Sushi and Football...that's what the PAC-10 does!

I will admit I stole these from Ted Miller at ESPN.com, but I thought these are facts that should be out there before all the talking heads and idiots bash the PAC-10 before the season starts. Check these out:

Quick facts from the Pac-10 before media day begins. Bet some of these surprise some folks:

• The Pac-10 has a winning record vs. every BCS conference since 2000. Yes, even that one down yonder.
• The Pac-10 is 9-2 in BCS bowls since 2000.
• The Pac-10 has the highest all-time bowl game winning percentage of all FBS conferences.*

Moreover, as for this season, of the automatic qualifying BCS conferences:

• The Pac-10 has the most teams -- six -- without any FCS (I-AA) opponents.
• The Pac-10 plays the lowest percentage (13 percent) of nonconference games against FCS foes.
• The Pac-10 plays the highest percentage of nonconference games (50 percent) games BCS opponents.

*Based on current conference membership.

I cant wait until the season starts and the PAC-10 doesn't get any respect again because people aren't smart enough to figure out that the SEC and Big 12 will have better overall records based off scheduling adn scheduling alone. The PAC-10 will get kicked in the balls for the umpteenth season in a row until the bowls come around and people realize that they play football on the West Coast.

What team will sign Michael Vick?

Michael Vick is out of prison and free to sign with any NFL team that wants him. He still hasn't cleared all the hurdles that NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell has put in front of him in order to play but he should be eligible sometime around Week 4. I keep hearing the experts and pundits arguing over which team would be best for Vick. He is now 28 and hasn't thrown a pass in 2 years. He had issues with his accuracy (54% career completion percentage) and it is not certain that any NFL team would want him as a QB anymore. Most teams are probably discussing him as a Wildcat type that would run more than throw.

The question Vick must answer is, "What is more important, being in the NFL now or as a QB in the future?" So what Vick needs more than anything else is an opportunity to play. He needs to get reps in order to get back to where he was prior to his prison sentence. No NFL team will offer him the keys to the offense and install him as the centerpiece on offense right now. In my opinion, Vick shouldn't even consider the NFL. He needs to sign with the USFL and play QB if he is serious about his future. The USFL would love this at it would bring unprecedented exposure to their new league. The league will be over by Thanksgiving which still gives Vick an opportunity to join an NFL team for the last month. This is the best opportunity for him, lets hope he makes the right decision.

Does Artest make Lakers better?

While reading the latest issue of Sports Illustrated I came across an article that proclaimed that the Lakers were going to be better next year than this year because of the recent signing of Ron Artest. Now Artest would probably beat Trevor Ariza in a one-on-one contest, but that isn't what we are talking about here. In a team concept, which one makes the Lakers better? Can Artest adjust to being a complimentary piece and defer in crucial times to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Only time will tell but for now we need to dive into the numbers because the numbers never lie.

Artest's stats as a starter in 2008 - 17.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.41 bpg.
Ariza's stats as a starter in 2008 -10.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.95 spg, 0.26 bpg.

Just looking at those numbers it should be a slam dunk that Artest makes the Lakers better. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend". Artest should have the statistical advantage since he played more minutes and didn't have the competition for shots that Ariza did. The problem for Artest as a Laker is that he will be the 3rd option at best with Bryant and Gasol already entrenched as the stars of the team. In order to make the Lakers better he will have to be as efficient or more efficent than Ariza was. More stats:

Artest shot 39.9% FG, 40.0% 3FG, 79.2 FT% with 2.0 turnovers as a starter.
Ariza shot 47.8% FG, 28% 3FG, 79.4 FT% with 0.9 turnovers as a starter.

Ariza's playoff numbers also need to be pointed out. In 23 playoff games he averaged 11.3 ppg while shooting 49.7% FG and 47.6% 3FG. While Artest appears to be the better 3 point shooter based on his regular season stats, the rest of his offense repertoire is awful. It is hard for a forward to shot less than 40% from the field. A major part of the success of the Lakers is the high efficiency on offense and Ariza was a big part of that. One of my favorite stats is Points Per Shot (PPS). This stat brings points scored, FG%, 3 pointers, and free throws into one giant ball and shows how many shots it takes someone to score 1 point. The higher the number, the more efficient the player.

Artest 1.126
Ariza 1.214
Bryant 1.282
Gasol 1.465
Bynum 1.430
Odom 1.255

Artest may score more points than Ariza but he takes more shots and possessions to do so. Is it really a good thing for the Lakers to be taking away shots from Gasol, Bryant, Bynum, and Odom? That answer is clearly NO and it is the reason why Artest doesn't make the Lakers better. I haven't even discussed the fact that Ariza is 5 years younger or that Artest is a lunatic. The survey says.....XXX!