Now here is something to get excited about

Congrats to Kenji Johjima for hitting 4 homers to win whatever they call the Japanese Homerun Derby.

The last time I enjoyed sports.

Seriously. Not juuuust Appleby (was that his name?) blowing Weaver during an and one... I think the Cougs Sweet Sixteen team was the last team that returned any of my fandom with some sort of success.

Please tell me I'm forgetting something else.

Oh and Dale?

<===== Kyle Weaver is the one in crimson.

NBA?

First there's a brand new team oh heels to root against, and now those clowns that stole our frnachise might be on the verge of releasing the 2nd greatest college basketball player of all time (right behind "The Show") in Kyle Weaver, meaning he could soon be suiting up for another franchise?!?! Is it possible that Mr. F could be taking his fan talents back to the NBA??!?! ...


... Probably not. But at least Weaver is free... even if it means playing in Europe.

Local man shows the Mariners how he feels about the season

Local man, we'll call him "Dan", shows the Mariners how he feels about this year's season:

They'll turn it around Dan. Don't worry. Go Mariners.

Tough Enough?

Jerry Crasnick wrote about available relief pitchign at the trade deadline. The article mentions Aardsma and League, which is fine... but the first couple lines of #9 made me laugh which is why I'm posting this here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&page=starting9/100721

I think we've done this before, but there's been a lot of roster turnover lately. Who's taking care of business when the shit hits the fan in a brawl for the M's?

Branyan, obviously, but who else? Smoak? Too young?

R.I.P. Lou Brown

As I'm sure you've heard by now... baseball lost one of the greats.

Former Clevelans Indians Manager Lou Brown passed away.

I don't have a ton to say here, but maybe we can get a decent thread going about this great man.

Here's a pic from one of my favorite scenes:

"Ooooh, I don't know..."

You're the best Lou!

Golf

Christian Bale vs. Mel Gibson

This has nothing to do with sports and we had nothing to do with building it.

We've all heard the epic Christian Bale Rant. Hopefully you've heard the EPIC Mel Gibson rant.

Well...



Now here's both these class acts going at it in in a mashed up prank phone call. Just fantastic stuff:

Hat Tip to NIKE

They nailed this commercial, and we realize what a bunch of douchebags the Cincinatti Reds broadcasters are.

Steinbrenner dead.

Don't worry. No mean jokes.

(

I'll remember him fondly... like Larry David's impression, and as a decent SNL Host. Plus, love it or hate it, he gave a shit about winning and would do whatever it took. All fans should be lucky enough to get an owner like that!

RIP George Steinbrenner

Uwwwaaauggh, I'm on a Highway to Hall

According to a reliable source Chris Berman is going to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, presumably for making those "Woop!" noises on NFL Primetime. Here's a representative from the HOF informing Berman of the news:

Anyway, I'm sure you'll hear more about this when Berman names this as his #1 "Play" of the Week, unless there was some sort of NASA mission or something, which would obviously take the top spot instead. The real suspense now comes in waiting to hear how many classic rock songs Berman quotes or hilariously alters slightly in his speech. As you can see, I've already submitted one as the title to this post, anybody else have some others?

What would you do if Ichiro elbowed you in the face?

While everyone was caught up in Lebronamania, Jason Vargas took the mound to face the Yankees. For some reason not a lot of people were watching. Here is some awesome footage:

Ichiro

Oops.

Good thing we let this guy hang out in Cleveland for the first part of the season. Can I intereset anyone in some Casey Kotchman rookie cards?

4th of July

4th of July is upon us. Why are you proud to be an American?

WORLD CUP FEVER!!!!

I know you've all been waiting like patient Mustacheers for us to weigh in on the World Cup. And we had this huge post with TEXTBOOK analysis... but there guys pretty much summed it up better than we ever could...







Now having said that... go USA.

Sports

Anything happenin' with sports?

COUGS WIN!!!!

In what HAS to be considered one of the greatest comebacks in the history of collegiate sports, the Washington State Cougars overcame a 42 point (almost 5 year) deficit to FINALLY emerge victorious over the might Trojans of USC!!!!

GO COUGS!!!!

A win like this can really turn a program around!!!!

This gets me pumped for football!

Coming to Fruition

Well it looks like HCM's policy of pre-maturely breaking stories and worrying about the consequences later has come up roses again, much in the same way it did when we nailed the Pete Carroll story (in the comments section). Fortune's June 3rd report of the Pac-16 appears to be days away from being dead on. Colorado signed with the Pac-10 earlier today, and it looks like the other 5 schools could do the same by the end of the weekend. The only thing that could stop it now, apparently, is if Nebraska's impending deal with the Big 10 falls through. So congrats Fortune, this could finally mean the Pulitzer that you've waited years for!

So Close

Mr F and I are very familiar with the feeling of rushing the field after a monumental victory (see 2004 Apple Cup). Unbridled Jubilation! If there is one thing I would want my children to experience, it would be that. Some parents don't feel the same way:

Kotchman

Without much fanfare Kotchman broke a record last night. No it wasnt most consecutive plate appearances without a hit. He had his 2,003 straight errorless play. That is pretty incredible. But he still sucks, which is probably why a big deal wasnt made of it.

Crazy Sports Injuries

Due to Kendry Morales' awesome injury celebrating his walk-off salami against us, Calabro and Moore were discussing crazy injuries on their show the other day. One that I had not heard of was that of our beloved Hank Cotto. Apparently he was cleaning out his ear with a Q-Tip when Ken Griffey Sr bumped into him and he ruptured his ear drum. OUCH!

Arthur Lee

Anybody see the year this dude has been having?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4736

Good for him!

Retraction

I'm ashamed to admit that yesterday I stretched the truth with one of our posts. My Mom never taught Ken Griffey, Jr. how to play baseball. I guess I just felt compelled to produce content for this cutting edge sports blog and it had been a slow week on the site. I'm sorry. It probably won't happen again.

Coming to a TV near you

The PAC-16 Network!

My sources are telling me that the Pac-10 is inviting Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado to join Arizona and Arizona State in the South Division. The rest of our awesome league would be the North. This is going to be awesome!!

The events of the day

I was sitting down and watching the Blind Side, and I couldn't help but notice the similarities in the movie, and part of my own life. You see a few years back, my family was driving home from a super rich function (my Dad's a doctor) when we noticed a homeless kid walking home. Dad wanted to go to Taco Bell, but Mom made him pullover and take the kid home with us. He was real shy, but was a real solid individual. Mom taught him how to play baseball with her sass and wit (and little Erik taught him how to make friends). Anyway, long story short... that kid went on to great success in the game we know as baseball. That kid... was THE Kid... Ken Griffey Jr.

Mom never really got the credit she deserved for Griffey's success, but no worries, Sandra Bullock couldn't have handled that role. Lots of nuances and no crummy accent.

Griffey retired today. A year too late. But that doesn't change the fact that he is the greatest baseball player to ever play the game or at least since uhhh... 1970 or something. Anyway, you'll never see a better ball player, and he did it clean baby! Should be the first 100% first ballot Hall of Famer (but some dickhead writer won't do it). Anyway congrats Griff!

Thanks Griffey. Greatest of all time.

Are We There Yet?

I assume you've all seen the commercials for the new TBS series "Are We There Yet" starring Terry Crews. Is anybody else at least slightly intrigued by the commercials in which Crews is sporting multiple Seattle sports shirts? Honestly, I might watch the first episode just to figure out why he's wearing them. On the different ads I've seen two separate Seahawks shirts and a Mariners jersey/shirt, so it would appear that it's not a rare occurrence. I'm assuming the show is just set in Seattle and he just likes to sport the gear, a la John Lithgow in Harry and the Hendersons. But still, I feel like we need to investigate this further.

Let's show starbucks how much we care

Im not sure who was behind this brilliant marketing idea. I guess Bucks is going to be giving out free tickets to the seattle film festival. They decided that one good way to spread to word would be to create a Facebook page called "We Love You Seattle". Lets just say people arent looking for tickets to a lame film festival.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121287054558636

The Mariners Strike Back

Just Checking ...

We're all aware that Carlos Silva is 6-0 right? I mean, everybody knows this? Ok, just wanted to make sure.

Jack Bauer

Not sure if any of you have noticed... and judging by their ratings... you haven't... but Jack is most certainly BACK! I've updated the kill count, and I'd encourage you all to watch Jack go out with a bang next Monday or the SERIES finale!

Um ...

Anybody catch what just happened? Maybe we should start a new meter next to Milton that measures how furious we are. Although, at this point it's almost boiled over into apathy.

Maybe we should also start a side-by-side daily comparison of this team's record to the '08 team, because they basically feel like the same exact team.

Hi!

So what's new everybody?

Walter Jones

What can you say about Walter Jones? He's the greatest of all time. There are all kinds of stats to back that up... too many to list here. But here's a fun one I heard from one of our Mustacheers, EP: Walter Jones had as many holding penalties, as he did Pro Bowl Appearances: 9. I know what you're thinking... 9?!?! He only went to 9 Pro Bowls??!?! Obviously he got shafted a few of those years.

Anyway, Big Walt, thanks for the years of service. You will be missed! The best ever!

Do we have the coolest front office in pro sports?

Coach Carroll tweeting songs as clues to who we are going to draft. Cool!

Going out and having what most people in the know are calling the best draft out of any team in the National Football League. Cool!

Anyone watching the draft on the NFL network would have seen them cut into our war room to see John Schnieder looking into the camera, flexing. Cool!

I had the opportunity to ask our GM what made him want to flex on National TV. His response, "I was in the zone baby! Dave Pearson wanted some tickets to the gun show!" COOL!!

Baseball Predictions

With the baseball season a good three and a half weeks old I decided it was time to post the predictions for the season that Finn and I submitted before the season in the hope that our fellow party hosts would do the same. With those hopes still unfulfilled, and no real sign of a change in that status on the horizon, here are the official HCM predictions for the MLB in 2010:

Mr. F

AL WEST

Mariners

Angels

Rangers

A's

AL CENTRAL

Twins

Tigers

White Sox

Indians

Royals

AL EAST

Yankees

Red Sox (WC)

Rays

Orioles

Blue Jays

AL MVP

Milton Bradley
AL CY YOUNG
King Felix

NL WEST

D-backs

Dodgers

Rockies

Giants

Padres

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis

Cubs

Brewers

Reds

Pirates

Astros

NL EAST

Phillies

Braves (WC)

Marlins

Mets

Nationals

NL CY YOUNG
Roy Halladay

NL MVP

Albert Pujols

NL PLAYOFFS

St. Louis over Atlanta

Philly over Arizona

Philly over St. Louis

AL PLAYOFFS
Seattle over Boston
New York over Minnesota

Seattle over New York

WORLD SERIES
Seattle over Philadelphia

MVP Cliff Lee (oh sweet irony)

Erik

NL East:
Philadelphia
Florida - WC
Atlanta
NY Mets
Washington

NL Central:
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Chicago Cubs
Houston
Pittsburgh

NL West:
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Arizona
San Diego

AL East:
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay - WC
Boston
Baltimore
Toronto

AL Central:
Minnesota
Detroit
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland
Kansas City

AL West:
Seattle
Texas
Anaheim
Oakland

NL PLAYOFFS:
St. Louis over Florida
Philadelphia over Colorado

Philadelphia over St. Louis

AL PLAYOFFS:
Seattle over Tampa Bay
NY Yankees over Minnesota

Seattle over NY Yankees

WORLD SERIES:
Seattle over Philadelphia

NL MVP: Albert Pujols (why pick anyone else at this point?)
NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez

AL MVP: Ichiro
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

And no, I still haven't figured out how to use the "Read More" function.
.

Day 2 Coverage

Alright, Day 2. Things will be getting underway soon. The big story of the day is how much further will Jimmy Clausen fall. The rumor so far is that the Rams are receiving multiple trade offers to move out of the first pick of the day. Check back throughout the day.

Day 2 for the Seahawks

I loved Day 1 for the Hawks. I think both players can start next year and help the team immediately. The positions that I would like to see addressed by the second round pick (#60) are DL, RB, CB, G or WR (probably in that order).

Most of the intriguing d-line options will be gone in the first half of the round. I’d like to see the Hawks make a move to get in a position to take Brian Price (DT, UCLA). He’d be a solid player to put next to Mebane. Another DT possible would be Lamarr Houston out of Texas. It will be interesting to see how long Carlos Dunlap (DE, Florida) last. He has potential but has some off-field issues and is inconsistent.

I think the Hawks will have some good running backs to choose from at #60. Montario Hardesty, Ben Tate and Toby Gerhart could all be available at that point and would be a big help to the running game. Hardesty would be my pick if all three were still on the board. If Dexter McCluster is there he would be an interesting option. He’s more of a Spiller-type back that can be used as a receiver, runner and returner.

Five CBs went in round 1, so that position might be a bit thin now. If Chris Cook (UVA) slipped, he would be a nice add to the team. He’s 6’2” and could maybe at least be a better match up against Fitzgerald. Dominique Franks (Oklahoma) is another player I like.

I listed guard because the line needs improvement in more than just the left tackle spot. Someone like Jon Asamoah might fit the blocking schemes well and could be there at the end of the round.

Drafting a wide receiver might be pointless since Mike and Reggie Williams are going to finally live up to their first-round potential, but better safe than sorry. Damian Williams (USC) could be available as could a bigger receiver like Eric Decker (Minnesota).

I guess what I’d most like to see tomorrow is the Hawks make some moves to get a pick in the third round so we have more to look forward to.

It Has Begun

The 2010 NFL Draft is underway and the Rams are officially on the clock. Check back for commentary throughout the 1st round and feel free to join in.

Updated Mock Draft (2 Rounds)

I've put the finishing touches on my 2-round mock draft. I'll make changes if anything major happens between now and the first pick. Enjoy!
Round 1
1. St. Louis – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
I hope he’s a bust.

2. Detroit – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Soak it in Suh. This is the last time a national audience will ever see your face.

3. Tampa Bay – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
I wonder if one of these two DTs will be a bust. It seems like one guy busts each time there is a debate near the top of the draft about two guys who play the same position. My money would be on Suh. Something about him makes me think he won’t live up to the hype. Ndamukong roughly translated into English means “house of bust”.

4. Washington – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St.
Some people are saying that Trent Williams fits the Redskins offense better than Okung. I think Okung is the better player and they’ll go with him over Williams.

5. Kansas City – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
I was thinking the Chiefs would go with Brian Bulaga, but I’m starting to hear more and more about people being down on Bulaga. I think he’ll slip a bit and Kansas City decides to go with an impact player to improve their defense. But what’s stopping these idiots from reaching for a good 3-4 fit? Maybe they’ll grab Dan Williams in this spot.

6. Seattle – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
I’m still not totally sold on Williams. He seems to have been on the rise during the post season and that always worries me a bit. That being said, he is an athletic tackle that can probably fit in nicely with the zone-blocking scheme.

7. Cleveland – Joe Haden, CB, Florida
They’d like for Berry to fall to them. I could see them taking Clausen, but it doesn’t sound like they’re high on him. They’ll wait and grab a QB early in round 2.

8. Oakland – Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
Too big and athletic for Al Davis to pass on. If he doesn’t go here, he’ll probably be available for them in round 2.

9. Buffalo – Brian Bulaga, OT, Iowa
Could be Clausen, could be Dan Williams. The Bills really need a NT to anchor the 3-4, but I think they’ll grab Bulaga if he’s available.

10. Jacksonville – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
It will be interesting to see if they really make a play to position themselves to take Tebow in the bottom of round 1. They could make a surprise pick here and go with Clausen.

11. Denver – Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
The knock on McClain is that he might be a two-down player and he lacks coverage skills. This could cause him to slide a bit on draft day, but he fills a need for the Broncos.

12. Miami – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
They need a guy to play nose tackle. I think they’ll consider Jason Pierre-Paul here, but will go with Williams if he’s still on the board.

13. San Francisco – Earl Thomas, S, Texas
I would not be happy with this pick.

14. Seattle – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
I’m still behind the pick of CJ Spiller, but there’s talk of him going #10 to Jacksonville, or even 13 to San Fran. But for now, I’m leaving him here. If Joe Haden or Earl Thomas is still available I wouldn’t mind taking one of those two players. Also, I think Jason Pierre-Paul would be an interesting pick. He’s a risky pick since he only played one year at South Florida after coming from junior college, but he’s a tall, athletic player with a lot of potential. Improving the pass rush here might be the best option because a good running back can be had with the 2nd round pick (Montario Hardesty, Tennessee (good fit for Hawks’ offense) or Dexter McCluster (playmaker like Spiller))

15. New York (N) – Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri
Might be looking for a pass rusher in this spot. Would really like for McClain to fall to this spot. Could be a reach for Weatherspoon, but it looks like he can be a nice MLB in a 4-3.

16. Tennessee – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, USF
I’m not sure where Pierre-Paul is going to go. If he’s still available I think the Titans will definitely take him.

17. San Francisco – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
Anthony Davis is a possibility here. Clausen will be one of the more intriguing storylines on Draft Day. He could go as high as 7 and he could go in to low 20’s. I think he’ll go earlier than later and if he falls to this point, someone may trade up to get in front of the Niners to take him. It would be very interesting if he drops to 18 and the Steelers. If Rapistberger is traded, they may be looking to add a QB earlier than expected.

18. Pittsburgh – Maurkice Pouncey, G/C, Florida
Maurkice Pouncey is a relentless blocker and never gives up. He doesn’t take no for an answer. He’ll have a lot in common with the QB he’s protecting.

19. Atlanta – Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
They need a DE.

20. Houston – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
They need a CB.

21. Cincinnati – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St
Tough to say where Bryant will go. He’s a Top 10 talent, but there are concerns about his character and the fact that he basically had a year off.

22. New England – Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas
I think he’ll probably end up higher, but I had him here originally, so I’m going to stick with it.

23. Green Bay – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
Davis is another guy that I may have put way too low. But there have been concerns about his attitude and work ethic. He might go #8 to the Raiders. Packers could be getting a steal if he realizes his potential.

24. Philadelphia – Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
I’ve heard that Philly is interested in trading up to pick Earl Thomas. If they stay here and Iupati is available, he makes sense.

25. Baltimore – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
The Ravens need a TE to replace Todd Heap once he completely breaks down, which should be soon.

26. Arizona – Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU
They could use some help at this position. Interesting to see what happens if there’s a Clausen free-fall and he’s still available here.

27. Dallas – Taylor Mays, S, USC
I’d like for Mays to go in the first round. He seems like a good dude. Cowboys might be worried about taking a guy who will have the same problems Roy Williams had.

28. San Diego – Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State

29. New York – Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
Will convert to a 3-4 DE (and may go higher because of that).

30. Minnesota – Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
One of the best players available and fills a need. Interesting to watch these late picks to see if someone trades back into the first round to take Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow.

31. Indianapolis – Roger Saffold, OT, Indiana
Apparently they really like this guy, so I’ll run with it.

32. New Orleans – Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Round 2
33. STL – Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
34. DET – Daryl Washington, OLB, TCU
35. TB – Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
36. KC – Charles Brown, OT, USC
37. PHI – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
38. CLE – Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
39. OAK – Brian Price, DT, UCLA
40. SD – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
41. BUF – Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
42. TB – Chris Cook, CB, Virginia
43. DEN – Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
44. NE – Tyson Alualu, DT/DE, Cal
45. DEN – Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina
46. NYG – Jahvid Best, RB, Cal
47. NE – Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss
48. CAR – Lamarr Houston, DT, Texas
49. SF – Vlad Ducasse, OL, UMass
50. KC – Sean Lee, LB, Penn State
51. HOU – Nate Allen, S, USF
52. PIT – Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois
53. NE – Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona
54. CIN – Jon Asamoah, G, Illinois
55. PHI – Patrick Robinson, CB, FSU
56. GB – Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech
57. BAL – Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest
58. ARI – Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU
59. DAL – Major Wright, S, Florida
60. SEA – Chad Jones, S, LSU
I’d like for the Hawks to be able to pick up a safety here and Jones would be the best one left on the board. This pick will be a bit more interesting if they don’t grab Spiller in Round 1. I’d like to see Montario Hardesty (RB, Tennesse) as this pick if that’s the case. Another interesting pick would be Cam Thomas (DT, UNC). If the Hawks are thinking about switching to a 3-4, it would be wise to pick up a guy who can play the NT position once the transition is made.

61. NYJ – Koa Misi, DE/OLB, Utah
62. MIN – Joe McKnight, RB, USC
63. IND – Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
64. NO – Navarro Bowman, OLB, Penn State

Live Draft Coverage

The NFL Draft is finally here and HCM has the coverage you need for Day 1. Leading up to the first pick we'll be posting any draft buzz that we're hearing from our sources. Feel free to join in with any hot rumors.

The hot rumor so far today is coming from Mr. F who is hearing a lot of chatter of the Detroit camp about trying to make a play for Albert Haynesworth. This would allow them to grab Russell Okung with the 2nd pick and result it a possible slide of Gerald McCoy to the Hawks at 6.

2010 NFL Mock Draft, NOW IN VIDEO FORM!!!

The 2010 NFL Draft is just two days away. Anticipation is at an all time high. Here's something to wet your sick little whistles...

A VIDEO MOCK DRAFT, complete with touch screen interaction... for me... not you. Enjoy!!!

Picks 1 - 5:


Picks 6 - 10:


Picks 7 - 14



A 2-round mock will be posted before Thursday's draft (written form only) with any last minute changes.

Scouting Spiller

I've discovered that ESPN U is showing some games from this previous college football season over the next few days. I'll be watching the ones that feature some of the prospects that seem to have an interest for the Mustacheers. I had a chance to DVR and watch Clemson vs. Miami and did so to try and get a better look at CJ Spiller. What I saw was both impressive and slightly disappointing. But, hey, enough of my yakking, click on the read more to read more of my yakking.

This game was a highlight reel for Spiller. He took a kickoff 90 yards for a score, broke open a 48-yard run and scored on a 56-yard reception. Each of these plays displayed some impressive skills. The return was set up by some good blocking and then he just out ran everyone. On the long run, he saw the hole, hit it, got to the 2nd level quickly and again used his speed to cut back and break it to the outside for the big gain. On the reception, he started in the backfield and ran play-action. He then ran a nice wheel route and just blew by the LB assigned to him and ran under a nice pass. Each of these plays demonstrated the home run ability that makes Spiller a high-rated prospect in the upcoming draft.

There were some other aspects of Spiller's play in this game that could translate well into the NFL. He looked very good running routes out of the backfield and natural catching the ball. He did a nice job of turning upfield quickly after the catch. This included a few times where he hit blocks before rolling into the flat (one he chipped a DE nicely and the other he set up a block, then disengaged and caught a dump-off pass).

There were a few things I noticed that had me concerned about his game. The thing that was most troubling was how he looked on standard run plays. He only had the one quality run from what I saw. To be fair, the blocking was not the greatest, but I would have liked to seen more from him. It looked like he was dancing a bit too much when the hole wasn't immediately available. Also, I'm concerned with his stamina. He sat out numerous plays and went right to the sidelines after the aforementioned long run. Anyone who has been in the stands with me during a Hawks/Rams game knows that this is a pet peeve of mine. I love to give Steve Jackson the business every time he has a good run, gets pumped up and then goes straight to the sideline (I'm sure that my creative jeering really gets under his skin). He also was not in the game at the end of regulation. I would think you'd want a playmaker like Spiller in there when the game is on the line.

Now to be fair, I don't think people are expecting Spiller to be a guy who carries the ball 25-30 times a game. He should be a complementary back who can be used in the passing game and on special teams. The Hawks need a guy who can make big plays and I would still love them to draft Spiller, but he's not the best option to improve the running game. I'd like for there to be a way to trade down from the 14th pick to get lower in the first round and take Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State. I haven't had a chance to expert-analyze his play, but I think he has more of a #1 back game. Still, I would love to have Spiller on the Hawks, because we have not had a player that defenses really need to account for in a long time. I just hope that if we pass on him, the Niners don't get him.

I'm Here to (Sing a) Fight (Song for) You Florida Marlins

Not sure if all of you have seen/heard this yet, but Scott Stapp recorded a tribute song to the Florida Marlins, and well ... it's basically everything you'd expect it to be. Personally I agree with Stapp, I want strike outs, base hits, double plays; in that order.

NHL Playoffs!!

What is more exciting than guys growing their beards for the playoffs? This:

Introducing...

THE MILTON METER!!!!

You'll notice a new addition to the website too your right... where we'll be tracking the progress of Milton Bradley (my new favorite Mariner) all year long.

I thinkk he's started out ok.. but there's room for improvement (spoiler alert: that's the pic I used in the below post). Aaaaand... not like it will happen, but there's also room for a decline. We're prepared for that too.

Anyway, have fun watching Milton's progress all year!

Draft Chat

Even though participation will likely be limited to 2 or 3 people, I'm starting up this NFL Draft Chat/Mailbag. Post your questions and you'll get answers from HCM's resident draft expert, me.

And all you critics of this site need to realize that you're taking shots at a blog that is referenced as "by far the worst site on the internet." So, I hope you're proud of yourselves.

Milton Bradley

I'm rooting for Milton Bradley. But apparently I'm in the minority... even in his own home town... or Seattle.



He blew it on a play yesterday... cost the M's a run. Crowd let him hear it. AND THEN... They let him hear it again when he came to the plate next inning.

Would it kill Seattle Fan's to give this guy a break. I get that he's not hitting real well, and he's got a bad rep... but this could be a perfect situation for him and let's just cut him some FRICKING SLACK.

I won't pretend to know all the fancy shmancy new baseball stats (ask Wanamaker... he'll pretend to know about those) but I gotta figure a decent to strong year form Milty would be pretty key to us making the playoffs. (Obviously the offense is AWESOME and who needs him... but he could be the extra boost).

And if that's not enough... Milton Bradley is a bad ass. Reminds me a lot of myself at a younger age. When was the last time we had a bad ass on our team? Buhner? Arthur Lee? There were a few here and there... but not much.

Anyway... I'm done rambling.... Go Milton! Go Mariners!

We suck

Nope! Not the Mariners! HCM. Listen... we've been blowing it lately.



Not gonna be time for Andersen Pro Day this year. Sorry.

Also, the weight loss challenge has come and gone, and you ladies probably have been waiting for your pix... well there aren't any. But Matt won. Good job Matt.

Stick around though, cuz Draft Guru Pete has got some big things planned, and I'm sure we'll have some real DYNOMITE! draft blogging.

Thanks for the support.

Obvious Observations

Here are a few things I noticed in the M's first series. While this may not qualify as groundbreaking analysis, I feel like these topics should be discussed or at least pointed out on our cutting edge blog:

-We're 1-3.

-The bullpen looks shaaaaaky. They blew a lead in each of the first 3 games, and they actually blew it twice in that third game. It almost makes me miss Brandon Morrow. At least he could blow a game in style.

-I like to think that Jacky Z designated Langerhans for assignment based solely on his performance this season. "Look at your average Langerhans. Sorry kid, you're not cut out for the bigs." Is there any doubt that this guy will end up in Kansas City by week's end?

-It's too bad Cliff Lee is hurt, otherwise the M's would be at least 2-2. I'm not necessarily saying that he'd automatically get a W, but if he were in the rotation, Snell's nice 1 run outing would have been pushed back to Game 3, and the 5 runs scored by the offense would have been enough to get the win. Of course, there are other variables and what not, but hey we can't deal with all that, we're not scientists ... ok, most of us aren't scientists.

-On a good note, Figgins' first AB and subsequent base-path chicanery was pretty awesome. He walked, stole 2nd, got to 3rd when the throw went into center, then scored on Kotchman's hit. It was like: Ok, great, that's exactly what we got you for. Thanks!

-And finally, Eric Chavez looks like the front-runner for cover boy of this month's Sickly Man Magazine. Yikes, what happened to this guy? Every time he came up I was just worried for him.

That's what I've got for now. Anything good that I missed?

Wrestlemania: The First Hand Review

As some of you may know and most of you will probably be fascinated by, this past weekend I attended Wrestlemania XXVI in Phoenix with Mustacheer "Broph" and a few other friends. Now, I know Bill Simmons just wrote a running diary of the event, so this might be a little redundant if you've read that, but it's kind of like 'Nam, he doesn't know man! He wasn't there!

The surprises started early when we showed up to tailgate in the parking lot and ... there was barely anybody there. We were expecting a football-style tailgate crowd but nope, it was a pretty sad scene. No rowdiness, no drunkenness, no talk about nephews and whether or not they'd be attending any more games. The lack of atmosphere didn't stop us from sitting around and drinking for the next few hours, however, and when showtime rolled around we were in the only level of consciousness in which grown men can legitimately enjoy a live wrestling event.

I'm sure all of you watched Wrestlemania live on Pay-Per-View, so I won't really need to delve into results; instead, I'll just touch on some things that were interesting in person.

-The Hitman match was painful. I wanted it to be good so badly, but right from the start it was a mess. The whole thing was just a glorified beat down of Vince, and it was excruciatingly boring. At one point Hitman even sat down in the ring which made it seem like he was bored too. The atmosphere in the crowd was basically one of sadness. Everyone realized that we all probably would have been better off if Hitman had never come back, and that sucked.

-There were a few Jericho supporters near me and we all went nuts when he surprisingly won, which led to multiple, vigorous high-fives. It was kind of like being a fan of the road team.

-Batista vs. Cena was a lot of fun to be in the crowd for. I decided to back Batista, mostly because of how lame Cena is. This lead to me having a way too much fun argument with a little kid in a Cena shirt and me overreacting every time anything bad would happen to Batista. (Don't worry I didn't swear at all, and the kid's parents were laughing) Anyway, the match was better than I thought it would be, although anytime Cena makes someone tap I get very annoyed.

-I was surprised that most of the people around me were rooting for Taker over Michaels. I tried to plead Michaels' case to all of them, but most of them weren't having it. I'm not sure anybody there really believed it would be his last match, so when it ended I think the ovation wasn't quite what it could have been.

All in all, it wasn't a great Wrestlemania, but it was a lot of fun to be at.

HIGHLIGHT: Other than the obvious Taker/Michaels match, it was Jericho winning.

LOWLIGHT: Originally I thought it would be realizing that this song actually said, "Yeah this is our night," instead of "It's a see-saw night," which had been a long-held belief of all the Andersen bros. But after Sunday it was Hitman's match. Which is too bad. However, the boringness of it did lead to me doing an impression of Hitman giving an excruciatingly bland, rambling promo that lasted about 20 minutes on the ride home. I would have stopped sooner, but Mustacheer Broph's friend Matt wouldn't stop laughing. Even if only one person's liking a joke I feel like you have to run it into the ground. It's sort of like writing a post even if you're pretty sure only one person will read it, which reminds me, I hope this was a good read Finn!

Bret "The Hitman" Hart's return

Bret Hart made his big return to the ring last night at Wrestlemania, and we've got the video footage...




Ok... not the ACTUAL footage, but as much as it pains me to say it... probably better than the actual thing.

Tourney talk? Next Survey? Writer's block?

Cornell lost. That blows.

Congrats to big Walt though! He's the greatest Seahawk of the decade!!!

Next survey? Greatest Mariner of the decade... Survey says...

It's Ichiro. There really isn't any other option.

And as far as the writer's block goes... just kidding. Not about the nothing to write about... but about us being writers.

I think we'll be doing Andersen pro day though... soon. In fact I think next Saturday might be the day... if I'm not in Portland.

Who's in?

GO BIG RED!!!!!!!! Tourney talk continued....

Cornell! get's it done! happiest I've been about a Tourney win that doesn't involve the Cougs!

Here's how you celebrate if you know how to party: (ignore my rapidly receding hairline and bald spots)



Continue your tourney talk here...

Discuss the NCAA tournement LIVE with the Party Hosts

Add your comments on the tournament action

NCAA Tourney Pick

Well... the Cougs didn't make the tourney this year. And since we hate Gonzaga... and we're from Seattle... well... I guess we gotta do the right thing and throw our support behind...



CORNELL!!!!



Go BIG RED!!!

F' Temple!

F' Bill Cosby!

and most importantly...

F' the Huskies!

Greatest Seahawk of the Next Decade?

Now that the poll is open for the Greatest Seahawk of the past decade, I thought it was also time to look to the future of the Hawks at some of the prospects in the upcoming draft. With two picks in the first half of round 1 the Hawks will have plenty of options to add players who can contribute immediately.

Here's a list of some players that I think will be available at each of the picks

#6
Russell Okung – This would be my choice. He’s the best tackle in the draft and it’s one of the biggest (if not the biggest) needs for the Hawks. There has been talk of the Lions taking him at #2 or the Chiefs taking him at #5, so it’s likely that he’ll be gone by this point.

Eric Berry – If Okung’s gone, then I would like them to pick Berry. The secondary needs some serious help and adding Berry would be huge. It’d be nice to have a player that made opposing teams worry about throwing deep.
Gerald McCoy – I don’t think he’ll be there at #6, but if he is then the Hawks should definitely take him.

Jimmy Clausen – I’m not a Clausen fan. Obviously if he ends up as our starting QB I’ll come around on the guy, but I’d prefer not to.

Brian Bulaga – Bulaga has been all over the board on the mock drafts I’ve seen. Some people think he’s a Top 5 or 10 pick and others have him going in the middle of the round. I’d rather take him at #14, but he might not be there. The concern that some people have with him is that he has short arms.

#14
CJ Spiller – I’d love for the Hawks to draft Spiller. We don’t really have any exciting players. He could help in the return game and as a big-play threat on offense.

Dez Bryant – It’s likely that he’ll get selected before the #14. If we trade for Brandon Marshall then this pick wouldn’t make much sense. Adding Bryant would give us a big target and someone to take some pressure off the amazing TJ Houshmandzadeh.

Charles Brown/Anthony Davis/Trent Williams/Brian Bulaga – If Bulaga or Okung is not selected at #6 then they could take the highest rated tackle on their board. Trent Williams might be a RT only, so that wouldn’t be as much help as these other guys. It’d be a bit of a reach to go for Brown I think and Davis is slipping after supposedly performing poorly in his interviews at the Combine. From what I’ve heard Charles Brown might be the best fit for the type of scheme the Hawks will be running. I like Bulaga at this pick more than #6.

Earl Thomas, S, Texas – For the same reasons I like Berry at 6 I like Thomas at 14. Mike Mayock actually has him rated higher than Berry and says he’s the most instinctive safety he’s ever scouted (must’ve never scouted Brian Russell).

Joe Haden, CB, Florida – His stock is falling because he ran a slower than expected 40. If he were to slip to this spot I would love for the Hawks to take him. The 40 time doesn’t bother me. People had him rated as a Top 10 pick based on his play in college and their opinion shouldn’t change because of the Combine.

Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech – The pass rush is another area that needs help. Morgan might go Top 10, but he’s not receiving much attention right now. If he’s available it’d be a great pick.

Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee – It’d be nice to add someone to the line who can help take up some space and also make plays in the backfield. Also, if the team is switching to the 3-4 he can play NT.

Mike Iupati, G, Idaho – This would probably be a bit of a reach at this point. However, it might be a reach just because of his position. He is clearly the best Guard in the draft and could help the line. I’m not sure how he fits into the zone blocking scheme, so maybe the team wouldn’t even consider him.

My three favorite scenarios would be:
1. Okung/Spiller
2. McCoy/Bulaga
3. Berry/Spiller

Greatest Seahawk of the Decade

Greatest Seahawk of the decade has been posted... so VOTE AWAY... all 10 of you.

Also, remember to sign up for the FREE HCM March Madness Tourney here!

Wrestlemania!!!!

Due to the INSANE popularity of last years Royal Rumble countdown post... Erik and I have decided to countdown the 10 greatest matches in Wrestlemania (it's later this month) history!

Compose yourselves.

Here's the email exchange of how it all went down. Enjoy.

ERIK:

Alright, let's do this shit!

10. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - 21

In preparation for this list, I recently re-watched some of my favorites. What shocked me about this one was that when Michaels came out the crowd was pretty dead (and I guess we only have ourselves to blame Finn). Then I remembered that around this time Michaels was kind of wearing thin for a lot of people, there were even some audible boos, but mainly just malaise. That didn't last long. This match tore the roof off the joint (a construction nightmare that the Staples Center only recently recovered from). The crowd was progressively won over, resulting in a few Let's Go Michaels/Let's Go Angle chant battles and culminating in a huge pop after Michaels kicked out of a top-rope Angle Slam. Michaels ends up tapping after a long struggle in the ankle lock which was a genuinely surprising ending (an ending that would be cheapened a couple years later when Michaels tapped to John effing Cena at WM 23).

So there's my #10. What about you ...

MR. F

My # 10 is from Wrestlemania 3... Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

The match isn't the greatest... but it put 'Mania on the map, and if I didn't throw a FEW old school matches on here... well... jesus... I just couldn't live with myself. No I could. But... just felt symbolically, that this match should be on here.

What's you're #9?

ERIK:

I'll get to Hulk/Andre later ...

My #9

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - Wrestlemania X

I'm sure ladder matches had happened before this one (rarely is WWF the actual innovator of something like this) but this was definitely the first time I had ever heard of, or seen a ladder match, and it was awesome. This was a time before anyone had even been put through a table, so this qualified as the craziest thing my 8 year old eyes had ever seen (holy shit, I was only 8?). This match set the tone for every future ladder match and basically every other "hardcore" match that would take place in the from here on out. It's something that's taken for granted now, but honestly, a fucking ladder in a wrestling match? It's a strange concept, that could have easily failed, but this match made sure it didn't.

MR. F:

Yeah... I didn't want to put it on here, because it was a gimmick match... that being said, it's the starting point for all future ladders matches (including, TLCs and MIB's (Tables, Ladders and Chairs, and Money in the Bank matches, for all you noobs!) which I think we decided to leave off the list, because they're all awesome and would dominate).

My #9? Glad you asked... It's The Ultimate Warrior vs. Macho Man Randy Savage from Wrestlemania 7

Retirement Match. One of these men would never wrestle again! Ok, maybe not. But this match was pretty good for an old style with a dude who could barely wrestle. I mean c'mon... Warrior carried this thing. (that's a joke for all you HCMers out there who don't watch wrestling... so... you're probably not reading this... but Savage is still one of the more under appreciated wrestlers in history... in my... opinion... ... ok... )

Plus the ending... like 2 HUNDRED elbow drops, and the Warrior kicks out!!! Then he finishes Randy with a barrage of... um... shoulder launches? Anyway... the REAL ending has an enraged Sensational Sherry kicking the crap out of Macho, because let's face it, he just cost her her career (again, not really... Sherri, being the crafty lady that she is, hitched her wagon to the up and coming STUD that was HBK! Talk about upgrade!!! Am I right ladies?!?! Umm... nevermind). Randy is hurting, he lost his career, his lady is kicking the crap out of him... and who makes the save? His one true love Miss Elizabeth! They are reunited (after Savage asks the audience what he should do)... and even though his career his over and he will DEFINITELY never wrestle again, at least he's found true love. There were legitimate tears shown throughout the crowd (and I'm not talking about the ones you shed earlier after Randy lost). There was a normal housewife type, some kid... aaaaand....

ERIK:

(Erik really dropped the ball here. I was hoping he'd say THE SOBBING TRANSEXUAL IN RAIN GEAR!!! But he didn't... bad job by you Erik)

I love Warrior as much as the next guy, in fact, more than the next guy, unless of course the next guy is actually Warrior himself. But anyway, this one didn't make my list because of the actual ending. Shoulder blocks? Really Warrior? You couldn't give us the gorilla press? And the one-foot pin still rubs me the wrong way. Anyhow, let's move on:

8. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant - Wrestlemania III

I put this a little higher than you, and it makes my list for basically the same reasons. It wasn't so much about the match as it was the spectacle. I also have a rule that any match that can draw 90,000+ makes the top 8. Let's be honest, the actual match is crap, but what did you expect from these two? Saying this match is boring in comparison to today's matches isn't fair. It's like saying the Luke/Vader lightsaber fights were boring. Sure they look tame now but at the time they were mesmerizing.

I guess we already have you thoughts on this one, what's your # 8?

MR. F:

#8 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock (No. 3) @ Wrestlemania 19 in Seattle

Seattle had to make this list, and it was either this, or HBK vs Jericho (sorry Angle/Lesnar... maybe if you hit that shooting star press). The HBK/Jericho made my just missed list, and probably just because HBK is on here enough.

The Austin/Rock feud will go down as one of the top 5, maybe 2 or 3 feuds of all time, and this was the culmination, with The Rock finally getting the upper hand. Probably the loudest the crowd was all night, and I even saw some kid changing t-shirts with the eb and flow of the match. One second the Rock was up and he had that Tshirt on, the next it was Austin! Truly Amazing!

Plus this Austin's last match... so that's pretty cool!

We'll hear from these two again on my list BTW (stands for bet the world ... on that)

What's #7?

ERIK:

That one didn't make my list, but yes it was a great match, made greater by the fact that Austin was in the hospital the night before feeling like he was going to die apparently.

Anyway, remember earlier when I said I really liked Warrior?

7. Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan - Wrestlemania VI

Once again, not the greatest technical wrestling match, but c'mon, it was Hogan and Warrior, you wanna talk about heat? These mother effers had heat! The idea for this match was pretty revolutionary: the two biggest faces in the company fighting each other for both the World AND Intercontinental titles. And it was also historical because Hogan lost clean, which hadn't happened up to this point. Also, this one has sentimental value for me because it was far and away my favorite match as a kid. It's tough to say if this one topped there re-match at Halloween Havoc '98 ... What's that? We've decided to forget that ever happend? Ok, fine by me. (I actually just looked it up to make sure '98 was correct, and the cover of the VHS says "Wrestling's Most Terrifying Event" Yep, sounds about right.)

I'm guessing this one didn't make your list, but then again I'm not entirely sure, what's the verdict?

MR. F:

You named all the right reasons for that Warrior/Hogan match... it JUST missed my list... like number 11 probably.

My #7 is also from the Seattle Wrestlemania. Booker T vs Triple H

Both of these guys just pushed each other to the limit! Each man was exhausted, from what seemed like the opening bell.

Just kidding, unfortunately that match was a steaming pile of horse crap.

My real # 7 is Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, Iron Man Match, from Wrestlemania 12

Just a great match. 1 hour and change, and it doesn't have too many lulls. Also, one of the few Mania matches that HBK actually wins.... although... I think Hitman has a legitimate gripe here. Overtime rules should have been in place before the match began. I mean.... he had the best submission hold in wrestling, the Sharpshooter, locked in, in the middle of the ring! He RELEASED the hold because the match "ended". If he never has to release the hold HBK either passes out from the pain (Bret wins) or HBK taps (Bret wins again). And this is coming from a huge HBK fan. And you know this.... maaaaan.

#6?

ERIK:

That's a good point. It would have worked out better for Hitman if they had gone with Piper's original time suggestion ... "NO LIMIT!" I'll get to this match when it shows up on my list.

6. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat - Wrestlemania III

I feel the same way about this match as I do the aforementioned ladder match; there have been matches like this one that may have been better, but this one was the first (at least on that big of a stage). This match proved that you didn't need to put two huge dudes in a ring to make it a big-time match, in fact, most of the time it was a hell of a lot more entertaining when that wasn't the case. (A concept that the WWE seemed to forget at times, resulting in the Great Khali title reign.) Another telling factor is that this is a lot of wrestler's favorite match, and since we agreed that #6 would be our "Match with the Most Telling Factors" spot, I'll have to put it here.

Did this one make your list? I think I remember you saying it was overrated at one point, but 6 seems about right to me.

MR.F:

Yep.... every time I try to watch it, I just end up fast forwarding. Maybe if I had seen it live. Matches like that tend to resonate more if you watched them live for the first time.

My #6 is Bret the Hitman Hart v Stone Cold Steve Austin @ Wrestlemania (help) in an I-Quit match.

Just because of Kenny Shamrock. His first official involvement in a match. A referee. Just kidding. Although, all things considered, Ken Shamrock was a pretty great pro-wrestler, considering he was just crossing over.

Anyway... back to the match. It's pretty iconic... and although it really represents the slippery slope that Bret was sliding down... the match was still cool and it made Stone Cold into a bright shinging star. Only instead of whipping his dick out (lame Boogie Nights ref.) he just passed out from the pain of the sharpshooter (sort of like HBK would have if they;d let my last match keep going) with blood running down his face. Austin screaming out in pain with the blood running down his face and over his teeth is one of the more memorable shots in Wrestlemania (or Pro Wrestling even) history.

Your #5? (By the way, I'm at work so I don't remember my #5 off the top of my head).

ERIK:

I'm gonna get to that match later ... believe me man, I will.

#5. Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin - Wrestlemania XIV

What's that? Too low you say? Well, initially I would agree, but the last time I re-watched it I wasn't as impressed as I remember being in the past. It might have something to do with Michaels coming back and wrestling for 6+ years, making this no longer his last match. And not only that, but I feel like he's topped this performance at least once at 'Mania since then (SPOILER ALERT!!! Oh, no one cares? Not even you Foy?)

BUT let's look at the positives. First of all, it's a very entertaining match between an established, all-time great heel and a skyrocketing face, basically the perfect set-up for a 'Mania title match. Secondly, Michaels had to gut the match out with what a appeared to be a near-crippling back injury. Third, Mike Tyson was there! Oh, wait that's actually a negative. He taints the match at the end with his fast count, and is one of the reasons this only makes #5 for me.

I believe you have this one higher, so what's your #5?

MR.F:

Yep.... it was my #1. But for some of the reasons you just mentioned, I probably ought to change the list. You convinced me. In fact (minor spoiler alert), you convinced me to drop my #2 as well... and now we have a new #1.

I did/do still love that match though. HBK is broken and giving it his all. Also, Stone Cold becomes the biggest thing in wrestling... possibly of all time. It's him and Hogan neck and neck for the 1 and 2 spot with the Rock a close 3rd.

Anyway, my #5 is the triple threat main event from 'Mania 20... Triple H vs HBK vs The Crippler Chris Benoit.

I won't make any jokes or really even bring up Benoit's unfortunate demise. But this is a perfect triple threat match and the ending is one of my all-time faves. HBK is out of the picture (I think he crotched himself after missing Sweet Chin Music and then someone dumped him out and then Benoit locks in the crossface on HHH. He's in it for a loooong time and you think he's about the break it and he rolls out, but Benoit rolls through... and then HHH taps. Big win. Eddy Guerrero comes out to celebrate with him. Pretty tragic now that I think about it.

What's your #4?

ERIK:

That's a great match that didn't make my list. Why? HHH's white boots. It's as simple as that. Well, alright not really, jay slash kay. I don't know why, but it just didn't crack the top ten.

#4 The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan - Wrestlemania X8

The main reason I have it this high is the atmosphere that enveloped the match. Going into it Hogan was a full-blown heel and the Rock was as popular as ever. But there were a couple interesting factors: 1. This was Hogan's first real match with the WWE in almost 9 years (Apparently it takes that long to rehab face burns from a close-range exploding camera flash). 2. The match was taking place in Canada. The canucks play by their own rules when it comes to football and rooting for wrestlers, but the football part isn't as important to this conversation. So, what exactly would the crowd sound like? When Hogan walked down the aisle it was clear that he had a considerable following. As the two stared each other down before the match there were loud Hogan chants that made each wrestler look towards the crowd in disbelief. And then, when Hogan threw The Rock to the ground out of the opening grapple the crowd went wild; a few seconds later as he commenced his classic flexing the place exploded. Things were being thrown about in the crowd that was now a sea of flailing arms and general madness. It legitimately may be the most amazing thing I've seen as a wrestling fan, and it was the result of a shove to the ground.

The match itself is more or less a vintage Hogan bout, complete with a Hulk-up at about the 15 minute mark. It's at this point that the crowd gets as loud as, if not louder than, their opening effort. At one point, as Hogan blocks a punch and returns fire with one of his own you can actually see the Rock's eyes dart to the big screen at the end of the entrance; it's as if he's watching the match himself, maybe in disbelief that he's actually fighting Hulk Hogan. I think that kind of mirrors the crowd's attitude and explains their fervor. Hulk Hogan had turned back the clock, but not just 9 years but 15 years, right in the heart of Hulkamania, and the fans in attendance couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Why wasn't it higher than 4? Well, like I said, it's a typical Hogan match which means not too much in the way of actual good wrestling. Also, I know it was a better ending to have The Rock win, but I have to think I'd like it more if Hogan had won.

This has to be on your list right?

MR. F:

Ok... Erik... settle down... maybe sit the next few picks out...

Actually, I had this match listed in the exact same spot... but moved it to #2 after your last comments, and these comments. It was awesome. I thought it was the best Hogan matchof all time, and right up there for the Rock. Electric. I wish more of the crowd had been for The Rock... just to even things out. Although, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe he did get a pretty good pop when he won. Almost, like the crowd was saying... yeaaaah, we knew you'd win, and we're glad, but this Hogan comeback is too rad not to go crazy for. Right?

So... to reiterate This was my 2nd greatest match up of all time, and my 4th was the HBK/Austin match up.

ERIK:

#3. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - Wrestlemania XXV

Two living legends put on hands-down the best match of the night despite the fact that they're both 40+. One of Michaels best performances ever, and definitely Taker's. There was good drama in this match because for the first time in years it felt like Taker's streak might actually end. When it comes to Mania, the streak carries more weight than either of the titles at this point, so when someone has legit shot at breaking it, the tension is high. Let's be honest, a lot of Taker's opponents have been duds:

-Snuka
-Giant Gonzalez
-King Kong Bundy
-Big Bossman
-Big Show & Prince Albert
-Mark Henry

Michaels is the highest caliber Mania opponent there is, so this match was poised to be great before it started. It delivered on that promise with a lot of back-and-forth action and plenty of big spots, including Taker jumping out of the ring and landing directly on his head (Mainly due to a "cameraman" failing to break his fall. Think that jobber ever got another call?) My favorite moment in the match is when Taker catches Michaels, who is skinning the cat, and tombstones him, only to have Michaels kick out. Taker just lays on top of Michaels, exhausted and stunned. It basically sold the whole match because Taker has been pronounced dead on multiple occasions and should theoretically have no emotions, but this got to him.

MR.F:

Nice job. But this is the greatest match in Wrestlemania's history. My #1. For all the reasons you listed. I can't really add too much. It's an old school match that is actually watchable. Feels weird picking a match from LAST years 'Mania... cuz wrestling sucks now... but going down my list this is just how it worked out.

My #3 is HBK vs Ric Flair w/ Flair's career on the line.

Debatably the two greatest TOTAL package (sorry Luger) wrestlers of all time. One way past his prime (Flair) but the other ... I mean you'd think he's past... but HBK keeps hitting homeruns every 'Mania. The match is pretty standard, but the ending is great. HBK has Flair beat, but he can't pin cuz he doesn't want to end the "greatest career" of all time. In his moment of weakness, Flair slaps on the figure four and almost gets Michaels to tap. Michaels escapes... batters Flair and then Flair is done... slowly climbs to his feet his dukes up, saying "C'mon, C'mon..." basically accepting that he's done for and Michaels mouths "I'm sorry" super kicks his head off and pins him. Flair immediately starts sobbing (which is weird because shouldn't he be unconcious?). Anyway... pretty sissy stuff really, but it was awesome. The only thing that taints this moment is that Flair wrestled again and looks like it'll be on pretty large scale in TNA. What a shit head. Then I'll have to drop this pretty far down.

What's your #2?

ERIK:

I left the Flair/Michaels match off my list. I loved the match, and the ending was truly great, I guess I just don't remember enough from the rest of the match to put it on here.

#2. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart - Wrestlemania XII

You already covered this one when you rated it too low at #7. It wasn't the most exciting match on the list, in fact, the first 15 minutes or so are pretty boring with both guys trading headlocks for the most part. But the action picks up from there. The reason I put it this high is because it was an hour long! I feel like it desrves our respect. After having seen other Iron Man matches since, it seems even more unbelievable that they would decide to go the full hour without one fall being recorded. Of course, with Michaels being the dickhead that he was back then there's a good chance that he refused to drop even one fall, which may be the reason they did it that way.

While I'm on Michaels, his Wrestlemania career is pretty amazing. Like I mentioned earlier, his career was over after XIV, only two years after winning his first WWF championship, and he was already considered one of the best ever. THEN he comes back about four and a half years later and proceeds to put on, arguably, the best match at every Wrestlemania since. And if we go back even further he's had the best match at the last 11 Mania's he's wrestled at.

X. vs. Ramon (Ladder Match) - YES
XI. vs. Diesel - YES
XII. vs. Hitman - YES
XIII. (LOST HIS SMILE)
XIV. vs. Austin - YES
XV. - X8 RETIRED
XIX vs. Jericho - Maybe (Could also argue Rock vs. Austin or Angle vs. Lesnar)
XX vs. Benoit vs. HHH - YES
21 vs. Angle - YES
22 vs. Vince - Maybe (Could also argue Foley vs. Edge or Angle vs. Rey vs. Orton)
23 vs. Cena - YES
XXIV vs. Flair - YES
XXV vs. Undertaker - YES

And that's not even taking into account that his match at IX against Tatanka may have been the bestone there. Unfortunately, all copies of that event have been destroyed to protect the innocent. But that's really incredible. The guy retires as one of the best ever, then comes back and steals the show at 7 consecutive Manias. Is it even an argument now that he's the best ever? I say no.

What do you think?

MR. F:

There's no argument here. I don't even think it's close. Some will say Flair. But those people are idiots. Flair can't touch Michaels... in any arena. Pun intended.

We've listed all my matches and yours... I'm guessing, but you haven't revealed your #1 so let's hear it... then you've inspired a new list... not greatest wrestlers of all time, but greates Mania performers of all time! IN fact I'm really over this list and just want to get to the next one. Kidding... sort of... let's hear your #1 and then a recap with some just misses and honorable mentions.

What's your #1?

ERIK:

#1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - Wrestlemania 13

I enjoy this match, like many on my list, more for the angle surrounding it and the crowd reaction during the match. Going into the match these two were headed in opposite directions. Hitman had returned 4 months earlier to find that things weren't the way he left them, thanks in large part to his main antagonist Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was steadily gaining popularity even though his character had made little to no change since the last time the two fought at Survivor Series, when he was clearly the heel. Hitman's popularity was waining even though he was doing the same thing he'd done for years that made him one of the most popular wrestlers in the biz (told you I'd use it again). It reminds me of a line in "Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town," by popular rock band Pearl Jam (ever heard of these guys? You should check 'em out big bro). The line says, "I changed by not changing at all.," and I think it pretty much sums up what was happening here. The characters hadn't changed, but what the fans' were looking for had.

As for the match, it's pretty much chaos from the get go. Austin tackles Hitman even before the bell, and after that there's no looking back. As you mentioned, the bloody-faced, screaming Austin is one of the iconic moments in Mania history, with the crowd chanting his name while he struggled to stay consicous in the Sharpshooter. At the start of the match these two were meeting in the middle in terms of popularity, by the end of it, however, Austin was well on his way to becoming one of the two most popular wrestlers ever, and Hitman was headed towards a nice run as a heel followed by his historic departure from the WWF. This match was a watershed moment in the league's history, and that's why it's my #1.

MR. F:

Well done. I've compiled our lists and assigned a # value and added them all up, (1 pt for 10, 2 pts for 9th, etc.) We had 14 different matches so these four just didn't make the top 10:

HBK vs Angle, Warrior vs Macho, HBK vs Razor (although if I hadn't taken a stand on ladder matches it would have been much higher), & Austin Rock.

The Top 10 Greatest Matches in Wrestlemania History:

10. The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan

9. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

8. Ricky Steamboat vs. The Macho Man Randy Savage

7. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels

6. The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels

4. The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels vs. Bret the Hitman Hart

3. Bret the Hitman Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

2. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

1. The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker

We did it. We really did it.

Now... we could go statistically and add up the competitors pt totals and pick a greatest performers list of all time... but we gotta couple more weeks, how about another countdown?

Sonics of the Decade is...

RASHARD LEWIS!!! Kind of a shocker... but I'll bet this had more to do with the Mustacheers and their dislike of that snappy dressing son of a bitch jimi than it did with Lewis and his greatness. Either way... congrats 'Shard.

Up next... Seahawks.

Who makes the list?

MH
Big Walt
Shaun Alexander
Lofa
Trufant
Mack Strong

Who else?

This Guy Seems Alright!

I think we've found a new, favorite non-Mariner. Ladies and gentleman ... ok, just gentleman, I present Nate McLouth!

New Poll and HCM NCAA Tourney

2 Updates:

A) New "Decade" poll. GO SONICS!!!!!!

B) Tourney time again. Remember the winner gets to make thier HCM post! And who can forget the magical post from last year's winner JapEddo!

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/register/joingroup Password: hcm Group ID: 7863

The Best Idea Ever

As we all know, the Mariners improved by 24 games last year due in large part to great defensive play. This year, the M's have continued their foray into finding fantastic fielding (that's alliteration homes) with the acquistions of Kotchman, Figgins and even Eric Byrnes. This trend is actually getting quite a bit of national attention, and it was even the subject of an article in the March 1st issue of Sports Illustrated.

Now, I know many of you are planning on attending the home opener this season, and there's a good chance some buffoonery will be involved. In light of the team's mindset and your most likely drunken state, I propose you try to start the first ever DE-FENSE chant at a baseball game. If there were ever a time for it this would be it. I'm not sure what inning would be best, maybe even the 1st, I don't know, that's for you to decide. All I do know is this could work, and it could be the most important thing you ever do in your lives.

Lack of Posts

Sorry been busy!

BUT!!! The Seahawks won! Yayy!!!



Cougs gave em all they could handle but came up a little short.

We'll do better on the posts soon. Promise!

I was thinking Best Player for each team should be the next series of polls.

Let's start with the Supersonics.

Who should be on the list?

He's Heating Up!

After getting off to a slow start Bauer's been getting down to business lately. 4 kills last night and 6 in the last 2 weeks. This brings him to 9 for the day, which is now 1/3 of the way done. That puts him on track for 27 kills for the day, which would be a little under our consensus. So, even with his ramped up efforts of late, he could still use a warehouse full of terrorists here or there. (5,8 & 0. There, now I've used all the number keys in this post.)

Best of the Decade

We're a month off... but let's get started with Best of the Decade!!!!

I decided start off with best teams!

Only problem is...



Each sport: MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB... each team had a pretty clear cut best team. (with a few exceptions). So I just lumped them all together for one big Best Team of the Decade survey.

Here are the nominees:

- Seattle Mariners 2001, 116 wins ties an all time record
- Seattle Supersonics 2004-05, surprised everyone and won the division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs
- Washington Huskies 2005, underachieving #1 seed
- Washington Huskies 2006, sweet 16 team
- Washington State Cougars 2007, sweet 16 team
- Washington Huskies 2001, Rose Bowl win
- Washington State Cougars 2003, lost the Rose Bowl, rebounded to win the Holiday Bowl... all in one year! It's true look it up!
- Seattle Seahawks 2005, got screwed over in the Superbowl.

Ok, so there are the nominees. Let's get some serious participation going to get this party started right! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

What now?

Seriously, what now?



Should we get into those best of the decade lists? No one seemed real interested. Then again, no one seems real interested about anything on here.

So why DON'T YOU BLOW ME UMP!!!

NFL Picks: SUPER BOWL!!!

So in the end we pretty much got what we all expected as the Super Bowl match-up. All of us except for this guy of course. You might think that a match-up of the 1 seeds in the Super Bowl is very predictable, however, this is the first time it's happened since Super Bowl XXVIII, so stop thinking stupid shit like that ok? The Colts and Saints have proven once and for all that it's always best to back your way into the playoffs and respect the integrity of the game as little as possible. Their seasons have mirrored each other in many ways. Both won at least their first 13 games, both had prolific passing attacks led by top-notch QBs, both of them played indoors, both of them have Pierres (not enough has been made of this), both of them fielded 53 players each week, all of their players wore helmets while playing (except for the Saints' long snapper Shecky Ferguson who has stated that playing without a helmet is "All he knows"). So, as you can see, these teams have been inexorably linked all year. So who will win?

Colts 31-20

Why? They haven't really lost yet; and we all know that teams that come in to the Super Bowl undefeated always win.

And now for some extra picks (I got the lines from a reputable sports gaming website. Well most of them anyway.):

-Over/Under 57: Obviously I'm going Under here.
-MVP: Peyton Manning. Why overthink this? If they win it's because of him.
-Coin Toss: I'm feeling Saints on this one.
-Brees's 1st Pass: Complete!
-Over/Under 1:42 on the National Anthem: Under. I think Underwood takes care of business.
-Player to Score 1st TD: Joseph Addai (Although Shecky Ferguson is getting good odds.)
-Over/Under 1.5 Times CBS Will Show Tony Dungy: Over. This is my lock of the week, I mean, this might be a winner before kick-off, assuming he's going to be at the game of course ...
-Over/Under .5 Times Anyone Mentions Super Bowl XL At Any Time. Pre-game Included: Under. This game has more or less been forgotten by the general public, and thank God for that.
-Over/Under 9.5 Beers I Drink: I'm gonna go over. Especially if I'm wrong about that last pick.

Ok, so there ya go. Please comment with your picks.

Who says Freddy is past his Prime?

It's February which means baseball is right around the corner. To celebrate this fact teams around the country are having "Fanfests". You and I had the opportunity to stand in line for 3 hours last weekend to trot around the bases, or even catch a pop fly! Maybe if we were really lucky we wouldve bumped into Doug Fister. Some lucky White Sox fans had their dream of meeting Freddy Garcia come true

137,000,000 to 1

I was scanning through some US Census data at work this morning. After crunching some numbers, I discovered that these would be the odds that somebody named Pierre would be looking at when dreaming about becoming an NFL Player. For those of you who don't know, the New Orleans Saints have a running back named Pierre Thomas. Couple that with the fact that Pierre Garcon (sorry I dont know how to do that squiggly thing) catches balls from Peyton Manning and we have quite a Superbowl subplot. Both of these guys have to be considered fortunate to even be in the NFL, correct? I tried to not only calculate the odds of multiple Pierres being in the NFL, and then playing each other in the championship game. Too bad my calculator has a character limit. I guess it doesn't matter what that number is, we know it's huge. A billion? A trillion?

As the clock winds down on Sunday night, and a champion is crowned, we will know once and for all who is the Luckiest Pierre.

Bauer Kills

Sorry for the lack of posts... been moving the home offices of HenryCottosMustache.com and now that we're situated you can count on the top notch blogging that you've come to know and respect to return FAST!

Anyway, Bauer had ZERO kills again.

but...



I counted 3 kills for Delgo!

The writer's are really bringing Cole Ortiz along nicely! A real asset to the show so far.