by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)
Now that free agency’s under way I’ll be giving my flash opinion on the big signings. Nothing fancy, just a sentence or two. I’ll be updating these as things happen, with the most recent signings near the top. Enjoy.
Does Mike Pettine fit with the Browns?
Pettine, the current roster, and what the team needs to do in the offseason to be successful.
by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)
As a Jets fan I know a bit about new Browns Head Coach Mike Pettine. He came to the Jets as defensive coordinator under Rex Ryan in New York, the Jets went to two AFC Championships, relying heavily on their hard-hitting defense to get there. At the time, it was hard to say exactly how much of their defensive success was due to Pettine or Rex Ryan. However, when he left the Jets for the Bills last season, Pettine proved he was great on his own. The Bills went from being ranked 22nd in the league on total defense, to the top ten under Pettine, and despite his calm domineer, showed he takes after Rex in terms of scheme.
YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite songs of 2013
by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)
This year had a TON of really good rock songs, partly because there were a lot of solid albums (consequently, there are a lot of repeat artist). Luckily I liked a lot of singles too, so the list is a really nice mix of things. There aren’t that many pop or hip-hop stations in Minnesota so I wasn’t exposed to this as much as I have been in the past, but I was able to find 30 songs that I actually liked by artists that I THINK are on pop stations, or would be considered a dance song. I’m sorry about all the Justin Timberlake songs, but that’s what happens when an artist releases 2 albums in the same year. In hip-hop, 2013 was really bad year for good hip-hop, and there was so much promise going in. Big names in the genre like Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Jay-Z, Drake, and Lil Wayne all released records that vastly disappointed, as did promising up and comers like Childish Gambino, J. Cole, and Big Sean. And for the first time in a long time, we didn’t have a hip-hop smash hit that everyone recognized and got excited about when they heard it on the radio (I guess “Suit and Tie” might fit the bill, but it’s a real stretch calling that a Hip-hop song to begin with).
Continue reading “YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite songs of 2013”
YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite albums of 2013
by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)
…Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age (81/100)
“Refreshing” is the word that comes to mind. …Like Clockwork is definitely the purest rock album we’ve had in years. No gimmicks, no sell out songs, just loud guitar riffs, pounding drums, and the occasional piano.
Reflektor by Arcade Fire (77/100)
Reflektor is by no means a perfect Arcade Fire record, but people tend to hold the band to a much higher standard. I think Reflektor‘s problem isn’t the fact that they tried something new, but that it has more just-ok, don’t-really-give-it-a-second-thought songs (“Flashbulb Eyes”, “Here Comes the Night II”, “Joan of Arc,”) than any of their other works. But then there are songs like the title track, “Awful Sound” and “Porno” that are so intricately put together that it makes up for any other tracks that might be lacking a little something. I’m a much bigger fan of disc 2 over disc 1, but the album as a whole is quite indulging.
Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend (74/100)
To me, Vampire Weekend is a band everyone is embarrassed about liking. You don’t feel cool saying that you’re listening to them, but you know you want to listen. Modern Vampires of the City is by far the band’s best album. It’s extremely playful and upbeat; great for a summer day at the beach. Every song has it’s own personality.Continue reading “YEAR IN REVIEW: My favorite albums of 2013”
NFL End of the Year Power Rankings
I know I haven’t posted one of these in a while but I figured I’ll do one for the end of the season. These are the best teams in the league right now, taking into account injuries and momentum (but not a lack of a head coach in some situations). Most of my opinions are based on which teams I think would win on a neutral field right now, meaning 1 would beat 2, 2 would beat 3, and 31 would beat 32.Continue reading “NFL End of the Year Power Rankings”
NBA 2013 Preseason Rankings
My first basketball article ever! Hopefully they’ll be more to come. Ranking the best teams in the league to start the season. Spoiler alert: The Heat are number one.
2013 MLB Year-End Awards
by Nicholas Cicale (@nickcicale)
With the World Series in full swing I figured I would post my version of Major League Baseball’s year-end awards. Probably should have done this a few weeks ago but better late than never. And by the way, I don’t care about that whole “MVPs should be on playoff teams” bull. If a player’s on a bad team, and still putting up monster numbers, chances are he’s more valuable to his team.
2013 Week 9 Deli Poll and Heisman Watch
I’m really happy that FSU will get another chance to prove themselves this week, but unless Oregon loses to Stanford I really don’t see them as number 2 in my rankings any time soon. Miami is a really weak undefeated team, and with VT looking like their usual selfs and Florida MIA, they have little chance to impress voters the rest of the year.
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Florida State
- Ohio State
- BaylorContinue reading “2013 Week 9 Deli Poll and Heisman Watch”
Nick Aliotti’s ridiculous post game comments and the WEEK 8 DELI POLL
After last week’s college football game between Oregon and Washington State, Oregon‘s defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti criticized opposing head coach Mike Leach for running up the score, and passing the ball in the fourth quarter, even though Oregon won the game in a lopsided 63-38 victory, where their own offense score 14 fourth quarter points.
Calling the decision to pass the ball a record 89 times “low class,” Aliotti criticized Leach for taking advantage of the second and third string player’s his team elected to put into the game, in order to pad his team’s statistics.
The truth of the matter is, a team should be praised for trying to win the game even when it seems so out of reach. Washington State used it as an opportunity to practice against a caliber of athlete that most of its students won’t go up against again in their lifetimes. It’s a great experience for your athletes. And just because a team decides to pull its starters doesn’t mean their opponent has to accept defeat. It’s understandable for Oregon to prefer their opponents to lay down in a fetal position every week after going down 30 points, but the fact that one team was able to take advantage of their lackluster defense is actually a (slight) sign of weakness for the Ducks, who are ranked #2 in the coaches and AP polls.
Until Oregon is willing to kneel the ball every play on offense, the opponent shouldn’t stop trying to score. The reason they don’t kneel throughout the fourth is that no matter what their lead is, there’s always a .00001% chance the other team can make a come back. And for Washington State, a 63-38 game is a lot less embarrassing than 62-24. That’s why Aliotti was out of line.
WEEK 8 DELI POLL
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Florida State
- Ohio State
- BaylorContinue reading “Nick Aliotti’s ridiculous post game comments and the WEEK 8 DELI POLL”
2013: Week 6 Deli Poll and Week 5 NFL Power Rankings
All wrapped into one post!
Week 6 NCAA Deli Poll
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Clemson
- Stanford
- Ohio State
- Louisville
- Florida State
- Georgia
- Texas A&M
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- UCLA
- Baylor
- Miami
- Texas Tech
- Washington
- Northwestern
- Florida
- Oklahoma State
- Northern Illinois
- South Carolina
- Michigan State
- Oregon State
- Fresno State
Week 5 NFL Power Rankings
- Broncos (5-0)
- Saints (5-0)
- Seahawks (4-1)
- Chiefs (5-0)
- Colts (4-1)
- Patriots (4-1)
- 49ers (3-2)
- Bangles (3-2)
- Packers (2-2)
- Bears (3-2)
- Dolphins (3-2)
- Cowboys (2-3)
- Jets (3-2)
- Lions (3-2)
- Browns (3-2)
- Ravens (3-2)
- Titans (3-2)
- Texans (2-3)
- Chargers (2-3)
- Falcons (1-4)
- Bills (2-3)
- Cardinals (3-2)
- Panthers (1-3)
- Eagles (2-3)
- Raiders (2-3)
- Rams (2-3)
- Vikings (1-3)
- Washington Professional Football Team (1-3)
- Steelers (0-4)
- Giants (0-5)
- Buccaneers (0-4)
- Jaguars (0-5)
Fresh Out The Deli 