Preview Time

I put up a quick run down of how I think things will finish in college football this year over at Just Rub Some Sugar On It.

Like I said there, it is probably wildly off the mark, but I don't see your predictions anywhere.

The Return of On Tap

Helping you get your weekend (football) viewing priorities straight since 2007


Thursday


8:00 (ESPN) NC State @ South Carolina. Technically not the first game of the season, but the first game available to the masses. I will generally tune into any game that Steve Spurrier is coaching a team other than Florida just to see how frustrated he gets with the inferior talent that he has.

9:00 (ESPN2) Oregon State @ Stanford. Get your Cardinal season tickets, if they suck too badly for your liking they will refund your money (but only if you give the tickets to the USC game back).


Saturday


12:00 (BTN) Youngstown State @ Ohio State. I get the Big Ten Network?? I mean, I get the Big Ten Network!!!!!! Oh how I can’t wait for the mid week Northwestern – Indiana women’s volleyball match.

12:00 (ESPN) Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina (Charlotte). I have nothing special to say here, other than a noon game available to people with out the BTN (does anybody not get the BTN?).

3:30 (ABC) Utah @ Michigan. The beginning of the RichRod era at Michigan. As much as I hate people piling on the Big Ten I can’t help but hope Utah wins this game. I can’t stand Rodriguez. As I read somewhere (can’t remember or I would cite it) “Lloyd Carr could not coach his way out of a paper bag, but he was always a class act”. I miss Lloyd and his gray sweatshirt already.

3:30 (ABC) USC @ Virginia. Of course since scUM will be dominating the airways in the Midwest I will not be able to watch this game. USC should pound UVA but it is nice to see them go on the road to play a non-conference BCS team the first week of the season. And stranger upsets have happened in week 1s past.

5:00 (ESPN) Appalachian State @ LSU. Something like only the fourth time that two outright champions from different divisions have played each other in the year following their championships (good to know huh?).

8:00 (ABC) Alabama vs. Clemson (Atlanta). Another BCS conference match up in the week one slate. Clemson should have a solid chance to win the ACC and Bama is looking to build off the 7 point loss at home to Louisiana State (and Louisana-Monroe two weeks later).

8:00 (ABC) Michigan State @ California. A win for MSU would help start changing the national perception of the Big Ten. A win for Cal would not mean a whole lot, but a loss would just be a start to another season of underachieving.

8:30 (ESPN) Illinois vs. Missouri (St. Louis). Arguably the best game of the day, depending on whether or not Juice Williams shows up to play more than just an over glorified running back for the Illini. Mizzou is looking to kick off there season in attempt to win not just the Big 12 but possibly a shot at the national title.


Sunday


3:30 (ESPN) Kentucky @ Louisville. A great big battle of who the f cares, but it is Sunday and it is football.


Monday


4:00 (ESPN) Fresno State @ Rutgers. Fresno State starts their campaign to be the third straight WAC team to crash the BSC. Rutgers just hopes to enjoy the last year of Greg Schaino before he heads off to resurrect Penn State.

8:00 (ESPN) Tennessee @ UCLA. I have no idea what to think of these teams. UCLA should be at least interesting (in a scandal sort of way) with Rich Neuheisel at the helm, and I keep hearing grumblings about the new offense at Tenn is supposed to liven things up. I just don’t know how the quarterback is going to get this signs with Fat Phil Fulmer clogging up the sidelines.

Beer of the Week (or beer of the second half of August)

Date Irrelevant --- Beer of the Week

Stroh's





So I have never actually had a Stroh's, but I was told that I should bring some to the family reunion this weekend. If my family supports the beer it most likely means that it is...

1) Cheap

2) Probably not spectacular (never stopped me from drinking a beer before)

C) Had it's quality or lack thereof argued about for hours on end with neither side giving in

IV) Consumed in mass quantities

This is the part where I will pretend like I will comment on the quality of the beer after I have had one (or 12) but everyone knows I am far too lazy to follow up on that.

Beer of the Week

Week of August 11th --- Beer of the Week

Kokanee




I am posting this as fast as I can to sneak the post in between intermittent internet access here in Montana. Go get yourself some Kokanee, the best of the Canadian beers.

Beer of the Week (On the Road Edition)

Week of August 4th --- Beer of the Week

Newport Hurricane Amber Ale



Reporting to you live from Newport, RI on the first day of a 15 day excursion to the furthest* reaches of America.

The beer of the week is going to be tough for you to find (and by you I mean the 4 people who might read this) being that as I understand you can only get it in New England. If you have nothing better to do take a trip to the nearest purveyor of Newport Hurricane Amber Ale, and remember it comes highly recommended after 3.5 hours of sleep, 10 hours of travel, and far too much talk about science.



*Not Technically

How many days until college football?

That many

So Long Bearded One

Beer of the Week (on schedule even)

Week of July 28th --- Beer of the Week

Sweaty Betty





Good beer, better name. Sweaty Betty is a solid blonde wheat beer that is ideal for drinking on a hot summer day. If you are a connoisseur of the wheat beer this is one you will need to add to your catalog.

Beer of the Week (Friday Edition)

Week of July 21st --- Beer of the Week

Brooklyn Summer Ale





Good summer beer, light enough to drink at lot and just hoppy enough to keep me interested.

Beer of the Week

Week of July 14th --- Beer of the Week

Double Simcoe IPA





The Double Simcoe IPA is a hoppy beer. Hands down the hoppiest beer I have ever had and at 9% ABV is also packs a potent punch. After the first three drinks I was pretty sure that it was going to be a struggle to drink the whole thing. But after passing it around, making everyone else at the shindig try it, the taste really grew on me. There was only one problem, after drinking the Simcoe every other beer for the rest of the night tasted mostly like water (and I was not drinking coors light).

WTF?

Lose 10 games in a row.

Trade your best pitcher.

Take 4 straight from one of the best teams in the game.

Cleveland Indians baseball, catch the excitement!

Random Thoughts

C.C. is gone from the Tribe. Maybe it is an elaborate plan to get some prospects and then sign him back at the end of the year? No? Too bad.

Rafa Nadal vs. Roger Federer was the greatest tennis match I have ever watched. I don't normally enjoy tennis but I stuck with it through both rain delays to see what would happen. That kind of rivalry is exactly what tennis needs.

The U.S. Olympic Trials have me pretty fired up about the Beijing Olympics. I may not be a fan of all those sports but there is something about watching the best in the world compete that makes me sit down and watch.

Along those same lines Le Tour de France is underway. With most of the big names and teams out for (suspected) drugging it should be a very open and competitive tour. Le Tour has also tweaked the format (no opening time trial, no team time trial) and the rules (no time bonuses) to make things a little more interesting. I am a fan of the lack of time bonuses, now the riders times will truly reflect their time on the road.


College Football is only 52 days away!!

Beer of the Week

Week of July 7th --- Beer of the Week

Caguama






Caguama is not a bad beer, but it might as well be Corona Light.

Beer of the Week

Week of June 30th --- Beer of the Week
Summer Shandy




Beer mixed with lemonade? Sounds awful, actually tastes OK. Well tastes OK assuming that it is at least 90 degrees and sunny. So here is hoping that your 4th of July is sunny and warm so you can enjoy some Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Based on the local weather forecast I will probably be drinking some Coors Light in the rain.

NBA Draft

I only have one question about this year's draft ... can you name one player who you are confident will become a cornerstone for his new team for years to come?

I am sure a few of these guys will turn out to be great, and some of the so called "sure things" have turned out to suck (Sam Bowie). There is just not a guy in this draft that you look at and say "that is the guy, we have to have him".

Some other quick thoughts:

Guy to watch: Brandon Rush (Kansas)
Runner-up: Joe Alexander (West Virginia)


7 footer taken to high because "you can't teach tall": Brook Lopez (Stanford)
Runner-up: Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)


7 footer taken to low because "he lacks offensive skills": Robin Lopez (Stanford)
Runner-up: Hell if I know (Mary's Laundry Institute)


Guy who should have stayed in college: Bill Walker (Kansas State)
Runner-up: Davon Jefferson (USC)


Guy who will benefit by being taken late in the first round by a solid team: Chris Douglass-Roberts (his team will also benefit from his NBA-readiness)
Runner-up: Nobody, all the other teams late in the draft who don't get CDR are going to select projects who they can keep in the D-League or Europe for a few years.


Guy most likely to be Darko II: Kosta Koufos (Ohio State) It pains me to type that, but it is true.
Runner-up: Danilo Gallinari


When you look back ten years from now the star of the draft will be: Anthony Randolph (LSU)
Runner-up: Derrick Rose (Memphis), but only if he is not playing in Chicago.