USC Star Tailback Stafon Johnson Survives Freak Accident

Late Monday afternoon during a routing workout at USC’s weightlifting facilities, star tailback Stafon Johnson had a suffered serious injuries while bench pressing. Even though he was being spotted by an assistant strength trainer, the bar carrying over 275 pounds slipped from his hand and crashed down on Johnson’s throat. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where four surgeons spent 7 hours performing reconstructive surgery, which was ultimately successful. Johnson is now in critical, but stable condition according to the latest reports.

According to Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center, the injuries sustained by Stafon were so forceful that they were similar to being thrown through a windshield of a car. Apparently Johnson’s neck was so strong that he was able to keep his breathing passage open, ultimately saving his life. "Had that been any one of us, meaning me, I would not have survived," Hinika went on to say in his press conference today. "His neck was so solid and so muscular, that actually helped maintain his airway." His experience as a top level athlete helped to keep him calm and maintain his composure in a stressful environment that attributed to the success of the surgery and treatment. Hinika says that USC’s 2nd leading rusher and best touchdown producer probably won’t play again this season. The fact is that he’s lucky to be alive.

Now that Johnson is ok, what does this mean for USC football? Certainly a distraction like this tragedy is never welcome, and among many things all those who know, watch, and love Stafon Johnson hope that he will not only make a full recovery, but will be able to continue the game which he loves and has brought him so far. Coming off of a so-so “redemption” victory over the PAC-10 weakest Washington State Cougars, does USC have what it takes to go the distance? They’ll certainly get one of their biggest tests this Saturday.

The California Golden Bears are coming off of an absolutely embarrassing 42-3 thumping by Oregon. Usually after a serious upset, most teams will come back stronger than ever (except for USC against Washington State last week), and if Cal loses this week, they’re season is pretty much over. They’ve got a lot to lose. On the other hand, so does USC. Matt Barkley and stud Safety Taylor Mays are beginning to close in on 100% health, which will certainly help. Stafon Johnson is USC’s current top touchdown producer, and he will be seriously missed by this slightly underachieving offense. Will this be the week the deepest team in College Football turns the corner? Or will they wait to flip the switch until it’s too late like they did against Washington two weeks ago? Whatever the Trojans do, they’d better do it quickly, because short of their bowl game, this will probably be their biggest challenge of the season, all things considered.

Week 4 Pick-em Results. Even more shame.

Another crazy week in college football is in the history books. I’m not necessarily sure what history books those might be, but they might be titled “Why College Football is the Most Exciting Time of Year.” So far, a major top 5 upset has happened each week. Oklahoma in Week 1, Oklahoma State in Week 2, USC in Week 3, and now Penn State in Week 4. Who’s the next loss on the list? Well, it’ll either be LSU or Florida because they play each other in week 6 in what will be one of the biggest college games of the year. Assuming LSU can make it past current No. 18 Georgia (not a given), it will be the first top 5 matchup of the year, it will also be Florida’s first REAL test, considering they’ve only been playing High School teams up to this point. Florida has a bye this week, giving a recovering Tebow a chance to shake off a concussion, so I’m guessing that LSU will probably not have much of a chance. But as my 14-8 record shows this week, you never really know.

It looks like we’re going to have another playoff controversy this year as it seems that Boise State has a pretty good chance to run the table. Considering they’ve only faced and will only face one ranked team this year, there’s a pretty good shot that they’ll make it through. All of the little guys will have more fodder to feel like they should be a part of the big game and that a playoff system is the only real solution. I personally don’t like the idea of a playoff, which I can expand upon later, (quickly though, I feel it would devalue the regular season that we all love so much), but what a playoff would do would obviously put teams like 2008 Utah and Boise State against the big boys. On those regards I’m all for the playoff. It would get the “this isn’t fair” whining monkey off of our back and I don’t think it’d really affect who would wind up in the BCS National Championship game anyway (unless Ohio State is slotted to go to the big dance, even the little guys could beat up on them). If Utah and Boise State have to go through the likes of USC, Texas, Florida, and Alabama just to get to the Championship game, there’s no way we see blue and orange broncos dancing around in the End Zone anyway.

My season-to-date total is now 66-20, putting my winning percentage at a solid C (.77). Although for the record 3 of my 8 losses were losses that every analyst was surprised by. Who knew we’d have three top ten teams fall in one week? It still doesn’t excuse my 5 other bad picks. Shame, terrible shame falls on me like a dark cloud of self doubt.

Hatchline’s Week Four College Pick-em Picks

Winners in BOLD. Picks are for winners only, not to cover point spread.

No. 1 Florida @ Kentucky (6:00 PM ET on ESPN2/360)
UTEP @ No. 2 Texas
Arkansas @ No. 3 Alabama (3:30 PM ET on CBS)
No. 4 Mississippi @ South Carolina
Iowa @ No. 5 Penn State (8:00 PM ET on ABC)
No. 6 California @ Oregon (3:30 PM ET on ABC/ ESPN 360)

No. 7 LSU @ Mississippi State (12:00 PM ET on ESPN 360)
No. 8 Boise State @ Bowling Green (7:00 PM ET on ESPN 360)
No. 9 Miami (FL) @ No. 11 Virginia Tech (3:30 PM ET on ABC/ESPN 360)
Washington State @ No. 12 USC
Illinois @ No. 13 Ohio State (3:30 PM ET on ABC)
Fresno State @ No. 14 Cincinnati (12:00 PM ET on ESPN 360)
No. 15 TCU @ Clemson (3:30 PM ET on ESPN 360)
Grambling State @ No. 16 Oklahoma State
Texas Tech @ No. 17 Houston (9:15 PM ET on ESPN2/360)
South Florida @ No. 18 Florida State (12:00 PM ET on ESPNU)
Colorado State @ No. 19 BYU
Southern Miss @ No. 20 Kansas
Arizona State @ No. 21 Georgia (7:00 PM ET on ESPNU)
No. 22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (12:00 PM ET on ESPN 360)
Indiana @ No. 23 Michigan (12:00 PM ET on ESPN2/360)
No. 24 Washington @ Stanford
Louisiana-Lafayette @ No. 25 Nebraska

Check back next week for my victory. Or check back next week for my shame.

Week 3 Pick-em Results. Shame.

Well, I’m astounded at how poorly I picked last week. The upsets that I picked didn’t happen and the surprises that did happened surprised me more than anyone. After a not-so-respectable week, I declare shame on myself for only going 15-7. I didn’t post my first two weeks, but here is my honest record from the first two weeks so we can get caught up: Week 1: 17-3; Week 2: 20-2. Making my grand total a much more respectable 52-12.

The biggest story of the week of course is USC going down at the hands of a much underrated University of Washington. Or was the USC offense just really OVERrated? It certainly didn’t help that they’re starting QB and best defensive player were sidelined with injuries. Matt Barkley and Taylor Mays certainly count for more than 3 points, but this game was not decided from the QB standpoint or a lack of defense (even though Jake Locker may be the best all-around QB in the nation). The Trojans stayed away from the pass like it was the Ebola virus even after picking up 20 quick yards in the air on the first two plays of the game. USC never threw deeper than about 15 yards.

USC isn’t out of the national championship picture quite yet, after BYU went down, it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to run the table this year, but I still think that USC has one more loss left in them. For the fourth straight year USC goes down on a “gimme” game. In the last seven years, 5 out of 6 USC losses have come against unranked PAC-10 opponents. With a true freshman QB and a new coaching staff, the PAC-10 Championship may be up for grabs more than it has ever been in the 7-year Pete Carroll domination era. USC’s frequent unexpected losses states that either Pete Carroll can’t make it through without a hiccup, or that the PAC-10 deserves more respect that it gets. One things for sure, no conference schedules tougher out-of-conference games than the PAC-10, and that has got to count for something.

The Axe: Arkansas Razorback Nutt Haters (Ole Miss Ranked No. 5 in AP)

A few years back, there was a bit of odd controversy within the Arkansas Razorbacks football program. At the end of the 2007 season Houston Nutt, then 10-year coach of the Razorbacks, resigned as Head Coach. Starting the season ranked at 21 in the AP poll, the Razorbacks faced a few early losses to then insignificant Alabama and Kentucky. After the losses, many fans were calling for Nutt’s head.

According to disgruntled fans and booster club members, there was also a significant problem with their offense. Even though they had the Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden (who was arguably the most talented running back in college football by a mile), for some reason fans wanted to see the ball in the air from the hands of their new, top recruit freshman quarterback, Mitch Mustain. Mustain did win SEC Freshmen of the Year in 2006, but it was mostly at managing the game for Darren McFadden and second punch Felix Jones with a few notable connections to WR Damian Williams. The season was so disappointing that people started delving into his personal life looking for anything that could indict him. Fans and even parents got involved.

During the beginning of the 2007 season, a few parents (reportedly of Mustain, Williams, and a few others) approached coach Nutt in his office and asked what his offensive scheme was going to be. Eventually, Mustain and Williams left for the University of Southern California. The mild-mannered WR Williams has become a star while the “mommy would you talk to coach for me,” “I’m so good I can make it anywhere” Mustain has disappeared into the depth chart. The whole thing sounds like upset rich kid parents charging into the coaches office and demanding that they use their kids and pass the ball more. How the conversation went is irrelevant, when fans, booster club members, and even parents are legitimately trying to regulate the happenings of a football program it’s impossible to win. A football team is a good, old-fashioned fascist regime. One coach should be in control of everything. Not one coach being controlled by everybody. Nutt left the University of Arkansas after his final game against then top-ranked LSU. They won 50-48.

So you Arkansas Razorback fans who were so unhappy with being a 10 win team and being ranked in the top 25 preseason and finding your road taking you all the way to No. 7, you get this week’s Axe. Why you ask? How is a melodrama that happened two years ago relevant now? Houston Nutt and the once dead-in-the-water Ole Miss Rebels currently sit at No. 5 in the AP poll, an achievement that the Razorbacks weren’t even able to get to. See what happens when you let a coach do his job? Even through the obstacles that Nutt went through he ended up with a career 75-48 record with the Hogs, second only to Arkansas coaching legend, Frank Broyles. He groomed a Heisman Finalist, had 10 straight victories in the toughest conference in the country, won an SEC Western Division title, and made Arkansas relevant on the national stage once again. He’s one of the best coaches Arkansas has ever seen and they ran him out of town like a criminal. Razorback Houston Nutt haters, you fail at being fans.

I know this will be hard to hear for all you disgruntled fans, booster club members, and local media, but in the real world, you aren’t going to be in the National Championship race every year (unless you’re USC, Florida, Texas, or Oklahoma, but U of A isn’t even close to being an exception). Get your expectations cleared up. I know they’re being overwhelmed by Bobby Petrino and his 2008’s 5-7 record. Hope you guys can stay relevant… to yourselves.

Hatchline’s Week Three Top 25 Pick-em Picks

Winners in BOLD. Picks are for winners only, not to cover point spread.

Tennessee @ No. 1 Florida
Texas Tech @ No. 2 Texas
No.3 USC @ Washington
North Texas @ No. 4 Alabama
Temple @ No. 5 Penn State
SE Louisiana @ No. 5 Mississippi
Florida State @ No. 7 BYU
No. 8 California @ Minnesota
Louisiana-Lafayette @ No. 9 LSU
No. 10 Boise State @ Fresno State
No. 11 Ohio State @ Toledo
Tulsa @ No. 12 Oklahoma
No. 19 Nebraska @ No. 13 Virginia Tech
No. 14 Georgia Tech @ No. 20 Miami
Texas State @ No. 15 TCU
Rice @ No. 16 Oklahoma State
No. 17 Cincinnati @ Oregon State
No. 18 Utah @ Oregon
Duke @ No. 22 Kansas
No. 23 Georgia @ Arkansas
East Carolina @ No. 24 North Carolina
Eastern Michigan @ No. 25 Michigan

Check back next week for my victory. Or check back next week for my shame.

Dodgers Win in Lucky 13th

National League leading Dodgers faced off against the 55-88 Pittsburgh Pirates last night in hopes of extending their lead against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies lost the San Francisco Giants last night in a 10-2 slaughter and are currently on a 4 game losing streak. Less than a week ago, the Dodgers lead was down to only two games after being as high as 15 ½ back in early June. It’s quickly caught back up to five off of the bat of Andre Ethier.

Andre Ethier saved the day again with another walk-off home run. It was the sixth time he’s done so this year, which is the best in the major leagues. It was also his 30th homer of the season, which leads Los Angeles and certainly solidifies his place as one of the Dodgers major hitters. After the Dodgers couldn’t earn one run in the bottom of the 12th after Juan Pierre hit a triple to the right corner of the outfield with only one down, it looked as though it might just not be their night. Pittsburgh was able to convert in the top of the 13th, making it a go big or go home situation for the Dodgers, who dramatically rose to the challenge.

The supernatural superstition of the number 13 didn’t disappoint. It was an odd inning to begin with and at nearly midnight PST, it had become an eerie chess match between managers Joe Torre and John Russell. Pinch hits, pitching changes, and strategic bunting had become commonplace. It took a fluke line drive into Pittsburgh pitcher, Chris Bootcheck, thigh to allow Rafael Furcal to get on base and bring the potential winning run, Andre Ethier, to the plate. One pitch, one swing, one home run, one 13 inning game in the books.

There are still some questions as to how well the Dodgers are built for the post season. Leaving a man on third when the game is on the line is a situation that raises a few red flags. Going to 13 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates also is troubling. The Pirates have the second worst record in MLB, only above the Washington Nationals, and only by 5 ½ games. If they’re wanting to go far in the playoffs, Dodgers will have to maintain or regenerate their early season success. Dodgers will by all accounts still be the top seed in the National League, but if the playoffs were to start tomorrow, they would face the World Series Champs Phillies in the first round. It will be a seriously tough match-up for LA.

Raiders Get Robbed

Even though there were so many positive things to be taken out of last nights game against the Chargers, the Oakland Raiders still face an all too familiar result: defeat. Newly appointed head coach of the silver & black, Tom Cable seems to be turning this perpetual NFL punch line around.
The one-two punch of the Raiders’ Darren McFadden and Michael Bush proved to be almost too much for the Chargers’ defense. For several key plays, McFadden or Bush were the go-to guys because the Bolts just couldn’t contain them. They completely outshined the headlining LaDainian Tomlinson & Darren Sproles who totaled only 78 yards between the two. McFadden alone held 68 total rushing yards for the evening. The Raiders actually outdid the San Diego on just about every stat that matters, the exception: points.

It is never an excuse to blame anything on the refereeing, and by and large, the evening was officiated very well. The Raiders also had every chance in the world to win that game. No one play decides the outcome of a game. Ever. That’s why the game is four quarters long. There was, however, one situation that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Late in the first half, surprisingly effective Raider Quarterback, JaMarcus Russell hits Rookie WR Louis Murphy (pictured top right) in the dead center of the end zone for a touchdown! But wait, was it? Apparently not. Even though he caught the ball in the air, landed on two feet, then fell to the ground no where near a sideline with his arm under the ball, it wasn’t a touchdown. Even Mike/Mike/Steve Young in the booth were confused as to why it was even being reviewed. It seemed a clear touchdown from everyone’s standpoint except the officials. No touchdown. Instead of going in at halftime up 4 points, it’s a tie ball game at 10-10.

The officials were right to question the call on the field because the ball did move. Nancy Gay of Fanhouse quotes the NFL Rule Book:

"A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure
possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain
control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or
the end zone.”

Let me state once again for the record, I’m an outspoken Kansas City Chiefs fan. The Raiders are the Chiefs’ arch rival (and no, not arch rival for the worst in the NFL… although it could be argued). Both of these teams are in the AFC West with KC. There is no benefit for me to defend either team. So here’s my problem, he DID have possession all the way to the ground. We saw the replay eight times and each time he landed with his arm under the ball. This play should never have been reviewed, let alone REVERSED. Where’s that “conclusive” evidence we hear every single time something’s reviewed. The football moved yes, but it moved with his hand on it, and it moved after he had already originally secured it. If you even take a look at the picture above, the only way Murphy could secure the ball any more would be to put it in a fanny pack. Sorry refs, you messed this one up. Losing those four extra points proved to be incredibly costly; Raiders lose by 4 on the Monday night opener, but like I said, it's never just one play. Sorry Al Davis.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Ok, so I’m not exactly a Swami/Dali Lama/Elijah and I tanked pretty hard on some predictions (well, not so hard, I only went 2-1 this week), but there was plenty of good watching this weekend in the world of football. The NFL kicked off with some pretty fun match-ups and a slow week in the college game ended up with some interesting outcomes.

On the NFL front, pretty much everything went according to plan. The good teams won and the not-so-good teams lost (with the minor exception of the trash bath of Denver vs. Cincinnati). The best match-up of the week was the first, which I covered last week. Steelers/Titans were by far the most evenly matched teams. New Orleans/Lions, Seattle/St. Louis, and tonight’s New England/Buffalo are the most lop-sided matches of the week. All you fanatasy fans had better have started Drew Brees, throwing for 6 touchdowns and 358 yards, he had the biggest opening game in NFL history and tied a Saints' in game record. In the Patriots/Bills game tonight, expect T.O. to have a couple of catches tonight and not much else from the Bills. Tom Brady’s first regular season game back will have a few bumps, but for the most part will be overwhelming for the Bills’ underwhelming secondary. Other than the Kansas City Chief’s surprising decent offense, the 49ers upset over the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals, and Indiana’s lack of scoring, the rest was pretty much a normal day at the office.

While anticipating the 2009 NFL season, the drama of college football was inciting a bang. The two big punches came from Ann Arbor and Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 18th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into Michigan’s “Big House” in Ann Arbor thinking that this Wolverine squad was the same team that lost to Appalachian St. last year only to find a 2nd year coach starting to turn his program around. Several experts (including Lou Holtz and Beano Cook) thought Notre Dame was returning to their former glory just because they aren’t in the stink pot this year and predicted an undefeated, national championship season. Even though they don’t have any ranked team on their schedule besides USC, there’s no way this team will even make it to a BCS game now. We definitively learned that Notre Dame is not the national championship team so many would have loved to believe.

Stillwater, OK. 5th ranked Oklahoma State hosts heavy underdog Houston. The Houston Cougars got out early and it was just too much for the Cowboys to catch up to until they finally took the lead in the 3rd quarter. The fourth quarter became a quick shooting match until the Cougars pulled away in the last 7 minutes of the game. This game was as loud of a wake up call as you can get. Oklahoma State's defense needs some serious work. When it comes time to face Texas, Oklahoma, and even Mike Leach's newly renovated Texas Tech offense, they'll be in serious need to fix some holes. This loss is surely a devastating blow to the Cowboys, but it's also a major blow to the Big 12. With two top 5 losses in the first two weeks for the Big 12, it will take several weeks to bring back legitimacy to their strength of schedules.

As far as the USC/Ohio State game goes, I either drastically overrated USC’s offense, or gave no credit whatsoever to Ohio State’s defense. I haven’t decided yet which is which. Admittedly I put no weight on the power of the 12th man on the field for Ohio State: the crowd. With the Horseshoe filled to capacity at over 102,000, I greatly underrated their influence. USC’s top offensive line was completely neutralized, evening out the mighty Trojan running game. Whether USC’s front five just didn’t show up to play or Ohio State’s defensive line was really that good is difficult to say. One thing’s for sure though, USC did everything they wanted to do the last drive of the 1st half and the last drive of the 2nd half (thanks to Joe McKnight [left]). As far as Ohio State’s offense was concerned, their match up with USC’s spectacular defense was pretty close to what I expected. With the exception of a fluke safety, Ohio State only scores one more field goal than anticipated.

So we’re officially underway. NFL and NCAA are both in full swing and as the top teams try to keep their eyes on the prize, we all keep our eyes open for upsets. We’ve been blessed so far with 3 or 4 big ones in the first few weeks, but don’t get too excited. The best teams always rise to the top. Well… usually.

Super Bowl Champs Pull Out a Squeaker, NFL Back on Top

The NFL season is upon us, and the first game of the year certainly didn’t disappoint. Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers overcame the Titans 13-10 in overtime. But it came with a price, former USC Trojan Troy Polamalu went down and will be out approximately 6 weeks. As the biggest impact player on the Steelers defense, his presence will be greatly missed. These two big physical teams certainly showed that they’re two of the best teams in the NFL and will probably be hanging around at the end of the season. This was probably a preview for the AFC Championship game. Although the Patriots defied all odds and went undefeated, it’s near impossible to win every game, and the Titans will certainly rebound.

In terms of popularity, NFL is still the undisputed heavyweight champion. The season-opening game received incredibly high rating of 17.75 rating. To put that in perspective, it’s the highest TV rating by about 5 points in the last several months. People are aching for football and the NFL has masterfully turned their product into a year-round anticipatory experience. I’m as unbiased a fan as I can possibly be, but I would’ve dropped everything to watch a Raiders vs. Rams opening game, but to see the two of the four AFC powerhouses battling for a good foothold on homefield playoff advantage in September, that’s almost the best opener you could ask for.

There’s really about 4 or 5 teams in the AFC that are relevant and everyone else can be forgotten: Pittsburg, Tennessee, New England, Indianapolis, and Baltimore. AFC Playoffs: #1 Pittsburg (assuming they can still win without Polamalu over the next few weeks), #2 New England, #3 Tennessee, #4 San Diego (because of a weak division), #5 Baltimore (Wild Card), and #6 Indianapolis (Wild Card) – although the Texans might surprise some people and beat the Colts out for this spot.

The NFC is a little more complicated. They’re more like the NBA’s Western conference, there’s a lot of good in the top half, as opposed to the other conference’s top three. The NFC East is going to be a nasty division and the best one to watch. I’ll go ahead and predict the Giants making it to the NFC Championship game and coming out of the division on top, but Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins… someone could potentially win 11 games in that division and not make the playoffs. I’ll go ahead and make my playoff prediction though, but will also refer to the major disclaimer in my previous syntax. NFC playoffs: #1 Giants, #2 Seattle, #3 Minnesota, #4 Carolina, #5 Dallas, & #6 Arizona.

I’ll stick by my AFC predictions, but if my NFC predictions fall through, I’m deleting this post. Enjoy the NFL season everybody. Football is officially back.

Hatchline Remembers 9-11

Eight years ago the United States faced one of its worst tragedies in history. Today Hatchline remembers and thanks all of the Firefighters, Policemen, Volunteers, and Individuals who lost their lives on this day. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten and this date will forever ring of the extremes of humanity: great heroism, selflessness, and love as well as brutality and terror. Although amid one of the worst financial crises in recent American history, we have come together as a nation through these difficult times and will come out on the other side stronger than we were before.

We are so blessed as a country. We have thousands and thousands of people who put their lives on the line everyday for our safety. From the troops overseas to the firefighters who lost their lives in the recent Southern California wildfires, there are men and women who fight, protect, and serve in the hopes that we will be safer tomorrow than we were yesterday. Whether your politics agree, all of these heroes deserve our respect and support. Thanks to all of you who try to help us live in a better world. We can never thank you enough.

Melanie Oudin Goes Down and Tennis is Back to Federer, Nadal, and Williams

For a short time this last week an improbable run was made by young 17 year-old Melanie Oudin (pronounced “OO-DAN”) at the Women’s US Open. Overcoming heavily favored opponents Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, Oudin only showed her age when celebrating her advancement, exuberantly saying “this is my first my first Grand Slam Quarterfinal ever!” She is the youngest to make the US Open Quarterfinals since Serena Williams did it in 1999. She captured the heart of America with her excitement, energy, broad smile, and youthful altruism, but it was not to last.

The miracle run for the unranked American ended yesterday with a 2 set loss to Denmark’s top female tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki. Although Oudin had come from behind in every match after losing the first set, she was not able to rally late in the 2nd yesterday to pull of yet another incredible upset. As one of America’s new bright tennis stars, we’ll be sure to see more of her in the future. Because of her accomplishment, she’s now being compared to Serena, not in playing styles, size, abilities, or practically anything for that matter, but achieving something that only Serena Williams achieved in the last decade is a pretty good start. That Williams girl has done alright… I guess.

So now that the bright, fascinating underdog story is gone, what has tennis come to now? Now that no American made it to the Men’s Quarterfinals for the first time in almost a half century, the US has taken a bit of a backseat, even though we have a guy who can serve the ball faster than anyone EVER at about 150 mph in Andy Roddick. So to the average American sports fans there are three tennis players that exist. But it depends on who you’re asking.

“Real” Sportsfan: 1) Roger Federer; 2) Rafael Nadal; 3) Venus Williams… or is her name Serena?
Female Sportsfan: 1) Andy Roddick; 2) Nadal Federer; 3) … Andy Roddick’s biceps?
Male Sportsfan: 1) Anna Kournikova: 2) Maria Sharapova; 3) and the girl who grunts a lot.
Teenage Sportsfan: 1) … 2) … 3) Does Tom Brady play tennis?
7 Year-Old Sportsfan: 1) Mario Mario; 2) Luigi Mario; 3) Yoshi

Tennis’ main headline may be back to the same boring old Nadal vs. Federer story again, but the King of Clay is right on the Best Ever’s heels. Nadal gains ground on Federer every tournament, and it won’t be too long before we’ve crowned a new King of Tennis. But apparently, some fans already have.

College Football is BACK!!

Welcome back College Football, we missed you dearly. What a weekend! No matter what university you associate yourself with; this was a great opening weekend.

Highlights of the Week:

-Top ranked Florida thumps the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 62-3. They looked good doing exactly what everyone expected them to do, which is probably the hardest thing to do in sports.
-No. 2 Texas beats University of Louisiana Monroe 59-20, which infers that the Big 12 will be following last year’s pattern of a lot of offense and little-to-no-defense. Even with the large margin of victory, ULM Warhawks should not score 20 points against a 2nd rank Longhorn team.
-No. 23 Notre Dame defeats Nevada 35-0. Even though it was Nevada and not a top 25 team, holding anyone to a shut out is impressive, just ask the 2008 USC defense.
-Then No. 3 Oklahoma loses a stunning heartbreaker to BYU. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford goes down with a sprained his throwing shoulder. Bradford will be out approximately 4 weeks. To add insult to injury, OU’s star Tight End, Jermaine Gresham will be out for the remainder of the season after having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. It may be a long couple of weeks for Sooner fans.
-No. 14 Boise St. vs. No. 16 Oregon: Boise domination from the get-go, 19-8 Boise St. final, Blount punch, embarrassment for PAC-10, USC national championship hopes get a little harder.
-No. 4 USC’s true freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, surprised many by having a near perfect game in their 56-3 victory over San Jose St. There may also be some real promise in John Morton, USC’s new offensive coordinator. In comparison to Steve Sarkisian’s Trojan offense, Morton’s play calling was innovative and eclectic, allowing USC to pretty much do whatever it wanted.
-No. 6 Ohio State barely squeaked by Navy with a score of 31-27. It took an interception from Ohio State on a late 2-point conversion attempt to secure the victory, but for some reason, many experts still think the Buckeyes are going to beat USC this Saturday. Hmmm…
-Miami vs Florida St.: by far the best game of the week. It all came down to one last play, but Florida St. couldn’t quite convert after having 6 chances to get into the end zone from within the 5 yard line. 38-34 Final.

LOOKING FORWARD (Can’t Miss Games of the Week):

No 18. Notre Dame @ Michigan 3:30PM ET (on ABC): Finally Notre Dame seems to be out of their 10 year funk, but winning one game decidedly doesn’t mean that they’re going to the National Championship Game, even though that’s what the Notre Dame radio station and the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel (otherwise known as NBC) would have you believe. Michigan had a relatively impressive win last week over Western Michigan. Maybe the Wolverines are back on a track to playing like the “winningest” team in College Football. Prediction: Notre Dame 24-13 over Michigan.

No. 3 USC @ No. 8 Ohio State 8:00PM ET (on ESPN): As the only AP Top 25 match-up of the week, this game is clearly the most intriguing game of the week. Unfortunately, it will also probably be the most disappointing. After finding their groove in the first week, this won’t even be a contest for USC. Ohio State has been deemed a national championship contender for the last 8 years and each year has been proven to not even be in the same stratosphere. This year won’t be any different. Terrelle Pryor will put up a good fight and is worth 6 points, but they don’t have the horses to keep up with the Trojans. Prediction: USC 37, Ohio State 10.

Idaho State @ No. 13 Oklahoma 7:00PM ET: Maybe not a “can’t miss” game, but certainly one you might want to keep your eye on. Idaho State got crushed by Arizona State last week, 50-3. While this game may be near unwatchable football-wise, what will be interesting to see is how OU deals with the loss of two of their best players. This may be a great chance for them to rebound and get their feet settled. Their defense still has some issues though. Prediction: OU 41-10.

Let’s Be Blount, Shall We?

In Oregon’s embarrassing loss to the WAC’s top Boise State was only made more embarrassing by the antics of Oregon’s near uncontrollable Running Back, LeGarrette Blount. Coming off of a season where the Pac-10 suffered a terrible out of conference record that inevitably kept USC out of the National Championship Game, this game against a newly respected Boise State could have been the Pac-10’s most important game of the year. Oregon blew it. Both in the game and after it.

Football-wise, the game was near unwatchable. In the second half, neither team looked great. It felt a little bit like a tennis match with the ball changing hands on seemingly every other play in the beginning of the 4th quarter. It was a 19-8 debacle, that should have probably would have been more in the realms of 39-8 if Boise State could have held onto the ball for more than two snaps. Oregon didn’t even get a first down until halfway through the 3rd quarter. They were slow, deflated, and let Boise State push them around and hit them hard. Apart from one good drive, the only time that the Ducks were able to hit back was after the final whistle.

In case you missed it, here’s the video. On the way back to the locker rooms, Boise State's Byron Hout popped Blount on the shoulder, said something to him, and then turned back to his buddies with a cocky grin on his face. Helmeted Blount then decked un-helmeted Hout in the mouth. The punch landed well because Hout’s eyes rolled back and his knees went out for a second. After back pedaling to the Oregon sideline, Blount got in a quick altercation with a few teammates, and was then literally forced off the field by coaches, teammates, and police officers. Entering the tunnel, a few Boise fans shouted something at him and he turned around and starting to go after them in the stands. The fans quickly backed away, their male ego quickly giving way to reason. Blount was then literally dragged into the locker room screaming the entire way.

Before the game, Blount went on record and said that Boise State was “going to get an @$$ whoppin’.” Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio’s The Herd, received an email from Byron Hout’s alleged brother, Quinn, this morning. Quinn had called Byron this morning to ask what he said. Byron’s response was “All I said was ‘how about that @$$ whoppin’?’” Whether or not that can be confirmed is irrelevant, but regardless of whatever was said or how it was said, in the video, you can see that Chris Petersen, the Boise State Head Coach knows that Hout said something bad. Petersen lunges at Hout to pull him away and get in his face immediately. Before he can get him, Blount strikes and wackiness ensues.

Both parties are at fault here: Hout with his comment and smug frat boy smirk and Blount’s erratic response. Both should be reprimanded, Blount obviously more than Hout. This was his second chance in the last 6 months. Blount has previously been suspended for what has been called “behavioral issues,” and should be suspended at least one game for this outbreak and most probably wouldn’t be surprised if he was suspended indefinitely. Unfortunately for him, his draft status just went from early-mid 2nd round to untouchable. Whatever anyone says to you, you NEVER have the right to hit someone, and he’s going to pay for this mistake. Not only was this on the national stage, but Larry Scott, newly appointed PAC-10 commissioner was AT THE GAME, and like I said, this was one of the biggest games for the PAC-10 all year. Not only did Oregon not represent the conference on the field, but they also absolutely embarrassed them off of it. There will be repercussions.

Regardless of the events and the consequences, a huge commendation needs to go to both the Oregon and Boise State coaching staff. They handled the situation with complete class and were able to swiftly diffuse a potentially disastrous situation. Even though “fights” like this make for great sports talk radio and develops good fodder for writers and bloggers, this is not something that any true sports fan wants to see. It brings shame on the game and making football into a side show spectacle is not in the best interest of anyone.

The Axe: Bail Out Johnny

This is something that I needed to get in before the football season starts. I knew a kid in high school who’s favorite team changed every year, we called him Beetle, I don’t know why, but we did. The Ravens win the Super Bowl and Beetle dawns a Baltimore jersey and touts that “the Raven’s are my team, man.” Next year the Patriots take the Lombardi Trophy and the next day he’s wearing a Brady Jersey exclaiming that “I’ve always been with the Pats. I knew it from the beginning of the season.” Not only was this Beetle a bail out Johnny football fan, but he’d do the same for the Yankees, Red Wings, Spurs, and practically every major sport. This is a prime example why so many people hate the major franchises, because guys like Beetle hop from team to team in order to claim false bragging rights.

There’s no problem with liking a team because they’re good, but that’s the way allegiances START. Once you’ve found your team, you need to stick with your team. There are exceptions to every love, but most of us have ties to teams from our childhood. I’ve been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was 5 years old. Very few fans have seen more mediocrity and disappointment in the last 15 years of the NFL than KC Chiefs fans, but they are still my team and I will always be their fan. Even after their worst season in franchise history, I am still their fan. Even after they traded my all-time favorite player, Tony Gonzalez, they’re still my favorite team and I hope they go to the Super Bowl. I know they won’t because I’m not “Irrational Fan,” but that’s a topic for another Axe.

A fan CANNOT dump a team because he knows that they’re going to be bad. That is against the unwritten fan-code that puts your forever in Beetle status. My respect for team hoppers is so low, that I seriously wish they would just stop watching sports all together and leave the real participation to people who understand the definitions of honor and loyalty. Do you have to hate everyone else in order to love your team? Of course not, I root for the Saints because I once hung out with Reggie Bush and I like Drew Brees. But if the Saints face the Chiefs, I’d better be rooting for the Chiefs to win by 42 points. Never leave your team. Never abandon ship. If your team’s going down, you go down with the ship. Whether you go down gracefully or kicking and screaming is up to you, but never trade in your team’s jersey for a Beetle costume.

The Axe: Introduction

Before I post my first Axe, let me explain what this new column segment is. The Axe is a column within Hatchline that celebrates the failures of individual athletes, coaches, owners, commissioners, fans, and pretty much anyone who deserves to get The Axe. The Axe’s posting will be a 100% responsive column and will only arise through the dawn of major stupidity, or in preemptive action against idiots being themselves. So enjoy the negativity, finger-pointing, and face rubbing. Look up for Hatchline’s first Axe.

Dodgers Acquire A New Rook and Bishop

In an unexpected, last minute move before the playoff trade deadline, the Dodgers pick up big hitter Jim Thome and starting pitcher Jon Garland. The former Chicago White Sox slugger, Thome, will add to the already deadly offensive line-up primarily as a pinch hitter, while the former Arizona Diamondback, Garland, will probably slip into the 5th starting spot on the pitching line up. Both moves were made by giving up a few prospects, minor-league infielder Justin Fuller will go to the Sox, while a player to be named at a later time will head to the D-Backs. Sources inside the Dodgers organization claim that player will be Tony Abreu, a former top infield prospect who’s progress was slowed by injuries. All in all, it’s a relatively good short-term trade for the Dodgers. Thome is currently 12th on the all-time home run list. The addition of a head-game chess piece like Thome is Dodger-dandy, the real team issue has been somewhat addressed with the addition of a new starting pitcher.

The Dodgers have been stretched to find a 5th starter all year, and the loss of Hiroki Kuroda hasn’t helped the hunt. He was hit on the head by a line drive, a seemingly eerie omen for the head hunting that needed to be done by the Dodgers front office to secure another solid starter. They have it now in a durable Garland, who won a World Series with the White Sox in 2005. Garland has already been named the starting pitcher against his old team, Arizona, this Thursday. We’ll see how he fits in the line-up then.

Although these new assets make the Dodgers better today than they were yesterday, many in Southern California are feeling like this may be a little bit of a pointless scramble. A. Martinez of the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN Radio said “it feels like a move to get back in contention for the wild card… not to win the division and go onto win the World Series.” Was this too little too late? After the regular season trade deadline ended, many Dodger fans were upset that they weren’t able to acquire Cliff Lee. He was available and the Dodger front office said that they made an offer, but was refused. How good an offer? We have no way of knowing, but the question now is whether these two smaller additions make up for not getting Cliff Lee? And the even bigger question is, will it make a difference in October?