Dennis Dixon vs Matt Grothe

Pretty good matchup today at 2:00. Dennis Dixon vs Matt Grothe, Oregon vs South Florida. Two versatile QB's, who can both pass and run (Both could be considered a poor man's Tim Tebow). Both quarterbacks, where basically unheard of last year, and this year have taken their teams as far as the number 2 spot in the country.

BUT, scratch that. That is what the matchup would have been. Unfortunately, Dixon tore his ACL, and will not be able to play in the Sun Bowl. Too bad, would have been a great game.

See Ya Later Kyle

Philadelphia's resident Ashton Kutcher look-a-like, Kyle Korver, is heading to Utah. In his place, the Sixers will get Gordy Giricek, and a first round draft pick.
Korver will be missed, for his lights-out three-point shooting (including second place in the 2005 All-Star Weekend 3-Point Challenge), and his involvement with the Philadelphia community. He was very active in helping the Coats for kids drive, donating winter coats to Operation Warm. They, in turn, give disadvantaged kids new winter coats.
The Gordon Giricek I remember is the one who averaged 12.2 ppg during two season with the Magic, and who hasn't been very cooperative with the Jazz offices. I'm not too excited player-for-player wise, but the first round pick sounds pretty good, for a team that still lacks a face of the franchise since Allen Iverson has left. Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams have some potential, but lack A.I. charisma.

The Next Batch of NCAA Dominance in Florida?

Is the dominance of Miami, Florida, and Florida State over? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but look at for the new kids.
South Florida, Florida Atlantic, and Central Florida, all have less then 50 years of college football under their belts combined. FAU football was only started in 2001! This year, 5 teams from Florida will compete in the bowl season. This list doesn't even include Miami. Two teams (Florida and South Florida) are ranked. (Both were in the top ten some time in the year.) So maybe we'll be seeing more Bulls, Owls, and Knights during New Years rather than Gators, Seminoles, and Hurricanes.

Florida in the Bowls:
Florida Atlantic (7-5) vs Memphis (7-5) Dec. 21nd 8:00 on ESPN2
UCF (10-3) vs Mississippi State (7-5) Dec. 29th 4:30 on ESPN
South Florida (9-3) vs Oregon (8-4) Dec. 31st 2:00 on CBS
Kentucky (7-5) vs Florida State (7-5) Dec. 31st 4:00 on ESPN
Michigan (8-4) vs Florida (9-3) Jan. 1st 1:00 on ABC

PiPA Update: Martin Gramatica

This just in (5 days ago), the New Orleans Saints have signed Martin Gramatica. Martin was last seen with the New England Patriots, but never actually played with them. Of course he was Tampa Bays kicker during the Super Bowl run of 2002, known as "Automatica Gramatica". At least once a day I think of one of his T.O.esque celebrations (who am I kidding?). I seriously hope he can have a good rest of the season.


He went 1-1 with a 31yarder on Sunday against the Cardinals

Mic'd Up

Ted Ginn Jr.: Man! Isn't the NFL AWESOME!
Troy Smith: Yeah! This beats going to the BCS Championship game any day!
TGJ:..........................
TS:........................
TGJ:........ 1st Win in 15 games......
TS: ....8 game losing streak.......
TGJ:....
TS:......
TGJ: Man! This sucks!
TS: Lets find out if Chris Weinke can get us back in.
TGJ: I'm in

Week 15: PA vs. FLA

Buccaneers:
Michael Spurlock did something Karl "The Truth" Williams, Aaron Stecker (now with the Saints), and countless other Kick returners could never do; return one for a touchdown. 1,865th time is the charm.
Tampa Bay also clinched the NFC South. Last year was horrendous with a 4-12 record, and an 0-6 division record. This season, for some inexplicable reason, they are playing decent football. They still have not lost in the division (Last game of the season is against the Carolina Panthers).

Dolphins:
A day for first in Florida. Tampa gets their first kick return and Miami wins. Once again the Dolphins were about to get their 7th loss by 3 points, when god must have felt sorry. Ravens miss the field goal; Cleo Lemon works his magic (anyone think that sentence would be uttered before this year?)
On the other side of the ball, what is happening to the Ravens? Two weeks removed from a near win against the undefeated Patriots, with the defense clicking, they get blown out by Indy and then become the answer to prayer against the Miami Dolphins.

Eagles:
This was it, if the Eagles were to only win one more game the whole year, this would be the game to win Philly fans would say. The Cowboys also had something to play for, or should I say Cowboy. Tony Romo's latest blonde was in attendance, and all was set for a Big D Blowout. Funny thing: that never got started, even funnier: Philadelphia came away with the W. Across the North East, workers in their cubicles will never hear the end of how Donovan McNabb stole one from Romo in his own house.
Another incredible thing also happened during the game: A player gave up a touchdown for the teams benefit! In an era where basketball player would shoot at their own basket to get that final rebound for a triple double, Brian Westbrook laid down at the one yard line to kill the clock and seal the victory. Could you see Terrell Owens do that, "And miss a chance to celebrate? No Way!". So I thank Brian Westbrook, thank you for thinking about the game, instead of you choreography.


Steelers and Jaguars:
Was that really the Pittsburgh Defense out there on Sunday? Or did the Oakland Raiders just put on some Steeler jerseys and go into the game for them? Seriously, if the Jags can do this to Pittsburgh, watch out. After seeing Fred Taylors performance, I was shocked to read that he has never been to a Pro Bowl. He has had 7 1,000yd seasons, including a 1,500 yd performance in '03.
These teams seem to be taking different routes to the playoffs: Pittsburgh is limping, while the Jags, with their two-headed monster of Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, are surging.

Standings
1.) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)
2.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)
3.) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
4.) Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)
5.) Miami Dolphins (1-13)

Florida is pulling away. Every team in the sunshine state won this week, including the Fins!

Attention NBA

If you are in a position of authority in the NBA, do not allow your players to have a deal with Steve and Barry's, the discount athletic sportswear store. Forget the Madden Curse or the SI Jinx, this involves the whole team.
Case in point, last year the New York Knicks were struggling. They had a 33-49 record with a winning percentage of .402. This year, with Steve and Barry's leader of the "Starbury" shoe line, Stephon Marbury, the Knicks have limped to a 6-11 record (.353 winning percentage) including a court trial and a loss to the Boston Celtics by just about 50 points.
Exhibit B: Ben Wallace led the Chicago Bulls to a decent 49-33 record (.598). After starting the "Big Ben" product line at Steve and Barry's: 5-11 (.313).
So I cry out to you Dwight Howard, forget discount basketball shoes. The Magic need you, I need you.

Masks of Glory

Just wanted to expand on the last post. Masks of Glory is a blog dedicated to the goalies of hockey, and the masks they wear.
And the picture to the left is Marc Denis with the Lightning. One of my favorites, just for including a Gator.

Where to Find PiPA

This is just going to be a quick post to show where you can read:
The Main Site
(palmsinpa.blogspot.com/)

Sports Illustrated: FanNation
http://www.fannation.com/blogs/show

The Sporting News Sporting Blog
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/Svenjayne

Main Blog is updated first.

And for hockey fans:
http://masksofglory.blogspot.com/

Bucs Might Possibly Be For Real

Some teams, when faced with injury to one or two players, fold. Case in point the Atlanta Falcons without Mike Vick. The Buccaneers however, have gotten better. I thought, at the beginning of the year that the Bucs were a 6 win team. After injury's to Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman, I would have said 4 wins. That's the great thing about this team. People step up. That why Ernest Graham is consistently having 100-yard games, and Luke McCown, after sitting since '04 threw for 313 yards and two scores. How else can you explain the old man known as Joey Galloway having 159 yards in a single game.
So that is the reason Tampa is leading their division by 3 games and yet to lose in the South (Not playing Mike Vick also helps). I do not miss Trent Dilfer at all.

State of College Football Address

Wow. Just wow. Name me one year in any sport, where the unthinkable happened just about every week. Give me a season where a Division II team, beats a Big Ten powerhouse, or a season that Notre Dame finishes with three wins, thanks to Duke. Or where such teams as South Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, or Missouri are in the top 10, let alone top 25! The unstoppable Southern Cal Trojans were beaten a couple times; by STANFORD! This season, no one was safe, that is except for Hawaii. Therefore I believe Hawaii should be in the National Title Game against Ohio State. Any team that did not lose in a season like this, deserves the chance to play the best; to be considered the best.
The defending champs, the Florida Gators, lost their starting QB, and his replacement is a guy who only knows how to use his legs. They're done, Right? Well now, they finished with only 3 losses, and that happy footed quarterback? The probable Heisman winner.
One Heisman candidate came out of nowhere this year. Honestly, before the season, did you even know who Chase Daniels was?
All in all, this was a bad time to start your College Football pick 'em team. Was it enjoyable? Definitely. Do I like it? I'm not so sure. Sure, everyone loves a good upset, but wont they lose some of their luster, when each season is filled with at least ten huge upsets? For now, GO HAWAII!

Thank You Reggie Bush

The New Orleans Saints, beat the Buccaneers, bringing them just one game behind in the NFC South. But wait, for some inexplicable reason, the Saints tried an end around with Brees handing off to Bush, who in turn attempted to pitch it to Devery Henderson. Somewhere in that span of time, Reggie's head wasn't in the game. Maybe, he was daydreaming about USC possibly making it the BCS Championship, or perhaps he was looking forward to New Orleans upcoming heavyweight battle with the Falcons. Whatever the reason was, he held on to that ball a tad too long. The pitch went behind Henderson, and the Bucs recovered with 3:30 left on the clock. I just want to know, who even suggested that play? A QB kneel would be smarter than that play, wasting time, and not turning it over. So my deepest gratitude goes to you, Reggie Bush. Thank you.

Tim Tebow= HE15MAN

"When taking the SAT, write 'Tim Tebow' for every answer. You will score more than 1600." -timtebowfacts.com


No matter how good a player is in college football, he will never win the Heisman if his team has more than 2 losses, or he is an underclassman, right? Well, I believe it is time to throw these ideas out the window. 2 of Florida's losses happened where the defense was on the field. A walkoff field goal, and about 326 consecutive 4th downs converted by LSU. So why punish a player for having 3 losses, even when those losses were all on the defense? The Heisman is for college football's most outstanding player. Oh, so having more touchdowns than Reggie Bush had his Heisman year isn't outstanding? I hope he wins it, because after all, HE'S TIM TEBOW! So with my "HE15MAN" shirt on, I await the verdict.

Is Perfection Probable?

Two days before Christmas, Week 16 will be going on in the NFL. In Gillette Stadium, the Dolphins will attempt to do the unthinkable; Beat the Patriots. The question is, will the Dolphins (0-11) still be winless? The don't have an easy, or should I say difficult route. Their next 3 games include games against the Jets, Bills, and Ravens, not exactly a heavyweight schedule. This team has lost 6 games by 3 points! They could be 6-5 if an opponent field goal goes left, or the go for it on 4 and 1 a couple times.

On the other side, the Patriots recently looked very beatable. Against AJ Feely no less. The Eagles proved something that was thought as imaginary as the tooth fairy; That you can beat the Patriots without the Patriots losing it for you. Tom Brady threw for 380 yards! No interceptions! Yet the hapless Eagles were a Feely interception away from winning. A great performance by a team can beat the Pats. And history is against them. No, Bob Griese and Larry Csonka are not putting voodoo spells on Tom Brady (at least I don't think so). Many teams have been undefeated for the first half. Only one could deal with the pressure. Which also makes me think against the idea of a perfect season. The media is a lot more present now than it was in '72. On a side note:Miami beat New England a 2 or 3 years ago.

Let me get this straight, I am NOT predicting a Miami win on December 23rd. I am just saying don't bet on 17-0 and 0-17 just yet.

Re: Adrian Peterson For MVP!!!

Well, there goes that idea. Just pretend I never said it. On the other hand it did solidify the fact that he is extremely valuable to the Vikings. Shut down Adrian Peterson, and you shut down Minnesota. Next week will be very interesting to see how they do without him for a entire game.

Adrian Peterson for MVP!

Wait, is that too much? Sure, Tom Brady and Randy Moss are having, quite possibly the best season ever, but what does the award say? Most VALUABLE Player. If you take out Tom Brady and put in a decent quarterback, they still have Randy Moss to throw to, plus a top four defense. The same goes if you take out Moss, Brady is still throwing the ball. Without one or another, the Patriots are still looking at 7 or 8 wins.

On the flipside Minnesota has the 22nd best defense, and a horrid passing game. Adrian Peterson is the Vikings. Without him, the Vikings would look like the Dolphins. Not to mention braking the 200 yard mark twice already in the season. If he stays consistant, my vote goes to A.P. Sorry New England.

Pennsylvania vs. Florida NFL Rankings Week 7

1.) Jacksonville (4-2)- Lost to the other undefeated team

2.) Pittsburgh (4-2)- Haven't beaten anyone bigshots, (sounds familiar, huh buckeyes)

3.) Tampa Bay (4-3)- Garcia has no ints, but some costly fumbles

4.) Philadelphia (2-4)- Seriously, can McNabb say anything not stupid, or concerning race?

5.) Miami (0-6)- 0-16? No longer a long shot
The Verdict: Florida Wins this week despite an 0-6 team inside the border.

Any one else extremely annoyed at Mr. Donovan McNabb lately? And this is coming from a fan. I have 3 McNabb bobbleheads on my shelf, and I would like to say something to the Eagles talkative QB, JUST SHUT UP! Please, your becoming your enemy Terrell Owens. Race means nothing concerning winning football games. Sure the Eagles would have a better record if they had a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning. But would it be better with a Joey Harrington. There are good quarterbacks and bad ones. Race has nothing to do with it. Let the writers do the talking, just do your job like the rookie from Syracuse did.

Also Here is WHITE Donovan McNabb

Phillies: Party Like it's 1993!

Wow. On a day reserved for football, I was watching baseball. The Phillies could possibly be the real deal. Everything clicked on Sunday, getting major hits from J-Roll and Ryan Howard, and even our resident 100 year-old Jamie Moyer got it on the right track leading the Phils to a 6-1 win over the Nationals, which, along with a Mets loss, gives the Phillies the NL East Crown, putting them in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Jimmy Rollins had a MVP game to cap off his possible MVP season, with two stolen bases, and a triple that got the fans to throw their cheesteaks in the air for joy. Seriously, I have never seen the fans so excited in a regular season game. This is Philadelphia, where they boo you if you go off one key during the national anthem

Anyway, This is it. The first chance to redeem Mitch Williams, well lets not get too ahead of ourselves.

NFL Rankings (PA vs FLA)

The flag of Philly must hold some mighty powers. At least putting the colors on the Eagles uniforms did something. It transformed a stagnant offense, that looked confused and just plain bad, and turned it on its head. despite giving Jon Kitna (concussion hangover?) a career day, the offense saved the day with its 56 points, 42 of the points in the first half, a record for the Eagles. Keven Curtis looked like Jerry Rice getting 221 yards in the air. This win just confuses me. Is this for real? Somehow, I doubt Curtis will ever hit the 200 yard mark again, but McNabb and Westbrook could easily have the week they had on Sunday again. They have an easy next three weeks with the Giants, Jets, and bye week coming up.

1.) Pittsburgh (3-0)- Look like a top three team right now

2.)Tampa Bay (2-1)- beat a week Rams team

3.) Jacksonville (2-1)- Upset over the Broncos did not include a Elam winner

4.)Philadelphia (1-2)-Gain alot of momentum when Kevin Curtis goes nuts in yellow and blue

5.)Miami (0-3)- Pick who they're playing for Surivival Football every week

My Case for the South Florida Bulls

Before 1997, there were no Bulls. Sure, it doesn't have the history of a Alabama or Penn State, or even Ball State. But they have made major improvements since starting their football program in '97 where they started out as a 1-AA independent, and in just 4 years moved to 1-A, and since 2005 they are now in the Big East. I say this team has the possibility to finish in the top 15 this year, and who knows after that.

Every year they seem to have at least one upset: in '05 it was 9th Louisville, '06 saw them defeat 7th ranked West Virginia. This past year they beat #17 Auburn, which put them in the AP 25 for the first time ever at 23.

This season looks harder they play a weak team next week in UNC, then come the big boys: West Virginia on the 28th, Rutgers on 10-18, and Louisville on 11-17. Lead by QB Matt Grothe, and head coach for all 10 years Jim Leavitt, this team has the potential. Who said Boise State would go no where?

Throwbacks PA Style

Black and Gold will forever be the Steelers, but what about brown? Am I the only one who liked Pittsburgh's throwbacks they wore on Sunday? Sure, the mustard helmets were a little too much, but I like the brown. Also, this week the Eagles will be wearing Blue and Yellow for their 1933 throwbacks (Denver Nuggets meet Baby blue Chargers. And you thought the Steelers looked weird. More information, along with great uniform analysis can be found here http://www.uniwatchblog.com/?p=460

NFL WEEK 2

The NFL Opening Weekend has come and passed. My Buccaneers lost to the Seahawks, then beat division rivals Saints, while the hometown Eagles lost to both Green Bay and Washington. All the while the other state teams, Pittsburgh (2-0), Jacksonville (1-1), and Miami (0-2) had mixed reviews.

For my beloved Bucs, I still dont know if they're good, or if the Saints just aren't living up to last years amazing run. Jeff Garcia (an ex-Eagle) has proven that last year for him wasnt a fluke. While the defense is still middle of the pack (18th in points) They have taken steps to get younger, drafting Gaines Adams and getting rid of Simeon Rice. As much as I love the old time bucs of Alstott, Dunn, and Nickerson, they need to keep improving during the offseason.

The Eagles however, have a long season ahead of them. They will play the surprising 2-0 Lions (Will Jon Kitna actually be right?!), and a strong defensive team in the Bears within the next five weeks. Lets hope the upcoming bye week will be beneficial to them.

Palms in PA Standings

1.) Pittsburgh (2-0)-The Throwback unis wont even hold back Big Ben

2.) Tampa Bay (1-1)- The win against the Saints is getting the fans pumped (myself included)

3.) Jacksonville (1-1)- Atlanta helps improve this top 5 defensive teams.

4.) Philadelphia (0-2)- Where is A.J. Feeley??

5.) Miami (0-2)- Good luck trying to win this division with the invincible Patriots with a two game lead.

The Verdict:

Pennsylvania: The Steelers alone are enough to get them past FLA.

Predictions: NASCAR Edition

After Jimmie Johnson finally won the Chase for the Cup last year, expect NASCAR's most consistant driver (Avg. finish last year was 9th) to win it again. Last time a driver won it all back-to-back was in 1998 when another Hendrick driver won. Jeff Gordon is now on the other side, just hoping to make it into the chase. And as for all this stuff about Dale Jr., the guy has never had a good year. His only good spot is when he won Daytona!

Predictions:

1.) Jimmie Johnson (#48, Chevy)

2.) Denny Hamlin (#11, Chevy)

3.) Matt Kenseth (#17, Ford)

4.) Tony Stewart (#20, Chevy)

5.) Kevin Harvick (#29, Chevy)

6.) Carl Edwards (#99, Ford)

7.) Kasey Kahne (#9, Dodge)

8.) Kyle Busch (#5, Chevy)

9.) Jeff Gordon (#24, Chevy)

10.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#8, Chevy)

Signing Day: Florida vs. Pennsylvania

Well, signing day has come and gone, and all that it has accomplished is make me miss football even more. Well, that and build the foundation for teams in the future.

Florida, coming off of their BCS National Championship, were the best yet again. They had a busy day, signing two quarterbacks (Some competition for Tim Tebow?), the best guard in the country, and two running backs, who ESPN says, has the ability to become a "Thunder and Lightning duo". This isn't even mentioning the aditions to the defense.

One of the Quarterbacks, John Brantley (pictured here) is the fourth best QB coming out of high school right now.

Now for Penn State, the Lions actually had a decent year, pulling in the 20th best recruiting class. The young Lions, will try to beef up their defense using several 4 star caliber player, including three outstanding Linebackers, Andrew Dailey, Chris Colasanti, and Nathan Stupar. They don't call it Line Backer U for nothing. Also worth mentioning is center Stefen Wisniewski (No. 4 center), and Kicker Ryan Breen (no. 13).

So lets hope for another National Championship for the Gators, and a solid top ten for the hometown Nittany Lions.

Introductions

Well I'm SvenJayne, and this is my first "Blog". Expect post most likely bi-weekly. I'm fairly young, and the title explains my situation. In 2002 my family and I moved to Pennsylvania from the Tampa area in Florida. What happens after we move? Well, championships gallore. The Lightning, Buccaneers, Heat, Marlins and the Florida Gators all win the championships. Now, I'm not bitter or anything but in the state where I now reside, well, it's pretty sad. Only the Eagles, and the Steelers have brought any sports glory to PA. So I wil do my best to bring the sports news in a unbiast veiw.

Super Bowl Thoughts

As another Super Bowl comes and goes, I can only think of one word anti-climatic. Everything was less than expected, the weather, the game, even the commercials (Personally, two dudes kissing over a Snickers bar is just NASTY).
Miami, one of those nice beach spots in Florida, right? Not even close on Sunday. With the rain pouring down, Tony Dungy's Gatorade bath's purpose was destroyed. See what I mean, it seems as if everything in the game was messed up or extremely sloppy (3 int. and 6 fumbles). Even Mr. Playoff Perfect, Adam Vinatieri missed a fairly easy field goal.
Despite all this, it was still the Super Bowl, one of the greatest events in sports. A perfect way to send off the season. And for my beloved Bucs, we'll be back next year, with a hot-shot rookie to lead us!