New Uniforms

I recently came across a link online that was from Nike. It stated that the NFL jersey design and rights will be taken over by Nike for the 2012 season. The new jersey ideas they had are unbeleiveable if you ask me. Check them out for yourself and let us know what you think!

http://jockpost.com/nfl-nike-uniforms-2012-real-fake/

My favorite are the Broncos, Patriots, Bengals, and of course the Birds.


- Chief

Response to Tucker Carlson

I recently stumbled upon this article, posted on ESPN.com. The man being interviewed, Tucker Carlson, had some interesting comments regarding Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, whose dogfighting has been well documented.  Here is the Article with a link.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5967015

Fox analyst Tucker Carlson says Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick "should have been executed" for his role in a dogfighting ring.

Carlson was guest hosting for Sean Hannity's show Tuesday night on Fox News Channel when he made the remarks. He led a panel discussion about President Barack Obama commending the owner of the Eagles for giving Vick a second chance after his release from prison.
Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.
Carlson says, "Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did [it] in a heartless and cruel way."
Carlson added, "I think personally he should have been executed for that."
Carlson, a conservative commentator, is angry that Obama told Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie he believes people who have paid for their crimes should have the opportunity to contribute to society again.

WOW, this dude really doesn't have a grip on reality. Yeah, people like OJ can murder someone and get away with it and live a completely normal life, but Vick should be executed for dogfighting. This man really must not have thought before saying this. Your right, Carlson, every person whose made a mistake and been to jail deserves to just rot away working a minimum wage job for the rest of thier life. What is Vick suppose to do? Waste his pro-bowl starting and potential MVP talent and go find work in Newport Virginia because of his mistakes? No, he should be sentenced to death, right Carlson. This guy is a joke. I think all the Vick haters are complete jokes also. This stuff goes on all the time and people are thrown in jail for similiar crimes as Vick. These people receive little or no attention in the media, serve thier time, and then are free to go try and make something of themselves. Also I think its important to look at fellow NFL player Donte Stallworth. Stallworth was drunk and smoking marijuana while driving a car, and killed a man. A human being that is, not a dog. He revieved a mere 1 month sentnece in which he only served about 20 days.  Hmm... who is the real criminal here, Someone who buys a nice property for his close inner circle and those who live there do bad things (Even though Vick more than likely knew about the dogfighting and probably did partake in it at times) or somone who gets drunk and high and gets behind the wheel and kills another civilian. Vick did 23 months in a federal prison, so in my eyes he paid his debts to all these animal rights clowns who try and make an uproar about things such as Obama flicking a bug off his sleeve during a state of the union address. These people really need to get a life and stop being jealous of the success Vick is having, and they should embrace Vick's story of redemption.

-Chief

Lakers

Someone told me I was crazy for worrying about the Lakers in their slump a few weeks ago. Well, to be honest, I am still worried. Kobe and the boys can't come out and show the Heat who's boss in the biggest game on Christmas day? This is the same team that stole all of the attention from them this offseason after they won the championship. The same team the oddsmakers completely disrespected the Lakers by picking them as favorites to win it this year. I just cannot believe that they lose to the Bulls, lose to the Heat. I can see them slumping and losing a couple meaningless games during the regular season but national television games like this are basically like playoff games. I know in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. However, if you have any pride and I know Kobe does, you have to go out and win that game on Christmas. There was too much talk, Phil and Kobe both having one on one interviews on ESPN the week leading up and causing a hoopla about the game. I'd love to see Kobe win it again and make a case to go down in history either equal or on top of Jordan, but he'd better start picking it up as well as the guys around him. -Buzzy

Eagles Vs. Vikings

First of all, we had a little layoff and were not able to post on one of the greatest moments in Philadelphia sports history. The new "Meadowlands Miracle" was the greatest thing I have seen in my lifetime in terms of sporting events and I have a feeling it can stand up to past special moments as well. That game solidified Jackson and Vick's place in the future of the Eagles organization. They absolutely need to be resigned and aside from some terrible off the field situation, I don't see any roadblocks to them being here for the duration of their careers. I know Vick is interested in staying and I'm not positive about Jackson but as long as we have Vick, I don't see why he wouldn't want to. I will not lie, I completely lost faith when they were down by three touchdowns, even momentarily turning off the game (never have done this before). If there were Birds fans out there who had faith, I commend your optimism and foresight. I guess it is never really early with the firepower we have on offense this year. Vick was spectacular and made a great case for MVP this year, although Brady makes an equally appealing case, in my opinion it is really a toss up between the two. Jackson's play was simply electric and had every room of Eagles fans I have heard of up, screaming and hugging.

However, the player we cannot forget about is Maclin. Jackson continues to get the press but at times I think the Celek and Maclin are just as, if not more important than the little guy. Maclin is a touchdown machine, steadily scoring points throughout the year. He has continued to improve with his time with the Eagles and has become a favorite target for Vick. He doesn't get the press the Jackson does but deserves just as much credit. Celek as well, just coming up huge in the Chicago and New York games. I think Kolb looked for the tight end more for some reason just naturally in his progression but Vick has the confidence to put it on him in pressure situations. It is nice to see that Vick has confidence in not only his running ability but also three different receivers even if its the last play of the game. If I'm on defense against the Eagles in the redzone I don't know whether to play QB run, tight end in the middle or Maclin or Jackson on the outside. McCoy of course is also dangerous, another weapon on the list. It scares me that we played so poorly early in that New York game, but the ending forced me to believe that this team has something special. If nothing else, they have the confidence to keep their cool down three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They also will not accept losing, I loved the onside kick call in the fourth, Reid has improved his coaching this year by adopting his team's attitude of aggressiveness and spontaneity.

This game vs. the Vikings is huge. We need to show consistency. I would love to see them come out and play a complete game without needing a miracle to get the W. If Favre plays, he still scares me and I believe he can win at any time. The next in line, Joe Webb, seems like an athlete. If we give that young guy a chance to hang around and make some plays, he could make something happen at the end of the game. We need our defensive backs to take advantage of the young guy if Favre's out. I would like to see them have some momentum and confidence heading into the playoffs. I did not pay particular attention to how Bradley's backup played against New York, any thoughts? When is he returning??

Eagles 27 - Vikings 10

-Buzzy

Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth

Sunday Dime of Da Day

Reggie's old girl:

Sunday Quote of the Day

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Henry Ford 

The brain is just like any other muscle. You must exercise your brain in order for it to continue working at a high level. People usually recommend doing puzzles in order to keep your brain fresh. However, I would recommend either continuing in one subject or learning a new subject/skill because this exercises the brain to keep in sharp but its also you can use material or skills more so than just puzzles. -Buzzy

NBA

Sixers, its time! Let's make a move. I'm sick of sitting around and constantly rebuilding for the future. The future is now! The Magic just picked up Arenas to add to their star duo of Nelson and Howard. We beat the Magic today, we can compete with these teams in the east. For some reason people around the league think that Iguodala is a more valuable resource than he actually is. We need to use him, another one or two of our young players and some future draft picks to get a number one go-to superstar. The NBA is a star powered league, you need someone who can put up over 20 points every single night and win the game individually when it comes down to the wire. Carmelo wants to come to the east coast, I know that the Knicks are improving and they are his number one choice. However, use the fact that Philly is the New New York. We have Mike Vick, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard at the Sixers games. We have legitimate chances to be in a Superbowl and World Series this year. We have leverage to get a star NBA player to come into an increasingly huge sports market here in Philly. This is the time to swoop in and make a steal with Melo. Cliff Lee gave the best commercial for Philly sports by talking about the city the way he did. With the Magic making moves like they did if we sit around and let the Knicks get Melo we might as well hope for the lottery pick again. Stefanski has not been great so far but he has not been terrible either, he needs to step up and make a move that is going to put us on par with the best teams in the east. The Sixers have proven that we have the supporting cast to win, we just need a star to lead the way. -Buzzy
Let's go Ed, do it for Delco!!! (Bonner Grad):

Champions League Round of 16 Early Predictions

The most exciting yearly tournament in Soccer is down to the sixteen best clubs in the world. I have some predictions though the games aren’t nearly for two months. There are two legs in each round and the aggregate score of the two games will determine the winner.

AS Roma (ITA) vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

Roma is led by a solid group of Italian players which should be able to stifle Shakhtar. I don’t see the Series A team losing this one.

Prediction: AS Roma (5-1)

 AC Milan (ITA) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)

This is definitely one of the more intriguing matchups in the first round. Zlatan Ibrahminovic, the club’s big pickup in the previous transfer window, is a scary Swedish striker who is going to give the Tottenham defensive units fits. Tottenham is getting a lot of respect with their showing here, but Cinderella is going home.

Prediction: AC Milan (6-4)

Valencia CF (ESP) vs. FC Schalke 04 (GER)

Not a very exciting matchup, gonna go with the Spaniards though.

Prediction: Valencia CF (5-4)

FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) vs. Bayern München (GER)

Last year’s final gives us an exciting first round matchup. This is going to be stellar. Two exciting legs, but the impressiveness of the German heavy Bayern squad has me thinking Inter is gonna have an early exit this tournament.

Prediction: Bayern München (5-4)

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) vs. Real Madrid (ESP)

Real is sick. Only weakness was the Barca game. Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo are going to get the French club the boot real early.

Prediction: Real Madrid  (8-3)

Arsenal (ENG) vs. FC Barcelona (ESP)

FC Barcelona is playing the best football in the world with the three best players in the world in Iniesta, Xavi, and Messi. Arsenal is on a resurgence, but is there any question that Barca is the odds on favorite to  take the champions league?

Prediction: FC Barcelona (8-1)

Olympique de Marseille (FRA) vs. Manchester United (ENG)

The French clubs are in for a rude awakening when the Premierships top of the table stomps on Marseille.

Prediction: Manchester United (4-1)

FC København (DEN) vs. Chelsea FC (ENG)

Chelsea is slipping right now but Drogba and co will run the Copenhager.

Prediction: Chelsea FC (5-2)


-Mike Serra (@MikeSerra90)

Old Commercial

All you Mike Vick fans check this one out. Its an old commercial from back in Vick's Atlanta days. Pretty Cool commercial check it out.




- Chief

What I'm Listening To

Whats up everyone haven't been on here in a little bit. Thought I'd check back in with some music. I recently listened to up and coming rapper J Cole's new mixtape Friday Night Lights. DAMN!! This guy goes hard on every track, and if you haven't heard him by now you should definately give him a listen.

 I'm postin this track, In The Mornin'. This songs a little slow moreR&B type but dont get it twisted Cole goes hard, listen to his other tracks. The one has Drake on it. Let me know whose verse you think are better. But for real let this guy borrow your ears for a little. Some of his other tracks I like are Home for the Holidays, Before I'm Gone, and School Daze. Cole World No Blanket!

- Chief

Saturday Dime of Da Day

Adam Archuleta's Wife:

Saturday Quote of the Day

"When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean."

—Lin-Chi

Simplify your life.

McNabb

Looks like I have been right all along above Donovan. He was a great player when he was young because he is was an incredible athlete when he was young. However, he has never been an accurate passer. Yes, he can throw the ball downfield but still he normally overthrows the ball. He was terrible as a west coast offense quarterback because he just cannot accurately throw short balls. The west coast offense only works if the wide receivers can catch and run with the ball. People always said that he never had good receivers to work with in Philly but the great thing about the west coast offense is that you do not need good receivers. All you have to do is put the ball on the money because the passes are short enough that the pressure cannot get to the QB and the defense cannot play that close to the line on the WR without risking giving up the deep ball on a double move. The only reason we had success with Donovan was because our defense was incredible and he was athletic enough to make some superhuman plays every game and put enough points on the board to get wins. I always thought we had more success when our backups were playing; Feeley, Detmer and Garcia. Reid was simply too stubborn to admit that his first draft pick was not the best choice and stayed with him all those years. I give Andy credit though he finally made the best move by drafting Kolb. He gave him time to develop and Kolb is a great west coast offense quarterback. If it weren't for Vick playing like the best player in the league this year Kolb would be playing great. Although it is a very valuable asset to be sitting on the sideline I feel that we should hold onto Kolb rather than trade him because Vick takes too many hits, we need Kolb to be ready to step in if Vick goes down. Now the Skins are benching McNabb because they realized his best years are behind him. They also realized that with MnNabb you will never convert on third down because his favorite thing to do on the football field is throw the ball two yards short of the marker on third down. His agent said he is being disrespected but he really is getting what he deserves, to sit on the bench. His best years are past him and he has had too many injuries and his athleticism is not what it used to be. His throwing on the other hand is the same, the reason he needs to sit down. -BUzzy

76ers and Philly vs. New York

I was disappointed that the Sixers didn't get the win tonight. When you play the Lakers and hold Kobe Bryant to only nine points you have to win the game. It was encouraging to see them play the Lakers tough but that was a perfect opportunity to get a win over a quality opponent. Although they have not won against quality opponents yet, someone's comment pointed out that they only beat the Nets and Clippers when they won two straight, they are playing better. The core nucleus of young players has improved since the beginning of the season. They really need to change the culture of the team. Even as the Sixers play better it seems as if they know that their not supposed to beat teams like the Celtics or the Heat and find a way to lose at the end of the game. Its clear that they are better than the worst teams in the league and I feel that they can compete with the upper echelon in the league. They need to use this year to gain confidence. This is not the year to root for them to lose and hopefully get a good lottery pick. This is the year that we need to start winning games and have the young players get excited about their future together. This is a great time to be an athlete in Philadelphia. Mike Vick, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard were at the game tonight. I think that some big name free agents around the league are going to start to put Philadelphia on their list of cities to consider coming to next year. The fact that Cliff Lee came to Philadelphia for less money because he and his family enjoyed actually living and raising a family in Philadelphia was great for the city. I think that as the Phillies become a dynasty and we have young budding super stars on the Eagles there is an excitement in the city. I believe things like that mean more to athletes more than you might think. Vick has acknowledged that he plans on staying in Philly as well. Also, New York is slowly but surely losing its allure. We really need to get rid of Iguodala and get a big, marketable star on the Sixers. Maybe Carmelo starts to reconsider the east coast market he wants to enter and put Philly on his list. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that the Flyers went to the Stanley Cup last year? Does anyone know the big name NBA players who will be free agents this coming year or are there any truths to Iguodala being traded this year? Please comment if you have any information and I will begin research next week.

Friday--HELP WANTED!!!!!!!!!

Sorry we did not have the posts today, everyone was very busy/tired from finals along with work. Hopefully visitors took the time to search through old posts and catch up on anything you have missed. Over christmas break, starting next week we are hoping to take the blog to the next level. The first step is to find someone who can design websites. We would love to get everything set up to look cool and catch people's attention. We also need to set the site up in a way the is very neat, accessible and in a way where people can find exactly what they are looking for very quickly. Also, I need to set everything up so that we can show up on Google if people search things like Philly sports, Philly blogs, Eagles, etc, etc. If you have any experience with this and can help us out contact either me or Chief and let us know and we can work out some form of compensation.

Along with a fee we will also advertise for you. Believe it or not we do get some pretty good traffic on the site with a wide variety of visitors. After I posted about the t-shirt company aPHILLYated, I had people putting in orders (no lie at all) within ten minutes. I can tell you from personal experience trying to get my own name out there that advertising and marketing yourself is so important, if you would like to use our blog space to get your business' name or merchandise out in the open let us know and we can certainly set something up. As I said in the first paragraph we are going to design the site to make it more legitimate hopefully to get even more traffic.

Also, we are looking to hire more staff writers to blog on a bigger variety of topics. This is not just a sports blog. I myself am a criminology major and more posts, similar to my commentary on the Philly prison system, will be coming out. We will also have a who new section or nightlife and restaurants in Philly. Another area we will be covering is personal fitness and sport specific training. The next subject matter that I am very interested in is music. Hopefully we can get a amount of information on up and coming musicians, especially in the area. If you are trying to make a name for yourself, let us know and we will help any way we can. "Screw Santa" is all about helping people from our great area of Delco/Philly make it big because there are no more real people then here in our area. As we get more topics we will continue to attract new visitors and hopefully build a bigger fan base. This means if you decide to advertise you will really be getting you name out to people of different age groups/interests.

Thank you so much for all the support and compliments you guys have given me so far, it means so much to me and Chief. We know that this isn't the most serious blog in the world and by no means are we trying to become famous. We really just have fun making comments and having good discussions on topics that interest us. Please give us suggestions on how we can make the site better. We really hope it just becomes something you put on your favorite list and check out everyday when your sitting in class or at work on your computer and have a couple minutes you want to waste to pass the time. Its all about having some fun and hopefully we can help some people out along the way! Thanks---Buzzy

Mark Cuban and BCS

Mark Cuban is apparently trying to throw some money around in order to set up a playoff instead of having the bowl system. He said that he will be doing something that "the whole country wants." This is all because he is reading the book "Death to the BCS". I don't understand why this guy thinks its his business to get into every other business. He tried to buy a major league baseball team and now he wants to get involved in college football? Did it ever occur to him that a lot of people actually like the BCS system. I for one am in favor of it and I just heard the Wisconsin head coach on ESPN say that he and all of his players love the system because each week is a playoff game. Wisconsin is actually a team who would have a shot to win the National Championship if there were a playoff, they certainly have the talent. However, they respect the fact that they lost a game so they don't make it. I have argued my reasoning for why the bowl system is better in earlier posts. I think Mark Cuban should hear the other side of the story rather than wasting millions of dollars because he read half of a book.-Buzzy

aPHILLYated Apparel

Hey guys check out one of my good friend's clothing company they just started this past year. The company is based in Philly and they got some sick designs. They are just getting started but everything looks awesome and you should really check out the facebook page and they have a website. They have a lot of Philly-themed shirts but at the same time there's something for everybody (T-shirts, hoodies, etc.). I'll leave links to their facebook page as well as the actual website. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/APHILLYATEDAPPAREL
http://www.aphillyated.com/


Here are just a couple of the shirt designs, there are plenty more:

Thursday Dime of Da Day

Dayummm look at Dis Dime

Thursday Quote of the Day

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." _Albert Einstein


Einstein never actually did very well in school. He was a C student who rarely went to class and relied on his girlfriend's class notes to study for exams, which he procrastinated for. He also went against his father's wishes by not going into engineering. He spent most of his free time brainstorming about his ideas in physics and his theories led him to become known as one of the smartest people of our time. Big Al was a firm believer in intuition. Actually his Theory for relativity just came as a hunch. He worked backwards, first coming up with the theory then he spent years trying to find formulas to prove it. I know that most people feel that things like The Secret and positive thinking is all BS, if you read most of Einstein's quotes they usually contain those same themes. He liked to take walks and just spend time thinking and visualizing the problem in his mind that he was working on. 
Visualization is proven to be very effective in a variety of settings. Athletes who have injured and unable to perform physically but visualized themselves going over their technique everyday. Like anything else this becomes a skill that you have to work on everyday for it to be effective. If you can work your way up to 20-30 minutes of visualizing it can have a positive impact on your performance. There are actually studies that prove this. It can be helpful not only for sports but any stressful situations; a public speech, big test or even going out to socialize or market yourself at a big event. The best technique to use is to try to include all five senses while picturing your scene in your mind. Smell and feel the grass, taste your mouthguard, hear the calls and crowd and see the receiver making the cut. 
--Buzzy

Buzzy's NBA Daily Picks

Went 8-2 last night. We'll see if I can keep up the above average winning percentage.

Wizards vs. Nets

Nets beat the Wizards.

Hawks Vs. Celtics

Hawks end Celtics streak.

Spurs vs. Nuggets

Spurs win.

Auburn Knew Something Everyone Else Didn’t

It’s December 13, 2008. Auburn just lost Tommy Tuberville. They have just hired Gene Chizik. He had only two wins the previous  season at lowly Iowa State, the cellar dwellers of the Big 12. The football community is up in arms about his terrible record, but not just because of his poor performance, but because Chizik is selected over the coach of Buffalo, an African-American coach named Turner Gill. As sir Charles Barkley so eloquently put it, g "race was the Number one factor. You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two résumés and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst résumé."

                Flash forward almost exactly two years later. Transfer Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton stands up at the podium selecting arguably the most prestigious award in all of sports, the Hesiman Trophy.  Chizik has led his team to the 2011 BCS National Championship in only two years, a twenty one and five record, and an SEC Championship. Turner Gill went 5-7 in his last year at Buffalo and then 3-9 in his first season at Kansas.

                Maybe Auburn knew something we didn’t know? The race card (Sir Charles) is sometimes trumped by the performance card. In the end Chizik is the better coach, he turned the team around and obviously the Tigers knew what they needed/wanted and got it. Not saying Gill does not have a bright future, but he wasn’t exactly burning through the MAC. So as of now I would say Auburn made the right choice.

Even if all he did was buy Cam Newton’s dad a car to get him to come to Auburn…

-Mike Serra (@MikeSerra90)

Sixers - Lost Cause?

People are saying the sixers are just young. I can't say I agree. After watching the sixers throughout the early season, I gave them a chance. I like Doug Collins alot too, but its not his fault, frankly its the whole image and layout of the team. There is no one player that can sell the franchise. And this is a big part for a team to use to promote to the city. They need to get some exposure other than these corny "Guys Night Out" deals. Not only that their "run and gun" offense is really outdated. No one in the NBA can survive with this type of offensive approach. If you compare the sixers to successful NBA teams you will see that all their foundations are made up of the pick and roll.

First Post, I know I am starting slow with the sixers, just trying to get my feet wet.

Coming Soon.............Philly Nightlife  + Texting and Facebook in Philly Colleges

_____Franco Colone________

Buzzy's Daily NBA Picks

Lakers vs. Pacers


Gotta go with the Lakers here, Bynum looked good last night and he's only going to get better. 


Celtics vs. Knicks


Great game here tonight. Both teams are riding winning streaks and its two of the best teams in the East. As I said earlier the Knicks are going to be a surprise team this year. They play great team defense and Stoudemire is killing it on the offensive end. He is doing especailly well in the 4th quarter of games which is why they started winning games because they have been playing great defense all year. Still I think the Celtics will be too much for them and they have some momentum going themselves. The Celtics will be up for this one because people are trying to hype it up as a rivalry game and they know the whole nation will be watching. Celtics win in a close one. 


Clippers vs. Sixers


I like the Sixers here to get the 3rd in a row. I like to see people stepping up and getting it done even when AI isn't doing well. We are improving and I like the direction our young guys are going in. 


Bulls vs. Raptors


Bulls are a better team, they get the win tonight. 


Cavs vs. Heat


It won't be the debacle that happened last time they played but the Heat will win the game. 


Kings vs. Hornets


Hornets win. 


Rockets vs. Thunder


Rockets win. 


Bobcats vs. Grizzlies 


? you tell me ?


Bucks vs. Spurs


Spurs get the W. 


Twolves vs. Suns


I like to Twolves tonight. 


Blazers vs. Mavs

Mavs get back on track and beat the Blazers after that embarrassing loss, losing after being up by 20 vs. the Bucks. That was a terrible way to end the winning streak they had, the game was even at home. I know the their Coach was not at all happy about that and I'm sure they will be ready to play tonight. I hope their fans booed them for that, you can't let a streak like that end when they were playing that good of basketball. Dirk usually hits those shots he missed in the paint at the end of the game, I see him going off tonight, getting a double-double as they win easily. 

Wednesday Quote of the Day

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
-Mark Twain

Wednesday Dime of Da Day

Vida Guerra :

College Recruiting

I am going to do a post on the "business" of college recruiting. High school athletes really need to understand that college football is a business and as a high school football recruit you are self-employed until you choose to join a company (team). This is really the mindset you must take if you want to end up at  the level that you deserve to be at. For every spot on Division 1, II or III teams there are multiple players who are just as talented but may not make it because they lacked the opportunity for a variety of reasons. With all of the technology that high school students are exposed to, there is little excuse for not marketing yourself and getting the attention that you deserve.

The first step is obviously to perform on the field. I will not go into this step in detail because it is self-explanatory, however, I will say that you want to get on the field as early as possible and as soon as you have plays worthy of putting on tape or stats worthy of sending to college coaches, send this material out to any school you are interested in. The sooner coaches can get to know you, your name and your play the better it is for you. Also, show your versatility to coaches, show that you are able to play different positions and always sound willing to play any position the team would need you at if you were to play at their school. A majority of players change positions when they arrive at college and coaches want players who are willing to sacrifice for the team.

The second step is to attend as many camps and combines as possible. Although I personally hate combine statistics and think that they have extremely little value in evaluating talent, they are extremely important in college recruiting. The 40 yard dash, pro shuttle and bench press is just like anything else; if you practice it enough you can improve your score. As the summer approaches you should spend at least 2 months working specifically on these drills as well as your positional individual drills so that you can perform well at camps. Many players may be great, tough, gamer type football players who are great with the pads on. However, it will help your stock immensely if you look good with shorts and a t-shirt on at these camps. Most big Division I camps have not only coaches from that school but also many coaches from lower divisions. Usually the testing is the first day of the camp and if you run a good 40 yard dash you will be on the radar of the coaches. Next, its up to you to do well in the position drills while the coaches are keeping an eye on you. It is also important to remember that you should always practice good character and sportsmanship because someone is always watching and evaluating and you would be surprised how many coaches will write a player off if he has a bad attitude.

The next step is most important. After your junior season you need to make a highlight tape that includes every game. There is a very specific way to do this. First of all, do not just put the games in chronological order and have the first quarter of the first game first and the last quarter of the last game as the last play. Coaches do not have time to watch a twenty minute video of every tape that comes into their office. You need to take you ten best plays and be sure that they are the first ten plays on the tape. Many coaches will only watch 5 to 10 plays of your tape so make sure your best play is first and so on. Do not worry about special effects or music or anything along those lines, simply show the best plays. As mentioned earlier, be sure to show versatility, try to have highlights from offense, defense and special teams. Make sure you include highlights of making good blocks and tackles, coaches need to know that you can block and tackle. However, make on mistake about it, coaches want athletes and your first five plays should be your most athletic plays of the year.

After your junior year that summer should be spend going to combines and camps and preparing for the year. I would add in that you should take an SAT/ACT prep class during your junior year and the summer. These classes really do work and you need to make sure that you are eligible for teams to recruit you. If you are a good student and don't think that you are in jeopardy you should still take a prep class. You would be surprised how athletics can help you get into prestigious universities that you otherwise would not have gotten into such as Stanford, Cal, Ivy League, Patriot League, etc. Most of these schools have specific academic requirements for recruited athletes. When you send your tapes to schools you should also send your academic information so they can let you know whether you are eligible by NCAA standards and for their specific school. Also, do not get caught up in one specific school because every year teams have different needs, one year they may need more quarterbacks than the next or vice-versa.

The next most important step is after the first two or three games of your senior year. At this point recruiting is really heating up. Most teams have a good idea of who they are looking at after the junior year but they will give everyone a chance to prove what they did in the off season. After your second or third game of the year you must get a high light tape together. Again, you best play should be the first play and continue on from there. You also should send a full length game film of your best game. This is so important to get ahead of the game because if you wait until the end of the year most of the scholarships will have already been given out. If you wait until the end you may be just as, if not more talented than someone else but they were ahead of the game and got the offer. Coaches will be very busy during this time of the year with their own season so again make sure those first three to five plays display your athleticism because that may be all they see. After the year be sure to follow up with a highlight tape of the rest of the year. Remember that until you actually sign a document, the process is never over. Always keep your options open and have back-up plans in case something were to happen. You should always make the best decision for you and your family and never be afraid to do what is best for you individually. It can be difficult as a teenager to deal with adult coaches but you must stand your ground and do what you need to do.

This leads me to my last point of marketing yourself. There are many tools out there to market yourself. Put your highlight video on youtube, facebook and other things like that. Any time you can get your name out there it is a good thing. Cut out all of your newspaper clippings and send them to colleges. If you get any awards at school or in the community be sure to send it to the coaches. Always be proactive about calling coaches and letting them know who you are, what you play and that you are interested in your school. There are so many high school football players you cannot sit back and wait for coaches to find you.-Buzzy

New Oregon Uniforms

These are the uniforms designed for Oregon's bowl game. Oregon basically wears a new uniform for every game because Nike CEO Phil Knight graduated from the university. I am kind of surprised that they kept it fairly simple for the big game because a lot of times they love to rock extremely flashy uniforms with all different types of patterns and colors. I really like these uniforms, especially the number on the side of the undershirt sleeve and the color of the helmet. Oregon also has the best locker rooms in the country, each player has an individual television in their locker. Also, they have a completely new basketball court design this year. All of these perks have to be beneficial in their recruiting efforts. It seems to have helped the football program, let's see if the new court can help get some attention toward basketball.-Buzzy

Penguins vs. Flyers

Big game tonight for the Flyers.  The Penguins are coming in on a 13 game win streak and looking to continue their success behind Sydney Crosby's unbelievable year.  Brian Boucher has been hot with a 1.71 GAA in his last 5 starts and going 4-1-0 on top of that.  Should be an interesting match up to see if Boucher can continue that hot streak against Crosby and their high powered attack.  With the game at home and some in state bragging rights on the line, I think Philly will come out with the win and end Pittsburgh's winning streak.  I got the Flyers tonight, in what should be one of the best games of the year so far.

-Deuce

NBA

The Lakers are getting Bynum back tonight. Let's see if he can help them turn this two week slump around. If they don't start winning soon I think it may be time to worry. I love the Lakers and Kobe Bryant and always thought that they had nothing to worry about but two weeks is a long time to be struggling. They might just be getting a little too old to dominate for the entire season. We'll see what happens but I'm pulling for Kobe to turn it around, have a great season and win another title. -Buzzy

Four Aces : The Philadelphia Phillies hold the best hand in baseball

The Four Aces, the Four Horsemen, R2C2. The triumvirate of pitchers the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired over the past calendar year added to a World Series MVP (who was pitching the baseball of his career toward the end of last regular season) already has too many nicknames to count. On April 2^nd when Leroy Halladay III (real name) walks out on to the field. That’s not all though, Clifton Lee (real name) comes out on the 2^nd day of that three game series, and Jason Werth is going to immediately regret taking his talents to Capitol Hill.  Then the third game of the series will happen, and Roy Oswalt, a perennial all-star, is going to step on the bump. How insane is that? Every team the Phillies face this year will get TWO aces, sometimes three and on the most rare of occasions there is potential that a team like the Mets could see R2C2 all week in a four game set! These guys are all potential 20 game winners, they have a mix of right left right left, and they have a Cy Young winner and a WS MVP amongst them!

One thing has alluded the Roys and Cliff Lee however, that world series bling. Lee has been one step away the past two year, and the Roys went to the NLCS this year finally tasting glory after years on below average teams fuddling around in futility. Cliff Lee made the decision to put his money on the best horse out there (even if it is 30 million dollars less). The Phillies had to be the favorite (again) in the NL up until early this morning, but now they are arguable the favorite in the MLB. They have their playoff rotation set, and they can pretty much pick a fan out of the stands for their pitcher every 5^th day.  The offensive fire power and defensive prowess, plus this absolutely dastardly pitching rotation combined with the benefits that these innings eaters will provide for the bullpen has the Phillies with their most potent combination they have had in their recent division success.

                This final paragraph has a lot less to do with the Phillies, and a lot more to do with the Yankees suffering and how much I absolutely love it. Now light years behind the Red Sox, and with an up-and-coming Blue Jays squad, and a proven Rays team (given they will be Crawford-less), the Yankees are poised to drop off of the face of the baseball universe. They think age is a problem in Philadelphia? Cashman and company just gave seven years to thirty six year old not-what-he-used-to-be shortstop Derek Jeter and resigned formerly-clutch-half-octogenarian-closer Mariano Rivera. Their pitching rotation has two no-names accompanied with two underwhelming names in Burnett and Hughes, and an ace with injury problems. Not to mention the Sox have picked up a stud hitter in Gonzalez whose numbers are bound to go up now out of the hitter’s hell that is San Diego, and Carl Crawford a perennial top 10 outfielder who gives them a spark at the top of the order. If the Toronto Blue Jays manage to snag Zack Grienkie, the Evil Empire could finish, dare I say, fourth in the AL East. Tampa is still good, even without Crawford, and with the Jays and Sox improving, will NY get left behind? Rumor has it that Theo Epstein actually tried to take Joey Blanton of the Phitins to free up cap space so Philly could sign Lee! What a kick in the gonads to the Bronx Bombless!

It’s only December, but I think next November Broad Street will be celebrating a Phillies win over Red Sox nation

Thanks Theo.

-Mike Serra (@MikeSerra90)