The 2010 Oakland University Golden Grizzlies walked off the court Tuesday night as not only CHAMPIONS but as the best the team the conference has ever seen.  Oakland held on to beat IUPUI 76-64 and the best team in Summit League History walked off the court Tuesday night as CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS and NCAA Tournament bound! A sea of Gold & Black filled the court as the OU fans, band, cheer and dance poured to the center to celebrate in pure joy the feeling of winning it all. This 2010 Oakland team had this moment in their minds for 365 days after their heartbreaking loose in last year’s final. This year it was Oakland who came in the #1 team and ended the season where they started.

The championship game itself was one that most Grizzlies fans won’t forget. The game began with Oakland shooting ICE cold and going 0-8 and not scoring their first field goal till past the 1^st media time out. The team struggled to get the ball down low to Kito Benson their player of the year, while the 3-point threats were missing their long shots from the perimeter. IUPUI came out strong offensively, but it was the Jaguars defense that created problems for Oakland.  With the weight of the world on Oakland’s two seniors, they knew what they needed to get back into the game. Forward Derick Nelson became the hero of the game and started lighting up the scoreboard with baskets from all over the court.

Nelson drove the net when there was a lane, and shot lights out from 3-point range. He ended the game with a Career High 36 points in the win and that earned him the tournament MVP. I can take a little credit in that; I had the great opportunity to be on the voting panel on press row alongside my associate Ben Fielder.  Nelson proved what a true senior lead is all about as he helped the Grizzlies gain a strong lead at halftime and continue the dominate play well into the 2^nd half.

The other key to tonight’s historic win was the defensive switch that Head Coach Great Kampe implemented late in the 1^st half. Oakland all year has played man-to-man defense, but once the team had trouble defending IUPUI, Kampe switched it to a 3-2 zone defense. The team had never even practiced this type of defensive strategy coming into the championship but they adapted quite well as they shut down their opponent and never let them climb back into the game. When the final buzzer sounded Oakland ended a season that was one for the record books. Oakland Not only won the conference tournament, but also the regular season championship and they set many school and conference records with their record. Oakland also has been ranked as a top 25 mid-major team in the nation for most of the season, something that Oakland had never previously been considered in before.

The feelings now for me personally are a bit numbing. Throughout this short yet memorable tournament, I have shared a few of the many things that a traveling fan gets to experience following their university during postseason basketball. But I would like to end this championship blog with a bit of my own personal feelings on the amazing night..,

I have had a long standing role with Oakland University Athletics from my days traveling to these tournaments in the pep band, to the days of establishing the student section and being an intern for the Athletic Director. Now as a volunteer at all home games and still active in the organization I have had the pleasure of utilizing my time here on this trip to give our 97.1 The Ticket listeners the chance to get a feeling for how incredible a mid-major schools journey really is making it to the NCAA Tournament. Running out onto the court to cover the celebration on our podcast, I have to admit I had great tears of joy and strong pride to be an Oakland Golden Grizzly! For years we have had great success in Division 1 but still didn’t have the respect that is needed to get the press, the coverage, or the support that many other teams in Michigan receive. Tonight, I feel Oakland has proved it-self worthy of being an elite program in the state of Michigan. I can also say I look forward to returning back to Detroit and to CBS Radio Detroit where by the way I do work in sales as my day job, and brag to all the other college basketball fans who work with me, that yes OAKLAND will be in the NCAA Tournament, and beware because they are not done with their winning ways just yet!

Check out our final podcast below of the Championship Call I had on the court as well as the post game press conference and an exclusive interview with the tournament MVP Derick Nelson. I will keep this blog posted on the latest information and stories about Oakland’s next road which is through the NCAA Tournament. I would like to thank my associate Ben Fielder who was our eyes this tournament with his great photos. Ben as I mentioned before works with me during the games at OU and he and I have become best friends throughout the years being so involved in Oakland Athletics. Ben works at Oakland University in the Admissions Department and was awesome enough to work with me on this blog page to post to all of you. That’s all here from the early hours of the morning driving through fog in South Dakota, this is Anthony Gallina thanking you for following me along this road to March Madness. GO GRIZZLIES!!!!

By: Ryan Wooley

Every once in a while we hear a story about a team that “runs up a score” on another team, which in turns hurts the feelings, or angers the losing team to speak to the media about it. Well low and behold after yesterdays thumping of Dallas by Minnesota, Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking and Head Coach Wade Phillips are crying that very same tune, because they thought Minnesota shouldn’t have tried to score on their final drive in the 34-3 win.

I can’t stand when people claim that another team runs up the score. Last time I checked, the point of any sport is to outscore your opponent. The rules do not dictate that once you have the game in hand, you must back off and coast to the win. I don’t care if it’s basketball, football, baseball, hockey, or any other sport. You play till the end of the game. If you want to pull your starters like most coaches or managers do- fine! But you don’t have to. If you feel it necessary to let your starters stay in the game, then that is the risk you take. But lets say a coach or manager pulls his starters in favor of his back ups. Are they not suppose to try and score? Are they not supposed to play the way the game is meant to be played? Of course not! You play every play like you practice! You play to score on offense!

To give some background as to what happened yesterday; Minnesota got the ball back in the 4th quarter with about 5:30 to go (already up 27-3) after  Dallas had just went for it on 4th down and failed. Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress then sent his starters back into the game, and they marched 37 yards to the end zone for another touchdown to make it the 34-3 final.

I don’t see a problem with what they did. It is the offenses job in football to produce points. Whether that is getting the ball into the end zone yourself, or getting into field goal range for your kicker. It is your job to move up and down the field. As for the defense and Keith Brooking, it is your job to STOP them! If you can’t,  don’t go whining to the media about it. Take it like a man and admit you just got dominated by the better team.

Brooking even went as far as to taunt Brad Childress on the sideline after the score, saying it was a very “classless” move. Classless? Really? I think what is classless is the fact that a 34 year old man is crying like a school girl that just got hit in the face with a dodgeball in gym class. It’s a game Keith. It’s a game that you and your defensive teammates were dominated in. Deal with it and get over it. Like Vikings Nose Tackle Pat Williams said; “Did you hear Philadelphia complaining after Dallas rolled them in two straight weeks?” (24-0 in Week 17, and 34-14 in the Wild Card rematch) No. They took it stride and realized they were just outmatched and out played. Same with you here Keith. Your team was not up to snuff against Minnesota and the Vikings sent you home.

Brad Childress meanwhile was quoted afterward saying; “We were just staying aggressive with it, if you will. We put our defense back on the field and we talked to all the coordinators — offense, defense, special-teams guys– that we weren’t going to put the field goal group on the field.” Why you may ask? Who knows. Maybe it is because Minnesota struggled heading into the playoffs, and they wanted to make sure Favre and company had enough time to feel comfortable moving forward. But truthfully, it doesn’t matter his reasoning. He is the head coach of the team and he can do what he wants.

I think if anybody should be upset though, it should be Viking fans. Was it a smart move to put your starters in when the game was well in hand? I don’t think so. You have a 40 year old quarterback and a dominating running back, and one cheap shot by Dallas could have knocked them out of the playoffs completely. But, nothing happened. They gained more confidence and maybe it helps them heading into New Orleans next week, so really it doesn’t matter they went back out there.

The point in all of this, is a football game is 60 minutes long and the object is to score more points then the opposing team. It doesn’t matter how many more, just more. If the defensive players have a problem with what the offensive players are doing, then stop them. That is what you’re paid to do. Don’t talk a big game in the locker room, or storm the sideline trying to start a fight. Play the full 60 minutes. Minnesota did. They played the game the right way. As for Dallas? Sounds like Keith Brooking, Wade Phillips and Cowboy Nation need to all go out and buy a blanket and pacifier to comfort them for the next seven months.

I can remember when Boxing was relevant. I could remember a time when friends would plan a fight night around Pay-Per-Views, and match-ups were common water cooler conversations. But, all of that has gone the way of the Dodo.

Instead people are tuning into cable TV, UFC and Dana White. This self-created brand has pretty much made Boxing Tap-Out (excuse the pun) rather quickly in its choke hold of the market. Instead of talking about De la Hoya, Holyfield, Sugar Ray and Tyson, people now flock to Liddell, Ortiz, Lesnar, Rampage Jackson, and Randy Couture (the list is MUCH longer…trust me). Instead of dropping $54.95 for a De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao bout, people can drop $44.99 (which is the same price as a WWE PPV) for a card that holds about 11 bouts instead of one. With numbers like that, Boxing had to make itself want-able again. Plug in the rumors that a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout will take place.

That definitely created a lot buzz. Finally Boxing produces a marquee worth the price of admission. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that? I know I did. I salivated at the sound of that fight bell, and so did many others. You couldn’t turn the channel and not hear about this fight. You had two of your best fighters standing toe to toe ready to dance on March 13^th. But, of course, Boxing fails to deliver.

This monumental clash was halted by drug testing protocol. In a time of impurity in sports, Mayweather’s camp proposed both fighters be subjected to an Olympic style blood test (all in the best interest of competitiveness and fairness). Apparently that’s a major no no. Instead of proving something, Pacquiao’s camp came out and said that a blood test proves nothing more than a urine test. Pacquiao and Mayweather did what they did best, fought. Not with fists, but with words which got us nowhere.

If these two really wanted to make history, then how a drug test is administered shouldn’t matter. If anything, you should use it as motivation to, I don’t know, beat the other guy’s head in. Instead this fight doesn’t take place.

This is why Boxing owns a black-eye. Dana White would have used this as a marketing tool. He would have made sure this fight would have happened no matter what. With a gate of roughly $50 million dollars at stake,  how could it not? Boxing could have made a statement instead of tucking its tail and bailing on its fans. Here’s to a Pacquiao-Clottey flop on the 13^th and an aggravated Mayweather and a very disappointed fan base in its wake.

Boxing here’s to you giving yourself the chance to get up from a standing 10 count but falling to a classic one-two combo.

by: Ryan Wooley

Well I have to start by saying I’m sorry to anybody that was looking for my predictions in the final two week of the regular season, as I did not post anything due to personal issues that were going on. Obviously I was tied up a little bit with the Holidays, but my father  in law was also in the hospital.  So again my apologizes to you, but I’m back now.

With today’s blog I want to cover a few things. I want to recap the last week I gave predictions, which was Week 15. I also want to let you all know how I finished the season record wise with my picks, and dissect the playoff picture.

With my Week 15 predictions, it was not a good way to finish the year as I posted my worst record of the season with a 6-10 mark. Overall though it didn’t hurt me, as my record will settle at 130-73 for the year. Not bad at all for my first year of picking games for a blog, but I wish I could say the same thing about my divisional winners.

In my Week 1 blog I picked who I thought would finish as Division champs, and I did not get any right on the NFC side. I had predicted the Seahawks, Panthers, Eagles and Bears to  win their respective divisions, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The closet team to those picks were the Eagles, as they lost the Division in Week 17.  But the true Division champs were Arizona, New Orleans, Dallas and Minnesota.

As for the AFC I did a little bit better, getting three out of the four. I predicted the Steelers, Chargers, Colts and Patriots. The only one I got wrong was the Steelers, as the Bengals shocked everybody this season in capturing the North crown.

I do want to take this time to thank all of you for following my picks all season, and I hope they helped you in your suicide pools or any other bets you happened to be making with friends. But now the real fun starts! The Playoffs begin this weekend with three Week 17 rematches, and this is a time that can make or break you in your office playoff brackets.

As most of you know I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan and I’m obviously pulling for them to go to the Super Bowl. I personally would love to see Philly and San Diego meet up as it would make for a very entertaining Championship game, even though the Chargers beat the Eagles earlier in the season.

But putting my fandom aside I must pick with my heart and not my head, and I truly don’t think Philly will make it all the way. Had they beat Dallas on Sunday to win the East and get the first round bye, I might feel differently, as they were one of the hottest teams going into that game winning six straight. But the way Dallas shut them down and the mistakes they made, I don’t think they can run the table. They do however pose the biggest threat to New Orleans in the Divisional round, but will obviously have to get through Dallas first.

So starting with the Wild Card NFC East rematch, I do see Philly beating the Cowboys down in Dallas. It’s very hard for a team to win three straight games over another in a season (though it can be done), but ask the Cowboys how that worked two years ago when the Giants knocked them out. Plus McNabb is 3-0 all time in Wild Card games and 6-0 all time in playoff openers. So again, I see Philly winning at least one game, which will be over Dallas.

As for Green Bay and Arizona, I think the Packers will take this one. Green Bay is just too talented on the offensive side of the ball, and has been flying under the radar all season. They have also won 7 of their last 8 games.

So with those two wins, Philly will move on to take on New Orleans while Green Bay and Minnesota will square off in the Divisional round.

Now the Eagles did lose to the Saints earlier in the season, but as I just mentioned, I think they have the best shot of knocking New Orleans out. The reason I feel this way is because of the quick strike capability to keep pace with the Saints offense, and New Orleans hasn’t won in month which is wearing on them.  So again, putting my fandom aside, I still think Philly wins this game. Also remember the last time they met up, McNabb was not playing, Kolb was.

Green Bay and Minnesota meanwhile is a tricky match up. Brett Favre got the better of his former team in the first two games (which made me smile and happy) but I’m not 100% sure he can do the same this time around. As I mentioned, Green Bay is playing on a different level right now. They just seem to be firing on all cylinders….and don’t forget, they would have won their final 8 games had Pittsburgh not had that last second touchdown. The Vikings meanwhile limped into the playoffs (minus their 44-7 thumping of New York in Week 17), as they lost three of their final five games.

With all that said though, I’m still picking Favre and the Vikings. Yes, that would make it a clean three game sweep for Minnesota, but I think this game will come down to AP and not Favre, and Peterson will carry the Vikings to the NFC title game against the Eagles.

Now at this point I know some of you are probably saying that I’m being to “fanish” with Philly, but I’m not. I think they have the talent this season to win the Super Bowl, but unfortunately for me and Eagles fans around the world, we will suffer the same fate and lose in the NFC Championship game. There is something magical with Favre coming back this season, and I truly think the old man will get the team to the Super Bowl to represent the NFC.

As for the AFC Wild Card games, the Bengals will knock out the Jets while the Patriots will defeat the Ravens. The Bengals did get destroyed by New York in Week 17, but that was because they had nothing to play for, and no one can deny Cincinnati is the better team overall.

The Patriots meanwhile will be without Wes Welker and will miss him in the game, but Tom Brady will do his thing and control New England’s offense, while the Patriots D will step up and force Joe Flacco into some mistakes.

With the win the Bengals will then move on to face Indy in the Divisional round while the Patriots will square off with San Diego. No doubt the Colts will route the Bengals despite having lost their final two games, after not chasing perfection.  The Chargers meanwhile will continue to roll and knock out New England to move on to the AFC Championship game.

I say this because the Colts are just the far superior team compared to Cincinnati, while the Chargers are the hottest team in the league, and LT will be more focused then he has ever been.

In the AFC title game, it will be shoot out between two great offenses, but it will be San Diego walking away with the victory. Peyton Manning will keep the Colts in the game, but will make a mistake in the end to cost Indianapolis the win.

So with that said, Super Bowl 44 in Miami will feature San Diego and Minnesota with the Vikings winning it all and Brett Favre leaving the league on top.

I may sound crazy, but that’s how I see the playoffs unfolding. I’d also love to hear what you think. Please leave your comments on here and let me know who you think will win each game, as well as your Super Bowl pick.

What a wild finish we have set up for us in the NFL this season. So many teams have a chance at the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, quite a few are still alive in the NFC, and as always, the NFC East is proving to be the best division in the league.

As I said in my post from last week, I didn’t have time to really go in depth like I wanted to, and break down the previous two weeks picks, so here were my results.

In Week 12 I went 8-7, matching  my worst week of the season. But I did however bounce back nicely (after missing Week 13 due to personal reasons) with a 13-2 mark in Week 14, which brings my total to 124-63.

I’ll wait to the end of the season to see how all my divisional winners pan out, so let’s take a look at my picks for this weeks picks.

I see the Patriots, Cardinals, Dolphins, Chiefs, Texans, Jets, Broncos, Chargers, Eagles, Packers, Seahawks, Ravens, Vikings, Giants all picking up victories.  Many games have playoff implications in them, like the Dolphins and Titans who are fighting for that final Wild Card spot, and a loss all but ends their season. The Eagles can clinch a playoff berth with a win (since Dallas won yesterday), while the Viking can creep closer to home field since the Saints lost their first game yesterday.

Should be a fun week! Make sure you check back next week to see how I did.

I want to say I’m sorry for not posting a blog last week, but I got tied up with some family matters, as my Grandma was given 3 months to a year to live. Needless to say I’ve been spending some time with her.

I don’t have much time to go into detail about this weeks picks, but I’ll just give them to you and then I’ll update my status next week and see where I stand overall.
As for this weeks picks I see the following teams winning: Eagles, Ravens, Saints, Packers, Colts, Buffalo, Vikings, Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Texans, Titans, Oakland, Chargers, and Cardinals.

Those are my picks for Week 14. Check back next week to see where I stand overall and more in depth coverage.

Well here it is again, Thanksgiving is now just a few hours away, which can only mean one thing…..FOOTBALL ALL DAY!

Okay, it means more then that. It means family, food, parades and traditions. But football fits in there as well.

Of course growing up here in Detroit, I’ve always loved watching the Lions on Thanksgiving, no matter if they were good or not. Yes, it makes the food taste that much better when they win, but win or lose, it is a tradition that should never die. Meaning the game should always be here in Detroit.

I remember when I was a kid I always wanted to go to  a Thanksgiving game and never got the chance, but I have been very fortunate the last two years to be able to cover the game for 97.1,  and this will be my third year downtown for all the festivities. There is nothing like Thanksgiving football….though I would like to see a win on Thanksgiving!

Anyways, last week I finished 9-6 bringing my total to 103-54. I still can’t believe we have two undefeated teams in the Colts and Saints, and that the Lions actually won on Sunday. I was convinced that the Browns were going to destroy them, which they were for a while….But hats off to Matthew Stafford and company for rallying back.

As for my picks for this week, I see the Packers, Cowboys and Giants all winning on Thanksgiving. Then for the rest of the week it will be: the Falcons, Dolphins, Bengals, Seahawks, Panthers, Eagles, Texans, Chargers, Jaguars, Cardinals, Vikings, Steelers, Patriots.

Yes, I am again picking against the Colts and Saints. I almost predicted the upset in the first meeting between Indy and Houston, so it will happen down in Houston this week. New England meanwhile is too good, and will knock New Orleans off their high horse.

Outside of those two shockers, I don’t see anything else happening. Should be pretty much what you expect this late in the season. The good teams continue to roll, while the bad teams start to plan for next year.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and make sure to check back next week for my latest picks!

What a crazy season! We STILL have two undefeated teams, and a jumbled up mess of teams that are sitting around the 5-4/5-5 mark, trying to contend within the division and position themselves for the Wild Card slots.

Last week I was so close with the upset of the Patriots over the Colts, leaving the Saints as the only undefeated team, but Peyton Manning had to be Peyton Manning after Bill Belichick went for it on 4th and 2. I did correctly predict the Bengals as the real deal however, as they moved to 7-2, while the Titans did win their 3rd straight. But it was a very strange week as the Packers dismantled the Cowboys a week after they had a big win over Philly. The Broncos also lost their 3rd straight game.

Overall last week, it was my worst job of picking games as I finished 8-6, bringing my total to 94-48.  I’m hoping to bounce back this week.

My picks for Week 11 have the Cowboys bouncing back and beating up on a bad Washington team. The Lions proving they’re the worst team in the league, as they fall to the Browns at home. The Giants ending their 4 game losing skid,the Jets beating the Patriots for the second time this season, and the Ravens ending another winning streak this season, as they knock off the Colts.

My complete picks are: Cowboys, Browns, Steelers, Packers, Vikings, Giants, Saints, Jaguars, Cardinals, Chargers, Bengals, Jets, Eagles, Texans, and Ravens.  (Again with the Thursday night game already played between the Dolphins and Panthers, I will just not count that game.)

Hope those help you. Make sure to check back next week to see how I did and for Week 12 selections.

I’ll tell you what, this NFL Season is just flying by! I can’t believe we’re now into Mid November and Week 10. That is just crazy!

Last week I went 8-5 with my picks, and with a couple of lucky bounces, I might have been close to perfect. I did not see Green Bay imploding to give Tampa their first win, nor did I think Philly’s short yardage problems would re-surface this year.  How about Houston having a chance late to beat the Colts? I thought I had that one nailed, but anyway, with the 8-5 I now sit 86-42 overall.

As for this weeks selections; I see the Titans winning their 3rd straight game and keeping alive the idea of running the table to go to 10-6. The Broncos end their 2 game losing skid and defeat the Redskins.  And only one team will remain undefeated this week, which will be the Saints….as the Colts get knocked off on Monday Night Football against the Patriots.

Here are my picks: Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jaguars, Bengals, Broncos, Falcons, Raiders, Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Patriots, Ravens.

I totally forgot about the Thursday night game with Chicago and San Fransisco, so I won’t count that game into this weeks totals.

Hope those help you in any league you may be playing in. Check back next week to see how I did, and Week 11’s picks.

So Week 9 of the NFL is now upon us, and that means we’re now at the midway point of the season with some surprising teams sitting on top of certain divisions (Denver, New Orleans, Cincinnati) while other favorites are sitting at or near the bottom (Carolina, Tennessee, Seattle). Of course with every midway point, its always fun to go back and see how the pre-season picks of the season have panned out, so I will go back and look at my selections as well as giving my Week 9 picks.

As for my picks overall, I now sit at 78-37 after going 9-4 last week and 11-2 in Week 7. I’m very happy that I have never been under .500 and that some weeks I’ve only picked one or two wrong games. Hope that my selections have helped some of you in single elimination pools, or weekly picks.

In Week 9 we will see some intriguing games and upsets this week. I’ll start with the undefeated Colts as they are in a trap game with Houston, and will suffer their first loss of the year. I think Houston is playing too good of football, and with the Colts coming off one of their worst games last week, it’s a given.

Even though Baltimore handed Denver their first loss of the season last week, I think Cincinnati is becoming the real deal and will defeat the Ravens. Can’t believe I’m saying that, but they’re playing good football.

The Giants will finally end their 3 game losing skid as they knock off the Chargers in the Meadowlands, while Titans will win their 2^nd game in a row and move to 2-6 on the season, keeping Chris Johnson’s prediction of running the table alive, which was  going 10-6.

The big game of the week (and my must watch) is the Eagles hosting the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Philly bounced back nicely the last couple of games after falling to Oakland, and so far are perfect in the East. I see them taking control of the division with a win over Dallas.

My complete picks for the week are as follows:

Falcons, Bears, Bengals, Texans, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, Seahawks, Saints, Giants, Titans, Eagles, Steelers.

Now lets see how my Division winners are holding up at the midway point. My picks for the division were as follows prior to week 1.

AFC North: Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns

AFC West: Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos

AFC South: Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Texans

AFC East: Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

NFC West: Seahawks, Cardinals, Rams, 49ers

NFC South: Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Bucs

NFC East: Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Redskins

NFC North: Bears, Vikings, Packers, Lions

I’m so far .500 in the AFC as the Patriots and Colts sit atop the East and South divisions. In the North my pick in Pittsburgh is tied with Cinci for the top spot while the Chargers are two games back of the surprising Broncos in the West.

As for the NFC, I am only 1-3 right now with Philly helping me out sitting atop the East with Dallas right behind them.

In the North, my pick in the Bears are now 3 games back of Minnesota who I never expected to start 6-0. Speaking of starting undefeated, I would have never thought the Saints would start the season 7-0 and lead the South, while last years powerhouse in Carolina fell to 3^rd place.

Lastly, in the West, my pick in Seattle looks to not be a good team this year as they’re now two games back of Arizona and may not catch them with Matt Hasselbeck recovering from his broken ribs.

The one thing I can say though in confidence is it is early. Anything can happen in the next 8 games and some picks may hold up, while others falter, but that is what makes it fun…..as you never know what can happen on a week in, week out bases.

Check back next week to see how some of the key Divisional match ups turned out with my picks and for my Week 10 selections.