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Barry Bonds Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

Maybe Bonds would be willing to take an asterisk at this point. Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. If he is convicted he could serve as many as 30 years in prison. When Bonds was shown papers confirming that a "Barry B" tested positive for two types of steroids in November 2000 he said, "I've never seen these documents. I've never seen these papers."

The ball is in your court Barry. You, in my estimation can do one of two things, admit you did steroids because you were jealous of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, or you could be a coward. Either way what you have done will be tarnished and rightfully so.

You Don't Want To Be Number 2

Oregon is the fifth No. 2 team to lose this season, 34 - 24 to the Arizona Wildcats. USC, Cal, USF and BC all feel the Ducks pain, especially Heisman hopeful Dennis Dixon. The stellar quarterback aggrivated a knee sprain he suffered against Arizona State. Arizona became the 10th unranked team to knock off a top 5 team this season. Depending on who you talk to the belief is is that Dixon could be done for the season. Without Dixon at quarterback the Ducks looked lost on offense. They went 3 and out six times and had only 3 drives after the 1st quarter in which they gained more than 50 yards.

If I'm Kentucky, I would just pretend that their is no polls or BCS because if history is any indication, you don't want to be number 2.

Kiss The BCS Championship Game Goodbye

Navy Ends 43 Game Losing Streak To Notre Dame

It took 4 quarters plus 3 overtimes but the Midshipmen finally accomplished something they had not in 43 games prior. The final score was 46 to 44 in a game dominated by each team's running game. The combined yardage on the ground of both teams was 492 yards. Each team's combined yardage in the air was only 207 yards.

To put the streak into perspective, the last time Navy beat Notre Dame was when the Midshipmen were led by now Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach. Navy won that game in 1963 35 to 14 and wouldn't taste victory for 44 more years.

For Notre Dame, it was its school-record fifth straight home loss, another low point in a season of lows. "We lost the game. The streak doesn't mean anything to me," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said.

East Coast Bias- October 29, 2007

Today's Headlines

- Sox Sweep, Changes in the Bronx

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown



On today's show we start with the World Series and the domination by the Red Sox. We wrapup the week that was in the NFL and finish strong with our College Football Rundown highlighting the best games of Saturday. Look for the ECB NBA Preview Show this Thursday followed by our second mailbag!

Also, check out this wild finish to the Trinity vs. Millsaps College Football game.

East Coast Bias- October 15, 2007

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown

- College Football Rundown

- NLCS and ALCS Review

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles Win 16-9


On today's podcast show we discuss the big games in the NFL and rundown the Top 25 action in the College game. We also get into the exciting MLB postseason games with a review and preview of the NLCS series between the Rockies and D-Backs and the ALCS series between the Indians and Red Sox. And we end the podcast with some Eagles talk following their victory over the Jets in the Weekly Phil.

College Football BCS Rankings - Oct. 14th

BCS Standings

1. Ohio State

2. South Florida

3. Boston College

4. LSU

5. Oklahoma

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky

8. Arizona State

9. West Virginia

10. Oregon

11. Virginia Tech

12. California

13. Kansas

14. USC

15. Florida

16. Missouri

17. Auburn

18. Hawaii

19. Virginia

20. Georgia

21. Tennessee

22. Texas

23. Cincinnati

24. Texas Tech

25. Michigan

East Coast Bias- September 17, 2007

JASON MISH IS BACK!!

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown - Week 2

- College Football Rundown

- MLB Awards Predictions

- The Weekly Phil


On tap for the September 17th podcast of East Coast Bias we start with a rundown of all the NFL games on Sunday plus the preview of the Monday Night game, Eagles vs. Redskins. We then review the week that was in College Football with a roundup of the action in the Top 25. We hand out the hardware as we predict baseball regular season awards in our third segment and end the show with the crowd-pleaser, The Weekly Phil.

New Layout!

Hope you guys enjoy the new digs. Been wanting to change over for a while now that I have some better understanding of HTML. Be on the lookout for a new podcast on Monday and lot's of updates regarding tomorrow's NFL games. Also, be sure to check out Despair for your chance to make a Sports Demotivator.

Sincerely,
Brendan

Mass Blood Test To Be Used By MLB

Major League Baseball is currently contemplating the use of a mass blood test that could detect, among other things, human growth hormone (aka HGH). The use of HGH has become a hot issue as of late after it was discovered that Rick Ankiel had received a 12-month supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from Signature Pharmacy. Jay Gibbons and Troy Glaus have also been linked to Signature Pharmacy.

The blood test was developed under the watchful eye of the World Anti-Doping Agency. It was used sparingly during the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Winter Games. The blood test will be available for mass use within months.

World Anti-Doping Agency science director had this to say about the use of HGH in the current sports landscape, "This is great news, because we strongly believe that human growth hormone is abused in sports."

Gary Green, an MLB consultant and UCLA doctor, said he had spoken to MLB commissioner Bud Selig who commented that he would be in favor of getting the blood test implemented. The only hiccup could come from the MLBPA and Union executive director Donald Fehr, who would have to be approve adding the blood test to the current drug testing program.

While Donald Fehr was unavailable for comment Gene Upshaw, NFLPA Head Rep, said, "There's no way I'm having my guys punched for a blood test every time they walk into a locker room."

Appalachian State In Top 25?

After the Mountaineers shocking upset over the Michigan Wolverines the AP decided to balk at tradition and let formerly Division 1-AA schools, now known as FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), to be included in the AP poll.

For the last 71 years of the AP poll, only teams that competed in Division 1-A were able to be ranked. However, some voters felt that if a small school like Appalachian State could compete with the big boys why should they not be included? Adam Van Brimmer, an AP poll voter, said he wanted to put Appalachian State at No. 25 after their win over the Wolverines.

Adam had covered Georgia Southern earlier in his career when they were Division 1-AA powerhouses, much like Appalachian State is now. Mister Brimmer went on to state that some of the FCS schools could compete and beat teams from the MAC and Sun Belt conferences, both of which are Division 1-A conferences.

Unfortunately for the Mountaineers this was there one and only shot to shock the world. They have no games following their win at Michigan which would propel them any higher in the AP poll should they crack the Top 25. USA Today, which also does a Top 25, said they have no intention of deviating from their rule of only considering Division 1-A teams.

East Coast Bias - September 3rd, 2007

Today's Headlines

- Appalachian State Win at The Big House

- Clay Buchholz Throws No-Hitter

- NFL Division and Playoff Predictions


On today's podcast I run down the Mountaineers stunning victory over the Michigan Wolverines followed by Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz and his place in Red Sox history. I finally end today's show with a lengthy segment on NFL division winners and playoff predictions. Since college has started Jason and I are planning to make East Coast Bias a weekly podcast in which we record on Mondays. Look forward to another episode of ECB next week. Until then keep checking back here for all the latest news and notes from the sports universe.

Mighty Michigan Falls To I-AA Appalachian State

The #5 team in NCAA football lost this afternoon 34 to 32 to a team that isn't even a Division 1 football team. Grant it, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have won the I-AA Championship(now known as FCS) the last two years, but no one saw this coming. This is arguably the biggest upset in college football history.

The Mountaineers were down 14-7 after the first quarter but followed up with 21 points in the 2nd quarter thanks to a great effort by Appalachian St. QB Armanti Edwards. Edwards threw for 2 touchdowns and ran 1 in himself to boot. At one point during the 2nd quarter the Mountaineers were up by as much as 14 points.

Michigan finally woke up in the second half no thanks to their All-American running back Mike Hart. Hart ran for 2 scores including a thrilling 54 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. After that play the Mountaineers looked as if their effort to spoil Michigan's season was over.

Appalachian State however had no quit in them. After blocking the Wolverines first field goal attempt of 47 yards at the 1:47 mark the Mountaineers took the field and drove all the way to the Michigan 5 yard line. Their 24 yard field goal put them up by 2 with :30 seconds left on the clock. Michigan QB and Heisman hopeful Chad Henne connected with talent WR Mario Manningham for a 46 yard play that set up the Wolverines to win the game.

The 37 yard field goal never got more than 3 feet off the ground. The Mountaineers blocked their 2nd field goal of the day and sealed what is possibly the greatest upset in college football history. Congrats to the Mountaineers for not only taking down Big Blue, but making Penn State's Big Ten Championship dreams a better reality.

Starting for the Jaguars Will Be.....Garrard?

The Byron Leftwich era was over before it even began. According to sources within the Jacksonville Jaguars organization David Garrard will start the 2007 season. For the last two seasons Leftwich has nursed an ankle injury and missed 15 games. Leftwich was in the last year of his contract and barring a great year probably would have been headed to another team come free agency. With the imminent release or trade of Leftwich the Jags are shopping for a veteran quarterback. Mark Brunell, who played in Jacksonville for 9 years, has been rumored to be one of the veteran quarterbacks they are interested in.

Let the Games Begin

It is almost September and "football season" is about to kickoff. But before the NFL pigskins are kicked off, September 1st marks the beginning of the college football season.

Here are some of the marquee matchups that fans can look forward to this weekend:

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame

- Last season GA Tech lost 14-10 to the Irish at home and now must travel to South Bend to avenge the loss. Despite the departures of Calvin Johnson and Reggie Ball, the Yellow Jackets should challenge for the ACC crown in 07' and will face only one tough opponent on the road this year (October 13th at Miami).

Oklahoma St. at Georgia

- High powered offense vs. a stout defense is the matchup here. Oklahoma State features speedy QB Bobby Reid, one of college football's best receivers Adarius Bowman, and RB Dantrell Savage. This is an interesting week one, non-conference game in early September between contrasting styles and SEC and Big 12 teams.

Tennessee at California

- This is easily the best game of the week with both teams ranked in the preseason top 25. Cal got thrashed a year ago in Knoxville in the first game of the two game series and hope to turn the tables behind standouts WR Desean Jackson and QB Nate Longshore. The winner will begin their season on a high note and both could make serious pushes for SEC and Pac-10 titles and BCS berths.

Florida State at Clemson

- The Seminoles will hope to rebound from a sub-par 7-6 season in 06' when they begin their season on Labor Day. The Tigers and the Noles' will compete in the "Bowden Bowl" to open their seasons, as father, Bobby, goes against son Tommy Bowden. Last year the son had the upper hand with a 27-20 road victory at FSU.

Who's Backing Up the Backup?

The Atlanta Falcons, in the wake of the Mike Vick dog fighting debacle, are now putting their faith (and I use that word loosely) in the hands of underachieving Joey Harrington. Battling for the backup position was 5 year veteran Chris Redman and 2nd year player DJ Shockley. Well, that battle got a lot easier for Redman. It was learned today that DJ Shockley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and suffered damage to his medial collateral ligament in Friday night's preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills.

During the two preseason games in which Shockley played he completed 9 of his 17 passes for 123 yards. He also rushed 4 times for a total of 19 yards. Shockley injured himself during the 4th quarter of the Bills game on a scramble in which he gained 10 yards but went down in obvious pain when the play was over. He was promptly carted off the field and Chris Redman came in to finish the game. The only other quarterback presently on the roster is Casey Bramlet who has yet to take a regular season snap. Bramlet led the Hamburg Sea Devils to a 37-28 victory over Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XV in which he was named the game's most valuable player.

It was believed that Chris Redman had the backup position well in hand even before Shockley went down with his injury. Redman had played under the tutelage of then OC of the Louisville Cardinals, Bobby Petrino, who now happens to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. And to think that most people feel the Falcons are in trouble with Harrington at quarterback, what would happen to this team if he were to go down? Get ready for a long season Falcons fans.

Pre-Season AP College Football Poll

In what can be considered nothing but a landslide the USC Trojans are again a top the college football pedestal. Last year's champs, the Florida Gators, placed 6th. Football season is upon and I couldn't be happier.

1. USC (162)
2. LSU (2)
3. West Virginia (1)
4. Texas
5. Michigan
6. Florida
7. Wisconsin
8. Oklahoma
9. Virginia Tech
10. Louisville
11. Ohio St.
12. Cal
13. Georgia
14. UCLA
15. Tennessee
16. Rutgers
17. Penn State
18. Auburn
19. Florida St.
20. Nebraska
21. Arkansas
22. TCU
23. Hawaii
24. Boise St.
25. Texas A&M

Others Receiving Votes : Missouri 128, Georgia Tech 94, Boston College 75, Oregon 73, South Carolina 69, Miami (FL) 68, Alabama 66, Oregon State 42, Wake Forest 40, South Florida 28, Arizona State 17, Brigham Young 14, Southern Miss 12, Notre Dame 11, Virginia 7, Clemson 6, Oklahoma State 3, Texas Tech 2, Purdue 1, Houston 1, Kentucky 1, North Carolina State 1