RizzoSports Blog

End of an Era

2012-02-20T15:56:00.002-05:00

Tuesday 2/28 will be the final RSW Show

After almost nine years and over 400 shows, I'm moving on from hosting my weekly sports talk show on Family Life TV & WTYM 1380. First off I would like to thank the many people who have watched the show over the years. The reach of the show is truly remarkable. I would also like to thank the many guests who have appeared on the show. We've covered a lot of topics, and met a lot of interesting people. I think we were able to give an unique perspective into the local sporting world. I will miss going to the studio every Tuesday night, but look forward to the next chapter. Again thank you all for the support.

What's next, well I'm going to be spending most of my efforts on my professional career. I've come to the point where devoting 50 nights a year is no longer possible. Since RizzoSports.com is still very popular for its interviews, I plan on leaving the site along with the blog active. I hope to stay on as a football announcer for WTYM Radio. I enjoy talking sports, and will frequently comment on them on Twitter and plan on making appearances to talk sports when asked.

Finally I invite everyone to follow me on Twitter at @rizzosports.

Football Club Rankings

2011-12-02T14:15:00.002-05:00

If your looking for our popular World Football Club Rankings -

Check them out here: www.FootballClubRankings.com

Kittanning Paper Football Pick'em

2011-09-08T15:23:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to sign up for ESPN NFL Pick'em Game - It's free -once you join search for the "Kittanning Paper Group"

2011 High School Football Radio Schedule

2011-08-30T07:41:00.004-04:00

Here's the 2011 High School Football Broadcast as it currently stands.

As of now all games will be only on WTYM Radio 1380 AM - and can also be heard live on www.wtymradio.com

> Week 1 - Kittanning vs. Ford City
> Week 2 - Kittanning @ Plum
> Week 3 - West Shamokin vs Burrell
> Week 4 - Kittanning vs Highlands
> Week 5 - Ford City @ Freeport
> Week 6 - Kittanning vs Valley
> Week 7 - Ford City @ West Shamokin
> Week 8 - Ford City @ Apollo
> Week 9 - Apollo @ West Shamokin

It looks like a good mix of games. Kittanning (4) Ford City (4) West Shamokin (3)

2011 Fall High School Sports

2011-08-15T10:23:00.002-04:00

2011 Fall High School Sports start today, with official practices.

We'll once again be doing High School Football Rankings after week 1.

You can also go the RizzoSports.com to oick a winner between, Kittanning and Ford City in week 1.

MLB Realignment

2011-06-14T10:00:00.002-04:00

There is chatter about MLB realigning. I believe it’s a good idea should have happened a while ago. The simplest move is to send Houston the AL West. This would give each league 15 teams, all with 5 teams per division. Houston would get division games against rival Texas and it seems to make sense.

Divisions – There is a lot of talk about going back to two divisions per league or removing divisions all together. I’m not against those ideas at the moment but think three divisions of 5 teams would work just fine.

Interleague – The only thing I suggest is getting rid of the home and away series against your rival. Seeing the Mets vs. Yankees only 3 times a season certainly makes those games more interesting.

Playoffs – Never allow for more than four playoff teams per league. Period.

Conclusion – With Bud Selig still calling the shots, history tells us the logical move will probably not be implemented, so that’s what should worry everyone.

AC Milan Boateng Moonwalk Celebration

2011-05-15T10:45:00.007-04:00

As organized championship celebrations go, most are pretty lame, there is normally some type of parade followed by various anticlimactic and proper grammar lacking player speeches.

AC Milan's 2011 Serie A championship celebration stated out with a massive parade through the streets Milan. Then lead to their stadium, as they still had a game to play (they won 4-1), then followed by the trophy presentation. Finally Kevin Prince Boateng's Michael Jackson impersonation, followed by fireworks. The bar has now been raised.

Update: After the dance, Genoa who currently own Boateng's rights jokingly raised his price on account of his dancing ability.

For more photos of Milan's celebration via their official site: Piazza Duomo - go here or San Siro - go here.

NCAA Basketball Poll

2011-03-10T13:25:00.002-05:00

It's tournament time, and once again we're doing a FLTV / WTYM / Kittanning Paper - college basketball poll.

Once you create an entry on http://games.espn.go.com/frontpage - just search "kittanning" / "FLTV" under join a public group.

January Football / Soccer Transfer Review

2011-02-01T07:52:00.004-05:00

The January Transfer window certainly ended on a high tone. Liverpool and Chelsea splashed out a lot of cash, but was it money well spent? I guess we’ll have to find out.

Winners:

Manchester City – I think Edin Dzeko was the best player to move – A lot of money, but should mean they’ll finish in the top 4.

Inter Milan - Andrea Ranocchia, Yuto Nagatomo, Giampaolo Pazzini, Houssine Kharja – Milan acquired two defenders who will help in the Champions League, Pazzini should be a long term option, especially since it looks like Milto is aging fast. Kharja is will help them in Serie A and Coppa. Nagatomo could be the real head turner.

Chelsea – They received a non cup tied Torres and help in defense with Luiz, who could be a future foundation. However they spent way too much money, and this signals an all out push for trophies as their famous core is running out of years.

AC Milan - I think AC Milan as added enough able bodies to see with the Scudetto.

Undecided

Liverpool - If Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez can stay healthy, they should eventually cover their costs.

Manchester United – They must either be broke or think their set, we’ll see.

Real Madrid - Emmanuel Adebayor will he help, who knows.

Losers

Roma – We know their broke, but for a team fighting for a top 4 finish, and still in the Champion’s League, you would think they would have like to added some reinforcements.

Juventus - They're acting like a team with out a plan, it seems they don't one.

2011 Sports Predictions

2010-12-31T13:45:00.002-05:00

We're back with the world famous New Year's Eve Sports Predictions - Here's what we see happening in 2011.

This will be the year of NCAA Scandals - Ohio State is only a foreshadow of major violations to come.

For the local fans, the Pens will win the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Philly will have 3 - 20 game winners.

In another bold prediction - Barcelona will not win the Champions League.

And finally just like last year, but we mean it this time the Detroit Lions will make the NFL Playoffs.

Another NFL SideLine Hit

2010-12-20T11:17:00.003-05:00

Surprise, surprise another NFL sideline hit, this one seems a little more thought out then the now famous Jets trip.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&from=foxsports_en-us_videocentral&vid=3875aa2e-5503-4e09-b64f-00d24b45c6ec" target="_new" title="Glazer's Edge: Another trip">Video: Glazer's Edge: Another trip</a>

How to Improve the UEFA Champions League

2010-12-07T13:20:00.004-05:00

The Group Stage of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League has been dull to say the least. There is very little on the line in the final round. In most cases there are 2 good teams per group and two…..shall we say lesser quality teams. It’s impossible not to acknowledge the quality of play has improved across Europe over the last decade. However during that time, the big clubs have become even more powerful, and now a group of super elite teams is emerging. We have a couple quick and simple suggestions to improve the quality of the Group Stage and Champions League all together.

1. Europa League winner from the previous year is automatically entered into the group stage of the next Champions League – This helps the Europa League the most, but it also gives 3rd place group knock-outs something to strive for.
2. Give the 4th placed league in the UEFA coefficients system - Germany / Italy a fourth team. The fourth place teams from those leagues are way better then the champions of Latvia, Iceland, Moldova, etc.
3. Give the 7th league 3 places.
4. Give the top ranked league all 4 four Champion League places in the Group Stage.
5. Only give the 15th place country 1 CL place.

This system would give 1-4 (4 teams into the CL) 5-7 (3 teams into the CL)

Based on the current coefficients it would look like this.

#1 - England – 4 teams in Group Stage
#2,3,4 - Spain, Italy, Germany – 9 in Group Stage with the possibility of 12
#5,6 - France, Portugal – 4 in the Group Stage with the possibility of 6
#7 – Russia, one in the Group Stage with the possibility of 3
#8-#14 – The chance to have two club reach the Group Stage.

Right now you can argue there are only about 8 super elite teams with a chance to the win the Champions League. If you enter in more big clubs you, might be able to level the playing field between the big clubs and what we call the super elite clubs. The best thing for UEFA is not to have small clubs in the Champions League it’s would be to have 20 teams with a chance to win the Champions League. This also would be good for the big and mid level domestic leagues as well.

Headed Towards BCS Chaos

2010-10-18T14:32:00.000-04:00

This will be the year that will cause changes to the college football postseason. Again on Saturday Night another #1 team, this time Ohio State, went down. The only two unbeaten teams at the end of the season very well could be Boise State and TCU. There are still 14 teams who play in BCS Conferences with either one loss or less. I don’t think there is anyway come December that at least seven teams don’t have cases to play for the title. The other thing that will be a factor is five conferences will make claims their teams are the best. We have title contenders spread out across every region of the country. A lot can happened between now and then, but instead of clearing up it could get cloudier.

World's Largest Water Ballon Fight.

2010-09-22T15:32:00.004-04:00

For some reason a minor league baseball team didn't think of this, but regardless it's awesome.

2010 European Soccer / Football Preview

2010-08-27T08:00:00.012-04:00

The summer of 2010 was certainly a lot clammier than 2009, only Manchester City really splashed out the big bucks this year. However AC Milan’s last second move for Ibrahimovic has completely shaken up European Football and Javier Mascherano going to Barcelona completes their squad.

EPL

The EPL title is Chelsea’s to lose. They might not have improved much, but neither has United, Arsenal, or Liverpool. Chelsea is the most consistent team in the EPL and only a long Champions League run will hurt their chances for this title.

1. Chelsea - This could be their best shot ever at winning both the EPL and Champions League.
2. Arsenal – Picking Arsenal is always some what of a gamble, but each year they’re right in the hunt.
3. Manchester City – The only reason we didn’t pick them to win it, is because they have too many egos to gel in one season. Balotelli will go down as the greatest signing in history of football, and on paper hey have as much talent as anyone.
4. Man United – Things could get crazy if Man City is able to over take them. We just don’t have a good feeling about United this season.

The Rest – Liverpool will still be adapting to a new coach, don’t be surprised if this season is one to forget. Tottenham will be too busy with the Champions League. With Man City and Liverpool focusing heavily on the EPL title, there is little chance for any other teams to break the top four.

Serie A

Serie A might have the most competitive top 10 teams in any league in recent memory. So many teams will have a chance at the Champions League this campaign.

1. Inter Milan – They have an awful lot of talent, but you have to wonder if Milto and Sneijder can match what they did last season. Look for a lot more goals from Eto’o this year.
2. AC Milan – Everyone is down on them, but we expect the Ibra deal to be done, which will either totally change the team for the better or hurt it long term. If they can stay healthy, you have to like their chances with that offense.
3. Juventus – We’re not a fan of the 4-4-2 system. With the players they have it’s probably the wrong formation. With so many stars on one roster it could be a combustible situation in Turin. However they might have the best second string squad in the world.
4. Napoli – After a few years of build up Napoli finally has a Scudetto contending team.

The Rest – There are five other teams who could finish in the top 4. Starting with Roma, but they could be hurt by a decent Champions League run. Genoa has had the best transfer campaign in Serie A and is just about everyone’s darkhorse. Palermo will be in the mix to the end as it’s tough to go to Sicily and win. Florentina, without the European Leagues to worry about could be surprise contenders.

La Liga

This campaign could be more of the same as Real and Barc look miles ahead of the competition. Jose Mourinho has a simple mission, and that’s to win the league title and Champions League, and of course beat Barcelona at all costs. The real question for fans in Spain is if any other team will be able to step up and mount some type of challenge.

1. Real Madrid – Real have enough fire power to win the La Liga. However can the Special One handle so many stars?
2. Barcelona – The Mourinho mind games will cause them to slip up in league play.

Germany – It should be all Bayern again this year. However look for German teams to struggle a bit in European competitions. However ~~Juventus~~ Wolfsburg with Dezko and Diego could be a force.

France – Marseille will look to retain their title. Lyon will have a chance thanks to picking up Gourcuff.

Europa League

It might be the hardest trophy to win, and this year it will have some definite star power. We believe the winner should get an automatic bid into qualifying for the Champions League the following season. Juventus are the favorites, followed by Man City. Liverpool could shift their focus to this trophy especially if their Premier League chances look bleak. Also keep your eye on two up and coming Italian team, Napoli and Palermo.

Champions League

The most important annual trophy in the world of sports, is also one of the hardest to defend. However this year the bottom 16 teams aren’t that strong. We know this is the Championship of Europe, but they’re ton of teams with knock-out stage talent sitting on the sidelines. Maybe even magnified this year, there are only a handful of teams capable of winning this trophy. Starting at the top, I think you need to look at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. However it probably will take Jose Mourinho two years to build the European contender he wants. Right now I’m not sure they have the defense to win this trophy, however with their attack they just might outscore everyone. In less the rest of La Liga can get it together and challenge Real or Barc, these teams have an advantage in the Champions League.

Inter will not go out easy, but they have a tough schedule with the World Championships and Serie A, not to mention a new coach. Chelsea have as good as chance as anyone, and they might have some extra focus this season.

If you start thinking about tier two teams, you have Bayern, Man U, Arsenal, AC Milan and look for Roma to be a surprise outfit. With the Champions League it always comes down to the draw in the knock out rounds, so we’ll find out.

Contenders – Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid

Line 2 – Bayern, Arsenal, Man Untied, AC Milan, Roma, Marseille

It should be an entertaining season, and don’t forget to the check out our bi-weekly World Soccer / Football Club Rankings

Join Are College Football Pick'em Group

2010-08-26T15:04:00.001-04:00

We’re only one week away from the start of the college football season. Remember: Pitt opens up against Utah next Thursday Night. PSU starts next Saturday against Youngstown St. I created a group for ESPN’s free college Pick’em Game. All you have to do is create an entry and search for the “Kittanning Paper” group. Similar to what we did with the NCAA poll last spring. Each week we’ll pick the winners of 10 games. I encourage you to check it out.

Inter vs. Man City, Biggest Soccer game of 2010 in USA

2010-07-30T07:37:00.002-04:00

You can argue Inter Milan vs. Manchester City is the most important soccer game to be played on US soil this year. Even thought it's just a preseason game. It certainly is the most interesting. First off, Inter Milan in defending Champions of Europe, this will be the first game for their new head coach Rafa Benitez. Man City has spend like a trillion dollars this summer on players. Which team will Mario Balotelli play for, I doubt he plays at all. The game will only be live on ESPN Deportes tomorrow (Saturday) at 8:00pm.

Spies inside Women's Tennis?

2010-07-28T08:18:00.022-04:00

With all the spy news, it made us wonder if any one from the sporting world is involved in espionage. In the tennis world you have many women who moved to America at a young age, and assimilate into the culture, learn the language, and yet still return to their native countries for tennis matches. Coincidence? Have we finally figured out why Kournkova never got any better, she was too busy working on other things.

Maybe we should investigate these WTA players a little closer.

Jelean Jankovic
Bio:
Born: Belgrade, Serbia
Resides: Dubai
Insight: We'll JJ doesn't live in the US, but we know she spends a lot of time here. She speaks numerous languages, and loves to travel. We also know that she has infiltrated the highest level of the political circles as evidence by this picture. Besides Jelena just has the spy look.

Maria Kirilenko
Bio:
Born: Moscow, Russia
Resides: Moscow, Russia
Insight: She lives in Moscow, and that automatically puts her on the list. We'll not a super well known tennis player, she has been seen at some high profile social events here in the US. She's into fashion and as we've learned recently that too is a red flag. She's also a player who never really lived up to her potential, could she have been side tracked by other responsibilities????

Maria Sharapova
Bio:
Born: Nyagan, Russia
Resides: Bradenton, Florida
Insight: The most famous Russian tennis player, it would seem too obvious. But could she be living a double life? She moved to America at a young age, to train at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy. At age 9 IMG paid her $35k tuition fee, or was it the KGB??? We also know that she is an expert photographer. There definitely is a lot of dots that can be connected here.

Dominika Cibulková
Bio:
Born: Bratislava, Slovakia
Resides: Piešťany, Czechoslovakia
Insight: If you just said who is Dominika Cibulkova, we rest our case. See right under the radar.

RizzoSports - is not accusing any of this four nice young ladies as being spies, we're just saying ~~Tiger~~ athletes can some times have double lives...

Will Notre Dame Move Forward Under Kelly

2010-07-21T22:35:00.000-04:00

I know a lot of eyes will be on Notre Dame and their new head coach Brian Kelly. Everyone knows Kelly is going with the spread offense, but forget about offense the Irish need defense. This year under new defense coordinator Bob Diaco, they’re moving to a 3-4 defense. Their defensive recruiting class was not highly rated, so unless someone emerges out of no where, they’ll probably struggle. While the buzz word on campus is “new”, I have the feeling their same “old” defense will again be their downfall. By the time they play Pitt in early October, I think we’ll know if Kelly is man or not.

USA Soccer Advances in the Most Dramatic Fashion

2010-06-23T18:51:00.005-04:00

If you wanted to increase fan interest in US Soccer, you couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect group stage round. The nation is now captivated. Most soccer people assumed the US would advance out of their group, however every game for the US has been drama, controversy and more drama. Since they’ve scored one more group goal then England, they’re luckily paired with, Uruguay, Korea, and Ghana, instead of Argentina, Mexico and Germany. The US will play Ghana next, and I actually know a lot about Ghana since most of their players have Serie A connections. I’ll tell you, they have more talent than the US. However this US team has everything going their way at the moment and their path to the semifinals has couldn’t be better.

For our latest World Cup thoughts - follow us on twitter - @rizzosports

photo: babasteve

USA vs. Algeria, who will Advance?

2010-06-22T20:14:00.001-04:00

It will be a wild day at the World Cup. Heading into the final group stage game, all four members of the USA’s group have a chance to advance. The USA vs. Algeria game will be played at the same time as England vs. Slovenia. The USA will advance with a win, but will only advance on a tie if England ties or loses. I fully expect England to win, so the US will have to win too. However Algeria needs a win to have a chance to advance, therefore they’ll be playing all out, which could help the USA’s counter attack. With a win the US could win the group, but really all that matters is making it to the round of 16. I don’t think Algeria should be taken lightly they play a style very similar to the US, and it could be a back and forth game.

USA Soccer has a Golden Opportunity

2010-06-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

For the time in history, the USA will have more talent then two of their World Cup Group opponents. Their opportunity is now, starting today at 10:00 against Slovenia, and again on the 23rd against Algeria. If they can win both of these games, they’ll get an unprecedented amount of fanfare. Of course a win is not a given. The USA still lacks the midfield and defensive players, capable of holding possession and setting up attacks. They depend too much on the counter attack for their offense. This makes them both dangerous against the top teams and susceptible against weaker teams. With that said, if they finish their group with 2 wins, and tie vs. England, fan interest will be through the roof. The England game meant nothing, the key since the schedule came out was today’s game.

NBA Finals Will Cap a Marquee Day for Sports

2010-06-17T08:20:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe so many big events are going on in the sports world tomorrow. The US Open tees off at Pebble Beach tomorrow with Tiger & Phil in the field. The second round of the World Cup’s group stage is taking place. Closer to home we’ll probably see Pedro Alverez’s second game in a Pirates uniform. I know most Pirate fans are intrigued to see if he can change things around or if the train wreck of a season will continue. Finally the night wraps up with game seven of the NBA Finals, as either Boston or LA will win the Championship. Yes, they’re still playing basketball. I’m not sure how many local guys follow the NBA but either way game sevens are almost always memorable.

More College Football Reshuffling?

2010-06-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

It looks like the college football world won’t be completely reshuffled, at least for now. I think we were one school away from all the dominos falling. As of now all that has changed is Colorado moving to the PAC-10, Nebraska joining the Big10, and Boise State headed to the Mountain West. The world of collegiate conferences is complex and confusing especially in football where less than half the Divison-1 basketball schools have top level football programs.

It’s also crazy to think the Big East, which is centered in economic hub of country, is always in jeopardy of breaking apart. If Temple ever had a good football program they would probably be in the Big East. Buffalo could also be an option. I could see the Pac-10 going after one more school, and the Big 12 trying to add a couple schools. TCU, SMU, Houston, Memphis to name a few. Now the large conferences might start looking towards the smaller conferences instead of each other.

USA happy with tie vs. England

2010-06-14T07:30:00.001-04:00

The US are happy with a 1-1 tie against England, however, everything still rests on them defeating Slovenia this Friday. It certainly wasn’t a good showcase game for the World Cup. The USA played an above average game but England played poorly and used the wrong tactics against the US. It was to the USA’s advantage they played England in opening game and not the third game. The English is theory would have been a little more crisp. I think the organization for the US was good and they were disruptive enough on defense. The offense is still a question mark and I hope they consider swapping a forward for a midfielder these next two games. With five midfielders I think they would be able to control the game better against a weaker opponent. People will tell you that the USA plays down to lesser opponents. This is because the USA are a north/south team. When they have to posses the ball in holding, they're not nearly as fluid as most nations. However based on what I saw this weekend the US should advance past the group stage. Now everyone is just waiting for Friday.