BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

Big Ben's College Football Recap Frenzy

By Ben Maller

USC deserves better after a 27-24 last second field goal loss to No.11 Washington.

The Trojans 1-4 are off to their worst start since 1958 when they began 1-4. Yet, unlike under Paul Hackett or the second run of John Robinson, I really feel the program is headed in the right direction under Pete Carroll.

SC has lost four games in a row by a combined 14 points. It should be noted that from a gambling perspective the Trojans did cover. (That's not going to get them to a bowl game.)

My "College Lock" Oklahoma not only covered the 3-point spread, but they won outright 14-3 against Texas at the Red River shootout.

Most experts expected an offensive battle. What we saw was the best team defensive performance in college ball since the Sooners shutdown Chris Weinke and Florida State in the Orange Bowl last year.

I have to admit I was getting ready to hang kicker Tim Duncan after he missed field goals of 24 and 42 yards. Those misses did not matter in the end.

Bob Stoops' OU Defense lead by Safety Roy Williams intercepted Chris Simms four times. The Sooner front seven held the Longhorns to 25 yards rushing.

Brent Musburger of ABC Sports now agrees with me that Oklahoma should be the No.1 team in the country.

Miami should drop out of the top spot following a mediocre performance against Troy State.

Ken Dorsey had 299 yards passing and two touchdowns, however the Hurricanes were tied at 7 after the first quarter and lead by just ten, 17-7 at halftime.

The Canes gave up 175 yards, 12 first downs and seven points in the first half. Had Trojans' place-kicker Drew Boteler not missed two field goals -- one hit the right post and the other bounced off the crossbar -- it would have been a four-point game at halftime.

Big Ben's New Top Four 1.) Oklahoma 2.) Florida 3.) Miami 4.) UCLA

Virginia Tech could be the Oklahoma opponent in the Rose Bowl. The Hokies while playing a soft schedule are 5-0 and have outscored their opposition 214-to-30 this season, allowing just seven points after the first quarter. V-Tech has three shutouts in their first five games.

Rex Grossman quarterback of No.2 Florida has to lead the Heisman voting. Grossman passed for a Gators' record 464 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-15 ripping of No. 18 LSU.

The Florida offense has surpassed 500 yards in each of its first five games. Against the Tigers they finished with 632 yards of total offense.

I wouldn't want to be Phil Fulmer this week. The Tennessee coach must explain a 26-24 loss in Knoxville to SEC rival Georgia.

Former Florida State assistant Mark Richt was victorious in his first road game as coach.

Last time the Bulldogs beat the Vols in Tennesee was in 1980, Herschel Walker's freshman year.

How many USC fans wish that Lou Holtz hadn't ended up at the other SC.

The Gamecocks beat Kentucky 42-6 to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1988.

Derek Watson had 135 yards rushing on 16 carries to lead the cocks attack.

Colorado football is back on the national map. The Buffaloes upset Kansas State 16-6 in Manhattan.

Chris Brown 114 yards rushing and Craig Ochs threw a TD pass to lead the Buffs to the shocking W.

Kansas State also had won its previous 58 home games against unranked opponents since a 21-16 loss to Kansas on October 28, 1989.

Colorado held K-State to 74 yards rushing on 40 carries.

George Godsey threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns as No. 17 Georgia Tech beat up winless Duke 37-10 on Saturday.

Duke (0-5, 0-3) extended a school record with its 17th loss in a row, the longest streak in the nation.

Georgia Tech, the ACC leader in total offense per game, finished with 505 yards against the Blue Devils.

No. 25 Maryland is off to their best start in 23 years after a 41-21 pounding of Virginia.

Maryland, which hasn't been to a bowl game since 1990 and last won the league title in 1985, has turned the ACC standings around under the guidance of first-year coach Ralph Friedgen.

Friedgen is one of my favorite coaches. How can you not pull for the big guy who had to wait all these years for his shot.

It's sad to watch a great man and great coach Joe Paterno end a 36 year run at Penn State like this. The latest loss a 20-0 shutout at the hands of No. 20 Michigan.

The Nittany Lions (0-4) are off to the worst start in their 115-year histroy. The Wolverines became the first team to shutout a Paterno-coached team at Happy Valley, a span of 212 games.

How bad has it been? The Lions have won just six of their last 20 games.

For the first time since Ryan Leaf was under center in Pullman, Washington State has a good team. The Cougars beat Oregon St. 34-to-27 to start 5-0 for the first time since the Rose Bowl season of 1997.

Wash State's RB David Minnich an ex-Mariner ran for a career-high 195 yards and threw a touchdown pass

Dennis Erickson's team picked to win the title by Sports Illistraited fell behind 31-0 on their way to a 1-3 start.

Notre Dame finally won a game 24-7 over Pittsburgh. Bob Davie should send the Panthers roses for their five turnovers. The Irish scored one more point In this game then they had all season.

Indiana is a bad football team. What's that make Wisconsin after a 63-32 loss to the Hoosiers?

IU's Levron Williams rushed for a school-record six touchdowns and 280 yards as Indiana jumped out with a 32-point first quarter.

It was the Hoosiers most productive Big Ten day ever and their highest output since a 65-0 shutout of Rose Polytechnic in 1924.

The Badgers hadn't allowed this many points in 111 years - since Minnesota beat them 63-0 in 1890.

Big Ben's College Football Recap Frenzy

By Ben Maller

USC deserves better after a 27-24 last second field goal loss to No.11 Washington.

The Trojans 1-4 are off to their worst start since 1958 when they also began 1-4. Yet, unlike under Paul Hackett or the second run of John Robinson, I really feel the program is headed in the right direction under Pete Carroll.

Thursday, October 04, 2001

Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes

By Ben Maller

Congratulations to Barry Bonds a hall-of-fame talent who hit his 70th homerun last night tying Mark McGwire's three year old Major League single season homerun record. As great a talent as Bonds is on the baseball field is as bad a person he is off of it. I will not soon forget the way Bonds treated me when I was a radio reporter in the earlier 90's.

Rickey Henderson who passed Ty Cobb in runs scored this week, was a better baseball player in his prime than Barry Bonds

Henderson is a 10 time all-star. He was MVP of the 1989 ALCS and 1990 AL MVP.

Rickey has played in 12 postseasons and 3 World Series, batting .284 in the playoffs and .339 in the World Series with a .439obp.

Bonds has never helped a team get to the World Series. He has played in 5 postseason series and batted just .196

Sammy Sosa became the first player in baseball history to hit 60 homeruns in three seasons. Sammy is my favorite slugger in the game. He has always been very accessible and real with me and those of us in the media.

Hats off to the Montreal Expos, of all clubs, for doing the classy thing. The Expos traded 42 year old Tim Raines Sr. to the Baltimore Orioles so that he could play alongside his son Tim Raines Jr.

The outfielders join Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only father-son teammates in major league history. The Griffeys played with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

The Dodgers did the right thing in bringing back the 2001 coaching staff: Manny Mota, bench coach Jim Riggleman, pitching coach Jim Colborn, hitting coach Jack Clark, bullpen coach Jim Lett, third base coach Glenn Hoffman and first base coach John Shelby. Mota will be returning for his 23rd year on the team's staff.

Rod Carew figured he should resign as hitting coach of the Brewers rather than get fired. I would be surprised if Carew got another coaching job anytime soon.

Todd Marinovich admitted yesterday that he violated probation by failing to appear for random drug tests. You have to question the LA Avengers' decision to stick with Marinovich. I'm all about 2nd and 3rd chances, but this is ridiculous.

Ex-USC coach Paul Hackett has done a hell of a job with the New York Jets' offense. I wonder if he is also coaching the Jets' Defensive line.

The Dallas Cowboys will not go winless this season. They play the Redskins twice and the Cardinals twice.

"He Hate Me" RB Rod Smart is an injury away from being in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. The most famous player in the brief history of the XFL was signed to the Eagles' practice squad this week.

Can you guess who is leading the NFL in rushing offense? The San Francisco 49ers, averaging 151.3 yards. The Niners play the Carolina Panthers this week.

Coach George Seifert is 4-0 against San Francisco since taking the Carolina job in 1999, with the Panthers averaging 36 points in the four games.

San Diego is at Cleveland: LaDainian Tomlinson leads the AFC in rushing yardage and leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns.

Green Bay plays Tampa Bay: Brett Favre with 263 career TD passes against a Buccaneer pass defense, which has allowed just 178 yards per game this season. The Packers are limiting teams to an NFL-low 54.3 rushing yards per game

Chicago at Atlanta: The Bears rank last in the NFL in rushing, averaging a dismal 51.5 yards per game.

Minnesota is at New Orleans: Randy Moss and Chris Carter each have just 11 receptions through three games, tied for fourth-most on the Vikings.

Jacksonville at Seattle: QB Matt Hasselbeck, acquired from Green Bay to be the Seahawks' quarterback of the future, has been dismal in three straight games. The third-year quarterback has no touchdown passes, three interceptions and a quarterback rating of 48.9.

Dallas at Oakland: The Cowboys are off to their worst start in 12 years. Dallas has a total of 13 turnovers in three games. The Cowboys had only one-first down and 11 rushing yards in the first half and four fumbles in a five-minute span in the second quarter in a 40-18 loss to the Eagles.

Buffalo at the Jets: New York has the worst rushing defense in the NFL, allowing 164.7 yards per game and five yards per carry.

Kansas City at. Denver: The Chiefs four-game winning streak against the Broncos is its longest since taking six straight in this series from 1970-1973.

Eagles vs. Cardinals: Philadelphia is allowing just 251.0 yards per game, second-best in the NFC. That's not good news for Jake Plummer and the Cardinals.

BenMaller.com Trivia Question of the week:Which NFL team holds the record for most first downs in a season?? Answer Later.

It can't be a good sign for the Lakers that Mitch Richmond is having trouble with his knees the first week of training camp.

Magic Johnson is a Fat guy. Magic bought the Fat Burger restaurant chain this week. I have some ideas on new burgers: the "Benoit Burger" for ex-clipper Benoit Benjamin, the "Hot Plate Burger" for ex-Clipper John Williams, the "Barkley Burger" for Charles Barkley, the "Nasty Burger" for Magic Johnson's biggest fan Joe McDonnell.

Denver Nuggets coach Dan Issel shouldn't be surprised that ex-Laker Isaiah Rider skipped media day and his first practice. Rider probably needed an extra couple of hours of sleep.

Rider did eventually make his way to Denver.

According to Peter Vecsey in the NY Post this week the Knicks are about to trade guard Charlie Ward. My reaction is who would want him? Can you find a more average player in the league? The Warriors and Jazz are supposedly interested.

Did you know the Wizards and Boston Celtics have a preseason game at a brand new casino in Connecticut? How convenient for Michael Jordan. He'll be at the black jack tables by halftime.

Gary Trent is a good pick up for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Memo to NBC Sports, Just because Pat Croce, Jayson Williams and Mike Fratello are on your NBA coverage doesn't mean I'm going to watch. Williams figures to be alot like Charles Barkley, he'll speak his mind. Croce brings lots of passion to the job, but will he be good on the air? I don't know what Fratello is going to add. NBC should have stolen Barkley away from TNT.

I'm very excited to promote the brand new BenMaller.com Links page. Updated with more to come Big Ben's Link Page.

NBC kept Ahmad Rashad and Hannah Storm while dumping P.J. Carlesimo and Kevin Johnson.

I'm sad that 76ers guard Allen Iverson won't be releasing his rap CD "40 Bars." How can the NBA go on?

Notre Dame's football team is 0-3, and Lou Holtz at South Carolina is 3-0

Louisville and Colorado State played one of the worst football games I have seen in sometime. The Cardinals should have been up 17-0 in the first half instead they scored just seven points in the whole game. I'm already 0-1 betting on the football weekend, this is not going well.

Just what degenerate gamblers need... Another bowl game to bet on!

I realize how tough it is for a school like CSUN to compete on the football field with UCLA and USC for talent and attention in the Los Angeles market. That said, it's pathetic how the university has handled the program. Northridge football never had a fair chance.

There are enough talented football players in So Cal that the Matadors could have developed into a WAC or Mountain West caliber team.

Its interesting to see that the new undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins is heading to Puerto Rico to apologize. Hopkins degraded the Puerto Rican flag earlier this year. I'm guessing some potential advertisers asked Hopkins to do this.

It's hard to believe that it's Hockey season yet again...

Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit and Colorado did the best jobs in the NHL offseason.

Jarimor Jagr escaped from Pittsburgh to play for one of my favorite NHL Coaches Ron Wilson of the Capitals.

Jeremy Roenick and Jan Hlavac were picked up in the offseason by the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Red Wings brought in veterans Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.

Colorado lost defenseman Ray Bourque to retirement. They did re-sign Rob Blake, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy.

Southern California has no NFL teams, and two hockey teams. Both the Kings and Ducks share one thing in common, a coach named Murray.

The Kings Andy Murray is a good coach and great with the LA Media. I wonder though if the Kings realize what they had in Larry Robinson who guided the New Jersey Devils to yet another Stanley Cup Finals appearance last season.

Felix Potvin is the key in net. One hockey preview magazine predicted that he would struggle and end up in the minors. Another said that the loss of Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille over a full season would come out over the course of a long regular season. I think the Kings will be a playoff team again.

Steve Heinze is supposed to fill the shoes of Luc Robitaille.

From what I have been told by Ice Insiders, the Mighty Ducks are headed to a last place finish in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are wasting the skills of Paul Kariya. I'm hoping that Jeff Freisen can be a spark. Problem is there is not enough talent on this team to win. New coach Bryan Murray has his work cut out for him.

Now a message from our sponsors...

A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me and Patrick O'Neal from 2am till 5am(est) Saturday morning.

Sunday morning from 4am till 7am, it's "All Ben Radio", my partner Jason Smith is on vacation. I'll talk about all the college football action and the week's action in the NFL.

BenMaller.com Trivia Answer: The Dolphins hold the NFL record for first downs in a season with 387 back in 1984.

Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week

(3) Oklahoma (4-0) vs. (3) Texas (4-0)

The Line: Texas -3

Did you know? 12 Different Oklahoma players have already scored touchdowns this season.

Big Ben's Breakdown: This game marks the 96th Annual Red River Shootout. The game is played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Oklahoma survived a scare in a 38-37 victory against Kansas State. Coach Bob Stoops will make the necessary adjustments to avoid such a near disaster this week. Under Stoops the Sooners are 8-1 against ranked teams, including victories in seven straight. OU has played seven top 10 teams with Stoops coaching, winning all of them by an average of 21.4ppg.

The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in scoring at 45.0ppg, while ranking fourth in total offense 423.0ypg. Oklahoma can match that offense, ranking 2nd in the Big 12 in scoring at 40.0ppg and sixth in total offense 388.0 ypg.

Sooner RB Quentin Griffin leads the team in both rushing (368 yards, four TD's) and receiving (21 receptions, 220 yards, one TD)

Texas QB Chris Simms leads the Longhorn offense. Simms has thrown for 884 yards and six TDs, while tossing just two interceptions.

Sooner defenders were embarrassed with their play against KSU. LB Rocky Calmus leads the Big 12 with 47 tackles, Safety Roy Williams has 38 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and a pair of picks. Defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson has 8 tackles for losses already. Oklahoma is the most aggressive defense in the country, they can play smash mouth football with anyone.

The Texas defense has done its job as well, so far, allowing a mere 13.5 points and just 293.0 total yards per contest. Linebacker Derrick Johnson is the team's leading tackler through the first four games, tallying 37 total stops on the year, including 26 unassisted efforts. Johnson also has three sacks and seven TFLs. Texas is one of the Big 12's better defensive teams against the run, permitting an average of just 92.2 rushing yards per game -- good for fifth in the conference.

This is the game of the college football weekend. The winner of this matchup will have the inside track to playing back in Dallas on December 1st for the conference championship, as well as a legitimate chance of heading to the Rose Bowl on the New Year. To me, this is the first real test for Texas. While Oklahoma had to battle down to the final play a week ago to beat Kansas State. The Sooners are the better football team and have performed better in big game situations like this.... Boomer the Sooner will roll again!

BenMaller.com's Final Score:Oklahoma 38, Texas 24

Other College Picks: Virginia Tech -15 at West Virginia, North Carolina -6 vs. East Carolina, Wisconsin -14 vs. Indiana, LA-Lafayette +33 1/2 at Arizona State, Pittsburgh + 6 1/2 against Notre Dame.

Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week

New England Patriots (1-2) at Miami Dolphins (2-1)

The Line: Dolphins-10

Did you know? The Patriots have allowed 101 sacks in their last 31 games (10-21) dating back to last season -- allowing three or more sacks in 17 of those contests -- this after allowing just eight sacks in their first four games (4-0) in '99. While the Dolphins have committed 14 turnovers in 13 wins, 20 turnovers in six losses dating back to '00.

Big Ben's Breakdown: The Patriots made me look like a jack ass last week in a 31-point upset of Indianapolis. I'm betting that New England can't do it 2 weeks in a row. QB Tom Brady was 13-of-23 passing for a 168 yards and a winner in his first NFL Start replacing the Injured Drew Bledsoe.

The Dolphins defense needs to bounce back after allowing 451 yards to the St. Louis rams in a 42-10 ass kicking last weekend. Miami has won the past four meetings in the series and 18-of-24 against New England overall.

Antowain Smith of the Pats ran for a pair of touchdowns and 94 yards. New England had 177 rushing yards against the Colts front seven. They won't be able to run the ball against the Dolphins D.

Miami must put more pressure on the Quarterback, the Fish have just four sacks through three games this season. Zach Thomas, who suffered torn knee ligaments in the loss in St. Louis, is considering suiting up against the Patriots.

The Dolphins' schedule gets considerably easier over the next several weeks. Their next four opponents - New England, the New York Jets, Seattle and Carolina - are a combined 4-8 this season.

Miami needs to take advantage. The key to this football game is to jump ahead early and force the Patriots to pass the football with Tom Brady.

BenMaller.com's Final Score: Dolphins 28, Patriots 10

Other NFL Picks: Tennessee +3 1/2 at Baltimore, NY Giants -14 vs. Washington, Cleveland +3 against San Diego, Kansas City +10 against Denver, Carolina +7 at San Francisco and Oakland -18 against Dallas

Sound Off: Send questions and comments to Big Ben by CLICKING HERE!
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Ben Maller.com's Thursday Night, Three Star College Pick

Colorado State (2-2) at Louisville (4-1)

The Line: Louisville -8

Location: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000) Louisville, Kentucky

Big Ben's Breakdown:The Cardinals' don't lose very often on their home field. Louisville doesn't get many chances to play on National Television. They need to take advantage of this game. QB Dave Ragone, leads Conference USA in passing efficiency (147.5), He has been solid this year, completing 58.4 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards and nine TDs. This is also a revenge game for the Cards who lost 22-17 to Colorado State in the Liberty Bowl a year ago.

Ram's coach Sonny Lubick said Saturday afternoon that he finally saw the type of team his Rams had hoped to be in 2001 and the offense stepped it up with a strong effort in the 42-14 victory last weekend. Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt, making the first start of his career, led an offensive attack that gained 435 total yards, 302 of which came on the ground.

The Rams defense has been burned by the running game, allowing opponents an average of 184.5 yards per game

CSU has been a very hot and cold this season. The Rams played well last week so I look for a poor showing this time around. Bottom line is the Cardinals are the better football team.

Ben's Pick: Louisville 35, Colorado State 24

This information is for entertainment purposes only permalink

Wednesday, October 03, 2001

The Walks Heard Round the World

By Ben Maller

It would be the greatest chapter in the storied Dodger-Giant rivalry. A better moment than Bobby Thomson's "Shot heard round the world." Here is what I'm hoping for, that Barry "The Jerk" Bonds doesn't hit homerun #70 before Friday. That would set up perfectly the Dodgers three game series at Pac Bell.

Skipper Jim Tracy could become a living legend if he does what I and many fans of the Blue would love to see. Intentionally walk Bonds everytime he bats this weekend. Let's face it, the Boys in Blue don't have much to play for, they have already been knocked out of the playoff race. Could you imagine the headlines around the sports world If the Dodgers gave Barry the ultimate "screw you!"

Mark McGwire would keep his homerun record and the Dodgers would keep one of the biggest jerks in the history of the game from being the new homerun king.

Real Dodger fans don't want to see a San Francisco Giant the baseball homerun champ.

Next time a Giants fan gives you a hard time give them some hard cold stats...

The Dodgers have been in LA since 1958, they have made 13 playoff apperances, won 9 pennants and 5 world championships.

The Giants have been in San Francisco since 1958, they have made 6 playoff appearances, and won 2 pennants with NO WORLD TITLES.

Ben's favorite moments in the Dodger-Giant rivalry.

1.) 1956 Jackie Robinson retires from baseball rather than play for the Giants. The Dodgers had traded Robinson after a 10-Year run in Brooklyn that included six world series appearances and rookie of the year and MVP awards.

Jackie Robinson in 1947. (Sporting News Photo)

2.) 1993 Having long been eliminated from the NL west race the Dodgers swept a four game season ending series against San Francisco at Dodger Stadium. The highlight was a 12-1 final on the final Sunday of the season. Thirdbaseman Matt Williams of the Giants called the Dodgers "Bush" for playing so hard.

3.) 2000 Journeyman shortstop Kevin Elster who had not played the year before and had hit just 15 homeruns his previous two seasons combined, hit three homeruns to spoil the first game every played at Pac-Bell Park.

Kevin Elster in 2000. (AP Photo) permalink

Tuesday, October 02, 2001

The Clips meet the media

By Ben Maller

On a sunny 90 degree day at LA Southwest college, the Clippers opened up training camp with the traditional "Media Day". This day, though, was unlike any other media event in franchise history, the media actually showed up.

Led by Lamar Odom, the Clippers were the most improved team in the NBA a year ago. The Clips won 31 games, a 15 game improvement from the year before. Coach Alvin Gentry is going to have lots of pressure to improve again by at least 10 games and make the Western Conference playoffs.

I asked Clippers' vice president of basketball operations Elgin Baylor if center Michael Olawakandi had to play better for this team to make the playoffs.

"We all need to play better. A lot of people just keep picking on Michael. If you look at statistics, you check and see how many centers in this league average more than 10 rebounds and double figures in scoring. If Michael played 38 minutes a game, he would very well average those numbers." Baylor said.

The "Kandi Man" averaged 8.5ppg and 6.4rpg last season. However he shot just 43% from the floor

Elgin was also asked if the team is going to make any deals.

"We need to find out who the best players are before we make any moves." Baylor said.

The most excitement at media day was around power forward Elton Brand. Acquired from the Chicago Bulls for forwards Tyson Chandler and Brian Skinner.

I asked Brand how important camp is.

"It's important to get in shape. Most of us are in shape. We have been here all summer working out. It's important to gel and get to know each other," Brand said.

Staples Center last season started to turn into a real home court for the Clips. LA won 13 of their final 16 home games to finish 22-19 on their court. The fans were true basketball fans, not like the Hollywood types that go to Lakers' games. The Clippers played in front of a franchise record 11 sellouts

Team captain Lamar Odom seemed excited to open camp

"It's turning around slowly but surely, it hasn't turned around all the way yet. We still have a lot more improving to do. On and off the court we really like being with each other, that's the first step, because we are going to lose some games. When you lose some games its definitely a lot harder when guys don't like each other." Odom said.

Odom said he's ready for the high expectations.

"Its going to take a year or two to be where we really want to be. That's part of the maturing process, being a young player in the NBA. We want to be playing deep in the playoffs, hopefully contending for a Western Conference spot. You have to set your goals high in life." Odom said.

Lamar averaged 17.2ppg 7.8rpg and 5.2apg (also recorded a franchise record four triple-doubles)

I ran into longtime Clipper sharp shooter Eric Piatkowski towards the end of the afternoon. I asked Pike what he thought about all this attention.

"I was watching one of the news stations the other day and I said to my wife, hey their is Fred Roggin, I've never seen him at a Clipper function, and today Fred came to media day that's the first time I've ever seen him. It just shows that there is some excitement and the media knows now people want to know about the Clippers," Piatkowski said.

Piatkowski is in his seventh season with the club. We talked about media day 5 years ago in San Diego when a total of 10 people showed up to conduct interviews. Today.every LA TV station, sports' radio station, and newspaper had someone on hand. As it turned out, I was the only on-air radio personality who showed up, other than Lee Klein who is employed by the club.

Pike told me the Clipper jokes have started to slow down.

"I can't believe all the positive stuff people have said to me, when you go around town with your family. Its amazing how many people were actually watching the Clippers last year and are excited and want us to do well." Piatkowski said.

If the chips fall right, Los Angeles could have a Lakers vs. Clippers NBA opening-round playoff series. Remember, the Clips beat the Lakers last season for the first time in four years.

Look at the best pictures from NBA Media Day By Clicking Here permalink

Monday, October 01, 2001

Ben Maller.com's Monday Morning Quarterback

by Ben Maller

I'm starting to believe that some NFL teams are trying to make me look bad on purpose.

How else can you explain what happened with the Indianapolis Colts not only not covering against the Patriots, but losing by 31 points? Remember QB Tom Brady was making his first NFL Start.

It was good to see Edgerrin James bring his A Game to the table with 55 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Indianapolis has lost 9 of its last 11 games at Foxboro Stadium. Why? The Patriots have sucked over the last few years.

Then how about those Bengals... 2-0 and heading into San Diego. The game was tied at seven and then they had to play the third quarter. Cincinnati collapsed like a house of cards. The Bengals had been a team that had taken advantage of mistakes. In this game they were the team making the mistakes with four turnovers, including Jon Kitna's first three interceptions.

The NFL has a new star named LT. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 104 yards and scored touchdowns on three straight second half possessions. San Diego won 28-14.

I still want to see Tomlinson put up big numbers against the Raiders and Broncos. However he is off to a hell of a start in his NFL Career.

So that means my two NFL Picks the Bengals and Colts lost by a combined 45 points. I was starting to feel bad Sunday afternoon because I gave out such pathetic picks right here on BenMaller.com. Then I checked my e-mail and saw all you guys that had jumped on the "Bet against Big Ben bandwagon" after my Oklahoma pick on Saturday. That made me feel better.

Don't worry I won't stop picking games and they will remain free for now. Heck, who would pay for them anyway?

Other NFL Notes and Thoughts on this Monday Morning...

Since 1991, there have been 51 teams to start a season 3-0, 40 have gone on to make the playoffs. Will the 3-0 Chargers make it?

Jerry Rice of the Raiders caught a pass in his 228th straight game. Rice had 5 catches for 91 yards including a pair of td's against the Seahawks. I'm sure the 49ers couldn't use him anymore.

Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren should use the "Lemon Law" to get out of the 5-Year $24 million dollar contract he gave QB Matt Hasslebeck.

Hasslebeck was 14-of-27 for 167 yards and an INT against Oakland. He has yet to throw a touchdown this season.

On paper, Dolphins' coach Dave Wandstedt's plan to run the football and keep the Rams' offense off the field made sense. On the turf in St. Louis it did not. RB Lamar Smith rushed for just 48 yards on 19 carries. The Fish were fried 42-to-10 by the Rams.

Classic Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk at home in the dome. Warner 328 yards passing and four touchdowns. Faulk totaled 160 yards and scored three touchdowns.

St. Louis is 17-3 when Warner throws for over 300 yards, Don't most teams win when their QB does that?

The Baltimore Ravens' defense led by Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware held the Denver Broncos to 228 yards and 13 points. The Broncos had scored 69 points in the first two games of the season.

Lewis had 10 tackles and sacks. Boulware had eight tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.

Bal TE Shannon Sharpe had five catches for 50 yards in his first game back in Denver.

RB Terry Allen had 65 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Minnesota avoided their first 0-3 start in 34 years.

Daunte Culpepper shut up his teammates with 322 yards passing and the game winning td Run.

Same old sorry-ass Buccaneers' offense: Brad Johnson failed to throw a td. He did have an interception on the day.

Keyshawn Johnson, the pride of Los Angeles, had seven catches for 96 yards.

Randy Moss the NFL's best player, according to many, still has yet to score a touchdown this season.

It was nice to see football back at Giants' Stadium just across the river from the World Trade Center. Ron Dayne looked like he was in Madison, Wis with 111 yards rushing and a td.

The Giants' defense was outstanding, holding Ricky Williams to 53 yards on 16 carries.

Memo to those of you who have the Saints marching into the Super Bowl. It's not going to be that easy.

New York and New Orleans really showed what the NFL is all about. The teams combined for over 200 yards in penalties.

Sorry Charger fans, the Cleveland Browns have been the most impressive turnaround story in the NFL. Coach Butch Davis appears to be a keeper as the Browns upset Jacksonville 23-14.

Cleveland held a 321-to-259 advantage in total yards.

It should also be noted the Jaguars lost QB Mark Brunnell to a head injury late in the first quarter.

How about the Packers' defense, limiting Carolina to just 169 total yards.

Does Panthers' rookie Steve Smith still get a pay check after fumbling the first two kickoff returns in the second half leading to 14 Green Bay points?

The Bills should try and draft some offensive lineman. Rob Johnson was sacked four more times on Sunday. Did you know that Johnson has been sacked four or more times in 11 of his last 14 starts? That could explain why the Bills are off to a 0-3 start for just the second time since 1986.

Don't think because the Steelers won Kordell Stewart had a good game. He didn't. "Slash" was 15-of-22 for just 107 yards. Jerome Bettis lead the Steelers' bus, with 114 yards

The Redskins have been outscored 112-to-16 in the first three games of the season. Jeff George is smiling someplace, Daniel Snyder is not.

Kansas City scored on seven straight possessions in the 45-13 ass kicking of Washington.

Deion Sanders retired because he knew the Skins were going to be this bad.

Was that really Chris Chandler who passed for 286 yards and three touchdowns for the Falcons in a 34-14 rout of the Cardinals?

Arizona QB Jack Plummer tossed three more interceptions as he continues to stumble through his NFL career.

I can hardly wait for that week six showdown in Dallas between the Cowboys and Cards.

ESPN would have gotten higher ratings showing a strong man contest instead of the Eagles and Cowboys.

The only people watching in the 4th quarter, were degenerate gamblers worried about a backdoor Dallas cover.

Philadelphia scored 26 points in the second quarter off four fumbles and a blocked punt.

Donovan McNabb tossed three touchdown passes and sat in the fourth quarter.

Jerry Jones must have been excited to see his Cowboys offense produce one first down and 11 yards in the first half.

I was driving to the Fox Broadcast center listening to Joel Myers and Bob Trumpy call the game on the radio. Trumpy was so embarrassed he told the listeners to turn the radio to FM or turn it off.

Emmitt Smith who had just 58 yards on 16 carries summed up Dallas' season best.

``We're averaging four, five turnovers a game. I think any one of the high schools here in Philadelphia could've beat us at that rate,'' Smith said.

Attention ABC Sports advertisers... In three weeks the Monday night game is the Cowboys hosting the Redskins. That's good scheduling by the league.

Rumors Sunday said that the NFL is considering moving the Super Bowl to New York. I think the game should be played at the Rose Bowl. LA has been screwed over more by pro football than any other city in America. Paul Tagliabue should wake up and realize he is commissioner of a league that does not have a team in America's second city.
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Sunday, September 30, 2001

Coming Monday, Big Ben is your Monday Morning Quarterback

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