Sunday, September 30, 2018

My College Football Saturday

What a Day! College Football on Saturday is something that I look forward to in the fall. My dream man cave is to have three 40+ inch TVs in it. This way, I could keep track of all the the football games as well as the baseball that is coming down to the wire.

At 25 years old, I have put myself in position to not work a 9-5 job. I'm not that well off but I have less expenses due to the fact I don't drive and government funding from my disability. I don't want to feel sorry for myself and I want to accomplish a lot in my life but I have had distractions that haven't let me reach my potential.

Through this, I have always been able to watch sports and feel good about myself. I have friends but there are days where I have so much going on in the days coming up that I need a day by myself.

I'm doing training to be an Special Education Teacher right now and while this wasn't the fall I mapped out for myself at this time last year, unfortunate events have landed me in this class in which I had to miss half of the college football Saturday.

I also would rather be traveling but things are also getting in the way. I know I have people around the world that I could stay with and that's a good feeling.

The good news was, the Oregon Ducks game was on late tonight on FS1. This was a make or break game in my opinion. A loss, and a 3-3 start was the likely outcome with Washington coming to Eugene but a win and it seems like Oregon is right back in the race in the Pac 12 North as long as they win next week which would see their record improve to 5-1.

I'm so glad Oregon had a really good game tonight. Their offense was on fire and so was our defense. There wasn't really a time in the game that I thought Oregon was going to lose. The big thing was creating the two score lead when Herbert connected with Mitchell for a 36 yard TD pass that gave the Ducks some breathing room.

I feel like Oregon is back. This should be a 10 win season regardless with what happens next week and from what I gather on social media, the bandwagon is getting full again.

We got a good effort from our defense today with two defensive touchdowns. We  also snapped our thing that was hold us back which was winning against Top 25 teams.

If we can consistently win on the road against Top 25 teams, the Ducks might be headed for another good decade of Ducks football.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

What Would You Do With 856,000?

My respect Le'veon Bell has completely gone out the window the last few weeks as he continues to hold out of playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. No, this isn't because I have him on my Fantasy Football team. It's strictly because I believe that money is no answer to happiness.

After being in Bolivia for one month last year, I came home feeling more well off financially than when I left. This was because cost of living in other countries around the world are significantly less than they are in America or even Canada.

Every game Bell holds out he loses 856,00. I'm no BNN money adviser but I do know that is a lot of money. According to the Internet, Bell has a net worth of 6.7 Million dollars. For instance, I was  crunching the numbers, Bell is losing 1/7 of his net worth every game.

As someone like me who has been employed on and off for six years, I know the stresses of having a job. Despite that, I would never turn down 856,000 for doing something I thought I should be played more.

He has a job in a business that every sports fan dreamt of having as a kid and he is simply taking it for granted.

My big question is why does he want to be more rich? 99.9% of my blog readers would quit their job tomorrow if they were handed a 6.7 Million dollar cheque. Then, if they were handed 856,000 for suiting up in a Steelers jersey on Sunday they would think they were spoiled.

Maybe, I'm the only one that doesn't get it. 856,000 could do a lot for anyone. Like why doesn't he suit up and donate half his earnings to a developing country if he doesn't want the money. This is not what we were taught to do as kids if something didn't go our way.

Additionally, if I was handed 856,000 dollars I would make a list of a handful of things that I would want to do in my.  lifetime. I mean, I have a bucket list but I would actually pursue it.

The only thing that I could think of is if he doesn't get a contract extension he might fear that his running back legs deteriorate before his contract is up.

Still, to me this doesn't give the right to sit out of games as we are too spoiled as it is. Too put this in perspective, I read last year that there was 41.2 Trillion dollars in the world. There is 7.44 Billion people in the world and if we divided everything up equally we would all have around 31,000 dollars or something. Keep in mind, that average seems high because of how many billionaires their are in the world.

I really hope Bell comes back. It'll be better for the NFL, his ego and everything else in between.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Cardiff in Danger of Things Spinning Out of Control

I already fear for Cardiff City's future in the English Premier League. After a a decent start to the Premier League, reality sat in this weekend when Manchester City came to town to pound home five in the Welsh capital.

The uphill climb was always going to be hard, but going down after one season would be painful. Where will the wins come, or a better question will be where the goals might come from? Six games in and there are no wins and generally speaking, 9 wins and 10 ties would be enough to keep us up.

The game against Burnley next week is huge. It's a home game against a Burnley team that I believe will struggle all season away from home.

At this point, Cardiff just needs some positive vibes that can slingshot them into a safe position in the table. There will be intense moments for Cardiff this year, but in the early goings of the season, we just need to stay within striking distance. We can't have what happened to Aston Villa a few years ago when they were basically down by Christmas.

This is the team I hope inspires this year. The PL is getting so rich that it's becoming so unfair to the teams that don't spend money.

We were the favorites to go down finishing last and for the first time all season, I feel like things are starting to go as projected.

Time will tell, but no wins in six is starting to get scary.

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Being a Duck Stings Right Now

Oregon had the game in their grabs all night. They had dominated for almost three quarters and it looked like a perfect start to the conference season until the fumble.

That fumble was returned for a touchdown and within a few minutes, it felt like Oregon was going to squander a golden opportunity.

The loss sucks for a few reasons but mainly I think it stings for how close we were but also how one half this evening, we got the feeling that we were competing for a Natty again. That day will come. Hopefully, but the wait is agonizing.

I'll be honest with you, the last few years I have been more on the basketball Ducks especially during their Final Four year, but this loss has me more eager for Ducks football in the future.

The Ducks fall to 3-9 in their last 12 games against Top 25 teams and I think that stat is going to be overlooked on all the things that went on in the game tonight.

It was a chance to take a big leap forward on National TV that would have made Washington a bit nervous when they travel down the I-5 next month. While Washington hasn't looked that impressive this year, they still should go into the game as double digit favorites.

Oregon still has slight hopes of winning the North but will need to win out and Stanford needs to lose as well.

I'm out of it right now, but I still love my Ducks. Lets come back stronger guys, we can do it. Lets show the world that we are OregonStrong!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

2019 WHL season is here!

The WHL begins tomorrow as the best Junior Hockey teams will begin their new 68 game marathon which will decide the seeding that will decide the seeding for the WHL playoffs with the winner of that advancing to the Memorial Cup.

The Memorial Cup this year is in Halifax as it is the QMJHL's turn to host it. I am going to make an effort to follow the WHL this year. With the Canucks expected to place in the bottom third and the NHL Draft in Vancouver this year, it seems like a great time to get on the WHL banwagon.

Here are the four divisions:

Top 3 (East division)[1]
PosGPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1Moose Jaw Warriors00000000
2Swift Current Broncos00000000
3Regina Pats00000000
Top 3 (Central division)[1]
PosGPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1Medicine Hat Tigers00000000
2Lethbridge Hurricanes00000000
3Red Deer Rebels00000000
Eastern conference wild card[1]
PosDiv(Top 2 qualify for playoffs)GPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1EastBrandon Wheat Kings '00000000
2EastPrince Albert Raiders00000000
3EastSaskatoon Blades00000000
4Cen.Kootenay Ice00000000
5Cen.Calgary Hitmen00000000
6Cen.Edmonton Oil Kings00000000
Top 3 (U.S. division)[1]
PosGPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1Everett Silvertips00000000
2Portland Winterhawks00000000
3Spokane Chiefs00000000
Top 3 (B.C. division)[1]
PosGPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1Kelowna Rockets00000000
2Victoria Royals00000000
3Vancouver Giants00000000
Western conference wild card[1]
PosDiv(Top 2 qualify for playoffs)GPWLOTLSOLGFGAPts
1U.S.Tri-City Americans00000000
2U.S.Seattle Thunderbirds00000000
3B.C.Kamloops Blazers00000000
4B.C.Prince George Cougars00000000

I've been advocating for a WHL-Junior A merger before. Yes, the first year the gap might be a bit big but there is too much travel in the WHL it seems and a merger would create big rivalries and more away fans in other teams rinks which would help other things such as ticket sales.

This might be a long time away for it actually happen but I am interested to know why it's never been explored.

Junior Hockey should be about small town hockey but most of the teams in the WHL are big cities and I have a problem with that.

I'm going to be watching a WHL hockey game when I have a free night. Hoping for a great season with a competitive playoff race.

For a look at the current 2019 Mock Draft click the link.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

UEFA Europa League Groups

The UEFA Champions League is off with a bang and tomorrow the Europa League will began. The tournament has gotten a had more interesting the last few years with the winner getting a spot in the Champions League Group Stage Pot one next year.

Most of the smaller teams would have had no chance competing in the UCL Group Stage and this league will give fanbases to look forward too. Or at least I hope so.

I really want to go to a game in like Norway and see what the atmosphere is like. A team in Norway has no chance at ever winning the Champions League and I'm just curious what the fan bases dream of  in the same way fans in North America dream of a NBA Final win.

Here are the groups as followed:

Group A[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationLEVLARZURLUD
1Germany Bayer Leverkusen00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Cyprus AEK Larnaca0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Switzerland Zürich0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group B[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationROSRBLSALCEL
1Norway Rosenborg00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Germany RB Leipzig0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Austria Red Bull Salzburg0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Scotland Celtic0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group C[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationBORKOBZENSLP
1France Bordeaux00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Denmark Copenhagen0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Czech Republic Slavia Prague0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group D[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFENTRNANDDZG
1Turkey Fenerbahçe00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Slovakia Spartak Trnava0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Belgium Anderlecht0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Croatia Dinamo Zagreb0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group E[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationVPSPOQRBARS
1Ukraine Vorskla Poltava00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Portugal Sporting CP0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Azerbaijan QarabaÄŸ0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4England Arsenal0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group F[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationBETDUDMILOLY
1Spain Real Betis00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Luxembourg F91 Dudelange0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Italy Milan0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Greece Olympiacos0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group G[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationSPMVILRANRW
1Russia Spartak Moscow00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Spain Villarreal0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Scotland Rangers0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Austria Rapid Wien0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group H[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationAPLMAREINLAZ
1Cyprus Apollon Limassol00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2France Marseille0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Germany Eintracht Frankfurt0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Italy Lazio0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group I[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationMALBESSARGNK
1Sweden Malmö FF00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Turkey BeÅŸiktaÅŸ0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Norway Sarpsborg 080000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Belgium Genk0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group J[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationKRASEVSTLAKH
1Russia Krasnodar00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Spain Sevilla0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Belgium Standard Liège0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Turkey Akhisarspor0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group K[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationASTRENJABDKV
1Kazakhstan Astana00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2France Rennes0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3Czech Republic Jablonec0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec
First match(es) will be played on 20 September 2018. Source: UEFA

Group L[edit]

PosTeam PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationBATEPAOKCHLVID
1Belarus BATE Borisov00000000Advance to knockout phase4 Oct8 Nov29 Nov
2Greece PAOK0000000013 Dec20 Sep25 Oct
3England Chelsea0000000025 Oct29 Nov4 Oct
4Hungary MOL Vidi0000000020 Sep8 Nov13 Dec