Pitt @ Utah - I like Pitt in this one.  I think Pitt is in the running for the Big East and while the Utes always surprise and play an solid offense.  I think Pitt finally has a team who’s talent is better then the coaching.  Pitt 38-Utah 24

UConn @ Michigan -  Huskies are my fav to win the big east and are better coached and more talented the Michigan who still has not named a starter and could have a 3 QB rotation.  Not good.  UConn by a TD

Wash @ BYU - Neither team is ranked but I am intrigued by the huskies this year with Locker once again at the helm and want to see how good their are.  Washington and Locker by a FG.

LSU @ North Carolina - Both ranked.  Both trying to make a statement in BCS world.  LSU is weak at QB and NC is STOUT ON D.  Could have the best Defense in the nation.  If NC trounces em, watch out for them to win the ACC.   I don’t think so.  NC wins by a TD.

PIC OF THE WEEK

Boise St @ Va Tech - Oh yea.  You all know who I like in this one.  BSU in a shoot out that will not be as close as the score will indicate. Va tech every year is ranked top 10.  Every year they don’t deserve it.   Defense is not that good.  QB is average.  Special teams is always solid.  BSU has Kellen Moore at the helm of a high powered offense and the leader of a team returning 21 of 22 starters from last season.  Look for them to be hungry and make a statement after getting the BCS SNUB!!  38-24 with a late TD making it closer then it is. - BSU one step closer!

Let’s get a couple of quick things out of the way.  Alabama won the national championship.  Great.  THEY SHOULD NOT BE RANKED #1 in this prognosticator’s opinion.  They lost almost the entire defense which is the reason they won the title in the first place…  That said I think they could be a top 5 team but more realistically a top 10 at the end of the season.  My opinion the Broncos of BSU should be the #1 ranked team in college football.  Any team that finishes in the top 5 and returns 21 of 22 starters needs to be ranked #1.  And I think they go undefeated and end up in the national championship against the Buckeyes if OSU can get out of their own way.  Which the have a tradition of not doing…

The rest of my top 5 looks like this currently

1 - BSU

2 - OSU

3 - Texas

4 - Alabama

5 - TCU

Conference winners;

SEC - Bama;

Big 10 - OSU;

Big 12 - Nebraska;

ACC - Miami;

Big East - UConn;

Conf USA - SMU;

Mid Amer - Temple;

Moutain West - TCU

Pac 10 - STAN

Sun Belt - TROY

WAC - BSU

Some bold and sexy predictions you need to know about from JW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Stanford is the best coached and smartest football team in the pac-10(they are always the smartest).  Therefore, they will win the conference - BOLD

- Boise State is the best team in college football with the easiest schedule.  After a convincing win at Va Tech they go to the national Title and win - BOLD

- TX or OSU - goes to the national championship.  I think OSU has the tougher conference and schedule.  And I think they are the tougher team and goes to the title game over TX who will lose more than one game this season - SEXY

- Nebraska wins the big 12 because of their defense - SEXY

- THE HURRICANES ARE BACK.  Their schedule is OUT OF THIS WORLD TOUGH.  Talented, well coached and have leaders.  They finish top 5 this year after tough early season lose @ OSU.  1 year away from National title contention - SEXY

- NEVADA ——  yeah.  Kapernick gets drafted because of his tools.  Has a heisman like season…  BOLD

- SMU finishes in the top 25!!!  -  DO YOUR HOMEWORK BOYS!  JW likes this pick.  June Jones has em fired up and competitive at TCU in week 6!  Look for a 9-2 season from them plus a bowl win - BOLD

- TEMPLE - UPSET CITY in BEAVER STADIUM!!!!!  Just kidding. 27-24 Nits.  But this ends up being a close one and Temple also finishes this season Ranked with a bowl victory but they need to win the conference - BOLD 

- Finally I think you are going to hear some noise out of the big 12 coming from The Bears of Baylor.  Look for Griffen III to take down the Sooner or TX at some point this season in an upset. - BOLD!!!!

 The famous VI tailgating tour makes a local stop this Saturday, August 14th.  The annual Long Beach rec All-Star game will be this weekend with first pitch scheduled around 6:00pm.  The tailgate tour is set to begin around noon down on the beach where the VI faithful will start to build a solid base before gametime.  Also on the beach, several Village Idiot softball players will be on hand and will be giving free autographs and taking pictures with the fans.                       

Despite being 10-4 and one of the top teams in the division the Idiots will only be sending two players to this years mid-summer classic.  Outfielder Tom Weber and 3rd baseman Joe Wesselhoft will be representing the VI.  After this week’s win, Weber is batting .587 and leads the Idiots in hits (27), HRs (8), and RBIs (24).  Wesselhoft is amongst the team leaders in most categories as well and is batting .511 with 6 HRs and 21 RBIs.

So come show your support for your 2010 All-Stars this weekend.  Post-game tailgate to follow also will not disappoint.  Wear your Village Idiots gear!!!   

In the season opener the Idiots came out on fire and had no problems with LB SOB en route to a 25-1 victory. This time around was a little different for the VI. On a hot and windy night down in Long Beach, the Idiots struggled to get the big hit or any hits for that matter and did not score a run until the bottom of the 7th inning. LB SOB got 3 runs in the top of the second but VI ace Roy Vaccaro settled down and pitched six straight scoreless innings to keep the game in reach. All-star Tommy Weber got the Idiots going in the 7th with a leadoff single, the first time the VI had a leadoff guy on since Tom Stanley’s infield single in the first inning. Matty Shiels followed reaching on a fielder’s choice and Esposito then reached on an error scoring Weber for the Idiots first run. LB SOB continued their sloppy play in the worst of times with two more errors which helped score the VI’s second run and load the bases for Stanley. Stanley would draw a bases loaded walk to bring in the tying run to force the game into extra innings.After two quick outs in the bottom of the 8th, Shiels cracked a triple to centerfield putting the winning run 50 feet away. Esposito then lined the 2-2 pitch just over the head of LB SOB shortstop Ruben Tejada III and the VI were victorious.The Idiots will be back in action on Monday night(8/16) at 9:40pm looking for payback against Sutton Place. Earlier in the season the Idiots lost 9-7 to Sutton Place in a very sloppy game that some Idiots think was their worst performance of the season. Also this Saturday evening, All-stars Tommy Weber and Joe Wesselhoft will be playing in the annual LB All-star game starting at 6:00pm. Festivities will be begin on the beach around noon and then the fan base will take the party to the Rec Center to support their All-stars.

The Idiots did not waste any time getting on the board.  In the bottom of the first, leadoff batter Chris Lang started it off with a ground-rule double to rightfield.  Tom Stanley’s RBI single would give them a 1-0 lead and three batters later Tom Weber smacked a two-run homer making it 3-0 after one.  Roy Vaccaro Jr. was solid on the mound all night and improved to 6-2 as a starter.  Speed threatened in the top of the 2nd with the bases loaded and one out but Stanley made a jumping catch and doubled up a runner on 2nd to end the rally.  With the momentum heavily in their favor, the Idiots jumped on Speed in the bottom half scoring six runs to go up 9-0 after just two innings.  First it was Lang who hit a grandslam to centerfield with one out and then a few minutes later Tom Casal crushed a two-run homer.

After Vaccaro lost his shutout and Speed got one run in the 3rd, the Idiots put the game away for good in the bottom of the 4th getting 7 more runs to mercyrule Speed 16-1.  Stanley, Casal, Vaccaro, and Pete Allocco each drove in a run in the rally and birthday boy Joe Wesselhoft hit a two run opposite field homer over the rightfield fence.

The VI will look to continue their winning streak next week on Wednesday night at 7:00pm against the Buoy Bar.  The Idiots also announced that outfielders Tom Weber and Chris Lang will represent the VI in this seasons All-star game held on Saturday, August 14th at 6:00pm.  The VI tailgating crew is already planning the All-star festivities to show their support for Weber and Lang.

The Idiots looked good from the start last night.  After Vaccaro got Minnesota’s to go 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning, shortstop Tom Casal crushed a two-run homer to deep leftfield to put the VI up 2-0.  Stevie Esposito drove in another run in the second inning in the bottom of the 2nd to make it 3-0.  The defense flourished and Vaccaro got out of a few jams to hold Minnesota’s scoreless until the top of the 4th inning when they got one run.  The Idiots would get that run right back in the bottom half when Esposito singled in his second run of the game making it 4-1 after four.  Joe Wesselhoft’s sac fly in the 5th inning then made it 5-1 VI.

Minnesota’s finally got to Vaccaro as their fat first baseman crushed the 2-2 pitch deep over the right field fence for a three-run homerun cutting the VI lead to 5-4.  Looking for an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth Danny Hansen lead off the inning with an opposite field single.  Vaccaro Jr. then followed and look to have a solid basehit, but Minnesota’s second baseman “caught” the linedrive and then doubled up Hansen at first.  Manager Pete Allocco, coaching firstbase at the moment, got fired up after the call and argued that the second baseman trapped it but the umpire stuck with his call.  No insurance run was needed though as more solid defense got Minnesota’s to go 3 up and 3 down to close out the win. 

Casal and Esposito led the Idiots with two RBI’s a piece and Vaccaro improved to 4-2 as a starter.

Vaccaro settled down on the mound and held Shines to just one run in the top of the 4^th making it 10-4.  That’s when the Idiots turned it up a notch.  Pete Allocco and Knipscher each drove in a run to start the rally.  Three batters later the Idiots made it hurt with two outs once again when Esposito (6 RBI) crushed a two-run triple cutting it to 10-8.  After an RBI single from Fatty, Weber (4 RBI) hit a two-run homer putting the Idiots up for the first time at 11-10.  Stanley and Tom Casal kept it going with two straight singles setting up “The Hoft”, Wesselhoft who crushed a 3-run homerun to left-centerfield making it 14-10 VI.  The Shines would get a meaningless run in the fifth inning but the Idiots answered with three more runs, all on Esposito’s three-run jack to leftfield.  Now leading 17-11, the Idiots scored six more runs in the sixth inning for the run rule win 23-11.  The Hoft came up big again this time with a Grand Slam to deeeep left-center.  Then after an Allocco “K” and a Danny Hansen RBI single, Esposito’s sacfly ended the night for the Shines.  Wesselhoft ended the night with a game high 7 RBIs and Vaccaro picked up his second win of the season (2-1, 13.76 era).  When asked after the game if he was happy with his performance Wesselhoft quickly responded, “Yeaaaaaaaa!”

After a nice 3-0 start to the 2010 season, the Village Idiots lost their second game in a row on Wednesday night against the Regulators.  The VI opened the season on a tear hitting the ball all over the field and scoring at will.  Not sure if it was because of all the pretty ladies in the crowd or if the first few games were just a fluke, but the Idiots got only ten hits in 7 innings last night and lost 14-5.  Adding salt to the wound, the final out of the game was an automatic out by outfielder Tom Weber after he was ejected in the top of the 7^th for emphatically arguing a call.

The Regulators got off to a quick start scoring 5 runs in the first after some poor defense by the Idiots.  Matt Shiels then hit a 3-run homer in the bottom half to bring the VI back into the game.  Each team would trade a run in the 2^nd inning before the Regulators would break it open with a five run third.  That’s when the Idiots went to sleep and failed to score a run until one meaningless run in the 6^th inning but it was too little too late.

In the top of the seventh, the Regulators scored three more runs to make it 14-5.  With one out in the inning, middle infielders Tom Casal and Tom Stanley seemed to turn a smooth double play to put an end to the rally but the runner was called safe at first.  Tom Weber had a different take on the play.  Weber shouted his opinion all the way from left-field and without hesitation he was tossed from the game by the first base ump.  The Idiots are waiting on a league ruling if Weber will be suspended for a game due to his actions.

The bye week comes perfect timing for the Village Idiots as they take a week off to rediscover their swings and get back to their winning ways.  The Idiots’ next game is not until Monday, June 7^th at 9:30pm against Shines.

The Beach House trimmed the VI lead to 6-4 heading into the fourth inning.  With two on and two out, Lang delivered a RBI single to make it 7-4.  Second baseman Tom Stanley would follow Lang with a RBI single of his own for another important two out run putting the Idiots ahead 8-4.   Once again the Beach House chipped away at the lead and scored three runs in the 5^th inning making it 9-7 with two innings to play.  In the top of the 6^th, Stanley and Weber hit back-to-back RBI singles with two outs to bring home two important insurance runs.  Trailing 11-7, the Beach House rallied to score three runs over the next two innings but some solid defense and Esposito settled down on the mound to hold on for an 11-10 win.  Esposito won his second game on the mound to improve to 2-0 with a 14.25 ERA.  Esposito and Weber led the Idiots with 3 RBI’s a piece.

The Village Idiots (3-0) will try and make it two for two on the week as they take on Sutton Place on Wednesday night at 7:00pm.  Last season the VI won the only matchup between the two teams.  The front office is hoping that the early start Wednesday night will bring out the Village Idiot fan base and pack the bleachers; also the 7 pm start gives the Idiots plenty of time for post-game interviews, autographs and beers!

Cassidy led the offensive efforts along with big shots coming down the stretch from Linc Isetta and Dan Creekmore.  Stew and Chris Feeney also pumped in some timely jumpers to get the VI comeback rolling after they fell behind by 7 early in the 2nd-half.

The combination of Bob Bassman, Dan Knipscher, and swarming defensive efforts all around neutralized the Grizz’ 6′8″ Center and provided some huge stops to preserve the lead once it belonged to the VI!  In the end, the well-rounded Idiots attack was too much to handle and although nagging injuries to a once 12-man roster allowed only 7 Idiots to suit up on Sunday, they still managed to keep enough gas in the tank to finish strong and earn the Championship Steak Dinner!!!

If the post-game adventures that were spearheaded by Stew Feeney and Knipscher are any indication of what’s to come, lets hope there are no families in the restaurant the night the VI chow down!  A special thanks goes out to the folks at Southern Hospitality, Brother Jimmy’s and the Stumble Inn who all managed to keep up with a VI party that raged from high noon until the clock turned over to Monday!

Although this brings to an end the Village Idiots first season in the Weekend Hoops league, all you basketball fans don’t have to worry about getting your fix, because the Spring season of the Urban Pro League is seeing the VI battle their way back into playoff contention, and of course the original VI Hoops squad goes for their 4th title in the Town of Hempstead Summer League down at Baldwin Park!

Get ALL your Village Idiot Sports news right here on the VI Blog!!!