Finish Strong Podcast

Finish Strong Podcast #2 is finished and ready to go. Hope you take a few minutes and listen.

Topics this week:
Tony LaRussa
State Champion Notre Dame softball
Sikeston Bulldog football
SIU football (Quarterback Paul McIntosh)
Rams (not much to say...ugly football)

Click here for the Podcast October 25

Click here for: Podcast October 18th (the inaugural Finish Strong Podcast)

OVC Women's Preseason Hoops Predictions

The Ohio Valley conference released it predicted order of finish for women's basketball today. According to the league coaches and Sports Information Directors the three heartland schools will finish in the bottom half of the league and none have any players on the Preseason All-OVC Team.

2009-10 OVC Women's Basketball Predicted Order Of Finish

(Selected by OVC Head Basketball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)

1. Morehead State (Nine first-place votes) 147

2. Austin Peay (Six first-place votes) 146

3. Tennessee State (Four first-place votes) 134

4. Eastern Illinois (One first-place votes) 111

5. Jacksonville State 84

6. Murray State 79

7. Southeast Missouri 67

8. Tennessee Tech 58

9. Eastern Kentucky 54

10. UT Martin 18

2009-10 Preseason All-OVC Women's Basketball Team

(Selected by OVC Head Basketball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)

Player, School (Position)
Chynna Bozeman, Morehead State* (G)

Jasmine Smith, Tennessee State (F)

Jolie Efezokhae, Jacksonville State (F)

Oby Okafor, Tennessee State (F)

Ashley Herring, Austin Peay (G/F)

Nicole Jamen, Austin Peay (F/C)

Tiffany Hamilton, Morehead State (G)

Dominique Sims, Eastern Illinois (G)

Brittany Wiley, Jacksonville State (P)

Nadia Mossong, Eastern Kentucky (F)

* - 1st team All-OVC in 2008-09

OVC Preseason Player Of The Year: Chynna Bozeman, Morehead State

To read the entire press release click here: 2009-10 OVC Women's Basketball

I was not able to simply click on the link using the web browser Google Chrome. So I had to download the .pdf file of the realease. Right click on the link then "save link as".

Debut Of Finish Strong Podcast

Tonight it's the debut of the "Finish Strong Podcast".

I have wanted to do this for a few years, but for whatever reason never got it done.

If you have caught a few of my sportscasts over the past few years you probably saw the Finish Strong segment I end sports with. I try to wrap the show highlighting a crazy play, tremendous achivement or something out of left field (as it relates to sports).

The podcast is an extention of the sportscast. I hope to post a new one every weekend.

Hope you give it a listen.

This is in its infancy...I'll try to improve week to week and bring new ideas and oppinions.

Click here for the debut Finish Strong Podcast

UFL begins tonight (Thursday Oct. 8th)

Are you hungry for more pro football?  The United Football League begins its inaugural season tonight when the California Redwoods and the Las Vegas Locomotives kick off at 8:00 pm.

The games will be broadcast on Versus and HDNet.  You can watch tonights game online at the leagues official website www.ufl-football.com.

I'm anxious to watch tonight.  With Major League Baseball playoffs and college football tonight I can't imagine they draw much of an audience.

There is at least on tie to the Heartland.  Former Murray State linebacker Nathan Williams is on the New York Sentinels roster.

The Sentinels open the season Saturday night at Florida. The game can be seen on HDNet.

Drum roll please....The moment (I'm sure) you have all been waiting for... my UFL predictions.

Las Vegas over Florida to win the UFL Championship.

I like the Locomotives for two reasons.

• Head Coach - Jim Fassel (former head coach of NY Giants)
• Quarterback - JP Lossman (former QB of the Buffalo Bills)

MLB Postseason is set...Almost

The Major League Baseball postseason is set to begin Wednesday night with three games on the schedule. Colorado opens play at Philladelphia (1:37 pm first pitch).

If the Yankess choose the eight-day ALDS they play Wednesday 5:07 pm against the winner of Tuesdays play-in game between Detroit and Minnesota. If the Yankees choice the seven-day ALDS they play Thursday at 5:07 pm.

New Yorks choice does not affect St. Louis. The Cardinals play the Wednesday night at the Dodgers (8:37 pm).

For the sanity of Cardinals Nation I hope Mr. Tony gets the team focused on the task at hand. Forget about the last two weeks (winning two of last ten) and put every ounce of energy into bringing another World Series title to St. Louis.

Click on the picture for a look at the playoff schedule.

Picture: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=09&c_id=stl

HFF Preview: Sikeston (5-0) @ NMCC (4-1)

One of the better games of Week #7 of Heartland Football Friday should be undefeated Sikeston at NMCC. Arlen Pixley's Eagles enter with a record of 4-1 and feature an offense averaging 35 pointer per game.
The Eagles only loss came three weeks ago at Potosi (39-7).

Following the week three road block the Eagles regrouped on both sides of the ball outscoring Charleston and Caruthersville a combined 90-19. Coach Pixley knows it won't be easy for his offense to light up the scoreboard against the tough Bulldog defense.

"We've got to rely on some misdirection against a team as big as they are, as physical as they are." said Pixley, "I think they (Sikeston) are outstanding on defense, the best defense we're going to see this season...I guarantee it."

One of the best may be an understatement. I'll go a step further and suggest the Bulldogs may actually have the best in Southeast Missouri.

Since allowing 20 points to Fredericktown in the season opener the Bulldogs have allowed only six points. Cape Central scored a touchdown in the second half last Thursday night ending Sikeston's streak of three consecutive shutouts. The defense is allowing a Baltimore Raven-esque 5.2 points per game. To make life even tougher for their opponents the offense is chewing up the clock with running back Eli Jackson and his 127.8 yards a game.

As he prepares his team for Friday nights game Sikeston head coach Kent Gibbs says the his defense will face the tough challenge of trying to contain an Eagles team loaded with quickness.

"They have a great amount of team speed." said Gibbs, "G'Darius Stevenson is probably the best player in SE Missouri right now, so we know for us to have a chance in the game we are going to have to do a good job of trying to contain him and limit their big plays."

NMCC has dominated the series the past few years winning four of the last five meetings including four straight.

2008 Sikeston_29 NMCC_40
2007 Sikeston_7 NMCC_29
2006 Sikeston_20 NMCC_27
2005 Sikeston_16 NMCC_19
2004 Sikeston_43 NMCC_14

I will post the interview with Sikeston Head Coach Kent Gibbs as soon as possible. I'm having video issues.

Chase Daniel added to Saints 53 man roster

Former Missouri QB Chase Daniel was signed from the New Orleans Saints practice squad and added to their 53-man roster.

Daniel will travel to Buffalo and take the field Sunday against the Bills as the Saints 3rd string quarterback.  New Orleans needs another QB because wide receiver Lance Moore (the team's emergency qb) is inactive for Sunday's game suffering a hamstring injury.

Daniel has 26 years of NFL experience in front of him: Starter Drew Brees with 9 years in the league and his back-up veteran Mark Brunell with 17.

To make room for Daniel the Saints released center Nick Leckey.