SeatSmart is a sports ticket search engine. They highlight available tickets from outlets such as: StubHub, RazorGator, TicketsNow, ebay, and Rallytix.com. The interface of the site is pretty spartan. The site/software is currently in beta, so I’m not sure if that will be enhanced or if this is what they’re planning on sticking with. I think time and money spent developing the user interaction of this site would go a long way to making it a really valuable site.

As a person who shops for tickets to sporting events I know that it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of always going to the same site or broker, just because it’s easier than visiting a bunch of different sites to find the best deal. It seems that SeatSmart has made this easier by pulling a bunch of ticket sources together.

Their about section talks about the reason that the site was started was to “get more fans in the stands on game day”. That seems a little too altruistic to me. The site was obviously started to create a service that would be beneficial to sports fans, but definitely to make money in the process. I don’t have a problem the site making money. If it’s a site that I like, I want it to make money and stay around. But to do it under the banner of improving the “game day experience for everyone - except for ticket brokers”, is a little much. They’re essentially acting as another tier of ticket brokering.

So overall, I’d say it’s a good idea. Think of it as an Orbitz for ticket brokering. The site needs some polish. I hope that it will get it.

This has been a paid review. Learn more about how it works.

Ok, I’ve been back and forth about Rex Grossman. I think I’ll stick with “He sucks”. Three more picks tonight against the Patriots (all by Asante Samuel). It’s not just Grossman though, the receivers dropped a ton of balls the last couple games. This team needs some help. Is Brian Griese the answer? I don’t know. Is he better than Rex at this point? I’d have to believe he could do a better job running the offense. But now let’s recap the game from Sunday afternoon.

First of all, it was an ugly game of eight turnovers, and sloppy penalties. Neither offense really got things going. Tom Brady had a very average game, except when he scrambled and eluded Brian Urlacher for a first down run. Bernard Berrian was the only skill position player to eclipse 100 yards in this game. Asante Samuel was the beneficiary of Rex Grossman’s 3 interceptions. They were all good plays by Samuel, and not all terrible throws by Grossman. But, Grossman didn’t look like he set his feet all afternoon; consistently throwing off-balance passes.

The Bears defense did a sufficient job stopping the Patriots. You should be able to score more than 17 points against the Patriots defense whose secondary is suspect. Like I said earlier, the Bears receivers helped them out by dropping balls that should have been catches. I’m not worried about the Bears defense. Even when key players (Mike Brown) get hurt, other guys step up and really shine in Ron Rivera’s defense.

So where do the Bears go from here? Easy answer: home to face the Vikings. Harder answer: If Grossman falters again, Lovie has got to make a switch for the team to get comfortable with Griese before the playoffs. Now is the time. If this offense can hit it’s stride and be clicking when the playoffs start, the Bears could take advantage of their remaining soft schedule and relatively easy road through the NFC playoff, to make an appearance in Super Bowl XLI.

In a move to solidify their offense, the Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with free agent Alfonso Soriano. WGN has said that the deal is an 8 year deal for 136 million. It’s the fifth richest contract in Major League Baseball history.

This signing comes on the heels of the Cubs resigning their third basemen Aramis Ramirez and Kerry Wood. It appears that the Cubs are willing to spend the money. Now the question is are they spending money on the right things?

I have long been a fan of Soriano. I think he’s the real deal. I remember the rumors when he was with the Yankees about him being on the trading block in a deal for Sammy Sosa. I would have been all for it then. The thing about this contract that worries me is the length. Eight years is a long long long time. Soriano is already 30 years old. I’m not sure he has 8 productive years left in him. That’s a bit troubling to me.
I wonder if this signing means there will not be any significant signings on the pitching staff, and that worries me. I know that the Cubs feel really confident in their young arms. I agree, we all saw flashes of brilliance last summer. But I would like to see another solid starter who can stay healthy in the front of the rotation with Carlos Zambrano. Prior and Wood might be good to go with another year of rehabilitation, but I wouldn’t count on it. If they’re able to add a solid starter as well, I’d feel really good about this signing. Not necessarily Schmidt or Zito, but someone substantial.
I definitely like the Cubs offense now that they’ve signed Soriano. I wonder if the Cubs inability to produce when Derrek Lee went down with an injury that encouraged this move. Makes sense. I just hope they’re not handcuffing themselves with this contract. But it’s definitely exciting. What do you think about the Cubs getting Soriano, and what will it mean for the rest of their roster?

I have to say, I feel sick right now. What a heartbreaker, and also, what a great game. I had wondered if any game could live up to they hype that this game received. I think this one did. It was a chess match on every side of the ball.

Jim Tressel (still don’t like him) came in with a new gameplan. He used new formations and began the game by primarily using his strongest asset, Troy Smith. I think because the Buckeyes went primarily with the pass to open the game, Chris Wells was able to break his 52 yard touchdown run. Ohio State had made Michigan’s defense expect the pass so much, they were vulnerable to the run.

Ron English’s Wolverine defense adjusted, and figured out how to pressure Troy Smith. The Wolverines in the second half looked like a different team. Michigan also missed a lot of tackles today. Instead of tackling low and making sure to secure the ball carrier Michigan’s defenders were hitting high, and not wrapping the Buckeyes up. This burned Michigan time and time again.

On Michigan’s first offensive drive, they looked great. Chad Henne was throwing in rhythm, and they were utilizing the talents of Manningham, Breaston, and Arrignton. Once the offense was opened up a bit, Mike Hart was able to start eating up chunks of yards. After that first drive, Michigan seemed to go away from the game plan they used on their first drive. They ran the ball on first down, and in general just got a lot more conservative. As the game was winding down and Michigan needed to score quickly, they returned to the passing game. Chad Henne (21/35, 265yds., 2 TDs) had a very good game, but Mike Hart (142yds. 3 TDs) shined tonight. It seemed like the run was there especially when the Buckeye defense had to worry about the passing game as well.

The player who stole the show in the biggest game of the year once again, was Troy Smith (29/41, 316 yds, 4TDs, 1INT). I was really impressed with his poise and his accuracy. He is the best player in college football and the Heisman is his. He earned it today. He took control of the game and never let it go. Even as he threw and interception and lost a fumble he never lost his team. It seemed that they knew that their leader would take care of the game.

Now for the things that are making me sick.

• 2 touchdown runs of over 50 yards (Wells 52, Pittman 56)
• Shawn Crable’s stupid hit on Troy Smith. Know the game situation and play under control.
• Bonnie Bernstein’s hat

Now there’s going to be talk of a rematch in the National Championship game. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I absolutely do believe that these are the 2 best teams in the country. I also don’t think it’s even close. I think both of these teams would shred any other team in college football (see Michigan v. Notre Dame and Texas v. Ohio State). So, not only do I want my favorite team to have another crack at the Buckeyes, but I think that any game but a rematch would be so terribly anticlimactic.

As always, I tip my cap to Ohio State, they are definitely one hell of a football team. And while I don’t particularly like Jim Tressel, he’s a fantastic football coach. This is the greatest rivalry in all of sports and today’s game only adds to the legend and the lore.

Image courtesy Getty Images

Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler (1929-2006)

Image courtesy of MGoBlue.com
This weekend is “Rivalry Weekend” in college football. The Crown Jewel of this weekend is the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. There has been talk from various sports media outlets debating what the best college football rivalry is. I have tried to look at this objectively (admittedly impossible), and it’s not even close. Michigan vs. Ohio State is the best rivalry in all of college football, and would probably be in the team photo for the best rivalry in all of sports. Now, on to the preview.Michigan and Ohio State meet for the 103rd time on Saturday at 3:30 pm local time at the Horseshoe in Columbus. In the previous 102 meetings these teams have never entered the game at 1-2 in the polls. Both teams have entered the game undefeated only twice before since 1935. The Wolverines are 27-21-2 all-time in Columbus and they lead the series 57-39-6.

This year’s game features 2 high-powered offenses. Heisman trophy front-runner, Troy Smith, leads the Buckeyes on offense. He is definitely worthy of the accolades he’s getting this season. He’s completing 66% of his passes, throw for 2191 yards and has 26 TDs compared to only 4 INTs. Unfortunately he’s not their only weapon. Ted Ginn Jr. (677 yds. 8 TDs) and Anthony Gonzalez (673 yds. 7 TDs) lead the receiving corps, and Antonio Pittman (1032 yds. 13 TDs) leads the charge on the ground. Contrary to the media attention that has focused mainly on the Ohio State offense, Michigan boasts an electric offense as well. Quarterback Chad Henne (61.9% 1932 yds. 18 TDs 7 INTs) leads the Wolverines on offense. While Henne and big play threat Mario Manningham (538 yds. 9 TDs) provide flash for the Michigan offense, Michael Hart (1373 yds. 11 TDs) is the foundation of the Michigan offense. He is the nations’ fourth leading rusher.
The defensive units will have to try and slow down those offenses. These two defenses have proven themselves capable. The Wolverines come into the game third in total defense and the Buckeyes defense isn’t too far behind at eighth. Michigan’s defensive leader is LaMar Woodley (11 sacks). He has terrorized offenses all season. James Laurinaitis fills the void left by NFL rookies AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter.

Keys to the Game

Michigan Wolverines

• Get Mario Manningham involved. He needs to catch more than 5 balls.
• Contain Troy Smith. Woodley and the boys need to hold Smith under 200 yards.
• Control the Ball. Michigan needs to not only win the time of possession battle, but also cause turnovers.

Ohio State Buckeyes

• Ted Ginn Jr. return game. He has game-changing ability on special teams.
• Run the ball. If they can consistently run the ball on this defense, they probably deserve to win.
• Home field advantage. Playing at the Horsepooshoe is a huge advantage for the Buckeyes.

So who wins?
I think this game will actually live up to the hype. I gotta go with Michigan in the upset. What do you think? What are your keys to the game? Who wins?

After watching the first half of this game I was a little worried. The Bears looked terrible. Their running game was abysmal and their passing attack wasn’t much better. Rex Grossman didn’t have time, and when he did have time his happy feet forced him to throw a bad ball. Not that his receivers helped him too much. Dropped balls continue to plague this receiving corps.

The big change came when the Bears got the ball back right before halftime. After shooting themselves in the foot with sacks and stupid penalties, they were looking at a 3rd down and 22 yards to go. Ron Turner calls a draw play for Thomas Jones. Generally teams call this play when they have an impossible down and distance (3rd and 22 counts), just to gain positive yards and get to a better place to kick the ball from. In this case the offensive line showed up, like they hadn’t all game, and Jones proceeded to break off a 26 yard run. After that the Bears offense started to click. Grossman hit Muhsin Muhammad on a crossing pattern to keep the drive moving. Mark Bradley grabbed his first career touchdown to pull the Bears within 3 points, and gave the Bears a ton of momentum going into halftime.

The Bears offense saw a weakness in the Giants defense. His name was Corey Webster. Grossman seemed to single him out and pick on him consistently over the course of the second half. I believe he was throw at 11 times, 6 or 8 (I can’t remember) of those balls were caught for a total of 125 yards and a touchdown. That guy got torched. It was the key to Bears offense in the second half. I have to commend not only Rex Grossman for finding Webster on each of those plays, but also Ron Turner for calling the plays that enabled Grossman to take advantage of that mismatch. That success in turn contributed to the success of Thomas Jones and the Bears running game (which was totally shut down in the first half). The Bears would do well to continue to find those holes in the defense and exploit them to get their passing game going, and open up the field for Jones and the running game.
In general, the second half turned into a pretty wild ride. Ed Hochuli did not have his best game in my opinion. It seemed pretty plain to me that Peanut Tillman’s knee was down after he recovered Plaxico Burress’ fumble. That turned out not to really matter because Devin Hester ran back a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown. I was a little nervous up until that point. The Giants were within striking distance, only trailing by 4 points. That iced the game and seemed to take any wind out of the Giants’ sail. The Bears tacked on a Thomas Jones touchdown and then were able to run out the clock to finish off their 38-20 win over the Giants.

The win gives the Bears a leg up on the Giants regarding home field advantage in the playoffs. Soldier Field is a pretty nasty place to be in January. If the Bears are able to maintain their performance from tonight the second half of the season I think they will play host to at least one playoff game in January. And after that, you never know what will happen.

An Aside:
A reader asked who he should have started on his fantasy team, Rex Grossman or Eli Manning. And I said start Manning if Plaxico Burress was able to play. Hindsight is always 20/20, but the Bears defense did a number on Manning and the Giants offense. In my fantasy league Manning got -2 points and Grossman ended with 25 points. Luke, my bad. I still don’t trust the Bears offense. I’m glad when they play well, and I have Thomas Jones as my 3rd running back, but I wouldn’t depend on anyone on the Bears offense to deliver week in and week out. That’s why I recommended Manning. I also should say that I recently traded Manning because he was underperforming this year. More fantasy notes to come in the near future.

The Bears face a banged up New York Giants team this week, and it’s a good thing. They need to get back on track. It looks like the Bears will be hitting the Giants at a good time. The Giants defense will most likely be without starters, Lavar Arrington (achilles), Osi Umenyiora (hip flexor), Michael Strahan (foot), Brandon Short (quadricep) and Sam Madison (hamstring). I’m sure Rex Grossman couldn’t be mmore happy that those guys won’t be on the field on Sunday night. Grossman is coming off a horrible game (18/24-210-1-3) in which the Bears suffered their first lose of the season.

The Bears come into Sunday night’s game with injury problems of their own. Brian Urlacher suffered a spraigned toe in the loss to the Dolphins but is expected to play against the Giants. The same can’t be said for Bernard Berrian who will be sidelined with bruised ribs for the next couple of weeks. As I’ve said before, Berrian is an important part of this Bears offense. It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Ron Turner and Rex Grossman change the game plan to account for the lose of Berrian. If they asked me (which they haven’t), I’d tell them to call more midrange passes to the outside. I think this plays to Muhsin Muhammad’s strength (if he could hold onto the balls), as well as opening up the middle of the field for Desmond Clark and the running game.

Next question. Will the Bears be able to stop the Giants offense? I think so. The Giants’ offense is predicated on the run, and I think the Bears will be able to slow their running attack down enough to force Eli Manning into some uncomfortable down and distance situations. Hopefully that will lead to some turnovers.

As we know, the defense is the strong part of the Bears team, but the offense will need to step up this week, even if it’s just to maintain a good locker room atmosphere. I know that if I were a defensive player I’d start to get tired of the offense underperforming. I don’t think that Lovie Smith or Ron Rivera will let that happen, but I think it’s definitely a possibility.

Now for my prediction. The beat up Giants defense will give up too many yards on the ground and the Bears defense will limit the effectiveness of Tiki and Eli. The Bears will pull out a close game 13-10.

The Bears defense couldn’t save them today when they lost to the Miami Dolphins. The Bears turned the ball over 6 times. Those turnovers lead to all but 3 of ther 31 points. Rex Grossman was awful. He completed under 50% of his passes and threw 3 interceptions.

Is this good for the Bears? To reiterate what the moronic broadcasters said, a lose is never better than a win. I’m not so sure. I think that this puts the heat on Ron Turner (the Bears offensive coordinator) and Rex Grossman. It seems like the team was always so ready to put the emphasis on the defense carrying the team. This lose demonstrates that the Bears need the kind of offensive production that they were getting earlier in the year. The Bears’ deep threat Bernard Berrian has been almost non-existent. He needs to continue to be a major part of the game plan. That deep threat not only opens up the running game, but it also opens up the underneath passes that Muhsin Muhammad and Desmond Clark have been making up until this point. If the Bears become one dimensional on offense they are going to get murdered but the Giants, and the Patriots in the coming weeks. They must get good balance and extend the field on offense.

I’m definitely disappointed that the Bears lost this week. I don’t think that it’s the end of the world. And I don’t think it’s reminiscent of the 1985 Bears Super Bowl season when the Dolphins beat the Bears on Monday Night Football. It’s a loss to an inferior team because of stupid turnovers by the Bears.