Closing Time

Already being December, I've decided it's long past time to make a final decision on the fate of The One To Watch. And I'm afraid it is closing time indeed. My life has become too crazy with our now 3 kids (all under the age of 5!) to continue to write a blog requiring a daily entry. And, for me, that was always the hook to it - that every day could have 1 sports moment you had to watch. God bless ESPN. And I still think it's a great concept. I'm surprised there's not another place in the blogosphere doing this in such a form. Who knows? Maybe there is, but I haven't found it yet.

So I hope ya'll enjoyed my little sports journey here this year. It certainly helped me examine those games, players, and even ladies that I enjoy the most. I'll still be contributing to a fun political blog The Political Spectrum. And, after much tinkering, I've tweaked my personal website Big Daddy Jeff so that it will now serve as Big Daddy's all-inclusive "Wassup?" kinda blog.

Keep in touch, my small band of blogging brothers!

NEW WEBSITE!

I have temporarily suspended my blogging here at The One To Watch until family life settles down a bit. Joe Briscoe was born on October 10, 2006 and is doing great. Hard to believe he's almost 1 month old already. You can continue to follow my various blogging contributions on my personal website:

http://www.jeffbriscoe.com

PRO FOOTBALL: Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Who would have thought the Jaguars would be the focus of 2 TOTW's in less than a week? Even though I picked them to shock Indy and win the AFC South division, not even I saw them having a chance to take the NFL by storm so soon. After a convincing shutout of the Super Bowl champs in a defensive showdown last week, Jacksonville now needs to find some offense for this game against the high powered Colts.

As always, Indy is led by QB Peyton Manning and WR Marvin Harrison . However, missing is Edgerrin James after the veteran RB bolted in free agency. And though Coach Tony Dungy's defense is pretty good, it will always be the play of the offense that defines this team. On the other hand, Jacksonville has adopted the personality of their coach Jack Del Rio. He was a ferocious NFL linebacker for a decade and now his Jags play some tough defense too. But the offensive is still a big uncertainty. QB Byron Leftwich and RB Fred Taylor have lots of ability, but also an equal tendency for injury.

My pick: Jacksonville. I've been so hot with my TOTW picks of late that I'm calling out the upset right here. Take the points, but look for the Jags to win outright.

Today is the 102nd consecutive daily TOTW and it'll also be the last for awhile. With the expected birth this week of our son Joseph Thomas Briscoe, now is an appropriate time for me to put my love of sports and blogging on hold. I'm sure my late night hours will be better spent making bottles, burping, changing diapers, and trying everything to get the little guy to sleep.

Thanks to all my visitors and commenters during the past 3 1/2 months. It's been a great summer in the world of sports and I'm proud that I was able to capture a small part of it. Highlights for me include the exciting World Cup, the tainted Tour de France, baseball's pennant races, the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and the start of the pro and college football seasons. Look for The One To Watch to return at this same url in November. And expect some major tweaking in an effort to stay relevant in this overly-crowded blogosphere.

Finally, let me not forget my favorite part of TOTW - the girls. I think I've delivered photos of an eclectic bunch of athletes, celebrities, and other fine looking women. Ranking my top 5 has been fun too. But it turns out that my #1 choice today remains the same as it was 3 months ago or 3 years ago. It's the ultimate vixxen of the sports world (and baseball fan) Anna Kournikova.

I wish Anna made a bigger mark in the world of women's tennis before injuries forced her retirement. And I really wish she wasn't dating a pussy like Enrique Iglesias. However, in spite of these failures, I think 97% of red-blooded American sports fans agree Kournikova is still a winner in our eyes....and the ones who don't are offset by all those Russian hockey players 20 years her senior who were lucky enough to get a piece along the way!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Wisconsin at Michigan

Unfortunately the 4th week of the college football season doesn't look very exciting. But it's a Saturday in September so I can't resist looking here for the one to watch anyway. And while it's impossible to compete with the excitement of last weekend's "Separation Saturday," this one does look unusually uncompetitive. I see plenty of duds like Georgia-Colorado, Florida State-Rice, Auburn-Buffalo, and Oklahoma-Middle Tennessee. So instead let's look at the ones that actually have potential.

The Big 10 provides the best opportunities for decent football with 3 games where the favorites will be looking to avenge losses in these same matchups from 2005. Ohio State-Penn State and Michigan State-Notre Dame both seem like fairly easy wins for the Buckeyes and Irish...on paper, at least! So I'm making the Wisconsin-Michigan game today's TOTW.

Michigan completely dominated Notre Dame last weekend and looks to keep moving up in the polls with a win over the rival Badgers. The Wolverine combination of QB Chad Henne to WR Mario Manningham has been electric. And RB Michael Hart is always steady. But Wisconsin is a stubborn team that knows how to win close games with good defense, conservative play calling, and a power running game. Coach Barry Alvarez may have retired but I predict their formula will still work.

My pick: Michigan. The Wolverines will find a way to win in order to stay alive for the BCS title. But I expect Wisconsin to make it very close.

The #2 babe in our The One To Watch countdown is sexy Indy Car driver Danica Patrick. I'm a big fan of open wheel racing so I realize I'm very biased here. And I think Danica is a winner on and off the track. She caught my attention by nearly winning at Indy in 2005, but it was in that red dress at the 2006 ESPY's where she really impressed me!

GOLF: The Ryder Cup

The last meaningful pro golf event of the year, the Ryder Cup is an exciting team competition that pits a squad of the best American players against one composed of the best from Europe. Played every other year, the Europeans have dominated the competition lately by winning 4 of the last 5 events. But this time US captain Tom Lehman has assembled a talented team with a good mix of veterans and young hungry players.

And yet we know the main focus of play tomorrow will be to see how Tiger Woods looks. For all of Tiger's mastery of traditional tournament play, he's never been a very good team golf player. In fact, the world's #1 player has a subpar 7-11 record with 2 ties in previous Ryder Cup play. I think the primary reason is that Tiger's game above all others depends mentally on him blocking out the rest of the field and merely taking on the golf course. But in Ryder Cup play, not only do you have teammates to support, but the format also mixes it up through different aspects like best ball and alternate shots.

The event starts tomorrow morning with 2 on 2 play. Tiger will be paired with Jim Furyk who always seems to impress in big spots. I'd also like to see Phil Mickelson finish his year with strong play in the Ryder Cup since 2006 will be remembered for Lefty as one filled with the highest of highs (The Masters) and then lowest of lows (72nd hold of the US Open, The British Open).

My pick: Europe. Hope I'm wrong. The 3 day weekend event will be played in Ireland. I'm sure the course is ancient, beautiful, and will probably be a little wet too.

The 3rd place girl of The One To Watch is tennis star Maria Sharapova. I was pleased to see Nike's "pretty girl" win the US Open because it meant additional opportunities to see her in this little black cocktail dress! To Maria's credit, she has managed to balance the endless marketing of her sexy image with also playing very good tennis. That's why she's certainly One to Watch.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Virginia at Georgia Tech

This should be a fun Thursday Night ESPN game out of the ACC. Georgia Tech looked pretty good in a 14-10 loss to Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago. After 2 easy wins against lesser opponents, they're now 2-1. QB Reggie Ball and WR Calvin Johnson have become a dynamic connection. And the Rambling Wreck's defense is always pretty good led by a solid secondary this year.

On the other hand, Virginia is off to a rough 1-2 start. After bad losses to Pittsburgh and Western Michigan (as well as a mere 13-12 victory over Wyoming!), Coach Al Groh's job could soon be in trouble. So far the Cavaliers have already given playing time to 3 different QB's and they obviously haven't found the right one.

My pick: Georgia Tech. One of the best parts of college football is conference games. These teams and coaches know each other well. Let's see who gets the best of this early conference matchup.

Our 4th place babe in the Girls of The One To Watch is beach volleyball star Misty May. I can't tell you how many times I sit through this semi-sport just to watch the long, tan, and athletic bodies of May and her colleagues filling out slim bikinis as they run around fake beaches. Afterall, I was a big Baywatch fan back in the day. No real differences here.

BASEBALL: Minnesota at Boston

It's a slow day in sports so our best bet is to turn to the baseball pennant races. So far, the Mets are the only team who has clinched their division. The Cardinals and A's do appear to have their respective divisions locked up. And the Yankees magic number is down to just 1 game. A Red Sox loss or Yankees win will give the Yanks their 9th consecutive AL East crown. Perhaps the NL West race is the most exciting since Los Angeles and San Diego are exactly tied with 12 games to go. But for today's TOTW, I'm picking the Boston-Minnesota game since it can both clinch the AL East for New York and also give the Twins the lead for the AL Central.

Detroit has indeed come back to the pack, as predicted right here on your The One To Watch blog. I think most people actually saw this coming. The bigger surprise in the AL Central is probably that the White Sox have fallen 5 games back. But I wouldn't count them out yet.

In tonight's game, Boston pitches their ace Curt Schilling. Schill has had an up-and-down year by his lofty standards with a 14-7 record and 4.14 ERA. But he's certainly bounced back nicely from an injury plagued 2005 season. On the other hand, making their run all the more incredible, Minnesota's pitching is in chaos. Liriano and Radke are hurt and they're starting some guy named "Boof" tonight. That's right, rookie Boof Bonser will be taking his respectable 5-5 record and 4.52 ERA to the mound for the Twins. And you know what? They'll probably win.

My pick: Minnesota. How can you go against a guy named Boof?

Since this Sunday will mark the 100th TOTW, today begins my countdown of the top 5 girls of The One To Watch. #5 is pro golfer Natalie Gulbis. She is single-handedly responsible for making the LPGA sexy, even if it's still boring. Gulbis even appears every month in FHM Magazine where she offers suggestions for taking strokes off your game. Hmmm.

QUITE FRANKLY

The football weekend is finally over. And it ended with a ho-hum game last night. But it was nice to see at least one Florida pro team emerge with a win since it was a tough weekend for both the college and pro teams around here. Except for those mighty Gators! Speaking of which, I realized I have a 6 day winning streak going with my TOTW picks. Not too shabby, although since I have no money to wager these days, it's only noted here for foolish pride! Therefore, I'm doing something different today and turning our attention to a tv show.

Today's TOTW is the ESPN 2 show Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. I had thought the much-hyped program had been cancelled due to poor ratings. But with its recent return I heard that it was merely on a "month-long hiatus." Sounds like they're prolonging the inevitable. Regardless, as a former fan of the old ESPN 2 show Talk Two with Jim Rome, I'm glad to see more of this type of programing on ESPN. I like interview shows with more than soundbytes. And while I often disagree with Stephen A's takes, I also respect his willingness to stick out his neck and offer a real opinion. Too many sports hosts speak in generalities to avoid being wrong and somehow not looking like an expert anymore.

Speaking of generalities, there's nothing general about Pete Rose. The all-time baseball hit leader is Stephen A's guest tonight at 11:00pm EST. From the teaser seen on last night's SportsCenter, Rose will be discussing the baseballs currently selling on Ebay that he autographed with the inscription, "Sorry I bet on baseball." Classic Pete. I'm a big fan and wish there were more players and managers like him in MLB. And I think he's done his time and deserves to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. How tame does Pete's crime look in comparison to the steroid escapades that have made a joke out of the record book? Does anyone really think Pete Rose would bet against his own team? This from a guy who played the All-Star game like it was Game 7 of the World Series?

No way. Pete merged his gambling addiction with his pride for his own team. Yes, that was a mistake. But even the MLB Hall of Fame is filled with men who made mistakes. Bud Selig obviously has a personal vendetta against Pete Rose. And if you judge a man by his enemies, this speaks well of Pete Rose. Selig needs to get over it and welcome Rose back into baseball before it's too late.

No prediction for a day in which I discuss Pete Rose? IRONY!!

Here's someone whose likely Pete's type of woman. A femme fatale rumored to have been a lover of Bill Clinton and the star of dark movies like Casino and Basic Instinct....Sharon Stone.