Must See Sports - Third Weekend of January, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011


Purdue Boilermakers (8) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (25) (ESPN)

This is a crucial game for Minnesota (1-3 in the Big 10) in this conference matchup with rival Purdue. While Purdue is on track with a full head of steam (pun intended), the Golden Gophers and coach Tubby Smith are digging themselves into an early hole. A loss at home to the Boilermakers may place Minnesota into the NCAA Tournament “Bubble League” and out of the Top 25.

Purdue senior big man JaJuan Johnson has sufficiently filled in the void left by the absence of forward Robbie Hummel due to injury. The Gophers have to do a better job of putting the brisket in the basket, ranking in the lower segments of Division I basketball programs in points per game and field goal percentage. For this game… in JuJuan I trust.

Advantage: Purdue

Friday, January 14, 2011


Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs (ESPN)

This looks like a great matchup on paper between the Spurs, with the NBA’s best record, and the Mavericks, with the 3rd best record in the Western Conference. To quote ESPN’s Chris Berman, “THAT’S…why they PLAY…the GAMES!”


Any day now, Dirk. 1

The Mavericks lost last night to the sub-.500 Indiana Pacers, their eighth game without forward Dirk Nowitzki (knee). The Mavs are 2-6 during this stretch. There has been some speculation in the media that Dirk will return tomorrow night for the Spurs, and that timing makes sense for Dallas. But there have been no reliable cues from the Mavericks as to whether Nowitzki would actually play. With or without Dirk, the Mavs are at a disadvantage, especially on the Spurs’ home court at the AT&T Center, but they have a puncher’s chance with him.

Advantage: Spurs


Saturday, January 15, 2011


Baltimore Ravens (13-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Yes! YES! YESSSSS! FOOTBALL!!!

I have been marking off the last few days, like a prisoner coming up on his release date, for the two upcoming AFC playoff matchups. The Battle of the North is first, on Saturday. These are two teams with no love lost, though with much respect for the ability of their respective opponents.

In many ways, these teams are mirror images of one another. Both teams play hard nosed, bone crushing football at the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball. Both teams have strong running games with franchise running backs in Ray Rice of the Ravens and Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers. Both teams have pro bowl linebackers. Both teams have stifling secondaries capable of getting the ball back for their teams.

Ravens-Steelers: It's REAL! 2

There are two differences that favor the Steelers. The first is that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, while rising quickly, is not on the level of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger is a big, tough, playoff tested, experienced, playmaking quarterback with two Super Bowl rings. Flacco is a smart, efficient QB who seems to have ice in his veins in road playoff games, but has yet to separate himself from the pack of younger QBs and take his place among the NFL’s elite signal callers. The second advantage is that Pittsburgh is playing at home in Heinz Field.

Advantage: Steelers


Green Bay Packers (11-6) at Atlanta Falcons (13-3)

This is a “show me” game. It is too bad that the game is not being played in Missouri. Aaron Rodgers: show me that you are among the league’s best quarterbacks. Show me that your name belongs in the same breath as names like Peyton Manning, Brady, Brees, Rivers, and Roethlisberger. SHOW ME. Packers: show me you can play defense and confuse a good QB the way you did to Mike Vick in Philadelphia last week. Show me that you can open holes again so that an unknown running back like rookie James Starks can repeat his standout performance from the Wild Card round. SHOW ME.

Atlanta: show me that your NFC best 13-3 regular season record was not a fluke. Matt Ryan: show me that you are the best among the younger generation of NFL quarterbacks. Show me that your dominance at the Georgia Dome with Matty Ice under center is real and not an illusion induced by a favorable home schedule when Ryan plays. SHOW ME.

Green Bay appeared to turn a corner in its Sunday Night Football narrow, last minute loss to the New England Patriots in December, ironically with backup QB Matt Flynn starting in Rodgers’ place. After that confidence booster, the Packers appeared to have turned a corner and are playing with more confidence than any other NFL team. I have yet to see such a signature, season-directing performance from the Dirty Birds.

Advantage: Packers



Sunday, January 16, 2011


Seattle Seahawks (8-9) at Chicago Bears (11-5)

The sun shines on a dog’s ass every now and then. Last week, the Seahawks upset the then defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. The highlight reel should have had Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time” as the soundtrack. This week, I expect to hear Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (Back to Reality)” in concert with video of the Seahawks’ lucky horseshoes turning into hand grenades.

The Seahawks won their opening round matchup by leveraging its noisy home crowd (and, more importantly, not dealing with the New Orleans fan base) and taking advantage of a Saints defense that was mediocre at full strength, undermanned due to injury, and under-executing due to, what I believe was, insufficient preparation.

This just in: the Bears are at home in Soldier Field and their defense is pretty damn good.

Advantage: Bears

Lightning does not strike in the same place twice. 3

JETS Suck! Suck! Suck! Shirt (Large)


New York Jets (12-5) at New England Patriots (14-2)

This game has, far and away, received more hype, attention, and anticipation than any non-Super Bowl playoff game has in several years. So I will give it the most attention in today’s Hat Trick.

When these teams met up in December on Monday Night Football, I dubbed this game to be the “Game of the Year”. I was not alone. What transpired was anything but that, a 45-3 dismantling of the Jets by the Patriots that triggered two characteristics I had never seen in the two year tenure of the Rex Ryan coached Jets: modesty and silence.

The only way to silence Sexy Rexy is with a "goddamn snack"! 4

Like anyone recovering from an illness, the Jets are back to their talking and swagger. The Patriots continue to be the cold, corporate machine, the Evil Empire led by The Hoodie, Bill Belichick and his top lieutenant, quarterback Tom Brady. Rex Ryan said that this game was “personal”, he versus Belichick. And it is personal for his players, too.

The personal tone ramped up another 5 notches on Wednesday when Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie directed the following rant at Brady when asked about Brady pointing at the Jets sideline after a Patriots score in their prior meeting (from the New York Daily News):

“We see that a lot. He does it a lot. That's the kind of guy he is. We really don't give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

(Asked what kind of guy Brady is….)

“An asshole…. Fuck him.”

Real classy, Antonio….

Brady replied, later, saying that he has been called worse. I can confirm that, personally, with some of the monikers that I have cultivated for the man over the years. Regardless, the talk is great for fans and guys like me that write about juicy soundbites. At the end of the day, however, football is a game that is played on the field. The best way to stop Brady from pointing is not to point out that he is an “asshole” but to reach the delivery point of the ball before the receiver, and the Jets, particularly Cromartie, failed miserably in that task in their last meeting.

Brady: "I've been called worse."
Dude, "gay" is not worse than "Alpha Hotel" or "Foxtrot Harry" 5

I have made no secret, repeatedly, this entire season, that Coach Ryan is my biggest NFL man-crush, except for people named Brees, Bush, or Payton. I have made no secret, repeatedly, over the last nine seasons, that I see red when I see Brady or The Hoodie in blue. I think Ryan was crazy like a fox to get his team talking because it prevents the media from asking about the can of whoop-ass the Patriots opened on them in December, which could chip away at the confidence of his team and distract them in their preparation for this playoff game.

All of that said, there are some inconvenient truths for Gang Green that I do not see being overcome by Sunday afternoon:

1) The Patriots are playing in Foxboro, where they have been nearly bulletproof over the past three decades.

2) The Jets suffered a big blow to their offensive line, losing right tackle Damien Woody for the season (Achilles). This does not bode well for a young quarterback in Mark Sanchez who has been consistently inconsistent, though has overachieved in road playoff games in his brief career.

3) The Jets could only muster 17 points indoors at Indianapolis. The Colts defense is NOT good, particularly against the run. The Jets are going to have to run the ball effectively to have any chance of winning at New England. Unfortunately, the Patriots defense, while not great, is effective against the run. Yes, the Patriots have been torched in their secondary all year, but many of those yards were catch-up yards and were offset by turnovers, which Sanchez has been very susceptible to delivering to opponents.

I do not anticipate the Patriots poo pooing on the vaunted Jets defense for 40+ points like they did in December, but I do not think it will matter. If Brady takes care of the football, which he has done, this season, better than he ever has, the Pats will score enough points to shoot down the Jets. The math simply does not add up for the Big Apple.

Advantage: Patriots

Monday, January 17, 2011


Syracuse Orange (4) at Pittsburgh Panthers (5)

This is the Big East matchup of the year, thus far. Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine (14 PPG, 6 APG) and forward Kris Joseph (15 PPG, 5 RPG) bring their unbeaten record to Big East rival, the red hot Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt guards Ashton Gibbs (17 PPG, 4 APG) and Brad Wanamaker (13 PPG, 5 APG) anchor a very disciplined and fundamentally sound Panthers team.

The Panthers passed a significant test in the Big East by dismantling Georgetown on its home court Wednesday night, 72-57. Pitt is hot but Syracuse is a program that is regularly near the top and, at the moment, has no blemishes. This game should be a dandy.

Advantage: Syracuse

It's a good thing the games are played by players and not mascots. I do not need to see the Pittsburgh Panther to know it would chew this thing up and spit it out, literally. 6

Don't forget to vote in the fan poll!

For sponsorship opportunities, contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info .

1) Image from life.com
2) Image from nbcsports.com
3) Image from dbadders.com
4) Image from katchop.com
5) Image from bh.heraldinteractive.com
6) Image from halloffameltd.com