Stephen Kelley of WQOW ABC 18 co-hosts a weekly fantasy football radio show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After the jump you can listen to “Fantasy Football Weekly” on Sports Radio 1400.

You can DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN HERE

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

Stephen Kelley of WQOW ABC 18 co-hosts a weekly fantasy football radio show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After the jump you can listen to “Fantasy Football Weekly” on Sports Radio 1400.

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

You can download and listen here

Stephen Kelley of WQOW ABC 18 co-hosts a weekly fantasy football radio show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After the jump you can listen to “Fantasy Football Weekly” on Sports Radio 1400.

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

You can download and listen here

Stephen Kelley of WQOW ABC 18 co-hosts a weekly fantasy football radio show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After the jump you can listen to “Fantasy Football Weekly” on Sports Radio 1400.

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

You can download and listen here

WQOW ABC 18′s  Stephen Kelley co-host a weekly fantasy football radio show here in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After the jump listen to “Fantasy Football Weekly on Sports Radio 1400″

And check out the Week 3 NFL Lines at Doc Sports Service

Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE

Group E is made up of the offensive-minded Netherlands, the physical Cameroon, attacking Denmark and Japan.

The Netherlands (also refereed to as Holland) have dominated in qualifying and friendlies leading up to the World Cup, but none of that matters until they can win on the big stage. They have a history of under-performing against quality opponents. The talent is always there, but they just never live up to expectations. As a matter of fact, they just may be the most talented nation to have never won the World Cup.

by Justin Mertes-Mistretta

• The Netherlands play a style called “total futbol”, which means no player is stuck at one position. For instance, Gregory van der Wiel is a starting defender, but in Holland’s “total futbol” scheme van der Wiel can move up and become a forward, which he often does.  This style demands versatile, skilled players and Holland has just that. The Netherlands are like the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. Everything from their bright orange jerseys to their high-flying offense with Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben (though he is out for the first game with an injury), Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder.

• If there is one downfall of the Netherlands it is team chemistry. Robin Van Persie told the press earlier this year that Dirk Kuyt had no business being on the roster. Arjen Robben has the tendency to have Terrell Owen-like outbursts if things aren’t going his way. Funniest of all, Gregory van der Wiel was seen at a Lil Wayne concert the night of a match this year. Holland could have all the talent in the world, but if they self-destruct then it won’t matter.

• Cameroon is led by Inter Milan star Samuel Eto’o. The bigger the match, the better Samuel Eto’o seems to perform. He will be playing in front of his home country on the biggest stage of his life, so let’s hope this trend continues.  He is the heart and soul of this Cameroon team and will need to be the star that he is for them to do well.

• Japan and the U.S. are eerily similar when it comes to soccer. In both countries the sports of soccer is overshadow by baseball. In Asia, South Korea is the dominant country and in North America, Mexico is the powerhouse. Just like the U.S., Japan has a chance to make soccer relevant in their country.

Favorite – Netherlands: No surprise here. The only team that can beat the Netherlands in this group is themselves.

Player to watch – Robin Van Persie: When healthy, RVP is one of the most exciting players on the planet. He makes defenders look silly with his moves. He’s the soccer version of the Professor from And 1 Streetball. Keep a pee bottle next to your seat, because when Van Persie is in the game you won’t want to leave the TV for a second. Watch these highlights. If you are pregnant or suffer from heart problems, I would advise you not to watch this video as it may be too exciting.

Game to watch – Cameroon vs. Denmark – June 19, 2:30 P.M. (ET): This game will be a contrast of styles. Denmark loves to attack, while Cameroon is a physical team that looks to counter. Two of the better strikers in the group – Samuel Eto’o and Nicklas Bendtner – will be matched up here. Also, look for things to get chippy between defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen and the physical Cameroon players.  Poulsen once stepped on a players head during a game and also spit at Italy’s Francesco Totti during the Euro Cup ’04.

Prediction

1 – Netherlands (9 pts)

2 – Cameroon (4 pts)

3 – Denmark (4 pts)

4 – Japan (0 pts)

Read more articles by Justin Mertes-Mistretta at http://www.percysperspective.com/

As many media members know, Rodgers has been anything but interesting to interview in the past. Sometimes it is hard just to get him to talk. On ESPN Radio Milwaukee earlier this week, Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically took jabs at ESPN analysts: Tony Kornheiser, Ron “Jaws” Jaworski and even Marcellus Wiley. To be fair to Rodgers, he has been on Homer’s show before, so many of his comments were surely in jest. However, the comments directed towards those not on the show seemed fairly forthcoming. The full interview can be heard here.

by Justin Mertes-Mistretta

When asked about PTI’s co-host Tony Kornheiser, Rodgers boldly stated:

“Tony’s stuff wasn’t funny at all. He did no research. We’d sit in those production meetings and he would add absolutely nothing to the conversation. I’d be like, ‘What are we doing here? This is stupid.’… You get in there with Tony and he’s asking you all these dumb questions that have no application to the game you are playing or anything you are doing. He’s terrible on [PTI], too.  I don’t think he’s funny. I don’t think he’s insightful. I don’t think knows anything about sports.”

As Eminem says in 8 Mile, “Ward, I think you were a little hard on the beaver.” No doubt, Tony Kornheiser was pretty bad on Monday Night Football and his harassment of Hannah Storm was uncalled for. However, it’s impressive for PTI to be one of the most watched shows on ESPN considering it has a co-host who, “doesn’t know anything about sports,” as Rodgers frankly stated.

Rodgers’ “love” didn’t stop there. The Packers’ quarterback was critical of former Eagles quarterback and current NFL analyst Ron Jaworski, calling his analysis of Rodgers’ fundamentals before the NFL draft, “the worst segment in the history of TV.” He also went on to express his disdain for former Cowboys defensive end and current NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley:

“You look at Marcellus Wiley up there talking about quarterback play. The guy was a defensive end for a few years in the league. He’s not any good.”

Wiley played in the league for ten years, which is eight more than Rodgers. Despite having back-to-back impressive seasons, Rodgers still has a lot to prove, especially if he is going to talk down to seasoned veterans like “Jaws” and Wiley. Plus, calling out analysts behind their backs usually isn’t the best thing for PR.

Justin Mertes-Mistretta is a senior editor for the Sports Bank.net mainly covering the NFL, NBA playoffs, college basketball (Ohio State), and fantasy football. Follow him on twitter at MertesMist_tsb or become a fan of his blog here.

Peter Christian talks with up and coming rapper Prote-J about recording Prince Fielder’s at bat music, what his at-bat music would be and what we can expect next from the young budding star.

The Deposit – Peter Christian and Prote-J get into one of Peter’s favorite topics – At Bat Music

Be sure to check out Prote-J’s website

By Paul M. Banks

This is why I’m proud to be from the same hometown as Pat Fitzgerald. Well sort of, he’s from Orland Park, IL and I’m from Palos Heights which are pretty much the same exact place in the grand scheme of things.

This video, captured by John Tsarouchas of Palestra.net/ ESPN UWIRE is a MUST WATCH! Fitz gets candid in describing the offensive line, which has not been very good at run-blocking or pass-blocking this season. (Other than that though, they’ve been just fine!) It isn’t a Mike Gundy or Dennis Green level rant, but it certainly will get more reporters interested in coming out to cover practice. And getting to hear this gem makes listening to 1,000 “we’re just focusing on what we do” and “we’re just focusing on our next game, not looking ahead” type cliches worth the while.

Good job Tsarouchas. Enjoy

The Deposit – Peter Christian and Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLBTradeRumors.com talk about the hectic offseason that awaits Major League Baseball.