Polamalu’s Hair Is More Valuable Than Everything You Own

Troy Polamalu, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has million dollar hair. At least that’s what Head and Shoulders believes. ESPN.com reported that Head & Shoulders has insured the three feet long black hair of Polamalu through Lloyd’s of London for one million dollars. Polamalu has endorsed the shampoo and acts as an official spokesperson for the hair care brand. The Steelers safety hasn’t had a haircut in eight years.

It takes Polamalu 45 minutes to do his hair. "It's correlated to what a warrior in the past would do to prepare for war," the Samoan player tells People Magazine of his lengthy hair routine. "You have the Mongolians, the Japanese Samurai, the Spartans -- all of these warriors with long hair... and in that way you can almost get into the mind-way, preparing for some type of battle when you are doing your hair." All I know is that if I was robbing Troy Polamalu, I wouldn’t go for his money, I would just cut off his hair…

College Football Preview- The Conference to Watch

2010 Conference to Watch

The Pac-10

The Pac 10 has never really been revered as a “power conference” especially after the decline of the mighty Trojans. In 2009, the Pac proved to be a strong conference with competition and depth coming from even the most unlikely of places. Although there is no team ranked in the Top 10 this preseason, the Pac 10 is far from mediocre and has quite a few teams and players to keep your eye on. First we have USC post NCAA sanctions under the direction of Lane Kiffin. Regardless, of all the current controversy, the Trojans still should be able to finish with 8-10 wins this year. But they aren’t the only team making readjustments. This year Oregon had its own off-season controversy with legal battles, drug possession, several suspensions and most notably ousted top tier QB, Jeremiah Masoli. There was a hot battle for who would be the new man under center this season, and the Ducks are confidant that they have found their guy, in Darren Thomas, now its a matter of recovering from their off the field drama to regain the Pac 10 crown.

But the true buzz around the Pac 10 is centered around the battle for the top quarterback in college football. Jake Locker from University of Washington and Andrew Luck from Stanford University have been ranked the #1 and #2 QBs in the game this year and both are projected to be first round draft picks and Heisman hopefuls. Scouts have been drooling at the mouth all summer about the raw talent these guys have so it will be exciting to see if they live up to the hype.

Post the "worshipped QB" era of Tebow, McCoy and Bradford; everyone is looking for the next top tier quarterbacks, who will be setting the standard and calling the shots. The difference between these two and their golden boy predecessors is that much of their hype is based around what they can produce post college and how high they are ranked as potential draft picks. And, neither Stanford nor Washington will have a shot at the big BCS Bowl trophy this year. But with both of these sharp shooters taking the snaps, the Pac-10 has some great players that can make some big plays this season.

AL Playoff Picture as of August 30

Pardon the time between posts. Been tying up a few loose ends with another job. September is almost upon us and it's the month where playoff dreams are made and broken. The American League appears to be a bit less chaotic but I'll take a hack at picking who will be there in the end.

East

The Yankees and Rays are deadlocked once again with my Red Sox a solid 6.5 games back. It could've very easily been a three team race for two playoff spots but injuries pretty much ruined Boston's chances at postseason play. The Sox had their shot at catching both of their rivals and failed to do so, most recently by dropping 2 out of 3 in Tampa in a series that was winable. At one point, it looked like another surefire division title for the Yanks, but now the Rays have stated their case and it could come down to the final series of the season for both teams. Look for the Sox (or what's left of them) to play the spoiler in that final series in October.

Prediction: Rays

Central

The Twins have added some solid arms to their bullpen in acquiring lefties Brian Fuentes and Randy Flores after the non-waiver trade deadline. The only thing missing is a healthy Justin Morneau in their lineup and that may prevent them from getting past a first round opponent in October. The White Sox are on the verge of acquiring Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers, but at 4.5 games back it may be too little too late. There will be no one game playoff this year.

photo by Brian Peterson of the Associated Press

Prediction: Twins

West

Texas has pretty much run away with this division. They currently hold a 7.5 game lead on Oakland and have a deadly combination of hitting (Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero and Michael Young) and pitching (Cliff Lee, Rich Harden and Neftali Feliz). I would expect them to rest a lot of their regulars down the stretch once the rosters expand tomorrow. Hopefully Ron Washington will know when to get his players back into game mode in time for the playoffs. I would some day like to see Houston added to this division so that the NL Central will no longer have six teams and the AL West would have five. Call me OCD if you like. I have nothing good to say about the rest of the AL West except that Dallas Braden threw a no-hitter and Ichiro is having one of his worst second halves ever (which isn't really a good thing for anybody, especially the Mariners).

Prediction: Rangers

Wild Card

As previously stated, the AL East and Wild Card are intertwined. At the current rate, the Rays and Yanks will most likely decide who wins what some time during the last week of the season. The Red Sox are 6.5 games back and that number will most likely continue to fluctuate but I see no feasible way that a team of rookies and backups can put together a run against two superior teams. Both Tampa and New York deserve to make the postseason up to this point and I think the Sox may spoil the Yanks' chances at their 17th division title.

Prediction: Yankees

Premiership Preview

We are only 2 games into the new English Premier League season but it seems the league is picking up right where it left off last season. 2009-2010 EPL winners, Chelsea, sit atop the league with 6 points while a host of other teams including 2009-2010 runners-up, Manchester United, follow closely with 4 points. As much as this has been a busy off-season for many teams in the league, it has been an exponentially exhausting one for a majority of the league’s players. Numerous players participated in this summer’s World Cup festivities in South Africa and are expected to feel the effects of a shortened off-season early in the EPL season.

Regardless, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the start of this premiership season. For starters, there is excitement carrying over from the end of the 2009-2010 season, which saw Chelsea win the EPL on the last day of play by a slim 1-point margin over Manchester United. Undoubtedly, many expect to see at least one of these two teams atop the league at the end of this season.

Over the course of the off-season, teams have made numerous line-up changes in order to bolster their teams and make a run for the title. These trades and signings were headlined by the following: William Gallas from Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur, Mame Biram Diouf on loan to Blackburn, the arrival of Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea, and the departure of Michael Ballack and Joe Cole from Chelsea, Joe Cole signing with Liverpool, Jerome Boateng and Yaya Toure to Manchester City, and Javier Hernandez to Manchester United.

For the new season, don’t expect too much variation in the standings compared to last season’s standings. With the addition of big names and the inclusion of young, energetic players to their squads, Manchester City and Liverpool should make strong runs for the premiership title. With Manchester United having a number of players out on loan to begin the season (such as Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf ) and the much anticipated arrival of the young Javier Hernandez, look for them to have a monster second half of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur are eager to show fans that last season’s return to the days of old was not a one-time act. Expect to see good football from them based on their strengthening team chemistry from last year and with the addition of William Gallas.

Perennial premiership standouts Arsenal and Chelsea had lackluster off-seasons. They both lost a number of key players (ex: William Gallas for Arsenal, Michael Ballack and Joe Cole for Chelsea). Arsenal did not do a good job of trying to replace the caliber of players they lost. Chelsea lost a number of players, and as a team, I expect them to play slow, showing their age.

Finally, supporters of Sunderland should gear up for a season of repeated heartbreak. Sunderland acquired a number of players but majority of them are on loan. Not much will change from last season as I expect they will finish in a worse position than they did in 2009-2010. Sorry Sunderland fans.

My prediction for the winner of the EPL in 2010-2011: Manchester United. The squad is just too stacked. Combine their “so close, but yet so far” finish in second place last season, the moves they made this off season to strengthen their lineup, and the fact that no other team made significantly stronger moves to try to top them, I just cannot see them finishing in any place other than first.

Are You Ready For Some Football Part 2...

OK let's finish what we started. Here's how I think the divisions will shake out in the AFC as well as the major storyline for each division:

AFC East
1. New York Jets 2. New England Patriots 3. Miami Dolphins 4. Buffalo Bills

Major Storyline: Top Heavy. Now while it might have been easy to focus on the difficult contract situations in this division, I don't think that topic will be an issue when the real football starts up. this big story in this division is the level of talent. For the first time in years I believe that the AFC East has surpassed the AFC North and NFC East as the power conference of the league. The Patriots, Jets and the Dolphins all have the rosters to not only get into the playoffs but even represent the conference in the Superbowl. The Patriots appear to have the only "proven" QB in the division but Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez seem capable as signal-callers and will be put to the test this season.

AFC North
1. Cincinnati Bengals 2. Baltimore Ravens  3. Pittsburgh Steelers 4. Cleveland Browns

Major Storyline: Uncertainty. With all the injuries to the Ravens defense and the suspension of Big Ben of the Steelers, this division may be a bit unpredictable. Before all of the injuries the Ravens were the popular pick for the Superbowl this year because of last year's performance. The Steelers had a down year last year, but many pundits considered it a simple bump in the road. Unfortunately with Roethlisberger out to start the season, they might see a repeat at third in the division. On the other hand, the Bengals seem to be going in the right direction. The acquisition of T.O. makes an already potent offense even better, and the defense, if it can stay healthy, is almost just as skilled. I think that while the Ravens and Steelers might stutter out of the gates, the Bengals may take an early division lead and hold on to it going into the playoffs. Oh and the Browns are still bad...

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers 2. Denver Broncos 3. Kansas City Chiefs 4. Oakland Raiders

Major Storyline: The Chargers and the Rest. This division seems pretty easy to predict. When the biggest new story for your team is the play of your third string QB who is by all accounts years away from seeing the field as a viable starter you know you're going in the wrong direction. *cough*Broncos*cough*. The Chiefs are bad, the Raiders are worse. At least Kansas City seems to be in rebuilding mode, Oakland isn't even in a place to start and I don't think Jason Campbell is the first step. Even with Vincent Jackson possibly holding out I think that the Chargers will make short work out of the division.

AFC South 
1. Indianapolis Colts 2. Houston Texans 3. Tennessee Titans 4. Jacksonville Jaguars

Major Storyline: Business as Usual. The Colts should win this division handly as usual so there probably won't be too many headlines made in terms of the division race. The race for second, however, may be a little interesting. The Titans season ended on a high note with the team going 8-2 in it's last 10 games. Unfortunately for Tennessee I think that their current squad is more indicative of their 0-6 start than their finish. On the flip side, the Texans are still striving to live up to their potential. They have a core of elite players in Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, Mario Williams, Brian Cushing, and DeMeco Ryans but beyond that the skills of the rest of the squad may be a bit suspect. Arian Foster may be a pleasant surprise this season though.  The Jaguars should just try and keep their team in town.

Every Day is a Sports Day's Playoff and Superbowl predictions will be up after the avalanche of injury attrition leaves us with the final picture leading up to the first regular season game.

The NBA’s Summer Vacation

Unity. When I’m asked about the summer of 2010, that’s the first word that comes to mind. During South Africa’s World Cup, the international community briefly united around Ghana as the African nation suffered an agonizing, ill-fated quarterfinal defeat. The World Cup also featured Landon Donovan and co. hijacking American hearts for a tumultuous, two-week affair (which also ended prematurely). But this was not the end of the “togetherness”. In fact, the spirit of unity translated to this summer’s NBA free agency period, culminating in an infamous telecast on July 8th, 2010. All together, 13 million Americans witnessed Lebron James “decide” to continue his NBA career in Miami with good friends (and fellow All-Stars) Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. And although Cleveland was obviously “The Biggest Loser” of “The Decision”, I can’t go forward in this post without addressing my own views from another city in the Midwest.

As a Bulls fan that grew up in the Michael Jordan era, I empathize with Lebron’s choice to stay out of Chicago and avoid living in the shadow of the Michael Jordan. I really do. (Forget trying to live up to his legacy, I’d be afraid to play MJ in Horse). That being said, Chicago has all the pieces for a dominant, cutthroat player to win multiple championships. Keyword: Cutthroat, like MJ or Kobe. But Lebron, at this point in his career, seems to value having fun over building his own legacy. And I don’t think its fair to criticize his way of life- He’s only 25 years old.
Sidenote: Rather than play in the shadow of Michael Jordan, Lebron chose to work under the legacy of another Chicagoan- Dwyane Wade.

That being said, the Miami Heat instantly won the 2010-11 NBA Free Agency Championship by signing the Big Three. Only the Lakers rival their combination of elite star power and showmanship. But how did the rest of the NBA turn out? Let’s look at some other successful mergers:

-While “The Decision” left the Bulls seeing red, Derrick Rose’s crew gained the “Little Three” -Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer- from their former NBA Finals rival, the Utah Jazz.

-The Boston Celtics kept it in the family when they reunited Shaq with Glen “Baby Shaq” Davis. While Bill Simmons explains why it happened, I still have my concerns- specifically, how will the Boston Celtics hardwood court endure an entire season with two Shaqs lumbering around on them?

-The unlikely duo of Amare Stoudemire and Anthony Randolph found themselves on the New York Knicks. While both of these forwards are tremendous athletes with All-Star potential, Mike D’Antoni’s squad is missing a crucial component- (see Nash, Steve)

Curious about the rest of the teams in the NBA? Take a look at this.

Thanks for reading and if you’re looking for another entertaining union to watch before the NBA season tips off, try another newly formed dynamic duo- NFL wide receivers and reality show stars Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens of the Cincinnati Bengals.

-CK

Are You Ready For Some Football!

Well it's almost that time again. Once we get past the practice scrimmage that is the NFL preseason, we'll have America's favorite sport back in full effect.  Today we'll take a look at the biggest story lines in each division in the NFC and try and predict where each team will end up at the end of the year.


NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys 2a. New York Giants 2b. Philadelphia Eagles 4. Washington Redskins

Major Storyline: Youth. OK full disclosure: I am a die hard Eagles fan. But that does not change the fact that the infusion of new talent as well as the growth of the younger players in this division will probably spell its fate. Three of the four teams in this division will probably see big returns from their young talent this season and it shouldn't be surprising when the Redskins, being the odd one out, are at the bottom of the division. Trent Williams still needs time to develop and while Shanahan will make this team better, I don't think the big turnaround will happen this season (unless they get Haynesworth far away from the locker room). The Cowboys have a real gem in rookie receiver Dez Bryant and many sports writers seem to be excited about what Felix Jones will give to this team this season possibly supplanting Marion Barber as the top running back in that three-headed system. The Eagles are all-in with their youth movement, shipping Donovan McNabb off within the division and getting rid of injury-prone Brian Westbrook. But honestly, besides the quarterback position, I don't think there is an appreciable drop-off in this team's talent and one could make a case for Kevin Kolb as the perfect QB for Andy Reid's West Coast offense. With one of the top trio of wide receivers in the league (Jackson, Maclin, and Avant) and Shady McCoy in the backfield, this team might be able to overcome their tough schedule. The Giants added another piece to their already stacked line in Jason Pierre-Paul and should see a big year out of Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith. New York really underperformed last year and I think we will see them play to their potential in 2010.


NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers 2. Minnesota Vikings 3. Chicago Bears  4. Detroit Lions 

Major Storyline: Quarterbacks. This division will be dictated by the play of the men under center. I think Aaron Rodgers is finally poised to surpass his predecessor especially with the growth of the Packers on defense. I think if Rodgers can replicate his success from last season we will see this team form into a true Superbowl contender. Even though the Vikings were one throw away from the Superbowl last season, you have to wonder if Brett Favre will be able to replicate the best year of his career with a banged up receiving core. Percy Harvin and his migraines are an even more serious problem than last year and Sidney Rice is banged up. We also can't forget about Favre's surgically repaired ankle. The Bears hope that Cutler has exorcised the interception demons that he seemed to have last year because without him this offense will fall flat. If preseason can be any indicator of things to come (which is doubtful) the introduction of Mike Martz's system will help Cutler greatly this season but the Bears still have a long way to go. The Lions will e the bottom feeders of this division. Matthew Stafford will make some steps forward this season but the team still isn't that good. Anything is better than 0 and 16 though.

NFC West
1. San Francisco 49ers 2. Seattle Seahawks 3. Arizona Cardinals 4. St. Louis Rams

Major Storyline: The Next Step. I feel like this division is just the muck of the NFL. Whatever team that comes out is probably destined for an early exit in the wild card round. The 49ers seem to me the most complete team in this division. Their receiving core seems poised to make steps forward and the defense under Mike Singletary should be better than last year. Quarterback is still a concern but they should have enough to win the division. The Cardinals lost a lot of key pieces in the off-season. With the retirement of Kurt Warner and the departure of Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle this team seems destined for a big drop off. Hopefully Matt Leinart is ready to step up, but I have my doubts. The Seahawks look like a sleeper team that could take advantage of this shake-up under new head coach Pete Carroll. They won't make the playoffs but they should surprise a few people and take a step toward being relevant once again. The Rams are still bad but their next step involves trying to manufacture a way to protect their franchise quarterback.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints 2. Atlanta Falcons 3. Carolina Panthers 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Major Storyline: Question Marks. For the past few years this division has had a different winner every season. Since the NFL divisional realignment in 2002, the team that finished in last place in the NFC South the previous year went on to make a postseason appearance the following season, with the last place team winning the division in 6 of the past 7 seasons I think this will be the first time that trend does not come to fruition but I still have some pressing questions about each team in this division. The Saints should be division leaders again though even with increased pressure from the Falcons as they shake off the injury problems from last year to be a very formidable foe. But will the Saints be able to repeat as Superbowl Champions? The Falcons defense inspires a yawn, so are Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, and veteran Tony Gonzales ready to carry this team? The Panthers are a very skilled team but with questions at quarterback and the loss of Julius Peppers are they going to be left behind in a league that stresses the pass over the run and emphasizes the need for elite pass rushers?  And finally is Josh Freeman able to reward the vote of confidence from the Buccaneers' brass with a successful season? Because any success that Tampa Bay can hope for starts solely with him.


Tomorrow, we'll follow up with the AFC breakdown.

NL Playoff Picture as of August 20th

I figured I'd get my feet wet with this new gig. Uh, hi. Hope you read my posts.

-JohnnyC

For many teams in Major League Baseball, their records August and September usually determine whether or not they make the postseason. That being said, here's my take on who will be there in October based on the current standings in the National League Divisional and Wild Card Races.

East

The Braves hold a 2.5 game lead over the Phillies. Ryan Howard began a rehab assignment this weekend and reinserting him into the Philadelphia lineup will definitely give the Phillies a shot in the arm even though they have scored the second-most runs in the NL. But with the acquisition of Derrek Lee, the Braves are starting to look like one of the mid-90s editions. Their pitching has been superb, and the young talent of sluggerJason Heyward and fireballer Tommy Hanson give the team a strong nucleus to build around for years to come.

Prediction: Braves

Central

While the Cardinals have become the perennial power in the division, a new team has risen from the ashes. The Reds have a 3.5 game lead and look more legit this year than in years past. They've crashed and burned at the All-Star break a few times before but they finally have put it all together with MVP candidate Joey Votto leading them in almost every offensive category. Ace Aaron Harang is on the disabled list but their pitching has been paced by solid performances from Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto and rookie Mike Leake. Nothing against the Cardinals, but it's time for the Big Red Machine to march back into October.

Prediction: Reds

West

The Padres are quietly the best team in the NL to this point with a .608 winning percentage. They've won 5 in a row and 9 of 10. Granted, they play in the NL West, once known as baseball's weakest division (I believe that the torch has since been past and it's a toss-up between the AL and NL Central), but they have really put together an impressive run thus far. Their bullpen is the best in baseball, hands down. There isn't much to their lineup after Adrian Gonzalez, but adding Miguel Tejada was a smart move by General Manager Jed Hoyer. They have the best team earned run average in the bigs at 3.18. I don't think there is much that the Giants can do to catch them.

Prediction: Padres

Wild Card

The Fightin Phils currently hold a 1 game lead over the Giants and are 2 up on the Cards. As much as I would love to see the Giants make it with their excellent pitching staff, the games down the stretch against their division opponents will probably knock them out of the race. The Rockies at 6 games out and the Dodgers at 7 will both try to close the gap and in doing so, the three will beat the hell out of each other while the Padres run away with the division. That leaves the Phillies and Cards to duke it out. I think the keys to these two teams are their pitching (as is the case with most NL teams). Doc Halladay hasn't been the lights-out ace that the Phillies thought they acquired and he'll need to be if he wants to play in October. The Cardinals know what it takes to make the postseason and Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday can lead them offensively while Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright have been one of the best 1-2 pitching combos this season. As much as I like the Phils, I gotta give this one to the Cards based on a coin flip. It wouldn't surprise me if it takes a one game playoff to decide the Wild Card winner. I realized earlier even though I bashed on the NL Central they might have two teams playing in October. Go figure.

Prediction: Cardinals

There you have it. The current division leaders will make the postseason and the Cardinals will make a push at the end and defeat the Phillies in a single elimination game. We'll see how it ends. Next time I'll tackle the American League.

We're Back!

After a month long leave of absence, Every Day is a Sports Day is back to business. Just like Jordan after his gambling suspension baseball hiatus, we are back and better than ever, here to provide you with fresh looks at your sports world.

We have a new design and new blood on the writing staff as well. We're adding baseball, hockey and soccer to our coverage for the upcoming year. We're also adding a new aspect through a more in depth analysis of some our our favorite sports teams, providing a home to both sport's homerism and objective commentary alike.

You'll notice in the coming weeks that with our new writers in tow there will be a lot more activity in terms of the number of posts going up. We want to make sure to provide numerous voices offering some fresh perspectives on the hot topics in sports on a daily basis. In this first week back we are starting strong recapping the biggest stories over the tumultuous summer vacation for the NBA, giving a midseason review for the MLB and offering previews for the new NFL season as well as the other football league, the Premier League.

Needless to say there are some big things on the horizon for this blog. If you're just starting to read us, welcome. If not, welcome back. Either way, we are in for some exciting days, because from now on Every Day is a Sports Day.