The Voice of The Fan: FVP

Tom Brady Comments Much Ado About Nothing

2012-01-29T23:20:00.002-05:00

Today, The New England Patriots held a "send-off" rally that was nothing more than a free pep rally for the fans. An estimated 25,000 fanatics showed up in Foxboro for a short rally with the players, as well as a replay of the AFC Championship on the big screens. During the rally, select players addressed the crowd. Among them, QB Tom Brady, who's statements are being hailed as trash talk by the New York media.

FVP to the New Yorkers: Shut the **** up.

Brady's innocuous statement went as follows:

"We're going down there, and we're going down there for one reason. We're going to give it our best and hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend."

Pretty tame stuff. He addressed the statement Sunday as he talked to the media upon arriving at Indianapolis. "Well, it was a pep rally," he said, pausing to allow the media a good laugh. "People were pretty excited. Certainly players were excited. I know 25,000 fans who were there were excited as well. It was great to see the support. We get great support, home and away, and hopefully we have some Patriots jerseys in the stands next Sunday night."

The New York media, in a lame attempt to generate headlines, has jumped all over TB12. The New York post ran the following:

Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News calls Brady cocky. Kim Martin over at newsday refers to Brady's comments as confident. The take here? Much ado about nothing.

NY Giants Will Be Biggest Test Of Patriots Suspect D

2012-01-29T16:26:00.000-05:00

Well, New England Patriot haters, you may get your wish. Eli Manning and the New York Giant offense will be the biggest test the Disciples Of The Hoodie have faced all year. This is not the Denver Broncos or the decidedly one dimensional Baltimore Ravens the Pats will be playing next Sunday. This is a balanced offensive attack, with great receivers in Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, power backs in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, and an elite QB in Manning. This game has the potential to be over by halftime.

Eli Manning has taken the next step and moved into the category of top QB's in the league, at least for the 2011 season. His 4,933 yards were forth best in the NFL for 2011, behind Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matt Stafford. "Every year his stats are always comparable with the best in the league so you got to give him credit with his abilities." Pats LB Rob Ninkovitch said recently. "He's' a great quarterback and can put the ball where he wants it to be and he's dangerous so you got to make sure you have real tight coverage on the receivers and get some pressure on him."

Pats LB Jerod Mayo echoed his defensive mates thoughts. "He's playing football as good as anyone right now. It's kind of hard to fool him, per se. You just have to try to go out there and limit him, to be honest with you. The way he's playing right now, he's on fire. You just have to go out there and try to contain him." Mayo said.

Much will be made of the Giants victory over New England in Foxboro week nine. In that game, Manning led the Giants to a game deciding score late, a familiar refrain for Pats fans. The Giants are much better than the week nine squad that beat the Pats, with the addition of Nicks and Bradshaw, who were out with injuries. Mayo also addessed that drive, and how the teams are different. "These are two different teams." Mayo said "Bradshaw didn't play in that game, Nicks didn't play in that game. We didn't have a couple guys in that game. These are two different teams playing. The Giants are a better team than they were back then and I feel like we are too. I'm kind of over that game but at the same time, you have to take the lessons from that fourth quarter drive and apply it to this game."

The Patriots secondary has been rightfully much maligned this year, giving up 411.1 yards per game, next to last in the league. Chief among the problems in the secondary has been the play of second year man Devin McCourty, who struggled at CB but has played better after being moved to safety. McCourty talked about the week nine game, and how the match up is different now. "I think one big difference for us is Hakeem Nicks wasn't playing so it kind of changed how they played compared to how they're playing now. They have a great quarterback. Eli has been doing a great job; if you just look at his numbers throughout the season especially toward the end of the season and the playoffs. For us in the secondary, they have three phenomenal receivers. They made plays all throughout the playoffs, whether Cruz, Manningham or Nicks. I think if you put those guys together with a quarterback like that, they create so many different matchup problems that throughout any playoff game they're taking advantage. That's why you see so many different guys have big games each of the different games. I think just to prepare for all those guys is the toughest thing." McCourty said this week.

McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Kyle Arrington will all need to play absolutely perfect next Sunday if the Pats will have chance against the Giants. If Tom Brady has a game like he did against the Ravens, this game will be over early. Brady will need to be better, and most likely will. Whether or not the defense can turn in a game for the ages, that remains to be seen. That is also what it's going to take to beat these NY Football Giants. If the Flying Elvii D isn't perfect, the Patriot haters will have a great day.

Someone needs to explain the Pats being three point favorites....

Kate Osman Of The Philadelphia Passion Talks LFL Playoffs

2012-01-29T14:50:00.001-05:00

FVP had a chance to catch up with our favorite member of the Philadelphia Passion, Kate Osman, to get her thoughts as her team heads to the conference championship vs. the Tampa Breeze for the right to play in Lingerie Bowl IX. In between practices and film study, Kate was good enough to give us a couple minutes of her time before heading west for the match up.

The hottest WR in the game!

As we've talked about here at FVP , once you get beyond the fact that the girls are running around in pads in their underwear, the LFL is real football. It's also old school football, where many of the players juggle regular 9-5 jobs and playing in the league. Kate commented on that, when we asked how she balances her day job much like a mild mannered alter ego with her super hero self that plays in the LFL. "Training and practicing is always a challenge when trying to balance our everyday life. We are so focused and determined to win that football becomes our life.....but we manage to balance well and stay sane!" she said.

"We continue to practice and prepare for every game like it is the most important game of the season, we have done that with every game this year and I think that is why we are so successful. We all watch film, study, train, condition and focus every game - this game is no different. We are focused and ready!" Osman said, when we asked if the routine was any different for the post season.

Just so we know Kate's paying attention, she's sounds like a certain hoodie wearing coach FVP has a fondness for, when we asked what's next beyond Tampa for her and her Passion team mates. "I can only think about Tampa. We have to win to continue, so all our focus is on Sunday's game. We can't thing beyond that at this point."

Kate and her Passion mates take the field at 4pm today over on MTV2. She's also on facebook, be sure to tell her you saw her here at FVP. Lingerie Bowl IX is next Sunday at 4pm. Check out their spot below.

Ford Unveils 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup Car

2012-01-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

Ford Racing unveiled the 2013 Ford Fusion that will represent Ford's entry in NASCAR as the series attempts to return brand identity to the circuit. "We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return ‘stock car’ to NASCAR." stated Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. "I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways."

"I would say that everybody was, as much asthey wanted, apprehensive that individually they would get the identity butalso be penalized from a competitive standpoint." Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition said recently. "So the reassurance of that andworking together on those types of ideas was a key. Once we really got the ballrolling and got on the other side of all the worries, that of having identity but not being able toperform, the manufacturers worked real hard off in their own directions to getall their brand identity in. They encouraged each other for the most part. Itwas difficult at times, but, for the most part, I think we all had a commongoal and as we kept coming back to the table I think the common goals wererealized and everybody benefited from the ideas that we needed to have cars onthe race track that relate very closely to the things in the showroom."

"I absolutely think Ford has hit a home run." Pemberton added. "Ithink there will be a wow factor when we start to uncover these new cars and itstarts with Fusion. The detail that has gone into them and the hard work fromall of the engineers, including mainstream designers, that are involved in theseprograms, coupled with the level of commitment and level of effort that is putinto them through all levels of management to make this happen is great. In my career I don’t think I have seenanything of this magnitude and it is hats off to everyone at Ford and the othermanufacturers who have brought these cars to life on the race track."

Photo Credit: Ford Racing

Pics Of Gronk Partying

2012-01-25T10:43:00.003-05:00

These pics were posted in the patsfans.com forum today, supposedly showing Rob Gronkowski partying up a storm following the New England Patriots win Sunday. They don't look like a guy too worried about his status for the Super Bowl.

Danica Patrick Not Running Indy 500

2012-01-24T21:37:00.000-05:00

NASCAR's newest celebrity, Danica Patrick, confirmed today that she will not be running in the 2012 Indianapolis 500, electing instead to focus on stock cars and run in the Coke 600 on Memorial Day Weekend.

Danica Patrick

"I'm going to do the Coke 600. I'm not going to do the Indy 500. I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500, that is. Maybe it will be a double. But at this point in time after a lot of conversations, it's just going to be the Coke 600. It's going to be a big challenge, but I'm looking forward to it, and especially a hometown like Charlotte for NASCAR." Patrick said.

So how did she make the decision? "The decision? Well, it was just something that didn't work out as far as the business side of things. It just didn't work out. I'm hopeful to do it in the future, but for this year, it just didn't happen." Patrick stated.

Danica also talked about expectations for the 2012 season, as she makes the commitment to forgo open wheel. "I think that first starting out with the Nationwide stuff, very much it depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven't raced at before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those. But for the most part, solid top-10. Getting into the top-five more consistently through the year would be a goal, and I'd like to get to victory lane. “As far as the Cup stuff, I think that it would be good if they answered as well on this." Patrick said, referring to Tony Stewart and Greg Zipadelli. "But I'd like to know what I should expect. But I think that at Daytona, the cars are very fast as you guys can see, and as we saw already at the test. So I feel good about that race. I feel good about… I mean, I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer, and that went pretty good. So I feel good about Daytona. I think there is a real chance if luck falls our way to perhaps win. I think that's a real chance. I mean, a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that. So those are the expectations for the first race, but then beyond that. I don't know. Top-20 or so, I guess, would maybe be a good goal. I feel like longer races are good. I like long races. I feel like I learn, I get more comfortable out there and we keep tweaking on the car and making it a little better on each pit stop, so I'm hoping that plays into my favor with the length of these races."

Zippy added "For myself, it's just good solid days. Give her as much track time as we can, and support, and just trying to teach her as much as we can about this sport and this series for the following year."

Team owner Tony Stewart expanded a bit more, saying "I'm excited about it. From my standpoint, I crashed everything I drove from the Nationwide cars, and it – on the Cup side – it got better obviously. But looking at it, these ten races for her this year, for me it's just finishing the races and getting the track time. In the short amount of time that I've worked with her, she's so good at processing information and what she learns on the racetrack. She can explain it to you right away and very accurate. I think her feedback is excellent. Just getting the time on the racetrack and, I guess are from my standpoint, I'm not worried about the finishes at the end of the day. It's just finishing the race, getting the laps and getting that experience in the car. Five hundred mile races are long races, especially in the Cup series when you're dealing with a 3,400 pound car. It's a learning process. I think the success at the end of the year won't be judged by where the finishing position is at the end of the day as much as what she's taken away from race weekend. So that's what my goal is for her."

Boston Bruins: First In The East

2012-01-23T21:22:00.001-05:00

The Boston Bruins sitatop the Eastern Conference (well, tied with the Rangers) after wins atFlorida, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, and losses at Tampa and at home to theNew York Rangers. The loss to the Broadway Blueshirts was a heartbreaker, withMarian Gaborik sliding one past Tuukka Rask with four seconds left in the OT.

But the big news inBruins Nation was today’s visit to the White House. The B’s were at 1600Pennsylvania Avenue to take a tour and meet President Obama, who honored theteam for the 2011 Stanley Cup win. That is…all but Tim Thomas. No. 30 laterissued a statement saying his failure to appear was for political reasons andhe elected not to participate. In Timmay’s words, “this was about a choice Ihad to make as an INDIVIDUAL.”

The Bin’s take:based on what we know right now, nothing to see here. While it appears from hisstatement that he is somewhere to the right of Curt Schilling politically, thatis Thomas’ prerogative and so be it. Whilethe Bin fundamentally disagrees with Thomas on politics, TT has every right toexpress his opinion. What is concerning…and frankly, we don’t know much aboutyet…is how this came about. If Timmay found out about the White House trip,went to team management and asked to stay home in a fairly low-key way, fine.If he sprung this on his teammates as a headline grabber, that’s a seriousproblem. It appears Thomas released the statement afterward based on the publicreaction to his absence. Fair enough.

Hopefully his teammates knew whatwas up and this won’t affect team chemistry going forward.

View from the SinBin 2.97

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FVP Monday Night All-Star: Crystal Marie

2012-01-23T19:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we've got out own "Backwoods Barbie". At a very young age Crystal Marie began hog hunting in Florida with her father, she has gone on to pursue a whole new world of unique game animals. From Trophy stingrays to Trophy Alligators Crystal Marie has harvested her share of dangerous game in her lifetime and has shown the world that beauty may only be skin deep but a passion for the outdoors and a fearless pursuit of game is the ultimate rush! Crystal tells us she's a big FSU fan, and roots for last year's Daytona 500 champ for Trevor Bayne. "I am pretty southern, hunting, bowfishing, trucks. Lord knows I love trucks!" Crystal tells us. Be sure to check out her facebook page, where she's looking very smokin' hot. Tell her FVP sent you!

Billy Cundiffe's Missed Field Goal

2012-01-23T14:12:00.001-05:00

Here's the video of Baltimore Ravens K Billy Cundiffe's missed kick, which sent the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl. What is there to say. Sucks for Ravens fans, great for Pats fans.

VIDEO: Raven Fan Freaks Out

2012-01-23T08:52:00.001-05:00

In this cell phone era, everyone records everything. This poor guy obviously is bummed that Cundiffe hooked the kick, and had to watch the game with some Pats fans. Plenty of NSFW language.

Patriots Defense Just Good Enough To Advance To Indy

2012-01-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, Lee Evans should have caught the ball. Yes, Billy Cundiffe should not have hooked it wide. None of that matters, as the New England Patriots advance to their sixth Super Bowl of the Robert Kraft Era. The Pats defense was the story today, as they made just enough plays to overcome a less than stellar performance from future Hall Of Famer Tom Brady. Brady finished 22 for 36 with only 236 yards passing, throwing a pair of picks and no TD's. This day, the defense, led by Vince Wilfork and Brandon Spikes, finally made just enough plays to cover TB12 and the rest of the Flying Elvii offense.

"We knew the Ravens coming in they were going to play physical. We knew that. We had to match their intensity and I think we did a great job of that tonight. Our main thing was coming out and not giving any big plays and playing for 60 minutes and we go it." Vince Wilfork said after the game Sunday. Wilfork finished the day with six tackles and a sack, and was a force all day on the Patriot defensive line.

Brandon Spikes also turned in a career type game at the most opportune time, getting in on nine tackles and grabbing a very key interception in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Bill Belichick recognized Spikes' play today. "He definitely brings and energy level when he's out there, whether it be in practice or in the games. And certainly when he makes plays, a lot of the time they're impact plays, whether they're hard tackles or turnovers or forced fumbles, interceptions and those kinds of things. He's got a nose for the ball and really, he's a surprisingly good pass defender. He's got a real instinctiveness that a lot of linebackers don't have, especially guys that are good run players. But he kind of has a good sense for where the quarterback is looking and he's long and he's tall and he's got long arms and he's able to get to some balls that a lot of those guys can't get to." The Hoodie stated.

Tom Brady acknowledged his poor play today, as he praised his defense post game. "Well, I sucked pretty bad today, but our defense saved us. And I'm going to try and go out and do a better job in a couples weeks, but I'm proud of this team, my teammates. You know, you fans were unbelievable today. You were a 12th man and we needed it. We're going to try to go out and kick some butt in a couple weeks." Brady said.

New England now makes it's sixth Super Bowl appearance since 1994, the most in that time span. Owner Robert Kraft and players alike know how special it is to make an appearance in the game's quintessential game. "To win the game in front of your own fans . . . wow. It might not happen again in my lifetime. Well, think about it: when we bought the team, they had one home playoff game, which they lost in '78. We hosted our first AFC Championship Game - it was 37 years as a franchise - back in '96, which we won. And you're not guaranteed to host an AFC Championship Game in your home stadium. It's pretty cool. The last Super Bowl we won, I believe we won the [AFC Championship] game in Pittsburgh. So to do this in front of our own fans . . ."

Wilfork echoed his team owner's comments. "It is an unbelievable feeling. It's hard to describe, but when you play this game this is what you play for. Everybody starts at the bottom every year and to get to this moment right here and to win the AFC Championship and go through what we went through with Mrs. Kraft and Mr. Kraft and go through the injuries and everything just playing a big part of us getting here. It is just unbelievable. It's great."

Bill Belichick Shows The Love To Ed Reed And Ray Lewis

2012-01-18T21:01:00.001-05:00

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick met the media today at his team prepared to meet the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship. If you were expecting any bulletin board material from The Hoodie...right, you weren't. As expected, Belichick showed nothing but love and respect for the Ravens, specifically, veterans Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.

"I don't know how much more savvy they could be." The Hoodie said today. "They're two of the greatest players to ever play the game, on the same team on the same defense for so many years. I don't know where to start. The play Ed Reed makes at the end of the game against Houston last week, I think that says it all, really. He's playing one side of the field trying to stay over the top of [Andre] Johnson, who they single up on the backside. I'm sure that they were looking for him. If he had single coverage, they'd want to throw it up to him, but Reed is over the top of him but they throw the Hail Mary to the other side and he comes all the way across the field and makes the play; really kind of a game-saving play. I'm not sure that if he hadn't made it, I don't know what would have happened there. Those are the kinds of plays he makes. He probably covers more field back there as a single safety than most teams can cover with two. He's got great instincts, he's a tremendous player. Ray Lewis, everything he brings to the game, his playmaking ability, his leadership, his experience, his ability to get people around him to play better both by his communication and anticipation and leadership and football savvy on the field. Those two guys, it would be really hard, I think, to put anybody even in their class, let alone above them. They're tremendous players with tremendous careers. Can't say I've ever coached against anybody better than Ed Reed in the secondary."

Belichick stayed on script with his praise for the Ravens organization as well. "It's an outstanding football team. I think it really starts at the top there with Steve Bisciotti, who's done a great job putting together the organization. Ozzie [Newsome] and his staff have done a great job of putting together the personnel. Of course, John [Harbaugh] and his staff have done a great job of coaching the team to all the success that they've had - winning the division and winning last week against Houston. They have a lot of good football players, they're well coached, they have a good scheme, they're a really hard team to prepare for."

If you were expecting anything different out of Baltimore, well, they are a veteran team with, as the Hoodie says, a lot of savvy. Ray Lewis heaped on the praise of Patriots QB Tom Brady. "When you speak about Tom [Brady], you're talking about arguably one of the best two quarterbacks of all time. You've got your hands full from Day One, before you even step on the field with him, because it's a film study game with him. He wants to [identify] everything that's coming out and know what you're in. Your job is to disguise and not show him all of that. It's a chess match, almost. Like Peyton Manning, anytime you play Peyton Manning, it's the same type of chess match. So we've got our hands full this week. You watched what they did last week against Denver. Just the way they came out and ran their offense - how efficient he was, how many different receivers he hit with the ball. I think their offense, period, is playing at a very high level."

The Disciples of The Hoodie take on the Ravens Sunday at 3pm for the right to represent the AFC at the Super Bowl. Both teams understand the importance of this game, and to what it means to be so close to the final goal. Don't expect any fireworks this week in the media. The players will save that for Sunday.

Stop Internet Censorship

2012-01-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

FVP goes black today to support the anti-SOPA protests. According to The Huffington Post:

SOPA would give both the government and major corporations the power to shut down entire websites accused of copyright infringement with neither a trial nor a traditional court hearing. The legislation is aggressively backed by Hollywood movie studios and major record labels, along with several major news providers, including Fox News and NBC-Universal, which have largely shied away from coverage of the bill.

As a small, independently run site, the last thing those of us at FVP want is some huge corporate site trying to shut us down. While FVP is against internet piracy, there has to be a better way than to give major corporations a monopoly on information on the internet.

Keep our voices heard! Click here to sign the petition!

Boston Bruins: Missing Brad Marchand

2012-01-17T07:53:00.002-05:00

The Boston Bruins have hit a roughpatch since the Vancouver game. Heading in to last night's game, the B’s are 2-1 since the StanleyCup Final rematch, but have not looked sharp in the wins. The Blackand Gold are missing their Little Ball of Hate, Brad Marchand.Marchand was slapped with a five-game suspension for his hit on SamiSalo in the Canuck game. His speed and ability to get under hisopponents’ skin are not easily replaced. Benoit Pouliot has takenthe majority of Marchand’s ice time and has played well. But BigBen plays a whole different style of game. Marchand should be backthis week against New Jersey.

The reaction to Marchand’s suspensionhas been interesting. Primarily it has been one of surprise at thelength of the sentence. There has been discussion in the media ofwhether the hit rated a suspension at all. The Bin’s take: it did,but two games would have sent the message. Particularly in light ofthe fact that Nashville’s Ryan Ellis had the exact same low-bridgehit on the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds and there not only was nosupplemental discipline, there was no penalty called on the ice.Also, during the Bruins-Canadiens tilt, Habs D-man PK Subban took aflying leap at the B’s David Krejci, leading with his elbow toKrejci’s head. Subban got two minutes. Andrew Ference received fourfor coming to the aid of his teammate. No supplemental discipline.Hello…Brendan Shanahan…is there anyone home? The Bin is not bigon conspiracy theories but any objective read says someone upstairsdoesn’t like the Bruins. The key for Shanahan (whose job titleclaims he’s concerned about player safety) is consistentdiscipline. Not happening at this point.

While we’re on the subject ofSubban…you are playing with grown-ups, PK. Join them or get out.Subban elbows Krejci in the head, and Ference jumps in to help hisforward. Andrew is the smallest defenseman on the B’s roster. Hecan hold his own in a fight, but he’s no pugilist. Subban has 17pounds on Ference. And…Subban turtles. Really turtles. Face down onthe ice hiding his mug in his gloves turtle. Ference ragdolled himaround a bit until the linesman broke it up. Perhaps PK should rereadthe hockey code book. If you’re gonna play dirty, you will get intofights. Man up. Be proud, Habs fans. Be very proud.

View from the Sin Bin 2.96

Follow the Sin Bin's exploits on facebook here.

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FVP Monday Night All Star: Jessi

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

Tonight we have Jessi, writer, model, and world traveler. Jessi is a writer for MAXIM Magazine, Blogger for COED Magazine, and a campus Representative for Playboy. You can follow her exploits on twitter and over on her website here.

Kurt Busch Fastest At Daytona Testing

2012-01-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

Kurt Busch was fastest at Daytona Testing this weekend, posting a top time of 43.677 and a top speed of 206.058 mph. He was followed by Regan Smith, brother Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne.

Kurt Busch leads Danica Patrick and a group of drivers
at practice this weekend at Daytona

"It's been a lot of fun to work with a small group of guys and thrash on just getting the car to the hauler to get the hauler down here on time, and just how everybody on the team is just walking on cloud nine right now with the excitement, with the way that we've been running so far on track, especially in the single-car runs, with where we did our mock-up qualifying run, it put us second on the board as far as guys with the fastest laps this morning in single-car runs." Busch said this weekend.

NASCAR officials were also pleased with the test and will be taking this data back to the Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. to assist in getting the final rules package together for next month’s Daytona 500.

“We’ve had a good test and gained a lot of information,” said Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton. “We know that when we come out of here, there will be some loose ends we have to tie up as we get all of our information together and come up with our final plans for Speedweeks. I can say that all in all everything is going according to plan.”

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Brady Plays With A Chip On His Shoulder As Pats Advance

2012-01-15T21:25:00.001-05:00

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady will never admit it, but he played angry last night. All the Tim Tebow talk dominated the week heading the divisional match up between the Pats and Broncos, and that really had to frost Brady. He's in top three in the game right now, and in the discussion as perhaps best all-time. What's Tebow done? Not taking anything away from Tebow's season, but Brady certainly showed that he, not Tebow, was the elite QB on the field Saturday night. Brady played with a swagger that fans haven't seen since '07, passing for a record tieing six TD's as the Pats dismantled the Broncos 45-10.

"I have no idea what records and stuff like that." Brady said post game Saturday night. "We try to go out and execute well. I thought offensively we took advantage of some opportunities. That fumble we got was pretty important in the first quarter. Anytime you score points and you score 45, obviously with the help of our defense and special teams played great. Hopefully we can go out next week and play even better."

Without a doubt, the last two postseasons have entered in to the Pats thought process. Head Coach Bill Belichick even admitted it Saturday night, albeit an abrupt "I think our whole team feels that. I think our whole team feels that." Brady was a little more expansive, saying "It's all about winning. You're right, you lose a few playoff games and it's a very bitter way to end the season and it sits on your mind for quite a long time. For us to come out and play the way we did, have a very solid performance in the most important game of the year is very gratifying. I think that we have eight days until the biggest game of the year. From this point on, everyone will be focused on what we need to do to be better next week and hopefully come out and play for another championship."

Now the Patriots have an opportunity to atone for the 2009 shellacking at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, as the two meet next week for the right to represent the AFC at the Super Bowl. This will not be an easy match. The Ravens have a battle tested, veteran defense that will not be impressed or in awe of TB12 or anyone else in a Patriot uniform. "It's going to be a great challenge for both of us" future Hall Of Famer Ray Lewis said Sunday. "We've played the Patriots several times, and the games always come down to being classic. Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and there is no better mind in football than Bill Belichick. So with all of that being said, here is our opportunity."

Lewis added that the rivalry with the Pats and TB12 is "The ultimate. It's just one of those rivalries. Every time that we saw each other, it always comes down to a classic rivalry. I wouldn't expect anything else and I don't think they are going to expect anything different as well."

Brady is going to have to on his "A" game again if the Pats are to advance to Indy and The Super Bowl. Brady's comments after the win Saturday could be used as a precursor to next weekend's Championship battle. "We knew the threats; we understood the danger of not playing our best game. I thought we came out and really responded well."

If Brady and his counterparts respond well this week, they'll be in Super Bowl XLVI. Brady will recognize this opportunity to exorcise the demons from '09 and move on to Indy. He's too good to be stopped right now. He's the best QB in the game, and he'll seize the opportunity to leave his mark on the game as perhaps the best ever.

Whether or not the ghosts of '07 can be dealt with, that remains to be seen.

Belichick Effusive Today At Presser

2012-01-12T21:33:00.001-05:00

Deion Branch got some love from Belichick today.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick must have had a good week of practice at Foxboro. Today, he was not his usual grumpy "we're just trying to to get ready for Denver" self. He was expansive in his answers, and glowing in his praise of veterans on his team, notably, Deion Branch.

Hoodie was asked about what concerns him about Denver. Normally, this type of question gets you the one sentence answer. "I think their whole team." Normally, Belichick stands stoically at the podium, waiting for the next dumb question. Today, he gave an answer. Hoodie continued "Theyv'e added some things to their sub defense, like their nickel and dime packages last week. [Von] Miller looks like he's playing - he's still got that thing on his hand, but I think it's less restrictive. Offensively, they continue to use multiple players. They get production out of all their backs. [Willis] McGahee missed some time against us, but other guys stepped in and were productive. You see them adding plays, adding formations; it's hard to tell how much they're checking, but clearly there's some communication going on at the line of scrimmage relative to defensive looks. I think you see a lot more of that, that Tim [Tebow] has with the offense and the communication that they have on the line of scrimmage. Special teams, they've added a couple wrinkles to their rushes and their returns. Obviously, very good specialists, they're very dangerous in that part of the game, too. Look, I'd like to think that any team that continues to practice and work hard over a period of three, four weeks is going to improve. If you don't, then what are you doing? I think we've gotten better. I think they've gotten better. I think probably every team you look at, that can do that, if they can work and continue to go out there and perform then they should improve. It's just how you improve relative to how the other teams improve."

As the TV advertisement says, but wait, there's more. When asked about being beat by Denver's deep ball, The Mad Scientist Of Foxboro said "I think you have to worry about everything with Denver's offense. You have to worry about the running game, the passing game, the backs, the receivers, the quarterback, the offensive line. They're a well balanced unit. They get production from everybody. Everybody has to take care of their job. If you just load up on one thing, then you pay the price somewhere else. You have to be able to handle all the elements of the offense. They're going to test you on all of them, you know that. They're going to test you with their receivers down the field on catch-and-run plays, they're going to test you inside, outside in the running game, with the quarterback, the running backs, some type of reverse or gadget play. They run those things every week and you're going to have to be ready for them. You don't know when or which one it's going to be, but they're going to test you out on that. I'm concerned about all of it, of course."

Denver's zone blocking, we got that covered. "I think what separates them from everybody else is the amount of option that they run, whether it's the triple option where there's actually three players involved or whether it's the quarterback handing the ball off but potentially keeping it away from the direction of the play. You don't see a lot of teams do that, I think that's what's - when they just hand the ball off, then their plays are similar to everybody else's. They obviously have their own unique players doing them and that makes them unique, but the amount of the quarterback keeping the ball with the different combinations of blocking schemes that they have and the true option plays, either speed option or triple option where it's dive, quarterback, pitch, you don't see that very often in this league. We're going to see that a lot Saturday night and so is every other team. Those are the things you really have to, they're different. We just don't see that."

Perhaps the best exchange of the season came when asked about the relationship between Tom Brady and Branch. Belichick went on for days. "Deion is a very instinctive receiver. He was in college at Louisville and then from day one when he got here. He's smart, he learns very quickly and he just understands the receiver concepts and techniques. If you tell him what to do, but you don't really tell him what to do, just say, ‘Okay, do this, just run this route.' Okay, but then a lot of things can happen on the other side of the ball. He almost always does what the quarterback would expect him to do. He just has a good instinct and a good feel for what the right decision to make is based on what he's seeing and then so that he can help the quarterback, where he can be in the spot where the quarterback wants him to be, when he wants him to be there. Timing is such a big part of the passing game. The quarterback, he wants to throw the ball when he's ready to throw the ball when the receiver is open. It doesn't do any good for him for the receiver to be open before he's set up. A lot of times, it doesn't do any good for the receiver to be coming open late after he's already ready to throw and now he's got to hold it and you run into protection problems. What you really want is for the receiver to come open as the quarterback is ready to deliver the ball. Deion has a great sense for that timing. Some plays are different. You tell a guy to run a route at 15 yards on air, great. But now there's a corner up there and he gets pushed or the next time he gets jammed a little bit harder or the next he comes and he beats him off the line and he's clean. For the timing to be the same on those routes, they can't all be at 15 [yards]. They're just not going to happen at the same time because the transition is different. But the quarterback is dropping back and he's ready to throw. Those are the kind of things that Deion does that I don't want to say you can't coach, but it's hard to coach those things because every one is a little bit different. If somebody flashes in front of the receiver - if he's running a route and they play zone and somebody flashes in front of him, then what do you do? Do you stop? Do you go past him? Do you go in front of him? Do you go behind him? And those guys are moving too; they're not just standing there. They're running at you, you're running at them. What decision do you make? Again, he almost always does the right thing. Just like Troy Brown, just like Kevin Faulk You can run a play, you can practice it all year, and then something can come up in the season that it's just not the way you talked about it, it's not the way you practiced it. Then what the player does, you look at it and say, ‘That was the right thing to do,' and the quarterback saw it that way and the receiver did it that way and you have it. That's a long answer to a short question, but Branch is great at that, he's great at that. As was Troy, as was Kevin, those guys were, and Randy [Moss]. Those guys just knew where they could go, how long they had to get there, how to do it and it was, 99 percent of the time, as the coach if you said, ‘Okay, this situation, this is what we want you to do,' that's what they would do."

And even more, when talking about Branch's four years away. " Again, Deion had a lot of that coming out of Louisville, he really did. He had a lot of that coming out of Louisville. Coming back here, of course he knew our system. There was regaining the timing with Tom [Brady] and all that. But again, that's who Deion is. I think you could put him in any offense and make a decision relative to timing and route adjustments and releases and those kind of things. If you just tell him kind of where you want him to go, I think he'll find the best way to get there and be there at the right time once he understands what the concept of the play is. I don't want to say - I know he's gotten better at it and he's progressed as a player through the course of his career but he started at a high level and he's done that throughout his career. He's really good at those things. Even back when Troy [Brown] was here, there were times when we had him in the slot and you put him in the slot for a play - those are the kind of things, you go into a game and you know, the Carolina game, 'Okay Deion, you get over in the slot, we're going to run this route.' You practiced it against one coverage or you practiced it against two coverages, but then you get in a game, who knows what they're going to run. You just can't practice it against 30 different things, like Troy had run it because he played there, like Wes [Welker]. Wes has seen everything you could see at that position, Deion hadn't. He goes in there and has to make an adjustment and you just are confident that he'll make the right one." Hoodie said.

Just when we think Hoodie's been possesed by aliens or something, he returns to the norm, when asked about Aaron Hernandez, he quips "He is a tight end."

Back to reality. Whew.

Danica Patrick's First Day On The Job

2012-01-12T20:43:00.001-05:00

Danica Patrick, lover of the turkey sandwich

Say what you will about The Princess, Danica Patrick, she is definitely not a graduate of the Bill Belichick School Of Media. She is not afraid to tell you what's on her mind. She met the media today, where she discussed working with Greg Zipadelli, slick meat, and her affinity for the honey badger. There's more racing, but at least you're gonna read long enough to find out what she says about slick meat.

Danica's first topic was working Greg Zipadelli, Tony Eury Jr. It's not hard to read between the lines that Patrick didn't get along with Eury. "His accent is not as thick as Tony, Jr." Danica said today. "I understand every word he says. We get along great. I feel really comfortable with him so far. I feel respected, and I feel like he's been very patient. Even the little things, getting here this morning and just kind of adjusting a belt a little bit and adjusting a throttle a little bit, he doesn't look at me like I'm inexperienced and I should be comfortable right away or it should be right or the throttle doesn't feel right or I should get used to it and be used to it. He investigates and says no problem, let's get it right, and makes me comfortable with that kind of stuff. Obviously we haven't worked together with the whole how the car feels and how we're going to change it and that kind of stuff, and especially here at Daytona, that's probably -- we're probably not going to get a lot of that. It's not that kind of a track. But I can say so far I feel very comfortable and I feel very fortunate to have him to work with to have that experience."

Danica also discussed getting comfortable this time around at Daytona. Back in '09, she struggled with things like getting in the car, and what to do with her hair. (not kidding) Today, she said "It did feel a little bit more comfortable, yeah. I'm really kind of glad that the first time that I'm in a Cup car is here at Daytona where I can get the fit right and get all the little things right so that when we go to a track that's a little bit more challenging from a driver's perspective that stuff is all good to go and there's no concern or no distraction with those things. So it's nice to be here to run for the first time and feel comfortable in having been here before. But like I said, it's a pretty straightforward track for a driver. And the honey badger, it was last year, I think, somebody showed me this video of the honey badger, and the commentator on it was very, very funny. Anyway, the honey badger, he doesn't give a crap, he takes what he wants. And that's how I'm going to be this year, like a honey badger. But I feel like it's a little diluted with the football player that has the honey badger nickname, too. He's No. 7, as well." She continued "Anyway, the video is great. He eats a poisonous snake and he falls asleep and wakes right back up. The video is funny, so I encourage you all to watch that. I think Randall something is the commentator or the name on the YouTube video. I don't know, it's a mindset. I even have a honey badger picture on my screen saver on my phone to inspire me. It takes what it wants."

So, this guy motivates her:
Great stuff.

Emotionally: "I'm really excited and I'm really happy. And that's it. I mean, yeah, there's nerves. There's a lot of things that are unknown, especially with running the full-time Nationwide championship, wanting to do really well in that, and wanting to make a good impression in the Cup races that I'm doing. But overall I'm feeling comfortable, as comfortable as I could imagine myself in this situation, and just really excited and really happy and glad to be where I'm at." Patrick said.

Finally, we get to lunch. She discussed going to eat with the team at Olive Garden, but Patrick's more of a sandwich type of woman. "I like a turkey sandwich." the GoDaddy driver said. "They're going to get some slick meat for me to put in the fridge. I learned what slick meat was. I don't know, I called it sliced deli meat, right, some deli meat and some cheese and some bread and mustard." (EDITORS NOTE: The Urban Dictionary defines slick meat as : Any processed meat product that has a shinny outer surface. Typically used in describing meats that have been formed or shaped and it origins can not be identified with out the package label)

She learned about slick meat. Priceless. It's going to be fun following NASCAR's Princess Of Speed.

Danica Patrick was 20th on the speed chart today, with a best time of 46.887, and a top lap speed of 191.951.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Video From Inside Jimmie Johnson's Car At Daytona

2012-01-12T11:52:00.000-05:00

Pre-season is pretty fun with some of these NASCAR drivers. Driver's often tweet cool stuff from pit road and the garage. Here's Jimmy Johnson's view of the goings on as he waits his turn to go out for practice.

Jeff Gordon currently tops the speed charts, with no drafting allowed in session 1.

Hinchcliffe Signs With Andretti Motorsport, With GoDaddy As Sponsor

2012-01-11T20:07:00.001-05:00

2011 IZOD Indycar Series Rookie Of The Year James Hinchcliffe has agreed to drive for Andretti Motorsport in the 2012 season. Hinchcliffe has also brought with him the colors of GoDaddy.com as his sponsor.

Hinchcliffe at driver intros at Loudon

"James is a perfect addition to our team for next year," said Michael Andretti, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Andretti Autosport. "He's got a lot of talent and we believe he will be great for our driver chemistry. He will definitely grow and thrive with Andretti Autosport. Even in his rookie year in IndyCar, he proved to be a great competitor. I look forward to seeing what he is capable of in the next few months."

In his inaugural season, Hinchcliffe recorded three top-five and seven top-10 finishes earning Rookie of the Year despite missing the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. The 25 year old finished fourth at the 2011 Long Beach, Loudon and Kentucky races.

"A lot of the people and headlines have said, Hinchcliffe replacing Danica in the Go Daddy car." Hinchclife said. "I'm replacing her in the seat in driving it. I don't think in any way we're going to say that I'm trying to replace Danica. What she did and what Go Daddy did with her was so unique and special, they did a good job with it. I'm kind of lucky that I'm coming in a bit of a different position being a guy rather than a woman in a male-dominated sport. Now they have a whole 'nother set of opportunities. I think there's some cool possibilities for them to work with someone else other than Danica with them. She's obviously still part of their family with her stockcar program."

Good. For a moment, I thought he was going to do ads in a bikini. Whew, that's a relief.

Denver Broncos Weigh In On Josh McDaniels Move To New England

2012-01-09T21:49:00.001-05:00

As The New England Patriots get ready for the Denver Broncos Saturday night, one of the sub-plots will be the recent hiring of former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels served as the Patriots offensive coordinator before moving on to Denver in his first gig as head coach in 209. McDaniels originally joined the New England coaching staff back in 2001. Denver Broncos players and members of the staff weighed in on the return of McDaniels to Foxboro.

John Fox:

On Josh McDaniels being hired by the Patriots
"We just played them a month ago so I don't view it much differently. I don't know Josh very well. I wasn't here so I'm not really that familiar. I just stay in my lane. Other people make those rules. It doesn't really matter what I think."

On McDaniels' knowledge of Denver roster
"When you do this for a living you have a pretty good idea of most of the players. You [studied] them in college or coached them before and guys just move cities, that's kind of what this league is. I mean we're going to go play Carolina next year. I don't think that's going to be a huge advantage for me. Plus, their team has changed and so has ours. I don't think it's a big deal."

On McDaniels drafting several current Broncos players
"I think a lot of people here drafted these players. I don't think one person did. I think that's the case no matter who it is."

DE Robert Ayers

On New England hiring Josh McDaniels
"He's a smart coach. I don't know what role he has or how much [Head] Coach [Bill] Belichick is going to be using him, but congrats to him."

On McDaniels drafting him in the first round
"I thank God for that. God put me in a situation to get drafted where I did and blessed me with the ability. Josh McDaniels pulled the trigger on me with the 18th pick. I thank God, and I also give him a little credit for that too."

WR Eddie Royal:

On Josh McDaniels being hired by the Patriots
"I don't really pay too much attention to that. We can't let stuff not on our side distract us. We have a tough team to play. The only thing we can be focused on is football right now. I don't think too many guys are going to be thinking about that. We have to worry about stopping Tom Brady and scoring points on this defense. I don't think you can worry about who's coaching them."

WR Demaryius Thomas

On Josh McDaniels being hired by the Patriots
"I guess it's another coach. He drafted me and Tim. It'll be good to see him, but it's another game."

Tagliani Joins Bryan Herta Motorsport

2012-01-09T21:27:00.003-05:00

The pole sitting driver from the 2011 Indianapolis 500 and the winning team have joined forces. Alex Tagliani has agreed to drive for Bryan Herta Motorsport.

Alex Tagliani, post race at Loudon

“We are very proud to have Alex Tagliani join our team for our first full season of IndyCar competition," said Herta, a former IndyCar Series driver. "He brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the program, and is the perfect fit for us and our sponsor partners. Together with Todd Malloy and Brian Page in engineering, and the Don Lambert-led crew, Alex has the full support of a very talented group of professionals behind him.”

"I'm really happy to drive for BHA," Tagliani said. "Having known Bryan for a long time, I recognize that he's a nice guy with genuine integrity. I believe that he and Steve Newey deserve to own a great IndyCar team, and I'm honored to be part of the building of BHA's 2012 program. It's also a great honor for me to represent the Lotus brand as a factory partner. Lotus has so much history in the world of motorsports. As a team, we have a lot of work in front of us and while challenging, it will be fun to be at the core of both engine and team development. BHA has a great group of people and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Tags first opportunity to lend his expertese will be at testing this February as the IZOD Series kicks off March 25 at St. Pete.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

NASCAR Testing To Get Underway This Week At Daytona

2012-01-09T21:17:00.001-05:00

FVP has barley got the Christmas decorations put away, and NASCAR's pre-season is just a matter of days away. NASCAR begins testing this week at Daytona in preparation for the 54th Daytona 500. "This is an opportunity we are providing to the competitors to implement and test the new Daytona rules package for 2012," said Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition. "It’s a chance for them to get comfortable with the cooling package, the smaller spoiler and to practice drafting for next month’s Daytona 500."

The new package for Daytona includes:
·Smaller radiators: Maximum of 2 gallon capacity
·Smaller overflow tank: Maximum capacity of ½ gallon
·Radiator inlet is moved up closer into the front center bumper area
·Rate reduction in the springs – softer springs
·Smaller rear spoiler ·Base line restrictor plate of 29/32 inch (1/64 inch larger than plate size for the 2011 Daytona 500)

"While we have had other tests with these set-ups, this is the first opportunity for the entire field to test together and get more comfortable with this package as it relates to their cars," Pemberton said. "This three-day test will allow the engine tuners for these teams to be able to work with their engine packages and see how they relate and react to the new cooling regulations."

Practice Schedule
Thursday, January 12TH
7:00 AM NSCS HAULERS ENTER
7:30 AM NSCS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NSCS GARAGE CLOSES
Friday, January 13TH
7:30 AM NSCS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NSCS GARAGE CLOSES
Saturday, January 14TH
7:30 AM NSCS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NSCS GARAGE CLOSES

AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson is interviewed by Bill Speros of ESPN.com during the Roar before the Rolex 24 on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway. Johnson is driving the "Highway to Help" Daytona Prototype during the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24.

photo credit Matt Humphrey / NASCAR

Marchand Suspended

2012-01-09T21:00:00.001-05:00

Boston Bruins wingerBrad Marchand incurred the wrath of NHL Director of Player Safety BrendanShanahan and has been suspended for five games. The unplanned vacation is for asubmarine hit on Sami Salo of the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Marchand wasgiven a game misconduct for clipping on the play. Looks like Benoit Pouliot willsee significantly more ice time for the next two weeks.

The Bin’s take: a suspensionis deserved. Marchand clearly low-bridged Salo. But five games is a bit on theextreme side. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said it in a statement, “it isfrustrating that there are clear comparable situations that have not beenpenalized or sanctioned in the past. Itis equally disappointing that Brad sought the counsel of the Department (ofPlayer Safety) this past fall for anexplanation and clarification regarding this type of scenario so as to adjusthis game if necessary. He was advised that such an incident was notsanctionable if he was protecting his own safety. Given our feeling thatBrad was indeed protecting himself and certainly did not clip the player as hecontacted the player nowhere near the knee or quadriceps, today’s ruling is notconsistent with what the Department of Player Safety communicated toBrad." Chiarelli makes a good point. For Shanahan’s department to changethe culture of the game (and make no mistake, that’s what he’s trying to do) heneeds to implement swift, consistent discipline. He has the swift part down. Butthe same infraction needs to be handed the same penalty. No exceptions.Inconsistency just destroys the league’s credibility.

Now we’ll see howMarchand’s absence affects the B’s. Time to step up.

View from the Sin Bin 2.95

120109 tjz

FVP Monday Night All-Star: Madeline

2012-01-09T20:28:00.003-05:00

Another nominee from our pal Nicole, Madeline is another Ohio State girl. The latest FVP girl has modeled around the Columbus area, as well as magazines like On Cycles, Rider, Plush, and Cast On. The self confessed claustrophobe admits to hating to sleep in, while being obsessed with monkeys. Insert "touch my monkey" joke here. She's got her own site here, and a fan page on facebook here. Tell her FVP sent you!

Tim Tebow: All He Does Is Win VIDEO

2012-01-09T08:35:00.003-05:00

Let the hype begin:

Lucic's Game Misconduct A Bogus Call

2012-01-09T07:47:00.001-05:00

View the sin bin: Boston Bruins: On-Ice Officials CostB’s Rematch with Vancouver Canucks.

By now you’ve heard the Boston Bruinslost their rematch with the Canucks on Saturday by a 4-3 tally.That’s bad enough, but the way it came about…and theaftermath…was worse. First…Vancouver scored all four goals on thepower play. We knew going in there would be a lot of penalties inthis one, and both teams didn’t disappoint. But the B’s penaltykill will have to be better against top-tier teams going forward.Brad Marchand, Rich Peverley, and David Krejci scored for the Bruins.

Early in the first period, six Canuckssurrounded Shawn Thornton and tried to take him on. Funny howVancouver won’t take anyone on one-on-one, but that’s a story foranother day. Milan Lucic—as you would expect---came to the aid ofhis teammate. But the refs felt Looch came over the boards solely toengage in the fight, which is a blatant rule violation and theytossed Milan. Game misconduct. Problem is it was pretty clear Lucicwas coming into the ice for a line change and the brawl was just acoincidence. Within hours of the end of the game, the NHL rescindedLucic’s gamer, as the video showed no violation.

Talk about too little, too late.Thanks, NHL. You take one of the Bruins’ best players off the icefour minutes into an important game, the B’s lose, and after yousay, “never mind?” Really? That’s the best you can do? And wewonder why hockey isn’t treated like a major sport in somequarters. Obviously, they can’t replay the game. But who know whatthe outcome would have been if Looch was able to do his thing for theremainder of the game?

The Bin’s take: One of two thingsshould happen. The on-ice officials should be severely disciplined.Suspensions and fines at a minimum. Firing for any repeat offender.Follow whatever disciplinary process is in place for officials.Or…the league allows instant replay for disputed goals. Why not forreview of any game misconduct or match penalty? A blown call couldhave just as much impact on the outcome of the game as whether thepuck actually crossed the goal line or was deflected in off a skatewith the dreaded ‘distinct kicking motion.” As a rule the Bin isopposed to instant replay in any sport. It destroys the momentum andflow of the game. The games are played by humans and officiated byhumans. Make the call. Consult with other officials to confirm.Reverse if necessary. Move on. But if we’re going to have replay,let’s make sure we use it when the outcome of the contest rides onthe call.

Just sayin’.

View From The Sin Bin: The Boston Bruins Really Rocking

2012-01-06T07:52:00.001-05:00

The Boston Bruins continued on theirStanley Cup Reprise Tour with a 6-1 blowout win in New Jersey.Dominant doesn't begin to describe it. A bit of a stumble inDallas, but we can’t expect the Black and Gold to win every night.Patrice Bergeron continued his strong play with two goals against theDevils. Bergie gets the Bin’s vote for best two-way player in theNHL. Last night, the B's added a 9-0 shellacking of the CalgaryFlames to the hit parade.

A swing of the Sin Bin door to Bruinsgoalie Tim Thomas, who has been named the starting goalie for the NHLAll-Star Game. Was there any doubt? Congrats, Tim-may. But coming inunder the radar…Tuukka Rask, who leads the NHL in GAA (1.61) andsave percentage (.945). A not-too-shabby goalie tandem in Beantown.

Watching the maturation of Tyler Seguinbefore our eyes is a treat. Tyler now leads the NHL in plus/minuswith a +28. He leads the B’s in points with 33. Seguin is alsoseeing significant power play time. While he still makes theoccasional youngster mistake, Seguin has emerged as an offensiveforce and will only get better. Brad Marchand is second in the NHL at+26. No Bruins player has a negative plus/minus. Spreading thewealth…

Chief John Bucyk, at the Stankey Cup Rolling Rally

Bruins’ Nation was saddened to learnthis week of the passing of Anne Bucyk, wife of B’s legend John“Chief” Bucyk. The couple was married for 53 years. Chiefcurrently serves as the Bruins’ Road Services Coordinator. Bucykcaptained the Bruins’ Cup winners in 1970 and 1972, and when hehung up his skates after the 1978 season, he was third on theall-time list in goals scored. Bucyk came to the B’s from Detroitin 1957, and skated as part of the famed “Uke Line” with BroncoHorvath and Vic Stasiuk, all of Ukrainian-Canadian descent. John waselected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, and his No. 9 hangs inthe rafters of the Garden.

120105 tjz

Wes Welker Is A Funny Guy

2012-01-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little f****d up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to f****n' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

Tommy Devito, Good Fellas funnyman

You know, New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker's a funny guy, like a clown. It was about a year ago when Welker delivered one of the best comic pressers of all-time, as he deadpanned his why through a mess of foot references at the expense of New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Welker also deadpanned his way into being benched for the first series in that same Jet/Pats playoff game, but I digress. It was at this point that fans became aware that Welker might be more than a Belichick-approved script reading Pro-Bowler.

Flash forward one year, and we've got Ocho-Tres, the next great tweeter. Welker tweets about his wife going all Lorena Bobbit on him, his banana hammock, and busting balls of team mates, especially Rob Gronkowski. The latest sequence has him trying to talk young Rob into growing a playoff 'stache with him. Funny stuff, rivaling team mate OchoCinco. Welker's definitely worth following.

Follow Wes Welker here @WesWelker

Belichick On McCourty: I think he has good skills

2012-01-03T22:46:00.002-05:00

Devin McCourty

The New England Patriots had eight defensive backs on the roster heading into the final week of the regular season. They had two IR, and two more that had been up and down on the transaction report that they quite literally didn't know if they were coming or going. (Ross Ventrone and Sterling Moore). One of the players who fans thought looked to be a mainstay heading into the 2011 campaign was second year player Devin McCourty. McCourty was coming off a Pro-Bowl rookie season, and fans were undoubtedly expecting McCourty to pick up where he left off, and perhaps become another 'take away corner.'

We're still waiting.

McCourty has not been nearly as good as last season. He has played hurt, and has been beaten often. Sunday, New England Patriot head coach Bill Belichick moved McCourty to safety on the third play of the game. Belichick the coach has juggled players on the field more this season due to struggles as Belichick the GM. The move of McCourty to safety shows inadequacies not only in McCourty's performance at corner, but in Belichick's personnel decisions in the secondary. (Where are you, James Sanders). However, McCourty did not play poorly, and looked to be a bit more at home.

"I think he has physical ability, I think he has certainly the mental makeup, making adjustments, understanding what the concepts are, making smart decisions back there, reading, recognizing all those things. I don't think there's any one thing. I think he has good skills in all those areas." Belichick said Monday.

Belichick added "I'd say it's a little different than moving from left guard to right guard but again, like we've talked about many times, some players can transition from one position to another more easily than others can. That's the only way I can put it. Some guys you can move from one side of the ball to another or from one position to another relatively smooth. Other players, you can make much smaller adjustments or even sometimes within the scheme where you have one particular group out on the field and then in a certain situation a player plays one position and in another situation he plays another. Sometimes that's hard for some players. Other players it's not hard. Some players can move around, play one side or the other; play one position or another, can change their responsibilities and do it a lot better than others can. Regardless of how hard or how easy I think it is or you think it is, it really depends on the individual player and what you're asking him to do and how well he can do that. If you ask a right handed person to play left handed – how long does it take you to adjust to it? Some people could do it quicker or better than others. That's an extreme example but I'm just saying some people can transition to that more smoothly than other people can. I'm not saying that's good or bad or anything else – that's just what it is."

It is what it is.

Fellow DB Sterling Moore also talked about McCourty after the Buffalo game. "He's a great athlete so no matter where [coaches] put him he's going to make plays and I think he showed that today, so it's all about meshing as a defense, and during the week it's about getting comfortable with who's out there and we did that and fed off of it." Moore said.

If there is one thing the second year DB McCourty has down, it's the Patriot Way of what to say. "I'm just trying to be a defensive back. Whatever the team needs. I'm just trying to make plays on the opportunity, wherever I am at."

It is what it is indeed.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Random Wild Card Weekend Notes

2012-01-03T22:12:00.002-05:00

Some notes on the upcoming NFL Wild Card weekend games.

The 2011 playoff field features six teams – Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Houston, New York Giants and San Francisco – that did not make the postseason last year.
The 2011 postseason starts on Saturday when the Bengals visit the Texans. The game can be the first postseason game in the Super Bowl era in which two rookie quarterbacks – Cincinnati’s ANDY DALTON and Houston’s T.J. YATES – start against each other.
The Bengals, led by head coach MARVIN LEWIS, have qualified for the postseason twice in the past three seasons. Quarterback Dalton (3,398 yards), a native of Katy, Texas, and wide receiver A.J. GREEN (1,057) teamed to become the first rookie tandem in NFL history with a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard receiver.
The Texans qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history and claimed the team’s first division title. Houston boasted one of the league’s top defenses, ranking second in total defense (285.7 yards per game), third in pass defense (189.7) and fourth in rush defense (96.0). The Texans and Baltimore Ravens were the only teams to rank in the top five in all three categories.
For the first time in NFL history, a playoff game will feature two 5,000-yard passers – New Orleans’ DREW BREES (NFL-record 5,476) and Detroit’s MATTHEW STAFFORD (5,038). The duo’s combined passing yardage total of 10,514 yards is the most ever for opposing starting QBs in a playoff game, and will surpass the mark of 8,888 set by PEYTON MANNING (4,500) and Brees (4,388) in Super Bowl XLIV.
Detroit is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Lions scored a team-record 474 points and gained 6,337 total net yards, the most in franchise history. Stafford set multiple team passing records, including yards (5,038), touchdowns (41) and passer rating (97.2). Detroit wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON, who was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, led the NFL with 1,681 receiving yards and had a team-record 16 touchdown receptions. Johnson is the first Lion since Pro Football Hall of Famer BARRY SANDERS (1991) to score 15 TDs in a season.

From the NFL release

FVP Monday Night All Star: Danielle

2012-01-02T19:58:00.002-05:00

Tonight's hot stuff is Danielle. Danielle is our first Bostonian, and if I had to wager, she's a Bruins fan. She gets the distinction of being the first FVP girl of 2012. Check out her facebook page for shots of her in a skimpy B's tee. Before you go do that, check her out here as tonight's FVP All Star. She's got an important photoshoot coming up soon, follow her tweets here. You know the drill, tell her FVP sent you.

Gronkowski's Record Run Likely To Draw Attention In Post Season

2012-01-02T12:37:00.001-05:00

Rob Gronkowski set another record yesterday in Foxboro, this time for yardage by a tight end. Gronk finished the year with 1327 yards receiving, with bested the old mark of 1,290 by the great Kellen Winslow, set in 1980. Gronk also finished 17 yards ahead of Jimmy Graham, New Orleans answer to Gronk at tight end. Graham end his 2011 campaign with 1,310 yards, also beating Winslow's record.

Gronkowski's amazing 2011 season almost assuredly means teams will be double teaming him in the post season. Here's the rub: you can't double everyone. If teams opt to go single man coverage, Gronk will have a huge post season. If teams elect to double Gronk AND Wes Welker, that will leave Tom Brady going four and five wide, hitting Aaron Hernandez, Dieon Branch, or checking down to the open back out of the backfield. If teams elect to cover Gronk with a 'take away' corner, Welker ends up in a mismatch with the oppositions #2 CB. Even if Gronk draws double coverage in nickel coverage, with Welker getting the focus from a #1 CB, Brady then has a mismatch with whomever is covering Hernandez.

The trick is going to be which team can get the most pressure on Brady. Baltimore, Cincinnati and Houston are ranked 1-2-3 in the AFC in sacks. The Steelers have given up the fewest yards passing in the conference, at 2,751. New England gave up nearly twice as much yardage in the air, clocking in with 4703 yards. The difference is going to be which team can go offensively with New England toe to toe, while coming up with one or two defensive stops.

Patriots To Play In Prime Time In Divisional Round

2012-01-02T09:46:00.001-05:00

The New England Patriots will host the lowest remaining seed in a prime time matchup that will air on CBS, on January 14 at 8pm.The Pats will either play The Cincinnati Bengals, or the winner of the Denver/Pittsburgh tilt, depending on what happens in the Houston/Cincy game.

In the first round, the No. 6 seed Bengals travel to Houston to play No. 3 seed Texans, which will air at 4:30pm on Saturday, January 7. The marquee game of the wildcard weekend will be over in the NFC, as No. 6 Detroit Lions head to New Orleans to take on the No. 3 New Orleans Saints. The No. 5 seed Atlanta Falcons travel to New York to take on the NFC East Champion (No.3) New York Giants, Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1pm on FOX. The first round wraps up in the AFC, with No. 5 Pittsburgh traveling to Denver to take on the No. 4 Broncos.

New England and NFC No.1 seed Green Bay await the lowest seeds in their respective conferences. The Baltimore Ravens hold down the AFC's No. 2 seed, while The San Francisco 49ers are locked in at No. 2 for the NFC. Both two seeds will host the highest remaining seed of the Wild Card round.

Patriots Secure #1 Seed Despite Secondary Issues

2012-01-01T21:20:00.001-05:00

With today's come from behind victory, the New England Patriots secured the number one seed throughout the AFC playoffs. As improbable as it seems, given the poor level of play from the defense, the road to the Super Bowl once again goes through Gillette Stadium. The Patriots will have to play better on defense if they are going to advance beyond the Divisional Round.

One of the areas of concern on defense has been and continues to be the secondary. The unit gave up 307 yards passing to Ryan Fitzpartick today. Head Coach Bill Belichick continues to be fluid with changes, lining up Devin McCourty at safety as he looks for answers heading into the post season. "We're just trying to improve our team." Belichick said post game. "We worked with him and Patrick [Chung] back there all week and thought it looked good this week in practice, so we went with it during the game. I'm sure it could be better, but I thought they gave us some things back there. James [Ihedigbo] came in a played a solid role for us, too. We got good play out of all of those guys. We had some guys step up at the corner position - Sterling [Moore] Antwaun [Molden], so that was good, too. We got a lot of snaps out of Julian [Edelman]." His changes seemed to have some effect, as the unit did manage four interceptions, including a pick six by Moore after the game had been decided.

"I tried to disguise the coverage, walk down into something and jump in the route - I was just praying I didn't drop it because that one was definitely easier than the first one. " Moore said. "Turnovers matter more than you know, so if we can keep getting turnovers I think we'll have success and keep getting wins."

Devin McCourty talked about his play at safety. "I'm just trying to be a defensive back. Whatever the team needs. I'm just trying to make plays on the opportunity, wherever I am at." McCourty stated. "I think a lot of defensive backs have played all over the secondary. I've played a bunch of different positions as a football player. We are going to use this week to make sure that we get better. I think we are a very confident football team. We just have to come out and play well. I think the biggest thing is that now is the time you have to put sixty minutes together. That is what our focus is and now is the time to do it."

It certainly seems from my seat here in Section 102 that the coaching staff is working their tails off trying to overcome personnel weaknesses. The wager here is that if Roethlisberger comes to town in the divisional round, the Pats could be one and done. New England should have the firepower to defeat either Denver or Cincinnati, but the Steeler QB poses a significant threat.

View From The Sin Bin: Boston Bruins: Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’

2011-12-28T20:28:00.000-05:00

Sin Bin's view after Brad Marchand's hat trick, 12/23

TheBoston Bruins continue their domination of the NHL with an 8-0 shellacking ofthe Florida Panthers. The win was the B’s sixth in a row. 20-2-1 since November1. Not much to say but…wow. Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask are both at the top oftheir games. The offense is firing on all cylinders. Even the power play looksstrong.

TheBin was at Friday’s trouncing of the Panthers. Solid game all around. It reallyshould have been 12-0 with several Black-and-Gold shots ringing off the iron.Fans almost felt sorry (almost!) for Panthers goalie Jose Theodore, and oldfriend of the B’s from his days with the Habs. Jose allowed four goals on 14shots and didn’t return after the first period. Former BC Eagle ScottClemmensen took over, and gave up another four over two periods. Brad Marchandhad his first career hat trick…on three shots. The Nose Face Killah added twoassists. The hattie resulted in the usual rain of hats onto the ice, but withthe added touch of 17,565 chanting “Mer-ry Christ-mas, Mer-ry Christ-mas…” RichPeverley remained out with his undisclosed lower body injury.

TheBruins enter the new year as a team that’s frankly much better on many counts thanlast year’s Stanley Cup winner. The B’s have allowed the fewest goals againstin the league…and lead the NHL in goals scored per game. The power play is 10^th,and the penalty kill is 2^nd. The Bin’s take: fans should be thrilled, butlet’s not get ahead of ourselves. Plenty of season left to play. A rash ofinjuries and the Hub of Hockey could be looking up at the pack pulling away.But let’s enjoy the ride.

Awhile back, the Bin advocated for the Bruins to retire sweater number 1 inhonor of Frankie “Mr. Zero” Brimsek and Cecil “Tiny” Thompson. Here’s a callfor another…defenseman Leo Boivin played for the Bruins from 1954-1966. Boivinwas a stalwart on the blueline during an era when the B’s were at theirworst…just prior to the arrival of that kid from Parry Sound. Leo bridged thegap between Shore and Orr. Boivin played in three NHL All-Star games while withthe B’s. He bounced around the league a bit before retiring in 1970 after 19seasons. Boivin was said to be impossible to beat one-on-one. Brutalbody-checker. Leo was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1986. Fromwhat the Bin hears of Daniel Paille, Paille would be happy to give up hisnumber 20 sweater to see it raised to the rafters of the Garden in honor of LeoBoivin. Plus…the 5’ 8”, 183-pound Boivin had a cool nickname…”Fireplug.”

12/28/11
tjz

Coach Belichick Delivers An All-Time Great Confrontational Quip

2011-12-28T16:29:00.001-05:00

Belichick

As part of his usual Wednesday schedule, New England Patriot head coach Bill Belichick delivered an all-time great quip to a reporter when asked a question. Hoodie was asked by Shalize Manza Young "As a defensive coach, with all the rules that have been made the last few years, if Dan Marino was playing now do you think he would have thrown for more yards?" Hoodies response was an all time great smart-ass answer. "I don't know. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas. I don't know. I have no idea."

Read it again. "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas. I don't know. I have no idea."

So naturally, the assembled media cowered in the corner, genuflecting to his Hoodie-ship. OK, not so much. It was game on.

Manza Young didn't back down. She followed up by talking about how the game has changed, with defensive players not being able to hit quarterbacks and the inability to touch receivers downfield. It turned confrontational from here, when BB stating that the rules have been in place for like 15 years. SMY came back with more follow up on the fact that there's bigger emphasis on the rules now. The Hoodie responded "It's not a rule. Look, talk to the people who make the rules. They do all those studies, trust me, they do all those studies. They know how long each game was in every year it was played, the length of time, the amount of penalties, the amount of yardage, the amount of rushing yardage, the yards per carry, the yards per completion - all that has been studied very thoroughly by people a lot smarter than I am. I don't really know. I'm just trying to get our team ready for Buffalo, a team we didn't do very well against last [game]. I'm just thinking about Buffalo. I don't really know all the statistics and all the rules and trying to solve all the world's problems in the passing game, I'm just trying to solve ours against Buffalo."

Ok, so now he's snotty. The rules haven't been in place for 15 years, with the advent of helmet to helmet fines, and The Brady Rule. The NFL has consistently tried to open up the game, and Belichick's been at the center of this. The rules were changed for downfield contact on receivers, prompting Tedy Bruschi's famous rant "you wanna change the rules, Change Em!" after beating the Colts in the playoffs. Belichick definitely is qualified to answer this type of question. The exchange continued, with Tom E Curran jumping in as well.

Q: It's just interesting that Marino's record stood until Monday.
BB: Yeah, it's a great story. I'm not really, last time I watched Marino throw, I don't know when that was. I'm just trying to concentrate on Buffalo.

Q: So you don't think there's anything to the fact that potentially three guys will break that record this year?

BB: Do I think there's anything to it? What's that mean?

Q(Curran): It stood for 30 years. No one had done that and now four guys are going to break 5,000 yards. The game is totally different.

BB: If that's what you want to write go ahead. I don't know.

Q: You're the expert.

BB: I'm not an expert. I'm just trying to get ready for Buffalo. I'm not trying to analyze the passing game of the last 20 years. That's for people a lot smarter than me, like you guys.

Not an expert? Cut. It. Out. Bill is THE authority on defenses in the NFL. If anyone is qualified to talk about this, it's Bill. The fact that he got indignant over it is really interesting.

I have a couple of theories as to his crankiness about this issue.

He doesn't want anyone to lose focus on the game at hand. There's not much at stake, as the Pats are locked in with a bye for week one of the playoffs. He doesn't want any ancillary agendas at this point in the season. Stay on point, stay on focus, week to week.
He absolutely detests the competition committee, and all of these rule changes that open up the offenses are a direct result of trying to to tie the defensive coach's hands.
He isn't about to get into a breakdown as to the hows and whys of opening up offenses, lest some other defensive minded coach comes up with a way to stop Brady. (pressure up the middle)
Manza Young may have written something that twisted him up that had nothing to do with this.

Having said all that, as soon as you hear her say "do you think Marino would have..." you knew this wasn't going to end well. Hoodie hates speculating what could have happened. He does however wax poetically about the history of the game. SMY could have found a way to word her question to get Hoodie to talk about the historically great QB's without asking him if he thought Dan Marino in a time machine could beat Tom Brady.

Looking for the video....

Eight Patriots Named To Pro-Bowl

2011-12-27T20:11:00.001-05:00

Quarterback Tom Brady, DE Andre Carter, TE Rob Gronkowski, G Logan Mankins, WR Mathew Slater (special teams), G Brian Waters, WR Wes Welker and DT Vince Wilfork have been selected to represent the New England Patriots and the AFC in the 2012 Pro Bowl on January 29 at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. The seven positional players were selected as starters.

This is the second year in a row that the Patriots have had eight members selected for the post season honor. It is the seventh Pro Bowl selection for Brady, sixth for Waters and fourth for Mankins, Welker and Wilfork. Carter, Gronkowski and Slater each are first time Pro Bowl invitees.

Indycar Schedule Announced

2011-12-27T20:01:00.003-05:00

Indycar announced the 2012 schedule today. The 2012 season, which will feature the return of engine manufacturer competition and a new universal chassis produced by Dallara Automobili, kicks off Sunday, March 25, with the eighth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Notable additions include Fontana, Detroit and China, with ovals Loudon, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Milwaukee and Japan dropped. No word if this is a result of the rumored handling problems of the new 2012 chassis, a reaction to the death of Dan Wheldon, or simply a reaction to ticket sales and TV ratings.

"INDYCAR is excited about the confirmed races announced today," said CEO Randy Bernard. "With the new car and engine manufacturer competition, we believe they will be tremendous events that will help INDYCAR grow. We are exploring adding additional events to the 2012 schedule. We're in the process of confirming a 16^th event, while also considering adding a 17^th race to the calendar."

Full Schedule as of 12/27/11

March 25, St. Petersburg
April 1, Barber Motorsport Park
April 15, Long Beach
April 29, Sao Paulo, Brazil
May 27, Indianapolis
June 3, Detroit
June 9, Texas Motorspeedway
June 23, Iowa Speedway
July 8, Toronto
July 22, Edmonton
August 5, Mid-Ohio
August 19, Qingdao, China
August 26, Sonoma
September 2, Baltimore
September 15, Fontana

FVP All Stars: Year In Review

2011-12-26T13:56:00.001-05:00

Review our girls? Why the hell not, right? You guys have been very loyal followers, so here's a little treat, a recap of some of our favorite All Stars.

Nicole Michelle, our first love

Nicole Michelle told us a while back that she had "a contagious and addictive personality. I love to joke around, have fun, but also work hard. I am a huge social butterfly and will talk to everyone." She was the first model we reached out to and asked if she wanted to be featured. She's a facebook friend of a friend, and FVP thought she looked pretty hot in a grey sweater with no pants on. We finally reached out to her, and to her credit, she was excited to be featured. Nicole's been great at recommending more girls for us, and we're thrilled to have developed a relationship with her.

Gabrielle

Gabrielle was our first "referral". She's buddy's with Nicole Michelle. The wife of a soldier in the US Army, Gabby told us "I have been modeling for a few years, competed in a numerous competitions and am going to school to be a doctor, preferably something that has to do with cancer patients. I never give up on anything and stand my grounds and stay true to who I am no matter what." Like Nicole, she looks great in a sweater.

Jax

FVP found Jax on one of her modeling sites. She actually reached out to us after we featured her and thanked us for the support. She's out of Chicago, where she's done book covers, magazine covers, and a slew of other stuff. We ran Jax a second time this fall, and we'd love to feature her again.

Dana Marie

Back in August, we noticed Dana blowing up on facebook. Her feature here at FVP generated a bunch of emails, so there's no denying her ability to attract attention. The Miami Dolphin fan says she bleeds orange and green. Good to know.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn was another gal we spied on facebook. She told us "When I'm not modeling or acting I am a spokes model for companies such as Monster Energy and Kumho Tires. I love all the traveling my job entails and not to mention all the awesome people I meet along the way." We're happy to have met Brooklyn as well.

Kourtney

Kourtney's been featured a couple times, here and here. She's out in LA now, where her star is ascending. Were going to remember the day we interviewed Kourtney when we see her on the TV, starring in an upcoming series on the WB.

Our favorite cat in heat, Natasha

Got a chuckle from Natasha when she told us “I was on this photoshoot at my friend’s house and his pit bull would grab his toy and get in the way of the picture. “Natasha shares. She tells us she’s afraid of dogs a bit before she adds “You could only imagine what I looked like when this dog was trying to play with me, growling whenever I was trying to model. But the photos turned out amazing so it ended up being successful.” Someone said to me once that her pic looks like a cat in heat. My reply: "Yeah? And?"

Demetria

Dee told us "I will be featured in a DORITOS commercial! Yes I am the blonde in the bikini that comes out of the pool and steals a Doritos bag from a man standing at the end of the pool helping me out." Needless to say, that's kind of a big deal.

Kate, Philadelphia Passion bad ass

No secret that we love Katie. Any woman that has the balls to strap on the pads and play in the LFL is ok in our book. The fact that she's one of the coolest people we've come across makes her that much more of a favorite here in the FVP offices. That she's a smokin' hot former NFL cheerleader is a bonus.

Yael

Yael's people reached out to us this fall and asked if we'd run her as a featured model. You Betchya. She's been in music videos with Mary Mary, Pitbull, John Nash and Lil Rob. She's been in a Bud commercial and was she was in "Couples Retreat".

Harmony Joy

Harmony's another former NFL cheerleader that we had the pleasure of featuring this fall. She's been on VH1, she's been in the Hooters Swimsuit Calendar, American Cheerleader Magazine, and University of Louisville Cheerleading Calendar.

Jessica

We ran Jess just before Thanksgiving. Do we need to even run the whole "thankful for Jess" cliche? Yup. We're happy to have the Steelers fan on FVP. We're also happy to have her rabid fan base following the weekly All-Stars here at FVP. Check back often, you guys!

Catherine

Cat's another Philly girl we'd love to post again. She says "I love watching Sunday night football with all my friends at our favorite bar." Nice. You can take her fishing too, but you'd better help her get the fish off the hook when she's got one on the line. Whatever you say, dear.

Golden Age Of Tom Brady

2011-12-26T11:25:00.003-05:00

Tom Brady practices

Watching Sunday's come from behind win in Foxboro, it's even more clear than it was in the past, as Tom Brady goes, so do the New England Patriots. Brady has morphed from the "game manager" he was in 2001 to perhaps the premier QB in the game. Given the porous defense the Flying Elvii roll out every week, it's obvious that Brady will need to put the New England Patriots on his shoulders and will them to victory if the Disciples of The Hoodie are going anywhere this post season.

Just look at Sunday's "A Tale Of Two Halves" vs. Miami to see Brady's importance to the Patriots. Tom Brady was a very pedestrian 7-19 for 87 yards and zero zip nada points in the first half. Whatever adjustments made at the half worked, because Brady was 20-25 in the second half, for 217 yards, a TD pass to Deion Branch, and two TD runs that smacked of "if have have to do it myself, so be it".

"I thought we executed better in the second half. We just had a hard time getting going." Brady said postgame Sunday. "We obviously didn't play very well in the first half. I think we made a pretty big commitment at halftime to each other to go out and everyone do their job and quit worrying about everybody else and go out and play better and we did that."

Brady also moved up the record books Sunday, throwing his 44th 300 yard game, which is eighth best all time. Brady finished the day at 4,897 yards, needing 187 yards Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills to eclipse Dan Marino's single season record of 5,084. Brady talked about that today on WEEI. "It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m most concerned with our wins and losses," said Brady. "I love Dan Marino. I have a lot of respect for him, a lot of admiration. He was one of my favorite players growing up. I’ve really been lucky over the years to be around him and see his competitiveness. He is very, very competitive. It’s a pretty impressive record that he’s held for a very long time. For one reason or another, Drew (Brees) and I have been throwing for a lot of yards this year. I think it’s just the way the league has been." Brady added "I've been very fortunate this year to throw to a bunch of great skilled players who are making a ton of yards, you know, run after catch, and doing a lot of great things with the ball in their hands."

Brady has the opportunity to lead his New England Patriot teammates to a number #1 seed with a victory Sunday vs. Foxboro. Pretty remarkable, considering the inadequacies on the defensive side of the ball. Whether Brady can carry this team deep into the post season remains to be seen. It will be fun to watch to see if Brady can take it to a whole new level and elevate his team. He'll need to, if this team is going to compete for a Super Bowl berth. This is the golden age of Tom Brady, where he competes at the highest level, and can almost will his team to victory.

Pats fans, and football fans in general, should appreciate it. Players like Brady do not come along that often. He will not be playing at this level of excellence much longer. Savor every victory, there are fewer in front than behind.

More Pats Notes From Sunday:

TE Rob Gronkowski finished with 78 yards to move past TE Ben Coates (1,174) to set the franchise record for most passing yards by a Patriots tight end with 1,219 so far in 2011. He set the record with a 22-yard reception from Tom Brady in the third quarter. He is the sixth tight end in NFL history to reach 1,200 yards. His 1,219 yards are the fourth highest by a tight end in a single season. Gronkowski needs 72 yards to surpass San Diego’s Kellen Winslow’s 1980 record of 1,290 yards for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end.
Wes Welker set the franchise record for most yards in a season after adding 138 yards against Miami to push his total to 1,518 yards. He surpassed Randy Moss who had 1,493 yards in 2007.
K Stephen Gostkowski 45-yard field goal in the third quarter moved him out of a tie with John Smith (692) into sole possession of third place on the New England all-time scoring list. He added nine points to increase his total to 701. Adam Vinatieri (1,158) is in first place followed by Gino Cappelletti (1,130).
The Patriots improved to 20-1 all-time in the month of December at Gillette Stadium, a streak that dates back to when the facility opened in 2002. New England has won 19 straight home games in December and has not lost a December home game since dropping a 30-17 decision to the New York Jets on Dec. 22, 2002.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Amazing TD By Bengals WR Simpson

2011-12-26T08:52:00.001-05:00

I am sure it's everywhere, but maybe you missed it with Christmas and all. Jerome Simpson of the Cincinnati Bengals scored an amazingly athletic touchdown Sunday, as he bounced over the Arizona Cardinal defender at the goal line. Check out the clearance he gets over #58, Daryl Washington, who's listed at 6'2". If that's not enough, Simpson sticks the landing. This was shown on the the big screen at Gillette on Saturday, eliciting a collective "Whoa" from the Foxboro faithful.

Kurt Busch To Drive For James Finch At Phoenix Racing

2011-12-23T08:23:00.002-05:00

Busch hopes to bring more victories to Phoenix Racing

NASCAR free agent Kurt Busch has agreed to join the James Finch owned Phoenix Racing. Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup Champion, brings 24 Sprint Cup victories to the #51 Chevy Impala, previously driven by Landon Cassill.

“I’m very happy to join Phoenix Racing and after entertaining a lot of quality offers, there’s no better place for me,” said Busch, winner the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the 2011 Gatorade Duel and the 2011 Budweiser Shootout. “We’re going to run the full schedule together, and we’re going to have fun doing it.

“It’s going to be old-school racing, where we show up, race hard and go for the win. And if we don’t win, we’ll go back to the shop, work hard and do it all over again next week. That’s the way we all started racing, and it’s great to get back to that.”

All we want to do is win,” team owner James Finch said. “Winning is why I’ve been in racing for as long as I have, but NASCAR is a very competitive sport, and winning – especially at the Sprint Cup level – is hard. But now with Kurt Busch as our driver, we have a shot to win every week. He’s a past champion and he’s proven he can win everywhere. Our sponsors are looking forward to Kurt representing their brands.

“We have excellent equipment and a hard-working group of guys who want that trophy at the end of every race. Kurt’s the guy who can deliver it to them.”

The Phoenix Racing team last visited victory lane in 2009, at Talladega, with Brad Keselowski driving.

“James Finch has always had pretty stout cars for the restrictor-plate races and I know we’ll be very competitive at Daytona,” Busch said. “We’ll participate in the test down there in January to get a good handle on our Daytona 500 car, but also to win another Budweiser Shootout.

“Christmas came early for me this year, and I honestly can’t wait for the season to begin.”

Patriots Andre Carter Tweets Pic Of His Leg Before Surgery

2011-12-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

Andre Carter tweets pic

I don't know if it's cool, or to be filed under the head "TMI", but New England Patriots DE Andre Carter tweeted a pic of his leg prior to surgery. He accompanied the pic with "Make sure it's the correct leg please". For those of you who require instant info, this is Exhibit A. Anyway, there you are, in the hospital, bedside.

Follow Andre Carter here on twitter.

FVP Best Blog On The Internet!

2011-12-21T09:02:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again, gang. FVP is in another "best blogs" contest over at ballhyped.com. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. Click the image and vote! We are the third matchup from the bottom, up against redzonetalk.com. Go vote for FVP right flippin' now!

FVP Monday Night All-Star: Michelle

2011-12-19T21:43:00.001-05:00

Tonight's lovely lady has quite the resume. She's been in a Labatt's Blue beer commercial, Playboy Estonia, and a couple of feature films. The 5'7", blonde, hazel eyed beauty lists yoga, running, cooking, baking, flying, boating, traveling, reading and gardening as her hobbies. Check out her website here.

View From The Sin Bin: Bruins Rumbling Thru December

2011-12-19T21:25:00.001-05:00

BostonBruins forward Milan Lucic incurred the wrath of Brendan Shanahan today andwill sit for a game, after a hit on the Flyers’ Zach Rinaldo on Saturday. Knewthat was coming, as Lucic is a marked man after the Ryan Miller incidentearlier in the season. Shanahan said Lucic’s history of fines and warnings madethis a suspendable hit. Hmmm…need to stay off Sherriff Shanny’s radar screen,Looch…

TheB’s continue on their winning ways, destroying the Flyers 6-0. Four goals inthe first period. No doubt about who the best team in the East is now. Seemslike everyone in Black and Gold scored…tallies came from Horton, Seguin,Pouliot, Lucic, Chara, and Paille. The Bruins were 3-8 on the power play. Big Zreturned after missing two games with a lower leg injury…looked like a kneeafter taking a hit against Columbus.

TheBruins seem to have the depth at forward to absorb the injuries that comeduring a long season. But the Bin is concerned about the defense. If Chara hadbeen out for any length of time the Bruins would struggle in the defensivezone. Dennis Seidenberg is a warrior but he’s only one player. Adam McQuaid canstep up, but as hard as it is to believe he’s only a second-year man. Joe Corvohas been solid and scored his first two Bruins goals against the Blue Jackets. AndrewFerence is his reliable self. Johnny Boychuk has developed into a qualitydefender with a booming slapper. After that, the ranks thin. Steven Kampfer showsflashes, but is too young and inexperienced to carry a team. Same for MattBartkowski. Kampfer and Bartkowski have been riding the train back and forthfrom North Station to Providence. But Big Z is the shutdown man and the on-iceleader. An extended period without him could be disastrous.

TheBin will be at the Garden on Friday, December 23 against Florida. Should be agood one.

Aroundthe League…The Pen’s Sidney Crosby is out again with post-concussion syndrome.Bad news for the Penguins and the NHL…St. Louis is on fire…Happy Birthday, NHL:Ninety-four years ago today, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators bya 7-4 count and the Montreal Wanderers edges the Toronto Arenas 10-9. Those twogames marked the first day of competition for the Original Four in thenewly-formed National Hockey League. The Wanderers didn’t finish the inauguralseason after their rink burned down and they had to withdraw from the league.The Arenas eventually morphed into the Maple Leafs.

12/19/11 TJZ

Bowyer Tests At Disney With New Team

2011-12-15T20:49:00.001-05:00

Clint Bowyer was on track this week, testing the #15 5-hour Energy Toyota Camry out of the Michael Waltrip Racing stable at Walt Disney World Speedway in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. in preparation for the upcoming 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season. According to the team's website, this marks the first of three off season test for the new Bowyer led Camry, the next coming at New Smyrna and Daytona.

Bowyer on track testing at Disney

Bowyer talked about the addition of his new crew chief Brian Pattie to the team. “I had a lot of say in Brian Pattie becoming my crew chief." Bowyer said. "I talked to Brian for about the last year or so. I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s young and aggressive. I think he reminds me a lot of me. I think we’ll get along well together and it’ll be a great partnership. He’s assembling a heck of a team around me and that’s what it takes. It takes a good team. These cars that we are working with today are so even that it’s the people and the decisions that those people make that make up the difference.”

“You’ve got to be able to have some sort of common interests together other than what you do on Sundays. You’ve got to have that chemistry and that relationship with them. I think that’s so important. Having success even on Sundays is being able to communicate and have a relationship with the guy that you are going about it with.”

“I think it definitely brings some relaxation and comfort into the situation knowing that you got a good guy that you have confidence in manning the ship. We are building a new team from scratch and Brian is hiring good people. And now to get out and test this week is a big thing for us. It’s everything coming together. I’m just looking forward to the challenges ahead. Obviously any sort of change is going to make things different and be a little bit of a challenge, and it’s now starting to sink in a little bit. It takes time for it to sink in. Even at Homestead-Miami it really didn’t sink in that I’m moving into this new ride for 2012. As I’ve had some time to think and be away, I’m starting to think about this year coming up and get excited for the next step.”

This upcoming season will be the first time MWR will field multiple cars in the Sprint Cup Series. Martin Truex Jr. will pilot the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota, Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip will share duties in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine and Clint Bowyer is behind the wheel of the No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota.
Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for Michael Waltrip Racing

Tebow Recalls Meeting Bill Belichick

2011-12-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

It's big time hype, as the biggest story in the NFL this year, Tim Tebow, gets ready for a major test this week as his Denver Broncos host the New England Patriots this Sunday. The Blessed One talked about his pre-draft meeting with The Hooded One today in his media conference call.

"It was just a great opportunity to get to know a great coach." Tebow said. "All those opportunities pre-draft when I went to meet with teams and organizations I know they were trying to get a feel for me but I was also definitely trying to learn something each and every visit. Just to be around Coach Belichick and all the great coaches there in New England, I felt like it was a great opportunity to try to learn. I tried to take as much as I possibly could and learn from a great coach, one of the best to coach. It was a phenomenal opportunity for me and I'm very grateful they were even that interested in me. "

The Broncos quarterback also talked about what he was able to learn in that first meeting. "I think it was just picking up a lot of different things just from how certain things, how they go about it, what different things he's looking for, just a lot of little things that you just try to pick up as a player from demeanors to attitudes to certain things from fundamentals. I think it was just a great opportunity to learn a lot and I feel like I really did." Tebow said.

As it turns out, the pre-draft meeting was not the first time the two met. "I actually had the pleasure of first meeting him when he came to Florida early on, maybe my freshman or sophomore year, something like that." Tebow said. "Then he came down to Gainesville and worked me out with [Aaron] Hernandez and [Brandon] Spikes and [Riley] Cooper and a bunch of us worked out for him. That was a fun day and a pleasure. Then they brought me up after that. I've had the opportunity to be around him quite a bit and what an opportunity to be around a great coach."

It certainly appeared that Tebow learned from The Hoodie, because when asked if he expected to see something new or different in the Patriot defensive scheme, Tebow's answer was downright Belichickian. "You can see a lot of things. They can provide a lot of different looks. They're very well coached. I think a big thing for us is just being able to adjust to whatever they bring and whatever they show us. Coach [Mike] McCoy and Coach [Adam] Gase will have a good game plan but it will definitely be key to see how they come out and play us and adjust to it." Tebow said.

Photo Credit: Image.net

Offseason Racing Notes For The Week Of Dec. 13

2011-12-13T23:19:00.000-05:00

Tony Kanaan was back behind the wheel of the new INDYCAR Chevrolet-powered DW12 chassis Dec. 7 on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval. JR Hildebrand, who recently signed an extension through 2012 with Panther Racing, got his first opportunity to drive the car Dec. 8 as engine manufacturers continue their development program. Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing drove the Honda-powered Dallara car both days. The manufacturer program continues the following week at Sebring International Raceway. No commercial parts failure has been reported through almost 5,000 miles of testing.
Frenchman Simon Pagenaud will be the driver of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports Honda-powered Dallara in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, team owner Sam Schmidt announced Dec.8 during a press conference in Indianapolis. SSM team manager Rob Edwards and Pagenaud joined Schmidt at the press conference in the Indiana Convention Center during the International Motorsports Industry Show. Pagenaud, 27, brings a wealth of experience driving several types of high-horsepower cars in his career. In 2011 alone, he was a factory Honda driver in the 12 Hours of Sebring and a factory Peugeot driver in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 24, finishing second in both events. In addition to the sports car racing, Pagenaud also raced V8 Supercars, Rally cars and had three IndyCar Series starts in 2011 filling in for injured drivers Ana Beatriz (Barber Motorsports Park), Justin Wilson (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) and Simona de Silvestro (Infineon Raceway). "I am delighted to be joining the IZOD Indy Car Series full time with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Honda," Pagenaud said. "The series represents the most competitive racing in the world right now, and I am really looking forward to the challenge of racing in a single-seater again. I have to thank Sam Schmidt Motorsports for giving me the opportunity and to continue with the Honda engineers at HPD. It is the best situation I could wish for."
INDYCAR announced Dec. 8 that the IZOD IndyCar Series will not race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012. The series was scheduled to close its 2012 season at the speedway on Oct. 14, but INDYCAR and speedway officials said considerable testing with the new car is needed prior to returning to the facility. "We feel we need to give our technical team ample time to conduct thorough testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, once we complete our ongoing investigation into the 15-car accident during the Oct. 16 race at the track," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season opens March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The complete schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. No word what the schedule will look like, and how many, if any, high banked ovals, will be on the calender.
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Dec. 8 that the 2011 Sprint Cup Champion Crew Chief Darian Grubb has been named crew chief for its No. 11 FedEx Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. "Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No. 11 FedEx team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny (Hamlin) toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing." Grubb is coming off an impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing which included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. He spent the past three seasons as crew chief for Stewart on the No. 14 car after the driver left JGR to start his own race operation. Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb spent six years with Hendrick Motorsports; rising through the organization’s engineering ranks and gaining invaluable crew chief experience. "I’m thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing," said Grubb. "The chance to work with Denny is something I’m excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs you can’t help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here and I’m looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization."

FVP Tuesday Night All Star: Nicole

2011-12-13T22:30:00.003-05:00

A day late, we have Nicole, a self proclaimed disaster in heels. Nicole says "I say mildly inappropriate... things- sometimes I really need to filter my quirkiness." She adds "I blink sometimes in the middle of shots, I dance when I don't think my photo is being taken,, I'm giddy and practically only serious when the camera is in front of me. I like to sing at random times and have dances offs in the mirror with myself. I'm 25 yrs young, 5'6", 124 lbs., 32-25-34, Size 2 dress, Juniors 3/4, my lace ups are a 7, I have brown hair, brown eyes- I'm not the standard Barbie doll addition, but I can make your eyes dance."

Indeed.

Follow her on facebook.

God Must Be On Tebow's Side, The Blessed One Leads Denver to Win

2011-12-11T19:22:00.001-05:00

It's unbelievable, really. The Denver Broncos improbable run continues, as they come back from 10 points down to defeat the Chicago Bears, 13-10 in OT. Tim Tebow was perfect on the final touchdown drive. One has to wonder if God is really on Tebow's side.

With 4:34 left, Tim Tebow took the ball, and promptly marched the Bronco offense down the field, going seven for seven on the drive, after having 11 straight incompletions in the game. He hit Demaryius Thomas in the corner of the end zone to make it 10-7 after the extra point.

Denver attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by Chicago. Denver had no hope of stopping the clock, having used all of their time outs. Chicago could have sealed the win with a first down. Three runs and a punt could have made life very difficult. Instead, Chicago running back Marion Barber ran out of bounds on second and ten with 1:55 left. Denver stopped Chicago on third down, and was forced to punt.

Tebow took the ball just inside his own 20 yard line with :56 to pay. (remember, no time outs.) He hit Eric Decker on first down for eight yards, with Decker stepping out of bounds with :47 to go. On second and two, Tebow hit Lance Ball, who ran to his 40 yard line for the first down. Tebow clocked the ball on first down with :30 to go. On second down, facing a four man Chicago rush, Tebow hit Matt Willis at midfield, who stepped out at the Chicago 41, stopping the clock with :20 to go. On first down, Tebow threw incomplete to Thomas, with good coverage by Chicago's Tim Jennings. Tebow threw another incompletion on second down, and then ran out of bounds at the Chicago 40 yard line. Kicker Matt Prater calmly nailed a 59 yarder to tie the game. Chicago was no doubt stunned, as they had Denver in a fairly unwinnable situation. Marion Barber's gaff left Denver with just enough clock to get Prater into position to match his career high longest kick.

If that wasn't bad enough, it was Barber who gave the ball back to Denver in OT as Chicago looked to be driving. On third and seven from the Denver 38 yard line, Barber burst through the Denver line and looked to be about to break off a long run. Just as he was about to shift gears, Barber was stripped by Wesley Woodyard, who grabbed Barber by the thumb. Elvis Dumervil recovered for Denver, handing the ball to The Blessed One at the 34 yard line.

The key play of Denver's winning driver came on second and 12, with Tebow hitting Thomas for 16 yards, moving into Chicago territory. Tebow advanced the ball to the Chicago 33 on back to back running plays, before yielding to Prater, who was good, natch, from 51 yards.

3 for16 and 18 for 24. Key numbers for Tebow. Tebow was 3 for 16 passing for the first three quarters, 18 for 24 in the fourth and OT. Pretty impressive numbers in crunch time. It did appear that Chicago was in some sort of prevent-hybrid, with safeties 20 yards deep at times on the final touchdown drive. Certainly, only up by 10 points, one of the the problems with prevent D is it can prevent you from winning. What would seem a logical choice, up by 10, would be to stay in a base defense, one that has kept Tebow 3 for 16. Apply pressure and force his reads much faster, where he is likely to make mistakes.

The Patriots will be next on the Tim Tebow parade. Look for the prayers for Tebow to increase.

Rob Gronkowski's Numbers Stack Up Vs. Hall Of Famers

2011-12-07T21:43:00.001-05:00

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is in the process of setting a new bar for tight end production in the NFL. He currently sits with 13 touchdown receptions this season, which tie him for the most at his position in a single season. He'll break that record soon enough, as the Patriots continue to be an offensive juggernaut. What is striking is how Gronkowski's numbers stack up against the eight modern era tight ends in the Hall Of Fame.

Take a peak at the list of HOF tight ends below. We've shown receptions, yards, and TD's for these players over their first two seasons. We've also added the first two years of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. Compare these stats to Gronk's numbers thus far.

Player Receptions Yards TD's
Kellen Winslow 114 1545 11
Jackie Smith 75 1102 6
Shannon Sharpe 29 421 2
Charlie Sanders 82 1189 4
Ozzie Newsome 93 1370 11
John Mackey 57 1135 9
Mike Ditka 114 1980 17
Dave Casper 9 97 4
Tony Gonzalez 92 989 4
Antonio Gates 105 1358 15
Rob Gronkowski 107 1474 23

Gronkowski has a chance to be a special player

Now, no one here is fitting Gronk for a tan blazer, or calling up and sculptors. It's very clear, however, that Gronk's first two seasons compare favorably with the other 10 players on our list. Even if there's a matrix that skews the pass happy numbers generated by today's NFL, Gronkowski is on a pace to perhaps be a very special player.

Head coach Bill Belichick offered some faint praise this week, but clearly he recognizes the value of Gronkowski. "I think Rob has some plays that are better than others, like we all do." Hoodie said. "But he does a lot of good things in the running game and in the passing game. There are a lot of things that he can still improve on and do more consistently and do better. There are a lot of things that he's doing better now than he did four weeks ago or back in September because he works at them, he takes coaching and does work hard on the practice field. He really tries to improve and do what you ask him to do. You see that on a weekly basis. He usually has a couple of plays every week that, if you reflect back to a different point in time last week or last month or whatever, you can see improvement in the way he's trying to do it. He's conscientious and Brian Ferentz, the tight end coach, does a good job of staying on those guys and keeping on their technique and their assignments and everything. If the player works hard, then he should improve and I think Rob has done that."

If he continues to improve...nah we're not gonna go there yet. Let's just say he's pretty good.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Kurt Busch and Penske Agree To Separate

2011-12-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

Kurt Busch and Penske Racing has mutually agreed to end their six year relationship, effective immediately.

"I appreciate the victories that Kurt has brought Penske Racing and our sponsors over the past six years," said Roger Penske. "While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors. I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors."

"I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years," said Busch. "Together we won a lot of races -16 in all. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it’s an important step for me and allows me to take a deep breath to work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person. I want to personally thank Roger Penske for the opportunity that he has given me."

One has to wonder if this was an "amicable" divorce, or if this was two parties screaming "Eff You!" at each other, while each packed their bags.

Busch piloted the Yellow Double Deuce to two wins, eight top fives, and 16 top tens this season for Penske.

FVP Monday Night All-Star: Cat

2011-12-05T20:42:00.001-05:00

Cat says she's "heaven on the eyes, but hell on the heart." Indeed. FVP asked her to tell us a little about herself. "Ok lets see...My name is Catherine but most people who know me call me Cat." Cat said "I'm a mixture of a lot of different things but mainly I'm Spanish, Irish and Italian. I am definitely a girly girl the hair, tanning, SHOPPING, I love shoes, make-up the whole bit but I'm a tomboy at heart!"

She added " I love sports, hockey is my favorite sport! I grew up in a hockey family. My grandfather started a team called the Pottstown Penguins and every year the have a tournament in his honor. I love watching Sunday night football with all my friends at our favorite bar. Summertime tailgates at the Phillies games are the best! My favorite seasons are spring cause it's my B-day and summer! I'm addicted to the beach and going boating. I love going fishing but get scared when I have to take the fish off the hook, I think its going to bite me!
I love taking pictures and getting mine taken that's probably why I model. I'm a very passionate person, everything is to the extreme with me, love, fighting and getting hurt.! There you go I think that's a little taste of what I'm about!"

Follow Cat on Facebook and Twitter

View From The Sin Bin: Boston Bruins, A November To Remember

2011-12-05T20:32:00.001-05:00

The Toronto MapleLeafs…a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Boston Bruins.

The Black and Goldimproved to 4-0-0 on the season against the Leafs with a 4-1 domination at theGarden, on the heels of a 6-3 win last Wednesday in Ontario. Tuukka Rask wasstrong between the pipes for the B’s. The Krejci-Horton-Lucic line is 5-8-13 inthe last two games. The B’s finished November 12-0-1 to take 25 of a possible26 points during the month. Awesome.

Right now the B’sare in Pittsburgh to take on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in a marqueematchup in the Eastern Conference. The Flightless Birds have found some newlife since Sid the Kid came back from a much-publicized concussion to score 12 points(2-10-12) in seven games.

The Bruins’ runthrough November has been nothing short of astounding, although this is theteam we expected to see at the beginning of the season. The Bin feels thehardest part of going forward will be to avoid complacency or overconfidence. Thecoaching staff will be earning its money trying to keep that from happening.We’ll see what Claude Julien and crew are really made of. It’s all about who’splaying their best in April, May, and June…not November. We all can think ofteams that steamrolled through the regular season, only to flame out early inthe playoffs. Just last year, the Red Sox were horrible in the first few weeks,the best team in MLB during the middle of the season, and…you know the rest.The 2007 Patriots were 18-0 going into the Super Bowl, and…you know the rest.

Tim Thomas was 9-0-0in November, earning him the NHL’s First Star for the month. Nice job Tim-may.

One hundredstraight (regular season and playoffs) sellouts at the Garden. Still a ways togo to catch the Red Sox. The Bin predicts the Sox sellout streak ends duringthe 2012 season.

The irony is almostpainful…who gets suspended by Sheriff Shanahan for a head shot on PenguinsD-man Kris Letang? None other than Max Pacioretty. Yup, him. Really. I wonderif the fans of the Steel City are calling for his arrest next time he sets footin Pittsburgh? If only Pacioretty had hit Matt Cooke instead…

TJZ

New England Patriots Notes From Colts Week

2011-12-01T21:24:00.001-05:00

A collection of random pre-game notes from what should have been a marquis matchup this week. Instead, we get a 0-11 Indianapolis Colts vs 8-3 New England Patriots in a game flexed out of prime time and moved to 1pm.

One of the best media-Belichick exchanges this season took place this week, when The Hoodie was asked about the Colts 0-11 record and if he could really judge how good the Flying Elvii were opposite the underachieving Blue Horseshoe. Belichick clearly doesn't the Pats to fall asleep on the winless Colts. Q: I know you're saying that the record doesn't matter but you obviously can gauge your team's performance better against a team that is more competitive or has a better record ----BB: I don't agree with that, so you can go ahead on your soliloquy, but I just don't agree with that. You don't think you can gauge a team based on how a player blocks Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis? Who else would you gauge it against? Are you kidding me? Covering Reggie Wayne and [Austin] Collie and [Pierre] Garcon - you don't think you can gauge your coverage based on those players? I don't care what their record is. You think there are better receivers around than them? Better pass rushers than Freeney and Mathis? I'm not sure what games you're watching here.

The Patriots signed DB Nate Jones this week, filling the roster spot from the departed Phillip Adams. Jones is an 8 year veteran who has played with Dallas (2004-07), Miami (2008-09, 11) and Denver (2010).
Tom Brady was asked if he was astonished the Colts are winless. "It's hard. I think sometimes we take for granted winning here because we've done that, but it's hard to win an NFL game. Every team has talent. Every team can only spend to the cap; you can't spend over it. And the draft and the way that's built…so, it's hard to win games. It really is. You never want to see a team have that kind of season, because you know how miserable you are when we lose two in a row. At the same time, our job is to go out there and perform as well as we can against them this week and that's what we plan to do. We're trying to go out there and we don't take anything for granted. The record when the ball is kicked off - it doesn't matter what their record is; it doesn't matter what our record is. The team that's going to win is the team that plays the best that day. I think that's the approach that we took last week and the approach that we need to take this week and the approach that we're going to take." Brady said.
Colts head coach Jim Caldwell addressed the Colts fans wearing Andrew Luck jerseys to games. "I don't get in - as a matter a fact I don't even entertain the thought. Okay? There's a time to talk about those things when the seasons over with and there's a time to focus and play football and that's what we're doing. We're trying to get our team better. That's our only goal at this time point in time -trying to get ready for a great team that we're facing this Sunday." Caldwell said.
Caldwell also talked about QB Dan Orlovsky, who gets the start. "He's been around. He's got some experience under his belt. He's also a guy that is smart and he's been able to grasp the system pretty well in terms of the operation. We're looking forward to giving him an opportunity to see what he can do on Sunday."
Colts lineman Jeff Saturday talked about his moment with owner Robert Kraft, and whether it was genuine or symbolic "No, it was definitely heartfelt." Saturday said. "We had all been made aware of Myra's [Kraft] condition and we would talk about it from time to time and just ask him how everything was going. He would consistently just tell us that, 'She wants me here. She thinks this is important not only for our game, but for America,' and believed wholeheartedly in what we were doing and felt like we could get something accomplished without jeopardizing our game. I got my wife and kids at home and I can't imagine going through something as stressful as the lockout was on top of having an illness that you know is as serious as it was for his wife. I had a ton of respect for what he was doing and I had a ton of respect for when he was there, he was engaged. He did a lot to help get the thing solved, but on top of that would go home and spend time with his wife regularly, which meant a lot of commuting for him. It was definitely heartfelt and one of those things that I felt very honest and heartfelt about it and it came out to be something to other people, but to me it was more of a heartfelt gesture."

Bruins Sign Krejci To 3 Year Extention

2011-12-01T11:03:00.001-05:00

From the Boston Bruins press release:

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announcedtoday that the club has signed center David Krejci to a three-year contract extension through the 2014-15season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal will not bedisclosed.

Chiarelli and Krejci will hold a press conference on Thursday, December1 at 1 p.m. at the TD Garden Gray Walls Area on Level 3 to discuss theextension. Members of the media with valid forms of Bruins/pressidentification can enter the TD Garden through the Media/Back SecurityEntrance as they would on a regular Bruins gameday beginning at 12 noon.Please note the Bruins are not holding a team practice on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Krejci was drafted by the Bruins in the 2nd round (63rdoverall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He has skated in 318 career NHLgames – all with Boston – and has registered 62 goals and 165 assistsfor 227 points. Krejci has tied for the Bruins team lead in points ineach of the last two seasons, tallying 52 points in 2009-10 and 62points in 2010-11. He set career highs in goals, assists, points, gamesplayed and plus/minus during the 2008-09 season after tallying 22-51=73totals in 82 games with a +37 rating.

This season, the 6’0’’, 188-pound Sternberk, Czech Republic native hasappeared in 20 games and tallied 4-9=13 totals. He is coming off athree-point performance against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, November30 after notching one goal and two assists.

During the Bruins 2010-11 Stanley Cup Championship run, Krejci finishedas the NHL’s playoff scoring leader with 12 goals and 11 assists for 23points in 25 games, becoming the first Bruin to do so since PhilEsposito and Bobby Orr shared the postseason scoring title in 1972. His12 playoff goals included four gamewinners (three of which came againstthe Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals) and onehat trick (Game 6 loss versus Tampa in Eastern Conference Finals). Healso had the primary assist on Nathan Horton’s gamewinning goal againstTampa in Game Seven that propelled the Bruins to their first Cup Finalsince 1990.

For his playoff career, Krejci has compiled 44 points in 52 postseasoncontests with 19 goals and 25 assists.Internationally, Krejci represented Team Czech Republic at the 2010Winter Games in Vancouver in addition to skating for the Czech Republicin two World Junior Championships (2005, 06) and one World Championship(2008).

Scott Dixon And Ryan Briscoe Test New Indycar At California

2011-12-01T08:27:00.001-05:00

INDYCAR drivers Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe continued the manufacturer testing this week, in preparation for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

"It was a productive day," said Dixon, who was behind the wheel of the Honda-powered Dallara DW12. "There was a long list of things to do and that we got done. Handling is still an issue, but I think and hope we are making progress.

2012 Chevy Indycar, tested earlier at Las Vegas

"Tomorrow and in the future we need to work on weight distribution. We need to somehow get more weight up front and make the car not as loose going into the corners. I think with time that will come."

Teams are scheduled to receive the new chassis next week, as testing opportunities open in mid-January. The 2012 season kicks off March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

"I have a few tests before the holiday and think that each time we go out we can make improvements before we head into the 2012 season," Dixon added. "We'll take it one day, one test and one lap at a time and get it right."

Ryan Briscoe had his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Chevy powered V6.

"Before today I was very jealous to be on the outside looking in," said Briscoe, who was preceded in testing by Team Penske teammate Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport and 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan. "It is good to be here and working on making the new car reach its potential.

"The new car has some great technology that the drivers enjoy for sure. We tested lots of Firestone compounds. We ran plenty of laps today and had great reliability. I am happy with the car and the Chevy engine is so consistent, a beautiful engine."

Rambling Rants Of The Sports World

2011-11-30T19:25:00.001-05:00

The NBA is back. Yawn. I'd be more excited if they had agreed to have contraction and improved the quality of the game.
Bobby Valentine is going to be the new Boston Red Sox manager. I still can't help but feel this is the the folks on Yawkey Way selling us a brand name. More pandering to the Pink Hats. I am sure there was someone out there who would run a more militant type of ship, who may have a longer shelf life, and wasn't going to be such a personality in the media. Having said that, I can't wait for the fireworks that will surely erupt between him and Larry Lucchino.
While on Lucchino: If he's going to be the man making the decisions for the Bosox, fine. The Boston Red Sox are a business, and they are free to run their business how they want. However, let's call him the President/GM, and have Ben Cherington be the Special Assistant to the President. Enough of the charade that Cherington actually has any say. Lucchino makes the calls, then he should stand up to the media, and more importantly, the fan base, and say "I am Al Haig, and I am in charge."
Back to Valentine. Sounds like he's going to be the anti-Tito, and not be covering for the players. That will be refreshing, when and if he rolls out a "X player has a hang nail." We could be in for some entertaining pressers that may harken back to the days of Bill Parcells reign over in Foxboro. Can't wait for the first time Papi interrupts a post game press conference with his whining about stats. (yeah, that's not gonna happen)
Weighing on the "Chicken and Beer-gate" down on Fenway: why all the consternation about it now? No one whined about the players doing shots back in '04. Oh yeah, they won in '04. Seems winning covers up a lot of ills. I'll let you in on a secret; the beer and wings didn't cause the collapse. Players not giving a shit did.
Jack Del Rio got canned down in Jacksonville. Psst: it's not his fault. He doesn't make plays, and he sure as hell doesn't play QB.
I'd like to know the story at SHR that caused Tony Stewart to part company with crew chief Darian Grubb in favor of Steve Addington. On the surface, it looks like Smoke is just comfortable with Addington. Grubb did get him to the Sprint Cup, however. There's gotta be more to the story.

View From The Sin Bin: Boston Bruins Still Playing Well After Streak

2011-11-28T20:51:00.003-05:00

OK, OK, I know…theBin goes to a Bruins game and they lose, ending their winning skein at 10. Oh,well. The Black-and-Gold outplayed the Red Wings but came up on the short endof the shootout on Friday by a 3-2 score. Jimmy Howard was the man for theWinged Wheels, making some Tim Thomas-like saves to keep the game close. AdamMcQuaid and Patrice Bergeron scored for the B’s.

Although the outcomewasn’t what we were looking for, the game was pretty good. It was also thefirst NBC national game of the season. The Bruins wore the Men in Blackuniforms for Black Friday, and The Black Dog gave out “Black Dog Friday” Bruinst-shirts to the first 5000 fans. The Bin scored one of those babies.

The Bruins went backto work on Saturday, taking it to the Winnipeg Jets at the Garden. The formerAtlanta Thrashers returned with old friends Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler. TheB’s fell behind 2-0 before rallying for four straight goals for the win. TheBruins were led by Chris Kelly with two goals. Kelly missed a hattie by aboutsix inches as he had a chance to score an empty-netter at the end.

The Bruins are stillplaying well and their point streak is up to 12 games. Tuukka Rask took someheat for the Detroit loss, but frankly he was the one keeping the B’s in it.The defense fell apart and was allowing the Wings unfettered access to theslot. No one came in to clean house and help Tuukka out. Not surprised the BigFinn had two get past him. Claude Julien and the coaching staff must have seenthat too, as the defensemen woke up against the Jets.

Imagine the Bin’ssurprise upon hearing old Bruins and Whalers nemesis Dale Hunter was namedcoach of the Washington Capitals. The Bin’s first reaction was…shock. Thiscan’t be the same Dale Hunter who polished penalty benches in record fashion forQuebec, Washington, and Colorado during the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. But it is. Foryounger readers, Hunter was a cheap shot artist in the finest Matt Cooke/SeanAvery tradition. Absolutely hated the man. He got under opponents’ skin to thepoint they spent the rest of the game trying to retaliate. Just an all-aroundpest…who could score a bit, with over 1000 career NHL points in 1407 games Butapparently the hockey gods have smiled on Hunter, as he has coached London ofthe Ontario Hockey League to a .691 winning percentage in 11 seasons…thehighest in OHL history. Hunter reached 300 and 400 career coaching wins fasterthan any other coach in OHL history. Impressive.

Paul Maurice is outas coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Not a big surprise as the Canes haveunderachieved for a while. Maurice is the Billy Martin of the NHL as this washis second stint behind the Canes/Whalers bench.

TJZ

FVP Monday Night All Star: Banyka

2011-11-28T20:31:00.001-05:00

Tonight we have the amazing Banyka Deborah Dipell. Banyka tells us she grew up in a wealthy family, her mother is a famous model, fashion designer and dance teacher. Her father is the director of several banks, was also an actor and model. She's very hot, to say the least. She's got some hotter stuff on facebook, be sure to tell her you saw her on FVP!

Belichick The GM Makes Belichick The Coach Work Harder

2011-11-28T19:01:00.001-05:00

Belichick

FVP has been all to happy to blast the New England Patriots personnel decisions made down on Route 1. This year alone, the personnel department has made some very questionable moves, such as the releasing of two starting safeties without adequate replacements, the signing of Chad ~~Johnson~~ Ochoconco and Albert Haynesworth, and the continued neglect shown for pass rushing defensive players in the draft. Yet the Patriots somehow manage to take guys off the street and patch together wins. After yesterday's win at Philadelphia, one thing is very clear, Belichick the GM is making Belichick the coach work harder.

Granted, two of the Hoodie's defensive playmakers were unavailable yesterday. Both Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung were injured, forcing the Mad Scientist to roll out Phillip Adams and Antuan Molden in the secondary, facing the likes of Brent Celek and DeSean Jackson. The Hoodie managed to "coach 'em up", and the rag tag group held Philadelphia to 13 points.

The feeling here is that the personnel department is letting the coaching department down. The secondary's senior man, so to speak, is James Ihedigbo, with five years NFL experience. The Pats have continually drafted poorly (Whilhite, Wheatley) or had poor free agent signings (Shawn Springs, Fernando Bryant, Jason Webster) that causes the secondary to be a weakness in New England. Belichick and his staff must work harder to get more from less.

The release of Albert Haynesworth and Leigh Bodden show one thing: Belichick won't make the 2009 mistakes again. He'll only have guys that want to be here, that want to be coached up.

The question is, and remains, will the James Ihedigbos and the Philip Adams' can be coached up enough to win deep into January.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Blickensderfer Named Crew Chief For No. 31 At RCR

2011-11-28T18:24:00.001-05:00

Drew Blickensderfer has been named crew chief for the No. 31 Caterpillar/Wheaties car out of Richard Childress Racing, driven by Jeff Burton. Blickensderfer replaces interim chief Luke Lambert, who will assume a yet-to-be announced new position at RCR.

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Jeff Burton will have a new crew chief for his #31 Caterpillar car

"I'm excited about the move to RCR and the opportunity to help lead Jeff Burton and the Cat/Wheaties Racing team back into Chase contention," said Blickensderfer. "I was around Jeff briefly at RFR and always admired and liked him. He's a very talented driver and I look forward to working him and the rest of the No. 31 team in 2012."

Blickensderfer comes to RCR after serving as crew chief for the #6, driven by David Ragan.

Drew is a strong leader and will be a great complement to the Caterpillar/Wheaties Racing team," said team owner Richard Childress. "He's won some big races, including the 2009 Daytona 500, his first race as a Sprint Cup Series crew chief. There's every reason to believe the combination of Jeff and Drew will be a successful one."

It was announced previously that crew chief Shane Wilson will move from the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper/BB&T team to the same position with the No. 29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy John's team and driver Kevin Harvick. Gil Martin, the No. 29 team crew chief since May 2009 and a crew chief at RCR since August 2000, has been named director of team operations.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Addington Reunited With Stewart

2011-11-28T18:01:00.001-05:00

Steve Addington has been named to replace Darian Grubb as crew chief of the #14 Office Depot Chevy, driven by 2011 Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart.

2011 NASCAR Champion
Tony Stewart

“I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a racecar,” said Stewart, who worked with Addington from 2005 through 2008 during his time at Joe Gibbs Racing. “My comfort level with him is already strong. He balances the technical part of our sport with the real-world experiences we get at the track, and that will allow for a smooth transition as we prepare to defend our title in 2012.”

Addington comes to SHR after serving the same post for the Yellow Double Deuce driven by Kurt Busch. Prior to that, Addington served as the crew chief for the #18 at Joe Gibbs Racing, where he notched 12 wins with Rowdy before moving on to Penske and the elder Busch.

“Tony and I are a lot alike and we’re able to push each other,” Addington said. “I saw how he worked when we were at Gibbs together and I’m not surprised at all at the success he’s created at Stewart-Haas Racing. He expects a lot and he knows a lot. His talent behind the wheel is obvious, but his ability to motivate and get everyone to believe that whatever goal they set is attainable is something every crew chief wants, and I plan to make the most of it.”

The move comes only one week after Stewart won his third championship at NASCAR's highest level. Addington replaces Darian Grubb, who served as Stewart’s crew chief since the inception of SHR in 2009.

“Darian was a very important part of the success we’ve had at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Stewart said. “I’m very proud of everything he helped accomplish, especially this year when we all rallied to win the championship. He’s a great person and I know he’ll continue to be successful in this sport.”

Rumors on the interwebs have it that Darian Grubb will be promoted to the position of Director of Competition. It was widely talked about that Stewart Haas hoped to lure Greg Zipadelli from his position at JGR with that position. Unknown as to what would have happened to Grubb at that point. At the time of this posting, it's a moot point, as Zipadelli is not being released from his contract with JGR.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Childress Racing Announces Crew Chief Changes

2011-11-23T16:25:00.001-05:00

from RCR press release:

Richard Childress Racing has made organizational changes to its competition department in preparation for the 2012 NASCAR season.

Long-time RCR crew chiefs Shane Wilson and Gil Martin have taken new assignments with the 14-time championship-winning organization.

Wilson has been named the crew chief of the No. 29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy John's team with driver Kevin Harvick after three seasons in the same position with RCR's No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team. Martin, the No. 29 team crew chief since May 2009 and a crew chief at RCR since August 2000, has been named director of team operations, reporting to director of competition Kent Day.

"Kevin (Harvick) came to me after the Phoenix race a couple weeks ago and asked for a change in the leadership of his team for the 2012 season," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "The expectations at RCR are to win championships so the decision was made to move Shane Wilson to the No. 29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy Johns program. Shane did a great job for RCR in the Nationwide Series when he first got here, and built on that success the past three seasons with our No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team, so we feel he will continue do a great job with the No. 29 team."

This is not the first time Wilson and Harvick have worked together. They joined forces in 2006 to earn 10 wins, 24 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes on the way to that season's NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. The team's 824-point margin of victory is a series record.

"Shane is a good friend of mine and we had a lot of success together in the NASCAR Nationwide Series," said Harvick. "He has a lot of experience now in the Sprint Cup Series and I look forward to working with him again."

Further personnel changes within RCR's competition department will be announced in the coming weeks.

View From The Sin Bin: Bruins Run Streak To 9

2011-11-21T22:04:00.001-05:00

This is the Team We Thought We’d See

The Boston Bruinscontinue on their recent tear, with the B’s win streak now up to 9 games.Scoring has improved all around, including the power play. The Black-and-Gold’shistoric inability to score in front of Tuukka Rask is a thing of the past.

The Bin was on-handat the Garden on Thursday, November 18, for a squeaker of a win againstColumbus. As predicted here, the B’s came out flat against the worst team in theleague. They hung on, though, and won it in a shootout. David Krejci with the gamewinner. The only thing that kept the Bruins in the game was Tuukka Rask. Tuukkastood on his head at times, keeping the Blue Jackets from scoring more thanonce in regulation. On the other side of the red line, Columbus goalie CurtisSanford did his best imitation of a Vezina winner, limiting the swarming Bruinsto one regulation goal... by Adam McQuaid. The game should not have been as close as itwas.

The Bin was nowherenear the bin this time, with a seat in Section 313, row 12. Had to don anoxygen mask as the Sherpas were getting nervous. Frankly, there are no badseats in the Garden; no obstructed views like the old barn. The fans in thearea were primarily season ticket holders and knew their stuff. Headed downagain on Friday against Detroit. Same seats.

Read athought-provoking article in Sports Illustrated this week. The point of thearticle was the death of the slapshot. It said the slapper has taken a backseat to snappers and wrist shots for a few reasons, primarily that playersdon’t have the time and space for the big windup. Also, composite sticks make a good wristerbehave a lot like a slapper. The Bin’s take: reports of the death of theslapshot are greatly exaggerated. Apparently the author has not seen a 105-mphblast from Big Z or a Johnny Rocket. The Bin thinks what may be mistaken for areluctance to take a slapshot is more about the tendency for players(particularly defensemen) to throw a wrister in the direction of the net,looking for a deflection or a rebound. It’s not a scoring attempt as such, justa way to get the puck toward the slot for another play to pick up the trash.Not dead by a long shot.

TJZ

FVP Monday Night All Star: Jessica

2011-11-21T20:57:00.001-05:00

Tonight we've got Steelers fan Jessica. The 28 year old, 5’8 & 120 lbs blonde hails from Ohio, where she's been modeling since she was 10 years old. She tells FVP that she was a competitive cheerleader for 9 years, a competitive dancer and gymnast, and also coached cheer and gymnastics. Jessica has done pageants, calendars, been on the covers of magazines nationally and internationally, been featured all over the place and been on the runway. She’s been in commercials, on TV, worked for FHM, Maxim, Spike TV, Stare, and many, many others. She was even in American Cheerleader magazine in high school as a featured cheerleader. As if all that is not enough to keep her busy, Jessica is a nursing major in school, close to completing her RN and then going on to be a nurse practitioner. She tells FVP "The hardest job is being a Mommy to a 3 year old daughter." Follow Jessica on facebook! Tell her FVP sent you.

VIDEO: Stewart Passes Four Wide At Homestead

2011-11-21T00:18:00.001-05:00

One of the amazing moves by the 2011 NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart at the season finale at Homestead.

Tony Stewart Takes His Place Among NASCAR Greats At Homestead

2011-11-20T22:30:00.001-05:00

Stewart celebrates Cup #3

Sunday at Homestead Speedway, Tony Stewart took his place among the NASCAR greats with an unbelievable battle against a nearly perfect Carl Edwards (who led the most laps) to win not only the Ford 400 but the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

The race featured just about every thing that makes NASCAR great. The race had a chess match in the pits, great restarts, fuel mileage, weather delays and "up on the wheel" racing that will make the 2011 possibly the best race race in the history of NASCAR.

Stewart fought back from an early problem as a result of a chunk of debris slightly damaging the front of his # 14 Office Depot Chevy. The resultant repair dropped Smoke down to 40th position, but was lucky enough to have the repair come under caution for rain.

Stewart and his crew maintained their composure and picked off the positions patiently under green early on, working their way back to the top ten. By the time the caution flew at lap 110 for rain, Stewart was solidly back in contention in fifth.

The race resumed after a 1:14 rain delay, with teams pitting at lap 114. Edwards and Stewart came out together, with Smoke getting the advantage on the restart at lap 117. Stewart was able to grab his first lead of the day at lap 123, slipping past Jeff Gordon in turn three, with Edwards following along in third, finally getting by Gordon at lap 130.

Caution flew at lap 135, with Stewart leading. Teams pitted, but the #14 was shuffled back to ninth with a right front tire change problem. Stewart was unable to improve his position in a short green flag run, brought out by a spin by Jimmie Johnson.

Smoke was able to pick up positions on the next restart, going three wide into turn one. At lap 148, Stewart made a classic move, going four wide at the start finish line to get by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Edwards. He picked up another position coming off turn two by getting by Matt Kenseth. It was a bold move move that moved him from ninth to third in two laps, in the spirit of Earnhardt, Foyt, and other great racing champions.

Stewart pitted in the lead under caution at lap 156. The team had a problem on the right rear, dropping back to ninth again on a two tire stop. Stewart maintained his composure, telling his team "deep breath guys". Stewart once again showed his mettle, going to the high side in turn one, four wide, to take positions from Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch. He then grabbed two more positions coming off turn two, take spots from Jeff Gordon and team mate Ryan Newman. The second amazing restart in as many cautions left commentator Dale Jarrett momentarily speechless. Jarret could only muster a "Wow!" as Smoke moved to the front again. Stewart tapped the bumper of Edwards slightly as he finished the pass on Newman and Gordon, as if to say "I'm still here, man."

Stewart moved to the lead with 66 laps to go, as leader Carl Edwards pitted for four tires and gas. Stewart immediately went into fuel conservation mode, clutching the car and staying off the throttle well before the normal entry into the corner. The #14 gave up speed to Edwards, who had pitted earlier. The strategy worked, as caution for rain came out almost immediately after Stewart's pitting. Stewart would have been down over 23 seconds. Instead, Carl Edwards pitted under caution to top off and take two tires. Stewart and Grubb's gamble was huge, along the lines of the onside kick called by Sean Payton and the Saints in the Super Bowl vs. the Colts.

On the restart with 38 to go, Stewart found himself inside row two, behind Busch and Keselowski, one spot ahead of Edwards. He went three wide for the lead, with pressure from Edwards, finally nipping the Blue Deuce with 37 to go in turn three. Edwards got by Keselowski with 33 to go, leaving the two championship contenders to battle it out for the final laps.

Stewart and Edwards wer both nearly perfect, easily the fastest on the track over the final 33 laps. Both drivers could be seen sawing on the wheel as they circled Homestead, battling mano a mano for the final sequence. Edwards was unable to reel in Stewart, who clearly owned the day. Stewart notched his fifth win of the season, his 44th career victory, and by virtue of NASCAR's tie breaker for wins, his third Sprint Cup Championship. The 2011 season finale will go down as an instant classic.

"When I said at Chicago that we didn't belong in this Chase and taking a space that somebody else that was doing a better job could have done, there were two things that could have happened with our group of guys. They could have hung our head and said, our guy doesn't believe in us or they do have done, which is exactly what they did, and that's never give up, and they dug their heels in. They fought like the Bad News Bears. We were the team that nobody really thought had a shot at the beginning, and you know, the longer this went, we battled adversity at Dover and Texas and we just kept fighting, this whole group up here. I mean, Darian has done an unbelievable job in this Chase. Just to go and be in the situations we've been in, and tonight, for example, to, a, go in and have to fix a damaged race car twice, go to the back and come back to the front, and then to make the call that he made at the end there, my -- I need to take a nap right now." Stewart said post race Sunday.

"Whether we won tonight or we lost, I mean, tomorrow is the start of the next season. I was prepared before this race began to do exactly what I'm going to go do and that's to be even better next year and to apply what I've learned here." Edwards said. "We knew we could come into this thing and we knew that of all of the circumstances that could happen, this one was the least probable. I mean, for us to finish like that, tied, fighting for the win. That is the least probable outcome. And so I was prepared for anything. I knew that this was a possibility, though, and I was prepared for this. And I told myself, I told my family that the one thing I'm going to do is I'm going to walk back to that most home, win, lose or draw and I'm going to be a good example for my kids and work hard and go be better next season. Because, you know, we talked about it before the race, even if we won this thing, you go halfway through next season you and struggle, that's quickly forgotten. As painful as this is right now, I know that we have -- we are fortunate to have the opportunity to go to Daytona and just start all over again and go race."

More coming later...

Photo Credit: By Chris Trotman, Getty Images for NASCAR

Smoke Talks Smack To Carl Edwards

2011-11-17T22:34:00.001-05:00

Say what you will about Tony Stewart. One of the things he's very good at, aside from driving a race car, is yapping. Today he let rip some classic smack to Carl Edwards as the two get ready to settle the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

The best exchange came when the two drivers were asked if they would be so willing to trade paint as easy as they trade barbs.

TONY STEWART: I'd wreck my mom to win a championship. I'll wreck your mom to win a championship (smiling). I respect him as a driver, but this isn't about friendships this weekend. This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship. It's no holds barred this weekend. I didn't come this far to be one step away from it and let it slip away, so we're going to go for it.
CARL EDWARDS: Did you say something (smiling)?
TONY STEWART: Yeah, you can come visit my trophy in the room at Vegas when you come out there (smiling).
CARL EDWARDS: He's got the talking part figured out. Problem is, you haven't led the points yet this year, have you?
TONY STEWART: They say there's talkers and doers. I've done this twice.
CARL EDWARDS: That's the funny thing. I've listened to you talk a lot today. You've talked a lot about your past successes. That is very respectable. And truly, all joking aside, that will make it more fun if we're able to beat you. It will make me more proud. But this is going to be a good competition, you guys. Don't think for a second that either one of us are going to let anything slide. We're going to go out here, we're going to race hard, and we're going for this championship. I don't think you could find two harder racers than us up here and we both know that about each other.

While it played as comical, the two are very serious about beating the other. For Edwards, it would be his first championship. For Stewart, it would be his third championship at NASCAR's top level. The third Cup would put him in an historic position. "It's definitely an awesome opportunity for us." Stewart noted today. "Still very appreciative that Gene Haas for even giving us this opportunity to not only drive for him but be a co-owner with him. At the same time it's a pretty cool opportunity this weekend to be the other side of the bookend of Jimmie's dynasty, to be the only guy that could win a NEXTEL Cup championship, a Sprint Cup championship, and a Winston Cup championship, being the first time since Allen Kulwicki as an owner/driver. That would be probably be the best part of it."

Smoke some additional smack, invoking Kid Rock while referring to two of racing's great talkers, AJ Foyt and Darrell Waltrip. "Foyt has how many championships and wins? How many has Waltrip got? I think they work." Stewart said. N"o, I've not talked to Foyt. He'll call me after we win on Sunday. We did speak to Darrell earlier. We both had a pretty good interview with him. It was fun. It's like Carl says, it's like Kid Rock said: It's not cocky if you back it up. I think we've been backing it up the last three weeks. It's what our intention is."

What's very clear is that the two adversaries have a high level of respect for each other. "I don't think the Chase has changed my level of respect for him." Tony said. "I've always respected him as a driver and a person. So the fact that you're racing around him doesn't change that because that's what you do every week. I don't know that we've really learned anything about each other than the fact that we both know we have to be on our game. We've forced each other to take what would be a good day and you have to make it great to succeed. We had Texas where we ran 1-2, the last week where we ran second and third. We're keeping each other honest, in my opinion. It's fun to have a championship race like that. You're not worried about saying, Well, is this guy going to be able to recover? We're forcing each other to both have good days. "I can echo that." Edwards said as well. "It's pretty neat to go out there and push each other to raise our level of performance. It's been pretty interesting how it's worked out. We've both been very fast the last couple of races, being able to race one another, race for the wins. That's as good as it gets. I think Tony said it best after Texas. He said, This is what it's about. It feels like a battle at your Saturday night dirt track. These are the kind of points battles that I grew up watching. It's kind of neat to be a part of it."

Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for NASCAR

View From The Sin Bin: Bruins Are Back

2011-11-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Boston Bruins….They’re Baaaccckkk!

a bin's eye view!

The Boston Bruins have emerged from their early-season coma with a vengeance. The B’s have won five in a row to climb over .500 and out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference. Wow…what a difference the month of November makes.

Tyler Seguin has hit the ice running. He’s tied for the third in the league in scoring and has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. Even the (dare I say it) power play is looking sharp. Brad Marchand has also found the net recently.

It seems the Black-and-Gold’s resurrection this season has corresponded with Nathan Horton’s recovery from the concussion suffered during that nasty hit from Aaron Rome in the Stanley Cup finals. Horty seems a bit sluggish and rusty early on, but has come on strong this month.

We learned today that Milan Lucic will not face supplemental discipline from the NHL’s Dean of Discipline, Brendan Shanahan. Number 17 poked the puck free in the neutral zone against Buffalo Saturday and went in on a breakaway. Sabre’s stopper Ryan Miller came out to the top of circle to swat the puck away from Lucic…and the 6’4”- 220 Lucic crashed into Miller, sending his goalie helmet flying. Miller finished out the period, but later left with a concussion. Looch was given 2:00 for charging. The Bin’s take: good call. While the NHL rulebook says a goalie is not fair game outside the crease and/or trapezoid, a wandering netminder has to expect to be hit at some point. I certainly understand a goaltender does not have the mobility of a forward or defenseman, but there has to be a line there somewhere. I have no problem protecting the goalie to a point, but what’s next, Miller stickhandles from his crease all the way up the ice and scores because no one can touch him? Not the intent of the rule.

The Bin’s vote for most underrated Bruin so far…Chris Kelly. Good decision-making, strong with the puck. 4-5-9, +8, 11 PIM. Thoughts?

Edwards vs. Stewart: Statistical Analysis At Homestead

2011-11-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

Edwards and Stewart will go head to head one more time

Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart are separated by three points as they head to the final week of the season at Homestead. The three point differential equates to a 13 point spread on the old system, so this would be the third closest battle heading into the final race of the season. FVP takes a look at the statistical breakdown of the two drivers that will battle for the 2011 Sprint Cup.

Carl Edwards:
2011 Rundown
· One win, 18 top fives, 25 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.5
· Led 24 races for 784 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.7 in seven races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7
· Series-best Driver Rating of 117.5
· Series-high 173 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.956 mph
· Series-high 1,379 Laps in the Top 15 (86.0%)
· 236 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most

Tony Stewart:
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, eight top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.3
· Led 20 races for 848 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 12.4 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 14.6, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.6, 11th-best
· 60 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 415 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.140 mph, 10th-fastest
· 1,037 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), seventh-most
· 235 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Edwards has been very consistent at Homestead, while Smoke has been merely mortal. Stewart will need to equal to Edwards' every move. Each driver has driven the other to quality finishes. "It's the best points battle I've been a part of at this level, so it's fun for me. I still don't understand why we're both running so good. It's pretty neat. Seems like subconsciously we're both able to dig down and our teams are able to give us what we need and everybody has been performing at a high level. It's been neat that this battle has brought out the best in us." Carl Edwards said Sunday.

Smoke echoed Edwards' comments "It is kind of fun to be in this scenario where you got guys that are three points apart. Last week we were running first and second in the race. Today we ran first and second. It does make it fun. We're both having to earn what we get. No matter how it ends up next weekend, it's not going to have been given to you. We're going to have to definitely earn it and fight for it, for sure.: Stewart said.

The 2011 Sprint Cup championship will likely come down to the final lap, just as NASCAR would have hoped.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw Getty Images for NASCAR

FVP Monday Night All Star: Harmony

2011-11-14T20:30:00.001-05:00

Tonight's All Star is former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader Harmony Joy. Among Harmony's accomplishments, she's been on VH1, she's been in the Hooters Swimsuit Calendar, American Cheerleader Magazine, and University of Louisville Cheerleading Calendar. Follower her on twitter, and on facebook.

VIDEO: Lucic's Hit On Miller, From Opposing Point Of View

2011-11-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

Here's the hit Milan Lucic delivered to Ryan Miller, from opposing points of view. Pretty amusing.

Edwards and Stewart Joke About Settling NASCAR Sprint Cup Battle On Dirt Tracks

2011-11-13T21:05:00.000-05:00

Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart head to the final race of the season separated by three points. Three positions on the track. The two met the media after the race in Phoenix Sunday to discuss the upcoming season finale at Homestead.

One of the more amusing exchanges between the two combatants occurred when Edwards was asked if, given his success at Homestead, if there was anyplace else he would rather race.

CARL EDWARDS: There's some dirt tracks I grew up on that would be fine with me.
TONY STEWART: I think we should do it then. I'm all for changing.
CARL EDWARDS: If we tie, we should go to the dirt tracks in Florida.
TONY STEWART: I have one in Ohio we can use.
CARL EDWARDS: I'm not doing that.
TONY STEWART: Just saying. I got one in Kentucky and Illinois we can use. But that's all I got.
CARL EDWARDS: That's why you got a busy week this week.

More later on...

NASCAR Clinch Scenario For Carl Edwards

2011-11-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

Only one finish guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship – a victory in Sunday’s season-finale Ford 400.

Just three points separate points leader Carl Edwards and second-place Tony Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards regardless of where Stewart finishes.

Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best finishes), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship.

All other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention.

Edwards’ three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ history, and third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.

View From The Sin Bin: Hot Stove Season

2011-11-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

And now for something completely different…

Word today from Red Sox Nation is that closer Jonathan Papelbon has signed with the Phillies for 4 years/ $50M. The Bin’s first reaction on hearing the news was that it was a mistake for the Sox to let him go. Here’s a top-level closer who has gotten it done for years in the Boston media spotlight. A bit of an odd duck, but most closers are. Cough up the money and get a deal done. Avoid letting him walk and avoid adding to the long line of solid (and star) players who came to Boston and had an epic fail. Cater…Slocumb…Renteria…Lugo…Drew…Gagne…Lackey (although he gets a temporary pass with the Tommy John surgery)…the list goes on.

But…

Later in the day we learn the Sox never made an offer to Papelbon. This tells us something… Although Pap was never implicated publicly in the clubhouse shenanigans during the September Swoon, is it possible he was a problem behind the scenes/in the room, and management figured it was time for a housecleaning? Does GM Ben Cherington have a Heath Bell or a Ryan Madson up his sleeve? Is there a physical issue that will come to light when the Phillies send Papelbon for his physical?

Or…

Since Paps had a front-row seat at the September collapse…is it possible he saw that the Sox wouldn’t field a competitive team for a few years and decided to place his bet somewhere else? And still no manager in Red Sox Land.

Makes for a good hot stove season.

Report: Papelbon to Phillies

2011-11-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

98.5 The Sports Hub is reporting that closer Jonathan Papelbon has agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The deal, stated to be four years and approaching $50 million mark, pending a physical.

This is bad news for the Boston Red Sox. This was one of the more enjoyable players to root for in a Red Sox uniform. He was colorful, and did his job well. Papelbon had 31 saves in 2011, with a WHIP of .933, and an ERA of 2.94. It was arguably Pap's best season since 2007.

Red Sox Nation should be prepared for the negative press that will undoubtedly come from Yawkey Way. We'll now hear what a bad teammate Pap was, or how he's hurt, or some other BS that the front office will spew for the Pink Hats to lap up.

VIDEO: Kyle Busch Apologizes

2011-11-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

Kyle Busch will be driving the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry from Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend at Phoenix. (FVP had it wrong.) Here's some of his statements, along with statements from Joe Gibbs.

Kyle Busch Parked For Remainder Of 2011

2011-11-10T22:40:00.002-05:00

Kyle Busch

NASCAR's public enemy #1, Kyle Busch, will not be behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota Camry out of the Joe Gibbs Racing garage for the remaining two Sprint Cup races this season. Primary sponsor Mars Incorporated made the decision as a result of the incident during last Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The car will not run with an M&M’S® paint scheme until 2012, at which time Kyle Busch will be the driver, with the expectation that no future incident takes place.

“We strongly support Mars’ decision,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of.”

Interstate Batteries, a partner of Joe Gibbs Racing since the team’s inception 20 years ago, will be featured on the No. 18 Toyota Camry driven by Busch for the final two races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

“As a proud member of the racing community, Mars and the M&M’S® brand strongly support the partnership we have with Joe Gibbs Racing and are committed to NASCAR. Yet, Kyle’s recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars,” said Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. “While we do not condone Kyle’s recent actions, we do believe that he has shown remorse and has expressed a desire to change. We believe our decision will have a positive impact on Kyle and will help him return next season ready to win.”

EDIT 11/11/11: Internet reports, including CNNSI.com, have it that Busch will indeed be running the #18, witht the colors of Interstate Batteries on the JGR Camry. Yesterday's press release from Joe Gibbs Racing and True Speed Communications clearly state:

Mars, Incorporated announced today that they will be removing Kyle Busch from driving the M&M’S® car for the remaining two races of the 2011 NASCAR season as a result of the incident during last Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway

It does not say they will not be sponsoring the #18, but removing Busch from driving. Look for clarification today when Gibbs and Busch meet the press at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday at 9:30 a.m. MST.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Penn State Story Reads Like A Horrific Hollywood Script

2011-11-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

A writer pens a movie script, one of complete fiction:

The governing body of college football penalizes program after program for violations for the rules. One sells memorabilia, another has too many text messages to recruits. A third allows possible recruits to attend frat parties, where underage drinking takes place. Two more violate rules as pro agents pay players in exchange for promises that the players will sign with said agent upon graduation. Corruption runs rampant throughout the nation's top level of college football. One program stands above the fray...we'll call it State College. State College's football program is run by a man of high moral character who is highly respected. In short, he's an icon.

...but behind the closed doors, all is not as it seems. Rumors surround a highly thought of defensive coach at State College. The coach is always accompanied by young boys, who are given access to State College through a charity of the coach's creation. The boys sleep over the coach's house, who showers them with schwag from the school. Sniggers and murmurs about the coach ensue. Jokes are made about the coach and the program, comparing the two to the Catholic Church. But nothing is done...

A graduate student strolls through the men's locker room. He hears the rhythmic sound of flesh slapping, coming from the shower. Expecting to find a pair of college aged lovers, the young man heads to the showers, looking to bust up the session with some good natured ribbing. Instead, he finds the defensive coach with a young boy. Instead of stopping the incident, the G.A. is frozen, horrified. Instead of a hot young couple, he finds an animal, preying on an innocent. The G.A. runs.

Instead of going to the authorities, the G.A. goes to his father. Together, their mind whirls. If the G.A. goes to the authorities, the scandal will surely ruin State College. If the G.A. goes to the authorities, his big time college football career is over before it begins. The G.A. and his father weigh the options, and come up with a solution: go to the head coach. The coach, the Icon, is a man of impeccable standards, they decide, and he'll know what to do.

The G.A. goes to the Icon and tells the story. He holds back nothing. He's in tears, knowing he should have done something to help the boy. Now, by telling the Icon, the G.A. relives himself of any responsibility. His conscious is clear. He leaves the Icon's office, a weight lifted off his shoulders. The Icon, however, takes a deep breath, and shuts the door as the G.A. leaves. The Icon knows what this will do to the college. He knows what this will do to his friend the defensive coach. He knows what this will do to him. He waits, and ponders. Finally, after a week, he calls the A.D. and tells him a cleaned up version of what happened.

The A.D. calls the authorities. A sting ensues. The ~~defensive coach~~ monster comes to the home of the boy, where he's confronted by the mother. The police are in the other room, listening. The mother presses the monster for answers. Emotions are raw. The monster admits something, yet nothing. He leaves in tears. The D.A. takes the case on. Then, after some investigation he stops, and drops the case. Time goes by, and the D.A. disappears. Nothing but an abandoned car and a ruined lap top are found.

State College Football goes on, the Icon goes on, even though it's clear he's a shell of the man he once was. He's a doddering old man now, a figurehead, the father of State College. After the Icon gets his record win, the truth comes out. The monster has many victims, and they begin to come forward. State College is ruined. Students riot, and the Icon stands on his front lawn like an elderly grandfather, telling students to study. The monster is lead off in cuffs, the Icon fired, college authorities step down. The institution is in shambles. The victims have their day in court...

No studio touches the script. Its unbelievable, it could never happen.

In all seriousness now, the focus needs to be back on Sandusky. He is the real monster. Whether or not he was enabled by Paterno or others at Penn State will come out in court. The victims will have their justice. Paterno is out at Penn State, let's not lose focus on the monster: Sandusky. If other people have failed legally in their responsibility, that will come out. There will be no stopping the facts from coming out now.

NASCAR Drivers Take On Reconfigured Phoenix

2011-11-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

NASCAR makes it's first stop at the newly reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway as the series heads into the final two weeks of the 2011 season. Drivers have commented on the new layout, which features, among other changes, a new dogleg on the back stretch. (pictured)

Carl Edwards: "It’s hard to say. I would say this first trip to Phoenix it will be more of a crew chief/engineer race. You’re gonna have to really pay attention to tire wear. The setup is going to be hugely important. The track is very smooth, very easy to drive. I don’t know that you’ll be able to go there and manhandle the car and hustle it around there like you could the old Phoenix – not this first time."

Denny Hamlin: "I think it will be a fun race track. Driving it was like wow, this is a lot different than any other course we’ve ever kind of been on before with the elevation changes and things like that."

Kevin Harvick: "I think there are a lot of unknowns with the repave and the things that have the potential to happen. I look at Phoenix a lot like Martinsville. The Roush cars didn’t run very well there and we have to run well there. So we’re looking forward to it.

"It’s definitely unique. (Turns) three and four is definitely not like it was but it is similar to what it was with the new asphalt as far as the radius of the corner. The exit of turn two is a lot different and the back straightaway is definitely different. They did a good job by designing the track so the fans can see the cars

Jeff Gordon: "The way I look at it is three and four really did not change a whole lot, other than the surface and the tires. It is going to be tricky conditions. Turns one and two has changed quite a bit, as you exit turn two. The back straightaway is completely different, there is definitely no comparison to what goes on back there to any other track. It is going to be challenging, there is no doubt about it."

Jeff Burton: "The backstretch has so much banking and there's a dogleg back there. You leave turn two and you start down the dogleg. I say you start down it because you are literally going down the banking on the backstretch. It's not really like an elevation change it's just a lot of change because of all the banking there. It's very unique. I've never seen anything like it. It's going to be very interesting."

Clint Bowyer: "The dogleg on the backstretch I think is a little sharper now. I think it will actually create more racing. It kind of goes down and then comes back up. With adding banking to the dogleg the bottom of the corner is actually higher than the top of the corner. It's going to be interesting to see how that's going to play out as far as the racing goes there."

Brad Keselowski: "You have to applaud Phoenix for having the forethought to re-surface the track before it became a problem. No one can deny that the surface was aging, but it did produce some great racing. I have seen the new track and I truly believe that once it gets some age on it, it will be a fantastic place to race. Racing two-wide down the backstretch will be exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. However, it may take a couple of years for it to get to where we can do all of those cool things. I know they are taking great measures to make sure we can put on the best show possible this weekend. I’m just excited to get the Miller Lite Dodge out there and see what it’s all about."

The Best Tailgating In The NFL

2011-11-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry, Foxboro... It's at a different level in Buffalo.

Penn State Story Beyond Ugly...

2011-11-08T16:17:00.002-05:00

...and has the potential for getting a lot worse.

FVP really wants to know what happened to the original D.A., Ray Gricar. There are Internet reports (like this one) that questions what Gricar knew, when he knew it, and why he never went to prosecute Jerry Sandusky. The particular link above states:

While still early in the Sandusky trial, and a leap to assume that the two incidents are connected, Gricar’s reasoning not to prosecute Sandusky will never be known.

It is irresponsible to think the two are connected. It's also not difficult to imagine a Hollywood script as salacious as this. One can only hope that Gricar turns up, unlike Colonel Markinson in "A Few Good Men", and sets the record straight. (Capt. Ross: You know what Markinson did for the first 17 of his 26 years in the Corps? Counter intelligence. Markinson's gone, there is no Markinson.) That, however, is pie in the sky, raised-on-Hollywood-movies-optimism, and it also won't happen.

But this sure has the potential for getting Hollywood Ugly.

If you haven't read the 23 page indictment, it's here. A word to the wise: it's graphic, in a decidedly NSFW manner. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Report: Patriots Release Albert Haynesworth

2011-11-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

98.5 The Sports Hub out of Boston is reporting that the New England Patriots have cut Albert Haynesworth. This comes two days after Haynesworth got into it on the sidelines with D-Line coach Pepper Johnson during Sunday's loss vs. the Giants.

This is zero loss. This was a low risk high reward signing that didn't work out. Next. Haynesworth represented the Patriots philosophy of "value" first. Same type of BS that the team spews when they trade down in the draft, leaving stud corners and pass-rushing OLB's on the board to collect more smurf type DB's.

Having said that, this move also represents Bill Belichick keeping control of the locker room. Hoodie releases a big time "me first" and maintains control.

FVP Monday Night All Star: LFL

2011-11-07T22:47:00.001-05:00

Tonight FVP rolls with something new: The Lingerie Football League is our All-Star. Due to fan demand, MTV2 will be broadcasting the Philadelphia Passion at Cleveland Crush game this Friday, November 11th, 10pmEST. Los Angeles vs. Las Vegas will seen the following week. Be sure to tune in and see our friend Kate Osman!

Photo Credit: LFL facebook page

View From The Sin Bin: Bruins Fog Has Lifted

2011-11-07T22:31:00.000-05:00

The Fog Has Lifted

It appears the Boston Bruins post-Stanley Cup hangover has finally worn off. The Black-and-Gold have looked much like their old selves with wins against the Senators and Maple Leafs. Tyler Seguin achieved cult-hero status with his first career hat trick against Toronto. The Kid is starting to put together consistent exhibitions of the talent that get him here. Meanwhile, old friend (?) ---and league leading scorer-- Phil Kessel is absolutely snakebit against his former team…and that’s OK with us.

As the Bin writes this, the B’s lead the Islanders. Hopefully one of the players has stepped forward in the clubhouse in the best Mark Recchi mold and shook the team out of its funk. With some good bounces, the B’s can be back at .500 by the end of the week.

The Bin has tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets game on 11/17…looking forward to that, although the Jackets don’t seem to have a lot to see.

On another topic…interesting to see former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette signing on with the Orioles. Duke had his issues, but the Bin has always felt he didn’t get enough credit for setting the foundation of the Sox’ 2004 and 2007 Series wins. Don’t expect it’ll be long before Duquette and Buck Showalter butt heads.

View from the Sin Bin 2.4
111107 tjz

Patriots Loss A Sign Of Things To Come

2011-11-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

The New England Patriots dropped a close one in Foxboro today, the first home loss for the Flying Elvii since the invention of the internal combustion engine. The Patriots gave up 80 yards in 1:21 on the final drive by the NY Giants, the final go ahead score coming with :15 seconds left. The game showcased some decent defense by the Pats, but it also exposed their weakness: If Tom Brady is not super human, the defense is simply too soft against the pass for the Patriots to be considered a threat for the division.

Bill Belichick has his work cut out

The problem now becomes the schedule. The Pats play two prime time games in the next two weeks, At New York Jets, and home vs. Chiefs. The Jets pose a serious problem, as the Patriots offense appears to have stalled. The Chiefs look beatable, but the Kansas City coaching staff will certainly have something for Brady, and Cassell will likely have this game circled on his calender long ago. The following week, the Disciples of The Hoodie travel to Philly to take on Miachel Vick and the dream team Eagles. Vick will no doubt feast on the weak secondary with Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson. Jackson's vertical game poses a big challenge for the Patriots (lack of) defense.

The main challenge for Bill Belichick this week will be keeping the locker room from fracturing. This is not the Super Bowl Patriots. If Belichick loses the locker room this week, the whole thing could come off the rails here in November. If his is the only voice heard, then this team has a chance. If the locker room ends up like the team in '09, with a lack of leadership and contrarian voices, they could head into the Indianapolis game with a record of 5-6.

There's a lot riding on this week in Foxboro.

Photo credit: Steve Pouliot Images for Fanviewpoint.com

Mike Helton Transcript Regarding Kyle Busch Suspension

2011-11-06T19:55:00.001-05:00

Kyle Busch

MIKE HELTON: During the truck race last night, we had an incident between the 18 and the 33 trucks that resulted in NASCAR parking the 18 truck for the balance of the event.

That's done under Section 9-12 of the Rule Book. That gives NASCAR the authority to react during a race weekend. Following the event and after a good deal of conversation and discussion, NASCAR has decided to maintain that parked position on the driver of the 18 truck for the balance of the weekend.

So basically what that means is Kyle Busch will not be participating today or tomorrow in the NASCAR event here in Texas.

THE MODERATOR: We have time for just a few questions.
Q. Mike, can you tell me what time the meeting was held this morning, where it was held, who attended it?
MIKE HELTON: The meeting was held at our hauler 15 minutes ago, 20 minutes ago. J.D., Coach Gibbs, and Kyle Busch were in attendance along with several NASCAR officials.
Q. In the year of 'boys have at it,' what were the specific reasons behind your decision to park Kyle as opposed to just letting 'boys have at it'?

MIKE HELTON: The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we've given back to the drivers came I think with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed.

As annoying as the comments that I've made personally in the past about 'we'll know it when we see it' might have been, we saw it last night. Obviously after the event, a lot of folks put their heads together to decide what, if anything, we would do. Then what I'm telling you today is our reaction.
Q. Mike, you guys in the past have let things that happen in one series stay in that series. It didn't cross over. Not to say you haven't ever done it. What was the reasoning behind doing what you did this weekend, letting it affect Nationwide or Cup?

MIKE HELTON: I think we've had occurrences - rare like you said - in the past where an incident would carry over for the balance of the event. Kevin Harvick in Martinsville from a truck race that involved the Cup race. Robby Gordon in a Montréal Nationwide race that involved a Pocono Cup race. Although be it very rare, we have had incidents that have carried over for the balance of the weekend like this one has. But they're rare.

Q. How, in your mind, serious is this situation for NASCAR to take this move? What kind of conversations did you have with Kyle, with Joe Gibbs Racing, their sponsor implications? How grave is this, in your mind, that you've gone to this level?

MIKE HELTON: Well, I think the volume of occurrences or reactions like I'm talking about this morning, the rarity of those times that we'd make a step like this speak to the uniqueness and the severity of the topic.

We understand the ramifications or the ripple effect of us making this type of a move. But we also take our responsibility very serious as to maintaining control of the event in all the garages. So it's a balance there that we ultimately have to make a decision.

At the end of the day, we're the ones that have to make that decision and go on.

Q. Will there be any other possible penalties to Kyle, say monetary, probation, anything else besides what's going on for this weekend?

MIKE HELTON: Under 9-12 it's just an event reaction. We'll have to wait and see what Monday morning brings. But right now this deals with the balance of this weekend.

Q. Do you feel like this will send a message on the whole 'have at it' situation, that there is a point where we're going to take severe action and maybe this will calm things down a little bit?

MIKE HELTON: I don't know. I think the garage areas, the drivers, the team owners, the crew members understand the difference between being responsible and crossing the line. I honestly believe that they understand the difference.

But we'll have to wait and see how the opinions react to this.

Q. Mike, I saw Richard Childress in the hauler this morning, as well. Did the Childress-Harvick camp also get admonished not to escalate this feud? Secondly, did the fact that what Kyle did last night have an effect on the championship, did that influence the decision today as well?

MIKE HELTON: To the first part, our reaction was specifically around the driver of the 18 truck, and that was the extent of it. Obviously, when an occurrence occurs at a racetrack, the NASCAR official community in general works to minimize the ripple effect of what actually might have happened, what might could happen afterwards during the event last night or any one going forward, for that matter.

The implication of the 33 truck being in the points battle in the Camping World Truck Series probably had a small impact on the reaction. But I think the bulk of the action in its entirety, all the circumstances attached to it just accumulated to lead us to the decision we made.

Q. Mike, I know you say 'when you see it, you'll know it.' Can you give a better clarification? Some fans will look back at the Carl Edwards-Keselowski thing and say there wasn't anything there done. What more did you see in this case with this situation? What was so different? And the accumulation of things that Kyle had been involved with this season, did that play a factor to park him?

MIKE HELTON: Yeah, I would answer that two ways.

It's natural in our industry and our sport, for NASCAR's regulatory responsibilities, to watch the evolution of a policy or procedure and learn from it and possibly react differently. Although I would remind you in the incident with Carl Edwards and Keselowski in Atlanta, there was a reaction for us. There was points and money involved in that reaction, so there was some sort of reaction.

There's been a lot of other occurrences that we felt like were more in opportunity to responsibility given to drivers along the way, but there are lines that have been crossed. The 18 and 29 in Darlington got a reaction from us. Today is the most severe reaction under these circumstances. But we felt like all the circumstances came together to warrant the reaction that we're talking about this morning.

The question about the accumulation of incidents around the driver leading to this decision-making process. I won't sit here and tell you that it's not an influence, but it's not an overriding influence. The reaction we're talking about today came more specifically from the set of circumstances that unfolded last night in the single event.

Q. Most of the time I assume you refrain from suspending people because you know the fans come to watch drivers, Kyle Busch being a very popular driver to some fans. How much did you weigh that in your consideration and what did you feel is the overriding factor in suspending him?

MIKE HELTON: Yeah, I would sit here and tell you that any violation that we have to react to, we consider the ripple effect of our reaction. Every incident that we have to react to, whether it's in an inspection, something that's happened on the racetrack or what have you, that's not our mission. But it is our responsibility as a regulatory group that manages the sport. We certainly take that very serious.

So the circumstances that we saw last night on the racetrack, we didn't take lightly what we saw, we didn't take lightly the necessity or the responsibility for us to react to it. We take those responsibilities very serious.

But more often than not, our responsibility is to officiate the sport, inspect the hardware that's involved in the sport in a manner that everybody feels like they're on an equal and level playing field. That's the sport's regulatory responsibility.

On occasion you have an incident to take the responsibility, to take the additional step like we're talking about this morning, and it's not an easy step to take. It's not something we enjoy doing. It's not an action that we would want to do. But we do take our responsibility to maintain control of the garage areas and the unfolding of the events very seriously which led us to this action.

Kyle Busch Ends Ron Hornaday's Hopes For A NCWTS Championship

2011-11-04T21:32:00.001-04:00

Kyle Busch, part time NCWTS racer and full time pain in the backside took out Ron Hornaday tonight under caution after the two were involved in an incident early in tonight's Truck Series race at Texas Motorspeedway.

The two drivers got together got together as they tried to pass the slower #07 truck of Johnny Chapman. Busch was on the outside of Hornaday, and they touched as they went by the #07. Hornaday and Busch both scuffed the SAFER barrier, but were able to continue on.

Busch then ran Hornaday over under caution in turn 4, wrecking both trucks. Hornaday said on the SPEED broadcast "Under green, Kyle new there was a lapper there too. I moved up on the straightaway, he stayed on the quarter panel, and, uh, I don't know, we just touched." Hornaday continued "He knows I am going for a points deal, I don't know why he did it. Anybody got a Cup car? He'll never win a championship again. This is just stupid."

NASCAR responded by parking the volatile Rowdy Busch. Both the crew chief and the driver of the #18 have been called the NASCAR trailer at the end of the of the race.

Rowdy was his usual unapologetic self. "Well, if you consider that Ron was in the championship, maybe Ron could have played it a little bit smarter on lap 15 and checked up a little bit and given room to everybody around. You know, obviously if you make it a three wide situation, I can't go up in the dirt. I'm already on the outside lane, there's not three lanes out here yet, it's a truck race. it's the first race of the night, here this weekend. If I just lay over and give up everything for Ron Hornaday, that's not Kyle Busch's fashion. I am out here to win a race just as much as anybody else is. When he races up on my inside and gets loose and takes me up to the fence, I ended up losing my cool. I have been wrecked four weeks in a row and finally I have had enough of it. I am sorry it was Ron Hornaday, he's going after a championship. But the fact of the matter is you can't place all the blame on one person. There was two people that got into it to begin with and there was two people that ended it."

FVP has been a big proponent of Rowdy and his villainous ways. This was way over the line. It's a series that he is not running for a championship in, and yet he pulls a stunt like this. It's a low class move.

In a sport where drivers far too often hold their tongue in fear of retribution from NASCAR or sponsor, the Sprint Cup Series needs a villain. Rowdy has been the perfect foil for fans and competitors alike. Tonight, Rowdy was way out of control. He needs to find the line between a driver who is "intimidating" and one who is a loose cannon. He needs to find the line quickly, before someone gets hurt or worse.

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Tony Stewart On The Final Three Weeks Of The Season: We're hungry for this

2011-11-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

Stewart has earned all three of his 2011 wins
during The Chase

After the second Richmond race, not many people gave Tony Stewart a snowball's chance in hell of winning the ~~Winston~~ Sprint Cup this season. Then Smoke grabbed wins in Chicago and Loudon, serving notice that he may have something for The Chasers. Last weekend, Stewart won at Martinsville, putting him only 8 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Tony seems to have a a ton of momentum heading into the final month of the 2011 season.

Smoke was asked about possibly bookending Jimmie Johnson's championships. "Come check with me in three weeks." Stewart said. "We're closer than we were at Loudon. But it's awesome we have that opportunity, to get three races in the Chase like this. It's an awesome feeling sitting here tonight. We got three tracks that we feel are really good to us coming up."

"I'm excited about it. It's a great feeling obviously. To be honest, it's really not the fact of beating Jimmie as much as it's just hard to win in this series to begin with. You cherish the opportunities. You make sure that when you have the opportunity, you make the most of it. This is a tough series. It's been a tough Chase. There's the best Chase field that we've ever had. The cool part will be, the stuff I pay attention to, to have three of those trophies that are different in two different formats, three different sponsors, that would be a cool deal."

Stewart also addressed his post race comments regarding Carl Edwards. He didn't back off his comments, stating "My adrenaline has worn off and he better not sleep too long the next three weeks. It's no disrespect to him. He's a great competitor, he's a great guy, he's with a great organization that deserves their shot at that championship, too. We've had one of those up-and-down years and we're having a run in this Chase now where we're hungry. We're hungry for this. I feel like our mindset into these next three weeks, we've been nice all year to a lot of guys, given guys a lot of breaks. We're cashing tickets in these next three weeks."

Stewart has been very consistent at Texas, averaging a series best 8.994th place in the last 6 years. Of Course, Edwards is no slouch at Texas either, with an average finish of 11.944. It's going to be a fun final three races to watch these two battle it out.

Photo Credit: Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Eric Grant Band: As Country As It Gets

2011-11-02T08:59:00.000-04:00

Here's a live video of EGB, recorded at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar And Grille.

Patriots Poor Defense A Symptom Of A Larger Problem

2011-10-31T22:37:00.001-04:00

Pats coaches need to help McCourty return to form

The New England Patriots defense is horrible. Last in the NFL in yards per game. Only Carolina and Indianapolis are worse in 3rd down efficiency, 46%.They are last in the NFL in pass defense, giving up over 323 yards PER GAME! They are bad no matter how you measure it, and the real problem is the Pats really don't have the personnel to help fix the problem. Which brings us to the real rub.

Perhaps it's time to call out The Coach.

The Pats have not drafted well of late. The 2007 draft was an unmitigated disaster, with Brandon Meriweather the only draftee of note. The 2008 draft netted Jerod Mayo, who has been an outstanding player at ILB. Beyond that...both Jonathan Wilhite and Terrance Wheatley are elsewhere. Not picking on Mayo, but he has basically filled the role of Ted Johnson, a run stopping tackling machine. He hasn't proven to be the second coming of Ray Lewis yet.

The 2009 draft consisted of such names as Patrick Chung, Ron Brace, Darius Butler, Sebastian Volmer and Brandon Tate. Tate returns punts for touchdowns in Cincinnati now. Brace is on the PUP list, but he hasn't shown much in his brief tenure. Butler has been playing in Carolina. Chung and Vollmer have been productive in Foxboro.

The 2010 class has been productive, but not on the defensive side of the ball. Devin McCourty has struggled this season. Jermaine Cunningham has been a non-entity. Brandon Spikes's footspeed has shown to be a liability. Kade Weston was cut by Indianapolis. Brandon Deaderick saw his first action of the season against Pittsburgh.

The league has become a pass happy Madden Football EA Sports version of itself. The Patriots strength on defense is not in the secondary. Players like James Ihedigbo, Josh Barrett and Phillip Adams are not going to make fans forget about Rodney Harrison, Ty Law or even Lawyer Milloy. Teams have converted far too many third and longs versus the porous Flying Elvii secondary.

Bill Belichick needs to bring in someone who he respects to help out with personnel decisions. Someone who will say "Are you nuts, cutting Leigh Bodden?" instead of blowing the guy out the door like some half-assed car salesman who gave away a set of floor mats without permission. Hoodie needs to bring in a loud and confident voice who will speak up in the War Room when the team looks at drafting another under sized smurf type at corner. It's the old "we're getting what we're getting 'cause we are doing what we're doing." situation.

"Depends on how you look at it." Belichick said today, when asked whether the struggles in the secondary more mental or physical based? "Bottom line is we just have to execute a little bit better. There are things they did that obviously caused some problems. We either didn't make adjustments to it quick enough or in some cases we tried to adjust to it but we just couldn't get it done the way we needed to get it done. Overall, they just did a little better job than we did."

That last sentence has been a too often heard chorus out of Foxboro. The same can be said for the personnel departments. The opposition is doing a better job drafting players. The Patriots need to make some changes if they are going to legitimately contend for a Super Bowl championship.

The New England Patriots are on the clock.

Photo Credit:Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

FVP Monday Night All Star: Nicole Michelle II

2011-10-31T21:08:00.001-04:00

FVP had a chance to catch up with our old pal and FVP reader Nicole Michelle. Nicole has a bunch of stuff she's working on since we last posted her. She's in the HemiGirl Calender, where she's Miss November. Nicole says "I went to the Dominican Republic in April with a group of girls, called The Hemi Girls. There were also a group of photographers. We stayed at a gorgeous, fancy villa for 10 days and shot a 2012 bikini calendar. It was a lot of fun!" She's also got a trip to California planned, where she is shooting with Mission Photography. She's pretty active on facebook, make sure you follow her. She tweets pretty regular here on twitter too. She's also a big fan of FVP, and been a big help to us finding more All-Stars. Gotta Love Nicole Michelle! Be sure to tell her you saw her over here at FVP.

View From The Sin Bin: Boston Bruins In Need Of A Shake Up

2011-10-29T21:03:00.002-04:00

Shake it Up!

Hey Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely…looks like it’s time for a trade. Time to shake this thing up before the season gets too far out of hand. Find someone who can shoot the puck and occasionally score. This team is just flat. Need to change the chemistry.

While you’re at it…it’s long past time for a moratorium on Stanley Cup interviews and TV promos. Believe me, no one was happier in June when the B’s won it all than I was. But guys…get over it…it’s a new season. Stop resting on your laurels. Enough already. Time to win some hockey games.

Not much more to say. The Black-and-Gold lost the first of a home-and-home with the Canadiens Thursday night. That leaves them at 3-6 for six points and LAST in the Eastern Conference. As the Bin writes this the B’s are in a 2-0 hole in Montreal. Fans keep hearing about “Full 60+ to History.” How about putting together a full 60-minute effort?

Rant over.

Smoke Talks Martinsville

2011-10-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

Smoke looks to get back to Victory Lane

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Mobile One Chevrolet, currently sits sixth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, 19 points behind leader, Carl Edwards. Stewart has two career wins at Martinsville, where the NASCAR traveling circus stops this week.

Smoke was asked what was been the biggest difference in the performance of the old car versus new car at Martinsville. "I'm not sure that it's been a huge deal other than the fact that we are running on bump stops now on the front that have really changed the ride quality of the car, the way it transfers weight to the front and when you go into the corner, under-braking is a lot different. And depending on which side and whether it's the left front tire or the right front tire, that engages the bump stop first, changes the way that that feels and that transition." Stewart said.

Stewart added. "I think once it gets down to them, it doesn't feel a lot different other than the ride quality. But definitely the transition of being on the gas, on the brakes and sitting on those bump stops is probably the biggest thing that we have seen."

Stewart also discussed the different mind-set going in to Martinsville coming off Talladega. Specifically, how hard is it going from restrictor plate racing down to a short track, or is it just a switch?

"It's just a switch." Stewart said . "We, you know, we still have got in street cars when we got out of the airport and drove ourselves home and that's a different deal than driving at Talladega, too. A week in between, you start practice on Friday and you remember where you're at and what you did at Talladega really doesn't -- you don't think about the driving style differences. When you pull in there you realize that you are at a lot different place and you is settle in really quickly and the mode of back to what you have to do to be fast at Martinsville."

Photo Credit: Steve Pouliot Images for fanviewpoint.com

Belichick Respects Mike Wallace's Big Play Ability

2011-10-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

One of the glaring problems plaguing the New England Patriots has been the defense. Notably the big numbers they've allowed through the air. Head Coach Bill Belichick talked this week about how Pittsburgh WR Mike Wallace's speed is no longer the only part of his game.

He's a big play receiver. He's really fast. Nobody is going to catch him, so you have to be careful about how much space he gets when he catches the ball." Hoodie stated. "I think he's improved a lot from when we played them last year, just as a football player, his patience and route technique. He has great speed but he also is getting better at route technique, setting up routes, using his speed, changing his pace. He's good after the catch with the ball in his hands. He breaks tackles and eludes people, does a nice job of going up and getting the ball in the deep part of the field, he's taken it away from some defensive backs. I'd say overall [he] improved his route running in the red area where there's less space. He still is a key guy down there. He did a lot of things well last year, doing them well this year and even better. [He's made] plays in just about every game. He stretches the field but he can also take a short pass and turn it into a long run, so you have to defend him from the line of scrimmage to the back of the end zone and from sideline to sideline. He's a tough guy to match up on. He's done a good job. Obviously he's worked hard and he's being well coached and he's got a good quarterback and other good receivers to complement him. He's part of their very productive offense."

Wallace poses a big problem for the New England secondary this week as the Flying Elvii go to Pittsburgh in search of a quality victory against a big conference rival.

View From The Sin Bin: Bruins Hungover

2011-10-25T21:59:00.000-04:00

Hair of the Dog?

Seems like the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup hangover is in full bloom. The Black-and-Gold have looked flat in the first games of their Cup-defense season. There have been flashes (against Tampa Bay, Chicago, Toronto) but the solid 60 minute effort is lacking. On the bright side…Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have been solid. Brad Marchand seems to have picked up where he left off. Tyler Seguin has matured and is showing flashes of why he was the number -2 overall pick. But the offense has stuttered and the power play…well…enough said.

Sin Bin's view of the sin bin

The Bin had the good fortune of being at the Garden for the Tampa Bay game. Good seats, better game. The B’s handed their conference final opponents a 4-1 beatdown. Sat in row 5 near the centerline…two rows behind the Bruins’ sin bin. Never been that close during a game. It’s a different world…tough trying to see the plays develop. But it was noteworthy to watch the players as they skated by and see their eyes get big as they lined up (or were lined up for) a big check. Pretty cool. The Garden security guy is there to make sure fans don’t bang on the penalty box glass. You get one warning. Great experience overall.

Development of note…the Bin now has Versus…soon to be the NBC Sports Network. Currently watching Tampa Bay at Buffalo. Watch out for those Sabres, they seem much improved. Just heard Mike Milbury use the word “wussify” in a sentence. Missing Kathryn Tappen on NESN.