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THE
WAR ROOM ARCHIVE #4 THE WAR ROOM ARCHIVE OF PAST COLUMNS THE WAR ROOM ARCHIVE #1 THE WAR ROOM ARCHIVE #2 THE WAR ROOM ARCHIVE #3 CURRENT WAR ROOM |
JANUARY
29th, 2007 |
Craig
Hall has over 15 years Association with the Major Media Sports Departments
in Lexington, Kentucky He was a Contributor to the 1984 Eclipse Award Winning Feature by ESPN |
SUPER
BOWL XLI |
INDIANAPOLIS "COLTS" [AFC CHAMPS] vs CHICAGO "BEARS" [NFC CHAMPS] Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Sunday, February 4, 6:25 p.m. ET on CBS Matchup Breakdown Super Bowl XLI will have a fresh look with two teams that haven't seen the NFL's title game in a long time. The Bears are back in the Super Bowl for first time since winning Super Bowl XX in January of 1986, while the Colts will make a Super Bowl appearance for the first time since the franchise, then located in Baltimore, beat Dallas in Super Bowl V. Both teams started the 2006 season fast with the Bears winning their first seven games on their way to the NFC North title and the Colts starting 9-0 on their way to the AFC South crown. The game will feature strength against strength with the Colts offense, ranked third in the regular season, going against a Bears defense that finished the season ranked fifth overall. Both teams have plenty of talent, with Chicago sending eight players to the Pro Bowl, six from the defense or special teams, and the Colts boasting five Pro Bowl players, all from the offense. Bears coach Lovie Smith and Colts coach Tony Dungy are close friends, dating back to Smith's time working on Dungy's staff with the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the two are the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl. SCORE 21 - 17 My Pick to Win it: CHICAGO "BEARS" out of the NFC |
OCTOBER
9th, 2006 |
Craig
Hall has over 15 years Association with the Major Media Sports Departments
in Lexington, Kentucky He was a Contributor to the 1984 Eclipse Award Winning Feature by ESPN |
2006
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES |
Round One of this Year's Baseball Playoffs have been completed. This Tuesday begins the American League Championship and Wednesday the National League Championship Series. The Real News is not about who is in the running still for the World Championship --- but who isn't!! The New York Yankees checked out early in 4 games to Detroit in a series that No One would have predicted would happen. At this moment, Today's attention is focused on the News item released this morning that Manager Joe Torre will be Fired and replaced by Lou Piniella. Currently, this item cannot be confirmed however it is attention-grabbing. Joe Torre has been the Yankee Manager for the last 11 years. Love or Hate the Yankees, Everyone has tremendous respect for Joe Torre -- he is a Class Act. But the recent trend of Yankee defeats and lack of World Series appearances appear to be, perhaps, too much even for "Gentleman Joe". Developing - - - (**Now in - Tuesday, October 10th - Joe Torre to remain Yankee Manager for at Least One More Year.) But to Cut to the Heart of the Matter with the Remainder of the 2006 Season. Here's the way I see it with the teams we have left standing. NATIONAL LEAGUE SERIES: AMERICAN LEAGUE SERIES: SAINT LOUIS "CARDINALS" OAKLAND "ATHLETICS" vs vs NEW YORK "METS" DETROIT "TIGERS" IN THE 2006 WORLD SERIES NEW YORK "METS" vs OAKLAND "ATHLETICS" My Pick to Win it all: OAKLAND "ATHLETICS" out of the AMERICAN LEAGUE |
MARCH
27th, 2006 |
Craig
Hall has over 15 years Association with the Major Media Sports Departments
in Lexington, Kentucky He was a Contributor to the 1984 Eclipse Award Winning Feature by ESPN |
2006
NCAA FINAL FOUR IS SET |
We
will Update Our Tourney Bracket on this site as the games progress.
Have a look for yourself: RRS 2006 NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT VIEWABLE/PRINTABLE BRACKET 1. The ACC and the BIG EAST are sitting at home. We've heard all year long how they were the best and the SEC was having a 'down' year. SEC puts 2 teams in the Final Four . . . these 'best' conferences are nowhere to be found. 2. UCLA has gotten further than we wanted. Gonzaga had them beat but let them get loose. LSU needs to close the door on them. No More Titles for UCLA. No Soup for You! 3. CBS's Clark Kellogg stated early that he believed this would be the year for all 4 #1 Seeds to make the Final Four in Indianapolis. - - - None of them did. Just how much is CBS paying for bad predictions these days? 4. George Mason . . . George Mason . . . George Mason . . . (tip the UK hat) 5. My adjusted brackets look like this: 2006 NCAA Final Four WASHINGTON, DC REGION - George Mason ATLANTA REGION - LSU OAKLAND REGION - UCLA MINNEAPOLIS REGION - Florida 8. I look for Florida to finish off UCLA. The Gators have too much inside. LSU ends George Mason's wonderful run for the same reason. Florida vs LSU in the Championship - an all SEC Final. My Pick to Win it all: LOUSIANA STATE UNIVERSITY out of the ATLANTA REGION |
MARCH
20th, 2006 |
Craig
Hall has over 15 years Association with the Major Media Sports Departments
in Lexington, Kentucky He was a Contributor to the 1984 Eclipse Award Winning Feature by ESPN |
2006
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL 1st & 2nd ROUNDS COMPLETE |
We will Update Our Tourney Bracket on this site as the games progress. Have a look for yourself: RRS 2006 NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT VIEWABLE/PRINTABLE BRACKET NOTES AFTER ROUNDS 1 & 2 HAVE PLAYED OUT: 1. Kentucky gives a valiant effort in their loss to #1 Seed and favorite to win it all UCONN. If they had played like this all year long they would not have had 13 losses. But on this day they made the Commonwealth proud, sad that it was just a little short of winning. Now the questions begin about next year. As of last night all the underclassmen, including Rondo, tell reporters that they will be returning. Coach Smith is quoted as saying, "We will not have another year like this one" (Isn't that what was said after the year of "Team Turmoil"?). What all that involves will be chatter for the Firering throughout the coming year. From here and what we can see the order will be a tall one. 2. Has there ever been a NCAA Tourney Press Conference after a Roy Williams coached team has lost in which 'Ole Roy' doesn't break down and cry? It happened again yesterday, "Cryin Roy" (as he is often referred to) once again describes his team as 'the best bunch I've ever had the privilege to coach'. Then Roy, what about the team you said that about last year? Or the Year before that? Or the Year before that? Or the Year before that? Or the Year . . . etc. 3. All 4 #1 Seeds did advance, but only 2 #2 moved on (Tennessee & Ohio State both Conference Champions lost), and 2 #3 (North Carolina & Iowa lose). 4. I want to meet the person who picked George Mason to meet Wichita State. 5. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has Florida and LSU left to represent it. Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, & Arkansas all gave a good accounting for the Conference. No one embarrassed us. 6. UCLA must not be allowed to win another championship. They must be stopped. Gonzaga or Memphis can do it. 7. My Final Four Picks: WASHINGTON, DC REGION - Connecticut ATLANTA REGION - LSU OAKLAND REGION - Memphis MINNEAPOLIS REGION - Boston College 8. Everyone is picking Connecticut as their favorite. My Pick to Win it all: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HUSKIES out of the WASHINGTON, DC REGION |
MARCH
13th, 2006 |
Craig
Hall has over 15 years Association with the Major Media Sports Departments
in Lexington, Kentucky He was a Contributor to the 1984 Eclipse Award Winning Feature by ESPN |
2006
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT |
We will Update Our Tourney Bracket on this site as the games progress. Have a look for yourself: RRS 2006 NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT VIEWABLE/PRINTABLE BRACKET Just when you thought UK's disappointing Season & SEC Tourney Performance was bad enough ... comes the NCAA Selection Committee's Field of 65. NOTES FROM THIS YEAR'S BRACKETS: 1. Listening to Sports Commentators can be puzzling ... who to listen to? I can tell you between CBS's Seth Davis and ESPN's Doug Gottlieb -- go with Gottlieb. My feeling is he's more credible -- former Oklahoma State Player 2. How about that 'sweet' deal that Ohio State got from the NCAA? Probation, Removing Final Four Banner, & Pay back $800,000. Sound bad? Not at all -- No scholarships lost, No Post Season Ban, No TV Ban, & No Harm to their First Rate Recruiting Class coming in. Where was this deal back in 1989 for UK? We didn't try to cover up a Murder like State did! Welcome to the NCAA! 3. Shocking Rumor! Remember there isn't much to back this up right now -- but how would you feel if former 'Duker' Bobby Hurley was on the UK Basketball Staff next year? Feeling uneasy? Hurley reportedly is moving to Lexington. This story is developing . . . 4. No Louisville, No Texas Tech -- No Pitino & No Bob Knight. No Utah for UK to run into. 5. Of course Indiana is in this Year. But their next loss means the end for Mike Davis. Iowa won the Big Ten Tourney against Ohio State - IU will go hard for Steve Alford once the NCAA is done . . . sooner you think? 6. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) gets 6 teams into the Field (UK, FLORIDA, LSU, ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, & TENNESSEE). I really thought TENNESSEE receiving a Number 2 Seed was a shock. I see them going out in the Second Round. 7. I've got Duke failing to make the Final Four. LSU (healthy) can make it out of there. Duke really has too many weaknesses once you get past Riddick and Williams -- you're left with Slower Players and Freshmen. 8. Looking over the Bracket the general belief is that the difficulty of the Regions is in this order: WASHINGTON, DC REGION ATLANTA REGION MINNEAPOLIS REGION OAKLAND REGION 9. Sad to say, UK will go down in the first round. UAB is too quick for them. 10. My Final Four Picks: WASHINGTON, DC REGION - Connecticut ATLANTA REGION - LSU OAKLAND REGION - Memphis MINNEAPOLIS REGION - Boston College 11. Everyone is picking Connecticut as their favorite. My Pick to Win it all: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HUSKIES out of the WASHINGTON, DC REGION |
