Broncos Not Selling AFC Championship Game Tickets To Pats Fans

Source-Tickets for the AFC championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots game will go sale to the general public at noon Monday, the Broncos announced Sunday...

Tickets will only be sold to those with a billing address in the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, western Kansas and Wyoming. 

Denver is admitting defeat already and the game is still 5 days away. Why else would they limit ticket sales to a specific region that is dominated mainly by their own fans? They're afraid of the big bad wolf. Afraid of the Shadow Lion. Afraid of the Emperor, Keyser Soze, the Hoodie. They're afraid and they know it. They know the game is over already and now are admitting this. They don't want Patriots fans stomping all over their graves at Mile High when the final seconds tick away. 

Denver, you're day of reckoning is coming. Talk all the trash you want. You'll get yours. The bad men are coming. It's almost time for you to meet God. 

The Aaron Ramsey Curse Continues...

Source-Aaron Ramsey's two goals for Arsenal this week have led to an unwelcome internet joke resurfacing.

Many fans have pointed out the Gunners midfielder's goalscoring form coincides with the death of a well-known figure and that the 'curse' has struck again.

Ramsey scored against Sunderland at the weekend and against Liverpool on Wednesday night, a British icon died a day after both matches - music legend David Bowie passed away on Sunday before much-loved actor Alan Rickman died yesterday.

The Welshman's goals have bizarrely come at the same time number of high-profile deaths, following strikes against Manchester United, Marseille, Sunderland and Tottenham in the 2011-12 season.

Spread over the course of a year, the goals were followed by the passing of Osama Bin Laden, Steve Jobs, Whitney Houston and Colonel Gaddafi.

What a cross for Aaron Ramsey to bear. Knowing that every single time you score a goal, someone notable could die. Those aren't even all the names, just the ones people in the U.S. would probably have heard of. It's almost funny in a way. 

And here's a deleted scene from that Aaron Ramsey interview, when my ham-fisted attempt at 'banter' went wrong: pic.twitter.com/hU9A7LZDY8

— Alex Dimond (@alexdimond) June 29, 2015

Oh, never mind. No one with more of a personality than Aaron Ramsey. Can you imagine that curse though? I know he said he doesn't give it much merit, but good God you can only play it off so much until it starts to eat away at your head. I mean yeah, I would still try and score every goal, but part of me would wince that the second that ball hit the back of the net thinking Dave Chapelle or Joe Buck is going to drop dead. That'll eat at you. I guess the best way you can rationalize it is knowing there's a 50/50 chance you end up killing a scumbag. I mean look at the list. Jobs, Houston, Walker, Williams, Bowie and Rickman are all generally accepted to not be the absolute scum of the Earth. Then there's Gaddafi and Bin Laden. That's .batting 250, or basically what Hanley Ramirez hit in 2015 (he was .249). I could deal with that after the first few deaths.

Of course, Aaron Ramsey has no time for such tomfoolery.

We're all having fun here.

In Defense of Barstool Sports and Stoolies Everywhere

It's been too long since Barstool got into a good ol' fashioned Twitter war. This one, though, didn't quite have the same build up as some of the past greats. Stephanie Haberman, an Audience Engagement Editor at Sport's Illustrated, came out of the clouds saying she would not be attending any New York Mets games next season that were partnered with Barstool Sports.

Well what about these games makes her feel uncomfortable as a woman? The people.

So the readers of Barstool taking advantage of a great deal on Mets tickets through a website they enjoy make her uncomfortable to attend a game. Never mind the fact that Barstool gets a section to themselves for these outings, so she wouldn't even have to be near them at any point. She insinuated all the people who attend these Barstool events are bad people. I have no problem confirming my bias and status as a "Stoolie". I love the site, the personalities, the different things they do etc. I'd like to think I'm not a bad person. I know plenty of plenty who like Barstool as well. Some hardcore like me, others not so much. But none of them are scumbags like Ms. Haberman would insinuate. 

In a now deleted Tweet, she pointed out the fact Barstool will post pictures of scantily clad women multiple times a day. Yeah that's true. People have different opinions on it, but it's true that they do that. Of course, the celebrities posted are indeed public figures and therefore it is legal to post any publicly circulated image or video of them. And the non-celebrities? They give the website permission to use their pictures. I'm willing to bet a few have even submitted themselves, as a few modeling careers seemed to take off after being seen on Barstool. 

The real kicker is that she is throwing stones when she lives in THE glass house. Working for a company that publishes a magazine dedicated solely to scantily clad women and then taking shots at others is an interesting strategy.

But don't worry, she went on to defend that.

I don't doubt that the models in the Swimsuit Issue are smart, strong, and body-positive, nor would I deny that they love what they do. It's how they earn a living. They can do as they please. How about the women posted on Barstool's website and social media? You don't think they (who gave permission to use their pictures) don't enjoy some of the attention it brings? Some of the positive comments? Maybe some of them worked just as hard on their bodies as the SI models and were looking for an audience, a forum to put forth their body of work, both figuratively and literally. (Sidenote: I'm willing to bet no one called you names of working on the Swimsuit Issue because they A) Didn't know who you were or what role you even played in its creation every year, and B) You didn't attack an entire fanbase. Just food for thought.) So get off the high horse about why your scantily clad women are so much holier than what Barstool posts every day. 

While we're on that string of Tweets, let's look at the top message. "I've been called a c*nt more times in the past 10mins than I have in my entire life. And that's why I'm uncomfortable w/ Barstool's fan base"

Well that's not a good look for Stoolies. Calling someone a Seaward is crossing the line, no doubt about it. Wait, whats that? Twitter search it?

Ruh-Roh Steph! No, actually, I commend her for never being called a Seaward ever before, except the other times she was prior to this Twitter incident. One Stoolie called her that today. And he doesn't represent the rest of us. 

And one more note on her take son Barstool's fanbase, which is apparently the spawn of Satan. A lot of her colleagues, not just at SI, but around the media world are a part of that fanbase. Must be hard to make friends that way. Kenny Ducey and CJ Fogler at SI are fans. As is Katie Nolan, host of Garbage Time on FS1 and someone who has been lauded for breaking the mold of what women in sport media can be and being a champion for women on sports television. 

When you really boil it down this is all because Ms. Haberman made the assumption  Barstool's fanbase are bad people. She took a promo for what is, by all accounts a great series of events (plenty of comfortable looking women there, but your preferences and opinions are your own Steph) and bashed the people that attended them. Did she expect an entire fanbase would sit quietly and take that? She apparently did not do her homework, because once you pull that alarm, Stoolies will go get their weapons and prepare for war. It's one time where they put aside city and sport differences and act as one (yeah, it is kinda sad now that I read that back, but whatever). It's like in Game of Thrones when Mance Rayder signals the Wildling attack to begin. She lit the biggest fire the North has ever seen. 

I still just do not understand people who bash Barstool's fanbase. It's such a diverse audience form all over the world. Men, women, boys, girls, black, white, Asian (am I the only one? Doesn't matter, still counts). To generalize an entire fanbase on a few Tweets is exactly what we're not supposed to do, right? And then talking about the bloggers jumping in? They do it for comedy and content. There's going to be blog material from this my friend. 

Stoolies are the salt of the Earth. Just normal people who happen to all like this one website. Like any fanbase there will be idiots, a vocal minority who do not speak for the rest. Stoolies have raised a lot of money for some great causes to. Boston Marathon bombings, service dogs, wounded military vets, cancer patients/research, ALS research (Pete Frates, creator if the Ice Bucket Challenge, is a huge Stoolie), murdered NYPD cops, and very recently a family who lost their mother to cancer last year and just lost their house, belongings, and dog to a fire right before the holidays. And it's not nickels and dimes either. Barstool always raises A TON of money for these great causes. Stoolies are generally good people and we certainly aren't what Stephanie Haberman is trying to paint us as. 

That's the core of all of this. Being regular people but painted as pariahs because we read this satirical sports and pop culture site. As if looking at Buzzfeed or Deadspin instead makes you the second coming of the kin of God. 

In the end I guess Stephanie Haberman wins. She obviously won't back down from her stance, and ended up getting traffic and recognition from this ordeal. People didn't know her before, but they do now. 

I just needed to touch on this, because I've stayed relatively silent on these topics until now. There's a negative connotation to being a Stoolie, and its time I said something on the fact. 

David Price Signs With The Boston Red Sox

#RedSox in agreement with David Price. 7 years and $217 million. Story on @BGlobeSports: https://t.co/uambYduqBK

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) December 1, 2015

OHHHH BOY! Things just got very, very interesting. David Price pitching in Fenway wearing the red "B" on his cap. Obviously other fans (namely Yankees fans) are coming out of the woodwork saying "Good! Not worth the money and years!" among the other anti-Price arguments. 

The first thing people brought up was obviously the contract. Is 7 years, $217 million absurd? Yeah, but this is baseball, where you overpay for everything. If anyone can afford to take on that contract it's John Henry. If he bankrupts himself, so be it. It;s not my money, and not yours either. There's no salary cap in baseball, so money doesn't matter as long as the man at the top still has a way to make it. 

As for the years argument, there is a 3-year opt out. So when Price is dominant for the next 3 years, he'll opt out in search of a bigger contract and the Sox will cut ties when he does so. He should be in his prime and coming down from it at the end of those 3 years, so this is fine with me. We've also seen plenty of pitchers perform well into their mid and late 30's. John Lackey was 34 in 2013 when the Sox won the World Series. Curt Schilling was 37 in '04 when he helped break The Curse of the Bambino. THIRTY SEVEN. So I'll be the one to throw that argument out the window as well. Moving on...

The David Ortiz beef. Yes, they have had an interesting past and have butted heads. But, as Price told WEEI.com this past July, its exactly that. The past. Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports has already broken down the Ortiz argument (and postseason one, which I'll get to), but he basically likened it to the Johnny Gomes-Coco Crisp incident. That day Crisp charged the mound, Gomes beat his brains in during the brawl. Who loved Coco? Ortiz. Who loved Gomes when he came to Boston and helped win a ring? Ortiz. Stuff like that can easily be put in the rearview when you're in it for the common goal of winning. Especially now that Ortiz has announced his intent to retire after next season. He wants one last championship, and knows Price can help. It's water under the bridge.

Ah yes. Finally. The postseason argument. Price is 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA in the postseason, and this is a fair point to make. But, as Jared Carrabis also wrote... You know what, forget it. I can't word it any better than Jared so here's the wrap up thought on the last of the Price arguments. 

"Now, here’s the big one. What about his history of poor performances in the postseason? I get it. It’s a more than fair criticism, but I don’t think it should carry as much weight as the Price haters would like it to. Look at the larger body of work here. In his career, Price is 104-56 with a 3.09 ERA. That’s a .650 winning percentage, and you’re either a liar or an idiot if you say that you don’t want a guy like that on your team. This past October, Price suffered his seventh consecutive postseason loss, tying the record for most consecutive postseason losses by a starting pitcher.

Here’s why I think his postseason struggles have largely been a fluke. Not only is it because we’re looking at seven starts spread out over the course of six years, but it’s also because the pitcher whose record he tied for most consecutive postseason losses was Hall of Famer — and arguably the best left-handed pitcher of all-time — Randy Johnson. Johnson lost seven consecutive postseason starts spread out over seven seasons, and he didn’t break that streak until 2001 when he was a co-World Series MVP with Curt Schilling for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Oh, and he was 37 years old. Price is 30 with still plenty of time to shine in October. But nobody remembers Johnson’s losing streak in the postseason. They only remember him mowing down the Yankees in the World Series, which Price is more than capable of doing, as we’ve seen flashes of his dominance as recent as this past ALCS when he racked up 16 strikeouts over his last 13.1 innings."

Welcome to Boston David Price. Let's get some rings.

Johnny Football Should Be Starting For The Browns

ESPN-Johnny Manziel has been replaced by Josh McCown as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Tuesday.

One week after being named the team's starter, Manziel has been demoted to the third-string quarterback for Monday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens after social media posts surfaced this week showing Manziel allegedly partying last weekend in Texas during the team's bye week.

There really isn't any reason for the Cleveland Browns to not start Johnny Football. You're 2-8, the AFC North is pretty much decided (at the very least it has been decided you're not winning it), and you play in Cleveland. Let Johnny Football be Johnny Football. You name him the starter and let him be who he is. No PR-stunt rehab trips, no "we're disappointed" comments. He's the starter and let him ball out. If you let him off the leash and he does well, no one cares about what he does off the field and you win on it. If he sucks then he sucks. You can say, "Hey, we let you do you and look what happened." No harm done to the season that is already lost, and you can say you tried it out and it didn't work and maybe move on from Johnathon Football. Win-win if you're the Browns right now. 

And do people really think Josh McCown gives you a better chance to win than Manziel? Travis Benjamin is arguably you're best home-run threat and he loves Manziel. They have a certain chemistry built already, and that can be invaluable. I also just cannot trust a man with no vices. Have one for me. McCown won't even look at porn on his computer, one of the simplest vices man could have. That's how vanilla he is. You're in Cleveland, you need flair. You need Johnny football under center. 

#RuffRuff

PS-Whole different conversation, but Manziel is dumb as rocks and at fault here. Partying on a bye week isn't unheard of, just a heads up for all the squares. But maybe don't shove your own face in the camera in the DJ booth, ok Johnny? Take your boys to the backroom or VIP lounge or whatever, and make everyone hand over their phones upon entry. It's simple. 

Four Revs Who Should Get USMNT Looks

Jurgen Klinsmann released his roster for the USMNT World Cup Qualifiers against St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 13 and 17 respectively. Clint Dempsey was left off the roster, while Darlington Nagbe and Matt Miazga were called up to seemingly earn their first caps with the senior squad. From the New England Revolution, Jermaine Jones was also called in. Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies have had their share of opportunities as well, but do they have teammates who deserve a look as well? Absolutely.

Lee Nguyen
Stop me if you've heard this before. Lee Nguyen was snubbed from another Jurgen roster. For someone who has very little in the form of creative, attacking midfielders, it's a head scratcher. Klinsmann has talked about Nguyen in the past, but has seldom used the 28-year old. Even if he's not in the plans for 2018, at least use him to help you get there. As Doug McIntyre of ESPN mentioned, veterans rave about Lee Nguyen. Being popular among teammates, fans, and the manager alike should be a recipe to get a call up and significant play time, but alas, Lee Nguyen will have to wait and see if he's tapped on the next go around.

Chris Tierney
Here's a interesting one. The 29-year-old left-back earned his first selection to the MLS All-Star Game this past summer, becoming the first Revs player to be named to the gameday roster since Shalrie Joseph in 2011. He was unable to play due to injury, but after recovering he continued to prove he's one of the best, if not the best, left backs in the league. He has also never made an appearance with the men's national team. It's a little baffling to be honest. He's good defensively and is able to move up the flank and attack, playing perfect crosses into the box. Break Shea has been uninspiring in his last few appearances with he squad, and other than him there's Greg Garza who's inconsistent. Fabian Johnson has seen more time at left midfielder and right back but could slot in there as well. Given the lack of depth at the position you'd think Tierney could get one look in at least a meaningless friendly, but Klinsmann seems to disagree.

Andrew Farrell
Here's one that may be happening in the future, or at least it should. Farrell has been a key piece to the Revs defense, shifting this season from the starting right back position to the central pairing with Jose Goncalves. He was shaky at times, but offers a lot of upside. At 23, he should get a look soon. A future central defensive stable of Farrell, Miazga, John Brooks, Erik Palmer-Brown and Cameron Carter-Vickers would be quite the sight to see. Farrell's ability to play right back as well could help his case.

Scott Caldwell
This might be the biggest stretch of them all. At 24, Caldwell has time to grow, much like Farrell. He also happens to play defensive midfielder, a position where Kilnsmann has little depth. Kyle Beckerman is the one true holding midfielder in the pool right now, and he's set the bar high. Jermaine Jones can play their as well, but has a knack for going forward to join the attack and help dictate the midfield. He was paired up on the Revs with Caldwell, who's staunch defensive efforts helped Jones do what he wanted on the field. Caldwell is aggressive and has a high work rate, but is a smart player that could be great for the USMNT. His shortcoming is he's, well, short. Standing at 5'8" compared to Beckerman's 5'10", he can get outmuscled by larger opponents, but as he continues to learn and figure out how to exceed his physical capabilities using his mind, he could be the new DM for Klinsmann. The consistent Caldwell won the Revolution's MVP award this season, and Jones has even tabbed him as his future replacement, a glowing endorsement from a seasoned veteran.

Newcomers aiding Bombers' backline

(This article originally appeared in The Ithacan)

It has been a season of transition for the men’s soccer team. Longtime head coach Andy Byrne retired in February 2015, and his first full-time assistant, Patrick Ouckama ’05, was chosen as his successor. Ouckama inherited a large issue for any soccer coach across the globe: He was set to lose the team’s starting goalkeeper.

The graduation of Jordan Gentile ’15 left an opening at the back of Ouckama’s defense. He had a returning player in sophomore Dan Hinckley who saw fewer than 18 total minutes of play last season, as well as incoming freshman Brandon Enny competing for the starting spot.

In the end though, it was junior Zach Jacobsen, a transfer from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, who won the job.

Ouckama said Jacobsen showed solid ability in the net during the preseason, and that he’s being pressured daily by his backups.

“Technically he’s very good and he communicates well,” Ouckama said. “That being said, there are two other goalies that are pushing him as well, and whoever the strongest goalie is will play at the end of the week. So far it’s been him, but he’s certainly being pushed day in and day out.”

Ouckama also said Jacobsen’s experience with the college game also played a role in his selection as the first–choice goalkeeper.

Jacobsen said he transferred from Lincoln not for athletics, but for academics, yet still had a desire to play soccer.

“As I began looking to transfer I still wanted to play, but there was no guarantee I would find a team,” he said. “I found Ithaca by chance [when I was] looking at environmental programs and saw it as a good fit.”

Jacobsen said after deciding to switch to South Hill, he looked at the team’s roster and saw an opportunity to join a squad in need of depth in the net. He thought he had a good shot as a rising junior with games under his belt at the college level.

Jacobsen is not alone when it comes to starting in his first year with the Bombers. Freshman Sam Factor has been playing on the back line throughout the season in his first year.

As was the case with Jacobsen, Ouckama said he liked what he saw from Factor from day one of preseason and has included him as part of his starting defense ever since.

“He has a very high work ethic, he’s very attentive, he learns very well, he wants to do things the right way,” he said. “Whatever year the player is, if they go at it with that attitude, then they’re putting themselves in a position to see the game field.”

Along with a majority of freshman athletes, Factor said he has found the transition to be challenging, but his veteran teammates have made it easier.

“They’ve all been great. They’re all experienced defenders and are always giving me advice in practice and in games,” he said. “Our center backs are constantly communicating during the games, which definitely helps. The leadership of the returning defenders along with Coach O’s defensive knowledge has certainly helped Zach and I have a smooth transition.”

Speaking on his own transition, Jacobsen said he related to Factor.

“Coming to a new team, it made me feel like a freshman again,” he said. “I was a first–year and had something to prove.”

Despite a 4–7–2 record, the Bombers have an Empire 8 best 4–1 record in conference play. The squad has also only allowed three or more goals in just three games this season and has a goals against average of 1.32. Ouckama said this gives the improving defense reason for optimism.

“Having a couple games where we let in one goal or no goals at all, that’s kind of coming along as the season goes on,” Ouckama said.

Ouckama also said Jacobsen is playing with confidence and communicating well with the four defenders in front of him, allowing all five to read the play of the game more efficiently. As a result the defense as a whole can ensure they are in good position to stop an opposing attack.

Factor said he echoed his coach’s sentiments, but there is always room for improvement.

“I think that we have defended well as a back five and as a team for the most part. We just need to make sure we stay focused for the full 90 minutes,” he said. “Most of the goals scored against us have been [penalty kicks] or rebounds, which just comes down to staying concentrated and playing smart.”

Jacobsen said one weakness he has seen is injuries to members of the defense, but that as players return, the Bombers’ end of the field will tighten up.

“Going forward for the rest of the season I think we will only improve,” he said. “As players return from injury and each game becomes more important than the last, I feel we will get stronger as a unit.“

As the season begins to come to a close, and with the Bombers poised to grab the top seed in the Empire 8 conference, they believe that pressure can turn their defense into a diamond.