The Big Apple Is Not as Big As It Thinks

We hear this all the time that all of the news media people live in the New York area because that is where every thing that is important in the world of news or even sports happens.  Yes New York has 13 million that live in the five Boroughs of New York and another seven million live in the so call New York Metro Area.

If there are 320 million people living in this country and 20 million live in New York that is one out of every sixteen  or about six % of the people.  If you have all that many then when it comes to buying product you would think anything related to New York would dominant the landscape.

The NFL released their top selling football jersey list and lo and behold there  is only one player from New York in the ten.  Before I start with the list close your eyes and who in 2011 sold the most Jersey's.  The answer is the hottest player in the NFL.  Aaron Rodgers

Last year at this time no one was yet thinking the Packers would win the Super Bowl.  Wait a minute Green Bay is a city in Wisconson with a population of 104,0000 and they have a player that his  jersey out sells Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez combined.  What happened to all that New York was the place to be stuff.

#2 on the list is Tim Tebow a city of  who plays in Denver a city of 600,000 and for an  average team.  He goes around speaking religion and the news media and liberal types hate.   So why is he so high up on the list of got to have jersies?  Must be that regardless of what people in this country are told by others what they are suppose to think, people still like what they see  and they like Tim Tebow.

#3 Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Does anyone see a trend here? Pittsburgh a city of 305,00  has a player that his helmet can't hold all his hair.  Who needs a team in LA?

#4 Drew Brees:  He plays for a team New Orleans that the city practically got wiped off the map just six years ago by a hurricane.  A mere 346,000 people live in the city of Bourbon street.

#5Tom Brady:  The so call best quarterback in the 21st Century of the NFL is the first player that comes from the so called Northeast corridor.  Boston the Capital of New England still has only 620,000 in the city of Boston.

#6 Clay Matthews:  What number does he wear for the Green Bay Packers. He plays on the Super Bowl champs from last year and 100 million watched last year's Super Bowl. So the Packers have a defensive player in the top ten.

#7 Michael Vick: I guess Philadelphia is the Northeast corridor but really New York is nines time bigger than Philly.

#8 Eli Manning:  Finally  someone from the big city makes the cut.  How many times bigger than Green Bay is New York ?  190 times bigger and yet the top jersey producer in the Big Apple is 8th and Green Bay has two players ahead the top seller from New York

#9 Tony Romo:  He plays for America's team.  It must be America's team only in the eyes of those folks in Dallas.  If Dallas was really America's team he'd be #1. Dallas is the city of two million that puts in as the second biggest of cities in this top ten.

#10  Miles Allston:  To me this is a shocker.  He is only one position behind America's quarterback. 

What does this top ten tell me.  The NFL is America's sport.  We as fans don't need some expert telling me who is good, I can judge for myself and America knows what they like and when they like it  they buy regardless if some expert who tells you different. 

Gryphon Basketball Hitting On All Cylinders

The end of the first semester is next week and this week exams at all Nash County Schools.  The boys team at Rocky Mount playing with more vigor since the two losses at the Broughton Christmas Tournament.  Two games that the Gryphons could have won.

They find themselves 2-0 in conference play and head to Hunt Friday night to meet a team that beat them twice in the regular season last year.  10-3 overall the Gryphons have scored on average 79 points per game while giving up 62.

There is all kinds of reason to believe the Gryphons made it to the Regional in Fayetteville last year and with the way they are playing they could  return there this year.  It would help finishing first and getting as many home games as possible in the Sectionals.  You know last year they had to beat Southern Wayne at their place in the second game and winning on the road is not easy that time of year.

The girls have the same 2-0 conference mark but they are one better in the overall column going 11-2.  So far those two losses have been to very good teams in unbeaten Northern Nash and 4-A Millbrook.  The two conference games still on the horizon with Northern will be extremely big in order to get those home games in the sectionals.  Both of their losses they had a tough time making outside shots but both Alexus Cooper and Carmen Richardson have truly had positive games with their outside games since both of those losses happened.  The Lady Gryphons are averaging 68 points a game while giving up a measly 37.  Those of you mathematically challenged that is a whomping 31 points  a game win margin.

HighSchool OT .com has comfirmed a rumor that I have been hearing over the last week.  Earlier I had passed along that Todd Gurley was going to announce his college decision on January 3rd.  That  date has come and gone.   HSOT.COM stated today they he will announce Friday. 

The rumor mill says a new school has jumped into the Gurley pot and over the past several weeks has made a dent into the two choices Gurley was believed deciding.  Understand Gurley's mother does not want him to go to Georgia due to the fact that travel every week to Athens would be too much for his family.  So that opens the door real wide for the Tar Heels  as both Georgia and North Carolina were thought to be his choices. Over the last month N C State has made an impression on Gurley and has replaced a Georgia.

I would like to see Gurley go to Raleigh but my personal opinion is he will wear Carolina blue next year. My sources are much like yours, the first cousin of the brother in law of the assistant coach so who knows but Todd.

I hope you had a chance to see the story last week on WRAL concerning Lee Winstead the young Rocky Mount boy hit with a wild pitch playing baseball last summer.  He has returned to school and WRAL did a feature on him last week.  If you missed it you can go to WRAL.COM and click Life and Health section and scan down the stories on line.  Well worth the view.

Big Four Starts Out On Top

Now when was the last time that all four of the Big Four schools have started out a basketball season all at the1-0 and on top of the ACC?  Duke and Carolina have held up their end but both  Wake and State have been at the other end of the standings instead of the top.  Matter of fact when has the Big Four started out like this in any sport?

I really don't think Duke is at this point very happy with Rivers at point guard.  He plays for  himself instead of the team.  He does  not make any one around him better so unless Duke gets it turned around I am not even sure they can finish first or second in league play.  Carolina has all the pieces and as far as who will be standing the longest in the ACC when the NCAA tournament rolls around it will be Carolina, but,  Carolina ship is not at full sail as of yet.

Wake got a home win yesterday and I don't see them winning more than five conference games this season.  I would be shocked if they win a road game all year.  They can be really pesky at home and everyone had better be ready when you go to Winston Salem.  State more and more becomes  intriguing.  Mark Gottfried has set a goal to win 11 conference games.  When is the last time they won 11 in two seasons?  They have plenty of holes but they are playing hard.  When you hear players interviewed on the radio they are all talking Gottfried speak.  That tells me they have bought what he is selling and they are showing it in their play.

I admire Pittsburgh's decision to hold out their  safety because of the mile high altitude in Denver could be a health issue because of Sickle Cell.  What I don't understand is why Ben Rothlesburger played the last two regular season games and by playing was still injured  in Sunday's playoff loss to Denver.  Tim Tebow completed just 10 passes but they went for more than 300 yards.  Pittsburgh played like they thought they would win big and now they can start vacation.

I went 2-2 on my picks over the weekend.  I never thought with all the injuries that Houston could play the way they did.  Cincinnati  will be a team to watch in the future.  The Giants and Saints played about how I expected.  Detroit future is bright and Atlanta will not make the playoffs next year because Carolina will take their place.