to spoil Helio’s bid, it would be Target Chip Ganassi’s team of Dario Franchiti and Scott Dixon. Dario has won the 500 before and remains one of the luckiest men on Earth for being married to Ashley Judd. He went to Nascar and it wasn’t kind to him. So, he is back. Scott Dixon might as well be named Iceman because he doesn’t show much emotion, but he does know how to win races. Expect both drivers to be near the lead of the field all day long.
 
Mark Wahlberg will be driving shotgun in the in the pace car. Better role than Invincible. Driver’s intros…Jack Nicholson kisses the bricks, “Back Home Again In Indiana” and away we go…
 
Lap 1: Didn’t even get a full lap into the field before the oldest driver in the race, Davey Hamilton, crashes after Turn 2. This calls for … SHOT NUMBER 2 OF TEQUILA. He is fine but doesn’t have any kind words for Tomas Scheckter, who he calls “an idiot.” I mean, he wasn’t the one who crashed within the first lap of the race. I am just saying, Davey.
 
8: Bruno Junqueira, who always is a dark horse at this race in the past few years, has become the second car to crash. At this pace, we might not have any cars left to finish the race. Overused clique.
 
27: Dario has the lead as the two Penske cars of Helio and Will Powers stay right behind him. Tell me that Will Powers is not a cool name to have for racing? Or for life for that matter. When he comes up on a women, does he give the classic line: “ Come back to my place, your will powers are no match for my Will Powers?” I used that line once, got into a mess of trouble with her boyfriend. Another story, another time.
 
33: Will “Austin” Powers takes the lead from Dario. He has been successful through the early part of the Indy Car season. Wait, you look confuse? Yes, they have had Indy Car races before today’s race this year. Why haven’t you seen any of them? Because they are on Versus. See NHL rant for my feelings on being on that cable channel. If you aren’t on basic cable or have to be purchased on a “sports tier” then how much of an audience can you really expect to have?
 
37: First pit stops of the race. Helio not happy with the car yet, needs work. Kanaan, who had to start at the back of the field due to being in a backup car, has gone from 33 to 15 within 40 laps. He has always been one of my favorite drivers and, he is the Phil Mickelson of Indy Car. Great driver, no 500 victory. Of course, Phil has won a major since then, I should change the name. And, Will Powers’s fueling spring on the car is stuck outside of the car, which means the dreaded BLACK FLAG. That might do it for him.
 
51: A quarter of the way into the race and Dario is in first, Helio is in second. Both guys have great first names. From now on, I would like to be called Blaineo Traineo…I will hail from Columbia. By the way, I am sure at this point the casual fan will turn off the race because they think it is boring but, the speed and if the car can gain on another is the reason why come every Memorial Day Weekend, I am watching the 500 and 600.
 
65: John Andretti, who is driving for Richard Petty racing, has crashed into the wall. I always feel bad for John because I don’t know if he knows what world to be a part of. He has raced in Indy Car and never really been successful. He has raced in Nascar and has never been on top, although I think he has won a race or two. And, Richard Petty Racing, that is another snake bit team. Petty is the King of Nascar, but he has not been the king of owners yet. Him and A.J. Foyt might want to call it a day when it comes to owning cars.
 
68: Bad pit stops continue as it appears Rafel Matos, who was 3^rd going into the pit stop, decides that not having a fourth wheel is valuable and drives off before it is in place. Tough break for him. Scott Dixon, who has looked good in the past, hasn’t looked good yet today and also stalled in Pit Lane. But, look who it is fourth…the 7-11 car of Tony Kanaan. Man, one thing I miss about living in Texas were 7-11’s. They were the first ones with the Slurpees and the brain freezes that followed. When I moved to Kentucky and saw nothing but BP’s…I cried a little inside. You know who else is crying, seagulls who live on the Louisiana Coast right now because of BP. I know, I shouldn’t mock it. Anyway, back to the race.
 
73: First big laugh of the race for me comes from Matos. He first takes off without a tire and now decides that his car was too much intact and decides to scrap it up against the wall. I know, you should never laugh at a wreck. But, when you are too snakebit and it all comes crashing down on you, sometimes you can’t help but to laugh. For Mr. Matos, I will take my…SHOT NUMBER THREE OF TEQUILIA. Man, this column will be getting more fun in a minute.
 
104: We have past the half-way point of this race. Basically, you can sum up the 500 right now to this: Dario and Helio, bad pit-stops, one-car crashes, and three shots of El Jimador. I would like to also remind you that the beauty of DVR comes into play as I am able to skip ahead of every commercial. I haven’t seen one yet today and I won’t.
 
106: Yellow flag again for Vitor Meria. At least there wasn’t a crash. Graham Rahal has turned into the Indycar “Bad Boy” in this race. He has been black flag for blocking Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon illegally plus, he wouldn’t let Dario lap him at all. He knows he isn’t going to win the race. But, he will do whatever it takes to make sure that you remember who he is for years to come. I respect that.
 
125: That’s right, the 7-11 guy who started in the last position…is now in 2^nd place and has a great chance to win the race. I mean Dario has ran a great race so far and Helio has been laying in the weeds, waiting for his chance to strike. But, Tony is in a great position.
 
146: Helio stalls coming out of pit lane. This means he will have a little more ground to make up at the finish. If his car stalled on the first pit stop, it is an easy thing to overcome. But, this late in the game, it could be this stall that cost him his 4^th Indy 500. Tequila is kicking in a bit here. I am the king of the cheap stuff. Sauza is still my fave but, I would have to put El Jimador second. In case you are wondering how I feel about top shelf brands, buy me a bottle and I will tell you. Ha.
 
147: Ryan Briscoe, who was running as good of a race as Dario, Tony, and Helio, has crashed into the wall a lap after his pit stop. Tough breaks all around for Penske and if they are able to pull a win out of the 500, it will be solely by luck.
 
162: A crash of someone that I never have heard of before leads to everyone getting in their last pit stops of the race. This is when the sprint portion of the race begins. Everyone except for Helio comes in for their last pit of the race. Now, under 40 laps, expect people to get more aggressive in their racing. My biggest question: What happens to Dario when he has to catch up to Helio and take the lead back? These are the times Helio wins races.
 
170: Yeah, one thing that has annoyed me throughout the entire race is this mention of the “push to pass” Apparently, you get 15 of them to start the race. I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE. And they haven’t done a good job of explaining what it is to the casual viewer of the 500. I know that you have been using this term throughout the season but, PLEASE EXPLAIN. Can they only pass 15 cars in a race? That seems to be a bit stupid.
 
172: I have figured it out, it is a nitro burst or something like that. That is something from a video game. Remember that when you are racing and if you hit Y, your car will go faster. You want to know what would make Indy Car even cooler, incorporate all those power ups from Mario Kart. I would love to see someone catch a star and go faster or leave a banana peel on the track. Or worse, throw the Blue Turtle Shell of Death. Trust me, you never want to get the Blue Shell of Death.
 
180: Time to sprint. Justin Wilson is in the lead, but it won’t last because he will run out of fuel. Helio sits in 2^nd but, he also needs a yellow in order for him to make it to the finish without more fuel. Bad Boy Graham Rahal is in 3^rd and before he runs out of fuel, I am sure he will be taking out three or four cars in the process. And, you know who is in 4^th with the fuel and tires to make it to the end…Dario. By the way, Dario Franchitti is actually a Scottish name. Otherwise, it is stupid for the announcers to call him the Flying Scotsman. Doesn’t matter what country he is from, he still has a HOT wife.
 
189: Helio takes the lead. If there isn’t a yellow in the next three to four laps, he won’t be up there for very long. Graham Rahal is out as well so now, it is Helio vs. the rest of the wolf pack. And this wolf pack isn’t out in the desert, looking for Cocaine and strippers. Why did I capitalize Cocaine. I just did it again.
 
192: Called it, Helio is out. Dario takes the lead but now, there is a bit of a question on if Dario can make it on fuel as well. Tony and history are knocking at Dario’s door, who still has a HOT wife.
 
195: So Dario and Tony are both in fuel conservation mode. It is like when you have the little dial just above E and you are willing and begging your car to push out just a few more miles so you can make it to the cheap gas station. That is where those guys are. But, Dan Wheldon, who has won before and is in 3^rd, he is that Corvette who sees your KIA barely making it to the gas station, and he wants to pass you. Who will get to that gas station first. Did I mention Ashley Judd is Dario’s wife yet?
 
196: Tony is in the pits for a splash and go. I never understand why they wait as late as they did. His car went from 33 to 2 within 100 laps. Maybe they should have brought him in 10 laps ago and got all they needed on fuel. Unless something unthinkable happens, Dario will win his 2^nd Indy 500.
 
198: Pretty much Dario vs. Dan Wheldon. I have met Wheldon in person before, very nice guy. Wheldon is running 5 mph faster than Dario. But slower traffic and a 3 second lead might be enough for Dario to hang on with just a drop of gas left in his engine.
 
200: What looks to be a nasty wreck on the last lap of the race ensured Dario the 500. The “Green-White-Checked” rule in Nascar would have been great here. I hate to see a race end on a caution. Especially when it came down to fuel and how they managed it. Dario ran a great race, no doubt about it. He led the most laps on the day. But, who knows how it could have ended if he went green the rest of the way.
 
Mike Conway got to do two things today. One, he got to lead a few laps in the 500. Two, he got the award for “Most Amazing Crash.” by flipping up in the air and having the car break into two pieces. That was about as bad of a wreck as you can have. He might have suffered a broken leg, but it could have been much worse.
 
I think it is also safe to say that Chip Ganassi, who has had cars win Daytona and Indy this year, is the happiest car owner in the land. Take that, Penske. I didn’t talk to much about Danica and that was because she didn’t really have a dog in this fight. She ended up 5^th, which ties her highest finish in the race. But, you keep on wondering when she is going to break that bubble and be 1^st, or that this point if she is going to stick it out in Indy Car long enough.
 
And, with that, the Traineo moves on-e-o.



Blaine Train: The Express Part II

By Blaine Fentress
lancewilkerson.com Senior Writer

Hello there, with more soul than you can shake a stick at, it is I, the great and powerful Blaine Train. 
 
Last week, we dealt with weather.  This week, back on sports.  And, there is so much to choose to comment on.  So much so, the Train has started to pick up a little steam.  The animals on the tracks dead ahead better get their butts in gear because, the train has now turned into:
 

The Blaine Express, Part 2

Plenty of topics, very quick opinions, here we go:

Tiger Woods:  Just give it up already.  This year is a wash.  Yes, your play in the Masters was better than I thought it would be.  But, you have gone downhill so quickly.  Even your swing coach doesn't want any part of you.  The signs are just everywhere.  And, if you are playing with an injury, why keep going this season.  It won't get any easier for you.  The shadow that your scandals and the aftermath as put over the game is huge, too huge.  I know that T.V. ratings are important, but you can come back next season.  The ratings will still be good.  Just get your head right and get ready for next season.

Conference Realignment:  The rumors are just rampant.  Mizzou to Big Ten?  West Virginia to SEC?  Nebraska? Notre Dame? Rutgers?  You know what, it doesn't matter what you think, as long as the conferences go after what will get them more cash, they don't care about you.  Nope, not al all.  Your opinion doesn't matter to these conferences.  They want money....MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY.  When Penn State went to the Big Ten and made the conference eleven teams, things might have been brought up and then, we stop caring.  When Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College left the Big East to the ACC...yeah, some of us might have brough up a stink or two but, we stop caring.  When the Big East went to 82 teams and had a three month long basketball tournament, we thought there were too many teams in the conference but...we stop caring.  They are going to jack things up as long as they can.  Why else are there talks about a 68 tournament field this year?  They want money....MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY.

NHL Playoffs over NBA Playoffs:  I know that there are still more people who care about the NBA over NHL.  Part of that is because basketball still remains more popular in this country than hockey.  NHL really doesn't have a good broadcast deal right now.  Versus does show the games but, it isn't carried on all cable providers and up until recently, Direct TV didn't carry it as well.  While the NBA has TNT, ESPN, and ABC...the only other thing hockey has is NBC.  Still, with that being said, so far this season...I WILL TAKE NHL PLAYOFFS OVER NBA PLAYOFFS.  Folks, look at the story of the Montreal Canadiens.  They go into the playoffs without much hope, they had to open up against the Washington Capitals.  But, they took it to them.  Next up was the Pittsburgh Penguins.  They have Sydney Crosby and a host of other talent plus, their arena will be torn down after this season, they are a team of destiny.  But, Montreal just went 7 games and closed down Mellon Arena.  Now, they are on their way to the Eastern Conference finals.  While the NBA had some ---yawn---- series sweeps, the NHL had lower seeds beating the higher seeds.  Yes, I do like superstars and the NBA has more of them but, I will take exciting games over stars any day of the week.

Steroids...again:  Brian Cushing had a dominate rookie season with the Houston Texans.  He had 87 tackles, 5 sacks, and 4 interceptions.  He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.  AND...he tested positive for HCG, also known as the pregancy hormone, something that is considered a masking agent for Steroids or Performance Enhancing Drugs.  He has been suspended for four games at the start of the season.  I think it should be more.  Look, if professional sports wants to really...and I mean REALLY ... crack down on what happens with PED's, they need to up these suspensions.  Four games will be important to Cushing, but I would have said up to half a season.  That would have sent the message more cleary than ever before.  The NFL is the king of all professional sports, the last thing it needs right now are questions about steroids coming out again.

Preakness:  Go with Super Saver, Calvin Borel will not steer you wrong.

National News:  I am not going overly-critical on National and Cable News Networks...but their coverage again of Nashville was just down right sad.  It wasn't mintues or hours that it took before they realized it was as bad of a crisis as it was, it took them days.  Again, I work in the business, so I won't go all critical here but, they could have done more and got to the story quicker than what they did.

LeBron:  We will end here.  He is ... DONE AS A CAV.  Look, outside of James, there really isn't a good team here.  They lost to Boston because the Celtics defended the heck out of LeBron and he didn't have any support at all.  I think that there are greener pastures out there and I think he will have plenty of dollars thrown at him.  Meanwhile, Cleveland is about to lose their one superstar in the city and man, that team will be hitting the floor in a giant THUD.

That's it, hope you have a good weekend.  And, until next week, the Train rolls on...



Blaine Train Ranks Top Weather Movies of All-Time

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

Hello there, remember me? Yeah, I am that crazy guy who thought the O’s were going to be bad this year, claimed Coach K was the best of all time, and wondered why the NHL likes to screw things up. Yep, I am that guy.

After taking a couple of weeks off, I am back at the Train Stop to resume my duties. I do apologize to Phelps if he happens to read this. O’s aren’t nearly as bad as my Astros, who are turning into one of the worst teams in professional sports. Driving me nuts.

I was going to do a long, drawn-out preview on the Kentucky Derby. If anybody knows what I like, horse racing is one of those things. But, as I worked on it, I noticed something…I wasn’t going to be able to do it justice. I didn’t know everything on all 20 horses and I would have been ripping off other previews. I knew about the favorites but, that race and the conditions behind it made it anyone’s game. So, I couldn’t confidently tell you who I thought was going to win. And, you know what, I was right. I had money on Sydney’s Candy. This horse hadn’t trailed a race in 2010 and if he got out to the lead, I thought he could hold off the field. Candy did get out to the lead group and was running a great race until the last turn, when it appeared that he hit a bit of a wall and the rest of the field caught up.

And, I should have also taken my own advice to my dad. I told him, “ You can’t bet against Calvin Borel, he knows how to win the race.” My dad was smart enough to hear me, as he placed some money on the horse. I wasn’t and now I know better next year.

I am sure you all know by now about the flooding in Nashville and the surrounding area. This has been unreal to me. First off, as far as I know my family in Clarksville are ok. My sister, who lives in Brentwood, was up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky at the time of the flooding. She was able to make it back into the area Sunday night and she hasn’t had any flooding in her area. But, she was one of the lucky ones. Houses were destroyed on in one case, taken off its foundation and floated across a street. Interstates 24 and 40 were turned into parking lots. And, worst of all, the death toll continues to rise as emergency workers are starting to get into areas and looking to see if people did make it out of the area or not.

The images are just sometimes hard to look at. LP Field, home of my favorite NFL team, Tennessee Titans, had water up to the first row. Never thought the river would ever reach the stadium. It is built by the Cumberland, but I thought that it was up high enough from the river and far back enough that it would never be affected. I was wrong. Opryland Hotel, a place that my family has been to over and over again, filled with water. I wonder if it will be back up and running by the time the holidays hit because that is when people from all over flock to the hotel. That whole area, including the Grand Ole Opry theater and Opry Mills, are places that I have visited over and over again.

So, this is where I help convince you to donate. If you have 10 dollars to give up, text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate. I would highly encourage this.

That leads us to the main event of this week’s column. On Friday night, when the storms started to run through the Tennessee Valley, the Weather Channel was doing what they are normally doing during any severe weather…THEY WERE SHOWING A MOVIE. Instead of helping to alert Arkansas and Mississippi that deadly tornados were rolling through the area, they were airing a movie called “Wind.” You see, part of the problem of the Weather Channel now being owned by NBC Universal is that the higher-ups like to save money. So, instead of staffing some people to sit there and talk about the weather, LIKE THE CHANNEL WAS SET UP TO DO, they want to give people some hours off and air a movie instead.
But, this got me to think about weather movies. The ability to take a dramatic event and amp up the drama. We all have seen weather movies and have are favorites. So…





                                          Train Stop: Top 5 Weather Movies


5. Dante’s Peak / Volcano: Two movies dealing with the same thing. Both came out around the same time. Both featured a big name male actor (Pierce Brosnan / Tommy Lee Jones). Both featured a big name actress ( Rene Russo / Anne Heche ) I will be honest, I like Volcano much more than Dante’s Peak. It was believable that a volcano can grow overnight in downtown Los Angeles, right? I mean, that is possible that you could be driving down the road and then, all of a sudden, you notice a volcano in the nearby tar pits. Happens in Kentucky all the time. Dante’s Peak was just some bad acting, mostly coming from Pierce. All I remember from this movie is Pierce driving in a truck, avoiding rocks flying out a volcano. All I have to say is that I can’t wait for a movie about the Iceland Volcano, starring Europe’s leading heartthrob Jason Pumo.

4. The Day After Tomorrow / An Inconvenient Truth: Again, two movies dealing with the same topic of Global Warming. One was a great piece of fiction they dramatize certain things to catch the audience’s attention…and The Day After Tomorrow was pretty good too. Ha, kidding, kidding. Of course, An Inconvenient Truth was a documentary, hosted by Mr. Lock Box himself- Al Gore. If anything else, whether you agree or disagree with the points in the movie, it did bring the conversation to the fore-front and helped change a few things. It did make me stop running my engine in idle. I finally stopped putting those 6-pack rings in the ocean. All those aerosol cans I had remained full as I didn’t just spray them into the sky. All I have to say about The Day After Tomorrow was they it was a downer. Yep, global warming led to the tidal wave to destroy New York and tornados in Los Angeles. We are all going to die when the world starts to cool. It is all over then.

3. Hard Rain: Booyah. What, you don’t know this movie? You don’t know why it is ranked as high as it is? Why would I even have it in my top 5? Simple. Huntingburg, Indiana. The movie was set and filmed in the town that sits on the infamous 231 corridor that I have covered for high school football in the last year. Flood in a small Indiana town where Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman are shooting at each other. Plus, I think Randy Quaid’s character dies and that always is a good time. Plus, Betty White is in this movie, isn’t that enough. All right, yes the only reason I have this movie very high is because it is an action film about flooding in an Indiana town that I have been in over and over again. That’s enough for me.

2. Perfect Storm: Before “Deadliest Catch” there was this movie. Fishermen heading out for a big day of fishing. But, of course, 23 storms all combine at the same time to create…wait for it…A Perfect Storm. I like this movie. It did make me want to move to the northeast to become a worker on one of those boats, catching as many cods and lobsters as I can. Of course, the second half of the movie deals with them surviving a storm, which they don’t. That I could probably live without. Outside of Ocean’s 11 and 13, Up In The Air, and Michael Clayton, this was one of the better George Clooney movies I have seen.

1. Twister: This is the best weather movie I have ever seen. You watch this movie and then you pack up your bags and head for Tornado Alley to follow tornadoes. As a photographer, when I have been sent to areas that has either suffered tornado damage or where they have spotted a funnel cloud, I think about this movie. I have still never seen a tornado or funnel cloud yet in my life. I can’t imagine what I would act like if I did. Would I shoot it? Would I be scared? Would I drink a bottle of whiskey and swear at it? This movie does make me pumped up for it when I have to follow it. Plus, easily the best movie Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt have ever done. Outside of his role on Apollo 13 and Weird Science, I can’t tell you another good Paxton movie out there. And, Helen Hunt….what more can be said. Plus, I want to drive through a house. A house, right on the road, I want to drive right through it.

So, those are my top 5. What are yours? Am I wrong? What would you list as your top 5 weather movies? Yes, I know this didn’t have much to do with sports, but we might hit that up next week. Plus, Running With The R’s need your support. I will explain a little bit more next week. Until then, the Train rolls on…

Blaine Train Recaps The Masters

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

Hello, my name is Blaine Train, how can I help you?
 
All right, I had more than one person come up to me about this last week. Maybe I wasn’t being clear or it was the wrong choice of words. Anyway, John Wooden might be the greatest college basketball coach ever. Coach K is the greatest college basketball coach right now. But, if Coach K stays at Duke for another 10-20 years, I would have to say that would help him surpass Wooden. Sorry if there was any confusion.
 
Anyway, it is Sunday night and I just got off of work. Since starting to work on the weekends, I miss a few things here and there that normally I would be able to watch live. But, I don’t sweat it like I use to, thanks to probably one of the greatest inventions in the last few years…DVR.
Do you imagine what life use to be like before DVR? Sure, some people would use their VCRs to record programming. But, that had to include a tape that would be long enough to record the show and sometimes, those tapes were of bad quality. But, thanks to DVR, I don’t have to deal with tapes. I just find the program in the guide and hit record.
 
Why bring this up? Today was the final round of the Masters. One of my favorite days of the year. When I was young, I remember laying on the floor in the living room, with the cool air blowing through the open windows, and listening to Jim Nantz’s voice as I would usually nap through the front 9 holes for the leader’s group. It was a simpler time then.
 
But, as I have grown up, I have come to love the Masters even more. And, with the storylines going into the final round, I needed to record this thing ASAP. Would Tiger overcome everything that has happened in the last few months to come back and win his first tournament back? Would Lee Westwood finally win that first major? Would Phil Mickelson get the lead and not blow it? I have to watch this from beginning to end. And, what better way to help make this more fun than to write:

Train Stop: Diary of a Mad Final Round at the Masters

 
(The time will in hours format from the start of the broadcast)
 
0:01 --- All right, have my water in hand. Shoes are off and laying on my couch. Laptop right next to me and the DVR looks to have recorded the program. However, there is a break in the little bar at the bottom on the screen. IT BETTER HAVE RECORDED THE FINAL PUTT OR I WILL BE A LITTLE RIFFED. Time for Jim to recap the third round. So many good shots.
 
0:07 --- First great camera shot of the day: Tiger and Phil on the driving range, tee off around the same time. As a photographer, I enjoy it when you get these types of shots. Sometimes they come from planning, sometimes just dumb luck.
 
0:08 --- Nathan Green with the Hole-In-One at 16. I thought that the hole placements on the final round would not be in spots people could get it in from the tee. He might be +231 for the tournament, but he will remember that shot for the rest of his life.
 
0:09 --- “Hello friends, Jim Nantz here with you and welcome to a tradition unlike any other, The Masters on CBS.” Every year, the same line he opens with from the cabin. It is like a call to the post.
 
0:14 --- Adam Scott’s eagle on 7 was probably one of the craziest shots I have ever seen. He hits it well left of the hole, trying to catch the slope. The announcer thought he missed it but, the ball slowly, slowly kept rolling and rolling. It does finally catch that slope and like a heat-seeking missile, it makes it into the cup. Man, if shots like that are going to fall in today, this will be one long diary.
 
0:25 --- My first fast-forward of the day gets me past the opening ceremonies and up to Tiger’s tee off. No offense to Arnold or Jack, but I have seen that ceremony for the past three days. David Heckard and I were at the station when Tiger decided to cuss and tell the ball that it sucked. Laughter from the office ensued. Yeah, Tiger will calm down after bad shots now. Yeah right.
 
0:28 --- Fred Couples almost had the ball stay on the 1^st green … from the 9^th fairway!!! That was a little odd. Scrambles and saves par. Wish I could do that. I would have just gave up and sat in the golf cart the rest of the round.
 
0:31 --- Second jaw-dropping moment (JDM from now on) Tiger’s tee shot at 1. I have never seen him just drop his club like that on the follow through. At least he didn’t cuss or anything like that. Bogey to start off the day.
 
0:41 --- What is up with the golfers hitting far left on the tee shots at 1? Lee Westwood just followed Fred and Tiger. It doesn’t look like there is a wind or anything. BTW, do you agree or disagree that Phil’s popularity might be at a all-time high? The crowd was ROARING at the tee.
 
0:47 --- Third J.D.M : Westwood hitting the tree on his second shot at 1. It does land in the fairway, but he will have to scramble to get a par. You can just hear the ball knock off of that tree. Yeah, I know I am spending too much time on the first hole but, getting off to a good start, even on 1, is very important in the final round. Some golfers start to sink early on and they get out of contention fast.
 
0:50 --- Freddy blows the short eagle putt on 2. He gets the birdie but, eagles will be the best way to get up the leader board fast today. Especially with Lee and Phil playing as good as they are.
 
0:54 --- Phil misses the two-shot swing into the lead at 1 but, Lee drops a stroke. See, it can go away like that.
 
0:57 --- Fourth J.D.M. : Tiger, hitting in the bunker on 2, doesn’t clear the lip and it ends up just a couple feet away from him in the same bunker. Early on, this doesn’t look very promising for Tiger.
 
1:00 --- HERE COMES CHOI !!!! Birdies 2^nd and is only two back of the lead. Probably the second greatest golfer coming out of South Korea. Who is the first you asked? Jason Pumo, former South Korean golfer and current producer at the TV station.
 
1:02 --- Fifth J.D.M. comes from FREDDY with the monster birdie putt on 3. He was one of my first favorite golfers back in the early ‘90s when I started watching. He usually drives the ball great and has a good short game.
 
1:09 --- The trees have it in for Phil as a leaf fell right onto the green before he took his birdie putt on 2. The ball runs over the leaf and heads in a different direction. John Denver had it all wrong: PLANTING TREES HURTS GOLF GAMES, JOHN. He pars the hole with Lee getting his Birdie, up by 1 again.
 
1:25 --- Two bogeys in the first four holes for Tiger. Since the start of the round, he hasn’t looked all that good yet. His drives haven’t gone where he wanted them to go, his short game doesn’t seem to have any touch, and he hasn’t nailed a huge putt yet. Bad start.
 
1:35 --- Lee with the bogey on 4 puts him back in a tie with Phil. Two bogeys to start off for Lee will not get the job done today, my friend. Sure, the back nine has a mine of its own but, not a good start for Mr. Westwood.
 
1:38 --- Tiger blows another par putt as I hit the Jose C. Margarita Mix, complete with the tequila mixed in. This diary will only get better at this point.
 
1:40 --- Miguel Angel Jimenez with the chip shot eagle on 16 gets the sixth J.D.M. of the day. He is the second best golfer from Spain, I believe. Who is the first? Jason Pumo again. He changed nationalities back in ’98.
 
1:48 --- Lee hit’s a birdie to go back up by 1 at the fifth hole. Bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie…everything is balancing itself out. But, those two birdies should have helped him get a bigger lead on the competition.
 
1:50 --- Ryan Moore with the seventh J.D.M. with the hole-in-one on 16. He was wearing a green tie. Who plays golf with a formal green tie. Ryan Moore does. The ball landed in the middle of the green and just rolled straight into the hole.
 
1:57 --- Eighth J.D.M. moment comes from Tiger, who nails the 2^nd shot from the fairway on 7 in for an eagle. You see, he plays bad, nails a big shot, and gets back into it.
 
2:10 --- Great bunker shot by Lee almost holed in on 7. Why is everybody nailing these chip shots near the hole.
 
2:22 --- A pair of birdies on 8 has Choi tied with Phil for second and Tiger back to even par for the day. Something tells me the back nine is going to be crazy.
 
2:27 --- Freddy with the birdie at 9 puts him 2 back of the lead. Can he become the oldest person to win a major? And, does it make me feel old remembering that I used to cheer him on when I was a kid. Man, time for some more margaritas.
 
2:29 --- Phil FINALLY with a birdie to tie for the lead at 12 under. He has had some chances, now it is put up or shut up time. That sounded more fierce than what it was.
 
2:45 --- A three-putt bogey by Lee at 9 puts Phil in the lead for the first time today. Phil had to scramble to save par on the hole. Now, we are hitting the back 9 for everyone, which means things are about to get interesting real quick here.
 
2:50 --- Choi-mania is hitting a fever pitch as K.J. ties for the lead with Phil, who has hit a horrible drive on 10. Pumo just watches and laughs, knowing he is still the darling of South Korea.
 
3:00 --- So, in reality, there are only 5 golfers yet who has a chance to win the Masters. This number will start to dwindle within the hour and it might have started with Fred, who finds the water hazard at 12. The water hazards will be the death of at least two of the golfers. Watch out, Tiger.
 
3:06 --- NO PUN INTENDED ALERT: Woods has hit into some woods, where he hit it into more woods. He ends up with a bogey to kill his momentum.
 
3:09 -- A double-bogey has dropped Fred to 5 back of the lead. I think we can now eliminate him from contention to win the Masters…on CBS. But, Anthony Kim fooled me and now is only 3 back of the lead. He is having a hot round and will put up a good number ahead of everyone.
 
3:19 --- Tiger with the great par save on 12 keeps him 4 back of the lead. I was very close to scratching him off my list. Look he can get 4 birdies in the next 4 holes. But, I believe that Choi, Lee, and Phil are just playing more consistent than Woods is.
 
3:20 --- While Choi makes his par putt…DO YOU KNOW: They hold two parades in South Korea. One is for K.J. that just only goes three blocks. The other is for Jason Pumo, which circles the entire county twice.
 
3:22 --- Anthony Kim with the eagle on 15 puts him one back of the lead. Kim has had a great round and now I am starting to wonder if the number he puts up at the clubhouse will imitate Phi and the others.
 
3:23 --- I was waiting for this all tournament long…Tiger after a bad golf shot: “God, Ti-ger!” As you can see, I believe certain people have gotten in his ear that he needs to clean up the language. Remember, CBS is still dealing with the FCC about the Super Bowl Halftime show, last thing they need is for Tiger to drop the F-bomb on national television.
 
3:28 --- Phil says, I AM MAN, with a big birdie putt on 12 to put him at 13-under par. He leads by one over Choi, two ahead of Kim and Lee.
 
3:32 --- Kim says, WAIT A MINTUE, I AM A MAN TOO with the long birdie putt on 16 to keep pace with Phil. Unless Lee does something soon, I think we might be left with the final three.
 
3:36 --- Apparently, Kim doesn’t want to be the man because he has hit his tee shot on 17 onto the 15^th fairway.
 
3:38 -- Choi drops a stroke and bogeys on 13 to put him two back of Phil and one back of Kim. South Korea is now turning to their statue of Pumo, asking what needs to be done.
 
3:41 --- Best shot of the tournament by Phil. He was in the rough after his tee shot on the par 5. He hit it between two trees in pine needles, over the creek that is in front of the green, just short of the hole to give him a great eagle try. If he nails the eagle, the tournament is over in my books.
 
3:48 --- Phil blows the eagle chance, but gets the birdie. Still life left for Lee, has he gets his birdie to remain two back of Phil. Kim scrambles to save par, keeping him back of the lead by 2 with 1 hole remaining.
 
3:50 --- I am declaring it, Tiger will not win the Masters. He is 5 back of Phil with 4 holes to play. It would take a huge meltdown by Kim, Lee, and Phil in order for Tiger to get back into this. It was a better effort than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t think he was even going to make the cut. But, he played good. You can tell there is something wrong with his swing as his rhythm is off. But, with the Masters behind him, he will probably sit out for a bit and wait for the US Open in the summer.
 
3:56 --- You can tell it was a bad swing on 18 with Kim, who hits it out of one bunker and into another. He will need to scramble to save par.
 
4:04 --- Kim with a 65 on the day and goes into the clubhouse with 12 under par. Phil now knows that all he needs to do is par out the rest of the way. Sure, Lee is at 12 under as well but, Lee hasn’t been nailing a lot of birdie putts this afternoon.
 
4:11 --- I am declaring it, Choi will not win the Masters. He is 3 back with 2 to play. It was a great run for him and South Korea can be proud. Also means I stop writing about how important a television news producer is to a country. But, one last fact: the currency in South Korea is the Pumo.
 
4:27 --- With two holes to play, I am declaring the Masters victory for Phi Mickelson. At this point, it would take a bogey to reduce his three shot lead. Lee Westwood had a good ride the last two rounds, but the bogeys early on really hurt how effective his birdies were. Anthony Kim just came out of nowhere and had a huge round today. But, when you are playing so far ahead of the final group, it does hurt your chances of being able to keep up.
 
4:40 --- Going into the last hole, Phil is up by two on Lee. It would take the single largest meltdowns in golf history for Phil to lose this. Tiger finishes the day with 69 on the round. Yes, I understand the ramifications of that score and Tiger Woods.
 
4:45 --- Tiger says that he doesn’t enter competitions to finish fourth. Or that, people are making way too much out of how he seems angry when he makes bad shots. Yep, it does sound like Tiger has learned a thing or two from the past few months…NOT. He is still as cocky and brash as ever. People like that about him, so why change that.
 
4:51 --- “That’s a win for the family” says Jim Nanz as Phil birdies 18 and finishes 16 under par to win the Masters. His wife, who has been battling breast cancer over the last year, along with Phil’s mom, was overjoyed. What a good story this turned out to be. Phil, once a golfer that people never thought was going to win a major, now has three Masters titles. And, for all that he has dealt with on a personal level, how can you not cheer this guy on. It was a great final round to a great tournament this year. So many good shots were made. And, we close this diary and the Train rolls on…

Blaine Train Says Coach K is the Best

By Blaine Fentress
Senior Writer for lancewilkerson.com

You will have to give me a second.  There has been too much when it comes to sports in the last couple of days.  Started out with Butler and Duke advancing to the National  Championship game.  Wait a second, did I just type “Butler”?  Did a team from a mid-major conference make it to the last basketball game of the season?  And, it wasn’t a pretty game when the Bulldogs defeated Michigan State.  But, like they have throughout the tournament, they got the job done.  Meanwhile, Duke just played a very good game against West Virginia.  They must have a great coach.  More on that later.

Then, on Easter Sunday night, word breaks that Donovan McNabb was finally traded.  I thought it was crazy it would happen on this weekend, but I was prepared for it.  Everyone knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of where.  Buffalo and Oakland had been the long-talked about trade rumors destinations for McNabb.  Both teams I am sure he wasn’t too pleased about going to.  So, where to then?  How about a division rival?  No way, Philadelphia would never trade him to someone they have to play twice in the regular season.  Dallas?  NY Giants?  They already have quarterbacks.  But, what about Washington? 

It became a reality and on Sunday night, the Eagles traded away, arguably, their most successful quarterback in franchise history to the Redskins.  I am still trying to wrap my brain around this.  Yes, I agree that it was time for a change, more for McNabb than Philadelphia.  It seems like the fan-base and the team was ready for the Kevin Kolb era to begin.  McNabb was benched at one point two seasons ago and he had some pretty bad starts last season (remember the game against Oakland.)  But, one of the rules when it came to trades:  Never trade the player to a team in your own division.  Now, the ball is in Washington’s court, do they go after an elite wide receiver?  Rebuild the offensive line? 

Monday came and Tiger Woods had a press conference.  I am over this until he starts playing during the Masters.  I know he won’t comment on certain details and he will keep that stuff to himself unless he is forced to reveal it.  But, I am interested in how he does at the Masters.  Doubt he will win, but there will be a few boos his way. 

Baseball also started Monday and I literally spent the entire day watching the games.  Started with the Cardinals @ Reds, then moved on to Cubs @ Braves.  You can’t use the first day of the season to judge how certain teams will turn out but, if you did…Cardinals and Phillies will be the teams to beat in the National League again.  Plus, I might have become a fan of Jason Heyward within an inning.  After catching an out in the top of the 1^st, he hit a home run at his first Major League at bat.  What a debut!  And, I did watch the Astros (my team) open up against the Giants.  Tim Lincecum was lights out and Houston had no answer for him.  When he is pitching, all the Giants need to do is get 1 run because he can shutout teams very easily.  Of course, they will have to play some tougher teams than Houston, but he is one tough pitcher.

But, now we come to the meat of this week’s Train Stop, the National Championship game.  And, it was a pretty dramatic game at that.  No, neither team was hitting a lot of their shots.  But, neither team was able to pull away from each other.  Duke would get a lead, Butler would come back.  The Bulldogs would be up 5, back comes the Blue Devils.  Foul troubles became the name of the game as Matt Howard was coming on and off the bench the last five minutes of the game.  Gordon Hayward and Ronald Nored kept driving the lane on Duke and the tall trees of Duke’s frontcourt stood tall against them in the second half.  And, everybody just knew that when Hayward shot that running, mid-court, desperation 3 at the buzzer, he had a chance.  But, that is what makes these games so nail-biting, the ball can go in and you are the hero, the ball can fall short and you lose.  The latter took place. 

And, that leads me to say this:

Train Stop:  No one is better than Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski is better than John Calipari.  He is better than Tom Izzo.  Better than Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, and Bill Self.  He is even better than Roy Williams.

Before the lynch mobs start to gather, let me state some facts.

-          12 National Coach of the Year honors

-          Over 800 wins in his 35 seasons of coaching

-          11 Final Four appearances

-          First all time in NCAA Tournament victories with 77 victories

-          40 NBA Draft selections, including 15 lottery picks

-          Gold Medals with Team USA in the Olympics

-          Seven National Players of the Year

-          93 weeks ranked No. 1 in the country

-          Tied 2^nd with Adolph Rupp with National Championship victories

Thanks to goduke.com for those facts. 

More national champions than any of those coaches listed above.  Great talent has come through Duke, but it has been Coach K that has gotten the most out of what he had.  Best example of that would be this year’s team.  In a year when Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse ranked number 1, Duke was never looked at as a team that would be number 1.  People hated the ACC this year.  There wasn’t a Naismith finalist on the team.  As far as lottery draft picks, don’t even know if Duke will have 1.

But, I think sometimes we lose our minds a little during the season.  We get so blinded by our love for one team, we lose sight of other teams that can compete.  And, I will admit, I had Duke as a afterthought this season.  But, I know I wasn’t the only one. 

There lies the beauty of Coach K.  He doesn’t care how the media or the other teams view the Blue Devils, all he cares about is execution, discipline, and being able to get the most out of his team.  I am not knocking the talent of Kyle Singler and Jon Schever.  Of Nolan Smith or Lance Thomas.  But, this wasn’t a roster that scared people outside of the ACC.  If you were to say that these guys would take on John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins or Sherrod Collins and Cole Aldrich, you wouldn’t favor Duke at all.

This team’s success this season was completely because of Coach K.  In college basketball, when a team makes a run for a National Championship, you have to look at the coach for that success.  He knows how to do it because, he has done it before.  This is where saying all this becomes difficult for me.  I am a Kentucky fan back in 1992, when Duke took on the Wildcats during the regional finals.    Ever since Christian Laettner made that last second shot, I always hated Duke.  I hated how they were able to win two National Championships.  I hated how Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill were able to be superstars in the game.  But, mostly, I hated how Coach K was able to win, season after season.

But, you get a little older and a little wise to certain things in life.  One of them is that having hatred for another team doesn’t really make too much sense.  And, not respecting one of the best coaches in history because of it, doesn’t make sense as well. 

So, finally, if I haven’t convinced you yet that Coach K is better than any other current coach in the game right now, I will give you one last number:  1.  That is the number that sits next to Duke at the end of the season.  He led them to a National Championship when others thought it would be other teams.  The team he was facing was the team mostly everyone in the stadium and, dog gone it, everyone in the nation outside of North Carolina was rooting for.  And, he help lead his team to victory in one hell of a game.

Bottom line:  Coach K left the other coaches in his dust.  And with that, the train rolls on…

Blaine Train Previews 2010 MLB Season

By Blaine Fentress

It has been a week since I returned from Las Vegas and I am already wanting to go back. If there is someone out there willing to give me a few thousand dollars to blow in the casinos, please let me know.
 
Welcome to the Train Stop, I’m Blaine Train. First off, who out there would have predicted this Final Four. The story of Butler being here is just unreal. I have been a “kinda” fan of this team since A.J. Graves graduated from White River Valley and moved on to become a guard for four years with the Bulldogs. He was one of the first players I had to cover.
 
Predictions? I have to go with Duke over WVU and Butler over Michigan St. That leads to my Championship Game prediction: Butler makes it a close game, then Duke pulls away at the end. Blue Devils to win the Championship.
 
Now, I was going to write out a very long 2010 MLB Preview. But, after trying to get through Oakland in the A.L. West, I came to realize how BORING that was. Baseball previews are everywhere on the web, complete with predictions that either are off the mark or state the obvious. But, the Train Stop, we are all about being fun.
Keeping things short when you have a lot to get through is one of those “fun” things. Also, intermixing song lyrics from a certain band is another. Together, you have:

The Blaine Train 2010 MLB Shake Me Like A Monkey Predictions

American “Baby” League
 
East:
 
1. NY Yankees: They will “eat, drink, and be merry” as they will win the division with C.C. and A.J. anchoring the rotation while A-Rod and Teixeira will lead the team with their bats.
 
2. Boston: Red Sox will be trying to make “the space between” them and New York most of the season. Good pitching but, you have to wonder where the runs are coming from with Ortiz on the backside of his career.
 
3. Tampa Bay: The Rays will “take these chances” because if they don’t get off to a good start right away, they will be trading some of these guys like Crawford before the season is done. And, that might end the Rays for good.
 
4. Baltimore: “Could I have been, anyone but me” No Baltimore, you are who you are because you have a great 1-4 in your lineup, but nothing after that. Roberts, Jones, Markakis, and Tejada are the only people that give this team hope.
 
5. Toronto: “There’s an emptiness inside her” because Roy is gone and their ace, Marcum, is someone who hadn’t pitched in a game in a while. They are in a tough division with three teams that have more talent, this will be hard for the Blue Jays.

Central:
 
1. Minnesota: Hey, “what would you say” if I was to tell you they resigned Joe Mauer to a huge contract to keep him in Minnesota, have the best cleanup hitter in the league with Morneau, and be playing their home games in a new open-air stadium this year? I say they will be the best team in the division.
 
2. Chi White Sox: The will be “climbing two by two” to second place because with Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle leading the rotation, they will stay close with the Twins all season long.
 
3. Detroit: They “did it, guilty as charged” by giving up the division league last year. Not to mention, so long Granderson and how old is Maggs anyway? Tigers will have to hope that their aging parts will still be able to get it done. Wait, Johnny Damon plays for who this year? You got to be kidding me.
 
4. Kansas City: Zack Greinke is a “smooth rider” to be able to dominate for a team that has nothing else going on. Really wish they were able to build an offense around him but, he has to hold teams to very little to pick up wins.
 
5. Cleveland: “Everyday” this team will continue to rebuild and figure out what is going on. Could end up being a surprise in the division if everything goes right for them “everyday”

West:
 
1. LA Angels: I have them winning the division, “it’s crazy, I’m thinking” but they still have good bats with Tori Hunter and Kendry Morales, along with Jared Weaver and Ervin Santana. Did I mention they have one of the better closers in the American League with Brian Fuentes? They always win.
 
2. Texas: “Tomorrow, the road leads the way” to the Rangers closing the gap between them and the Angels. Josh Hamilton has turned around his career and might be a candidate for AL MVP in the near future. Vlad is now with them and I wonder how much he has left in the tank.
 
3. Seattle: Milton Bradley will “drive me crazy. Crazy is all right” when you also pick up Cliff Lee. Ichiro will still get his hits but, they will need Bradley getting past being crazy in order to keep this team above .500. Sorry Cliff Lee, you left Cleveland last year and now end up at a team at the same level the following year. Sorry.
 
4. Oakland: This team is just “wasting time, let the hours roll by” by still letting Billy B. making moves that save money but do little else. They did pick up Ben Sheets and have some good young talent but, they still play in a bad stadium and the three other division teams are ahead of them on talent.

 
                                                               National League
 
East
 
1. Philadelphia: “So much to say” about the talent of the Phillies. Great talent at the plate (Ryan Howard), good speed (Jimmy Rollins), good pitching (Cole Hammels, Joe Blanton). Oh, did I mention that they went out and got the “Groogrux King” of the pitchers the past couple of seasons (Roy Halladay) They will be the cream of the crop in the league again this season.
 
2. Atlanta: The Braves are a “ticking time bomb, waiting to blow my top”. Sure, they don’t have as much talent as the Phillies, Chipper Jones’s career is starting to come to a close, and Bobby Cox will be here for one more season. But, they have some good young talent including Brian McCann, Nate McClouth, and Jason Heyward. Not to mention I think there is still something the in the tank for Derek Lowe and Billy Wagner.
 
3. Florida: Marlins hope that their “finest hour arrives”. Best shortstop in the game in Hanley Ramirez. Next big time, Roy Halladay-like pitcher in Josh Johnson. Finally the owner is spending the money on the team and not worrying about blowing them up. They still need to get a better stadium. Expect them to be a dark-horse in the Wildcard race this year.
 
4. NY Mets: “Start spreading the news” they are bad. (I know he never sang that song, just seems right for this team.) How Omar still has a job is just a joke. They are going to underachieve again this season and Jason Bay will wonder if he can get his job back with Boston.
 
5. Washington: They “rip away the tears, drink a hope to happy years.” Those happy years will be when Stephen Strasburg becomes the ace of the rotation, which is about two to three years away. Until then, they will lean upon Ryan Zimmerman and hope that they can get a few breaks and not finish in last place in the division.

 
Central
 
1. St. Louis: You would be a “fool to think” that this team wouldn’t be favored to win this division again. Along with Albert, they resigned Matt Holliday and they are hoping that Ryan Ludwick continues to improve from last season. Pitching wise, all I have to say is Wainwright and Carpenter. And, Ryan Franklin is a solid closer.
 
2. Chicago Cubs: To help break the curse, Cubs fans will “see the black cat changing colors, and we can walk under ladders.” This one is tough to comment on because of my boss. So, I will leave it with this: Good News, Bad News. Good news: You got rid of Milton Bradley. There aren’t any injury concerns yet this year. Ryan Dempster can be a solid #2 behind Carlos Z. Bad news: Soriano might be on the downswing of his career. Marlon Byrd might not be an upgrade from Bradley when it comes to performance. And, St. Louis always seem to have your number. Please don’t fire me, Lance.
 
3. Cincinnati: “I did it,” I put the Reds ahead of the Brewers. Why did I do this? Because they have the talent to be good, it just depends on when it will be. Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and the addition of Scott Rolen can provide decent hits throughout the season. Plus, the rotation can be solid with the addition of Chapman at some point down the road. Harang, Arroyo, Cueto are good pitchers. As long as everyone stays healthy.
 
4. Milwaukee: “Bartender, please fill my glass for me” because the Brewers might be heading a bit downward this season. Prince Fielder is still a top first baseman north of Albert. And, Ryan Braun will be the best bat on this team. But, I look at the rotation and there is nothing about it that scares me. Gallardo will be good but, is that Randy Wolf as the #2? Wasn’t he a journeyman pitcher just a couple of years ago that floated around .500?
 
5. Houston: Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt might be near the end of their careers. They have some good young talent in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, along with their new ace in a season or two with Wandy Rodriguez. But, I fear they will do little to improve on the record from last year and they are already starting the season with Berkman on the DL. I hate injuries.
 
6. Pittsburgh: “Gravedigger, would you dig my grave” for the Pirates. Beautiful stadium, bad team…just a sad mix. And, at this point, they have become nothing more but a team that will develop good talent and, when it comes time, that good talent will leave for better paychecks and more success elsewhere. It is really sad but, what else can be said about this team. Maybe they finish past the Astros this year…yeah right.

West
 
1. Colorado: “Rocky mountain high” as this team continue to soar to the top of the division. (Again, I know he didn’t sing this song, but wouldn’t have been funny if Dave sang some John Denver?) Outside of Huston Street starting the season on the DL, they have all their pieces returning. But, if they get off to a bad start like they did last season, then the Dodgers will be ahead of them again. Todd Helton is the main bat on this team and will need to be able to get it done on a regular basis.
 
2. LA Dodgers: They will “pay for what they get,” And, that sentence is meant for the crazy man known as Manny. He doesn’t want to play for them this year because they don’t want to pay him what he is asking. This means he will be “wacky Manny” again like he was before he left Boston. But, good news for the Dodgers is that they don’t need him. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are going to pick up the slack. Bigger question: Is this it for Joe Torre and if it is, is it time for Donny Baseball to take over? Time will tell.
 
3. San Francisco: “Am I right side up or upside down” for having the Giants behind the Dodgers. Especially since they have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, along with Pablo Sandoval. This will be a close race because there is a good chance that the better of the two teams will be the Wildcard this season. Injuries will be the key here as they have to stay healthy. And, Freddy Sanchez is already off to a bad start. Also, tell Barry Zito to stop being crazy.
 
4. Arizona: They didn’t get off to the best start last year when they lost Brandon Webb for the year. Made a couple of moves and landed Edwin Jackson into the rotation. Justin Upton and Stephen Drew will need to be hitting from the start and Webb needs to come back and be his dominate self. If Ian Kennedy and Jackson are good additions and the injury bug stays away from the team, this will be “one sweet world” for them.
 
5. San Diego: They will be trading Adrian Gonzalez at some point this season but, this is a rebuilding year for them. Chase Headley will need to hold things together but, this will be a tough task. Picking up Jon Garland was a nice move. But, this might be a rebuilding year and they will be rebuilding “everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday.” Not one of Lance’s favorite songs.

So, there it is. Hope you had fun reading it as I did typing it. And, hopefully I did the songs justice. Good luck to all the teams and to everybody who still cheers on their teams as much as they did when they were a kid. Baseball can be a fun game to follow, when you get past some of the negative stuff out there. And, hopefully, one of the smaller dogs in the fight will be able to surprise everyone and get into the World Series.
 
Until then, the train rolls on…