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It was suppose to be a good year for the University of Syracuse; the football program just landed a NFL quality coach in Doug Marrone after Greg Robinson ran the program into the ground. The one time Syracuse High School legend Greg Paulus who was the Gatorade National high school player of the year his senior year left Syracuse to pursue a basketball career at Duke University. After finishing a remarkable 4-year college basketball career, he came back home to Syracuse to use his last year of college eligibility as a quarterback for the football program.

While Paulus is not exactly the same quarterback that showed so much promise coming out of high school, it’s his leadership and communication skills that earned him the starting job. While the team is currently 3-5 they still look a lot better than they have in years. The defense is forcing turnovers and playing hard, and the offense had a major downfield threat in Mike Williams until this week.

Just when things were looking good especially for Williams who even while being on a 3-5 team was name one of the top 10 finalists for the Biletnikoff Award that goes to nations top wide receiver. But without warning early this week Williams quit the team and the University without any real explanation. While he may have had good reasons for leaving, the loss of Williams is huge for the Orange who plays 13th ranked Pittsburgh this weekend. While the football team season seems to be heading downhill quickly the basketball team is starting off the same way.

Ranked 25th in the preseason polls the Orange basketball team was hoping to bounce back from their loss in the sweet sixteen to Oklahoma while trying to reach the national championship. Coach Jim Boeheim knew it would be a good but challenging year for his young team. This year the Orange are trying to get over the loss of three starters from last Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris, and the electric Johnny Flynn who lead the team to one college basketball greatest games last year in a win over Uconn that went into 6 overtimes.

Even with the key departures the Orange were excited about finally having Wes Johnson who sat out last year after transferring from Iowa State. They also returned three point specialist Andy Rautins, and big time rebounders Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson. Given the height and skills of 4 out of the 5 starters, last nights exhibition game between cross-town Division 2 Le Moyne Dolphins should have been a walk in the park but it wasn’t.

From the beginning of the game the Orange were out played by a team that came in ready to play. Syracuse coach Boeheim knew coming into the game that they needed to work on man-to-man defense and the Dolphins proved that last night beating the Orange 82-79 even with Johnson scoring 34 points. The Dolphins used dribble penetration and cuts to get open at will against the taller slower Orange. The Orange who are known to rely on the zone defense during a majority of their games figured last night would be a good night to work on other defenses, well we all now know there is no other defense. If they think they had a hard time playing man to man against a division 2 school wait until they start Big east conference play. While the Big East may be a joke when it comes to college football, Big East basketball is the SEC of college football. Top to bottom the conference is loaded with at least 6 teams that have a chance every year of winning the national championship.

Hopefully the Orange can look at last night’s loss and never play man defense again unless they are up by 20 points with 1 minute left. The zone is what makes them a top 25 team without the zone they play defense like a deer in headlights. Last nights game showed why exhibition games are important it lets you work on all of weaknesses before the season starts. The Orange basketball team should be fine this year, given the talent they should finish within the top 25 and make it back to March Madness next year. While the football program needs to now regroup and think of other ways to score, the wildcat offense my not be a bad idea against a Pittsburgh defense that likes to commit early on run plays so misdirection could work but not for a whole game. Not saying the Orange could win but if they can stop one of the best running backs in the country Dion Lewis a freshman from near by Albany NY they could have a chance.

There was a preliminary hearing last week concerning whether or not lawyer Howard K. Stern and two doctors kept Anna Nicole Smith on drugs causing her to be completely incapacitated during the last few years of her life. CNN recently released what is referred to as the “clown video” that was presented as possible evidence against Stern and the doctors in court. This is a home video of a pregnant Anna Nicole allowing a nine-year-old girl named Riley to paint her face like a clown. As the girl was painting her face, Anna Nicole was in and out of consciousness. The girl placed a baby doll on the ground near the pool and Anna Nicole picked it up thinking it was her unborn child. She scuffed into the house with the doll and entered the dark nursery where she proceeded to change the doll’s clothes and rock the doll in her arms.

Stern filmed the 45-minute video and it was taken during Riley’s birthday party. The child was evidently the daughter of one of their friends. Riley showed concern for Anna Nicole, though she wasn’t sure whether or not she was acting or really having difficulty. Riley saw Stern make Anna Nicole some type of cocktail before he started filming. At one point the child pleaded for Stern to put the camera down and help Anna Nicole. Stern stated on tape that the footage he was shooting would be worth money. It was argued that the video should not be seen as evidence because Stern claims that Anna Nicole was acting and the part that explains that was edited out of the film. The judge hearing the case said that the video would not affect his decision even if it were to be submitted as evidence.

Stern’s lawyer claims that Stern did not know that Anna Nicole was a drug addict. Supposedly, he also didn’t know that it is illegal to pick up double doses of prescriptions for someone else under fake names. Many doctors who care for celebrities prescribe medicine under another name to protect the celebrity’s privacy. Stern has been accused of 11 felony charges and the doctors are each charged with six. They are out on bond at this time and are scheduled to return to court on December 11.

During in intense rivalry game in Athens Georgia between two top SEC teams Georgia Bulldogs and the visiting Gators of Florida, retaliation finally got out of hand. Florida star senior linebacker Brandon Spikes let his emotions get the best of him after having his helmet knocked off earlier in game and his eye poked. When spikes got the opportunity for payback he took his chances after Georgia running back Washuan Ealey had been tackle by a group of Florida defenders spikes jumped into the pile late, put his hand in Ealey face mask and started gauging at his eye. While Ealey was not seriously hurt in the incident what transpired was uncalled for.

For spikes the defensive leader for the Gators what he did was wrong and senseless, just because his helmet was knocked of during a play does not mean he needs to go after a harmless player. For what Spikes did he deserved at least a 2 game suspension, but because he plays for the almighty Florida Gators under college football guru coach Urban Meyer he only received a half game suspension.

They can call it a bad judgment play or whatever they like what Spikes did was wrong, he should be suspended a lot longer. Considering after what happened top SEC officials should of stepped in and made sure coach Meyer actually penalized Spikes for his actions. Instead the officials said the punishment was good enough and even Florida school officials said it was Meyer’s decision for the suspension and not theirs, they could care less. The punishment is just a slap on the hand that just tells the players next time don’t get caught.

If you look at two other major incidents around college football this year it’s obvious the elite teams in college football play by their own rules. Look at what happened to Oklahoma St wide receiver Dez Bryant, who got suspended for the rest of the season for hanging out with Deon Sanders in the off-season. Yes he lied about it when asked but what do you expect a college kid to do when forced into the situation he was in. He did not accept money or gifts, he did not work out for scouts, he jogged and ate dinner with a former NFL player. That’s like telling players like Chris Sims and Clay Matthews when they were in college they can not go home because their fathers played in the NFL so being around them ruins their eligibility.

Then you have the whole Oregon's LeGarrett Blount incident at Boise St, yes he should have been suspended for the punch, but that would of never happened if the Boise St player would of kept his mouth shut. Blount was heading to his sideline after a tough loss when he was approached by the Boise St player, which resulted in Blount knocking him out then going after anybody who stood in his way.

Between the three incidents Oklahoma St Bryant’s received the worse punishment, even though he should have not been punished at all. Yes Oregon's Blount deserved to be suspended until further notice, that one I agree with although I think the Boise St player should have been dealt a two game suspension at least for his involvement. But I guess being the one that everyone across the world got to see get knocked out is punishment enough. But Spikes punishment just does not add up, I mean he tried to gauge a guy eye out and got a half a game suspension that ridiculous. At least they could have suspended him for the next game entirely considering they are playing Vanderbilt this weekend, I don’t think missing Spikes from the game will ruin their chances of winning.

Dish Network is a must have for a great Halloween with friends!

There’s one more day until Halloween and you just found out that you are going to have unexpected company coming! What can you possibly do to show them a great time? A dinner and movie have always worked for me. Here are some great movies showing Halloween night and some recipes from Food Network to help you whip up a great horrifying evening of fun!

Top 5 Horror Movies Found on America’s Everything Package 10/31/09

#1 Carrie at 8:00 p.m. on Encore East

2. Final Destination 7:35 p.m. Encore West

3. Jacob’s Ladder 6:00 p.m. Encore Mystery

4. 1408 at 8:15 p.m. on The Movie Channel

5. Disturbing Behavior at 8:00 p.m. on Flix

Some of my easy but filling appetizers for your guests:

Ingredients: Salami, cream cheese, Ritz crackers

Slice a thin piece of cream cheese and place in the middle of a slice of salami. Crumble Ritz crackers over the cream cheese. Roll it, stick it with a toothpick and you’re done!

Dinner!

Fusilli with Spinach and Asagio Cheese

Ingredients:
· 1 pound fusilli pasta
· 1/4 cup olive oil
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· 1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach , roughly chopped
· 8 ounces (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
· 1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.
Transfer the pasta to a serving plate and serve.

Dessert!

Orange Cream Liqueur Dessert

Ingredients
· 1 pint vanilla ice cream
· 4 ounces orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
· 1 orange, zested
· 4 thin slices navel orange, for garnish
·
Directions
Scoop vanilla ice cream into dessert cups. Top each cup with 1-ounce orange liqueur. Garnish with orange zest and slices of orange.

Last but not least, HAVE FUN!

That’s right folks it’s here, it seems like it was just yesterday watching UNC beat Michigan St on CBS to win March Madness and the National Championship. With the thrill of Victory for UNC also comes the agony of losing their top 4 players to the NBA Draft this past June. With the huge hit to the UNC squad a lot of teams are looking to become the #1 team going into this season. With UNC falling Kansas took over as the top team this year returning all of their starters. Michigan St took the 2nd spot hoping to avenge their championship lost last year to UNC. Out of all the teams in this years pre season poll teams Kentucky made the biggest jump, going from not being ranked at the end of last year to being 5th going into this year.

Some teams that seem to be ranked lower than expected are Duke, Uconn, Georgetown, and Syracuse. All four teams lost major stars from last year but are expecting young new stars to fill in.

Here is the list for the preseason CBB top 25

1. Kansas
2. Michigan State
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Villanova
7. Purdue
8. Duke
9. West Virginia
10. Butler
11. Tennessee
12. California
13. Washington
14. Connecticut
15. Michigan
16. Oklahoma
17. Ohio State
18. Minnesota
19. Mississippi State
20. Georgia Tech
21. Georgetown
22. Dayton
23. Louisville
24. Clemson
25. Syracuse

Don’t forget Dish Network offers the ESPN Full court that gives you access to up to 30 games a week and 450 games throughout the season including all the big name conferences like the Big East, ACC, Pac 10 and the SEC.

With all the negative controversy surrounding late night talk shows like the David Letterman show on CBS, TBS will be giving another great comedian George Lopez a chance to help boost there late night ratings with his own talk show “Lopez Tonight”.

Lopez who has been doing comedy for years, and even had his own sitcom on ABC the George Lopez show is excited about the opportunity to be able to entertain fans on a nightly basis. He knows doing a late night talk show puts you up against some of the biggest names in TV like Jay Leno, Letterman, and Conan O’Brien. But with his show filling in at the 11 pm slot Monday thru Thursday he should be able to show viewers just how funny he can be.

This will be Lopez first regular show since his sitcom was canceled in 2007, which he still doesn’t understand why. The George Lopez show that had good ratings was canceled for a new comedy called Cavemen that only lasted 13 episodes. But like many in show business he moved on to other projects including going to the big screen and appearing in the movies Swing Vote, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

With so much time to come up with new material for his own talk show Lopez is excited about finally being able to interview fellow celebrities while at the same time making America laugh. The show debuts Nov 9 at 11pm on TBS.

Cavaliers were hoping with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal they would be able to become the team to beat in the east. But after a loss on the opening day to the Boston Celtics, and lasts nights loss to the Toronto Raptors things are not going as planned.

This was supposed to be the season where the Cavaliers were going to make an early statement to the entire league that they are the team to beat. During the off season they went out and got the missing pieces in center O’Neal and guards Jamario Moon, and Anthony Parker to get them over the hump. But last nights game proved that even though they may have the players the team chemistry is still not there yet, even with Lebron James contributing 23 point 11 rebounds and 12 assist.

While its only two games into the season and the Cavaliers are 0-2 there is still plenty of basketball to be played this year. The loss to the Celtics on opening day was not a big surprise, seeing how the Celtics have a very talented veteran team and added former Detroit Piston star forward Rasheed Wallace to also make them one of the top two teams in the east with Cleveland.

With James as the center piece things should turn around fast for the Cavaliers. It may take a little bit of time, but with there only being about 5 teams in the eastern conference that has a legitimate shot to make it to the finals the Cavaliers should be in place to make a run at the end of the season for the top spot.

In case you have been hiding under a rock, game 1 of the 2009 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees starts tonight at 7:57pm on Fox. It will be the first World Series game played at the new billion-dollar Yankee stadium that just opened this year. During the regular season the Phillies came out victorious in 2 out of the 3 games against the Yankees, but that was in May and the Yankees are a completely different team now.

As the Yankees look to regain their supremacy as MLB top team, the reigning World Series champion Phillies are looking to win two titles in a row and give MLB highest paid team another reason to dream for next year. Both teams have won a World Series championship this decade and are looking to tie the Boston Red Sox as the only two teams with 2 championships in the decade.

Most sports analyst are saying the Yankees will prevail in 6 games, but they seem to forget that the Phillies lineup may not be as deep as the Yankees but they are just as powerful. With both Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Phillies Ryan Howard having very productive post seasons, it could come down to which one of them can keep the hot streak going for their team. Both teams also have veteran superstar leaders in Yankees captain Derek Jeter and Phillies Jimmy Rollins who both may of struggled a little in the regular season but when the post season came they showed up when their team needed them.

Not only will we see two powerful offenses going against each other but also the pitching rotations could make the most difference in the outcome of the series. Game 1 has Phillies Ace Cliff Lee facing one of his best friends and arguably the best starting pitcher this post season in CC Sabathia of the Yankees. Game two is guaranteed to have the Yankee fans on their feet as ex Boston Red Sox Pedro Martinez now with the Phillies comes back to town to face A.J Burnett. I think a majority of the Yankee fans still have the image of Pedro throwing Don Zimmer on the ground still in the back of their minds, so you can be sure they will be taunting Pedro with the “ who’s your daddy” chant. It Does not matter how you look at the teams they seem to be fairly even going into tonight’s game except for thing the Yankees have “ The Sandman” Mariano Rivera.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a ghost hunter? Imagine camping out in an empty house in the dark just waiting for something paranormal to happen. This is a bizarre profession and maybe even a dangerous one. The Syfy channel on Dish Network Satellite TV offers the show Ghost Hunters. You can go along for the ride with the ghost hunters as they investigate homes that are reportedly haunted by ghosts.

I was listening to the radio this morning when the DJ’s were interviewing another group of ghost hunters who visit people’s haunted homes for free. They were recently working on an investigation in a Nashua, New Hampshire apartment for a family that was tormented by ghostly occurrences. Their 13-year-old daughter has visions of blood dripping from the walls in her room and she hears things and sees full body apparitions. She will also start writing randomly in handwriting not characteristic of her own. The investigators did not see anything when they were at the home but they did hear growling unlike an animal that they attribute to something demonic.

The apartment is new so it is rare that a place like this would be haunted. The ghost hunters recommended that the family move somewhere else but they also recommended a demonologist to help them rid of the demon. Ghost hunters are out to learn more about the paranormal but they are not qualified to perform an exorcism. They claim that a demonic haunting usually stems from a curse or something that their ancestors were guilty of in the past that was carried down to them. They would need to consult the church to find a demonologist who would be able to conduct an exorcism. The demonologist is an informed and very religious person who has a faith so strong that it cannot be overpowered by the demon. Demonic hauntings are said to follow their victims no matter where they move- not unlike the story in Paranormal Activity. The family decided not to move but there’s no word yet of whether they will seek out a demonologist.

A demon is characterized by a non-human entity that has a soul but never had a body, perhaps an angel that was cast down from Heaven. It is not seen but can be heard and felt. The demon enjoys wreaking havoc and can be very dangerous. They are jealous of our lives, they smell foul and they are intelligent but have no inhibitions. There are plenty of people who do not believe that this can be possible but there are also a few accounts of people experiencing this phenomenon. I’m sure there are cases that can be attributed to mental illness. I question whether or not it’s possible to be haunted by an evil unseen force but at the same time I’m curious about it on an entertainment level.

Can the cases be true that led to such movies as The Entity, The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose? There are many skeptics that do not believe these stories are valid and many investigations uncovered a few loopholes in the stories. For example The Amityville Horror story implied that there were hoof prints found outside the home in the snow that possibly belonged to the demon but it was confirmed that it did not even snow that day where the house is located in New York and it would be rare that the demon would have a visible form. I haven’t heard of any arguments concerning the story in The Entity so perhaps there was nothing to argue. The woman portrayed in the film was raped at night by an unseen force. She moved from the home and hasn’t been touched but she claims that there is still a presence.

Can just anyone be haunted by a demon? Investigators claim that demonic hauntings start off quietly and gradually build in intensity. Families that are under high stress are considered to be more vulnerable. Stressors can include anything from marital problems to mental illness. Demons have an outlet when people are at their weakest psychologically. Using objects that invoke spirits can bring more into your life than you bargained for. Ouija boards, crystals and Tarot cards seem like simple entertainment but according to some professionals can also bring in unwanted spirits and demons. There is also the curse factor. Demonic hauntings are very rare but when they occur they are impossible to rid of without the help of a professional demonologist and they can still return after they’ve been expelled. It is important for families who have had a demon expelled to attend counseling and repair their personal problems so they can maintain a positive mental state. This will make it difficult for the demon to return.

It is difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to something as delicate and unseen as the paranormal. I would like to believe that demons do not exist and these occurrences can be attributed to something else- anything else. Like many people I would like to believe that angels are real and they are watching over us and protecting us. There may be more reliable measurements in the future to test the validity of the paranormal but perhaps it is better to use our imagination than know the truth.

As the NFL season starts to unravel undefeated teams like the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and the surprising Denver Broncos remain at the top while other teams rotate up and down. Just like last week, this weeks schedule have a lot of divisional opponents matching up to see who can take the top spot. The divisional game of the week will be between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, with the winner of the game taking 1st place in the NFC East the hardest division in the NFL that also features the Dallas Cowboys and the down but not out Washington Redskins.

2009 Power Rankings: Week 8

1. Colts 6-0

2. Saints 6-0

3. Broncos 6-0

4. Vikings 6-1

5. Patriots 5-2

6. Bengals 5-2

7. Steelers 5-2

8. Giants 5-2

9. Cowboys 4-2

10. Cardinals 4-2

11. Falcons 4-2

12. Eagles 4-2

13. Packers 4-2

14. Ravens 3-3

15. Jets 4-3

16. Chargers 3-3

17. Texans 4-3

18. Bears 3-3

19. Dolphins 2-4

20. 49ers 3-3

21. Jaguars 3-3

22. Bills 3-4

23. Seahawks 2-4

24. Panthers 2-4

25. Redskins 2-5

26. Lions 1-5

27. Raiders 2-5

28. Chiefs 1-6

29. Titans 0-6

30. Browns 1-6

31. Buccaneers 0-7

32. Rams 0-7