Big Hats and Roses

This Saturday is the first race of the Triple Crown with the Kentucky Derby and I can't wait. La Chica's plans to be at the Derby this year failed but fret not because next year, I will be there (God willing). Forced to wait another year to wear a big hat, I am left to watch it on television yet again.

I must say I am fascinated by the Triple Crown and the Derby intrigues me the most. The pageantry and history alone are worth watching but the best part for me are the horses. These animals are stunningly beautiful and watching them run takes my breath away......just sayin'!

The field this year is 20 and surprisingly there is not a horse that has caught my eye or attention, yet. Personally, I think it's going to be a while before another Barbaro steals everyone's heart again. Having said that, check out this link about one of the horses racing this year. His name is Storm in May: http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=ap-kentuckyderby-blind-horse&prov=ap&type=lgns Storm in May is completely blind in his right eye, amazing.

So, this Saturday at about 6:20 pm EST, take time from drinking your pathetic hearts out for a faux Mexican holiday and watch the "most exciting 2 minutes in sports". I know I will be watching and praying that no one breaks a leg!

Another Thug Contributes To Animal Cruelty

Here we go again, this time around it's another NFL "star". Like the other thugs, he's no stranger to strange and stupid behavior. Michael Vick, your ineptitude continues to amaze me.

It appears that stupid ass Vick has a cousin or something in Virginia living in a house he owns and is holding about 60 dogs for dog fighting. As if dog fighting were not enough, they are also malnourished and injured from God knows what else. Michael Vick's mama must be so proud!

Here is a link to the article which explains what I'm talking about: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6743208?MSNHPHMA

How many more dogs are these thugs going to hurt and kill? (Don't get me started on the NBA punks.) This makes two Atlanta Falcons players in the last three months who have had something to do with either the death of a dog or random abuse. Great group of guys, Arthur Blank!

What The......

....hell is going on with the Atlanta Thrashers? I mean we (Atlantans) have waited for 8 years to make a playoff and then we can't even win a game?? Geez. I know it's false hope to think that we'll win the series, but can we at least not get swept?

Wake up Thrashers, you're in the playoffs FREAKS!

Again, look for La Chica at the Tour de Georgia circuit race on Sunday afternoon in Centennial Park.

Ciao for now.

Tour De Georgia

Be sure to check out the Tour de Georgia this week as Stage 1 starts today in Peachtree City and ends in Macon. This year's tour will end in Atlanta so be sure to check it out on Sunday. Sportschica will be there this year! I love me some cycling. Check it out:

http://www.tourdegeorgia.com/

Enough Already

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say: Enough already about this Don Imus stuff. Yes, the man was an idiot for his comments but aren't Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton idiots in their own right for several of their comments over the years????

Here is a link to a wonderfully written article that I think says it well: http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html

Thanks to Peter for the link.

Just For Fun

The cutest dog in the world hanging out:

The Masters and Nappy Headed Hos

Well freaks, your Chica is back from her Mexican Riviera cruise and feeling extremely refreshed. For those of you who have never been on a cruise (this was my first), what are you waiting on?! I had a fantastic time and have discoverd that I am a "cruiser". Maybe I'm getting old: Nah, it's just a wonderful time. Here's a little tip though, skip Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan (complete dumps) and head straight to Cabo San Lucas. Cabo is now one of your Chica's favorite vacation destinations. In a word: FABULOUS.

Back to sports: Yesterday was the final round of the Masters and can I just say how happy I am that a newbie won the tournament. I have never heard of Zach Johnson but was extremely pleased that none of the other usual suspects won this time around. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love me some Tiger Woods but enough already! On a "chick" note, how lovely are the grounds at Augusta National; it truly personifies Georgia in the Spring.

On to Don Imus: Unless you've been trapped under something heavy, I'm sure everyone has heard of Don Imus' recent racial comments regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team. First off, good thing Imus is on radio and not television because that is one ugly Mother Scratcher! Sorry, but I had to get that out. Now, for those of you who have not heard any of his comments, let me just give you a quick quote: "That's some nappy headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that."

I'm not going to lie to you peeps, I laughed my Cuban ass off when I heard the tape for 2 reasons: 1) I couldn't believe he actually said that on the air about these poor girls and 2) One has to admit that it's funny to hear "nappy headed hos" on television when it's not being uttered by Chris Rock. I'm just sayin'! My advice to Imus, you're an idiot and even if this is how you really feel, don't say it on national television unless you want the attention.....ah, of course.

Final Four In My City

Spring has sprung and the city is a buzz. The dogwoods have bloomed, the grass has turned green and the pollen has smothered the city. Oh and the Final Four is this weekend in Atlanta, my hometown. Off topic really quick: To see the most beautiful Dogwood tree ever, go to Myrtle Street in Midtown. Seriously.

Alright back to this weekend and the Final Four, I was going to do my usual picks but honestly, does it really matter? Will your Chica make the correct picks? Most likely not and I know that. My prognostication (there's that fun word again) skills have not improved since football season so I'm letting it go. I've decided to just briefly write about my cheerful thoughts on this Final Four in my city even though it's making me feel a bit melancholy because I will not be here.

As I've stated before, I'm headed on a fabulous cruise for a week to the Mexican Riviera and will miss the Final Four. Again, I'm a bit sad about this because the hoopla that surrounds the tournament is pure enjoyment. However let's be honest shall we: Should a chica, who cheers emphatically for the Miami Hurricanes, be surrounded by a bunch of Gators and Buckeyes? I'm going to say "no".

So, to all my freaks who have tickets to the Dance, be safe and please do not get into any fights. You know who you are! Some of ya'll (how's that for Southern speak) are downright nasty and wouldn't mind physically harming some of these kids playing the game so watch yourselves.

Think of La Sportschica as I sail on the Pacific and drink champagne from my cabin balcony and try hard as I might not to fall off. I will certainly be thinking about my little city in the forest and will miss all the merriment. Enjoy and GO GEORGETOWN HOYAS!

What A Great Night......

....of basketball last night! The games were close and exciting to watch. However, I still cannot believe that Tennessee let an 18 point lead get away against one of the nation's top teams. S-H-A-M-E-F-U-L. That's all I can say about that. And before you all point it out for me, yes La Chica knows that all of her picks lost last night. Whatever.

On to tonight's games, shall we:

(1) Florida vs (5) Butler - I'm so over the Florida Gators and their ugly face star, Joakim Noah. I really hope Butler pulls off the upset, I doubt it but I hope it happens.

(3) Oregon vs (7) UNLV - I'm sticking with the underdogs tonight for the most part and picking the Runnin' Rebels of Vegas. Besides, back when the Shark was coaching there, I liked them.

(1) UNC vs (5) USC - Ah, the lone ACC team left in the tournament. You all know that your Chica is not going to pick a PAC 10 team over an ACC one so...GO 'Heels!

(6) Vanderbilt vs (2) Georgetown - I'm really indifferent on this one. On the one hand, I wouldn't mind seeing Vandy pull it off but on the other, I don't want an SEC team to win either because of all the smack that SEC peeps talk on my comments board. Hmmm, what's a Chica to do? I think I'll go with the Hoyas.

Ciaosito freaks and have a great weekend of college basketball!

Well, Well, Well...

I've been away the last few days but I'm back just in time to discuss some of this weekend's NCAA tournament games. By the way, please stop asking me if I've seen any of the NIT games! With all due respect to the participating teams, I don't give a damn about the NIT!

I'm not going to lie, I was out of town this past weekend and missed some of the tourney so I can't recap as I would normally. Having said that, I did watch that Duke vs VCU matchup last Thursday and it was a dandy. The fact that Duke lost in the 1st round made my Spring. God bless the underdogs. (Unless my team is involved, of course.)

Let's start off with tonight's games, I'm just going to pick who I want to win and go from there:

(4) Southern Illinois vs (1) Kansas - The theme for today's picks is UNDERDOG. Therefore, I hope the Salukis win. Doubt it, but that's who I'm picking. Plus, I like saying "salukis".

(3) Texas A&M vs (2) Memphis - I know Memphis is the higher seed but I just feel that they're still the underdog so my vote goes with them.

(3) Pittsburgh vs (2) UCLA - I'm not cheering for a PAC 10 team, sorry. Go Pitt!

(5) Tennessee vs (1) Ohio State - Let's see, how should I put this, part of me wants OSU to win because I feel they have a better shot at beating the big guys next weekend, but I just can't cheer for them tonight. Go Vols.

Come back tomorrow as I'm sure I will have picked almost all losers. Plus, we need to discuss tomorrow night's games.

Ciao freaks.

The Way to Atlanta...

This time of year is always special. The weather turns warmer, Spring flowers start to bloom and the time changes. Not to mention, it's March Madness season. I love college basketball because the champion is decided truly. There are no BCS bullshit polls to deal with and no personal biases to contend with either. It's settled on the court by the 65 teams who have earned a right to play for the national championship. And by the way, if your team doesn't make it to the Dance, then they really do not deserve it; if you can't make it in the top 65 in the nation, just call it a year.

Having said all this, your Chica is just not very hyped and excited about this year's tourney. I have no explanation for this, I mean the Final Four is in my city this year, that's reason enough to be giddy. However, La Chica will be cruising on a huge ship in the Mexican Riviera when championship weekend is upon us. Maybe that's the reason for my lack of enthusiasm?

The other factor that could be held accountable is that I have "no dogs in the fight" this season. Hell, UConn didn't even make the tournament! Honestly, the teams I'm cheering for are the ones who are playing against Florida and Ohio State. And quite frankly, that's not enough reason to fill out a bracket, send in my $20 bucks and watch all the games.

Don't get me wrong freaks, your Chica will be watching the games but it's just not the same for me this year.....sniff sniff.

Artest Is Such the Loser

I must say, I hate the NBA but it has provided me with some material for the blog during the slow season of sports.

Last month Ron Artest got into trouble for not feeding his dog; this month he's in trouble for shoving a woman. What a great guy and another fine example for the NBA!

http://www.miamiherald.com/856/story/32361.html

College Basketball

Stay tuned for college basketball write ups coming soon.

By the way, did anyone see the Wisconsin/Ohio State game yesterday? Great game. Too bad the Badgers couldn't pull off the win.

Also, what about the Atlanta Thrashers?? They were doing so well but have now lost 8 out of 11 games! Dang.

Falcons Player "Allegedly" Kills Girlfriend's Dog

La SportsChica has been away from the blog due to moving. Let me just say for the record: La Chica ain't moving again!

In my absence from cable and news (well, sporting news), I am just now reading about the most recent professional athlete's display of poor judgement, pure stupidity and, most important of all, inhumanity. The article below was taken from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website. It is the story of Atlanta Falcon, Jonathan Babinueaux; he is accused of killing his girlfriend's dog.

At the risk of offending a lot of people who do not deserve to be offended, what is wrong with these worthless, hood rat, excuses for human beings? First it was Ron Artest starving his dog and now this guy killing a dog. Honestly, there's not much else I can say without going into a lot of offensive expletives that will certainly get me into trouble with some civil liberties agencies. Not that they read my blog but one never knows. So, judge for yourself as I go and express my true opinions on a more private stage:

Police: Falcons player killed dogGirlfriend's pet died of blunt force trauma to head, officials say
By George ChidiThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 02/21/07

Atlanta Falcons player Jonathan Babineaux killed his girlfriend's dog Sunday night, leading to his arrest on a charge of felony cruelty to animals, Gwinnett County police said Tuesday.

Babineaux, 25, of Lawrenceville called his live-in girlfriend, Blair Anderson, at the movies Sunday evening, where she had gone after they had a verbal argument, police said. Babineaux told her she needed to come home to check on her 1 1/2-year-old pit bull mix, Kilo.

Anderson, 24, told police she found the dog in "severe physical distress." She bundled the dog and drove to the Animal Emergency Center of Gwinnett near Lawrenceville. The dog vomited blood in the car and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The center summoned police.

Babineaux, a 6-foot-2, 286-pound defensive lineman, denied harming the dog when officers asked what happened, police said.
"Babineaux's accounts of what happened was inconsistent with the limited physical information provided by the Animal Emergency Center of Gwinnett," Cpl. Darren Moloney said in a written statement.

Police said they are still awaiting test results but added that preliminary information indicates the dog died from blunt force trauma to the head.

A person convicted of felony cruelty to animals could receive a sentence of one to five years and/or a fine not to exceed $15,000.

Babineaux could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His attorney, Pat McDonough, told the Journal-Constitution: "I have recently been retained, but my preliminary investigation reveals he did nothing wrong and we will defend him vigorously." McDonough declined to elaborate.
"Until we get the full facts, we've decided to withhold all comment," Babineaux's agent, Jack Bechta, told the AJC. "We want to make it clear there was not, and has never been, any instance of domestic violence."

The Falcons issued a statement saying they would have no comment because the issue was a personal and legal matter and referred all calls to Babineaux's attorney.

Babineaux was arrested at his townhouse at 12:59 a.m. Monday and was released a few hours later on $2,300 bond.

Animal control took the couple's other pit bull, Ace, for safe-keeping during the course of the investigation, police said.
In a letter sent to Gwinnett County District Attorney Daniel Porter, a copy of which was also sent to the AJC, Richard Rice, the Georgia state program director of the Humane Society of the United States, urged Babineaux to be prosecuted.
"If it is indeed true that Babineaux is responsible for maliciously killing his dog, then it is imperative that he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not only so that he is held accountable for animal suffering, but also because of the threat he poses to community safety in general," Rice wrote.

A second-round draft pick out of the University of Iowa in 2005, Babineaux played in all 16 games this season and made 28 tackles as a Falcons defensive tackle.

—- Staff writers Steve Wyche and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this article.

More NBA Stupidity

Check out the link below to read how former NBA player, Tim Hardaway hates gays:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-02-15-hardaway_x.htm?csp=34

Here's the thing, everyone has a right to his or her opinion but when you're in the public eye, it may not be the smartest thing to go on a radio show and admit that you hate a whole group of people.

Obnoxious Gator Swipes Obnoxious Wildcat Cheerleader

Now, that's a great blog title!

Now that the Gators have had and are having so much success, they're a target. People are tired of them winning in basketball, football and recruiting. It's a fact, we're over it but we're also a little jealous. However, it certainly does make for fun writing.

Check out this link:
http://az-cardinals.aolsportsblog.com/2007/02/12/pom-pom-gate-did-joakim-noah-swipe-at-a-uk-cheerleader/

Granted, the cheerleader should not be taunting a player but a player should never attempt to beat down a cheerleader's pom poms......I'm just sayin'.

When Did UConn Get So Bad?

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the University of Connecticut basketball team sucks this year? I was watching the game yesterday between the Huskies and Georgia Tech; it was horrible.

I have liked the Huskies for awhile now and I couldn't even begin to tell you why. I have a reason for my allegiance to all of my other teams but not this one. I guess I just like the coach and the mascot...I'm not gonna lie.

Now that football is completely over, I've turned my energies over to baseball and college basketball and much to my chagrin, the UConn Huskies suck this year. They may not even make it to the Big East tournament much less the NCAA tourney. That's just sad.

What's even sadder you ask? The Dixie Chicks winning all of those grammies. I hate those "b's". I'm just saying.

Ron Artest Starves His Dog

I wrote a blog back in November about how I hate the NBA. I listed several reasons but failed to leave out because Ron Artest is a worthless thug! Check out the link below about how Artest's Great Dane was removed from the dumbass player's 1.85 million dollar home for being underfed and starved. Give me an f-ng break (yup, I almost threw the F bomb at you). This gives La Chica more fodder for loathing the NBA:

http://nmsn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6452756

Absolutely inexcusable.

Good For Them

I'm going to just get to the point and discuss my opinions about La Super Bowl.

Let me begin by saying that I LOVE that Devin Hester ran the kickoff back all the way! And let me also say that your Chica called that play before it happened. I believe my exact words were "watch Hester run it all the way back" or something similiar to that. Regardless, I called it. I wanted Indy to win but that was entertaining and it represented Cane nation in a positive way during a negative season. Good for him.

How about Peyton and the Colts? My friends tease me about being such a sports fanatic but still being a "girl". This is going to sound girly but who cares: I love that Tony Dungy won this Super Bowl. As I wrote last week, he's a class act and after the death of his son, he and his family needed something great and here it is. No, it's not going to bring back his child but it's still a feel good story. Good for Tony!

Rex Grossman, hmmm, what can I say. It wasn't all his fault that the Bears lost but all of those interceptions did not help their cause in the least. I almost felt sorry for him but then I caught myself and got over it. Buck up Rexy, it wasn't completely your fault. Your defense couldn't stop my little 12 pound Shih Tzu last night!!! I'm just sayin'.

And then there was Prince! Um, for those of us who grew up in the 80s, that show kicked it. I'm so glad that there were no American Idols, no Jessica Simpsons, etc. This man rocked the Super Bowl last night.....good for Prince!

As for the commercials, I kind of missed them. La Chica was at a sports bar watching the game and while the sound was up, it's still kind of hard to hear everything. Oh well. Good for me.

La Super Bowl

It's been a few days since your Chica has written anything; sorry about that but I was on vacation in fabulous Las Vegas! Can a Chica just say once again that I love me some gambling!!! I may have a problem.

On to the topic of the week, La Super Bowl. I know you all are dying for my prediction (insert sarcasm here), so here goes: Indianapolis Colts.

Reason? I keep going back to Peyton Manning. While I am tired of seeing Peyton on countless television commercials and I am certainly tired of hearing about the Manning football family tradition, I like old Peyton. Plus, I think he's a better, more deserving quarterback than Rex Grossman.

And then there's Tony Dungy: This is a class act all the way and after what he went through with the loss of his son in 2005, how can you not pull for him to win?! Don't get me wrong, I like Lovie Smith as well but I'm sticking with Dungy and the Colts.

Also, I'm hoping the commercials are worth the hype and that the game is a great one. I think it will be. Good luck Colts!

Let It Rest Already

As soon as the Colts won on Sunday and it was known who would face the Bears in the Super Bowl, I knew the hype would not be centered around the actual game but on the fact that both head coaches are black.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is great and I also think there are still not enough minority head coaches around. Especially since the majority of the players are of the same minority. However, does it really matter? La Chica was proud of, fellow Cuban, Mario Cristobal getting a college head coaching job (even if it was at FIU) but again, does it really matter?

This is America, everyone who is born here or comes here from another country knows you can do anything here as long as you work for it. So please, enough with the hype about Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith being black because no one cares about that; they have both worked hard to get where they are now. What we, as sports fans, really care about is seeing a fantastic Super Bowl game. I'm just sayin'.

Yada, Yada, Yada

The Super Bowl is set for the Colts vs the Bears.

I watched both games Sunday like most of you and I only have one question: I thought the Saints were marching in? They looked like they had never played football outside. Wow.

The good news is I was one for one so I at least made one good pick. And what a great game that was! Plus, it was especially gratifying to see the Patriots lose.....awww poor New England. NOT!

So, now the question for you is who do you want to win? I would like to see the Colts win. I'm not going to be depressed if Chicago wins though, they both have Canes on their teams who have each made quite an impact this season for his respective team.

Let's just hope the commercials are good and the game is even better.

More Playoffs and Idiots

The AFC and NFC championships are on tap for this Sunday. I could go on and on about who I think is going to win and give you all some strategy but I would probably be wrong. I'm like the Lee Corso of pro football these days. It's a cross I carry but what can a Chica do?!

AFC Game: New England vs Indianapolis
Again, I'm going to go with the team I want to win and they are the Colts. I simply do not want to see New England in another Super Bowl, sorry. However, Tom Brady and company always seem to pull if off and I respect that, but I still want them to lose. Go Peyton and the Colts.

NFC Game: New Orleans vs Chicago
I don't know who I want in this one as I wouldn't mind seeing either one win it. I think it would be kind of fun to see Rex Grossman suck it up but that's not very sportsmanshipish (Yup, I made that word up!) of La Chica. I'll take New Orleans as they are God's team this year.

Idiots
Now, to the Idiot portion of the blog. I've got 2: Michael Vick and Willis McGahee.

As we have all heard by now, Michael Vick had a "bottle of water" confiscated at the Miami airport a couple of days ago. Seems there is suspicion of marijuana being hidden in a secret compartment of the "water bottle". Here's the thing, I'm not condoning drug usage but couldn't Vick wait to get to the ATL and just buy some more weed??? It's not like he's short on cash. Also, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that maybe drugs are not the best items to carry on a flight. Hell, don't even bring them to the airport. As a buddy of mine recently said, "bombs, guns and drugs, 3 things you shouldn't fly with", 'nuff said!

On to Willis McGahee, now I don't mean to talk about a Cane but Willis appears to have lost his mind. This surprises me because this was a good kid at Miami. It appears that Willis has impregnated 3 very willing ladies in the last 15 months. He is already paying child support for 2 of them. Good grief, have condoms gone missing in Miami and Buffalo? I've got 2 words for Willis: Jimmy Hat.

In addition to Willis spreading his seed all over mankind, he's also been bitching about Buffalo to the press. This actually makes me laugh because I wouldn't want to live in Buffalo either but come on, Willis. If I was getting paid big money to live there, I'd be fine for awhile. And another thing kid, don't forget that this team gave you a shot when no one else would because of your knee injury. I'm just sayin'.

Is Wayne Huizenga On Crack?

Seriously? According to this article from the Miami Herald, http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/16468375.htm, Wayne Huizenga has narrowed his search to these 2 finalists: Chan Gailey and Jim Mora.

Let's examine each of these individually, shall we:

Chan Gailey - Gailey has been the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the past few years after coming from the Dolphins where he was their offensive coordinator. Got that? Now, at Georgia Tech, he did make it to the ACC Champtionship game this year but honestly, what is that saying? The ACC stunk this year and Wake Forest prevailed as the conference champion, 'nuff said! In La SportsChica's most humble opinion, Gailey sucks as a head coach!

He never had the balls to take Reggie Ball out of the game for poor playing and look at the talent he had with Taylor Bennett. Did he not notice that Bennett was or might have been the better player? Bennett came out in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia and had a great game. Were it not for Tech's defense giving up, the Jackets would have won that game. That's not Taylor's fault. He played an awesome game and guess what, he threw the ball to Calvin Johnson.

I think it all comes down to coaching and I've never been impressed with Chan Gailey.....NEVER!

Jim Mora - Let's see, if I had to pick one word to describe this yahoo, it would be......IDIOT. I hate to throw all caps at you guys but doesn't that suit him? What makes Huizenga think that Mora can do a better job in Miami than he did in Atlanta? I will ask this one more time, "what is Wayne Huizenga smoking?". There's nothing more I can say about Jim Mora. I think he is a first rate IDIOT...ooops sorry, but all caps seems appropriate when describing this IDIOT. Damn, I can't stop.

Combine my Dolphins' possible poor choice of head coach with my Hurricanes' lack of creativity in their search for a new man and I'm done. I'm not looking forward to either team's season next year. They're both gonna suck.

Maybe La Chica should start shopping for new teams to follow.....

What Can I Say?

I was 0-4 in my playoff picks this past weekend. My new strategy will be to pick the winner based on who I want to win instead of who I think will win. How's that?

So, here goes for this upcoming weekend's games:

New England vs Indianapolis
I want Indy to win because I don't like the Patriots.

New Orleans vs Chicago
Hmmm, La Sportschica is completely indifferent to both of these teams so I can't base my pick on loathing one of them. I prefer the city of Chicago to the city of New Orleans but I think that the Saints are a better team. Oh my, what to do???
I think that New Orleans will win because I think God is on their side.

NFL Playoffs

Let's see if La SportsChica is better at pro predictions than college:

Indianapolis Colts vs Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens defense is pretty stellar but the Colts offense is too. Hmm, I'll go with Baltimore for kicks.

Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints
The Eagles are on a roll with Jeff Garcia at the helm but the Saints are playing at the Superdome and we all know the story there. I'll take Garcia and Philly.

Seattle Seahawks vs Chicago Bears
If Rex Grossman starts and plays his usual suckfest then Seattle should win easily, but even with a sucky quarterback who goes out to party the night before a game, the Bears find ways to win. Regardless, I'm going with Seattle.

New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers
I'm sick of New England always winning so I'm picking the Chargers. Plus, I would like to see the Chargers make it to the Super Bowl so that Eli Manning and his daddy look like idiots.

Busy, Busy

Sorry for my absence peeps but work got in the way. La Chica's gotta pay the bills though!

Well, college football is officially over. Congratulations to the Florida Gators for the smackdown that was the BCS national championship game. What did it prove? Well, let's see:

A) Ohio State was overrated.
B) The Big 10 was overrated.
C) The SEC is faster.
D) ESPN doesn't know smack!
E) Now more than ever we need a playoff in college football. How much fun would it be to see Florida and Boise State (yep, I said that) play one more game. Boise State did go undefeated, after all.

And now we wait nine long months for Fall and the beginning of next season. This is when your Chica starts to get a little melancholy but fret not, I never harm myself. I'll get over this in about a month when college basketball fever finally hits me and March Madness is upon us.

On a lighter note, the NFL playoffs continue this weekend and if they're anything like last week's, it will be fun again. Stay tuned for some predictions.

And Another Thing...

This post is going to be about 2 different subjects:

1) UGA the Bulldog and 2) The National Championship game

UGA the Bulldog
I was going to write this after I went to the Chick-fil-A Bowl but fell ill as you all know by now. And by the way, every time I go to the GA Dome, I catch some kind of sickness, I'm just sayin'. I know I'm going to be accused of being a Georgia Bulldog lover but I can't win with you guys regardless. Once again for the record: I am not a closet Bulldog fan nor am I a closet Gator fan. Moving on.

As I sat there in my seat watching the VA Tech CHokies start to choke against the GA Bulldogs, I kept searching for UGA (the Bulldog mascot). Now those of you who know me personally know that I a dog person (of the canine persuasion) all the way. So, it's no great surprise that even a SportsChica as myself would be searching the Dome for a dog instead of watching the actual game. And alas, I found him.

There he was on the field with his red jersey on greeting admirers and posing for photographs. It brought a silly smile to my face because what a wonderful life he leads. He's a celebrity in his own right, he had more attention focused on him than anyone else on the sidelines. Years ago, Sports Illustrated voted UGA the best mascot in all of sports and even if you hate Georgia, you must agree and if you still do not, go to a Georgia Bulldog game and follow UGA for a quarter. It will change your mind. Now, if I'm not mistaken this is UGA 6 and it's his last year as Georgia's mascot, he is 9 years old after all. God bless you UGA 6 and have a fabulous retirement!

National Championship Game
First off, why isn't this game being played on Friday or Saturday evening?

This game intrigues me because no one is giving Florida a shot. It reminds me of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl national title game between Miami and Ohio State when no one gave OSU a fighting chance. I'm not going to dwell on that game because you all know how I feel about it. However, my point is, do not discount Florida! They had a tough schedule this year and although most of their games were won by a slim margin, they still won. I think they're going to come to play and give the Buckeyes some trouble and possibly win.

I picked Ohio St in my bowl picks but I also picked Oklahoma to beat Boise State....rrrrright. So, needless to say, I'm a bit timid about picking the obvious. Plus, in my opinion, I don't feel that the Buckeyes played anyone except for Michigan. HOWEVER, as much as it pains me to say this, they are a complete package and look unstoppable. This is going to be a great game (I hope so) and I think a tight one but I still look for OSU to win. And please do not start accusing me of being a closet Buckeye fan!

Random Thoughts

Hello sportsfans. Sorry for La Chica's absence but a touch of the flu has had your Chica out of the loop for the last couple of days! I'm almost back now, sorry about that. We've got a lot to discuss so let's get on with it.

Well, well, well, Michigan, thanks for not showing up for the Rose Bowl after all your hemmin' and hawin'. Okay, I'm going to bitch for just a minute here, how embarrassing for your alumni and fans to watch their team lay the fattest egg in all of America. FACT IS: HAIL NO, YOU DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!! However, you should have still shown up for your bowl game and beaten those mangey leg humping Trojans. Not to mention, La Chica picked you in her bowl pool. Anger!

Ah, Boise State. What can I say that everyone hasn't already said? What an astounding victory for the little guys. And I know it's been beaten to death since Monday night, but yes, this is why we need some type of playoff in college football. By the way though, yes the game was exciting but I still don't think it was the "greatest college football game ever". Had it been for a national title, then yes but simply, the stakes were not as high. Having said that, it was still an amazing game and victory.

Onto the Orange Bowl, in a word: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. (Although, I think it's going to be tough to top the Fiesta Bowl this year.) Wake had several chances but didn't take advantage of their opportunities, 'nuff said.

OFF TOPIC: Um, here's a note to the Orange Bowl committee, please stop hiring American Idols or any other pop star to perform during halftime. IT SUCKS! I think it made me sicker, I'm just sayin'.

A word of "thanks" to the following teams for ruining my bowl pool:
Tennessee
Michigan
Oklahoma
Clemson
Bunch of sissy mama's boys and chokers.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I found myself craving the new Taco Bell double meat grilled stuffed burrito! Thanks Carmen Electra.

Dear Nick Saban, thanks for lying to the Dolphins and all of their fans. In La Chica's most humble opinion, you laid the biggest egg of all this bowl season. Had you been honest from the beginning, I would understand, but to continually deny rumors that you're leaving for Alabama and then go, not cool. I was pretty upset about this earlier today but in the end, what did he do for my Dolphins? Really, nothing. Oh, except for passing on Drew Brees for Daunte Culpepper, rrrrrrrright. Bye-bye, Nick.

That's it for now peeps, writing this has worn me out as I'm still a little sickly. I will say this: Go LSU.

More Picks

Where is the International Bowl? Oh well, I'll look it up later, let's make some more bowl picks.

Champs Sports: Maryland vs Purdue I'm going with the Terps.
Insight: Texas Tech vs Minnesota Going with Tech.
MPC Computers: Miami vs Nevada Going with the Canes.
Alamo: Texas vs Iowa Picking the Longhorns.
Sun: Oregon State vs Missouri Nice Beavers.
Meineke: Navy vs Boston College Reluctantly picking BC.
Liberty: Houston vs South Carolina Cocks all the way in this one.
Cotton: Nebraska vs Auburn Tigers.
Outback: Penn State vs Tennessee Volunteers
Gator: Ga Tech vs West Virginia Tech now has a shot since Reggie Ball is not playing but I'm sticking with the Mountaineers.
Capital One: Arkansas vs Wisconsin Razorbacks.
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs Boise State The Sooners should kill BSU.
Rose: USC vs Michigan Go Wolverines.

I'll get to the others next week. And for the record, my little freaks, I am not a closet Gator fan so please stop insulting me with those accusations.

Dear ESPN.......

I don't know if your producers have informed you but, the Rose Bowl is not the national championship game. I realize you only support and report those things that favor you but please stop making such asses of yourselves.

In case you are not aware: the national championship game is in Glendale, Arizona and the two teams competing are Ohio State and Florida.

Thanks,
La SportsChica

Bowls and Stuff

I trust everyone had a fabulous Christmas. Thankfully, your Chica did as well.

Since Christmas Eve, I've watched two bowl games and fortunately for me, my picks have won! I'm involved in a Bowl Pool and it's fun. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it makes these boring bowl games involving schools who's mascot I don't even know a lot more interesting.

The Hawaii/Arizona State game was okay because it had a lot of scoring. As most of you know, La Chica loves her some offense. I must say however, I found myself quite annoyed by the long Polynesian hair worn by many Hawaii players. Actually, you can't watch a PAC 10 or Hawaii game without there being at least 5 players on the field with hair longer than Crystal Gayle (that's right, I threw that country name out!). It's not attractive and I can only imagine the stench underneath the helmet. I say the same thing about the dudes with the long dreadlocks so please, no hate comments on this one.

Last night's game was Central Michigan vs Middle Tennessee State. This game left a lot to be desired. CMU outplayed Middle (that's what the analysts calling the game called them) and were simply bigger and better. All in all I give the game a 1 out of a possible 5 for excitement level. I keep having to remind myself that the fun bowl games actually start with tonight's game, Florida State vs UCLA.

God only knows what kind of commentary is going to come from this game. I'm going to pick UCLA to win tonight but wouldn't be unhappy if the Seminoles won for the sake of the ACC. Here are a few other picks and games that will be worth watching:

12/28 Holiday Bowl: Texas A&M vs California. I'm going with Cal.
12/28 Independence Bowl: OK State vs Alabama. I'm going with OSU simply because Bama does not have a head coach.
12/29 Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs Clemson. Go Tigers!
12/30 Chick-fil-A Bowl: Va Tech vs Georgia. Look for your Chica at the game as I will be in la Georgia Dome and cheering for the mangey Hokies. Go ACC!

Check back for more picks later.

Holiday Season

I know it's the holiday season but check back in from time to time over the next several days as I'm going to update the blog with picks and other sundry items.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish peeps.

Poinsettia Bowl Thoughts

Last night was the first college football bowl of the season and it was quite a boring display. TCU killed Northern Illinois. It looked like a college team (that would be TCU) against a high school team (that would be NIU). Let's hope the rest of the bowls are much better.

ESPN had an hour long pre-game to discuss all of the BCS games and other bowls. Here are my thoughts about the show:

- Why does ESPN continue to have Doug Flutie as an anchor type analyst? I think he's fine calling the games as an analyst but he's still too nervous doing the actual shows. He stumbles quite a bit on his commentary.

- Don't look now SEC peeps but the guys on the show last night were not giving your conference any love, especially John Saunders. Speaking of John Saunders, is he drunk when he's on the air? Sometimes it seems like he's hitting the bottle before the shows. I'm just sayin'.

- And then there's Desmond Howard! Now, I do not want to speak badly of him because I actually like him but can someone please clarify to Desmond that California is playing TEXAS A&M in the Holiday Bowl and not the University of TEXAS. You would think John Saunders would have made it clear but he may have been too drunk.

Spitting, New Brawl and Other Items

I didn't watch the Falcons game Saturday night versus the Dallas Cowboys; your Chica was at Cirque Du Soleil watching men in tights, midgets flying around and clowns dancing about; it was quite lovely. The obvious news is that the Falcons lost to Dallas but what about Terrell Owens spitting on DeAngelo Hall? Once again, TO proves to be an idiot!

Spitting on someone, regardless of the circumstance, is unacceptable. And yes, I know that Sean Taylor did the same thing last year. I say the same thing about him, it's disgusting and unacceptable no matter who you are or where you played college football. There's nothing else to say about that, I can't believe that grown men actually commit these asinine acts.

Speaking of grown men behaving like fools, did anyone witness the brawl between the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets Saturday night? Funny how that brawl has not received all the attention that the FIU/Miami brawl did a couple of months ago. Oh right, ESPN. 'Nuff said.

Moving on to better subjects, the college football bowl season kicks off tomorrow with the Poinsettia Bowl (yes, that's right). Northern Illinois will face TCU at 8pm on ESPN2. Hey, I'm just happy college football is on and will revel in the magic that is bowl season. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but you guys know what I mean.

The Way To Do It

This evening, Appalachian State will play UMass for the Division I championship. I know it's a deadhorse but I love the way all the other college divisions and sports decide their respective national champions.

Wouldn't it be great if the big guys in college football had some kind of playoff? They could take the top 8 teams, keep the 4 BCS bowls and add another game for the national title. Oh well, it's not going to happen in our lifetime.

In the meantime, I'm going to support the little guys and you should too. So tonight, tune in and watch App. St vs UMass. Go Mountaineers!

Alabama

The University of Alabama still has not named a head coach. Back in the day, coaches would jump at this opportunity. Nowadays, peeps are afraid!

It's not unlike most major college football programs, if a coach doesn't win in 3 seasons he's out. And as a fan, I say rightfully so. However at Alabama, it's a little different; those fans are in dire need of other sports excitement. There are no professional teams in the state of Alabama so the entire year is dedicated to college football. And not that there's anything wrong with that but sometimes people get a little crazy over there.

Take Bill Curry for example, his family was threatened by "fans" during one of his seasons at Alabama, he gladly left and went to coach at Kentucky.

The bottom line is contrary to what most Crimson Tide fans think, this is not the glorious job it once was. Alabama fans need to let go of Bear Bryant's ghost and give a coach a legitimate fighting chance. Oh yeah, and get over themselves because Bama ain't all that and a pack of gum.

The NFL, Devin Hester and Big Butts

Now that the regular season has ended for college football, I ask myself: what am I going to write about? Fret not, I'll find stuff, I may even make up stuff ala ESPN.

Let's start off with the NFL. Don't get a Chica wrong, I do love pro-football but not nearly as much as college. And even though my beloved Dolphins started winning too late in the season, the fact that they kicked the crap out of New England and Tom Brady makes me smile. What I've decided is that I need something extra to peak my interest in Sunday football. So, I started betting on games! I joined a pool at a local hangout in my neighborhood and it has made all the difference in the world. The lesson learned boys and girls? Betting is both educational and cool.

Speaking of the NFL, did you guys watch Monday Night Football last night? The game was Chicago vs St. Louis. Devin Hester returned 2 kicks back for touchdowns in one game!! He's amazing and God bless him. He's a little guy who occasionally fumbles the ball but he makes up for it with his run-backs. And he's a Cane!

If you watched the game last night then you may have noticed something I did: la big butts. There's a player on the Rams team named, La' Roi Glover, he's number 97. He's got the biggest ass I have ever seen on a man or on an athletic man I should say. Your Chica could not stop looking at it and when the camera wasn't on him, I was searching for La' Roi like a meth addict searching for aluminum foil (sorry, but I've seen too many episodes of Intervention on A&E). I hope the Rams make the playoffs so I can follow La' Roi's booty, uh I mean progress.

Off Topic: If you haven't seen Rob and Big on MTV, you're missing out!

Ugh!

Well, it's official, the University of Miami once again hired an assistant from within the program to become the head coach. UM's defensive coordinator, Randy Shannon, was hired last night. Let's see, the last time this happened was with Larry Coker and we all know how that turned out.

At least when Coker was hired he was left with Butch Davis' amazing recruits. That team could have won the national championship with me as head coach and my dog, Zoe, as offensive and defensive coordinators! This time around it's different because Coker didn't leave that talent behind but instead left a mess behind that, in my opinion, needs an offensive genius to rebuild.

UM had a chance to inject some much needed new blood into this program and they failed. They even hired a fancy consultant to help them in their search for a new head coach. Hell, I could have been paid the money to look down the hall. How does this athletic administration continue to waste money and get away with it? I've been saying for awhile that the athletic director should have been fired as well. If he were running a regular corporation, he would have "gotten the boot" last year for his mistake of extending Coker's contract.

As a diehard Miami Hurricane fan, I will support the new coach and the team but I'm incredibly disappointed this morning. I feel it's going to be another long and possibly humiliating season next year. I hope I'm wrong; I hope I'm eating my words this time next year because I'm tired. I'm really tired of cheering for a losing team.

Can You Spot La Sportschica?

10 Things I Learned This Season

This was a tough season for your Chica for obvious reasons but college football is still the best sport going and I enjoyed the hell out of it. These are in no particular order but here's what I learned over the last 4 months:

1. Picking the outcome of a college football game is near impossible or I'm just really bad at prognosticating.
2. I really love using the word "prognosticate". It's fancy.
3. The media (especially ESPN) is going to sway its viewers and readers regardless of the truth. It doesn't matter peeps, they're going to write and say whatever they want even if it's not true and that's sad. I lost a lot of respect for a network I used to dream about working for. Oh who am I kidding, if they came knocking at my door with a job, your Chica would take it but I would still bitch about their unfair bias!
4. On the same line as the above bulleted item, it's amazing there are still certain sportswriters getting paid to cover sports: John Saunders, Woody Paige, Joe Theismann, etc. I could go on.
5. "This is our country"...John Mellencamp's song was ingrained into our brains so much this season that a lot of people moved out of "our country". I'm just saying!
6. Never, ever, ever bet more than $20 on college football games! Or even more importantly, never, ever say you'll show any body part if a certain team wins.
7. Doug Flutie's 80s hair will never go away. Bless his heart.
8. While I love Kirk Herbstreit and respect him because the man does know his college football, he made the most bonehead call of all this past preseason by picking the Miami Hurricanes to win the national title. As much as this Chica would have loved that, we all know what happened but it made me feel better with all my bad predictions. Thanks Kirk.
9. The BCS still sucks.
10. Watching your team play live in another country and continent ROCKS!

What did you guys learn this season?

National Title

The national title game has been decided and as you all know it will be Ohio State vs Florida in Arizona. Folks are pissed off all over the country but let's face it, no one wanted to see a rematch except the peeps who live in Michigan!

As for your Chica, while I'm happy for my Florida friends, I gotta say it will be a long year around these parts if Florida wins the national title in both football and basketball in the same year! However, they played a tough schedule this year and came away winning almost all of their games so I personally feel they deserve it more than Michigan for that reason alone. I'm in the minority though, a lot of articles I've read this morning are saying the only reason Florida got the nod is because of all the whining (and begging) done by Tommy Tuberville and Urban Meyer. Hey whatever works, right?

I will say, I'm sick of hearing all the hype about the SEC from SEC people about their conference being the best in the country! To these peeps I say this: Here's your chance to prove it! If Florida beats the best team in the country, I will toot the SEC's horn but if they do not, then sit your ass down, SEC!

Picks and Stuff
Your Chica is back, fresh off my European holiday and ready for football this weekend! I must say, I'm a bit sad as this is the last weekend of the regular season (sniff, sniff) but I must press on:

#16 Wake Forest vs #23 Georgia Tech
No offense to either school or their fans, but you know it's a down year in the ACC when you have Wake vs Tech in the championship game. I'm just saying. Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick GT for no other reason than they've got to feel like jackasses for losing to Georgia last week. By the way, kudos to me for picking that one.

#2 USC vs UCLA
This game is posted on my blog this week solely because its outcome has a lot of implications. If UCLA can somehow pull out the upset over USC then a lot of Florida fans will be happy or will the Michigan fans be happy??? Personally, I think it's a moot point (or as some idiots say: a "mute" point) because USC will win this game and go on to the national championship game.

#8 Arkansas vs #4 Florida
Ooooh, this game is going to be fun, or at least I hope so. La Chica is stumped on this one my peeps. Had Arkansas taken care of business and beaten those mangey LSU Tigers last week, I would have no problem picking them to win but sadly, they did not. Oh, the dilemma........my Florida friends will give me smack but I am going with the Razorbacks. By the by, if anyone has an extra ticket, let a Chica know!!!

#13 Rutgers vs #15 West Virginia
This game should be a fun one as well but in the end West Virginia will beat their ass.

#19 Nebraska vs #8 Oklahoma
Zzzzzz's. I've given the Big 12 no love this season so why start now? However, it is their conference championship game so I must make a pick: OU.

Greetings From Vienna
Hola my sports freakitos from the beautiful city of Vienna!

My vacation is going famously but I must admit, La Chica is missing her some college football today. As I write this, games are being played (sniff sniff). However, check this out: on Thanksgiving evening in Budapest, my traveling buddy, Mia, and I found a sports bar in the city and I was able to watch the Dolphins game against Detroit. Miami has now won 4 in a row!

Speaking of la Miamis, what about the Canes upsetting Boston College and then turning around and firing Larry Coker?! That's fantastic news for all Cane fans. And now the search begins for a new head coach, I just hope and pray the right decision is made. Good luck to you Larry Coker; you're a good man but your calling is at another program.

I just read where:
Florida barely beat FSU.
Texas lost again.
LSU beat Arkansas 31-26....damn, I knew that game was going to be tight and good.
South Carolina beat Clemson.

Okay my friends, I'm going to run and check out some free Austrian porn....just kidding, but I do have to run. This German keyboard is killing me.

I was going to be clever and say goodbye in German but that's a really long word and I don't feel like looking it up so ciao for now.

Turkey Picks
This week's picks are up a couple of days early as your Chica is headed on a European vacation; God-willing and the creek don't rise! It's been a crazy season my freakitos. This will be the last installment of picks until the conference championships, bowls and of course the big game.

By the way, I'm sending this out fully clothed.

#18 Boston College vs Miami
BC will win. Off topic: I hate to beat a deadhorse but this will be the Canes' 7th appearance on national television this season even though their record is a horrid 5-6. Peeps love to hate on Miami but you can't look away, can you?

#9 LSU vs #5 Arkansas
La Chica is sad that she's missing this game, it should be a dandy. I'm thinking that the Razorbacks rock the Tigers' world in this one. They need to in order to have a shot at making it to the national title game. I don't want to jinx them but Go Arkansas!

#4 Florida vs Florida State
This is a rivalry game so you never know what's going to happen. Florida is the better team but it's at FSU and you know the 'Noles will want to spoil it for the Gators. Regardless, I'm still going with the Gators.

#16 Georgia Tech vs Georgia
Another rivalry game that could go either way. I'm picking the Dawgs to upset Tech. After seeing what UGA is capable of doing against Auburn and at Auburn, they can certainly do it again versus GT.

#6 Notre Dame vs #3 USC
Unfortunately, the winner of this game will most likely face Ohio State in the championship game. The media has a love affair with both these teams that makes La Chica sick to her stomach but what can we do? I say USC wins at home.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Weekend Stuff
The Miami Dolphins have won 3 in a row! Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons have lost 3 in a row...I'm just saying.

What about the beat down bestowed upon Wake Forest by Virginia Tech? I was actually cheering for Wake but was later happy that they got their asses smacked. One of my Hurricane friends (Joy) fell victim to a Wake fan talking trash to her about Miami's terrible season this year. Um, here's the thing, Wake: You guys haven't done sh_t in 50 or more years so until you do, no one wants to hear you say anything. And you're still not going to win an ACC title or a national championship! So sit your ass down.

And speaking of Miami, the bleeding should be over after Thanksgiving evening. God, please make it stop!

In other "beat down" news, Rutgers got theirs at the hands of Cincinnati as well. I'm so glad that I did not join the Scarlet Knights bandwagon. I told you guys they did not deserve a #3 BCS ranking after beating Louisville. That said, kudos to them because they've had a wonderful season, regardless.

Now for the BCS standings:

1) Ohio State 1.00
2) Michigan .926
3) USC .918
4) Florida .883
5) Notre Dame .819

My master plan of Cal beating USC did not work over the weekend, thanks a lot you freaking libs! Now what? La Chica wants to see an SEC team face OSU in the title game and right now Arkansas is playing better football than Florida so they get my vote, but with USC playing ND this week...the winner of that game will probably jump Michigan. Oh who knows, this college football season has exhausted me.

Picks With A Twist
It's no secret that la Sportschica's picks have been dismal the last few weeks, therefore, I'm mixing it up this time around! This week, I'm writing this and making my picks......TOPLESS! I realize this may not mean anything to most of you but it is quite liberating. On we go:

#21 Maryland vs #20 Boston College
Ugh, once again, another toss-up game that could go both ways. Maryland continues to "squeak by" their opponents; however, I keep thinking that streak has got to end at some point and with that I'm picking BC for the win.

#15 Auburn vs Alabama
Okay, I know this game does not have any impact on the national championship picture ever since Auburn got its ass kicked by Georgia last week, but it's a rivalry game so that always makes it fun. Hey, at least the Tigers didn't lose to Miss. State.....ohhhhh snap! La Chica hopes that little hottie, Brandon Cox, is healthier than he was last week; otherwise, it's gonna be another long day for AU. I'm still going with the Tigers.

#19 Virginia Tech vs #14 Wake Forest
This is all I'm going to say: I hope Wake kicks the living crap out of Va Tech! That's my pick..go Demon Deacons (whatever that nickname means).

#17 California vs #4 USC
Finally, a Pac 10 game la Chica is excited about. Most of you who know me know that I have scenarios in my head all season long. In my current strategy this is what needs to play out: Cal beats USC then USC beats Notre Dame. Simple, right? In the celebrated words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friends! It's going to be tough for Cal to beat USC at home but I think they can do it. Arduous game but the liberals at Cal come out ahead.

#2 Michigan vs #1 Ohio State
Last but certainly not least, we come to this game. Have you heard about it? ESPN has been (literally) counting down the number of days, hours and minutes to this game. All the losers at the network will probably wet their pants by game time.....I'm just saying.

It pains me to write this but I have to think that the Buckeyes take this one. They've been strong all year, granted the only real team they've played so far is Texas. (By the way, freaks, before you start posting "hate" comments, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it!) Regardless, I hate to admit it but OSU looks good and will beat Michigan at home.

I'm Just Askin'
Question of the day: Is it possible to order a meteor to hit the Michigan/Ohio St game this Saturday?

I'm so sick of hearing all the hype about this game. And for those of us who didn't grow up in the Midwest, it's not the "biggest or best rivalry" in all of sports. Give me a break!

ESPN picks one item to discuss and that's all they talk about! I wish to God there were some other way to get sports information on a regular basis. I've reduced my ESPN tv time to College Gameday and that becomes unbearable at times too. That's a whole other conversation though.

Weekend Observations
This past weekend was a typical college football weekend. Teams that were supposed to win, did not and there were "upsets" a plenty.

Let's start with the Louisville/Rutgers game, the Cardinals were supposed to win, right? As everyone knows, they didn't. Now what? Should Rutgers be number 3 in the BCS? La Chica thinks no. Their story this year is great but they're not a number 3 BCS team!

Unranked Georgia went into Auburn and beat the living tar out of the Tigers. Hey, it's the South, a Chica can say "tar". Any given Saturday, a bad team can beat a good team and that's why we love this game.

Staying with the SEC, what about Arkansas??? I wasn't giving them a lot of love until last week. This is a good Razorback team that beat Auburn AND Tennessee convincingly. They deserve to be right up there with talks about a national championship appearance should they win out.

And now for the BCS standings this week:
1) Ohio State .976
2) Michigan .973
3) USC .869
4) Florida .849
5) Notre Dame .819

How in the world did Notre Dame go from number 9 to number 5 in one week? Oh right, by beating an unranked Air Force team, I understand now (insert sarcasm here). Also, how did USC jump Florida into the number 3 spot? If anyone deserves to jump Florida this week, it would be Arkansas. Hell, even Rutgers is more deserving since they're undefeated. This systems SUCKS!

Speaking of sucking, La Sportschica's pet peeve list is long and one day we'll get to it here but for now let's just discuss one of the items on the list. Pet Peeve # 17: Fans rushing the field after an upset or a big win, especially before the game is even over. One of my posters (BKing) reminded me of this and made a great point: it's always a second tier team's fans who do this. To those people, La Chica says this, we know you haven't been there before but for God's sake, act like it.

Lastly, during Florida State's game Saturday night, the Seminole players wore a #95 on their helmets in honor of the Miami player, Bryan Pata, who was killed last week. Anyone who knows me knows of my unmitigated dislike for FSU, however, I must admit I gained a bit more respect somewhere in the pit of my soul for those mangey Seminoles. Well done.

Picks and Stuff
This week brings us some good games, a lot of them would be better if all teams involved were ranked, as expected, but life doesn't usually go as planned.

Speaking of expectations, La Chica is getting A LOT of smack from some of you regarding my picks not panning out. Here's what I have to say to these critics: did you all just start watching college football this year? If the answer is "yes" then I understand you questioning my prognostications because you really don't know what you're talking about. If the answer is "no" then I'd like to see your picks and check out how you do week in and week out, FREAKS!

#3 Louisville vs #15 Rutgers - I'm so sick of hearing about Louisville and how "they deserve to be in the BCS championship game". Hey Cardinals, before you start pulling what will forever be known as a "Tommy Tuberville", how about winning out first. Louisville wins this game.

Georgia vs #5 Auburn - Interestingly, the winner of this game is usually the visiting team, however, the Dawgs stink this year so I don't see them going into Jordan-Hare and beating the Tigers. Auburn wins at home.

South Carolina vs #6 Florida - Why is your Chica posting this game you ask? Well, as I've stated in many previous blogs, my Florida friends are scared to death of Steve Spurrier. And because of this intimidation factor, they feel that Spurrier and his Cocks always have a shot regardless of rankings and so forth. They might have a point but I don't see it this year. The game is in Gainesville and Florida is a better team this year than last. However, if the Gator kicker does not become more consistent and start to make field goals AND extra points, the Cocks could get close but Florida still prevails.

#13 Tennessee vs #11 Arkansas - This is one of the good ones this weekend. I think Arkansas has an excellent shot at winning this game. The Vols lost a heartbreaker at home last week which, in my opinion, gives the Razorbacks a slight edge. This is one of those toss-up games that can go either way but I'm going with Arkansas at home.

Miami vs #25 Maryland - Once again, the Canes are on national television even though they've not been ranked since the 3rd week of the season. The hypocrisy of ESPN/ABC continues except this week it's a grieving Hurricane team. My head says to pick Maryland especially since the Canes are stinking but even more so because Miami has a ton of starters hurt and not playing. However, given this week's tragic events in South Florida, I'm going with my heart and picking my Canes. It's just football and it really doesn't mean a darn thing but GO CANES for #95!

UM Football Player Killed...
This article was written by Greg Cote of the Miami Herald and sums it all up:

Tragedy reduces football issues to instant insignificanceBY GREG COTE gcote@MiamiHerald.com Greg Cote's weblog The Bryan Pata tragedy The unacceptable ignominy of the University of Miami football team's 5-4 record stopped mattering Tuesday night as surely as a heart stopped beating. The tenuous future of unpopular coach Larry Coker ceased to be the least bit important, at least for a little while. The injury to quarterback Kyle Wright's thumb retreated to instant insignificance.

Hopefully, too, an agitated, jeering, dissatisfied Hurricanes Nation will pause and demand of itself today a moment of silence, or at least perspective, in this rancorous season. Just a moment, please?

Bryan Pata died.

Violently, by a bullet, inside his apartment in Kendall.

He was a UM defensive tackle, a senior, down to his last few college games, before somebody took even those away.

He was not a star. He was nobody's All-American. Nobody's future first-round draft pick. He was a solid pass-rusher who had led the team in quarterback pressures last year. He was a solid run-stopper who had selflessly switched positions from end to tackle before this season because the coaches asked him to. He had 11 career sacks, including two this year.

He was not a star, but he was tough, liked, admired. He was a leader. Just two weeks ago, late in a teetering game at Georgia Tech, the defender ran onto the field into UM's offensive huddle to exhort his teammates. He cared that much.

A SENSELESS DEATH

Pata died senselessly Tuesday night, for no good reason, as a disproportionate number of young African-American males seem to in Miami and other big cities. You might not even have heard about a death such as his, except he happened to be a college football player. He wore No. 95. Sometime he wore dreadlocks. He loved to tinker with and restore old cars. He had seven older siblings. He was a Miami kid who grew up at Central High.

He was going to get around to figuring out something to do with his life after football, until somebody with a gun decided none of that mattered all that much.
He was 22, too young to die under every circumstance imaginable.
Police had no motives, details or explanation for the crime Tuesday night. Pata, described as a Christian who didn't drink or party, deserves every assumption of his being an innocent victim.

The shame of this is that too many people nationwide are going to add this to the generic parade of ''UM football controversies.'' They will place this neatly in line right behind last month's brawl during the FIU game under the broad subhed, Hurricanes in the Headlines for the Wrong Reasons.

As if Pata brought it on himself.

As if Coker should have stopped it.

As if anyone but the man with the gun in his hand was to blame.

The tragic news broke across Miami Tuesday night, broke like hearts break, and it had to remind many of 10 years earlier, to April 13, 1996, when UM linebacker Marlin Barnes and his friend, Timwanika Lumpkins, were murdered in a campus apartment by her former boyfriend.

FOOTBALL INCIDENTAL

Football was peripheral then, too; incidental, as it was Tuesday night.
Death is never choosy. Doesn't play favorites. Doesn't care who you are. It will take John F. Kennedy Jr. in a small plane, Dale Earnhardt Sr. in a fast car, a homeless man beaten by bats, Sonny Bono on a ski slope, Bryan Pata in a Kendall apartment, or someone you will never hear of who just slipped in his bathtub and hasn't even been missed yet.

Death, though, overwhelms everything, every time, at least in the time when we force ourselves to bow heads, for just a moment, between the regular beat of life, between the cheering or the resumption of complaint.

In that moment, in a fleeting spasm of clarity, we understand that a 5-4 record is just what it is and not anything more: a disappointment.

We understand then that this UM football season didn't become a tragedy until a bullet erased Bryan Pata for no good reason at all.

I Forgot....
I meant to put this in my post yesterday but I forgot:

Why is Auburn playing Arkansas State in November??? When the SEC fans start talking smack about how tough their conference is and then I see Auburn playing a school like Arkansas State in November, I have to say: WHATEVER, dude!!!

Weekend Observations
Can I just give a "shout out" to my pro team, the Miami Dolphins! They went up to Chicago and put a serious beat down on a previously undefeated Bears team. I LOVE IT! All that's left is for someone to beat Indy at least once. Speaking of the Colts, can anyone stop Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison? That's a pretty good tandem.

This weekend left la Chica a bit speechless so my weekend comments may be brief. There were a lot of great and close games all weekend but no real upsets. Yes, Georgia lost to Kentucky but this year's Bulldog team is not that good so I don't consider that an upset.

The LSU/Tennessee game lived up to the hype. What a great game; LSU finally won a big game this year and in fantastic fashion.

The West Virginia/Louisville game did not live up to its hype and there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. The win put Louisville at number 3 in the BCS and while I think they deserve that given the fact they have not lost a game this year, I really don't care to see a national championship game consisting of: Louisville vs Ohio State or Michigan. Sorry Big East but I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Speaking of the BCS, here's the top 5 for this week:
1) Ohio State .986
2) Michigan .970
3) Louisville .890
4) Florida .801
5) Texas .799

Okay, back to the silly stuff, can someone please give la Chica an explanation for why there are so many college punters who are fat as hell??? Good grief! Have you seen Virginia Tech's punter? His ass is bigger than a lot of "chicas" I know. It's just plain ugly to see a man with a big ass.....I'm just saying!

And finally, Doug Flutie's hair is still jacked up! They made some adjustments to it but it still looks like bad 80s hair. Hey hair and makeup peeps, just cut the damn thing incredibly short already, geez!!!

Picks, Picks, Picks!
There are some great games on tap this weekend starting with a fun, fun, one tonight! Check it out my little football freakitos:

#3 West Virginia vs #5 Louisville
No one, including your Chica, would have ever thought that upon Virginia Tech and Miami's departure from the Big East, there would be a game of this magnitude left in the conference. Well folks, there is! Both teams are undefeated and both are ranked in the top 5. This should be a fun game for those of us who love offense. I'm going to pick West Virginia because I think they look stronger at this juncture AND I hate Louisville! Not to mention, a West Virginia victory will stir up stuff in the BCS and frankly, that's all I've got this season.

#13 LSU vs #8 Tennessee
The jacked up BCS is not giving Tennessee a lot of respect these days. Granted, they're a one-loss team but they have looked very good as the season has progressed. And in la Sportschica's very humbled opinion, I think they're the best team in the SEC right now.....I'm just sayin'! Poor ole LSU cannot win the big games this year so I'm going with Rocky Top at home.

#16 Boston College vs #22 Wake Forest
Go Wake! God bless the Demon Deacons this year but I don't think they will beat BC. However, I think it will be a tight little game but in the end Boston College comes out on top.

#12 Arkansas vs South Carolina
This game is posted because I think Spurrier and his Cocks (so appropriate) will give the Razorbacks a good game. In fact, I'm going to go with Carolina on this one. I'll give the coach this: he does have his team ready against ranked teams 90% of the time and I think this is one of them.

#23 Virginia Tech vs Miami
Real quick, VT will beat Miami! Why? Because the Canes have nothing left, this poor team has had the life sucked out of them and unfortunately, the coach is worthless.

Here's what I want to know though: If Miami is such a bad program and "thug U" then why does ESPN/ABC have them on national television 2 weeks in a row? They're not ranked so this game has no national title implications whatsoever, but yet they're the primetime game Saturday night. Hmmmm, hypocrites! I still hate ESPN!!!! Go Canes!