2011 August | Midwest Sports Fans

End cell phone plan frustration today with NET10

August 27, 2011 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Net10 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was supposed to meet up with someone earlier but it didn’t happen. Why? Because the person in question has a volatile cell phone plan that is on one minute and off the next. It makes trying to plan and organize any type of meetup quite frustrating.

So when I, quite coincidentally, found out about NET10′s plan tonight, needless to say it was like putting a pail of oats in front of a starving horse.

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Filed Under: Sponsored Posts

Fantasy Football QB Rankings for 2011: Top 15 plus the “Stay Aways”

August 27, 2011 By Jon Washburn 4 Comments

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san-diego-chargers-kansas-city-chiefs-monday-night-football-preview-point-spread-prediction

Well running backs, it was a good run (no pun intended). For over ten years, you have been fantasy football gold. The old cliche was that when draft night came, it was best to draft running backs early and often.

However, with the arrival of platoons in the backfield, a greater emphasis on passing, and unbelievable rule adjustments that make it practically impossible to defend the pass, running backs just aren’t as valuable as they once were.

In fact, one could easily make the case that there are several players of other positions who are more valuable than even the top running backs. This has never been more the case than it is this year at the Quarterback position.

But which quarterbacks should you be targeting in your drafts or when the free weekly FanDuel beat-the-expert contest starts? And which ones should you stay away from?

Just like I did earlier this week in ranking the running backs, here are my top 15 fantasy QBs for 2011, as well as my suggestions for who you should stay away from.
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Jon Washburn @The_Dr_Twitch

The Fall of Once-Hailed American Tennis Player Andy Roddick

August 27, 2011 By Tyler Juranovich 1 Comment

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I remember watching the Andy Roddick-Roger Federer 2009 Wimbledon Finals match and staring in awe at the granduer of how top American Andy Roddick played against Federer, a man who who was aiming to beat Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record and who seemed unstoppable at the time.

Even though Roddick lost in a heart-breaking five-set match, things looked as if things were finally going to go the American’s way after constantly being called overrated and a one-hit wonder.

Fast forward to today.

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Filed Under: Tennis Tagged With: Andy Roddick, ATP, overrated, Tennis, U.S. Open, wimbledon

Reminder: The WPS Championship is on FSN today

August 27, 2011 By Josh Tinley 8 Comments

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Last month we were all women’s soccer fans. But for those of us who don’t live on the east coast and who only have basic cable, that love affair ended when Saki Kumagai’s penalty kick sailed past Hope Solo to clinch the World Cup final. Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), the highest level of women’s soccer in the U.S., has no teams west of Atlanta, and its games are broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Today is different. Today most anyone with basic cable can watch the WPS Championship at 4:00 EST, 3:00 CST, on Fox Sports Net. The Western New York Flash face the Philadelphia Independence.

The Flash feature Brazil’s Marta, considered by many the best women’s soccer player in the world, and American break-out star Alex Morgan. The Independence boast three players from the U.S. Women’s National Team, most notably Amy Rodriguez. They advanced to the Championship by defeating a magicJack team with Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, and Christine Rampone in the Super Semifinal.

Filed Under: Soccer, Today's Best by MSF Tagged With: women's professional soccer

Oregon ends Penn State’s 94-game home winning streak

August 27, 2011 By Josh Tinley 2 Comments

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The Penn State volleyball team hadn’t dropped a match at hone since 2005. Until yesterday. Oregon went into Happy Valley and beat the top-ranked, 4-time-defending-national-champion Nittany Lions 16-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-22. (In Penn State’s defense, they were playing six freshman.)

Filed Under: Today's Best by MSF

Join the movement to get Northern Illinois into the Big XII

August 26, 2011 By Josh Tinley 2 Comments

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Your new Big XII conference

An NIU Huskie who likes to dream big created a Facebook page arguing for Northern Illinois’ inclusion in a new Big XII. (I was the 8th person to like it.)

The page proposes putting NIU and Oklahoma in the new Big XII North, and Memphis—or another to-be-named-later 12th school—in the South. (This person seems to think that Texas A&M is sticking around and that the Oklahoma legislature would be OK with its state’s schools playing in separate divisions.)

“NIU to the Big 12 Conference”—Facebook

Hat tip: SI’s Stewart Mandel

Filed Under: Today's Best by MSF

Podcast: Fantasy Football 2011 Sleepers, Busts, Draft Strategy Talk, and Reader Questions

August 26, 2011 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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In the latest MSF podcast, our first on the subject of fantasy football, I help prepare you for your fantasy football drafts by highlighting a number of players who are being under- and over-valued heading into the 2011 season.

I also also talk general draft strategy, outline how MSF’s fantasy football coverage will go this season, and answer reader questions.

Mike Flanagan was far from a “failure”

August 26, 2011 By Kurt Allen 2 Comments

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Did Mike Flanagan really choose to die over a perceived ‘failure’ to turn around the fortunes of the ballclub as an executive with the Baltimore Orioles?

The problem with suicide is that we will never truly know the answer to that question, much like the perception that former Angels reliever Donnie Moore killed himself over the home run he gave up when his team was on the verge of winning the 1986 American League Championship Series.

As former Baltimore writer Ken Rosenthal said on one radio show on Thursday in the aftermath of the shocking news, “I’d trust and imagine that it would be for more reasons than that. It is never quite that simple.”

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: mike flanagan, suicide

Away From the Action Podcast: Lou Pickney on College Football, Pro Football, Fantasy Football, and More

August 26, 2011 By Josh Tinley Leave a Comment

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In this episode of the Away From the Action Podcast, I talk to Lou Pickney of Draft King about players to watch for in the upcoming college football season, fantasy football, and why sports fans are so obsessed with speculation. We also talk a little bit about our Evansville Aces.

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Filed Under: Away From the Action, Podcast Tagged With: lou pickney

The 5 Ingredients for a Great College Football Rivalry Trophy

August 26, 2011 By Josh Tinley 1 Comment

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"Now I'm going to show you kids how to turn this into corn syrup and ethanol."

Last week at the Iowa State Fair, the Iowa Corngrowers Association unveiled a new Cy-Hawk Trophy (the award given to the winner of each year’s Iowa-Iowa State football game). Iowans were almost unanimous in their disapproval of the trophy, which features a farm family gathered around a bushel basket of corn.

Tuesday, only four days after the new token of Iowa football supremacy made its debut, the Corngrowers admitted that they had “missed the mark” and announced that they would create a new trophy, with input from the public.

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Filed Under: Away From the Action, CFB

5 easy ways to beat the sportsbook this college football season

August 26, 2011 By Robert Crowe 1 Comment

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This time of year Las Vegas casinos are going to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars off people betting on college football games who do not have skills to beat the odds makers.

People often go to casinos to place bets on games just for the rush and are not taking the necessary steps to win money. Casinos are banking that you are one of those people who place bets aimlessly so they can take your money.

There are simple things that one can do to ensure that the casinos don’t get the best of you this college football season. Here are five easy steps to follow so that you earn a profit on the bets you place. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB, Sports Betting Tagged With: CFB, Sports Betting

What if Jay Cutler awkwardly wore stupid sweaters and loved cats?

August 25, 2011 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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While doing a Google Image search for “Jay Cutler” I came across an image that damn near made me fall out of my chair laughing.

I’m just going to leave this here.

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Filed Under: Funny Tagged With: jay cutler, pictures

What if Tom Brady were black? (And other NFL what ifs…)

August 25, 2011 By Jerod Morris 6 Comments

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This whole “What if Michael Vick were white” thing has really started the wheels turning in my head. But now, instead of just wondering other Michael Vick what ifs (like if he were made of barbeque spare ribs…hat tip to @JoeSportsFan) I am starting to ponder other football what ifs.

Like…

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Filed Under: Funny, NFL Tagged With: bill belichick, michael vick, tim tebow, tom brady

What if Michael Vick were white? Here is the definitive answer.

August 25, 2011 By Jerod Morris 3 Comments

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If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been ranting about this now-infamous ESPN article for the better part of the last half hour.

The article, written by Toure, is entitled “What if Michael Vick were white?” and features an illustration of what Michael Vick might look like if he were, indeed, a white dude. It also features amazingly in-depth revelations like this:

“In making Vick white, you have him born to different parents.”

Well hot damn, you don’t say, Toure?

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Filed Under: NFL

End cell phone plan frustration today with NET10

Fantasy Football QB Rankings for 2011: Top 15 plus the “Stay Aways”

The Fall of Once-Hailed American Tennis Player Andy Roddick

Reminder: The WPS Championship is on FSN today

Oregon ends Penn State’s 94-game home winning streak

Join the movement to get Northern Illinois into the Big XII

Podcast: Fantasy Football 2011 Sleepers, Busts, Draft Strategy Talk, and Reader Questions

Mike Flanagan was far from a “failure”

Away From the Action Podcast: Lou Pickney on College Football, Pro Football, Fantasy Football, and More

The 5 Ingredients for a Great College Football Rivalry Trophy

5 easy ways to beat the sportsbook this college football season

What if Jay Cutler awkwardly wore stupid sweaters and loved cats?

What if Tom Brady were black? (And other NFL what ifs…)

What if Michael Vick were white? Here is the definitive answer.

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