That is what it feels like for a lot of baseball fans. Tomorrow we find out the details of the long anticipated Mitchell Report. Why is this such a big deal? Well, this is a report that actually has some teeth. Mitchell is former US Senator and former US Prosecutor. He is a very respected and smart man. He will have done a ton of research and anything he puts in there will be supported by factual evidence. In addition he is impartial and has no agenda except to get the most truth out of everything that he researched. Now to what I do and don't want to see in it...
Curt Schilling: I think that the guy is a prick, runs his mouth and sticks his nose in other peoples business. It would be nice to see him with cake on his face.
David Ortiz: To be honest, I like the guy. In the same breath though, this would probably the biggest blow to Red Sox Nation. It would be very sweet to see all of New England hide there heads in the sand on this guy.
Alex Rodriguez: Add another embarrassment to the list with this guy. This one though would for once be a negative reflection of something ON the field.
Roger Clemens: Selfish, greedy, etc etc. Please let there be some affirmation of this clowns steroid abuse.
Mike Piazza: Please please please do not let this guy be on the list. As a Met fan this would be something I might not be able to get over.
Knicks Game:
Knicks just lost to the Sonics at home. Pathetic. Can the fans change it up a bit on the "Fire Isiah" chants?? How about a FIRE DOLAN?????
As for the Sonics, I like their group. They will lose a lot in that division and conference, but PJ is a very good coach. In addition they got a couple nice vet ins Kurt Thomas and Wally. Kurt has always been a great leader and locker room presence, while Wally provides the ability to light it up on any given night. For a young team a guy like Wally can be very helpful for the confidence of the offense. As for Durant...hes awesome. With him and Green at the forward spots the Sonics could have the most dynamic forward combo in the league over the next 10 years. Too bad the city of Seattle won't be able to see it.
STKAFI
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Blockbusta
I have got to say that the Cabrera-Willis trade seemed straight out of talk radio when I first heard it. So many players and too many big names for it to ever work. The two most popular players from the Marlins going Detroit and a slew of prospects going to Florida, including their two big name top prospects in Maybin and Andrew Miller. I think it is a great trade for both sides because it fits exactly what both teams are trying to do.
When you look at the Tigers, it is now clear beyond any doubt that they will go blow for blow with the Yankees and Red Sox. They have the deepest line-up in baseball, alongside a very solid starting rotation. The best part of their team is that their line-up is not made up of just power guys like the trap the Yankees had fallen into in recent years. Guys like Polanco. Renteria and Granderson supply a nice complement to the power of Cabrera, Ordonez and Sheff. I still think the Red Sox have to be the team to beat, but Detroit has shown the commitment needed to fight the superpowers of baseball.
At the end of the year it is going to come down pitching as always. The Detroit line-up is great, but the most important guys on this roster will be Verlander, Bonderman, Willis and Rogers. The Red Sox proved that this October, as the Cardinals proved the year before, and the White Sox the year before that.
METS
I would just like to address the Mets offseason really quick. The Mets were possibly the toughest team to figure out at the end of the year. Everyone felt they were the best team in the NL and that they should have been in the playoffs. The bottom line though was that they collapsed. How do you address an 88 win team, but also a team that a historic meltdown in September?
Well in a strict baseball sense it was very clear that the Mets needed help at the top of the rotation. The other aspect though that I felt needed to be addressed was the culture of the clubhouse. You can not go through such a long and drawn out collapse and then come back the next year with the same guys. There is too much bad history and karma for that. So lets take a look at who is gone as of now. Tom Glavine, Paul Loduca and Lastings Milledge are the biggest names that are already gone. Those are three pretty big personalities in that clubhouse. There will be different voiices speaking up to the media and different guys being vocal leaders behind closed doors. To me that was a big key in this offseason.
Speaking of Milledge, his trade was very controversial. So many Met fans were bothered not only by giving up on Milledge, but by getting so little for him. Well, I will say that Schneider and Church are not that bad. I am fine with a platoon of Schneider and Castro behind the plate. Combined I expect about .260-.270 AVG with 15-20 homers, and very good defense. As far as Church goes, I will mention a name that will make many people roll their eyes....Paul O'Neill. Look at O'Neill's numbers before coming to the Yankees at age 30 in 1993. While O'Neill had been established for about five years and Church has only been around for the past two, their numbers look pretty similar. Before coming to the Yanks O'Neill never hit over .276. They are both lefty, line-drive hitting right fielders who play very solid defense and are very hard nosed. Chruch may not have the intensity of O'Neill (not many do), but I can easily see him hitting .280-.290 with 20 homers and 50 doubles, while playing a strong right field. Not the front line pitcher Mets fans expected (unrealistically) for Milledge, but possibly a guy who can provide further balance and depth to this Mets line-up.
KNICKS
I am not trying to be insensitive, but there have been some off the court issues that have been out of the Knicks control that will be used as excuses in the future by Dolan and Isiah. When this season is analyzed by the Knick powers that be, I promise you that within their prognosis will be the fact that Randolph missed multiple games due to his Grandmother's passing and that Marbury had to go through the extremely difficult passing of his Father. I am not trying to disparage either one of these players or minimize wheat they must have gone through and continue to go through. I have lost loved ones and it is extremely hard. All I am saying is that no matter how you look at this Knicks team, it is a disaster. The Knicks management will bring these losses up as reasons for the teams troubles and that will be something that no one will be able to question. How can you without sounding like an insensitive asshole? Well, I will not question that. I will just say that I hope that the owner finally sees this team for what it is and cleans house, and not continue to give Isiah a way to stick around. Some day......
STKAFI
When you look at the Tigers, it is now clear beyond any doubt that they will go blow for blow with the Yankees and Red Sox. They have the deepest line-up in baseball, alongside a very solid starting rotation. The best part of their team is that their line-up is not made up of just power guys like the trap the Yankees had fallen into in recent years. Guys like Polanco. Renteria and Granderson supply a nice complement to the power of Cabrera, Ordonez and Sheff. I still think the Red Sox have to be the team to beat, but Detroit has shown the commitment needed to fight the superpowers of baseball.
At the end of the year it is going to come down pitching as always. The Detroit line-up is great, but the most important guys on this roster will be Verlander, Bonderman, Willis and Rogers. The Red Sox proved that this October, as the Cardinals proved the year before, and the White Sox the year before that.
METS
I would just like to address the Mets offseason really quick. The Mets were possibly the toughest team to figure out at the end of the year. Everyone felt they were the best team in the NL and that they should have been in the playoffs. The bottom line though was that they collapsed. How do you address an 88 win team, but also a team that a historic meltdown in September?
Well in a strict baseball sense it was very clear that the Mets needed help at the top of the rotation. The other aspect though that I felt needed to be addressed was the culture of the clubhouse. You can not go through such a long and drawn out collapse and then come back the next year with the same guys. There is too much bad history and karma for that. So lets take a look at who is gone as of now. Tom Glavine, Paul Loduca and Lastings Milledge are the biggest names that are already gone. Those are three pretty big personalities in that clubhouse. There will be different voiices speaking up to the media and different guys being vocal leaders behind closed doors. To me that was a big key in this offseason.
Speaking of Milledge, his trade was very controversial. So many Met fans were bothered not only by giving up on Milledge, but by getting so little for him. Well, I will say that Schneider and Church are not that bad. I am fine with a platoon of Schneider and Castro behind the plate. Combined I expect about .260-.270 AVG with 15-20 homers, and very good defense. As far as Church goes, I will mention a name that will make many people roll their eyes....Paul O'Neill. Look at O'Neill's numbers before coming to the Yankees at age 30 in 1993. While O'Neill had been established for about five years and Church has only been around for the past two, their numbers look pretty similar. Before coming to the Yanks O'Neill never hit over .276. They are both lefty, line-drive hitting right fielders who play very solid defense and are very hard nosed. Chruch may not have the intensity of O'Neill (not many do), but I can easily see him hitting .280-.290 with 20 homers and 50 doubles, while playing a strong right field. Not the front line pitcher Mets fans expected (unrealistically) for Milledge, but possibly a guy who can provide further balance and depth to this Mets line-up.
KNICKS
I am not trying to be insensitive, but there have been some off the court issues that have been out of the Knicks control that will be used as excuses in the future by Dolan and Isiah. When this season is analyzed by the Knick powers that be, I promise you that within their prognosis will be the fact that Randolph missed multiple games due to his Grandmother's passing and that Marbury had to go through the extremely difficult passing of his Father. I am not trying to disparage either one of these players or minimize wheat they must have gone through and continue to go through. I have lost loved ones and it is extremely hard. All I am saying is that no matter how you look at this Knicks team, it is a disaster. The Knicks management will bring these losses up as reasons for the teams troubles and that will be something that no one will be able to question. How can you without sounding like an insensitive asshole? Well, I will not question that. I will just say that I hope that the owner finally sees this team for what it is and cleans house, and not continue to give Isiah a way to stick around. Some day......
STKAFI
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
MNF
That was some game. Probably one of the most intense, back and forth, and frustrating games I have ever watched.
However, the entire time, I know everyone who follows sports closely and was watching, knew, no matter how well the Ravens played for 59 minutes, they would not pull it out. They are easily destinied to go undefeated this year and most likely win the Superbowl. Their weakness is easy to identify but not easy to probe. You must attack, attack, and attack their defense all game. Do not let up and do not shy away from your game plan. Their defense is good, but it is not great (as seen by letting Baltimore score 24 points). They are also on the older side and you must keep them on the field for as long as you can all the way through the fourth quarter. The second, and more important of the two is getting pressure on Brady. Everyone knows the most important position on a football team is offensive line. The Patriots have the best offensive line in the leauge, by far. You must have a defensive coordinator with balls, and blitz from every possible angle, but not only that, you must also have very good pass covering linebackers and corners (to allow the pressure to get there), and viscious hitting saftey's. See: Eagles, Ravens. There are very few teams in the league that can say they have a chance against the Pats (Steelers, Colts, maybe the Jags. No one really in the NFC, except possibly, and this may come as a shock to you, the Vikings, and to a lesser extent, the Packers). The Patriots are definitely vulnerable, but not much, and I don't see them losing any time soon.
I actually feel very, very bad for the Ravens defense. For years now they have carried their team, and even won them a Superbowl. They played with more intesity than any other defense I have seen while watching the game. They knew they were going to win, they could feel it. Up until the last 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the game, that's where it all started falling apart.
I have never seen so many unlucky bad breaks for a team in a row, and although the pentalties might have cost Baltimore a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, I have no problem with what Bart Scott did. I was exhausted and frustrated just watching the game, I can only imagine how the players on that defense felt. After two 4th and 1 stops, one called back for a timeout (which was legit) and the other for a false start (also, legit) you can't actually expect the defense who had played so hard for so long in the freezing cold continue to stop the most potent, explosive offense ever to play in the NFL that many times in a row.
Oh, and the Dolphins will be the first team in history to go 0-16. Which is nice.
However, the entire time, I know everyone who follows sports closely and was watching, knew, no matter how well the Ravens played for 59 minutes, they would not pull it out. They are easily destinied to go undefeated this year and most likely win the Superbowl. Their weakness is easy to identify but not easy to probe. You must attack, attack, and attack their defense all game. Do not let up and do not shy away from your game plan. Their defense is good, but it is not great (as seen by letting Baltimore score 24 points). They are also on the older side and you must keep them on the field for as long as you can all the way through the fourth quarter. The second, and more important of the two is getting pressure on Brady. Everyone knows the most important position on a football team is offensive line. The Patriots have the best offensive line in the leauge, by far. You must have a defensive coordinator with balls, and blitz from every possible angle, but not only that, you must also have very good pass covering linebackers and corners (to allow the pressure to get there), and viscious hitting saftey's. See: Eagles, Ravens. There are very few teams in the league that can say they have a chance against the Pats (Steelers, Colts, maybe the Jags. No one really in the NFC, except possibly, and this may come as a shock to you, the Vikings, and to a lesser extent, the Packers). The Patriots are definitely vulnerable, but not much, and I don't see them losing any time soon.
I actually feel very, very bad for the Ravens defense. For years now they have carried their team, and even won them a Superbowl. They played with more intesity than any other defense I have seen while watching the game. They knew they were going to win, they could feel it. Up until the last 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the game, that's where it all started falling apart.
I have never seen so many unlucky bad breaks for a team in a row, and although the pentalties might have cost Baltimore a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, I have no problem with what Bart Scott did. I was exhausted and frustrated just watching the game, I can only imagine how the players on that defense felt. After two 4th and 1 stops, one called back for a timeout (which was legit) and the other for a false start (also, legit) you can't actually expect the defense who had played so hard for so long in the freezing cold continue to stop the most potent, explosive offense ever to play in the NFL that many times in a row.
Oh, and the Dolphins will be the first team in history to go 0-16. Which is nice.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Woah
Huge win for the Gmen today. On the road, in the cold weather, coming from nine points down in the 4th quarter....like I said, woah that is good. A couple thoughts..
- This is the second truly gutsy road win that the Giants have had this season (Redskins week 3). Overall the Giants are 5-1 on the road this season. Very impressive.
- I am not here to defend Eli. I am done doing that. I will point out the same thing I have pointed out on numerous occasions in the past though. This guy has a knack for playing poorly early in ballgames and finding a flow late in 4th quarters. He did it against the Broncos and Cowboys a couple years back, against the Eagles twice last season (once in the playoffs where he tied the game with a flawless drive with less than two minutes to go), and today with two fantastic 4th quarter drives. As fans we are still maddened by the progress (of lack) of Eli, but today was a tough encouraging effort. He stood tall in the pocket all day and took his hits. He also showed a short memory. He had three turnovers but was able to put that all behind him to drive the Giants down the field twice in the 4th quarter throwing some bullets all over the field.
- The Giants are in the drivers seat for the 5 seed in the playoffs. Would they rather go into Seattle or Tampa for a Divisional Playoff? I know I want no part of going into Seattle. At this point though it seems that the Giants chances are much better playing anywhere but Giants Stadium.
- I could make the case that this was the biggest win of the Coughlin/Eli era. Midway thru the 4th quarter they were facing 7-5 and being losers of three of there past four. Oh, and going in Philly next week which has not been the easiest place to play over the past few years. Now they are two games ahead of the rest of the NFC with tiebreakers over Detroit and Arizona.
STKAFI
Friday, November 30, 2007
For Mike:
This is bad news for US Soccer...
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=486362&cc=5901
Beasley's greatest asset is his speed, the guy is lightning quick down the left side. A knee injury like this not only affects him and the team in the short term, but he could possibly never be the same, and not have that first step that made him so dangerous even after the surgey and rehab.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3135091&name=chang_jen
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=486362&cc=5901
Beasley's greatest asset is his speed, the guy is lightning quick down the left side. A knee injury like this not only affects him and the team in the short term, but he could possibly never be the same, and not have that first step that made him so dangerous even after the surgey and rehab.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3135091&name=chang_jen
Lucky me
It is always nice when you have the privledge of watching two of the best at something go up against eachother. Bird / Magic. LT / AP. You get the picture.
This past sunday, I had the honor, nay the privledge of watching the two best at being terrible Qbs that i have ever seen. Eli Manning vs. Tavarias Jackson. Now im not going to discuss Jackson, he is crappy and no one cares. But Eli? Now that is one of the all time train wreck games of a supposed franchise qb. And you know what? its time to pull the plug.
Its not that his stats are bad, they aren't generally, his qb rating is solid and at the end of the year you can look at his stats and convince yourself that he wasnt that bad. Dont worry though, he really is. The guy is not a winner in any sense of the word. ive heard that he is getting skewered in the media at NY for not getting emotional. ive heard that you cant ask a guy to change who he is. Thats a defense? Dont ask a QB of an NFL team to be emotional? that is who he is? seriously? seriouslar? I believe the QB is supposed to be a leader. Ive yet to meet a successful leader that wasnt emotional. That didnt wear everything on his sleeve when it came to the success of his team. Get rid of this guy now, he isnt winning a super bowl . . .ever. Thats the goal right, just one and done in the playoffs isnt the end game for the giants. At least it shouldnt be. Trade him now while he is young and you can trick the 9ers that he still has a future. Let fans of another town have to deal with him. There were throws last week that could have been called for intentional grounding if they werent intercepted first; he had no idea where his receivers were. And it wasnt like he was gambling / gunslinging a la Brett Favre for these picks. They were standard 8-10 yard routes over the middle. Absolutely terrible. How can an owner watch this guy and not think they need a new QB.
Get rid of him that is the only option.
quick thoughts.
A: I want the Red Sox to trade for Johan Santana.
B: I am ok giving up Ellsbury, Buckells, whomever. its friggin santana.
C: SANTANA!
D: The knicks are a joke.
E: GO SAINTS!
This past sunday, I had the honor, nay the privledge of watching the two best at being terrible Qbs that i have ever seen. Eli Manning vs. Tavarias Jackson. Now im not going to discuss Jackson, he is crappy and no one cares. But Eli? Now that is one of the all time train wreck games of a supposed franchise qb. And you know what? its time to pull the plug.
Its not that his stats are bad, they aren't generally, his qb rating is solid and at the end of the year you can look at his stats and convince yourself that he wasnt that bad. Dont worry though, he really is. The guy is not a winner in any sense of the word. ive heard that he is getting skewered in the media at NY for not getting emotional. ive heard that you cant ask a guy to change who he is. Thats a defense? Dont ask a QB of an NFL team to be emotional? that is who he is? seriously? seriouslar? I believe the QB is supposed to be a leader. Ive yet to meet a successful leader that wasnt emotional. That didnt wear everything on his sleeve when it came to the success of his team. Get rid of this guy now, he isnt winning a super bowl . . .ever. Thats the goal right, just one and done in the playoffs isnt the end game for the giants. At least it shouldnt be. Trade him now while he is young and you can trick the 9ers that he still has a future. Let fans of another town have to deal with him. There were throws last week that could have been called for intentional grounding if they werent intercepted first; he had no idea where his receivers were. And it wasnt like he was gambling / gunslinging a la Brett Favre for these picks. They were standard 8-10 yard routes over the middle. Absolutely terrible. How can an owner watch this guy and not think they need a new QB.
Get rid of him that is the only option.
quick thoughts.
A: I want the Red Sox to trade for Johan Santana.
B: I am ok giving up Ellsbury, Buckells, whomever. its friggin santana.
C: SANTANA!
D: The knicks are a joke.
E: GO SAINTS!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wait a Second...
After yesterdays Devil Rays-Twins trade, can someone explain to me why it is a foregone conclusion that the Twins should trade Johan Santana now? The Twins just traded a guy that projected to be in their starting rotation for a player who will be 22 years old on opening day and was as highly touted a prospect as any over the past 15 years. From my view the Twins have a chance to compete in the American League next year. Why not run with that?
The Twins can have a top of the rotation of Santana and Francisco Liriano. Now I know Liriano is still a question mark, but recovery from Tommy John surgery has become more and more common place in the game of baseball. A full recovery should be expected. Maybe not by opening day, but by midseason. After those two you have a trio of decent options in Kevin Slowley, Boof Bonser and Scott Baker. Not to mention the possible options of a cheap free agent/trade acquisition or minor league option. Not the greatest rotation in the world, but good enough where they felt they could trade from a strength.
As far as the line-up goes, you now have a middle of the order of Morneau, Mauer, Cuddyer and Young. I strongly believe that Delmon Young could put up bigger numbers next year than Torii Hunter gave them. Hunter, while great defensively and great in the clubhouse was never a top offensive performer. In addition, there are a lot of trade options out there for a center fielder. From the sounds of it, they may have an opportunity to get a guy like Coco Crisp, Tony Gwynn Jr. or David DeJesus. I am not making this team out to be the '27 Yankees or whatever but they could easily put together a line-up with more firepower than they have been used to in recent years.
Lastly, we always know how great the Twins bullpen and manager is. Gardenhire is probably the most underrated manager in all of baseball. I never hear his name amongst the top managers, but every time I see the Twins play they are playing harder than the other team. They are just a tough team, no matter who is injured and where they are in the standings. They go hard into second, they go first to third on a single, and they always find themselves in one run ballgames. There is no reason the this franchise should basically throw in the towel for this season by trading their best play and also the best pitcher in the game.
I know what people are thinking...if the Twins can't afford to pay Santana when he becomes a free agent, then doesn't it make sense to trade him and get a boatload of good young players? I understand that. What about this though? You go into the season with Santana and you make a run for a title. If at the trading deadline you think you are out of it then trade him to the highest bidder. I have trouble believing that you are not going to get top dollar for him then as opposed to now. Heck, you might even get more. Imagine the bidding war if the Red Sox and Yankees are within a game of each other at the time. Or if the Mets are two games behind the Braves. There will be hysteria unlike any trading deadline since Randy Johnson was traded to the Astros a few years back. Remember that the Mariners got both Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen in that deal. Not bad at all.
All I am saying is give your franchise and your fans a chance. This way you can still trade Santana if you think that is best, or you can potentially find yourself in the playoffs. There is no chance you can compete in the AL Central next year without Santana. It is just way too tough of a division. The one advantage you have on the rest of baseball is Santana. Don't get rid of him before giving your fanbase one more chance to win. I think that would go a long way to showing your dedication to the people of Minnesota and winning. Oh yeah, and remember the absolute worst case scenario of not making the playoffs and not trading Santana? Well, you still get two draft picks when he signs somewhere else. Not great, but it is something that would help you restock your farm system. You need your fans loyalty going into a new stadium in a couple of years (especially since it is outdoors...imagine those April games in frigid Minneapolis).
Knicks...
The NY Post said it last week and that is the Knicks are already looking at Chris Mullin to replace Isiah. I am going on record right now in saying that I support that pick 100%. Look at what he was able to do in Golden State. Traded peanuts for Baron Davis. Pulled off a steal in getting Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson for Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. He also drafted Monta Ellisn(second rounder) and Andra Beidris. Probably most importantly, he was able to convince his owner to rehiring Don Nelson, who he had a major beef with in the past. Mullin has shown a lot of balls in making risky deals, and more often than not he has wound up on top. The Knicks are a major project, and I want a guy who knows not only the League, but the City as well. Mullin is a St. John's and New York legend. He would be around for a long time. You know what though? This just makes way too much sense for it to ever happen with the Knicks. Good article below....please read.
Lastly...look for me at the Knicks/Celtics game in Boston tonight. I will be the one with the orange and blue blindfold over my eyes.
http://nyobserver.com/2007/life-knicks-hell
STKAFI
The Twins can have a top of the rotation of Santana and Francisco Liriano. Now I know Liriano is still a question mark, but recovery from Tommy John surgery has become more and more common place in the game of baseball. A full recovery should be expected. Maybe not by opening day, but by midseason. After those two you have a trio of decent options in Kevin Slowley, Boof Bonser and Scott Baker. Not to mention the possible options of a cheap free agent/trade acquisition or minor league option. Not the greatest rotation in the world, but good enough where they felt they could trade from a strength.
As far as the line-up goes, you now have a middle of the order of Morneau, Mauer, Cuddyer and Young. I strongly believe that Delmon Young could put up bigger numbers next year than Torii Hunter gave them. Hunter, while great defensively and great in the clubhouse was never a top offensive performer. In addition, there are a lot of trade options out there for a center fielder. From the sounds of it, they may have an opportunity to get a guy like Coco Crisp, Tony Gwynn Jr. or David DeJesus. I am not making this team out to be the '27 Yankees or whatever but they could easily put together a line-up with more firepower than they have been used to in recent years.
Lastly, we always know how great the Twins bullpen and manager is. Gardenhire is probably the most underrated manager in all of baseball. I never hear his name amongst the top managers, but every time I see the Twins play they are playing harder than the other team. They are just a tough team, no matter who is injured and where they are in the standings. They go hard into second, they go first to third on a single, and they always find themselves in one run ballgames. There is no reason the this franchise should basically throw in the towel for this season by trading their best play and also the best pitcher in the game.
I know what people are thinking...if the Twins can't afford to pay Santana when he becomes a free agent, then doesn't it make sense to trade him and get a boatload of good young players? I understand that. What about this though? You go into the season with Santana and you make a run for a title. If at the trading deadline you think you are out of it then trade him to the highest bidder. I have trouble believing that you are not going to get top dollar for him then as opposed to now. Heck, you might even get more. Imagine the bidding war if the Red Sox and Yankees are within a game of each other at the time. Or if the Mets are two games behind the Braves. There will be hysteria unlike any trading deadline since Randy Johnson was traded to the Astros a few years back. Remember that the Mariners got both Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen in that deal. Not bad at all.
All I am saying is give your franchise and your fans a chance. This way you can still trade Santana if you think that is best, or you can potentially find yourself in the playoffs. There is no chance you can compete in the AL Central next year without Santana. It is just way too tough of a division. The one advantage you have on the rest of baseball is Santana. Don't get rid of him before giving your fanbase one more chance to win. I think that would go a long way to showing your dedication to the people of Minnesota and winning. Oh yeah, and remember the absolute worst case scenario of not making the playoffs and not trading Santana? Well, you still get two draft picks when he signs somewhere else. Not great, but it is something that would help you restock your farm system. You need your fans loyalty going into a new stadium in a couple of years (especially since it is outdoors...imagine those April games in frigid Minneapolis).
Knicks...
The NY Post said it last week and that is the Knicks are already looking at Chris Mullin to replace Isiah. I am going on record right now in saying that I support that pick 100%. Look at what he was able to do in Golden State. Traded peanuts for Baron Davis. Pulled off a steal in getting Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson for Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. He also drafted Monta Ellisn(second rounder) and Andra Beidris. Probably most importantly, he was able to convince his owner to rehiring Don Nelson, who he had a major beef with in the past. Mullin has shown a lot of balls in making risky deals, and more often than not he has wound up on top. The Knicks are a major project, and I want a guy who knows not only the League, but the City as well. Mullin is a St. John's and New York legend. He would be around for a long time. You know what though? This just makes way too much sense for it to ever happen with the Knicks. Good article below....please read.
Lastly...look for me at the Knicks/Celtics game in Boston tonight. I will be the one with the orange and blue blindfold over my eyes.
http://nyobserver.com/2007/life-knicks-hell
STKAFI
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
A Couple Things...
First on the Celtics. Can we relax on the title talk? Who have they beaten so far? I know they look great, but can they at least get a chance to play a San Antonio, Dallas or Phoenix before we praise their greatness? In addition, what happened last night when they played the defending Eastern Conference Champs? They lost. What happened when they played that other Eastern Conference team that is off to a hot start (Magic)? They lost. They are off to a very nice start (11-2), but they have a long way to go. At different times they will have to overcome an injury or two and probably the ineptitude of their coach. They will win their division and compete for the Eastern Conference title. That is as far as I am going. Until I see them at least play an elite Western team (especially on the road) I can not consider them in that class.
Now on the upcoming baseball winter meetings...
One thing is clear and that is that there are going to be a some big moves. Guys like Johan Santana, Dan Haren, and Miguel Cabrera could all be moved. In addition to guys like Joe Crede, Huston Street, Eric Bedard, and Delmon Young. There are big rumors all over the place.
On the Santana front. Let me say one thign as a Mets fan. For all the heat Omar has taken recently, let it be noted that he has been trying to acquire a number one starter since the 2006 trading deadline. At that point he made strong moves to try and get Roy Oswalt and Jason Schmidt. After the season he bid $39 million on Dice-K, only to have the red Sox blow everyone out of the water. He offered Zito in the $90 million range, but was not going to go up to the ridiculous terretory that the Giants went to. He is now going to make aggressive offers for Santana, Bedard and Haren. Some people feel that the Mets don't have the prospects to get a deal done. Maybe they don't. One thing is clear though and that is that Omar among the most aggresive GMs at these winter meetings.
In the end I think Santana will come down to the Yankees and Sox. If the Red Sox are willing to give up Ellsburgy they have a shot. If not, then the Yanks will grab him with an offer built around Hughes and Melky. The Angels will end up getting Miguel Cabrera. I hope the Mets get Haren, but due to his reasonable contract other teams such as the Diamondbacks will be able to put in offers for him as well, which will make it tougher for the Mets. In the end I think Omar will have to offer more than he was originally willing in order to get one of these aces. In addition, for insurance I can see Omar being able to acquire a Jose Contreras on the cheap if he is willing to pay the remainder of his contract in ful (two years $20 million). Not a bad option for the end of the rotation. If you can go into next year with Pedro, Haren/Bedard/Santana, Maine, Perez, EL Duque/Contreras as a Met fan you would have to be extremely happy. By next week at this time we will have a much better idea of where the Mets and every other team in baseball are at.
STKAFI
Now on the upcoming baseball winter meetings...
One thing is clear and that is that there are going to be a some big moves. Guys like Johan Santana, Dan Haren, and Miguel Cabrera could all be moved. In addition to guys like Joe Crede, Huston Street, Eric Bedard, and Delmon Young. There are big rumors all over the place.
On the Santana front. Let me say one thign as a Mets fan. For all the heat Omar has taken recently, let it be noted that he has been trying to acquire a number one starter since the 2006 trading deadline. At that point he made strong moves to try and get Roy Oswalt and Jason Schmidt. After the season he bid $39 million on Dice-K, only to have the red Sox blow everyone out of the water. He offered Zito in the $90 million range, but was not going to go up to the ridiculous terretory that the Giants went to. He is now going to make aggressive offers for Santana, Bedard and Haren. Some people feel that the Mets don't have the prospects to get a deal done. Maybe they don't. One thing is clear though and that is that Omar among the most aggresive GMs at these winter meetings.
In the end I think Santana will come down to the Yankees and Sox. If the Red Sox are willing to give up Ellsburgy they have a shot. If not, then the Yanks will grab him with an offer built around Hughes and Melky. The Angels will end up getting Miguel Cabrera. I hope the Mets get Haren, but due to his reasonable contract other teams such as the Diamondbacks will be able to put in offers for him as well, which will make it tougher for the Mets. In the end I think Omar will have to offer more than he was originally willing in order to get one of these aces. In addition, for insurance I can see Omar being able to acquire a Jose Contreras on the cheap if he is willing to pay the remainder of his contract in ful (two years $20 million). Not a bad option for the end of the rotation. If you can go into next year with Pedro, Haren/Bedard/Santana, Maine, Perez, EL Duque/Contreras as a Met fan you would have to be extremely happy. By next week at this time we will have a much better idea of where the Mets and every other team in baseball are at.
STKAFI
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
0-11
Whatever. This sucks, and there's nothing that can be said or done really.
Trent Green
Ronnie Brown
Zach Thomas
Jesse Chatman
Ricky Williams
Yerimiah Bell
Matt Roth
Renaldo Hill
Travares Tillman
The injury list goes on and on.
6 Losses by 3 points or less, including last nights disgusting sloppy mess of a 3-0 loss with 17 seconds left.
After all the injuries I can't really blame anyone, in addition, the guys have played everyone very, very hard and play for 4 quarters. Something you cannot say about many teams that have such a dismal record.
John Beck has shown glimpses of being a decent NFL QB, fairly mobile and a pretty good arm. Needs to calm down though and slow his footwork, maybe in time. And Ricky made a nice cameo appearance. Odds that he was getting high in the bathroom during the weather delay last night? 2:1, 3:2? Anyone? That injury looked like it hurt though.
Cam Cameron, on the other hand, has been a disgrace. He has made terrible calls in the front office, as well as on the field. This guy has one, maybe two more years to show he can be a head coach in the NFL or he needs to be shown the door.
This week against the Jets is as winnable a game they will see for the rest of the season, an 0-16 record will be staring them in the face with a loss.
What else? UConn made it a game by scoring on their opening drive against UWV, but it was over before the teams even took the field, too much of a talent difference. Maybe in a few years the Huskies will be able to compete with the best.
Random poll question: As of now, who has the better college football program? Connecticut or Nebraska.
Exciting games played by LSU/Arkansas and Kentucky/Tennessee.
In other news, the Staples High School football team got spanked on their home field on Thanksgiving day by the Greenwich Cardinals (home of HOF QB Steve Young) for the FCIAC Championship.
Went to the Celtics game Friday. These guys are really, really good and honestly do not see a team in the East that can beat them in a seven game series. It is impossible to guard all 3 of Allen, Pierce and Garnett. Not possible. You can shut down one, and even hold down another, but it is not possible to stop all three. They even match up very well against the best of the West in the Spurs and Mavs. Not so much against the Suns, but if they could reach the finals and somehow play the Spurs or Mavs, I see no reason why Boston couldn't take home another championship in another sport...
...kill me now.
Trent Green
Ronnie Brown
Zach Thomas
Jesse Chatman
Ricky Williams
Yerimiah Bell
Matt Roth
Renaldo Hill
Travares Tillman
The injury list goes on and on.
6 Losses by 3 points or less, including last nights disgusting sloppy mess of a 3-0 loss with 17 seconds left.
After all the injuries I can't really blame anyone, in addition, the guys have played everyone very, very hard and play for 4 quarters. Something you cannot say about many teams that have such a dismal record.
John Beck has shown glimpses of being a decent NFL QB, fairly mobile and a pretty good arm. Needs to calm down though and slow his footwork, maybe in time. And Ricky made a nice cameo appearance. Odds that he was getting high in the bathroom during the weather delay last night? 2:1, 3:2? Anyone? That injury looked like it hurt though.
Cam Cameron, on the other hand, has been a disgrace. He has made terrible calls in the front office, as well as on the field. This guy has one, maybe two more years to show he can be a head coach in the NFL or he needs to be shown the door.
This week against the Jets is as winnable a game they will see for the rest of the season, an 0-16 record will be staring them in the face with a loss.
What else? UConn made it a game by scoring on their opening drive against UWV, but it was over before the teams even took the field, too much of a talent difference. Maybe in a few years the Huskies will be able to compete with the best.
Random poll question: As of now, who has the better college football program? Connecticut or Nebraska.
Exciting games played by LSU/Arkansas and Kentucky/Tennessee.
In other news, the Staples High School football team got spanked on their home field on Thanksgiving day by the Greenwich Cardinals (home of HOF QB Steve Young) for the FCIAC Championship.
Went to the Celtics game Friday. These guys are really, really good and honestly do not see a team in the East that can beat them in a seven game series. It is impossible to guard all 3 of Allen, Pierce and Garnett. Not possible. You can shut down one, and even hold down another, but it is not possible to stop all three. They even match up very well against the best of the West in the Spurs and Mavs. Not so much against the Suns, but if they could reach the finals and somehow play the Spurs or Mavs, I see no reason why Boston couldn't take home another championship in another sport...
...kill me now.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Two Post Turkey Day Treats
Before I get started here, I would just like to admit to everyone because Carey stayed at my apartment this weekend, I was forced into watching a combined 1 minute and 32 seconds of the MLS Cup this past Sunday. Houston came back from behind and won 2-1 to take the cup for the second year in a row, handing New England their third straight MLS Cup loss in a row, and will be forever known as the Buffalo Bills of the MLS. When will the torture stop for Boston sports fans? I do not know.
Seriously though, back to real sports. As any sports fan knows, there are a few NFL games on Thanksgiving every year, with typically the Packers, Lions, and Cowboys. However, because the NFL season has been all but wrapped up by the Patriots, I won't waste any one's time discussing the T-Day games.
2007 will mark the first year since I can remember I won't be in my hometown for my favorite night of the year and statistically the biggest bar night of the year in the U.S., the night before Thanksgiving Day (thanks a lot for moving to Florida, Mom). Although I won't be the typical dance machine everyone is used to that night, fortunately, I recently discovered two treats I will be able to enjoy as alternatives.
The first is that I will be attending the Celtics/Lakers game in Boston on Friday night. Not only is this game traditionally one of the greatest sports rivalries ever, but this year, the game should be particularly entertaining, and certainly a lot more worth watching than in recent years. Last year, I probably would have shrugged at learning I would be going to this game, but now it's different. Not having a true NBA will allow me to enjoy the game even more as I will be able to enjoy the game as a fan of truly great players and just root for a good game. Two of the most talented, flashy, and future hall-of-fame players will be going head-to-head in Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. In addition, I will be able to enjoy seeing former UConn Huskie Ray Allen in action. It's been difficult to go see a quality basketball game in the Tri-state/New England area in the past few years, and this will certainly be a treat.
A day after the game, I will be able to sit back and literally watch the UConn Huskies football team play for the Big East title and an automatic BCS bowl birth. Yes, you read the correctly, the UConn football team, playing for a BCS bowl game. Amazing. This will not be an easy task as the squad travels to Morgantown to face the electric and explosive West Virginia Mountaineers. Realistically, I do not expect a win, nor do I really expect a close game. However, it will be very entertaining nonetheless to be able to see a football team, that just graduated to a FBS (D-IA) team a mere five years ago compete for a conference championship. A team which was picked to finish seventh out of eight in the Big East this year. It's always fun to root for the underdog, especially when the underdog is my Alma-mater.
Quick shout out to all who joined me at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic last Friday, it was a blast. Even though IceCold couldn't stay up for the whole thing. Dip!
Seriously though, back to real sports. As any sports fan knows, there are a few NFL games on Thanksgiving every year, with typically the Packers, Lions, and Cowboys. However, because the NFL season has been all but wrapped up by the Patriots, I won't waste any one's time discussing the T-Day games.
2007 will mark the first year since I can remember I won't be in my hometown for my favorite night of the year and statistically the biggest bar night of the year in the U.S., the night before Thanksgiving Day (thanks a lot for moving to Florida, Mom). Although I won't be the typical dance machine everyone is used to that night, fortunately, I recently discovered two treats I will be able to enjoy as alternatives.
The first is that I will be attending the Celtics/Lakers game in Boston on Friday night. Not only is this game traditionally one of the greatest sports rivalries ever, but this year, the game should be particularly entertaining, and certainly a lot more worth watching than in recent years. Last year, I probably would have shrugged at learning I would be going to this game, but now it's different. Not having a true NBA will allow me to enjoy the game even more as I will be able to enjoy the game as a fan of truly great players and just root for a good game. Two of the most talented, flashy, and future hall-of-fame players will be going head-to-head in Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. In addition, I will be able to enjoy seeing former UConn Huskie Ray Allen in action. It's been difficult to go see a quality basketball game in the Tri-state/New England area in the past few years, and this will certainly be a treat.
A day after the game, I will be able to sit back and literally watch the UConn Huskies football team play for the Big East title and an automatic BCS bowl birth. Yes, you read the correctly, the UConn football team, playing for a BCS bowl game. Amazing. This will not be an easy task as the squad travels to Morgantown to face the electric and explosive West Virginia Mountaineers. Realistically, I do not expect a win, nor do I really expect a close game. However, it will be very entertaining nonetheless to be able to see a football team, that just graduated to a FBS (D-IA) team a mere five years ago compete for a conference championship. A team which was picked to finish seventh out of eight in the Big East this year. It's always fun to root for the underdog, especially when the underdog is my Alma-mater.
Quick shout out to all who joined me at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic last Friday, it was a blast. Even though IceCold couldn't stay up for the whole thing. Dip!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Here we go!
It's about time.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112487
Felon? Jail time? We shall see.
Oh, and Arod is a Yankee again.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112799
Funny how's these two are already so inter-twined and their breaking news comes out within hours of each other...
...to be honest, I'm very nervous for the Mitchell Report to come out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112487
Felon? Jail time? We shall see.
Oh, and Arod is a Yankee again.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112799
Funny how's these two are already so inter-twined and their breaking news comes out within hours of each other...
...to be honest, I'm very nervous for the Mitchell Report to come out.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
John Sterling on WFAN today
John Sterling called into WFAN today. Any other day this would not be news, but today was different. Now John might not be my first choice to sit back and listen to a game on the radio, but he's been around a while and probably knows his way around baseball insiders. I'm paraphrasing here, but according to Mr. Sterling, on a scale from 1-100, the chances of Alex Rodriguez suiting up as a New York Yankee next year is 101.
In related news,
http://www.mlb.com/players/rodriguez_alex/article.jsp?story=111407
Looking ahead, if the Yanks get Arod back (probably for less money then they would have thought), sign Rivera and somehow make a trade for Santana (which would most likely involve either Cano or Hughes)...we might have ourselves an AL East race worth watching again for years to come.
The question remains...do Yankee fans want Arod back?
In related news,
http://www.mlb.com/players/rodriguez_alex/article.jsp?story=111407
Looking ahead, if the Yanks get Arod back (probably for less money then they would have thought), sign Rivera and somehow make a trade for Santana (which would most likely involve either Cano or Hughes)...we might have ourselves an AL East race worth watching again for years to come.
The question remains...do Yankee fans want Arod back?
They Deserve Each other
They do. The whole lot of them. Dolan, Isiah and Marbury. They have created this monster and it appears that it finally could be coming to an end. These three men are the faces of this Knick run of the past four years. This utterly pathetic run of horrid play on the court, disputes off the court and front office ineptitude of comic proportions.
When looking at this specific Marbury/Isiah dispute part of me feels that it is about time. For too long Isiah has protected Marbury while he has not performed up to expectations on the court. Everyone remembers Isiah as a great player and an even greater leader. A player with true grit and heart. Those are two adjectives that have never been uttered in the same paragraph, let a lone sentence as Steph Marbury. Yet Isiah always defended him. He took his side against Larry Brown. He sided with him against the media as well on numerous occasions. Isiah frustrated so many fans and NBA experts by siding with a guy who may have had as much talent as himself, but was the opposite kind of player. Isiah was the definition of a winner (and sore loser), while Marbury would put up numbers (only him and Oscar Robertson have averaged over 20 points and 8 dimes per game over their career) while never getting out of the first round of the playoffs. He is a prototype coach killer and TEAM killer.
At this point though Isiah is finally doing what he should have done years ago. Giving Stephon some tough love. Not standing by him just because he felt that he needed to justify is signature trade. It is too little, too late. So much damage has been done to this Knick franchise on so many different levels that this should be the first of a series of very tough and embarrassing situations in order to break up this team from the top down. Steph is gone. I don't care is he returns to the team, in all intents and purposes he is out of here. The team will struggle on the court and then Dolan will have to finally place some accountability on Isiah. The dire state of the Knicks has reached such epic proportions that if Dolan does not act prudently on this the fans may actually rip up the Garden floor.
For the future, who knows. I say bring in a new GM and let him find his own coach. There is a lot of talent on this roster but it is just not the right atmosphere for success, plus the players do not seem to fit together. With the right moves (find a great shooter and true point guard to start) the Knicks can be good in a short amount of time around David Lee, Zach Randolph, Ronaldo Balkman and others. At this point more than ever though Dolan needs to think about where the franchise once was and the depths to which it has plummeted. He owes it to the Walt Fraziers, the Willis Reeds, the Patrick Ewings and the Charles Oakleys to end this nonsense now. And if that is not enough, then he owes it to the fans who have been by this team for the past 62 years.
STKAFI
When looking at this specific Marbury/Isiah dispute part of me feels that it is about time. For too long Isiah has protected Marbury while he has not performed up to expectations on the court. Everyone remembers Isiah as a great player and an even greater leader. A player with true grit and heart. Those are two adjectives that have never been uttered in the same paragraph, let a lone sentence as Steph Marbury. Yet Isiah always defended him. He took his side against Larry Brown. He sided with him against the media as well on numerous occasions. Isiah frustrated so many fans and NBA experts by siding with a guy who may have had as much talent as himself, but was the opposite kind of player. Isiah was the definition of a winner (and sore loser), while Marbury would put up numbers (only him and Oscar Robertson have averaged over 20 points and 8 dimes per game over their career) while never getting out of the first round of the playoffs. He is a prototype coach killer and TEAM killer.
At this point though Isiah is finally doing what he should have done years ago. Giving Stephon some tough love. Not standing by him just because he felt that he needed to justify is signature trade. It is too little, too late. So much damage has been done to this Knick franchise on so many different levels that this should be the first of a series of very tough and embarrassing situations in order to break up this team from the top down. Steph is gone. I don't care is he returns to the team, in all intents and purposes he is out of here. The team will struggle on the court and then Dolan will have to finally place some accountability on Isiah. The dire state of the Knicks has reached such epic proportions that if Dolan does not act prudently on this the fans may actually rip up the Garden floor.
For the future, who knows. I say bring in a new GM and let him find his own coach. There is a lot of talent on this roster but it is just not the right atmosphere for success, plus the players do not seem to fit together. With the right moves (find a great shooter and true point guard to start) the Knicks can be good in a short amount of time around David Lee, Zach Randolph, Ronaldo Balkman and others. At this point more than ever though Dolan needs to think about where the franchise once was and the depths to which it has plummeted. He owes it to the Walt Fraziers, the Willis Reeds, the Patrick Ewings and the Charles Oakleys to end this nonsense now. And if that is not enough, then he owes it to the fans who have been by this team for the past 62 years.
STKAFI
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Ugh
The way I used to feel about the Eagles, I now feel about the Cowboys. I fuckin hate them. I hate their owner, I hate their coach and I hate their QB. Any time I see that shit eating grin on any one of them I get annoyed. I guess what I am trying to say is that while at 4PM today I felt that they were overrated, I am now giving them some respect, albeit through hate. They have an extremely explosive offense and a surprisingly stout defense.
The biggest adjustment I see in the Cowboys is that they now prevent big plays by the other teams offense. They are confident enough in their front seven that they do not need to bring extra guys in the box to stop the run and they can sit back and play everything in front of them.
Anyway, enough of that babble. To me there are two ways to view this game.
1. The difference in big plays on offense. The Cowboys has a 25 yard TD and a 50 yard TO to Terrell Owens. The Giants meanwhile were not able to make that big play over the top. In fact, I do not remember them really taking a shot over the top through the air. That is the first time all season I can say that. I don't know if Plaxico's ankle was bothering him or if Manning was just trying to stay disciplined against this Dallas D that was giving him the underneath stuff. Either way, the Cowboys were able to make the big plays while the Giants were not.
2. Two potential Giant TD were negated by penalties. The kickoff return and the Droughns TD run. Either one would have tied the game. I know the kickoff was down at the one, but I assume the Giants would have pounded it in.
We know Manning did not play a great game. He had a couple ridiculous play clock violations and threw a couple picks (one on a hail mary at the end of the game which meant nothing). My feeling now is that the Giants are still a good team and they now have to rebound and play well next week. They still have the ability to win 10 or more games and be in the playoffs. The Giants are probably as bitter as I am and I bet they would want nothing more than another shot at these Cowboys in January.
Going forward for the Giants there are two things that should be focused on. One is something that has been lingering for a while now. The Giants do not have a reliable third WR. Eli probably threw 80 of his passes to Plax and Shockey. That needs to change. Secondly, the Giants need to get back to what they did the six games before this Dallas game. Getting to the quarterback. The Giants did not get very much pressure on Romo and when they did he was able to break contain pretty easily. If the Giants are going to play as aggressive as they did today, then they need to get to the QB or they are leaving their secondary pretty vulnerable.
Anyway, the Giants can basically concede the division. They are currently 6-3 though and still have a very good opportunity to make the playoffs and even have a home playoff game. Next week is a key game in Detroit though. When you look at the state of the season and the franchise what the Giants really need in order to save the coaches job and see some improvement in the QB will be winning a playoff game. So here they are. They are not in the class of Dallas right now, but there is still a long way to go in this season. I can't feel good right now, but a win next week could do a lot for their playoff hopes.
STKAFI
The biggest adjustment I see in the Cowboys is that they now prevent big plays by the other teams offense. They are confident enough in their front seven that they do not need to bring extra guys in the box to stop the run and they can sit back and play everything in front of them.
Anyway, enough of that babble. To me there are two ways to view this game.
1. The difference in big plays on offense. The Cowboys has a 25 yard TD and a 50 yard TO to Terrell Owens. The Giants meanwhile were not able to make that big play over the top. In fact, I do not remember them really taking a shot over the top through the air. That is the first time all season I can say that. I don't know if Plaxico's ankle was bothering him or if Manning was just trying to stay disciplined against this Dallas D that was giving him the underneath stuff. Either way, the Cowboys were able to make the big plays while the Giants were not.
2. Two potential Giant TD were negated by penalties. The kickoff return and the Droughns TD run. Either one would have tied the game. I know the kickoff was down at the one, but I assume the Giants would have pounded it in.
We know Manning did not play a great game. He had a couple ridiculous play clock violations and threw a couple picks (one on a hail mary at the end of the game which meant nothing). My feeling now is that the Giants are still a good team and they now have to rebound and play well next week. They still have the ability to win 10 or more games and be in the playoffs. The Giants are probably as bitter as I am and I bet they would want nothing more than another shot at these Cowboys in January.
Going forward for the Giants there are two things that should be focused on. One is something that has been lingering for a while now. The Giants do not have a reliable third WR. Eli probably threw 80 of his passes to Plax and Shockey. That needs to change. Secondly, the Giants need to get back to what they did the six games before this Dallas game. Getting to the quarterback. The Giants did not get very much pressure on Romo and when they did he was able to break contain pretty easily. If the Giants are going to play as aggressive as they did today, then they need to get to the QB or they are leaving their secondary pretty vulnerable.
Anyway, the Giants can basically concede the division. They are currently 6-3 though and still have a very good opportunity to make the playoffs and even have a home playoff game. Next week is a key game in Detroit though. When you look at the state of the season and the franchise what the Giants really need in order to save the coaches job and see some improvement in the QB will be winning a playoff game. So here they are. They are not in the class of Dallas right now, but there is still a long way to go in this season. I can't feel good right now, but a win next week could do a lot for their playoff hopes.
STKAFI
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Incredible
After a short break, Im back and blogging again which is relatively exciting for you, the reader, I am sure. My own personal sports world has had a little bit of craziness recently. The Red Sox, as I am sure you may have heard, won the World Series. Its a decently big deal. I hope they resign Lowell but I do not think it is absolutely necesssary like some in Boston think. The feeling around here is that resigning Lowell is life or death. They also think that signing A-Rod would be the biggest mistake the franchise could make. Me? I want to sign both of 'em and plop A Rod over at short. I dont ask for much, I know. The point is, Boston fans are stupid, similarly to the fan bases on a whole of every major sports team. They would boo him for the first few at bats but after a home run or two, all would be forgiven.
Plus the lineup would be
D-Ped
Youk
Ortiz
A-Rod
Manny
Lowell
Drew
V-Tek
Ellsbury / Crisp
Now that is just fun.
On another front, we have the 'Aints. Who are back. The receivers finally remembered how to catch the ball and they are absolutely killing it. Obviously this is fantastic news for everyone involved and the playoffs are within reach.
Both those things are incredible, but they do not hold a candle to the ridiculous display that I had the pleasure of witnessing last night. Those Boston Celtics are back. You had to love the whispers coming out of training camp that the "Big 3" were clicking. You had to love the stories. For example, when in Minnesota, Garnett was always the first in the gym and the last out. On his first day when he showed up early, Pierce had already been there for a half hour, Allen for an entire hour. Garnett said something along the lines of "Well, I guess we are gonna play for real then this year" Just those little things that made me and others think, this team is gonna be fun. They might just be able to dominate.
Thus far? They have shown that they can crush it. They can win the close ones, they can blow out opponents without even blinking. Last night, they crushed Denver's own Big 3, a Big 3 that isnt too shabby at all. 77 - 38 at half? Are you kidding me? It was one hell of a sight. One that I will not soon forget. Honestly, the "look what I found" christmas morning feeling is the only way to describe every single behind the back pass followed by an open slam. Its a great feeling where you just start laughing hysterically because its too fun. If you get a chance, look at the ESPN recap of the game online, Tony Allen has that same hysterical cackle after the Garnett alley-oop. Check it out, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Someone should not be allowed as much fun as Boston fans had last night watching the Pierce, KG, Shuttlesworth show.
The outlook? Well, its great. Right now, Im not sure anyone in the East can play with these guys. But then again, right now it doesnt look like they remember how to lose. I am psyched that by buddy and I locked in a season's worth of tickets to this team at 15 bucks a game. Its awesome, 4th row in the balcony, I feel the resentment from the Celtics sales guy everytime I email him. It is fantastic. Its even a little incredible.
Plus the lineup would be
D-Ped
Youk
Ortiz
A-Rod
Manny
Lowell
Drew
V-Tek
Ellsbury / Crisp
Now that is just fun.
On another front, we have the 'Aints. Who are back. The receivers finally remembered how to catch the ball and they are absolutely killing it. Obviously this is fantastic news for everyone involved and the playoffs are within reach.
Both those things are incredible, but they do not hold a candle to the ridiculous display that I had the pleasure of witnessing last night. Those Boston Celtics are back. You had to love the whispers coming out of training camp that the "Big 3" were clicking. You had to love the stories. For example, when in Minnesota, Garnett was always the first in the gym and the last out. On his first day when he showed up early, Pierce had already been there for a half hour, Allen for an entire hour. Garnett said something along the lines of "Well, I guess we are gonna play for real then this year" Just those little things that made me and others think, this team is gonna be fun. They might just be able to dominate.
Thus far? They have shown that they can crush it. They can win the close ones, they can blow out opponents without even blinking. Last night, they crushed Denver's own Big 3, a Big 3 that isnt too shabby at all. 77 - 38 at half? Are you kidding me? It was one hell of a sight. One that I will not soon forget. Honestly, the "look what I found" christmas morning feeling is the only way to describe every single behind the back pass followed by an open slam. Its a great feeling where you just start laughing hysterically because its too fun. If you get a chance, look at the ESPN recap of the game online, Tony Allen has that same hysterical cackle after the Garnett alley-oop. Check it out, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Someone should not be allowed as much fun as Boston fans had last night watching the Pierce, KG, Shuttlesworth show.
The outlook? Well, its great. Right now, Im not sure anyone in the East can play with these guys. But then again, right now it doesnt look like they remember how to lose. I am psyched that by buddy and I locked in a season's worth of tickets to this team at 15 bucks a game. Its awesome, 4th row in the balcony, I feel the resentment from the Celtics sales guy everytime I email him. It is fantastic. Its even a little incredible.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Halftime
It has been a couple weeks since I wrote about the Giants. At the beginning of the season I felt that the Giants were being underestimated and that they would have a surprisingly good season. After the first couple of games I was ready to throw in the towel. It wasn't that the Giants lost their first two, but instead of how they lost them. It was the worst defensive performance I had ever seen by Giants team. Since that goal line stand in that Week 3 Washington game the Giants have not looked back. They are 6-2, having lost only to the top two teams in the NFC.
This week the Cowboys come to town. The 7-1 Cowboys. The Cowboys who put a beating on that Giants defense in Week 1. Look, time and time again we realize that no game is a must-win unless it eliminates a team altogether. With that being said though, I feel that this week will show a lot about where the Giants are going this year. Can the Giants lose this week and still go far in the playoffs? Sure. A playoff run is much more likely though if the Giants to win this week and have this propel them to a 13-3 or 12-4 type year.
Go back one year ago. The Giants were 6-2 and about to face undefeated Chicago in Giants Stadium. The Giants got off to a good start, and then fell apart in the second half of that game and in turn the season. The Giants need to have a strong second half in order to save their coach's job. People are not talking about it now, but the Giants really have not shown us anything different than last year until they perform in the second half and the playoffs.
Another very important issue is the play of Eli Manning. Not much has been made of his play so far because the Giants are doing so well, but he really has not played that well. He had a great opening game in Dallas and since then he has been very mediocre. I have been one of his biggest supporters, but this is the type of game where Eli needs to come to play if the Giants are going to reach that next level. He has the running game, the support from the defense and an array of receivers. At this point there is reason for him not to step up. I know his shoulder may not be 100% for this entire season as a result of that play in Dallas opening night, but now is not the time for excuses.
Lastly I want to point out one funny thing. As I said before, after the first two games of the season I honestly felt that the Giant defense was as bad as any I have ever seen and the worst by far from a Giants team. At this point though I am putting this defense on a level with any Giant defense since Parcells was here. They are in the quarterback's face all game and they force turnovers. They have speed, they hit hard, and they have ball hawks. I am not saying they will shut down Dallas this week, but they will beat them up physically and will put the Giants offense in a position to win the game. It will be up to the offense to take that opportunity and capitalize.
Other Stuff...
This week the Cowboys come to town. The 7-1 Cowboys. The Cowboys who put a beating on that Giants defense in Week 1. Look, time and time again we realize that no game is a must-win unless it eliminates a team altogether. With that being said though, I feel that this week will show a lot about where the Giants are going this year. Can the Giants lose this week and still go far in the playoffs? Sure. A playoff run is much more likely though if the Giants to win this week and have this propel them to a 13-3 or 12-4 type year.
Go back one year ago. The Giants were 6-2 and about to face undefeated Chicago in Giants Stadium. The Giants got off to a good start, and then fell apart in the second half of that game and in turn the season. The Giants need to have a strong second half in order to save their coach's job. People are not talking about it now, but the Giants really have not shown us anything different than last year until they perform in the second half and the playoffs.
Another very important issue is the play of Eli Manning. Not much has been made of his play so far because the Giants are doing so well, but he really has not played that well. He had a great opening game in Dallas and since then he has been very mediocre. I have been one of his biggest supporters, but this is the type of game where Eli needs to come to play if the Giants are going to reach that next level. He has the running game, the support from the defense and an array of receivers. At this point there is reason for him not to step up. I know his shoulder may not be 100% for this entire season as a result of that play in Dallas opening night, but now is not the time for excuses.
Lastly I want to point out one funny thing. As I said before, after the first two games of the season I honestly felt that the Giant defense was as bad as any I have ever seen and the worst by far from a Giants team. At this point though I am putting this defense on a level with any Giant defense since Parcells was here. They are in the quarterback's face all game and they force turnovers. They have speed, they hit hard, and they have ball hawks. I am not saying they will shut down Dallas this week, but they will beat them up physically and will put the Giants offense in a position to win the game. It will be up to the offense to take that opportunity and capitalize.
Other Stuff...
- I am watching the Knick game right now. I have heard that Iverson has lost a step, but I can not see it on this night. He has controlled the game offensively and pretty much done what ever he has wanted. If he can play at this level consistently through out the year, then Denver will definitely be a team to be reckoned with out West.
- One major negative about this Denver team is that they do nothing defensively. They can score with anybody, but I do not know if they can keep up with the San Antonios or Dallases with this lack of defense. I know Kenyon Martin is not playing tonight, and that definitely may have some impact on this.
- Another player not yet in a groove for the Knicks is Eddy Curry. So far the Knicks have looked much more to getting Randolph the ball down low, while Curry has gotten much of his points on dunks and ally-oops. Curry has always been a guy who can disappear for long stretches on the floor. This does not bode well for that.
- Might as well give my thoughts on Pats/Colts. Basically I feel the same as I did before the game. The Pats can beat the Colts in Indy in January, but the Colts can not beat the Pats in Foxboro in January. The Colts defense looked good on Sunday, but they are not a big hard hitting team. They are built on speed, especially with those defensive ends. That does not fly in the potential cold, snow and ice of New England. That is why this was a must-win for the Colts. I don't really want to hear about the injuries from an Indy perspective. The bottom line is that Harrison has a degenerative knee condition so you can not expect much from him the rest of the year. In addition, Indy was up 10 points in the 4th quarter. They just could not get stops in the 4th quarter and they really had trouble containing Wes Welker on punt returns. New England moved the ball at will in the 4th quarter and had great field position to start their drives. That Pats are still long way from 19-0, but right now they are in a class of their own in the NFL.
- Last thing on the Knicks game. There was a foul called probably with less than a second left on the clock but the buzzer sounded. Everyone was ready to let the game be over, but Isiah Thomas went over to the referees right away to make sure they put time left on the clock (after he saw George Karl and other Nuggets go to the locker room). You talk about class in sports. Well, when the Knicks were losing they started fights (Nuggets) and made accusations about other players being dirty (Bowen), etc. Well now they are showing how to win with no class as well. At least when the Patriots run up the score or do things to irk the other team they have 3 Super Bowls and a Hall of Fame coach to validate them. The Knicks have a sexual harrasser and a punk ass squad.
The Name Game
Now that the NBA season is fully upon us, combined with the fact that I'm extremely bored and nothing in particular interests me recently in the sports news world, I've decided to play the name game.
What is the name game, you ask? Great question. The name game is a game where I take my friends that have one point or another visited, written, or participated in this blog (including myself) and compare their current life situation to a current NBA player. I say current because if I did any player to play in the NBA, it could take me hours to conjure up such a list. First names will be used sparingly, and nicknames will be substituted when appropriate. Here we go:
Nillz: Yao Ming - Not only because they look very much alike, but Nillz, like Yao is typically a solid contributor when available. However, both have problems staying on the court for a full season.
Sonny: Jay Williams - Lots of potential coming out of college, but after a specific motorcycle accident, has become completely irrelevant. Constant comeback tries have failed miserably and doesn't look like will ever be a factor again.
Blade: Brian Scalabrine - White, pasty, and while he brings energy and the occasional boost every once in a while, what else is there? Oh, and I heard Scalabrine loves the chew.
Tysybuns: Shaq - Absolutely dominant during his college days and early career. But after meeting his wife and consistently coming into camp fat and out of shape year after year, stock has dropped considerably.
Carey: Steve Nash - Would rather be playing soccer and looked much cooler with long hair.
Wolfy: Wally Szczerbiak - Lit it up in college. Yet while not being too harsh on the eyes, has not been much of factor throughout his NBA career.
Downey: Joakim Noah - Tall, lanky, funny looking dude who's new to the scene. Typical glue guy who can light up a media room with his upbeat humor.
Devo: Tim Duncan - Solid all-around, but because of his fundamentally sound style of play, and typically laid back personality, considered boring by many.
Shooter: Stephon Marbury - New York has turned out to be not such a great place for him. A straight up clown. Great player to interview, media is always excited and entertained by anything that comes out of his mouth.
Murph: Chris Duhon - Has lost his starting spot at point, but check out the dudes ears.
Ev: Greg Oden - Tends to be less flashy and on the quiet side, but still has a great sense of humor...who am I kidding, its for the sole reason I believe Oden has a horse-sized dong.
JoJo: Eddy Curry - We know the dude can score but its the only skill he posseses, and his weight is always an issue.
Choppers: Ron Artest - Terrific all-around player, and contributes in all aspects of the game, but obviously has a screw loose.
NelHA: Sam Cassel - Solid leader who's heading into the latter stages of his career. But what's up with the huge dome piece?
Hard-Cor: Stephen Jackson - Len Bias would be the obvious choice here if we were doing all-time NBA players, but Jackson works almost as well. On and off locker room guy and can do it all on the court, but tends to get out-of-control from time to time.
Rambone: Eduardo Najera - One of two Mexican-born players in the history of the NBA. Can get feisty when needed.
Curtin: Antoine Walker - Notoriously known for his poor work ethic. Lazy and overweight. Does anyone really want this guy on his team?
Katzo: - Dirk Nowitzki - All-around player and potential MVP candidate. Has his off nights but can light up a stat sheet at any point in time.
Let me know if I have left anyone out, or if you have any other good comparisons for the current roster.
What is the name game, you ask? Great question. The name game is a game where I take my friends that have one point or another visited, written, or participated in this blog (including myself) and compare their current life situation to a current NBA player. I say current because if I did any player to play in the NBA, it could take me hours to conjure up such a list. First names will be used sparingly, and nicknames will be substituted when appropriate. Here we go:
Nillz: Yao Ming - Not only because they look very much alike, but Nillz, like Yao is typically a solid contributor when available. However, both have problems staying on the court for a full season.
Sonny: Jay Williams - Lots of potential coming out of college, but after a specific motorcycle accident, has become completely irrelevant. Constant comeback tries have failed miserably and doesn't look like will ever be a factor again.
Blade: Brian Scalabrine - White, pasty, and while he brings energy and the occasional boost every once in a while, what else is there? Oh, and I heard Scalabrine loves the chew.
Tysybuns: Shaq - Absolutely dominant during his college days and early career. But after meeting his wife and consistently coming into camp fat and out of shape year after year, stock has dropped considerably.
Carey: Steve Nash - Would rather be playing soccer and looked much cooler with long hair.
Wolfy: Wally Szczerbiak - Lit it up in college. Yet while not being too harsh on the eyes, has not been much of factor throughout his NBA career.
Downey: Joakim Noah - Tall, lanky, funny looking dude who's new to the scene. Typical glue guy who can light up a media room with his upbeat humor.
Devo: Tim Duncan - Solid all-around, but because of his fundamentally sound style of play, and typically laid back personality, considered boring by many.
Shooter: Stephon Marbury - New York has turned out to be not such a great place for him. A straight up clown. Great player to interview, media is always excited and entertained by anything that comes out of his mouth.
Murph: Chris Duhon - Has lost his starting spot at point, but check out the dudes ears.
Ev: Greg Oden - Tends to be less flashy and on the quiet side, but still has a great sense of humor...who am I kidding, its for the sole reason I believe Oden has a horse-sized dong.
JoJo: Eddy Curry - We know the dude can score but its the only skill he posseses, and his weight is always an issue.
Choppers: Ron Artest - Terrific all-around player, and contributes in all aspects of the game, but obviously has a screw loose.
NelHA: Sam Cassel - Solid leader who's heading into the latter stages of his career. But what's up with the huge dome piece?
Hard-Cor: Stephen Jackson - Len Bias would be the obvious choice here if we were doing all-time NBA players, but Jackson works almost as well. On and off locker room guy and can do it all on the court, but tends to get out-of-control from time to time.
Rambone: Eduardo Najera - One of two Mexican-born players in the history of the NBA. Can get feisty when needed.
Curtin: Antoine Walker - Notoriously known for his poor work ethic. Lazy and overweight. Does anyone really want this guy on his team?
Katzo: - Dirk Nowitzki - All-around player and potential MVP candidate. Has his off nights but can light up a stat sheet at any point in time.
Let me know if I have left anyone out, or if you have any other good comparisons for the current roster.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Few Things
Too much goin on in the sports world right now to focus on one topic..
- First of all I want to say I agree with Katzo in that the Red Sox are now the team to beat in the AL East. With that being said, can we relax with all this talk of the Red Sox dynasty and how they are the ideal franchise in baseball. When you boil it down, this team won for three reasons. They have one of the most fearsome 3-4 combinations in the history of baseball, a dominating closer and an all-time great clutch starting pitcher. I know Lowell, Schilling and others contributed, but those are the reasons the Sox were a step ahead of the rest. Beofre we annoint Theo and the Sox front office as geniuses lests remember a couple things...They have tried to trade (or give away) Manny Ramirez each of the past four seasons. They signed Julio Lugo and JD Drew to contracts combined over $110 million. They paid $51.1 million just to talk to a pitcher how has a 4.40 ERA and did close to nothing in the postseason. If Red Sox fans want to think of their organization as the most well run in baseball, then they must agree that the Yankees were the most well run over the past 10 years. The Red Sox have taken the baton as a team that has so many resources, to the point where they can screw up on players time and time, again but still can cover those up by spending more money. It's not a bad thing, but before we annoint them as Gods, lets be honest about how they got here. Lastly, I am not going to go crazy about Lester or Burgholtz because they have not shown me enough yet. As far as position players, they look good, but more on say the Melky Cabrera level. Not that thats bad, but its not cornerstone type guys.
- I think Joe Torre is a great fit in LA. They have a ton of talent, money and chemistry problems. He will win that division next year and will be playing the Mets in the NLCS in what will shape up to be a great thing for baseball (and the media). A lot will depend on the health of their starting pitching, but they have the bullpen and the line-up already has talent from top to bottom.
- I can't assess the Yankee offseason until we know the Pettitte, Posada and Rivera situations. I am not a huge Joe Girardi fan. I know he was covetted all over baseball, but I will be very interested to see how he handles the young pitching of the Yanks and the media. Remmeber all those great young pitchers he had in Florida came back the next year with major arm problems. Just a thought..
- Giants are the one team in the NFC that can beat the Pats. Two reasons...pass rushing and running the football. My big thing to watch the second half of the season will be how Eli performs, especially the next game against Dallas. Last season in the same situation (6-2) the Giants came home to a huge game against Chicago and Eli played horribly. We know how the season went from there.
- Not much space for NBA talk....My sleeper from each conference are the Grizzlies and the Bucks. I got it right with the Raptors last year, so lets see if I can make this a habit. I admit though that it will be tough for the Grizzlies to make the playoffs in that brutal conference. They will be a tough team to play though. They got a ton of length and potantially very exciting point guard play, plus a long range assassin in Mike Miller. The Bucks have a lot of talent up front and a strong starting backcourt. The East is always up for grabs. They will make the playoffs there.
- Lastly, my Knicks. All I will say is this. Two thing you need to win in this league are defense and an unselfish offense. You need to pass the ball and be able to get stops in big spots. I do not see them able to do either of those two things. Add in the fact that the fanbase is ready to explode, the owner is slowly (hopefully) getting more and more embarrassed, plus Eddy Curry and Zack Randolph might not be able to fit on the team bus together and they team will have problems. At least we got some good sound bytes to expect out of Stephon. For me though, if Isiah is gone by the end of the year this season was a success and we can turn the page towards a hopefully birght future.
STKAFI
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Changing of the Guard
Some said it would never happen. They were wrong.
1978? Wrong. 1986? Wrong.
Some thought 1999 was the year. They were wrong.
Some believed it would be in the year 2003. Aaron Boone will be the first to tell you, they were wrong.
Some knew it was one minute after midnight on October 21st, 2004. And then again, after it was finally won after 86 years on October 27th, 2004. Contrary to popular belief, they were wrong.
It wasn't until Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 12:06 EST that the impossible finally occurred. The Boston Red Sox, NOT the New York Yankees became the team to beat, in the AL East, and in all of baseball.
There are a few reasons, the baton has finally been passed at this very moment in time, and not before. For decades upon decades the Yankees were considered the evil empire, they would constantly win, and continually spend more money to be better than everyone else. It worked, it worked well. Eventually, teams like the Red Sox and the Mets starting spending like the Yankees because they could, to make it a more level playing field, but did so unsuccessfully. For obvious reasons, no one, particularly the Red Sox had taken over the Yankees as the team to beat through 2003. No one could really beat them. Sure they lost to the Diamondbacks and the Marlins in 2001, and 2003, respectively, those were two different teams, and the Yankees couldn't win the World Series EVERY year. Plus, the Yankees were still continuously getting there.
In 2004, the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in the ALCS (in record setting fashion no less, coming back from being behind 3-0 in the series). The Red Sox also won the World Series that year, but still, the Red Sox weren't the team to beat. The Yankees had still won the division that year, as well as 2005 (via tie-breaker) and 2006 (where the Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs).
But what makes this time around different is the fact that the Red Sox won the World Series in convincing fashion, starting the season as potential favorites to win it all, and ending the season hoisting the trophy. What makes this year different then any other year, and particularly 2004, is that the Red Sox have most if not all of there pieces coming back, and are only going to be better, whereas, the Yankees finally seem be in a little too much turmoil even with all that money to dig them out.
Let's analyze both teams heading into the offseason. The Red Sox have two key free agents to sign, World Series MVP third basemen Mike Lowell, and Curt Schilling. They need to sign Lowell, no doubt about it. A gold glover and RBI machine protecting Manny and Papi, they wouldn't have made it as far without him. I'm posting this under the assumption they will sign Lowell, if they don't, this whole rant might be considered irrelevant. Schilling is a different story. The Red Sox have always been good about letting their stars go when they feel like they are over the hill, even the beloved ones, i.e. Nomar, Pedro, Damon. They will offer Schilling a decent 1 or 2 year deal, and he will probably turn it down, move on, and accept more money somewhere else. But this leads me to the most important reason for why the teams are finally trading places in baseball, the Red Sox don't need Curt Schilling. Not only will they have almost every single key veteran back from this season, their rookies and younger players will all have another year under their belt and will only be getting better. I anticipate Theo Epstein to shop Coco Crisp for a power arm in the bullpen, and have Ellsbury start as the everyday center fielder next year. They bring back Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youkoulis, Papi (after recovering from whatever knee problems he's been having this year), Manny, Lowell, Drew, Varitek, and Lugo, everyone. In addition, they keep Beckett, Dice-K, and get back healthy Lester, and a MLB ready Bucholz, and of course Papelbon and Okajima whatever changes or not made to the bullpen in the offseason and you have your 2008 World Series favorites.
On the other side of the coin you have the Yankees. After any other season, I would not be so fast as to say the Red Sox had taken over, but when you look at what has happened so far this offseason with the Yanks, its hard to say they will be as competitive the next year and the years to come. First comes the bogus offer to Joe Torre and running him out of town. Then Arod opts out of his contract (that's a whole other post in itself) but I don't care what sort of discomfort he brought to the clubhouse, it will be impossible to replace his defense at third, not to mention the 54 home runs and 156 RBI. And finally the hiring of Joe Girardi and Donny Baseball bouncing (I actually think Girardi is the best man for the job in the short-term, but again, another post, another time). In addition, the looming negotiations with Rivera, Posada, Mientkiewicz, and Vizcaino all of which are not guaranteed to stay, and you have a totally different ball club from last year. Again, normally this wouldn't be such a bad thing, especially with the likes of Robbie Cano, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and of course Joba beginning to come into their own, but for at least the next 2 or 3 years, and can confidently say, the Yankees are no longer at the crest of the baseball world.
Yep...I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...
1978? Wrong. 1986? Wrong.
Some thought 1999 was the year. They were wrong.
Some believed it would be in the year 2003. Aaron Boone will be the first to tell you, they were wrong.
Some knew it was one minute after midnight on October 21st, 2004. And then again, after it was finally won after 86 years on October 27th, 2004. Contrary to popular belief, they were wrong.
It wasn't until Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 12:06 EST that the impossible finally occurred. The Boston Red Sox, NOT the New York Yankees became the team to beat, in the AL East, and in all of baseball.
There are a few reasons, the baton has finally been passed at this very moment in time, and not before. For decades upon decades the Yankees were considered the evil empire, they would constantly win, and continually spend more money to be better than everyone else. It worked, it worked well. Eventually, teams like the Red Sox and the Mets starting spending like the Yankees because they could, to make it a more level playing field, but did so unsuccessfully. For obvious reasons, no one, particularly the Red Sox had taken over the Yankees as the team to beat through 2003. No one could really beat them. Sure they lost to the Diamondbacks and the Marlins in 2001, and 2003, respectively, those were two different teams, and the Yankees couldn't win the World Series EVERY year. Plus, the Yankees were still continuously getting there.
In 2004, the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in the ALCS (in record setting fashion no less, coming back from being behind 3-0 in the series). The Red Sox also won the World Series that year, but still, the Red Sox weren't the team to beat. The Yankees had still won the division that year, as well as 2005 (via tie-breaker) and 2006 (where the Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs).
But what makes this time around different is the fact that the Red Sox won the World Series in convincing fashion, starting the season as potential favorites to win it all, and ending the season hoisting the trophy. What makes this year different then any other year, and particularly 2004, is that the Red Sox have most if not all of there pieces coming back, and are only going to be better, whereas, the Yankees finally seem be in a little too much turmoil even with all that money to dig them out.
Let's analyze both teams heading into the offseason. The Red Sox have two key free agents to sign, World Series MVP third basemen Mike Lowell, and Curt Schilling. They need to sign Lowell, no doubt about it. A gold glover and RBI machine protecting Manny and Papi, they wouldn't have made it as far without him. I'm posting this under the assumption they will sign Lowell, if they don't, this whole rant might be considered irrelevant. Schilling is a different story. The Red Sox have always been good about letting their stars go when they feel like they are over the hill, even the beloved ones, i.e. Nomar, Pedro, Damon. They will offer Schilling a decent 1 or 2 year deal, and he will probably turn it down, move on, and accept more money somewhere else. But this leads me to the most important reason for why the teams are finally trading places in baseball, the Red Sox don't need Curt Schilling. Not only will they have almost every single key veteran back from this season, their rookies and younger players will all have another year under their belt and will only be getting better. I anticipate Theo Epstein to shop Coco Crisp for a power arm in the bullpen, and have Ellsbury start as the everyday center fielder next year. They bring back Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youkoulis, Papi (after recovering from whatever knee problems he's been having this year), Manny, Lowell, Drew, Varitek, and Lugo, everyone. In addition, they keep Beckett, Dice-K, and get back healthy Lester, and a MLB ready Bucholz, and of course Papelbon and Okajima whatever changes or not made to the bullpen in the offseason and you have your 2008 World Series favorites.
On the other side of the coin you have the Yankees. After any other season, I would not be so fast as to say the Red Sox had taken over, but when you look at what has happened so far this offseason with the Yanks, its hard to say they will be as competitive the next year and the years to come. First comes the bogus offer to Joe Torre and running him out of town. Then Arod opts out of his contract (that's a whole other post in itself) but I don't care what sort of discomfort he brought to the clubhouse, it will be impossible to replace his defense at third, not to mention the 54 home runs and 156 RBI. And finally the hiring of Joe Girardi and Donny Baseball bouncing (I actually think Girardi is the best man for the job in the short-term, but again, another post, another time). In addition, the looming negotiations with Rivera, Posada, Mientkiewicz, and Vizcaino all of which are not guaranteed to stay, and you have a totally different ball club from last year. Again, normally this wouldn't be such a bad thing, especially with the likes of Robbie Cano, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and of course Joba beginning to come into their own, but for at least the next 2 or 3 years, and can confidently say, the Yankees are no longer at the crest of the baseball world.
Yep...I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...
- The Braves traded Edgar Renteria to the Tigers yesterday for young prospects, Jair Jurrjens, a 21-year old hard throwing right hander, and Gorkys Hernandez, a 19-year old speedy center fielder, with a terrific name. Good deal for both sides.
- Oh, and in case you've been living under a rock, the Huskies of UConn are now ranked #13 in the latest BCS poll, as well as receiving their first ranking in the AP and USA Today Coaches poll in their history just 5 years and 10 weeks after becoming a D-1A (or Bowl Subdivision as they are now calling it) football program, the second fastest program to do so behind Marshall. They play host to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this Saturday, primetime at 7:15pm. Red Sky NYC (the UConn Huskies bar) is the recommended establishment to enjoy the game this weekend.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
QB Generation
Random Topic. I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning and the mentioned the topic below. The pretty much piss poor level of quarterbacking in the NFL today. Think about this...
1992: Dan Marino, John Elway, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman, Brett Favre (first good year), Joe Montana (second to last year)
2007: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre (near the end)
That is a pretty considerable difference. In 1992 we had five hall of fame quarterbacks at or near the top of their game who each would play in a Super Bowl before their career was over, plus a rising star and a legend at the end. Now we have only two, with one legend and no clear rising star (sorry Carson Palmer, but you have not looked good this year). Going into this season we thought Drew Brees and/or Carson Palmer could be at that level but they both have disappointed greatly. Why is this? I really don't know, but here are a few aspects of the argument.
1992: Dan Marino, John Elway, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman, Brett Favre (first good year), Joe Montana (second to last year)
2007: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre (near the end)
That is a pretty considerable difference. In 1992 we had five hall of fame quarterbacks at or near the top of their game who each would play in a Super Bowl before their career was over, plus a rising star and a legend at the end. Now we have only two, with one legend and no clear rising star (sorry Carson Palmer, but you have not looked good this year). Going into this season we thought Drew Brees and/or Carson Palmer could be at that level but they both have disappointed greatly. Why is this? I really don't know, but here are a few aspects of the argument.
- Maybe 1992 was just a golden age for quarterbacks in a way. We were spoiled.
- Nowadays offenses are throwing the ball more than ever. The West Coast offense was popularized in the 1980's by the 49ers, but now every team incorporates some aspects of that offense. There are more screen passes (WR and RB), more three step drops, etc. One would think QBs would be better as a result of offenses being geared more around them.
- Possibly the QBs have become so accustomed to the short passes/quick release that many struggle with the aspect of sitting in the pocket longer and waiting for plays to develop or finding secondary receivers if the primary route is covered. Who knows?
- One thing is for sure and that is the feeling of 1999-2002 that you can win a Super Bowl with an average QB is pretty much a thing of the past. When Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson were winning Super Bowls a lot of GMs felt that there was no need to waste high draft picks/big money on QBs. Well in recent years you have Phil Rivers, Ben Rothleisburger, Eli Manning, Kyle Boller, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Alex Smith, Brady Quinn, Jamarcus Russell, etc. There are more QBs being taken high in the draft than ever, but there are also more QB busts than ever.
- Some may say the QBs are being thrown into the fire too soon. The playbooks are so complex, and the QBs don't have enough time to learn them. As a result they play poorly, their confidence drops, and so on.
- These are all just random thoughts on why this could be the case. Like I said, maybe it is just random. Maybe I will look back in 15 years and see that Carson Palmer went on to win two Super Bowls, as well as Eli and Roethlisburger and this will be looked at as incorrect. One thing is true though and that is in 1992 you knew you had a solid group of very good QBs. Now, not so much. Just think about fantasy football. You could have gotten the same production from drafting Romo or Eli in the 6th round as people have gotten from brees and Palmer by drafting them in the 2nd round. All four have had turnover problems. Meanwhile, you have other QBs like Garcia and Garrard who aren't turning the ball over, but can not carry a team like a Romo or a Brees can.
- The QB pool in October of 2007 does not look deep. A lot depends on winning, so we shall see how these other QBs develop over the next six to 18 months. Right now though it is Brady/Manning and then a bunch of above average QBs. Which one will make the leap to join them the way Young, Aikman and Favre joined Elway, Marino and Kelly?
I am rooting for and feel that the Rockies will win. I am a National League guy and unless an arch enemy was in the series I would have to root for the NL. The Rockies line-up is deeper than the Indians and their defense is tighter. Their pitching does not look as good on paper, but when you consider how poorly Sabathia and Carmona pitched against Boston they look pretty similar. I think Boston wins game one and then losses four in a row.
That Boston line-up looks much worse without Papi or Lowell or Youk in that NL park. Plus if you have watched the postseason, the numbers could be deceiving. Beckett has been unreal, but Schilling has looked very hittable. We all know how shaky Dice-K has looked as well. I see a lot of hitting in this series, with the Rockies doing more of it. They are a confident team who thinks they have a higher power on their side (cooocooo, but true).
STKAFI
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Dire Calamity
Normally, this would be the perfect spot for a World Series preview, today being the day before game one and all, but I decided to go a different direction this week (although I will have my WS prediction at the end of the post).
I wanted to share with everyone why it sucks to be me as a sports fan right now.
The obvious example right off the bat is being a Dolphins fan. What has happen to this storied franchise? It's like the football gods are pouring it all on at once. It all started with the hiring of Nick Saban (who, at the time, even I thought was a great hire). Then came the choice of Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees. The disastrous season last season, the Saban bail, the hiring of Cam Cameron, the passing of Brady Quinn, and so on and so forth. Coming into this season I had 0 expectations. Zero! But I couldn't even see this coming. Trent Green out of the year, Chris Chambers traded, Ronnie Brown out for the year, most of the secondary out for the year. And now, here they are, standing at 0-7 and no game in the near future looking all that winnable. The Dolphins do play the Jets and the Bills one more time, and those two games are the only games I would think they could possibly have a chance to win. But with names at the skill positions like Cleo Lemon, Jesse Chatman, and Marty Booker, things are the bleakest they have been in the history of the Miami Dolphins. There is a chance for them to be the first team in history to go 0-16, and what makes it even worse is that one of their long time rivals, the Patriots, look unstoppable and could go 16-0. 0-16 and 16-0 in the same season, and the Dolphins being the team to go 0-16, you can't make this stuff up. They do have some intriguing young players, but I don't even want to get into that, I just want the season to be over and head to the draft with the top 1 or 2 pick, or do I? In an amazing stat pointed out by Peter King yesterday, in the six drafts between 1998 and 2003, the Dolphins had a total of 59 picks, 46 were drafter, and the other 13 were used to trade for 10 other players. Of those 59 picks from 1998-2003, how many players are on the active 53-man roster today? ZERO! That is insane, I almost pooped my pants when I saw that. Maybe someday they will be competitive again, but that day will probably around the time my kids have kids. Pathetic.
Let's move on to some still sad, but not quite as dismal teams. The Atlanta Braves GM John Schuerholz stepped down earlier this month. When I first heard this I thought it was much worse then what actually transpired. Schuerholz is staying on the payroll as President and will be across the hall from his protege Frank Wren. I have the sense any major decisions will be run by, if not decided by Schuerholz himself. That being said, the Braves need to win, and they need to win now. Andruw Jones is gone. Chipper and Smoltz getting old. Teixeira could only be there for another year. If they don't win next year, they Braves will be in the same mode as the Dolphins. Starting over. Granted the Braves organization is 1,000,000,000 times better than the Dolphins, but at the same time, they will be reloading with no real legitimate shot at a championship for a few years.
I do not have a NBA team because the NBA sucks. But the Celtics and Suns could be fun to watch this year.
I used to be a much bigger hockey fan, but the strike put a little bit of a damper on that. The New York team I do heavily root for and have since I was little are the Rangers. I love their fan base and love the MSG atmosphere during a Rangers game. I also used to root for the Colorado Avalanche when they had Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Chris Drury, and Patrick Roy because they were fun to watch, and I hated the Red Wings. But back to the main point of this post. Even the Rangers, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year have been a disappointment so far. It is still early in the year, and they have one of the best teams on paper. But seeing them play the Islanders in the preseason, flying all over the ice and scoring in many different ways, I have not seen that at all this year. They need to stop playing tight and open things up. This can be a very dangerous squad, but again, because I root for them, have been nothing but a disappointment and are currenlty in last place in the Atlantic Division.
This brings us to the college game. UConn, a traditional basketball powerhouse, did not even make the NIT last year? Are you serious? Embarrassing. This year, every player has had a year under their belt and they should compete, but they used all their scholarships on their players last year and had none to use this year so have no decent recruits. The could be very competitive in a year or two, but in all honesty, the players they have right now, do not look like championship material.
The one bright spot in my sports life lately has been the Huskies football team. They have had a surprisingly nice beginning of their season. New QB Tyler Lorenzen, and the RB tandem of Donald Brown and Andre Dixon have carried them to a 6-1 start, a win at home over Louisville last week and a #23 ranking in the BCS for the first time in history, (they have only been a D-I A team since 2003). Fairly impressive. However, they easily could have been 7-0 losing in Virginia in a sloppy game that they should have won, and their win against Louisville could have gone the other way (the infamous fair-catch signal). On top of that, this team has no shot of playing for a BCS championship (maybe a BCS bowl), but play host to USF and Rutgers in back to back weeks, and I actually expect them to lose both games fairly handily.
All in all, I have very little to root for in sports in the upcoming years. And it sucks.
This brings us to the World Series pick. Everything in my gut, and everything I had said before points to the Red Sox in 4, 5, or 6 games. Since I have made my predictions all year and from the beginning of the playoffs, I have said the Red Sox will win it all. That being said...
There's only one Rocktober!
Rockies in 7!
I wanted to share with everyone why it sucks to be me as a sports fan right now.
The obvious example right off the bat is being a Dolphins fan. What has happen to this storied franchise? It's like the football gods are pouring it all on at once. It all started with the hiring of Nick Saban (who, at the time, even I thought was a great hire). Then came the choice of Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees. The disastrous season last season, the Saban bail, the hiring of Cam Cameron, the passing of Brady Quinn, and so on and so forth. Coming into this season I had 0 expectations. Zero! But I couldn't even see this coming. Trent Green out of the year, Chris Chambers traded, Ronnie Brown out for the year, most of the secondary out for the year. And now, here they are, standing at 0-7 and no game in the near future looking all that winnable. The Dolphins do play the Jets and the Bills one more time, and those two games are the only games I would think they could possibly have a chance to win. But with names at the skill positions like Cleo Lemon, Jesse Chatman, and Marty Booker, things are the bleakest they have been in the history of the Miami Dolphins. There is a chance for them to be the first team in history to go 0-16, and what makes it even worse is that one of their long time rivals, the Patriots, look unstoppable and could go 16-0. 0-16 and 16-0 in the same season, and the Dolphins being the team to go 0-16, you can't make this stuff up. They do have some intriguing young players, but I don't even want to get into that, I just want the season to be over and head to the draft with the top 1 or 2 pick, or do I? In an amazing stat pointed out by Peter King yesterday, in the six drafts between 1998 and 2003, the Dolphins had a total of 59 picks, 46 were drafter, and the other 13 were used to trade for 10 other players. Of those 59 picks from 1998-2003, how many players are on the active 53-man roster today? ZERO! That is insane, I almost pooped my pants when I saw that. Maybe someday they will be competitive again, but that day will probably around the time my kids have kids. Pathetic.
Let's move on to some still sad, but not quite as dismal teams. The Atlanta Braves GM John Schuerholz stepped down earlier this month. When I first heard this I thought it was much worse then what actually transpired. Schuerholz is staying on the payroll as President and will be across the hall from his protege Frank Wren. I have the sense any major decisions will be run by, if not decided by Schuerholz himself. That being said, the Braves need to win, and they need to win now. Andruw Jones is gone. Chipper and Smoltz getting old. Teixeira could only be there for another year. If they don't win next year, they Braves will be in the same mode as the Dolphins. Starting over. Granted the Braves organization is 1,000,000,000 times better than the Dolphins, but at the same time, they will be reloading with no real legitimate shot at a championship for a few years.
I do not have a NBA team because the NBA sucks. But the Celtics and Suns could be fun to watch this year.
I used to be a much bigger hockey fan, but the strike put a little bit of a damper on that. The New York team I do heavily root for and have since I was little are the Rangers. I love their fan base and love the MSG atmosphere during a Rangers game. I also used to root for the Colorado Avalanche when they had Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Chris Drury, and Patrick Roy because they were fun to watch, and I hated the Red Wings. But back to the main point of this post. Even the Rangers, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year have been a disappointment so far. It is still early in the year, and they have one of the best teams on paper. But seeing them play the Islanders in the preseason, flying all over the ice and scoring in many different ways, I have not seen that at all this year. They need to stop playing tight and open things up. This can be a very dangerous squad, but again, because I root for them, have been nothing but a disappointment and are currenlty in last place in the Atlantic Division.
This brings us to the college game. UConn, a traditional basketball powerhouse, did not even make the NIT last year? Are you serious? Embarrassing. This year, every player has had a year under their belt and they should compete, but they used all their scholarships on their players last year and had none to use this year so have no decent recruits. The could be very competitive in a year or two, but in all honesty, the players they have right now, do not look like championship material.
The one bright spot in my sports life lately has been the Huskies football team. They have had a surprisingly nice beginning of their season. New QB Tyler Lorenzen, and the RB tandem of Donald Brown and Andre Dixon have carried them to a 6-1 start, a win at home over Louisville last week and a #23 ranking in the BCS for the first time in history, (they have only been a D-I A team since 2003). Fairly impressive. However, they easily could have been 7-0 losing in Virginia in a sloppy game that they should have won, and their win against Louisville could have gone the other way (the infamous fair-catch signal). On top of that, this team has no shot of playing for a BCS championship (maybe a BCS bowl), but play host to USF and Rutgers in back to back weeks, and I actually expect them to lose both games fairly handily.
All in all, I have very little to root for in sports in the upcoming years. And it sucks.
This brings us to the World Series pick. Everything in my gut, and everything I had said before points to the Red Sox in 4, 5, or 6 games. Since I have made my predictions all year and from the beginning of the playoffs, I have said the Red Sox will win it all. That being said...
There's only one Rocktober!
Rockies in 7!
Monday, October 22, 2007
On to the Series
Last night the Red Sox clinched the American league pennant for the 2 time in 4 or so years. I was in attendance at one of the most electric sporting events in my life. The atmosphere was amazing, the entire crowd stood and screamed at an average of 5 times an inning. When at the plate, any 3-0. 3-1. 3-2 count got us up and if there was a guy in scoring position, forget about it. With Dice-K on the mound, every 0-2 pitch, despite logic that said he would waste a pitch, everyone was on there feet. It got to the point very early when the elderly people in the area were complaining because they simply could not manage the ridiculous amount of sitting and standing. Fenway was overly loud. The feelings and thoughts of the crowd could be felt en masse when Lugo dropped that ball, it took something out of the Red Sox faithful. When Indians 3rd base coach, Joel Skinner, inexplicably held Lofton, preventing the tying run from occuring; I still felt a little uneasy, the Red Sox still needed a break. We all know the rest. Double Play to Mike "Gold Glove" Lowell and the Pedro-ia and Papelbon shut the door. The emotions were up and down last night but incredible 8th that shut the door was probably the most celebratory inning of any game that I have ever attended.
My first game seven, my first Red Sox clinching game. Needless to say, well worth the price of admission.
Quick Thoughts:
1. Jonathan Papelbon comes out of the bullpen to Wild Thing, this we know. What I didn't realize is that every time once he reaches the mound and the announcer says "Jonathan Papelbon", without missing a beat, Fenway chimes in with the song from the Departed (which has somehow been claimed as the theme of Red Sox nation this playoff run, i think i heard it ten times last night) Needless to say, it is ridiculously bad ass and it gets the crowd going over the top crazy. It is almost unfair how much that song gets you pumped up.
2. Sadly Da Bocker has retired from the Blog. Apparently for the large mass of people (the Da Bocker following) that miss the ever valuable red dot picks; he does have an email chain going around that you can request an invite to. It is called the jordan/sonny nfl pick love fest email chain and if you want to make sure that you are banned from it forever, we can arrange that too.
3. I think the fact that Beckett went back to the bullpen intimidated the Indians into not hitting well early. This way, they made sure they would not have to face him.
4. Very interesting decision to bring Okijima out there for a potential 3rd inning. Paging Eric Gagne, you are terrible, Eric Gagne . . . terrible
5. Close call win for the Saints. 2-4, someone is stirring in a stagnant / ridiculously horrible division.
6. Anyone else laugh hysterically everytime Brady airs it out to Moss? If you had been listening closely you could almost here KatzoRelaxo's spirit breaking. At least Ronnie Brown has been a bright spot (ooooo, was that too soon? my bad)
7. I do believe the Red Sox will beat the Rockies but its going to be tough to deal with the fact that they forgot how to spell the word "lose".
8. Why was Betancourt left out there for so long. Sure, he had been their best reliever but wasn't it clear early that he did not have it last night. And why not at least try Borowski? Is there no faith in him? Obviously not, I would have none in him. But isn't the point to have your best reliever close for you? If you are going to designate him "closer" then how are you not going to bring him in for the 8th before Rafael broke down?
9. Beckett deserved the MVP and I hope he takes home the CY
10. Why are some Red Sox fans chanting MVP every time Mike Lowell comes up? He is good, I get that but its' been going on for the entire postseason and I need an explanation. MVP of the team? of the defense? of hispanic players at 3rd base? goatees of america? of 5 hole hitters? It is confusing. Red Sox nation . . . quit it. Otherwise my MVP for JDD chants just don't hold water.
11. Another Pet peeve of mine, the "Yankees Suck" chants are old. Quit that too. Stick to the Hey Hey Hey Goodbye chant, Cleveland Sucks, and Warm up the Bus, ok? is that to much to ask. We aren't playing the Yanks, we didn't beat the yanks so give it a rest.
12. Red Sox in 6 against the Rockies.
go saints. go sox. go c's
My first game seven, my first Red Sox clinching game. Needless to say, well worth the price of admission.
Quick Thoughts:
1. Jonathan Papelbon comes out of the bullpen to Wild Thing, this we know. What I didn't realize is that every time once he reaches the mound and the announcer says "Jonathan Papelbon", without missing a beat, Fenway chimes in with the song from the Departed (which has somehow been claimed as the theme of Red Sox nation this playoff run, i think i heard it ten times last night) Needless to say, it is ridiculously bad ass and it gets the crowd going over the top crazy. It is almost unfair how much that song gets you pumped up.
2. Sadly Da Bocker has retired from the Blog. Apparently for the large mass of people (the Da Bocker following) that miss the ever valuable red dot picks; he does have an email chain going around that you can request an invite to. It is called the jordan/sonny nfl pick love fest email chain and if you want to make sure that you are banned from it forever, we can arrange that too.
3. I think the fact that Beckett went back to the bullpen intimidated the Indians into not hitting well early. This way, they made sure they would not have to face him.
4. Very interesting decision to bring Okijima out there for a potential 3rd inning. Paging Eric Gagne, you are terrible, Eric Gagne . . . terrible
5. Close call win for the Saints. 2-4, someone is stirring in a stagnant / ridiculously horrible division.
6. Anyone else laugh hysterically everytime Brady airs it out to Moss? If you had been listening closely you could almost here KatzoRelaxo's spirit breaking. At least Ronnie Brown has been a bright spot (ooooo, was that too soon? my bad)
7. I do believe the Red Sox will beat the Rockies but its going to be tough to deal with the fact that they forgot how to spell the word "lose".
8. Why was Betancourt left out there for so long. Sure, he had been their best reliever but wasn't it clear early that he did not have it last night. And why not at least try Borowski? Is there no faith in him? Obviously not, I would have none in him. But isn't the point to have your best reliever close for you? If you are going to designate him "closer" then how are you not going to bring him in for the 8th before Rafael broke down?
9. Beckett deserved the MVP and I hope he takes home the CY
10. Why are some Red Sox fans chanting MVP every time Mike Lowell comes up? He is good, I get that but its' been going on for the entire postseason and I need an explanation. MVP of the team? of the defense? of hispanic players at 3rd base? goatees of america? of 5 hole hitters? It is confusing. Red Sox nation . . . quit it. Otherwise my MVP for JDD chants just don't hold water.
11. Another Pet peeve of mine, the "Yankees Suck" chants are old. Quit that too. Stick to the Hey Hey Hey Goodbye chant, Cleveland Sucks, and Warm up the Bus, ok? is that to much to ask. We aren't playing the Yanks, we didn't beat the yanks so give it a rest.
12. Red Sox in 6 against the Rockies.
go saints. go sox. go c's
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Parity. Is it for College Football?
1. Ohio State (7-0)
2. South Florida (6-0)
3. Boston College (7-0)
4. LSU (6-1)
5. Oklahoma (6-1)
6. South Carolina (6-1)
7. Kentucky (6-1)
8. Arizona State (7-0)
9. West Virginia (5-1)
10 Oregon (5-1)
The above list of top 10 teams, is the first release of the 2007 BCS Standings in college football. Yes, that list. The same list which features the likes of South Florida at #2, Boston College at #3, and South Carolina, Kentucky, and Arizona State at #6-8, respectively. No USC, no Florida, no Virginia Tech, no Michigan, no Texas. Besides Ohio State, LSU, and Oklahoma there are no true college football powerhouses in the top 10 this year...so far.
But the question remains, is parity (at least THIS much parity) good for college football? At first glance, parody is almost always good for sports. However, in this case, with so many of the "better" college football programs losing, and some of the rising programs continuing to go undefeated and even upseting some of the more well known teams, with an arguably softer schedule, the end result might, just might not be for the best.
Let's take a very, very hypothetical approach here and say Ohio State loses somewhere along the line, USF and BC win out, and the computers don't think there is a one-loss team that deserves to jump ahead of either one. Does the general public really want to see a USF/BC national championship game? I don't know. Do people, and college football experts really believe that BC could beat LSU on a neutral field, or that USF would beat Oklahoma, or USC, or Florida? Maybe.
The bottom line is all of this is looking very far into the future of a long college football season. No one knows exactly how it will work out, and there is always second guessing when it comes to the BCS system, but as I see it now, this is the most wacky and unusual college football season to date.
2. South Florida (6-0)
3. Boston College (7-0)
4. LSU (6-1)
5. Oklahoma (6-1)
6. South Carolina (6-1)
7. Kentucky (6-1)
8. Arizona State (7-0)
9. West Virginia (5-1)
10 Oregon (5-1)
The above list of top 10 teams, is the first release of the 2007 BCS Standings in college football. Yes, that list. The same list which features the likes of South Florida at #2, Boston College at #3, and South Carolina, Kentucky, and Arizona State at #6-8, respectively. No USC, no Florida, no Virginia Tech, no Michigan, no Texas. Besides Ohio State, LSU, and Oklahoma there are no true college football powerhouses in the top 10 this year...so far.
But the question remains, is parity (at least THIS much parity) good for college football? At first glance, parody is almost always good for sports. However, in this case, with so many of the "better" college football programs losing, and some of the rising programs continuing to go undefeated and even upseting some of the more well known teams, with an arguably softer schedule, the end result might, just might not be for the best.
Let's take a very, very hypothetical approach here and say Ohio State loses somewhere along the line, USF and BC win out, and the computers don't think there is a one-loss team that deserves to jump ahead of either one. Does the general public really want to see a USF/BC national championship game? I don't know. Do people, and college football experts really believe that BC could beat LSU on a neutral field, or that USF would beat Oklahoma, or USC, or Florida? Maybe.
The bottom line is all of this is looking very far into the future of a long college football season. No one knows exactly how it will work out, and there is always second guessing when it comes to the BCS system, but as I see it now, this is the most wacky and unusual college football season to date.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Road Warriors
Good news... I got my swagger back. After an early trouncing in the Pick 'Em and Fantasy Football season... i have come back with vengeance. With 18 correct picks in the past two weeks and a 3-0 fantasy football week... I present to you my Week 6 picks. 10 of the 13 road teams will cover. Home team in CAPS
Free Money!
BEARS -5.5 over Vikings
Besides myself the entity with the second greatest return of swagger may be the Chicago Bears. I think Griese is going to reach serviceable status which is all these Bears really need from their QB. Benson finally found the endzone, they got their highly touted Greg Olsen back. I know the D is banged up, but look at the other side of the field. Unless All Day goes off in a way only he can do I can't see how these Vikings are going to find the endzone.
Titans +2.5 over BUCS
All Vince Young does is win football games. Problem is All Jeff Garcia does is be a mini Vince Young and win football games. The Bucs have zero running game right now, and I think I heard the stat that Jeff Fisher has been the best road record in football since he's taken over. That could be wrong, but I think I heard that. With a spread of 2.5, I could see this being a field goal game, with Young doing just enough for the win.... per usual
Dolphins +4.5 over BROWNS
These Browns are weird. They put up points, then they don't. They seem to be playing the Pats tough, then they can't cover a +16.5. I dunno, I don't see any NFL team going winless. This might be the game where the Dolphins break through. Ronnie Brown is running great and there is no reason to think that will stop this week.. Lewis for hurt for the Browns, I'm not sure what his status is... but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Dolphins win outright.
Rams +9,5 over RAVENS
Fellow blogger called it his upset special, I simply call it a free money cover. Ravens hit 3 field goals against the 49ers. Rams put up 31 pts against Arizona. I can see Ferrotte doing his best Griese impression. For the Ravens to beat a team by double digits they will need one of their vintage Ed Reed defensive/special teams touchdowns. And that's not something Im willing to bet on.
Texans +6.5 over JAGUARS
Jaguars will probably make the playoffs. Jaguars do not let up a lot of points (I believe 10.5 a game). Garrard has not thrown an INT this season (4th rated QB). However, they also don't seem to blow out teams. I also have faith in Schaub. Texans are coming off an amazing win, and although ugly it could be just the type of game they need to play against the Jags. Take your field goals, and play defense. Jones-Drew finally showed signs of life, but I see this being a 4th quarter game.
Redskins +3.5 over PACKERS
Redskins are coming off one of their most dominant defensive efforts in franchise history. I know Green Bay is a tough place to play but I think this Packers team may be one of those teams hyped up early on that fall off a bit. Yes Favre is playing well, but don't sleep on Campbell who is the real deal. Portis is healthy and the Packers still have no running game. This was one of the tougher picks for me, but did you see that Sellers youtube clip courtesy of one Ev Boyle?!?!
Eagles -2.5 over JETS
This one breaks my heart to pick and it is also one of the most difficult. I think some of the magic of Chad Pennington has been lost. Yes he is still fiery, yes I think he is still one of the smartest QB's in the league, but he has ZERO arm power. No this is not new news, but his 5 picks in the past 2 games, along with a home crowd you know will be cheering to put in Clemens at the sign of any trouble. Also I think the Eagles believe they can get back into the NFC playoff race. McNabb has only thrown one INT all year and I'm not sure if Westbrook is back or not, but if he is, I see the Eagles pulling this one out.
Bengals -3.5 over CHIEFS
Chiefs are a terrible terrible football team. When we look back to the 2007 season, one of the biggest shockers of all will be how the Chiefs went into San Diego and got a win. Bengals have a history of exploding after their bye week and this Chiefs team provides the perfect opposition for that.
CARDINALS -3.5 over Panthers
The Panthers and Cards are two teams I have the most difficult times assessing. Warner is now the unchallenged started in Arizona and for the Panthers, Carr or Moore who cares? Unless the Cards secondary sends hate mail to Steve Smith's home this week, one would think the Cards can pull this one out at home. Larry Fitz woke up last week in a big way and the status for Boldin is still unknown. Losing Whine-art might have been a blessing in disguise for this year's Cards.
CHARGERS -9.5 over Raiders
It's a lot of points, but they put up 41 pts last week. LT didnt even get in the end zone last week but the cancer in the clubhouse V-Jax did. If Culpepper can account for 5 TD's, on less then 100 yards of offense again like he did 2 weeks ago then this game will obviously be close. I'm still not sold on Rivers, but I think the D makes a few plays this week and we have ourselves a blowout.
Pats -4.5 over COWBOYS
I hate Romo, I love when Romo accounts for 6 turnovers. I hate the Patriots. I hate this matchup, but man I can't wait to watch this game. Many are saying if Romo threw 5 picks against the Bills what will he do against the Pats. However, anyone who knows anything knows football does not work this way. It's a week to week game. Pats look like a team for the ages, and I can't pick against them until any weakness at all is exposed. Is this a battle for the game's best receiver??? I dont think anyone is in Randy's class, but I would bet To wouldn't say the same. Romo wants to be considered elite in anyone's book besides John Madden and Joe Buck then he needs to prove it in this game.
Saints +6.5 over SEAHAWKS
Why on earth would I pick the Saints in this game. They can't catch the ball, they can't throw the ball and they can't run the ball. I don't know, but there is something boring and missing about this Seattle team. They barely had the ball in the second half in Pittsburgh and Alexander is a shell of his former self. Saints have to wake up at some point. I am having a hard time defending this pick, but I'm sticking with it.
Giants -4.5 over FALCONS
Doesn't matter to me Harrington or Leftwich. Giants should roll through hapless Atlanta. I can't think of one exciting thing going on for Atlanta. Their biggest splashes are in court where they keep winning money back from Vick. Giants are kind of stuck right now between playoff contender/pretender. Going two games over .500 with a win will point them in the right direction.
Free Money!
BEARS -5.5 over Vikings
Besides myself the entity with the second greatest return of swagger may be the Chicago Bears. I think Griese is going to reach serviceable status which is all these Bears really need from their QB. Benson finally found the endzone, they got their highly touted Greg Olsen back. I know the D is banged up, but look at the other side of the field. Unless All Day goes off in a way only he can do I can't see how these Vikings are going to find the endzone.
Titans +2.5 over BUCS
All Vince Young does is win football games. Problem is All Jeff Garcia does is be a mini Vince Young and win football games. The Bucs have zero running game right now, and I think I heard the stat that Jeff Fisher has been the best road record in football since he's taken over. That could be wrong, but I think I heard that. With a spread of 2.5, I could see this being a field goal game, with Young doing just enough for the win.... per usual
Dolphins +4.5 over BROWNS
These Browns are weird. They put up points, then they don't. They seem to be playing the Pats tough, then they can't cover a +16.5. I dunno, I don't see any NFL team going winless. This might be the game where the Dolphins break through. Ronnie Brown is running great and there is no reason to think that will stop this week.. Lewis for hurt for the Browns, I'm not sure what his status is... but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Dolphins win outright.
Rams +9,5 over RAVENS
Fellow blogger called it his upset special, I simply call it a free money cover. Ravens hit 3 field goals against the 49ers. Rams put up 31 pts against Arizona. I can see Ferrotte doing his best Griese impression. For the Ravens to beat a team by double digits they will need one of their vintage Ed Reed defensive/special teams touchdowns. And that's not something Im willing to bet on.
Texans +6.5 over JAGUARS
Jaguars will probably make the playoffs. Jaguars do not let up a lot of points (I believe 10.5 a game). Garrard has not thrown an INT this season (4th rated QB). However, they also don't seem to blow out teams. I also have faith in Schaub. Texans are coming off an amazing win, and although ugly it could be just the type of game they need to play against the Jags. Take your field goals, and play defense. Jones-Drew finally showed signs of life, but I see this being a 4th quarter game.
Redskins +3.5 over PACKERS
Redskins are coming off one of their most dominant defensive efforts in franchise history. I know Green Bay is a tough place to play but I think this Packers team may be one of those teams hyped up early on that fall off a bit. Yes Favre is playing well, but don't sleep on Campbell who is the real deal. Portis is healthy and the Packers still have no running game. This was one of the tougher picks for me, but did you see that Sellers youtube clip courtesy of one Ev Boyle?!?!
Eagles -2.5 over JETS
This one breaks my heart to pick and it is also one of the most difficult. I think some of the magic of Chad Pennington has been lost. Yes he is still fiery, yes I think he is still one of the smartest QB's in the league, but he has ZERO arm power. No this is not new news, but his 5 picks in the past 2 games, along with a home crowd you know will be cheering to put in Clemens at the sign of any trouble. Also I think the Eagles believe they can get back into the NFC playoff race. McNabb has only thrown one INT all year and I'm not sure if Westbrook is back or not, but if he is, I see the Eagles pulling this one out.
Bengals -3.5 over CHIEFS
Chiefs are a terrible terrible football team. When we look back to the 2007 season, one of the biggest shockers of all will be how the Chiefs went into San Diego and got a win. Bengals have a history of exploding after their bye week and this Chiefs team provides the perfect opposition for that.
CARDINALS -3.5 over Panthers
The Panthers and Cards are two teams I have the most difficult times assessing. Warner is now the unchallenged started in Arizona and for the Panthers, Carr or Moore who cares? Unless the Cards secondary sends hate mail to Steve Smith's home this week, one would think the Cards can pull this one out at home. Larry Fitz woke up last week in a big way and the status for Boldin is still unknown. Losing Whine-art might have been a blessing in disguise for this year's Cards.
CHARGERS -9.5 over Raiders
It's a lot of points, but they put up 41 pts last week. LT didnt even get in the end zone last week but the cancer in the clubhouse V-Jax did. If Culpepper can account for 5 TD's, on less then 100 yards of offense again like he did 2 weeks ago then this game will obviously be close. I'm still not sold on Rivers, but I think the D makes a few plays this week and we have ourselves a blowout.
Pats -4.5 over COWBOYS
I hate Romo, I love when Romo accounts for 6 turnovers. I hate the Patriots. I hate this matchup, but man I can't wait to watch this game. Many are saying if Romo threw 5 picks against the Bills what will he do against the Pats. However, anyone who knows anything knows football does not work this way. It's a week to week game. Pats look like a team for the ages, and I can't pick against them until any weakness at all is exposed. Is this a battle for the game's best receiver??? I dont think anyone is in Randy's class, but I would bet To wouldn't say the same. Romo wants to be considered elite in anyone's book besides John Madden and Joe Buck then he needs to prove it in this game.
Saints +6.5 over SEAHAWKS
Why on earth would I pick the Saints in this game. They can't catch the ball, they can't throw the ball and they can't run the ball. I don't know, but there is something boring and missing about this Seattle team. They barely had the ball in the second half in Pittsburgh and Alexander is a shell of his former self. Saints have to wake up at some point. I am having a hard time defending this pick, but I'm sticking with it.
Giants -4.5 over FALCONS
Doesn't matter to me Harrington or Leftwich. Giants should roll through hapless Atlanta. I can't think of one exciting thing going on for Atlanta. Their biggest splashes are in court where they keep winning money back from Vick. Giants are kind of stuck right now between playoff contender/pretender. Going two games over .500 with a win will point them in the right direction.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Don't Do It
I always felt that the best way to assess my team is to seek the opinion of other people. Not people who also like that same team, but people that don't. People that actually hate that team. People that pay just as much attention as I do, but are hoping for the exact opposite things that I am. With that in mind I have this to say to Yankeeland....DO NOT FIRE JOE TORRE.
Actually do fire Joe Torre! He only got the Yankees to the playoffs 12 straight years. This season for all intents and purposes was a rebuilding year. Not your typical rebuilding year, considering the payroll was $200 million. But think about the influx of young pitching. Also think about the fact that within the past couple of seasons Torre has gradually worked young guys like Melky Cabrera and Robbie Cano into the starting line-up. The bottom line is there are a lot of guys in Torre's position that would not want to deal with the risks that are involved with young pitching and players. Torre has been a perfect organizational soldier in that regard. He swallowed his pride and adhered to the Joba Rules. He gave chances to guys like Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes while pushing aside veterans like Mike Mussina for the good for the team and organization as a whole.
The most important thing though is the comfort level of the team. I mean, it is clear that Torre has not lost this locker room one bit. Every big name veteran is dedicated to Torre. They all seem to be eager to speak up for him. In addition, there is no one better in sports at dealing with the media. I think that will be more clear when Torre is out as Yankee manager and we see what his replacement is like under that day to day insane grind.
Look, I don't think Torre is like the best manager in baseball or something. I just think that he is still the best person for this job. As a Yankee hater I would love to see him go and watch the chaos in Yankeeland ensue. Tony Larussa? Wow. He has won a lot, but he has problems with the media in St. Louis! That's like having trouble catching up to a 90 mile per hour fastball, while New York is a Joba Chamberlain heater. Mattingly? Could be great, but no managerial experience. Girardi? His tenure in Florida ended a little messy and that is not the best sign going into this very unique Yankee situation. Showalter? Been there, done that. Valentine? Can definitely handle the media, but the clubhouse may be a different story.
Bottom line is Torre can still do this job better than anyone. If he had more than two good relievers and if Wang had a pair of cahones the Yanks might have just won this series. Torre has the respect of the veterans and is eager to develop the youngsters (which he is doing a pretty good job of so far). He has been the rock of this Yankee run. I hope the Yankees fire him, because I am eager to watch baseball in October without any games in the Bronx. Anyway, sometimes the best moves are the ones not made. This is one of them. The guy deserves it, the fans deserve it, and so do the players. The media? They prolly deserve a guy like Larussa. Met fans? We deserve Torre to be gone and to watch the Yankee fish bowl explode.
STKAFI
Actually do fire Joe Torre! He only got the Yankees to the playoffs 12 straight years. This season for all intents and purposes was a rebuilding year. Not your typical rebuilding year, considering the payroll was $200 million. But think about the influx of young pitching. Also think about the fact that within the past couple of seasons Torre has gradually worked young guys like Melky Cabrera and Robbie Cano into the starting line-up. The bottom line is there are a lot of guys in Torre's position that would not want to deal with the risks that are involved with young pitching and players. Torre has been a perfect organizational soldier in that regard. He swallowed his pride and adhered to the Joba Rules. He gave chances to guys like Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes while pushing aside veterans like Mike Mussina for the good for the team and organization as a whole.
The most important thing though is the comfort level of the team. I mean, it is clear that Torre has not lost this locker room one bit. Every big name veteran is dedicated to Torre. They all seem to be eager to speak up for him. In addition, there is no one better in sports at dealing with the media. I think that will be more clear when Torre is out as Yankee manager and we see what his replacement is like under that day to day insane grind.
Look, I don't think Torre is like the best manager in baseball or something. I just think that he is still the best person for this job. As a Yankee hater I would love to see him go and watch the chaos in Yankeeland ensue. Tony Larussa? Wow. He has won a lot, but he has problems with the media in St. Louis! That's like having trouble catching up to a 90 mile per hour fastball, while New York is a Joba Chamberlain heater. Mattingly? Could be great, but no managerial experience. Girardi? His tenure in Florida ended a little messy and that is not the best sign going into this very unique Yankee situation. Showalter? Been there, done that. Valentine? Can definitely handle the media, but the clubhouse may be a different story.
Bottom line is Torre can still do this job better than anyone. If he had more than two good relievers and if Wang had a pair of cahones the Yanks might have just won this series. Torre has the respect of the veterans and is eager to develop the youngsters (which he is doing a pretty good job of so far). He has been the rock of this Yankee run. I hope the Yankees fire him, because I am eager to watch baseball in October without any games in the Bronx. Anyway, sometimes the best moves are the ones not made. This is one of them. The guy deserves it, the fans deserve it, and so do the players. The media? They prolly deserve a guy like Larussa. Met fans? We deserve Torre to be gone and to watch the Yankee fish bowl explode.
STKAFI
LCS Preview
Because my division series preview was a complete disaster, added to the fact that I'm super busy today, I will keep this short and to the point.
NLCS
Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
As much as I want to take the Rockies in this series, especially considering they have won 17 of 18 games (reminiscent of the 2001 Staples high school baseball team, which won 20 of its last 21 games), I just don't think I can bring myself to do it. Although Colorado clearly has the hitting and defensive advantage in this series, Arizona has an overwhelming advantage in starting pitching as well as their bullpen. If there's one thing that this postseason, and many others have taught us, is that good pitching will always conquer good hitting.
Colorado will be sent packing but not with their heads down, watch out for this team for many years to come.
Brandon Webb & Co. will make another World Series appearance, and their first since 2001 when they beat the Yankees in 7 games.
Arizona in 6
Interesting tid-bit: You think this Arizona team has young players? How about their GM Josh Byrnes, at 37 is one of the new young breeds of general managers in the MLB, and certainly seems to know his stuff.
ALCS
Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox
The one series I got right on the button was the Red Sox continued dominance over the Angles. I don't see the Red Sox losing any steam against the Indians, or their World Series opponent either. Such a dangerous team all around, they can shut a team down with their pitching, or outscore a team with their pesky on-base percentage guys getting on, and the dangerous core of Ortiz, Rameriez, and Lowell to knock them in. Despite Cleveland's fantastic one-two punch of Sabathia and Carmona, this team just does not quite of the fire power and all around game Boston does.
Sabathia and Carmona will be well, but not well enough and their hot 2-out hitting will start to fizzle. But another young squad will only be getting better in the future.
The Red Sox will win a couple pitchers duels, and outscore the Indians in a couple wild ones, even winning one or two of the four games Sabathia and Carmona would pitch. A chance to win their second World Series in 4 years will be on the horizon.
Boston in 6
Interesting tid-bit: The last time the Red Sox and Indians faced off in the playoffs was in the 1999 ALDS, in which the Indians won the first two at home, and the Red Sox pulled out 3 straight, including game 5 in Cleveland to meet none other than the Yankees in the ALCS.
Quick notes:
NLCS
Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
As much as I want to take the Rockies in this series, especially considering they have won 17 of 18 games (reminiscent of the 2001 Staples high school baseball team, which won 20 of its last 21 games), I just don't think I can bring myself to do it. Although Colorado clearly has the hitting and defensive advantage in this series, Arizona has an overwhelming advantage in starting pitching as well as their bullpen. If there's one thing that this postseason, and many others have taught us, is that good pitching will always conquer good hitting.
Colorado will be sent packing but not with their heads down, watch out for this team for many years to come.
Brandon Webb & Co. will make another World Series appearance, and their first since 2001 when they beat the Yankees in 7 games.
Arizona in 6
Interesting tid-bit: You think this Arizona team has young players? How about their GM Josh Byrnes, at 37 is one of the new young breeds of general managers in the MLB, and certainly seems to know his stuff.
ALCS
Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox
The one series I got right on the button was the Red Sox continued dominance over the Angles. I don't see the Red Sox losing any steam against the Indians, or their World Series opponent either. Such a dangerous team all around, they can shut a team down with their pitching, or outscore a team with their pesky on-base percentage guys getting on, and the dangerous core of Ortiz, Rameriez, and Lowell to knock them in. Despite Cleveland's fantastic one-two punch of Sabathia and Carmona, this team just does not quite of the fire power and all around game Boston does.
Sabathia and Carmona will be well, but not well enough and their hot 2-out hitting will start to fizzle. But another young squad will only be getting better in the future.
The Red Sox will win a couple pitchers duels, and outscore the Indians in a couple wild ones, even winning one or two of the four games Sabathia and Carmona would pitch. A chance to win their second World Series in 4 years will be on the horizon.
Boston in 6
Interesting tid-bit: The last time the Red Sox and Indians faced off in the playoffs was in the 1999 ALDS, in which the Indians won the first two at home, and the Red Sox pulled out 3 straight, including game 5 in Cleveland to meet none other than the Yankees in the ALCS.
Quick notes:
- Even though Steinbrenner should have kept his comments to himself until after the season was over, Joe Torre's contract is up and whether or not they won this series, or won it all, it seems like it might just be time for him and the Yankees to part ways. Great run, Joe.
- Arod, who knows? Probably should stay if he really wants a ring, but only time will tell. Yankee fans will not be forgiving if he runs for the money.
- Dolphins, Rams and Saints battle for the #1 pick in next years draft. My guess is it will come down to week 15 or so between Miami and St. Louis.
- Anyone else think about the irony of a Cowboys/Pats Superbowl if Drew Bledsoe hadn't retired, Romo gets hurt halfway through the season (perhaps week 12, Thu. Nov. 22nd, against the Jets) and Bledsoe leads the Cowboys into the playoffs and defeats the Pats in the Superbowl, then runs off the field giving everyone on the Pats sideline the finger while eating a burger? No? Just me?
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