Jake Fine - Inside the Mind of Fine

The (Late) Weekly Rundown

February 7th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

THE SIZZELER

Big surprise here, but this week’s recipient(s) are hard to dispute after one of the most memorable Super Bowls in recent years, but I had to go with the real MVP for the Giants, the entire defensive line.  I really don’t know how else to describe this other than Michael Strahan and company manhandled a strong Patriots offensive line and beat the living crap out of Tom Brady.  In fact I’m not sure the pain would have been less severe if Justin Tuck had Brady in a back alley with a crowbar in his hand.  In addition some big news just broke earlier today that really pays out for New York.  Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo showed us Sunday how good he is at designing a game plan, and was instantly the head candidate for the Washington Redskins head coaching position.  Spagnuolo turned down the Skins, now has a raise from the G-Men.  Factor that in, one more year under Eli’s belt, and a healthy Jeremy Shockey returning next year and the success could be big.  I know I’m in the extreme minority when I say this, but the Giants are more likely to be in Super Bowl XLIII than New England.

THE IGLOO

Usually when I screw up in life I try to use the Homer Simpson philosophy, “If I didn’t see it then its not illegal.  Unfortunately not many missed Pats head man Bill Belichick heading off the field with a second left in Sunday’s contest.  In no way am I buying into his excuse that he “thought” the game was over, even when the video clearly shows the officials trying to tell Belicheck that the game was not yet completed.  If this was anyone else I truly believe it would have been as big of a deal as when Randy Moss walked off the field early a few years ago while still a member of the Vikings.  Even in the heat of the loss, you stay out there with the rest of your team and take it like a man, and Belicheck’s inability to do just that showed immaturity and gave the rest us just one more reason to hate him as much as he is.  For as great of a coach as he is I truly hope that one day when his time in the NFL is over, he will look back on all of this and realize how much of an embarrassment he really is.    THE GOLD STAR There are seriously a million different ways I could go with this title for the week, so I decided to make Alan happy and bust out a hockey reference.  Yes, for many the NHL is an after thought, but you had to appreciate the performance that Washington Capital Alexander Ovechkin put up a week ago in a victory over the Canadians.  Despite suffering a broken nose in the first period he stayed in the game (because he’s a hockey player), and took the game over scoring 4 times including the game winner in overtime.  Now I know all the freaks that call it hockey sweaters go Ga-Ga over Sidney Crosby because of his abilities to set up a score, but if the league wants to grow anytime soon, why is there not more love for Ovechkin.  I mean no disrespect to Crosby, but A-O is the type of player that can be marketed since he’s a guy that score anytime he touches the puck, and we are a country that goes nuts over every point scored.  Now it could be argued that if he played in a city that had more passion for sports it would help because Washington does not care.  As sad as it is, games like last week won’t be foreign to Ovechkin, but sadly most us will never know about it.  Until next time, keep your mind on the fine side of life. 

Path To Desturction

February 1st, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Like many of you I piled into a movie theatre a few weeks ago in high anticipation of the monster thriller flick Cloverfield.  Although while walking out at the conclusion of the movie my brain was overflowed with questions concerning what the hell I just saw.  What the hell was that monster?  Where did it come from?  Is everyone really dead?  Why the hell do they call it Cloverfield anyway?  For the next few days I couldn’t help but ponder these and others until the very moment that it hit me.  This wasn’t in fact a movie about a monster terrorizing a helpless city, this was a preview of what to expect from this year’s Super Bowl.

 

I mean just think about, instead of a deadly monster say we have an absolute freak of dominance, or in this case the New England Patriots.  The Patriots walk around destroying everything and everyone in their path, and just one bite can make helpless citizens explode.  Then you have J.J. Abrams, the mastermind behind Cloverfield who created something so unique, and at the same time would never spill any secrets of his creation.  Only that instead of Abrams, we have asshole aficionado Bill Belicheck.  The coach designs this masterpiece and knows exactly where to attack his opponents in order to attain success.  And where do we see the monster attacking……..New York.  Who do the Patriots play in the Super Bowl?  Need I say more?

 

There is a reason that this team is 18-0, they are just as good as advertised, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  It is simply something we have never seen before or anything that comes close to this caliber of dominance.

 

Now I know what you are thinking, even though the Patriots have won each time they have taken the field, they all haven’t been a coast to victory.  In fact their games with Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia all gave a scare to the New England faithful.  To that argument I would like to reference a scene near the end of the film.  When over flying jets started bombing the monster, after taking so many hits it appeared that the monster had fallen to his death.  Of course this only happened as the beast bounced up fully energized just mere seconds later.  Even though there have obstacles during the course of the season, the Patriots have always ended the game victoriously and I expect that trend to continue this Sunday against the Giants.

 

I apologize if I may have spoiled the game’s result for you, but there are always the commercials to look forward to.  I also wanted to point out a key match-up on each side of the ball.  Keep an eye on Plaxico Burress squaring off with Asante Samuel.  Burress is coming of an incredible performance in the NFC title game, but has been bothered with sore knee all week and it will be interesting how the shut-down corner Samuel will attack.  Also keep an eye on Michael Strahan going up against Matt Light.

 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION:

 

Giants    16

Patriots  38

 

MVP: Asante Samuel.  Yes Brady is the safe pick here but I’m going to be daring here.  Expect Samuel to have 2 interceptions, one returned for a score, but most importantly he will hold Burress to less than five receptions.

 

Now that I have explained how Cloverfield is a trailer for what to expect in the Super Bowl there’s just one question I have.  What will we make of Cloverfield 2??????

 

Until next time, keep your mind on the fine side.

The Weekly Rundown

January 29th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

First off I would like to apologize for the inexcusable time since my previous post.  During my absence I was forced to battle everything from nagging parents, to a minor gambling addiction, and a pretty bad cold sprinkled in between.  Now I am glad to say that I am back with a vengeance this week by introducing a new weekly segment.  Starting today and every Tuesday I will rundown the hot and the not in the sports world.  Also as an added bonus I’ll give special props to wherever I feel it to be necessary.  Amy now you can get off my back.

 

THE SIZZELER Is there honestly anyone on this planet that’s playing better than the New Orleans Hornets????  During the time of this current writer’s strike, along with new episodes of The Office, probably the biggest thing that you’ve been missing is the realization of how that team in the Big Easy is currently the proud owner of the best record in the Western conference (32-12).  Chris Paul is simply playing out of his mind ranking among the top of the league in steals and assists, while averaging over 20 points a contest.  I am now convinced that in 2 years Paul will officially replace Jason Kidd as the best all-around point guard in the league.  Forward Tyson Chandler has found new life down south and since leaving Chicago he has shown more consistency on his offensive game which is evident by his 60.6% shooting from the field.  Although despite riding a current league-best 9 game winning streak, the question constantly comes up, are they legit?  It’s fair to question, but after a convincing 24 point victory this past weekend at San Antonio, the Hornets and their 4^th best rated team defense has officially made a believer out of me, and doesn’t show any sign of changing any time soon.

 

THE IGLOO 

 

You could call this section today as the response to everyone’s favorite crazy geezer in the NFL, Oakland owner Al Davis.  Last week reports began to surface that Davis was demanding Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin to issue his resignation, after questioning Davis’ move of firing Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan.  Kiffin has since repeatedly denied this ever happened.  Even though we don’t officially know what’s going on in Raider Nation, for the few fans they have left you have to hope Kiffin keeps his job.  If that’s not the case, the Raiders would have their fifth different head coach in the last seven seasons.  Not to mention it could possibly have a negative affect on the growth of QB JaMarcus Russell if forced to learn a different offensive system.  Anyone can see that this is not how a franchise should be run, especially one that showed slight signs of moving in the right direction.  Bottom line, the league needs to get rid of Al Davis.

  THE GOLD STAR I would like to give props to ESPN for an exceptional broadcast of College GameDay from Carbondale this past weekend.  As a proud Saluki it’s very pleasing to see Southern Illinois get some national attention.  Although similar to how the producers had to be feeling, I was a little nervous as the SIU Arena would play host despite owning a 9-10 record heading into Saturday’s contest, but it did not have an affect on the broadcast.  Reese Davis and company did not take shots at the Dawgs for their less than impressive season and overall did a great job showcasing one of the nation’s hidden gems for college basketball.  

Until next time, keep your mind on the fine side of life.