Archives for October 2016

Lovie Smith “Miserable” with Illini Claims ESPN, Coach Responds

October 31, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

All bets are off with Lovie Smith and the Illini football program; both literally and figuratively. The line for Michigan State at Illinois on November 5th opened briefly with the Spartans as 9 1/2 point favorites, but then quickly went off the boards. There is no spread, at all, on the game at any major leading sport book right now.

Vegas simply does not mess around. They are all business so when instances like this occur, something is definitely up.

That something might be Smith being “miserable” in Champaign according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

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Filed Under: Chicago Bears, Illinois Fighting Illini

Jurgen Klopp Has Superlative Praise for Liverpool FC Attack

October 31, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 4-2 yesterday in an exciting, fun-to-watch contest that kept the Reds level with Manchester City and Arsenal a top the Premier League table. The victory included a thrill-a-minute first half where scoring chances were flying about at a fast and furious pace.

Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last eight straight contests, and Manager Jurgen Klopp had extensive praise for the attack.

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Filed Under: Liverpool

Jose Mourinho Tunnel Rant Means He Could Face a Stadium Ban

October 31, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho was sent off Saturday during his side’s 0-0 draw with Burnley. He then relocated to the front row in Old Trafford, but that’s actually closer to the pitch than where he already was, so he was then instructed had to move higher up and further away.

He was then treated to watching his team dominate possession 72%-28%, shots 37-7 in shots and 11-1 in shots on goal yet somehow still not score.

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Filed Under: Manchester United

New York Jets Should Give Christian Hackenberg a Shot Soon

October 31, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

I couldn’t agree more with NFL Network Analyst Michael Robinson, in his summation of the New York Jets’ quarterback struggles: “At some point, you have to see what you have in these young guys like Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick is back to being the starter for now, but he’s obviously not the guy for the future. Today he shook off an ugly first half to throw for 222 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jets (3-5) on three long scoring drives after they spotted the Cleveland Browns (0-8) a 13-point lead.

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Filed Under: NFL

Antonio Conte Disagrees with Sir Alex’s Chelsea Assessment

October 30, 2016 By paulmbanks 1 Comment

Heading into this Premier League season, Chelsea FC were sort of a sexy pick by some pundits to win the league title. Most prognosticators had Manchester City the favorite, with Manchester United being given the second best odds. Chelsea FC often came in third. It seemed to be a consensus that the Blues could be the third best team in the league.

Flash forward to just a few days ago, and Manchester United legend of all legends Sir Alex Ferguson named his league title contenders in an interview.

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Filed Under: Chelsea, Manchester United

John Fox, Chicago Bears Front Office Reportedly All on Hot Seat

October 30, 2016 By paulmbanks 2 Comments

So this is why Chicago Bears Head Coach John Fox has been more condescending and ornery than usual to the media this season.

He’s worried about his job. Fox, even been his standards and those of the Bears organization, has acted more defensive and stand-offish towards the press in 2016 and you can bet the warming temperature of his seat has a lot to do with that.

It’s reportedly not just John Fox, but also General Manager Ryan Pace and the Bears front office who are being intensely re-evaluated at this point. If they don’t impress the outside consultant evaluator, a pink slip could be coming in the near future.

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Filed Under: Chicago Bears

Conte Names Same Chelsea FC Lineup that Thrashed United Last Week

October 30, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

Don’t fix what’s not broken. Chelsea FC Manager Antonio Conte has decided to keep the same exact starting lineup today that he had exactly one week ago. The Blues destroyed Manchester United 4-0 last week, and Conte is keeping the same exact starting XI from that victory in place against Southampton.

Kickoff at St. Mary’s is just minutes away now.

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Filed Under: Chelsea, Manchester United, Southampton

Chelsea FC Match Fitness Report: Cesc Fabregas, Branislav Ivanovic, Kurt Zouma

October 29, 2016 By paulmbanks 10 Comments

Antonio Conte has made clear that Branislav Ivanovic is available for selection for the upcoming game against Southampton while Cesc Fabregas and Kurt Zouma are not. Although Zouma will not be making an appearance for Chelsea in this upcoming English Premier League game, he did play for the Chelsea Under-23 team earlier in the week.

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Filed Under: Chelsea

Miami Hurricanes: Rebuilding Will Take Longer Than Expected

October 29, 2016 By paulmbanks 1 Comment

It wasn’t just Irish Eyes on the Miami Hurricanes today. There were 14 representatives from 11 NFL teams at Notre Dame Stadium; including Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace. Additionally five reps from three bowl games came to South Bend. You even had two individuals on behalf of the Canadian Football League Saskatchewan Rough Riders in attendance.

As HUUUUGEEEEE as the Miami Hurricanes vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish rivalry was back in the 1980s, today’s meeting certainly did not have the same gravitas. You already know that these two teams are not what they were back in the 1980s and 1990s, but they put on a great show anyway.

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Filed Under: College Football

Notre Dame Football: Finishing Foes Off Once Again an Issue

October 29, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

There were 14 representatives from 11 NFL teams, including Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace, attending Saturday’s Notre Dame football game against the University of Miami. Additionally five reps from three bowl games came to South Bend. You even had two individuals on behalf of the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Rough Riders attendance Fighting Irish versus the Hurricanes.

While many or most of those individuals were there to scout individual players, what they all observed was a Notre Dame football that played a familiar song which we’ve heard over and over and over again this season.

This time however the Irish ended it on a positive note, instead of a negative.

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Filed Under: Notre Dame

Chicago Cubs World Series Fan Experience!!! PHOTOS GALORE!

October 29, 2016 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment

No matter who you’re voting for this presidential election, you’re likely disgusted with the whole cycle and you just cannot wait for it to end. There’s still 11 days left unfortunately, but at least we have something else going on that’s big enough to knock the election off the home pages for a few days.

Yes, the Chicago Cubs in the World Series! Yes, I repeat, the Chicago Cubs hosted a World Series game!!! For the first time in 71 years; so that’s enough to take your mind off the election and have some fun for awhile.

AND FUN I HAD!!! Here’s my photo-intense, social media posting driven recap of attending the very first Cubs home World Series game since 1945.

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Filed Under: Chicago Cubs

Liverpool FC Starting XI Prediction vs Crystal Palace

October 29, 2016 By paulmbanks 1 Comment

Liverpool hits the road for the first time in nearly a month when they travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon. The Reds will line up in their normal 4-3-3 and most likely stick with the same line-up they have been using in league games.

Loris Karius will return in net after Simon Mignolet got the start midweek against Spurs in the League Cup. Mignolet has voiced his frustration at his lack of playing time and Karius’ play hasn’t separated himself as the sure-fire No. 1, but he is Jurgen Klopp’s man for the moment.

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Filed Under: Liverpool