Any anime and sports fans here?

[Animeman73]

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens for overcoming as much adversity as they have to over their season win their first ever Super Bowl championship. Congratulations Baltimore, you've more than earned this fair and square.
 

[Washougal_Otaku]

Um, this is their second title.  They won it 12 years ago against the New York Giants.


So, I went to the Seahawks' website this morning.  The list of their opponents for this upcoming season is out, and it looks TOUGH!


Home games: Saints, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Vikings.
Away games: Panthers, FALCONS, TEXANS, COLTS, GIANTS.


Despite the tough list of opponents, I think Seattle has the potential to reach, at least, eight wins this season.

[garfieldelric]

Spring training has begun; and the M's have fallen to the Padres 9-3 in the first Spring Training game......... eh, hopefully we may finish third in the AL West at best! (Since the Astros came in, there is hope for us yet!)

[Washougal_Otaku]

Wait... WHAT!?!  NO!!!  That sucks!  Houston was my favorite team in the National League!  This completely ruins my fantasy World Series!  [CENSORED]!  Now I'm gonna have to create a new one (San Diego, maybe...?), and pick out a new favorite NLC team (anyone but Cincinnati)!  [CENSORED]!

[garfieldelric]

Wait... WHAT!?!  NO!!!  That sucks!  Houston was my favorite team in the National League!  This completely ruins my fantasy World Series!  [CENSORED]!  Now I'm gonna have to create a new one (San Diego, maybe...?), and pick out a new favorite NLC team (anyone but Cincinnati)!  [CENSORED]!

It's true; since the Astros were sold to Jim Crane in 2011, one of the contingents was that they move to the American League this season.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Wait a minute... how's that going to impact the scheduling?  I would think that every week would feature (at least) a few inter league match-ups, so that everyone can still play their full 162 games...

[garfieldelric]

Interleague play will now be spread across the whole season. It was designed to give all 30 teams a fair chance (read: a 1 in 5 chance) of making the playoffs.

[Washougal_Otaku]

I think it'd be a good idea to have each league create a 16th team, though.  That'd make it better for scheduling purposes, I think.  Of course, MLB would most likely have to redivide the teams, much like what the NFL did in 2002...

Hmm... what cities would be good candidates...?  I'm gonna play with this idea for a while.

Vancouver, BC
Portland, OR
Salt Lake City, UT
Calgary, AB
Oklahoma City, OK
San Antonio, TX
New Orleans, LA
Indianapolis, IN
Nashville, TN
Birmingham, AL
Jacksonville, FL
Charlotte, NC
East Rutherford, NJ
Montreal, QB
Quebec City, QB

Okay!  Here's my theoretical division realignment!

American
- East - Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
- Central - Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
- Mid-West - Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers
- West - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, (either) Vancouver Captains (or 86ers) (or) Portland Greens (or 59ers)

National
- Atlantic - Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
 - Northern - Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Southwest - Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants
- Southern - Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Pères, Tennessee 96ers (or Atheneans or Francs)(New Orleans is the previous San Diego Padres)

[Washougal_Otaku]

So, for fun, I've been working on other theoretical ideas for this.  (Man, I miss having time to kill...).


If Houston stayed in the National League:

National
- Southwest - Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Padres
- Mid-West - Astros, Brewers, Cardinals, Rockies
- Central - Braves, Cubs, Pirates, Reds
- Atlantic - Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Phillies

American
- Great Lakes - Blue Jays, Indians, Tigers, White Sox
- Eastern - Devil Rays, Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees
- Middle - Rangers, Royals, Twins, either New Orleans Rogues or Tennessee 96ers
- Pacific - Angels, Athletics, Mariners, either Portland Greens or Vancouver Captains



If there were no difference between American & National:

Eastern
- Southeastern - Braves, Devil Rays, Marlins, Nationals
- Northeastern - Mets, Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees
- Ohio/Penn - Indians, Phillies, Pirates, Reds
- Great Lakes - Blue Jays, Cubs, Tigers, White Sox

Western
- Southwestern - Angels, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres
- North Central - Brewers, Cardinals, Rockies, Twins
- South Central - Astros, Rangers, Royals, either Rogues or 96ers
- Pacific - Athletics, Giants, Mariners, either Greens or Capitals



If no differences at 30 teams:

Eastern
- Southeastern - Braves, Devil Rays, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles
- Northeastern - Mets, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Yankees
- Great Lakes - Blue Jays, Brewers, Indians, Reds, Tigers

Western
- Californian - Angels, Athletics, Dodgers, Giants, Padres
- Central - Cardinals, Cubs, Royals, Twins, White Sox
- Big - Astros, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Rockies, Mariners


This was fun!  I should do this for the NBA & NHL...

[Washougal_Otaku]

Okay!  Here are my selections for the NHL!!!


Eastern
 - Northeast - Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators
 - Southeast - Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capital
 - Mid-Atlantic - New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers
 - Erie - Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs


Western
 - Central - Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues
 - Southwest - Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Houston 45s, Phoenix Coyotes
 - West Canada - Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets
 - Pacific - Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Wizards




Now, onto the NBA!!!


Eastern
 - Atlantic - Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers
 - Southeast - Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic
 - Central - Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
 - International - Buffalo Emperors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards


Western
 - Northwest - Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento (or Seattle) Kings, Utah Jazz
 - Southwest - Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns
 - Red - Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs
 - River - Kansas City Independents, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets




...this was a lot easier on account of these two leagues already being separated by geography, rather than rule set.

[garfieldelric]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWLLdoWPyPk

This, is the funniest moment thus far in the World Baseball Classic. My jokes:
"Not sure if WBC or WWE."
"Wasn't NAFTA made to prevent stuff like this?"
"Not a good idea for Mexico to get into a donnybrook with those hockey-loving Canucks......."

[garfieldelric]

The M's season has started! Could be worse, could be better, but one thing that made me gag was the Mariners loss to the Astros 16-9. At one point however, they were trailing 13-0! WOW.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Meh, it happens.  What matters most is the final standings, and I doubt that Houston will surpass Seattle.  Heck, from what I've seen, they might even have a shot at being better than Oakland.  It's still really early to tell, though.

[Washougal_Otaku]

A little late for this, but...


NBA PLAYOFFS!!!


I'm just gonna look at the first round for prediction making.


EAST
1) Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks - Heat win in 5
2) New York Knicks vs. 7) Boston Celtics - Knicks win in 7
3) Indiana Pacers vs. 6) Atlanta Hawks - Hawks win in 6
4) Brooklyn Nets vs. 5) Chicago Bulls - Bulls win in 7


WEST
1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets - Thunder win in 5
2) San Antonio Spurs vs. 7) Los Angeles Lakers - Spurs win in 4 (No Kobe = Crappy team)
3) Denver Nuggets vs. 6) Golden State Warriors - Nuggets win in 6
4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5) Memphis Grizzlies - Clippers in 6


...and since I'm more into hockey, here's my current NHL playoff picture predictions!


EAST

1) Pittsburgh Penguins
2) Boston Bruins
3) Washington Capitals
4) Montreal Canadiens
5) New York Islanders
6) Toronto Maple Leafs
7) Ottawa Senators
Winnipeg Jets


WEST
1) Chicago Blackhawks
2) Anaheim Mighty Ducks
3) Vancouver Canucks
4) Los Angeles Kings
5) St. Louis Blues
6) San Jose Sharks
7) Minnesota Wild
Detroit Red Wings - (F***)

[garfieldelric]

It's May now, and all of a sudden....... the Mariners are now close to second place in the AL West.


In other news, the Canucks got bounced by the Sharks in four straight, and now the Kings will face off against the latter team in the next round of the playoffs. Who's ready to watch?

[Washougal_Otaku]

GO MARINERS!!!

Honestly, I hate the Sharks and the Kings, but between the two, I'm cheering for San Jose.


As for the other Western series, I am most definitely rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks over the Detroit Red Wings.


With the East, either Pittsburgh or Ottawa would be fine, so long as they beat whoever wins between the Bruins and Rangers (which I'm hoping for the Bruins).




NBA - I'm upset that Miami defeated Chicago, but happy (and sad) to see Memphis defeating Oklahoma City.  I'm hoping that Golden State beats San Antonio, but I don't think it will happen, and couldn't care less about the rest of the Eastern side of the bracket.

[Washougal_Otaku]

So, the NHL Eastern Conference Finals have their teams determined: The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Boston Bruins.  As for the Western, the two participants could be determined as soon as Monday, and as late as Wednesday.  Currently, the Detroit Red Wings lead the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Los Angeles Kings lead the San Jose Sharks; both series are at 3-2.  It looks like for me, unless Chicago can win two more games, I'll be rooting for the East, no matter what happens in June.


The NBA Conference finals are already in full swing.  At this moment, the San Antonio Spurs are leading the Memphis Grizzlies 3-0 (no surprise there), while the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers are tied at 1 each.  This one will have me cheering on the West (most likely the Spurs) come June.


I am also hoping to introduce a game for us to play relating to the NFL.  To put it simply, it will be akin to a betting system on the games throughout the season.  Every week, we say who we think will win each game; the one who gets the most points wins the week.  After 17 weeks,  the season champ will get some sort of advantage in the playoffs (not quite sure how that'll work yet).  The entire game ends after the conference finals.


At this point, assuming that we do this, I would like some feedback on how to make the game better.  I'll probably post what I have planned in the near future.

[Washougal_Otaku]

The Miami Heat have won their second-straight NBA title with a close game 7 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.  As much as I hate the Heat, I will give them props for a great series finale.  This is the third overall title for Miami.


Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup finals are tied up at 2 a piece between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins.  This has been a great series overall, and I'm personally pulling for Chicago.

The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup in 6 games!!!  This marks the fifth Stanley Cup victory for the team.

[garfieldelric]

The MLB All-Star Game is today!

[Washougal_Otaku]

This is true.  Ironically enough, my son is wearing a onesee that says "Mommy's All Star" today.  (I didn't even think about that until I was getting ready for work).

[Washougal_Otaku]

Since I really want to do a contest/game/thing with the NFL season this year, I have a little prediction game that I made for the playoffs.  I'll be using last year's standings as a guide.


Every team that you pick to be in the playoffs gets you one point.
i. e. Patriots, Texans, Ravens, Broncos, Falcons, Packers, Vikings, 49ers, Seahawks = 9 points


For each team that you select to win a division and they succeed, you get another 4 points.
i. e. Patriots, Texans, Broncos, Falcons, 49ers = 5x4=20  -  29


For each team that you select to be a wild-card and they succeed, you get another 2 points.
i. e. Seahawks = 2  -  31


For each team that you select to be a wild-card, but they end up being a division champ instead, you get 3 points.
i. e. Ravens, Vikings = 2x3=6  -  37


For each team that you select to be a division champ, but they end up being a wild-card instead, you get 1 point.
i. e. Packers = 1  -  38


You can get and extra 2 points per conference if you correctly predict the #1 seed.
i. e. Falcons = 2  -  40


The one with the most points at this point wins the playoff challenge.  I would also like to do one that follows the playoffs as they go along, but let's see how this idea goes first.


The first game of the regular season is on September 5, which is the first Thursday after con.  Hopefully, there will be at least 3 people willing to play this game, or some similar variant.  I do have a similar system for the regular season, based on a week-by-week basis.  Heck, I'll post that here, too.


Each week, we will go over the games about to be played.  We will pick who we think will win each game, eliminating those that we all agree on.  Those that correctly select a winner get 2 points.  If their victory is in overtime, 3 points.  If the game ends in a tie, 1 point.  In the event that the game is between division rivals, an extra 1 point is given to the winner.


Let's use last season's week 1 as a guide.



DAL @ NYG  - Larry and Moe pick Dallas - They get 3 points
WAS @ NO - Curly and Moe pick New Orleans - Larry gets 2 points
STL @ DET - Larry and Curly pick St. Louis - Moe gets 2 points
JAX @ MIN - Larry and Curly pick Minnesota - They get 3 points
MIA @ HOU - Curly and Moe pick Houston - They get 2 points
SEA @ AZ  - Larry and Moe pick Seattle - Curly gets 3 points
SF  @ GB  - Curly and Moe pick Green Bay - Larry gets 2 points
SD  @ OAK - Larry and Moe pick Oakland - Curly gets 3 points


Totals for week 1 - Curly=11  Larry=10  Moe=7


For this week, Curly gets 2 season points, Larry gets 1, and Moe gets 0.  This keeps going throughout all 17 weeks.  Whoever has the most overall season points (which is a max of 34), wins.


What do you guys think?  Good system?  Does it need some tweeks?

[Washougal_Otaku]

I'm a little surprised that this hasn't been posted yet, but:


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PORTLAND THORNS!!!  THE FIRST EVER NWSL CHAMPIONS!!!


The championship game took place during Day 1 of con, with the Thorns topping the Western New York Flash 2-0!


Though I'm no soccer fan, I'm proud of these ladies, winning the Rose City's first world title since the Trail Blazers in 1977!

[garfieldelric]

Well, Week 1 is (mostly) in the books, and the Seahawks are off to a flying start, beating the Carolina Panthers 12-7.


As for the AFC North....... talk about your wasted week. All four teams in that division are 0-1, so you might say they had a crappy week! XD

[Washougal_Otaku]

True, but you can also look at the AFC North like this: two of those losses were expected (Cleveland and Baltimore), and one was funny (Pittsburgh).

[Animeman73]

Ladies and gentleman, if what I've heard is correct tonight the Seattle Seahawks not only beat the 49ers but they've also put the NFL on notice. And to those at NBC who have been dissing the Pacific Northwest, to them for their open disrespect of our neck of the woods all I have to say are three words, IN...YOUR..FACE!

[garfieldelric]

Week 3 is mostly in the books, and to nobody's surprise, the Seahawks steamroll over a team that many people have questioned their existence lately, the Jacksonville Jaguars, 45-17.


In other news, the Seahawks are on top the NFC West @ 3-0; everyone else is 1-2.

[JaegerDarkness]

And Matt Kenseth is 2 for 2, in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. (He's got 7 wins this season).

[garfieldelric]

As the NFL completes one quarter of the season: WOW. What a victory by the Seahawks. Down at one point 20-3, they made a furious comeback to force the game into overtime, thanks to a late Richard Sherman interception to even things at 20-20. OT was furious, but the Seahawks ended it with a field goal to win, 23-20. Their toughest challenge yet awaits next week vs the Colts.......

[Animeman73]

Agreed, last week's victory was a thriller and the Colts are going to be a doozy of a challenge. GO SEAHAWKS show the Colts how we take care of business in the Pacific Northwest!

[JaegerDarkness]

Chase Race Number Three is in the books, and Jimmie Johnson made it look like a Sunday Drive, with a dominating performance, leading 243 (I believe) of the 400 laps, on his way to victory, in Dover, Delaware.

[Animeman73]

Just a pity about Tony Stewart being out for the season...maybe longer. Oh well, ya' pays your dues ya' takes your chances.
 

[veraca]

I just thought everyone here needed a laugh.



And there's a few more gifs of them here

[garfieldelric]

Where'd everybody go here? It's now the NFL playoffs.

[RedEagleEX]

I really doubt I was talking to you during the convention in the video game section about Seahawks. XD (There was one guy with a Seahawks hat and as a fan of the Seahawks myself, I just had to talk about them!)


But yes it is the playoffs! And as I predicted, Seahawks made it into the Playoffs! (Yay!! ^___^) With that, here is my current predictions:


Seahawks vs Saints - Victory: Seahawks

Despite the Offensive Line troubles lately with the Seahawks, I am completely confident that the Saints will blow it as this season their Road Games was just horrible. And though they won their Wild Card Game against the Eagles, lets face it, the Eagles been horrible at their Home games for some reason this season. So it was kind of expected. With that said, if Percy Harvin does play on Saturday however (Which they will probably rotate him in and out with other receivers), their Offensive Line should be strong in the Passing Game! (But we will most likely still go with the Running Game for most of their plays.) If Harvin is not in, the 12th Man should be more then enough along with a Seahawks "Legion of Boom".


49ers vs Panthers - Victory: Panthers


As much as the 49ers went to the Super Bowl last year, this year I think they will be stopped here. Cam Newton has been a remarkable QB for the Panthers while Colin Kapernick is not consistent. If I have to describe what the game might be like on Sunday, I imagine lots of scoring from both sides. But it will be Cam Newton and the Panthers that will make the most points by the end of 4th Quarter.


Chargers vs Broncos - Victory: Chargers

Yes you read that right. Despite Peyton Manning being an outstanding QB this year (I rank him 1st in my book this year), its the randomness that is the Chargers that will beat the Broncos on Sunday. Remember, no one expected the Chargers to make it into the playoffs. Yet...they did. Secondly, it was the Chargers that was capable of beating all the top seeds in their conference in the regular season. Broncos, Chiefs, Colts. All defeated by the Chargers during the regular season when it was thought they would lose. In fact, if the Chargers manages to defeat the Broncos on Sunday, I expect the Chargers to be in the Super Bowl.


Colts vs Patriots - Victory: Your guess is as good as mine...

Got to admit, the Colts surprised me last week. Andrew Luck literally saved his team. But...its hard to say if he can pull it again off against the Patriots. I haven't been following both these teams during the regular season so I don't know very much about them in terms of stats. If anything, if Broncos manages to beat the Chargers this weekend, I don't think it matters whatever team wins here. They will be defeated by the Broncos in the next match and it will be the Broncos that will be in the Super Bowl.


And those are my predictions for this weekend!!

[Z_Skie]

THE SEAHAWKS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!


I had fun cheering for the Seahawks at my house with my mom although during the beginning I was kind of quiet until they said "The Seahawks are going to the super bowl" my uncle had to tell us to settle down and we just got louder

[JaegerDarkness]

THE SEAHAWKS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!


I had fun cheering for the Seahawks at my house with my mom although during the beginning I was kind of quiet until they said "The Seahawks are going to the super bowl" my uncle had to tell us to settle down and we just got louder

THE SEAHAWKS HAVE WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEATTLE RULES!!!!!! DENVER DROOLS!!!!

[Animeman73]

I make it no secret i support all pacific northwestern teams. All of you will please excuse my exuberance while I get this out. it's nothing profane but this just has to be said.

ODDS MAKERS, WE FOOLED YOU!!! WE FOOLED YOU!!! WE FOOLED YOU!!!

The odds makers were saying it would be the Broncos by 3. Me, I was hoping beyond hope that Seattle would win. But oh lord have mercy! 43-8 that was one the most thorough trouncings I have ever seen in all the Superbowls I've watched. Last night Seattle sent a message loud and clear to the rest of the NFL "WE'RE SERIOUS!!!!"


So from this 12th man (Seattle Seahawks fan) here in Portland, Oregon all I can say is congratulations Seahawks for proving the odds makers wrong and showing you have the heart and fighting spirit of what it takes to be a champion.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Eeyup.  Go Seahawks!

[garfieldelric]

While we await the Seahawks title defense, the NHL Conference Finals are set. It's the Kings/Blackhawks for the second straight year (cheering for the Kings) for the West and the Canadiens/Rangers in the East- both teams have not been to the Stanley Cup Finals in 20 years (when yours truly was just a kid)! Calling it now: Kings/Canadiens (rematch of 1993) with the Kings winning in 6.

As for the Mariners, so far, it's been an up-and-down season. They are in third place with a 20-22 record. Eh, things will get better as time goes on, I hope!

[Washougal_Otaku]

I'm agreeing with you about the Canadiens, but not the Kings.  I'm calling on the Blackhawks to win it, and to win it all.

[garfieldelric]

The 2014 NFL season is almost here!

[Animeman73]

Quite looking forward to it. I'm eager to see what will happen.

[Washougal_Otaku]

It's gonna be fun!

I saw something a few days ago about some "predictor" program calculating that it thinks this year's playoffs will be almost a perfect copy of 2013's, with the key point being Seattle vs. Denver again (with a different winner).

[Animeman73]

Yeah, predictors have been wrong before so I'll just let the NFL season roll on and waigt to see what happens.

[garfieldelric]

Regarding the Broncos/Seahawks game tomorrow: All of you haters..... IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, WE'LL PUNISH YOU! GO SEAHAWKS!

[Washougal_Otaku]

That was a great game vs. Denver!

Too bad the game against the Cowboys had two key problems: refs not calling pas interference, and not enough Beast Mode.

[garfieldelric]

Been a while since this thread was replied to! The Mariners will start their season one day after SakuraCon 2015 ends, on April 6th.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Oh yeah!  A home series against the defending ALW Champs, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim!  I'm hoping for a hometown beat down!

[notaweaboo]

I like watching basketball, and I take dance and gymnastics stuff :3

[Washougal_Otaku]

The NFL is about to kick off another season!  Sunday, there was the first preseason game, the Hall of Fame game, as the Minnesota Vikings def. the Pittsburgh Steelers 14-3.  The Seattle Seahawks will have their first preseason game this Friday at home against the Denver Broncos, beginning at 7pm.  Their first regular season game will be Sunday, Sept. 13, in St. Louis to take on the Rams; that game will be at 10am.

The Portland Thunder have made it into the AFL playoffs, but not on account of their record.  In a strange turn of events, the Las Vegas Outlaws and New Orleans Voodoo have folded.  This made Portland the 8th and final team to represent their conference.  They will face off against the San Jose SabreCats this Friday at 8pm.