Below are the 5 most recent journal entries recorded in ericball's LiveJournal:

Friday, August 11th, 2006
11:25 am	2006 College Football Annuals Here's a look at how the leading college football preseason magazines rank the Trojans and predict the BCS National Title Game participants:1) Phil Steele has USC ranked #4 (playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl). Title game prediction = #2 Auburn versus #1 Oklahoma.2) Lindy's has USC ranked #6 (playing an at-large team in the Rose Bowl). Title Game prediction = #2 Ohio State versus #1 Notre Dame.3) The Sporting News has USC ranked #6 (playing an at-large team in the Rose Bowl). Title game prediction = #2 Ohio State versus #1 Notre Dame.4) Athlon has USC ranked #3 (playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl). Title game prediction = #2 Notre Dame versus #1 Oklahoma.5) Street & Smith has USC ranked #7 (they have California winning the Pac-10 and going to the Rose Bowl while USC settles for an at-large birth in the BCS or a trip to the Holiday Bowl). Title game prediction = #2 West Virginia versus #1 Ohio State. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
6:20 pm	Sports Betting and Gambling Odds Online Sports Betting and Gambling Odds Online By Julian Dickinson Man, there are a lot of unanswered questions in L.A. this year. Nick Lachey is wondering who’s going to be his wingman now that his buddy Matt has moved to Phoenix. Reggie Bush’s parents are looking for a new place to live. Restaurants in the West Adams district don’t know how they’re going to survive without the healthy appetites of Winston Justice, Taitusi Lutui and Frostee Rucker to keep the kitchen busy. And most importantly, the USC Trojans are wondering what the heck happens now. This program is fresh off one of the greatest runs in college football history. In addition to the National Championships, the Heisman Trophies and their status as best NFL farm team this side of Miami, the Men of Troy have done nothing but win on a weekly basis for the last four years. But now things are different. Let me make a Hollywood allusion to illustrate my point. The 2004 season was like the first Godfather movie. The plot was intriguing, the players were outstanding and there was no shortage of drama. By all accounts, it was a rousing success – maybe even one of the greatest of all time Instead of Francis Ford Coppola, Pete Carroll was sitting in the director’s chair; you had Matt Leinart, the eventual Heisman winner, playing Marlon Brando’s role of Vito Corleone; Reggie Bush doing his best Al Pacino impersonation and LenDale White desperately vying for attention like an overfed Sonny Corleone. The sequel in 2005 was just as good, with the cast at the peak of its talents and the drama cranked up even higher. It was fast-paced and violent, and there wasn’t a happy ending for the Corleone family, but it definitely packed a punch. And now we come to the final chapter of this trilogy. Anybody who knows anything about movies will tell you that The Godfather III should never have been made. Like Rocky IV, The Matrix Reloaded and those other American Pie movies, its existence is an insult to the greatness of its predecessors. Unfortunately for the Trojans faithful, that seems to be where USC is headed this season. As I write this, I know every ‘SC fan in the country is going to fill my inbox with arguments about the legend of little Matty Leinart, who stepped into Carson Palmer’s shoes and turned into a star when everybody thought he would crumble under the pressure. They’ll probably also point to Carroll’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class, which includes Stafon Johnson, a speedy tailback out of Los Angeles who could very well make everyone forget about Reggie Bush. And that’s fine if it makes you feel better, but I ask you, is anyone in his right mind (and by that I mean people not wearing a cardinal and gold sweater) really going to lay money down on this team? Think about it. Even though this team’s only straight up loss last year was the historic defeat in the Rose Bowl (and it took a superhuman effort from Texas’ Vince Young to pry that one away), they couldn’t cover the points in seven of their final ten games. Obviously it’s tough to make it to the pay window when oddsmakers hang 20 or 30 points your team every week, but on a few occasions (think Arizona State, Notre Dame, Fresno State) the Trojans wouldn’t have covered even if the odds have been more balanced. I don’t expect the bookies to pile those kind of points on the Trojans again this year (not with just four starters returning on an offense that was the best in college football) but these hodgepodge Trojans will have trouble covering any number, particularly early in the season as they get up to speed. My prediction is that USC will have a season much like Oklahoma’s last year. The Sooners went through growing pains when their roster was pillaged by the NFL after a trip to the National Championship game in January ‘05. Despite a locker room packed with some of the best ballplayers in the country, the Sooner Schooner nearly sank after a Week 1 loss to TCU, then ATS losses in four of their first five games set every bettor in America against the OU. The Sooners picked it up later in the season, but their experience proves that football is a game of timing and synergy – two qualities that take time to develop between players. USC is about to find that out. With that in mind, I think I might have been onto something with that whole Godfather spiel. Remember how Part III started? Murder. Blood. Pain. USC better work hard in training camp because you can bet the rest of the Pac-10 wants to send them to sleep with the fishes. (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
10:19 pm	It is a small world after all… (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
5:10 pm	2001 Miami Hurricanes "Greatest Team Ever" The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered one of the greatest teams in college football history, and some would argue the greatest. In 2000, Miami was shut out of the Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game by the BCS computers. Despite Miami beating Florida State head-to-head that season and being higher ranked in both human polls, it was Florida State, and not Miami, that BCS computers selected to challenge the Oklahoma Sooners for the National Championship (Oklahoma would win, 13-2). The experience led to alterations in the BCS rankings system to ensure that the situation would not repeat itself in the future. Nevertheless, Miami was left with a bitter sense of disappointment, believing they had been deprived of a national championship, and stewed over an early-season loss at Washington, 34-29, that was their only slipup in an 11-1 campaign. That off-season, the team resolved to take the matter entirely out of the discretion of the computers by going a perfect 12-0. However, they had to do so under a new head coach, Larry Coker, who was named to the post after Butch Davis left to become head coach of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. University of Miami head coach Larry Coker hoisting the 2001 National Championship Trophy, Miami's 5th in a span of 18 years.Led by quarterback Ken Dorsey, running back Clinton Portis, free safety Ed Reed, tight end Jeremy Shockey, and offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, Miami dominated the 2001 season from start to finish. The Hurricanes began the season with a nationally televised primetime rout of Penn State in Beaver Stadium. After the Hurricanes put together a 30-0 halftime lead, coach Coker pulled his starters and Miami cruised in the second half to a 33-7 victory. The 26-point margin tied for Penn State's worst home loss under Joe Paterno. Miami followed up the victory with blowout wins over Rutgers, Pitt, and Troy State University. After building up a 4-0 record, the 'Canes defeated Florida State in Doak Campbell Stadium, 49-27, ending the Seminoles' 54-game home unbeaten streak and 37-game home winning streak. The 'Canes then defeated West Virginia, 45-3, and Temple, 38-0, before heading to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College. Miami was put to the test against Boston College. After jumping out to a 9-0 lead over the Eagles, Miami's offense began to sputter as Dorsey struggled with the swirling winds, throwing four interceptions. The Hurricane defense picked up the slack by limiting BC to just seven points. However, in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with Miami clinging to a 12-7 lead, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre led the Eagles from their own 30-yard line all the way down to the Hurricanes' 9. With BC on the verge of a momentous upset, St. Pierre attempted to pass to receiver Ryan Read at the Miami 2-yard line. However, the ball ricocheted off the leg of Miami cornerback Mike Rumph, landing in the hands of defensive end Matt Walters. Walters ran ten yards with the ball before teammate Ed Reed grabbed the ball out of his hands at around the Miami 20-yard line and raced the remaining 80-yards for a touchdown, icing an 18-7 victory for the Hurricanes. After surviving the scare from Boston College, Miami played inspired and utterly dominating football, demolishing #14 Syracuse, 59-0, and #12 Washington, 65-7, in consecutive weeks. The combined 124-7 score is an NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked opponents. The final hurdle to the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game was at Virginia Tech. Miami jumped on Virginia Tech, leading 20-3 at halftime, 23-10 after three, and 26-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech added a couple of late touchdowns, but it was not enough against a stiffling Hurricane defense and an offense that outgained Virginia Tech by 134 yards, gained 12 more first downs, and controlled the ball for nearly 10-minutes more than Hokies. Miami's 26-24 victory earned the top-ranked Hurricanes an invitation to the Rose Bowl to take on BCS #2 Nebraska for the national championship. Nebraska proved to be no competition for Miami. Miami roared to a 34-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 37-14 rout of the Huskers to capture Miami's fifth national championship and put the finishing touches on a perfect 12-0 season. Dorsey passed for 362-yards and 3 touchdowns, while receiver Andre Johnson caught 7 passes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Miami defense shut down Heisman-winner Eric Crouch and the Huskers offense, holding Nebraska 200-yards below its season average. Dorsey and Johnson were named Rose Bowl co-MVPs. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes scored 512 (42.6 ppg) points while yielding only 117 (9.75 papg). The Hurricanes beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (124-7). The offense set the school scoring record, while the stout defense led the nation in scoring defense (fewest points allowed), pass defense, and turnover margin. Additionally, the Hurricane D scored eight touchdowns of its own. Six players earned All-American status and six players were finalists for National Awards, including Maxwell Award winner, Ken Dorsey, and Outland Trophy winner, Bryant McKinnie. Dorsey was also a Heisman Finalist, finishing 3rd. Among the numerous stars on the 2001 Miami squad were: Dorsey; running backs Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, and Frank Gore; tight end Jeremy Shockey; wide receiver Andre Johnson; tackles Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez; defensive linemen Jerome McDougle, William Joseph, and Vince Wilfork; linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Eric Winston. In all, an extraordinary 16 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the First-Round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchannon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; and 1 in 2005: Rolle). The Scores From The Miami Hurricane's 2001 National Championship Season 9-1-01 at Penn State WON 33-7 9-8-01 RUTGERS WON 61-0 9-15-01 WASHINGTON** **postponed (due to 9/11) 9-27-01 at Pittsburgh (Thur.) WON 43-21 10-6-01 TROY STATE WON 38-7 10-13-01 at Florida State WON 49-27 10-25-01 WEST VIRGINIA (Thur.) WON 45-3 11-3-01 TEMPLE (HC) WON 38-0 11-10-01 at Boston College WON 18-7 11-17-01 SYRACUSE WON 59-0 11-24-01 WASHINGTON** WON 65-7 12-1-01 at Virginia Tech WON 26-24 ROSE BOWL @Pasadena, CA 1-3-02 Nebraska WON 37-14 (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
11:13 am	Random Thoughts Pranks are always fun... The Great Rose Bowl Prank of 1961. And from the comments on that post, Harvardsucks.org... WATCH THE VIDEO!!! I want. I'm a big jigsaw puzzle fan. Government employed whistleblowers don't have 1st Amendment Rights according to the Supreme Court. Stephen Kohn, chairman of the National Whistleblower Center, said: "The ruling is a victory for every crooked politician in the United States." Perhaps the largest BitTorrent site on the 'net, The Pirate Bay, has been raided and taken down by police in Sweden, where hosting bittorrent files is technically legal. One thing I didn't know about the Pirate Bay folks is that they were forming a political party with one goal: Copyright reformation. Check out their agenda. (Comment on this)