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NFL week 4 open thread
NFL week 4 open thread
posted at 10:00 am on October 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
I’m leaving the nation’s capital as the NFL kicks off its slate of games for its fourth week, which is probably a good idea, considering how well the Redskins have played so far this year. After last week’s loss to the Lions, a loss that ended a 19-game losing streak for Detroit, the mood here is a mix between fatalistic acceptance of another lost season to anger over incompetence, amateurism, and bungling. However, since that’s how most of the rest of us feel about Washington DC during the week, I don’t think ‘Skins fans are going to get a lot of sympathy.
Looking back over the last three weeks, I’m doing pretty good on my picks. I’m 16-3, but unfortunately two of those three losses came from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They lost last week in their division and are now looking at the backs of the Bengals and and the Baltimore Ravens, both of whom have gotten off to a better start than I thought they would. The Steelers play the San Diego Chargers in the night game at home tonight, and they have to go without Willie Parker and Troy Polamalu. I’m still going to pick Pittsburgh, who always seems to do well in night games at home. It should be close, though, perhaps 28-24.
Other notable games:
* Green Bay at Minnesota – This is a Monday Night game, which means we all get to see what happens when Brett Favre meets his old team for the first time ever as the opposing quarterback. Should be a great game, full of drama, but the unbeaten Vikings should win it, 31-21.
* Baltimore at New England – A better-than-expected Ravens team faces a weaker-than-expected Patriots squad. I’m picking the Patriots to win this one at home, though, as Tom Brady settles down and their defense picks it up against Joe Flacco. It won’t be a shootout but the Pats should eke out a 17-14 win.
* Tampa Bay at Washington – Call this the Futility Bowl. I think the Redskins win in a game no one watches, 21-14.
* Tennessee at Jacksonville – The Titans are a better team than 0-3, but I’m not sure Jacksonville is better than 1-2. I think Tennessee gets off the schneid here with a 24-10 win.
* NY Jets at New Orleans – Mark Sanchez has proven himself in three straight games as a rookie who can handle the NFL. Can the Jets defense stop the Saints, though? One of these teams has to lose its first game today, and it won’t be the Saints at home. New Orleans’ offense will overwhelm the Jets, 31-24, but expect Sanchez to continue to shine.
Soccer Bets Playing on Betsson
Michael Paul Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He stands 6 foot 9 inches with shoes, with an 84-inch (7 foot) wingspan, plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous. Beasley played college basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft on April 14, 2008.
High school
Rivals.com rated Beasley first in the class of 2007 high school basketball prospects. 4
Beasley was born in Frederick in Frederick County, Maryland. While growing up in Maryland, Beasley played for one the country’s most successful AAU youth teams at the time, the PG Jaguars. Beasley won multiple national championships with this team alongside future fellow blue-chip recruits Kevin Durant (Texas) 5 and Chris Braswell (UNC Charlotte). Beasley later moved on to play AAU ball for DC Assault’s 17 & Under team, playing alongside such players as former KSU teammate Ron Anderson, Nolan Smith (Duke), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Austin Freeman (Georgetown), and Julian Vaughn (Georgetown). During this time Beasley also attended a number of high schools including Bowie High School (Bowie, Maryland), National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Maryland), The Pendleton School (a section of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida), Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia), and Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts).
He was named as a 2006 USA Men’s U18 National Team member on June 26, 2006. Beasley averaged team highs of 13.8 ppg. and 8.3 rpg at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in San Antonio, Texas. He ranked fifth in rebounds per game (8.3 rpg) among all 2006 tournament leaders, and he ranks third all-time in the USA Men’s U18 record book.
Collegiate career
Beasley began his freshman year at Kansas State in the fall of 2007. In the 2007–2008 regular season, Beasley was one of the most dominant players in the country. His 26.2 points (third-leading) and nation-leading 12.4 rebounds were the most by a Big 12 player in any season. His 866 total points and 408 rebounds ranked third and second among all freshmen in NCAA history. He also led the nation in double-doubles (28), 40-point games (three), 30-point, 10-rebound games (13), and 20-point, 10-rebound games (22). 6 His 28 double-doubles broke the freshman double-double record previously held by Carmelo Anthony 6 who had 22 double-doubles in his only season at Syracuse in 2002–03. On February 23, 2008, Beasley scored a Big 12 record 44 points in a 86–92 loss at Baylor. 7 (This mark has since been matched by Kansas State’s Denis Clemente. 8 ) Beasley became known as an unstoppable force when shooting, finishing the season shooting 53.7 percent from the field (282 of 525). He also finished the season shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range.
Beasley holds 30 Kansas State career, single-season and freshman records as well as 17 Big 12 single-game and single-season marks. Beasley guided the Wildcats to a 20–10 record and a 10–6 Big 12 Conference record. Some of they key conference victories were a win at Oklahoma and, a home victory against Texas A&M, and a victory against then-unbeaten #2 Kansas, marking the first time in over four years that Kansas State defeated a Top 10 team at home (Kansas State beat #10 Texas, 58–48 on March 6, 2004), the first time K-State beat Kansas in Manhattan since 1983 and the first-ever victory against the Jayhawks in Bramlage Coliseum. The win partially backed up a boast he had made before the season about K-State’s prospects against the Jayhawks:
“ We’re going to beat Kansas at home. We’re going to beat them in their house. We’re going to beat them in Africa. Wherever we play, we’re going to beat them. 9 ”
On March 1, 2008, his boast did not come completely true, as Kansas won the return match in Lawrence, 88–74 despite 39 points and 11 rebounds from Beasley. He matched a Big 12 record by equaling former Kansas player Drew Gooden’s record for most double-doubles in a season (25). 10 With his 33-point, 14-rebound effort against Colorado on March 4, he eclipsed Mitch Richmond’s 20-year-old school single-season points record (768; 1987–88), while he broke the Big 12 record for double-doubles in a season with his 26th for the year. 11 He is just the 27th player in NCAA Division I history to post 26 or more double-doubles in a season and the first since Utah’s Andrew Bogut (26) did it in 2004–05.
Awards and honors
Beasley and Bob Boozer are the only players in Kansas State history to earn first team All-America honors from the Associated Press. Boozer, the school’s only consensus first team All-American, was named to the first team after his outstanding 1959 season. Overall, Beasley is just the fifth player in school history to earn recognition to any of organization’s three All-America teams, joining Rolando Blackman (third team – 1980); Bob Boozer (second team – 1958; first team – 1959), Mike Evans (third team – 1978) and Dick Knostman (third team – 1952; second team – 1953).
Beasley was selected to the 10-member 2008 John R. Wooden Award All-America team as well as one of five finalists for the prestigious John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough on April 11 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Beasley became the second consecutive standout freshman (after Kevin Durant the previous year) to win both Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year accolades.
Beasley became the fourth player in school history to be honored as the league’s Player of the Year and the first since the inception of the Big 12. He joined Lon Kruger (1973 and 1974), Mike Evans (1977 and 1978) and Rolando Blackman (1980) as Wildcats to be named to conference Player of the Year. He was the first player to earn the distinction of league Freshman of the Year and the 12th overall to be selected as either Freshman or Newcomer of the Year since 1970. Six freshmen (Bob Zender – 1970; Steve Mitchell – 1971; Lon Kruger – 1972; Mike Evans – 1975; Curtis Redding – 1977 and Ed Nealy – 1979) in school history have been named Newcomer of the Year.
Beasley earned his second major National Player of the Year honor as he was selected to the honor by Rivals.com. He was also named the organization’s National Freshman of the Year and to its All-America first team.
In addition to earning Player of the Year accolades from both CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, Beasley was named one of four finalists for the 2008 Naismith Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough, presented by AT&T and the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
He, along with fellow finalists Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough and UCLA’s Kevin Love, traveled to the Final Four on April 6, 2008, where the trophy was presented at the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians of the Game awards program. He also was one of 10 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year award and one of 25 for the John R. Wooden Award, which was also claimed by Tyler Hansbrough.
In addition to his National Player of the Year awards, Beasley was named National Freshman of the Year by four organizations, including CBS Sports.com, Rivals.com, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He has also been selected a first team All-American by numerous outlets, including CBS Sports.com, Dick Vitale, ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In addition, he was chosen as a first team Freshman All-American by CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, while teammate Bill Walker was announced to CBS Sports.com’s Freshman All-America third team. 12
Post-season information
Beasley led the Wildcats to a 10–6 record in conference play, earning a number 3 seed in the 2008 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Wildcats faced the #6 seed Texas A&M Aggies and lost 77–71. Beasley had 25 points and 9 rebounds, one board short of a double-double. He shot 10–21 from the field and 1–4 from behind the three-point line. He also registered three blocks.
The Wildcats earned a berth in the 2008 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament as the #11 seed in the Midwest Region. They beat the #6 seed USC Trojans. Beasley had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his 27th double-double of the year. 13 However, the Wildcats lost 72–55 to #3 Wisconsin in the second round of the tournament. Beasley added 23 points (only 6 scored in the second half) and 13 rebounds against the Badgers his 28th and final double-double. 14
On April 14, 2008, Beasley announced that he would enter the NBA Draft and thus forgo his last 3 years of eligibility.
NBA career
Miami Heat
Michael Beasley dunking, 2009
On June 26, 2008, Beasley was selected 2nd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. 6 He signed with the Heat on July 2. 15 In his NBA Summer League debut on July 7, Beasley scored 28 points and grabbed 9 rebounds (and 2 assists 16 ) in 23 minutes played. 17 18 He was second in the league in rebound average, and tied for third in scoring average in the 2008 Summer League. 19 During his first official practice with the Heat, he was accidentally hit in the chest with an unidentified teammate’s elbow. 20 He was evaluated and returned to the team a day later with chest bruising, but only participated in non-contact play. 21 He had slightly cracked his sternum, and resumed contact drills 2 days after that. 22
In his first preseason game, Beasley scored 16 points against the Detroit Pistons. 23 He followed those performances with 21 points and 7 rebounds, 24 12 points and 11 rebounds, 25 14 points and 6 rebounds, 26 19 points and no rebounds, 27 14 points and 3 rebounds, 28 and 19 points and 9 rebounds. 29 On opening night of the 2008–09 regular season, Beasley scored 9 points in a loss against the New York Knicks. He posted double-digit point totals for the next nine straight games, including a career-high 25 in a loss to Charlotte on November 1. 30
After the Heat’s first round exit from the 2009 playoffs, it was reported that Beasley, along with fellow rookie Mario Chalmers, had been fined multiple times throughout the season for violations of team policy. 31
Off court issues
On September 3, 2008, at the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program, Beasley was involved in an incident along with fellow rookies Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur. Police responded to the hotel room of Chalmers and Arthur following a fire alarm at 2 a.m. and claimed that the room smelled strongly of burning marijuana but none was found and no charges were filed. Chalmers and Arthur were excused from the camp 32 because of the incident and were later fined $20,000 each for missing the rookie camp, but were not fined or suspended for any drug-related violations. Both later denied any involvement with marijuana. 33 Originally, ESPN reported that Beasley was also present in the room, 34 but was not asked to leave camp. The story was later updated and any mention of Beasley was removed from the article. 35 On September 18, 2008 Beasley was fined $50,000 by the league for his involvement in the incident after Pat Riley forced him to confess to league officials that he had slipped out the door when the police arrived. 36 37 38
On August 24, 2009 Beasley reportedly checked into a Houston rehab center, just days after he posted pictures of himself to Twitter with what appeared to be marijuana in the background. 38
Beasley’s parents are Fatima Smith 39 and Michael Beasley, Sr. 40 He has two brothers, Leroy Ellison and Malik Smith, and two younger sisters, Mychaela Beasley and Tiffany Couch. 41 His god brother is NBA journeyman DerMarr Johnson. 41 He resides in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, 41 and has a daughter named Mikaiya Zenee Beasley who was born on May 19, 2009. 4242
Little League World Series 2009 Results
Little League World Series 2009 Results
63rd Little League World Baseball World Series Steps off With Annual Grand Slam Parade
The notes of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” meandered their way through downtown Williamsport, Pa., Thursday evening as the popular Little League Grand Slam Parade passed by thousands of bystanders.
Sixteen teams and 192 Little Leaguers from around the globe have gathered at the Little League International Complex to compete for the title of Little League Baseball world champion.
Eight teams from the United States and eight international teams have made it to their accommodations at the Creighton J. Hale International Grove on the complex.
The teams are ready to start playing at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium—the fields they grew up watching the Little League World Series on television.
“It feels great on TV, but it’s more exciting—you have more feelings—when you’re here in real life than you do watching it on TV,” said Hunter Phillips, playing for Warner Robins (Ga.) American Little League representing the U.S. Southeast Region.
It’s a feeling held not only by teams from the U.S.
“They were watching on TV, but now they’re actually playing for it,” Kuei-Shan Little League of Chinese Taipei translator Ming-Heung Yeh said, for players Cheng-Chieh Lee and Yuan-Ting Tai. “So it’s beginning to get really exciting.”
“Obviously it looks very nice on TV, but it’s definitely a great experience here. It’s a dream come true, especially for a manager who has a son on this team,” said Augustin Montoya, manager of Guadalupe Trevino Kelly Little League from Mexico, through translator Sergio Guzman.
The excitement among the players and coaches is about equal, but in the end, they say, it is about the Little Leaguers themselves.
“My mom and dad gave me a glove and a bat when I was four years old,” said Jorge Maldonado, one of Montoya’s players. “I’ve been looking forward to this ever since.”
“It’s really different because you never think that you’d be the person playing in that game,” said Santee Jackson, a center fielder playing his first year of Little League for Germany’s KMC American Little League of Ramstein Air Base.
The players, coaches and managers got acquainted with each other Thursday night with a picnic followed by the parade. Eight trucks carried the 16 teams through downtown Williamsport—one American team and one international team on each—to the sounds of welcoming cheers from both local residents and relatives of the players who had made the trip.
“It’s just so exciting because we’ve been living baseball year-round for years,” said Laurie Scieszinski, whose son Cole plays third base and catcher for Urbandale Little League (Iowa). “This is just so cool to have a whole town that supports it.”
Just like all the 11- and 12-year-olds playing for this year’s Little League World Series, they are in awe to be able to watch their children compete in person.
“I can remember my son being three years old and watching it with me, and he was excited about watching it,” said Laurie’s husband, Doug. “I’m like, maybe someday you’ll get to be here—and now he does.”
On Friday morning, the teams will attend a hitting clinic hosted by All-Sytate Insurance and featuring 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice. Afterward, they will attend opening ceremonies at Little League Volunteer Stadium.
Then the games begin.
At 1 p.m., South Shore National Little League (N.Y.) will take on Mercer Island Little League (Wash.) to kick off the Little League World Series. Tha tgame will be followed by the first international game at 3 p.m. between Kuei-Shan Little League of Chinese Taipei and KMC American Little League of Germany; Urbandale Little League (Iowa) versus Warner Robins American Little League (Ga.) at 5 p.m.; and Peabody Western Little League (Mass.) against McAllister Park American Little League (Texas) at 8 p.m.
